Without making any changes in the interior or in the design, Nissan has upgraded the second generation of the Leaf. The 2016 Nissan Leaf has an upgraded range, courtesy of a new and larger battery. With the new battery, Nissan claims that the vehicle can go 107 miles with a single charge.
The first generation of the pure electronic vehicle had a mileage of 84 miles with a 24 kWh battery pack inside. For the 2016 Leaf, Nissan has upgraded the battery to a 30 kWh battery pack.
There is still an option to get the 24 kWh battery pack, as Nissan has left it in the entry model of the 2016 Nissan. Only those opting for higher end trimming, such as the SL and SV will get the boost to 107 miles. The new battery has the same size as the previous battery, but it is heavier and has twice the number of modules more than the previous version. According to EPA numbers, the 2016 Nissan Leaf has rating of 124mpg in the city, 101 on the highway, and a combined efficiency of 112.
The price of the base model is set at $28,060, which is the same as the model from 2015. However, the prices for the higher end trimmings see a huge raise. For example, the SV trimming is priced at $35,050, which is a huge increase from the $32,950 price tag for the 2015 version. The SL trimming costs $37,640, an increase of the $35,970 price of the 2015 model. The prices do not include punitive tax. All of the trimmings are powered by an 80 KW engine, packing 107 ponies under the hood.
Some of the goodies in the higher end models include monitors, battery charge, remote connection and a system that turns on and off the heat and air conditioning when you get inside and out of the car.
The exterior of the new Leaf is identical to the previous version. The only difference is the new color options including Deep Blue Pearl, Coulis Red and Forged Bronze. Inside, there are a few small changes such as the new interface display.
The biggest competitor on the market for the 2016 Nissan Leaf is the also new 2016 Chevrolet Volt. While the Leaf is a completely electronic vehicle, the Volt is more of a plug-in hybrid. However, with the battery range of the Volt at 53 miles, it mostly operates as a pure electric car. The combined range of the 2016 Volt is 420 miles. At the moment, the numbers of the market favor the 2016 Leaf, even though it is a pure electric car with lower mileage. According to statistics, the Leaf has been topping the Volt in sales for the past four years, as production of the vehicles started in 2010.
