Nissan Leaf NISMO

From the ones that brought you the king of GT-Rs, the GT-R NISMO, to everyday casual sports such as the Note NISMO, the Juke NISMO, and the Serena NISMO, comes the very first electric NISMO ever made that promises to combine the feel of their motorsports involvement with the everyday zero emission driving of the new Nissan Leaf, sort of.

2019 Nissan Leaf NISMO

2019 Nissan Leaf NISMO interior

The first ever electric NISMO model, the Leaf NISMO, promises to combine NISMO DNA from its racing expertise, not to mention Nissan's upcoming entry to the Formula E, as well as its zero emission driving feel you'd expect from today's Nissan Leaf, giving a new spin to this all-important electric car of the decade. With prices start at 4,032,720 Japanese Yen (around US$40,400 or PhP1,915,000), it's somewhat very costly to own for a slightly hot electric car with sportscar DNA on it but despite the questionable pricing, there's so much to talk about what's what with the Leaf NISMO.

Based on the second-generation Leaf, the NISMO variant features signature NISMO visual appearances as expected on every NISMO model you ran across such as a specially made front bumper, rear bumper, side sills, and 18-inch aluminum wheels. On the interior, you are greeted by its genuine leather, Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, faux carbon fiber panels on the dashboard, red accents, and a specially designed gear lever.

The EM57 electric motor remains untouched, meaning it's still producing 110kw of power and 320Nm of torque, but NISMO has fiddled with the VCM which results to a much responsive acceleration on B range, even with its signature E-Pedal on. The more responsive acceleration the Leaf NISMO delivers does come with a price as the electric range reduces by about 50km, resulting to 350km (JC08 Mode) on a single charge, which sounds like an ouch but for some, they can live with that.

Focusing on dynamics, the Leaf NISMO features a specially-made electric control brake and suspension with shock absorbers and for added grip, they fitted it with Continental ContiSportContact 5 sports tyres to deliver a much accessible driving experience you can really take it on Tsukuba on Sundays.

Although not the NISMO model as we hoped for, the Leaf NISMO wants to be a more enjoyable Leaf that drivers can take it to work on weekdays and then going on Tsukuba on Sundays just to see how much sportscar DNA this electric car delivers and this is a quick fix for those who want an all-work, all-play electric car they can toy with everyday until they are too satisfied to drive it.

Photo: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.