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Forbidden Fruit: We Drive Nissan’s New Leaf Nismo in Japan
Words: Andrew Sluys
Nismo is a brand that’s reasonably well known among car enthusiasts in New Zealand, mostly for the Skyline GT-Rs.
Sine those glory days, Nismo has become less of a household name, but it still churning out high performance versions of Nissan’s vehicles, such as the new Leaf Nismo.
Nissan New Zealand has basically completely ruled it out for our market, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still arrive here as a used import.
It is for this reason that we got behind the wheel of one during a recent trip to Japan, and tested it on the windy roads where it belongs.
As a Leaf owner himself, Gavin is no stranger to Nissan’s iconic EV, and it seems like the Nismo magic might have him hooked.
Check out the full video below:
The power is the standard Leaf B7’s 160kW and 355Nm, with 0-100km/h in 7.6 seconds. What has changed is everything around it: retuned suspension with swing-valve dampers, stiffer bushes, recalibrated steering, a functional aero kit that presses the car into the road at speed, lightweight 19-inch wheels on Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tyres, and a Nismo drive mode. The B7 Recaro edition tested carries a 75kWh battery, a claimed 604km of range, and weighs 20kg less than the regular B7. Converted, its Japanese price lands around NZ$77,000.
The Leaf Nismo review follows Gavin’s BYD Racco road trip from the same Japan visit, and lands as Nissan works on a Twingo-based small EV for Europe.
