Car UK May 2019

MAY 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 131

CHEAP TO LIVE WITH

Get past its £30k price

and the running costs are

impressively modest. I cover

1100 miles a month in the

Leaf which, at 3.6p per mile,

adds up to £39.60. That’s the

same that I pay each week

to fuel our diesel Seat Altea.

Over a year that’s a £1400

saving.

NOT JOINED UP

A Chargemaster wallbox at

home means I’ve only had

to deploy the Leaf’s own

charging cables when out

and about. What a palaver on

a cold, rainy night. Vacuum

cleaners have integrated

cable retrieval features. Why

not one of the world’s most

advanced cars?

URBAN LEGEND

The Leaf is very relaxing to

drive around town, helped

by its B driving mode, which

enhances regen braking so

you rarely have to brake. In

stop-start traffic the e-Pedal

intuitively brings the car to

a smooth stop as you come

off the throttle. Clever, unlike

sluggish Eco mode.

NOT SO SMART

For an incredibly progressive

car, the Leaf’s cabin exudes

not one iota of technology-

imbued sexiness. The heated

seat buttons encapsulate this

• hard shiny slabs of Primera-
  era plastic. And there’s just
  one USB port.
  BEN WHITWORTH
  @benwhitworth

Eureka! But

then again not

Our cars

Even the

brightest paint

known to

mankind can’t

distract from its

shortcomings

In bits

Curtis does a mean

unimpressed face

Nissan Leaf

Month 9

The story so far

The first Leaf kick-started the accessible-EV revolution in

2011 – will the punchier, bigger-batteried Leaf 2.0 prove to

be another groundbreaker?

+ Cheap as microchips to run; very relaxing and refined

around town; e-Pedal works a treat

• Flair-free cabin; poor storage for charging cables

Price £28,390 (£30,055 as tested) Performance 148bhp

e-motor and 40kWh battery, 7.9sec 0-62mph, 90mph

Efficiency 206W/km, 0g/km CO2 Energy costs 3.6p per mile

Miles this month 1012 Total miles 9275

Logbook

Our electric Nissan is genius in parts

and alert: the Fiesta ST makes the
sometimes enjoyable Swift feel very
flat. And the gulf in performance is
much larger than the prices suggest.
The Swift Sport faces tough
competition from the lower end
of the spectrum too, as the VW
Up GTI also gives the Suzuki a
headache. Though it looks like a
washing machine, the Up is nippy
enough and sounds good, and at
a starting price of around £14,000

• £4000 less than the Swift. But
  the worst match-up for the Swift?
  The car it replaces. Those who have
  driven both new and old find this
  car lacks the magic of the outgoing
  Suzuki supermini, which leaves it in
  something of a no-man’s land.

John Wycherley

Suzuki Swift Sport

Month 6

The story so far

The current Swift seemed like

a very promising basis for the

return of the Swift Sport – but

in reality it’s not quite hitting

the mark

+Frisky fun when you’re feeling

playful; can pass as a sensible

supermini in town

• Uncomfortable; expensive;
  noisy on the motorway

Price £17,999 (£17,999 as tested)

Performance 1373cc turbo

4-cyl, 138bhp, 8.1sec 0-62mph,

130mph Efficiency 47.1 m p g

(official), 42.61mpg (tested),

125g/km C02 Energy cost 12.9p

per mile Miles this month 533

Total miles 6933

Logbook

Count the cost

Cost new £17,999 Private sale
£12,660 Part-exchange £12,020
Cost per mile 12.9p Cost per mile
including depreciation 99p