I test drove Nissan’s EV that divided opinion – I’m 6ft 5in but it’s so upright I could wear a top hat & still have room
A MOTORS expert who test drove Nissan’s EV said that he could wear a top hat and still have room despite being 6ft 5in.
Seyth Miersma, took the handy Nissan Sakura EV for a spin and gave a detailed review for motor lovers.
After being invited to Tokyo, Seyth was given the chance to drive the well-priced mini electric car which has sold thousands in Japan.
The motors reviewer had many positive things to say about the EV which has a reasonable battery size and an affordable price.
Writing in InsideEVs, he said: “The best-selling EV in Japan is many things – narrow, upright, stylish, perhaps even lovable.
“But cramped is not one of them.”
He claimed he could “wear a literal top hat” while driving the car which has “every scrap of space has dedicated to human occupants”.
The motors reviewer said that the rear seating was also “downright generous” given his towering height.
Seyth noted this was not something you could always say of small SUVs, let alone Kei cars.
And Seyth claims that despite the narrow width of the cabin, the lack of a middle seat on the rear bench means two adults can sit side by side with space to spare.
Despite it’s small appearance, the Sakura can still seat four people with 107 litres of luggage space, has two massive screens and costs from just £11,000.
Seyth added that it was simple for him to zoom around busses and beat Crown taxis away from stoplights in Tokyo.
The motors expert said that it was “an excellent powertrain for a city car”.
But there were some downsides to the handy little electric motor.
Seyth said that he was “not positive” the Nissan was ready for primetime on US freeways.
He added: “Even though I’d love the cost-per-mile breakdown, I don’t think that the Sakura would offer a lot of confidence maneuvering through traffic at 80 or 85 mph for 80-plus miles.”
Seyth also wrote that despite the positives the charging time was still not exceptionally fast.
Nissan quotes a charge time of 40 minutes to go from 0 to 80 per cent.
And he said that there was no centre armrest at all, and “very little in-cabin storage” for things like water bottles or handbags.
Others who have tried the new motor have been left divided over the EV and it’s capabilities.
A Nissan spokesperson said: “The Nissan Sakura has been developed to conform to Japan’s unique ‘kei car’ regulations – a specific set of rules governing a vehicle’s dimensions, engine size and performance that are not found in other global markets.
“Here in the UK, we already have a range of electric vehicles suited to a variety of customer needs, including the British-built LEAF, the Ariya crossover, and the Townstar compact van.”
It comes as Rishi Sunak delayed the petrol and diesel car ban until 2035.
In a major speech delivered from Downing Street, the PM hailed The Sun’s Give Us A Brake campaign as he ripped up expensive net zero policies.
Meanwhile, a tech expert revealed three reasons that EVs could stay more expensive for longer as car brands face a tough decision.
Andrew Orlowski, founder of research network Think of X, suggested that the cheap electric car revolution may still be quite a way off.