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The 2026 Nissan Leaf Is Now a Funky Electric SUV - Doug DeMuro
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2018 Nissan Leaf (2nd Generation)
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Shooting Cars review of the 2025 Leaf SV Plus
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savagegeese review of the new Leaf
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Sarah -n- Tuned review of the new Leaf
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Auto Focus review of the new Leaf
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Nissan's third-gen LEAF gets the NISMO treatment
Remember the original 2010 Nissan LEAF? Properly unpretentious, slightly bulbous eco-pod that screamed practicality from every line of its jellybean silhouette. It did not want to have anything to do with performance - it just wanted to help you skip the gas pump.
Fast forward through 700,000 global sales, and Nissan has pulled off a rather fascinating surprise. In January 2026, they dropped the all-new third-generation LEAF onto a completely fresh EV platform, transforming it from a traditional hatchback into a modern crossover. But today, things get genuinely interesting - Nissan's in-house motorsport team grabbed hold of this sensible family hauler and turned the dial to 11 with the launch of the Nissan LEAF NISMO in Japan.
It is a hilarious paradox on paper - the electric pioneer wearing a tracksuit. NISMO calls it an "agile intelligent sport crossover," a phrase heavily polished by the marketing department, but the hardware beneath suggests a real effort to give this EV some serious personality.
This isn't a few red stickers on the bodywork - engineers focused on sharpening the chassis dynamics to make a vehicle that feels significantly lighter and more eager than its physical mass suggests. Not an easy feat when you have between 1,820 kg and 1,920 kg to deal with, depending on the specs.
To pull off this magic trick, the NISMO team completely overhauled the suspension. The sporty LEAF gets exclusive sport springs, stiffer stabilizers, and reworked member bushes designed to ramp up rigidity and make the steering feel alive.
They even pilfered the clever swing-valve shock absorbers from the X-Trail NISMO. These dampers are meant to stop initial body roll when you hurl the car into a bend, yet react smoothly when the tarmac turns nasty. This means you can transition from a mind-numbing morning commute to an aggressive weekend blast down a winding mountain pass without shattering your spine.
www.arenaev.com
Remember the original 2010 Nissan LEAF? Properly unpretentious, slightly bulbous eco-pod that screamed practicality from every line of its jellybean silhouette. It did not want to have anything to do with performance - it just wanted to help you skip the gas pump.
Fast forward through 700,000 global sales, and Nissan has pulled off a rather fascinating surprise. In January 2026, they dropped the all-new third-generation LEAF onto a completely fresh EV platform, transforming it from a traditional hatchback into a modern crossover. But today, things get genuinely interesting - Nissan's in-house motorsport team grabbed hold of this sensible family hauler and turned the dial to 11 with the launch of the Nissan LEAF NISMO in Japan.
It is a hilarious paradox on paper - the electric pioneer wearing a tracksuit. NISMO calls it an "agile intelligent sport crossover," a phrase heavily polished by the marketing department, but the hardware beneath suggests a real effort to give this EV some serious personality.
This isn't a few red stickers on the bodywork - engineers focused on sharpening the chassis dynamics to make a vehicle that feels significantly lighter and more eager than its physical mass suggests. Not an easy feat when you have between 1,820 kg and 1,920 kg to deal with, depending on the specs.
To pull off this magic trick, the NISMO team completely overhauled the suspension. The sporty LEAF gets exclusive sport springs, stiffer stabilizers, and reworked member bushes designed to ramp up rigidity and make the steering feel alive.
They even pilfered the clever swing-valve shock absorbers from the X-Trail NISMO. These dampers are meant to stop initial body roll when you hurl the car into a bend, yet react smoothly when the tarmac turns nasty. This means you can transition from a mind-numbing morning commute to an aggressive weekend blast down a winding mountain pass without shattering your spine.
Nissan's third-gen LEAF gets the NISMO treatment
The Nissan LEAF NISMO injects genuine motorsport-inspired chassis tuning and tactile driver engagement into the brand's latest electric crossover.
www.arenaev.com
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