Is The Nissan LEAF Styling Kind Of Homely??

[RonDawg]

[my Leaf is very distinctive looking (though I wish it didn't have a simular profile to the Versa).

If anything I see some Murano styling cues, especially around the area around the upper rear door/c-pillar.

 

[ELROY]

the looks have grown on me=i now like it.the juke is still a hidious ride 2 me,though

The Juke looks like a joke of some kind. But while looking at one at the car show, I was surprised by how sporty the car is on the inside. Nice leather seats, etc.

On the other hand, the Juke is the vehice Nissan decided to make into a $600,000 480HP+ GTR derived specialty vehicle. There are some 1000hp+ ones running around the streets also!

And yes, the LEAF does have a decidedly European rear end on it. You would imagine it being designed by Citroen or Renault or someone like that. Actually there is the Nissan/Renault alliance after all.

Good discussion and nice to hear everyone's opinions.

 

[dgpcolorado]

I never liked Leaf much - thought it wasn't standout enough. And where it stood out, wasn't all that nice (weird headlights).

But I actually like the Juke.

I think it will take quite a few years for companies to come up with really bold designs for a car that doesn't have the same constraints as an ICE does.

EVs may not have the same design constraints as ICE cars but they have constraints of their own. Given the low energy density of batteries, aerodynamics are vastly more important for EVs than ICE vehicles. And that limits designs somewhat.

I find that the relatively small hatch of the LEAF limits the utility of the rear space (I couldn't get a bicycle in without disassembling it, for example). But I understand the importance of a Citroen-style smaller rear end in reducing the Cd so I accept it.

Until battery technology improves, or prices drop a lot, I think the main design constraint on the LEAF and other EVs will have to be aerodynamics. It will be interesting to see what the car companies do with that. In the meantime, all I really care about is how it performs, not how it looks.

 

[Nubo]

I think the appearance is fine for what it is -- a 5-seat family hatchback. The headlights are a bit quirky but I've learned to like them and they're what make the car instantly recognizable. It may not have an appearance that gives one the immediate visceral sensation of perfect styling but then again very few cars do. The vast majority of cars on the road are boring ticky-tack so I never did quite get the complaints about LEAF. At least it does stand out a bit. I think it's a fairly clean, functional design.

 

[sirenbrian]

My standard answer to questions about the Leaf's looks is "hey, I only look at the outside for ten seconds a day. Now the INSIDE, that's nice!"

 

[PatricioEV]

I personally really like the looks of the Juke and would have been over the top thrilled if they had offered an electric version of it! I think the Leaf is a bit homely, but like a homely child, you love them for who they are and eventually you don't see them as homely at all.

 

[TomT]

My wife stated it very succinctly when she stated it looked like something that Tonka or Mattel designed...

I personally really like the looks of the Juke and would have been over the top thrilled if they had offered an electric version of it!

 

[GreenPowerDP]

I hope that Nissan pushes the Leaf styling in the Resonance concept direction:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/photogalleries/2013-detroit-auto-show-nissan-resonance-concept/#/2

More stretchy than the leaf, juke tail-light design, etc.

 

[JPWhite]

There isn't a car on the road that somebody doesn't think is ugly. That's just human nature. I think the Leaf is fairly attractive and I've had about 5 or 6 comments over the last 2 years from people (all women) in parking lots that thought it was "cute" but didn't even realize it was an EV.

I do think the Volt is somewhat more attractive, though.

I agree with your points.

I talked with a co worker yesterday and he said he considered the LEAF and found it reasonably attractive, his 90 mile round trip commute with no workplace charging killed the deal.

He also considered the Volt but said he just couldn't possibly drive one because it's so ugly.

Not my opinion, but clearly YMMV when it comes to looks.

 

[hill]

If you like Catfish - then you love the Leaf's Look:

Otherwise, put it this way ... my 2nd choice for a vanity license plate: 1UGLYEV

 

[Juiced]

Reviewer Dan Neil from the wall Street Journal said it best "The Leaf looks like a choking fish"

 

[DeaneG]

I always thought it was a radioactive frog front with a bunny rabbit rear.

 

[mrdcmills]

It's not ugly. Just different. Looking at the Leaf and the Mitsubishi I, my wife approved the extra $ for the Leaf. She described the Mitsubishi as "fugly".

 

[Nubo]

If you like Catfish - then you love the Leaf's Look:

Otherwise, put it this way ... my 2nd choice for a vanity license plate: 1UGLYEV

I like it!!

 

[edatoakrun]

If you like Catfish - then you love the Leaf's Look:

Otherwise, put it this way ... my 2nd choice for a vanity license plate: 1UGLYEV

I like it!!

Not just beautiful, but functional, also.

That picture actually shows the aerodynamic modifications of the European and Japanese MY 2013 LEAFs, which give those cars their ~14% range increases...

 

[eclecticflower]

The American market has always been sold on "sexy," so let's face it, the LEAF isn't that. First time I saw one several years ago, it was outside an indoor KCMO auto show and they were giving test drives. Yep, it was ugly (my first impression), so I didn't give it a second glance and there were too many people waiting in line for a drive. Now I own a red one and think she's very cute. Plus, I like innovative and green technology.

Also, I'm drawn to the unusual and unique. I bought a new '94 Honda Civic Del Sol Si with that God-awful Samba Green Royale paint job - first impression, "God, that's ugly!" Then I looked a little harder and it made me smile. Sometimes, if you just tilt your head a little sideways, you can see the cuteness. I never lost it in a mall parking lot, either. :lol:

Personally, I think looking at the LEAF straight on from the front or rear, it's uniquely cute. From the side, the headlamps and "hips" make it look a bit frumpy. At an angle, she's a fish. I love love love the tail lights (unique!) and wouldn't change them. The Juke is odd, but not "cute" odd and not aerodynamic. I guess it could grow on the right person....

Cars used to be inspired by the space race and had rocketship attributes in the 1950s. Since the Prius, seems like cars have begun to look like insects and animals (roaches, crickets, fish, frogs and bunnies - oh my!). Yes, we're getting back to nature!

 

[dgpcolorado]

...Yes, we're getting back to nature!

It makes sense that cars are coming to resemble natural animal forms: as fuel economy requirements become more stringent aerodynamics becomes more important. Since water is much more dense than air, aquatic creatures—such as fish, aquatic mammals, and some amphibians—have evolved low drag forms. That cars are beginning to resemble such animals is not a surprise. Nature solved the drag problem long ago.

Even such details as the texture of a shark's skin have a significant impact on drag. If a fish in an open ocean niche can't swim efficiently (low energy use) or accelerate quickly (reduced power needs) it becomes lunch for another creature better adapted.

Automobile and airplane designers are playing catch-up!