Nissan is an odd manufacturer - it's often quite hit and miss with its cars, you can never tell whether they are going to be brilliant or really quite dull. One minute it goes and enlivens the SUV sector by inventing the nifty little Qashqai-sized niche in the market that has brought it much success, and then the next minute the dull Micra becomes another anonymous and slightly boring hatchback.
Of course there were worries ahead of the Leaf's launch - the electric vehicle's styling doesn't have the same eco-friendly distinctiveness of a Toyota Prius, but perhaps a slightly everyday design is what is needed to help the EV go mainstream. In fact the most surprising thing about the Leaf is that it makes switching from petrol to electricity as simple as possible.
It might sound like a silly thing to say, but the Leaf feels like a proper car. Range anxiety and overnight recharging might be new concepts you'll start to become familiar with as an owner, but everything else is business as usual. This will come as a reassurance to early adopters who might have bought a tiny G-Whizz, which is only saleable because of a legal loophole allowing it to bypass normal safety tests.
Science has got EV technology to the point that a dull family hatchback is a viable option. On the one hand the Leaf's ordinariness is reassuring, on the other hand it's a shame the fundamental architecture of the car isn't being reconsidered now we can junk everything that has built up around the internal combustion engine. That should all come in time, though.
The power delivery is properly smooth, but in a punchy way. All of an electric engine's torque is available straight away, and it makes the Leaf feel quicker than it looks on paper. It's perfectly suited to urban stop and start traffic. The steering is surprisingly entertaining too. You'll have to take it easy with your right foot to match Nissan's optimistic range though.
Environment anoraks will argue that it isn't a proper zero-emission vehicle because the power has to come from somewhere, but all we know is it won't give your kids asthma standing behind it, so it's alright in our book. And even though the Leaf is expensive to buy, electricity will cost a fraction of the amount of petrol. Once you've tried the future, it'll be hard to go back...