{"id":576829,"date":"2010-05-24T17:04:08","date_gmt":"2010-05-24T21:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.caranddriver.com\/?p=24626"},"modified":"2010-05-24T17:04:08","modified_gmt":"2010-05-24T21:04:08","slug":"the-continental-nissan-leaf-details-alfa-shows-the-past-porsche-talks-about-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/576829","title":{"rendered":"The Continental: Nissan Leaf Details, Alfa Shows the Past, Porsche Talks About the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.<\/em><\/p>\n

This Monday, we flew to London to learn a little more about Nissan\u2019s big bet, the Leaf, which is designed to spearhead the switch to electric cars. The compact four-door has 120 hp, is governed at 90 mph, and can supposedly go 100 miles on a charge. The Leaf will cost about as much as a Toyota Prius or a lavishly equipped VW Golf 1.6 TDI. It shares components with Nissan\u2019s B-platform vehicles, such as the upcoming Juke. Pierre Loing, Nissan Europe\u2019s VP for strategy, tells us that the batteries will last for a long time\u2014retaining 80 percent of their capacity after five years and 70 percent after ten. Commonality with Renault\u2019s electric cars, such as the only slightly bigger Fluence sedan, is not impressive; both companies work on their own cars, and Nissan takes some pride in the fact that its Leaf is a dedicated EV, while the Fluence is just an electrified conventional vehicle.<\/p>\n

Nissan\u2019s sub-\u20ac30K price is made possible only by various government subsidies, with a scope that is somewhat surprising given Europe\u2019s current economic woes. When will governments start taxing electric vehicles like conventional cars, and what happens to the Leaf then? Nissan didn\u2019t have an answer to that one.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

While Nissan talked about the Leaf this week, Alfa Romeo invited a few journos to the Balocco, Italy, proving grounds for a drive of some of the most awesome racers from the company\u2019s 100-year history. Most impressive: the 1930 6C 1750 Gran Sport, the 1952 Disco Volante C52 1900, and the 1965 TZ2. In the distance, there were camouflaged Chryslers and Jeeps all over the proving grounds. Remember how we weren\u2019t impressed with the \u201cChrysler\u201d Delta that was trotted out at the most recent North American auto shows? Rebadging whimsical Italian cars won\u2019t be enough for the U.S., and we hear the memo has been received by Fiat\u2019s management.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Toyota Auris HSD<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Toyota is launching the hybrid version of its Auris, which is basically a European Corolla. The Auris HSD is a five-door hatchback that uses the Prius\u2019s hybrid drivetrain. Not particularly blessed in the looks department, the Auris blends right into traffic, and your neighbors will never know just how much you care about the planet. On paper, the Auris HSD is extremely efficient; in real life, it will be interesting to see how well it stacks up against the same car with Toyota\u2019s own diesel, which is a powerful and competent engine that puts the Auris ahead of many competitors. The Auris HSD is about \u20ac2500 cheaper than the Prius\u2014apparently that\u2019s the price of bragging rights. But just think of all the solar panels this money could buy.<\/p>\n

This \u20ac2500 premium won\u2019t be enough to bridge the gap between the utterly satisfying Porsche Panamera V-6 and the upcoming hybrid version, which will use the same system that is used in the Cayenne and the VW Touareg. It consists of Audi\u2019s supercharged 3.0-liter V-6, an electric motor, and a heavy pack of batteries. Forgive us if we think the regular V-6 will be at least as much fun as the hybrid, despite the latter\u2019s 80 or so more horsepower. Porsche is considering a diesel-powered Panamera for Europe, and the most likely engine to be offered is Audi\u2019s 3.0-liter V-6 TDI of A8, Q7, and Cayenne fame. It\u2019s a powerful enough engine, and while it doesn\u2019t ooze racing heritage, it will help potential buyers to get their Panamera past the corporate bean counters.<\/p>\n

Porsche is not forgetting about its traditional buyers either. We would not at all be surprised to see a Panamera Turbo S, which would make at least 550 hp. If you are set on a Turbo, there is no reason to hold off, but a Turbo S would be sure to give Porsche\u2019s four-door sedan a mid-term boost down the road.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Porsche engineers are convinced that the upcoming, fantastic 918 Spyder needs to be able to drive electrically. We are told that 918 buyers will want to drive short distances on batteries alone, and they will want to tell their neighbors about their responsible choice. For this, they will gladly take a weight penalty of several hundred pounds. Really? We think most 918s will be driven right into their owners\u2019 collections, while others will be taken to the track for serious action. Driving to Starbucks on batteries would not have been on our list of priorities, but it shows you just how much effort and funds electric mobility has hijacked in corporate R&D centers even now.<\/p>\n

Autobahn Tested<\/p>\n

Having spent more time at airports than behind the wheel\u2014such is the life of the Continental at times\u2014we can only report on the frugal Renault Clio Grandtour Diesel this time around. This Le Car successor has an 85-hp, 1.5-liter turbo-diesel, and what you feel is not 85 hp, but 162 lb-ft of torque. Keeping up with bigger boys doesn\u2019t require much effort, and while we were underwhelmed by the style of this strictly economical device, we were glad to have it as a reliable partner for the week.<\/p>\n

Related posts:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Nissan Leaf Pricing Clarified (Somewhat)<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Nissan Leaf Priced at $32,780\u2014Or Less<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. 2011 Nissan Leaf – Feature<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. This Monday, we flew to London to learn a little more about Nissan\u2019s big bet, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6406,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-576829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mobile","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6406"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=576829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576829\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=576829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=576829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=576829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}