By Design: 2010 Nissan Leaf

1. Bulging, transparent headlamp covers are visible even from far behind the car. 2. Another curiosity is this blackout triangle behind the door and side transparencies. The upper point draws the eye upward and makes the car seem even taller. 3. This awkward line is puzzling. It peaks a bit ahead of the wheel centerline, so high on the body that it makes the side panels seem enormous. 4. After its peak, the side crease line becomes three flattened segments joined by disparate radii, for an odd and unpleasant effect. 5. The trunk sill isn't too high, but it is very narrow. 6. These under-tail ribs recall diffusers on race cars and lead one to ask, "what were they thinking?" 7. Not exactly a head-up display, but the speedometer readout is close to the driver's down-the-road sight line. 8. The information on current usage, on the other hand, requires a considerable shift of focus. 9. The central control panel is clean, simple, and legible. 10. Nissan claims that this hatch over the recharging plugs clearly identifies the Leaf as an electric car. It doesn't. 11. The hood's very rounded edge visually shortens the front of the car. 12. The base of the windshield is considerably less rounded than the hood, leaving a big black void. 13. The windshield is sloped back at an extreme angle, more like an Italian GT coupe than a typical economy car. If only the whole car were this dynamic. 14. The nearly flat roof panel elegantly runs under the transverse spoiler/CHMSL at the rear. 15. This is not a radiator grille, but it has the outline and inset surface one would expect to see for one. 16. This rib that dips below the air intake beneath the grille shape in the lower front fascia is crisply executed and leads nicely into a surround for the foglamps. 17. Sculpting of the entire front end is quite elegant, with a soft radius across the nose above the "grille" and the side crease turning back toward the wheel opening. 18. For all the visibility it provides, this leading quarter window might just as well be opaque. 19. The tall, featureless sides provide a good base for the Zero Emission graphics, but one hopes that not every Leaf will wear them. 20. Tall vertical taillights are well integrated to the upper structure, but less so on the lower body.