MotorMouths

The Leaf would be a good deal without all the incentives, rebates and refunds, but, when those are all factored in, the Leaf looks like a solid deal for the American family commuter.

If it makes sense for your lifestyle and you’re excited at the idea of owning a full-electric vehicle, the 2012 Nissan Leaf won’t disappoint.

The Leaf isn’t just an economy car. It’s a car that is used to make a statement. The fact that the Leaf drives essentially just like any other car makes it easier to justify the switch from internal combustion to electric propulsion.

Designed to work within an urban environment, the Leaf certainly succeeds. Beyond that, it’s possible to live with, but far from ideal. And the drawbacks of an electric car? Significant.

If the drawbacks don’t bother you, the Leaf is a solid (if expensive) choice in the green car segment, but I’d wait for the 2013 model with the faster charger.

We had as much driving fun with the Leaf as we’ve had in a long time, because it is so very different from the normal and usual. And it looks like a very good deal indeed for the Americanfamily commuter.

I loved the Leaf. It’s not some quirky gadget masquerading as a car. It’s a rewarding, fully-realized car with the sort of techno-cachet usually reserved for the latest must-have gadget. Put more simply: It’s cool. It’s electric. And it works.

Few things about the Leaf stand out, and that’s exactly its point. Nissan isn’t out to change the driving experience, it’s just changing the method of motivation. And more than anything else, that’s what’s going to bring electric vehicles into the mainstream.

The Leaf is a quick, nimble, fun-to-drive car that is, at least theoretically, more than adequate for the daily driving needs of 90 percent of Americans. We see it as the highly promising start of something very interesting.

If you don’t drive more than 70 or 80 miles per day — and evidence from Nissan suggests that more than 80 percent of us don’t — then the Leaf might just be the perfect planet-friendly transport for you.

For now, driving a Leaf at least means saying goodbye to a dirty, smelly gas station and not filling the coffers of countries that are more foe than friend. And, if you’re so inclined, helping save the planet, one kilowatt hour at a time.

So the 2011 Nissan Leaf appears to be quite some car. It’s more than just a promise, more than just the usual vaporware. With its zero tailpipe emissions it gives you a different answer to the question of clean-air transportation.