So pleased to see the Sakura making it to NZ, all be it grey market. We need more teeny tiny cars like these for cities. If the price could just be a bit teenier tiner. Have been driving a petrol kei for a decade, love it.
I loved all your iOn videos in Slovakia. I also own a Peugeot iOn (along with a 38 kWh Hyundai Ioniq) and really appreciate its dimensions and usability in the city 🙂
We'll never get those here in the USA, but that really would be all most people would need. If people could just drive something like that just once, a lot of us would be converted by the convenience, small turning radius and low cost. Those make so much sense!
In the States you can buy the car this one is based on, the i-MiEV. Auto tempest has 12 of them for sale. I have a 2010 i-MiEV with an upgraded battery, and it is a FABULOUS little EV!
Great to see you driving around Christchurch and right past where we bought our MG4. So unusual to see a review from you where it doesn't rain at some point!
Entertaining review! We got a Zoe with 22kwh and about same ~47kw motor, and came from a history of only Honda CRX ed9 [975kg] and 4th gen Civic ee9 [1025kg] could absolutly relate to the driving fun. Thanks for bringing this wonderful car to my radar :)
BYD Dolphin Dynamic takes 12.3 seconds 0-100kph so the Nissan beats it. Shame about the Chademo and tell me please . . . Is it LFP and does it have thermal management on that 20kWh battery. We all know the sad tale of Outlander PHEV batteries degrading too rapidly in gen1 mainly attributed to no thermal management. Ditto Nissan Leaf and Mitsi iMeiv. The Dolphin for $12k more brand new has thermal management and nearly twice the range and most likely twice the longevity. Aussie score of 3/10 sorry.
Nice review! I'm really tempted to import one to the UK. From a look through the manual, there is a language setting buried deep in the menus so I think you can just switch to English that way.
Based on the (I love my 2010) i-MiEV, I'm so glad you love this little common sense EV! Mitsubishi Australia is trialing the badge shared ek X version in OZ. I do hope they bring it in, as it looks like a marvelous upgrade to the i-MiEV!!
Hi Gavin, I've had Kei cars here in Australia, six years ago I bought a Mitsubishi minicab miev EV Kei van and apart from the outrageous price for an aftermarket battery with bother all warranty which means that my range on a 13 year old EV is only about 60 klm at best I'm really really happy with it, kei cars rule. PS I've bought a 7kw untethered wall charger as we can then use it on the chademo Mitsubishi and ccs cars with the right cable, it's on an interest free loan organized by the Tasmanian government.😁.
Amazing how much tech and space this tiny urban EV packs. Would be a superb Urban car for the UK perfect for the parent taxi/school-run/weekly-supermarket~run hope someone from the Japanese manufacturer spots this and brings this to the UK. Thanks Gav for sharing this mighty midget with your excellent review
FYi - quick Japanese lesson: "e" is always pronounced as the vowel sound in "say" and "i" is always pronounced as the vowel sound in "see". So "kei" would be pronounced "kay-ee" - pretty much the same way that most English speakers say the "long A" sound. "Sakura" - the Japanese word for "cherry blossoms" - has a slight accent on the first syllable, so it's "SA-koo-rah", not "sa-KOO-rah". Ganbatte kudasai!
Of course it has Chademo because it's a Japanese EV post-2013 which is when bidirectional charging became a mandatory function in EVs there. In that vein it's also worth considering how the price of this wee buzzbox compares to a Tesla Powerwall because it beats the Powerwall in terms of home electricity supply. Just have to wait for V2H to become mainstream in NZ once the lines companies and regulatory platform gets its shit together in that respect. Nice review and that weight and lack of traction control is something for you to look forward to in the E-llegro.
Since for most people, buying brand new vehicles is totally beyond their means, perhaps including reviews of more used EV's should form part of the mix. I'm positively astounded at how expensive new cars are in NZ.
Yeah this was a fantastic car I sat in the one at FCL in Sydney this year and couldn't believe it even the rear seat behind my driving position, 6'4", had loads of leg room could not believe it. The other thing with it is if you have good charging infrastructure could do a longer trip with maybe not every day but could do it with planning. Never mind head room most head room I've ever experienced.
By the way, for my fellow American viewers, that price in NZ dollars translates to about $16,000 US. That is a great price for such a nice car! And the range translates to about 111 miles, which is just right for its intended purpose.
There are 50 & 100KW CHAdeMO chargers; the limit might be the car; my 2016 Kia Soul charges at 50KW; and the run-out 30KWh battery versions are supposed to charge at up to 75KW. There is now a CCS2 to CHAdeMO adapter, but currently they are VERY expensive.
I hope we see more of these from car companies in the future. All very well having big, expensive SUV type things, but there's a lot to be said about small, cheap city cars. Although at what, $27K second hand... ouch. Next time you talk with anyone at BYD, can you bug them about the Seagull? I'd love to see a NZ review of one of those. Not that I'm holding my breath they'll ever release them in our market, outside of the grey-market, sadly.
Brilliant as always Gav. I'm not sure that it's great value - seems a little exe for the size and second hand. $18K would feel more reasonable depending on the K's.
Hopefully that TV tuner is not available when you're driving! Anyway, these kinds of cars (low range EVs in general) get laughed at for their small range, but those people are missing the point. They are made for a specific purpose: City driving. No one makes fun of a Yugo for being slower than a Porsche because those cars are made for different purposes. Anyway, this would be a fantastic car for retirees or as a second car, or in some circumstances for your main car if your situation is just right. Looks like a lot of fun to drive!
I think Kei class sounds interesting, and I think cars like Kei-cars like the i-MiEV are very cool. I would love more, even tinier models, to fit the European vehicle classifications; L6e-B and L7e-C. They are strighter regarding weight and power, compared to Kei. L6e-BP: max 45 km/h, max 425 kg (not incuding batteries), max 6 kW, 2 seats L6e-BU: like -BP, but no passengers and + cargo/utility specifications L7e-CP: max 15 kW, max 450 kg, max 4 seats L7e-CU: max 15 kW, max 600 kg, max 2 seats + cargo/utility specifications I believe the length × with × height is smaller than Kei class
Great video. I was in Japan recently and this style of car is very popular. And you referred to the car as a box, well Honda literally named it's version the V-Box. 😂
Before I started watching this video , for a few seconds I thought they had started the official export of this vehicle. There's definitely a market for it. There are dozens of thousands of VW e-Up( Škoda Citigo-e iV, SEAT Mii electric) cars on European roads, but no successor to these vehicles.
![Try it on, it's electric... [Nissan's mini-EV SAKURA]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-k2Pf0luXNw/mqdefault.jpg)
So pleased to see the Sakura making it to NZ, all be it grey market. We need more teeny tiny cars like these for cities. If the price could just be a bit teenier tiner. Have been driving a petrol kei for a decade, love it.
These are small albeit extremely practical. One can dream of this class of car coming to NZ and Aus
Unfortunately KEI-Cars are not shipped to Europe anymore - Those are the types of cars we need for daily commuting
KEI cars are amazing. Love the concept of everything you need, nothing you don't.
Did I hear you say "Seated Heats"? 😂 I love it...
I'm in the USA and you're still my favorite EV reviewer and channel. Useful info, presented well with plenty of humor and charisma.
I loved all your iOn videos in Slovakia. I also own a Peugeot iOn (along with a 38 kWh Hyundai Ioniq) and really appreciate its dimensions and usability in the city 🙂
You should also review grey market cars too! - Totally relevant to NZ'ers. This car is so cuuuute
We'll never get those here in the USA, but that really would be all most people would need. If people could just drive something like that just once, a lot of us would be converted by the convenience, small turning radius and low cost. Those make so much sense!
In the States you can buy the car this one is based on, the i-MiEV. Auto tempest has 12 of them for sale. I have a 2010 i-MiEV with an upgraded battery, and it is a FABULOUS little EV!
Great to see you driving around Christchurch and right past where we bought our MG4. So unusual to see a review from you where it doesn't rain at some point!
I've been waiting for some local (close enough to Australia) reviews.
Love your reviews!
Entertaining review!
We got a Zoe with 22kwh
and about same ~47kw motor,
and came from a history of only
Honda CRX ed9 [975kg] and 4th gen Civic ee9 [1025kg]
could absolutly relate to the driving fun.
Thanks for bringing this wonderful car to my radar :)
0-100 in 9 seconds was fast in 1970s.. a mark 1 GTI was 8.3!
Yeah, but this car isn’t designed to be fast. It’s probably actively designed to be a slow car. I love it!
Yeah, see you in next traffic light
BYD Dolphin Dynamic takes 12.3 seconds 0-100kph so the Nissan beats it. Shame about the Chademo and tell me please . . . Is it LFP and does it have thermal management on that 20kWh battery. We all know the sad tale of Outlander PHEV batteries degrading too rapidly in gen1 mainly attributed to no thermal management. Ditto Nissan Leaf and Mitsi iMeiv.
The Dolphin for $12k more brand new has thermal management and nearly twice the range and most likely twice the longevity.
Aussie score of 3/10 sorry.
Nice review! I'm really tempted to import one to the UK. From a look through the manual, there is a language setting buried deep in the menus so I think you can just switch to English that way.
Based on the (I love my 2010) i-MiEV, I'm so glad you love this little common sense EV! Mitsubishi Australia is trialing the badge shared ek X version in OZ. I do hope they bring it in, as it looks like a marvelous upgrade to the i-MiEV!!
Hi Gavin, I've had Kei cars here in Australia, six years ago I bought a Mitsubishi minicab miev EV Kei van and apart from the outrageous price for an aftermarket battery with bother all warranty which means that my range on a 13 year old EV is only about 60 klm at best I'm really really happy with it, kei cars rule. PS I've bought a 7kw untethered wall charger as we can then use it on the chademo Mitsubishi and ccs cars with the right cable, it's on an interest free loan organized by the Tasmanian government.😁.
Price matters, the price for grey import kei cars is insane.
@@samchen0079these Sakura are 35 k here in Tasmania, it's outrageous, my minicab cost 15 k landed and complied .
Amazing how much tech and space this tiny urban EV packs. Would be a superb Urban car for the UK perfect for the parent taxi/school-run/weekly-supermarket~run hope someone from the Japanese manufacturer spots this and brings this to the UK. Thanks Gav for sharing this mighty midget with your excellent review
My 2013 Smart Fortwo Ed is smaller and weighs 1050kg. I love the space the Nissan has and will check it out further. Thanks for the info.
FYi - quick Japanese lesson: "e" is always pronounced as the vowel sound in "say" and "i" is always pronounced as the vowel sound in "see". So "kei" would be pronounced "kay-ee" - pretty much the same way that most English speakers say the "long A" sound. "Sakura" - the Japanese word for "cherry blossoms" - has a slight accent on the first syllable, so it's "SA-koo-rah", not "sa-KOO-rah". Ganbatte kudasai!
Quite right!
more like "eh" rather than "ay"
Of course it has Chademo because it's a Japanese EV post-2013 which is when bidirectional charging became a mandatory function in EVs there. In that vein it's also worth considering how the price of this wee buzzbox compares to a Tesla Powerwall because it beats the Powerwall in terms of home electricity supply. Just have to wait for V2H to become mainstream in NZ once the lines companies and regulatory platform gets its shit together in that respect.
Nice review and that weight and lack of traction control is something for you to look forward to in the E-llegro.
Daily driver was a 1L Daihatsu kei car. Absolute legend of a car for city driving.
Since for most people, buying brand new vehicles is totally beyond their means, perhaps including reviews of more used EV's should form part of the mix. I'm positively astounded at how expensive new cars are in NZ.
You absolutely Jammy Ruckers!!
Great little runabouts.
I'm curious whether the battery has full thermal management? As that was and is the achilese heel of the Leaf.
The seated heats sold me!
Kerb weight of the swift sport is classed as 970kg
Yeah this was a fantastic car I sat in the one at FCL in Sydney this year and couldn't believe it even the rear seat behind my driving position, 6'4", had loads of leg room could not believe it. The other thing with it is if you have good charging infrastructure could do a longer trip with maybe not every day but could do it with planning. Never mind head room most head room I've ever experienced.
Great car, kei cars would work in UK cities, esp ones with Seated Heats.
I was looking for this comment. Gotta love those seated heats! 🤣
Would love that in Australia. I live within 30 km from the CBD and my daily commute is always less than 100 km max. Perfect car for me.
Almost i-miev, that is great:)
By the way, for my fellow American viewers, that price in NZ dollars translates to about $16,000 US. That is a great price for such a nice car! And the range translates to about 111 miles, which is just right for its intended purpose.
You can add the Lexus UX300e to your list of new car's sold in NZ with Chademo ports.
Great work, Gavin!
Noice one Gavin. Always loved Kei cars.
Glad to see the sukura in nz,we need to see more small cars here,bring on some Chinese city cars or maybe the ami.
OMG Gav, that Cherry Blossom / Sakura is so light. I hope you didn't park it in Woolston overnight 😂
There are 50 & 100KW CHAdeMO chargers; the limit might be the car; my 2016 Kia Soul charges at 50KW; and the run-out 30KWh battery versions are supposed to charge at up to 75KW.
There is now a CCS2 to CHAdeMO adapter, but currently they are VERY expensive.
I hope we see more of these from car companies in the future. All very well having big, expensive SUV type things, but there's a lot to be said about small, cheap city cars. Although at what, $27K second hand... ouch. Next time you talk with anyone at BYD, can you bug them about the Seagull? I'd love to see a NZ review of one of those. Not that I'm holding my breath they'll ever release them in our market, outside of the grey-market, sadly.
While secondhand, EVCity is getting them with low miles on the clock... currently they have one listed with 680km and 97% SOH for 28990.
I'm waiting till' Ecotricity comes to Australia. We really need a carbon neutral/positive energy provider over here.
This would make a lot of sense in London, much more so than the Range Rovers that a lot of over moneyed idiots crawl around in!
interesting - the #1 problem with it could well be the fact you can buy a ex-demo Leaf from Nissan NZ for $35K at the moment.
Brilliant as always Gav. I'm not sure that it's great value - seems a little exe for the size and second hand. $18K would feel more reasonable depending on the K's.
Same power as your Allegro started with!
Hopefully that TV tuner is not available when you're driving! Anyway, these kinds of cars (low range EVs in general) get laughed at for their small range, but those people are missing the point. They are made for a specific purpose: City driving. No one makes fun of a Yugo for being slower than a Porsche because those cars are made for different purposes. Anyway, this would be a fantastic car for retirees or as a second car, or in some circumstances for your main car if your situation is just right. Looks like a lot of fun to drive!
Gavin, what is parts availability and warranty like for these import? Bear in mind that Nissan does not offer this in Nz.
Great to see these kind of EV’s making there way to NZ
I think Kei class sounds interesting, and I think cars like Kei-cars like the i-MiEV are very cool.
I would love more, even tinier models, to fit the European vehicle classifications; L6e-B and L7e-C.
They are strighter regarding weight and power, compared to Kei.
L6e-BP: max 45 km/h, max 425 kg (not incuding batteries), max 6 kW, 2 seats
L6e-BU: like -BP, but no passengers and + cargo/utility specifications
L7e-CP: max 15 kW, max 450 kg, max 4 seats
L7e-CU: max 15 kW, max 600 kg, max 2 seats + cargo/utility specifications
I believe the length × with × height is smaller than Kei class
Hello from Ukraine! The car is cool, but the electric smart is more interesting, in terms of interior design.
The way you tell it in the video makes me want to buy 2 nissan Sakura 😂
I think that this car would sell in Australia where small affordable easy parking shopping trolleys would be in demand.
I am absolutely desperate to buy one of these. Slight bummer I live in Ingerland but oh well
Great video. I was in Japan recently and this style of car is very popular. And you referred to the car as a box, well Honda literally named it's version the V-Box. 😂
N Box
Why doesn't Nissan sell it in Australia?
I really want one now!
It's got headroom for days, it's got air conditioning, but most of all, it's got SEATED HEATS! 🤣🤣🤣 3:50
seated heats?
Adorable car!
This car is definitely ideal for city commutes. Performance wise it's similar to a N/A 2L 100kw car except for top speed.
Plz share the link of your road trip video from austria to Ukraine
Great video. Thanks.
Is microbial the way you say “tiny” or “small” in NZ?
Can do a review with electric drive smart car?
日産サクラが海外で走ってるのイイネ😂
Brilliant!🎉
bring them to the UK PLEASE
We need this in Europe 😭😭😭
I would buy it 🙂
Before I started watching this video , for a few seconds I thought they had started the official export of this vehicle. There's definitely a market for it. There are dozens of thousands of VW e-Up( Škoda Citigo-e iV, SEAT Mii electric) cars on European roads, but no successor to these vehicles.
If they could shave 81kg off the Sakura it wouldn't need to pay Road User Charges in NZ...
I've had the 3 sakuras on my watchlist for quite a while now wife says no I say yes. I think I know my answer 😢
I want one in the uk
Hey it's "kay" or close too but not "kee" otherwise excellent vid
Looks like a perfect replacement for the Kia Picanto, it even has a faster 0-100 time
I’d live to see one in OZ. Would be perfect to replace my mums Kia Picanto.
You can import them yourself!
Great little car. I think price will be a factor. 😢
A microbial car 😂😂😂 I want one 😎
Cheap but not cheap enough, in fact it costs $23,000 new in Japan and seems to be more than that, used, in NZ
Yep and they're selling them used in Australia too - for AUD $33,000.
Yes I agree. To high a price for one used.
What is the crash safety rating like? Negative 5?
Might as well get an MG.
Supposedly $US14,000 new so $NZ27,000 second hand is a bit steep. Get an old Leaf for $NZ5,000 if you want a cheap EV.
A new Sakura in Japan costs
¥2,300,100 ~ NZD$24,600 You know what to tell a car dealer here if they try to flog a used Sakura for $28K...
Well, you have to consider import costs
just "K" as in kay... not key
please make these in North America.
You failed to mention the year of manufacture and the mileage or the state of the battery.
Pronounced 'kay' class.
Pronounced Kay not key
Lol, old and dead inside, hahaha
Over priced for a 2nd hand car, not worth a review.
Seated heats