The ride itself is surprisingly comfortable, an effect furthered by the sofa-like seats. While the height helps with the headroom it does mean the center of gravity is not so low, leading to some body movement. Power comes from a 63 hp (47 kW) electric motor mounted on the front axle which can deliver 195 Nm of torque.
There are actually two forms of braking regeneration, the normal and the e-pedal variety. While the braking regeneration under Eco is definitely noticeable, it is nothing compared to what you get when you press the e-pedal button. With this engaged you get a near one-pedal driving experience, but it will not take you to a complete halt, just a crawl of around 5 mph.
Mark Andrews
Despite having only a 20 kWh battery pack the range as measured by the WLTC cycle is 112 miles, which is more than enough for a commute. It should be noted that the Sakura will use less electricity when driven at city speeds. Nissan reports that 83 percent of owners say they spend less than 5,000 yen ($33) a month charging the car.
Helping reduce energy consumption are features such as the LED lights and a heat pump, which reduces the amount of power needed to heat the car in winter.
Fast-charging, the Sakura’s battery can go from 10 to 80 percent in around 40 minutes. It also supports vehicle-to-load, meaning you can use the car as a power source on household appliances and similar devices.
Beyond Japan
Surprisingly, the car’s systems such as the navigation were possible to switch into English, so if the determined fan were to import one to the US, they wouldn’t be stuck with a Japanese UI. Tech in general is an area the car scores highly on. The G version as standard has Nissan’s ProPilot. Although I didn’t try it on the highway, I did try the car’s auto-parking function. You then select a target space and hold down appropriate park button while the car completes the maneuver. I found it to have variable effectiveness, with it claiming on occasions to have successfully parked when it had not fully reversed into a space.
In such small cars, safety is always a question mark—but, in 2022, the Sakura gained a 5-star rating in the JNCAP test, though it should be noted that this is not as stringent as the Euro NCAP rating. The car does, however, come with seven airbags, along with active evasive maneuver assistance, intelligent emergency braking, and collision warning.
Sadly, so far Nissan has shown no desire to sell the car outside Japan, although a few secondhand examples have ended up in right-hand drive markets such as New Zealand.
The Sakura might be Japan’s best-selling EV (indeed, strong demand led to Nissan having to pause sales in late 2022 because it had too many orders), but it has the potential to be far more than that. It is the EV that many city EV drivers have been crying out for. While it might not be as ridiculously cheap as the Chinese micro EVs (which can go as low as $5,000), it is still, comparatively, an absolute bargain—and crucially more of a “proper car” than any of its China rivals.
With real safety credentials, fast charging, good handling and enough power to even be used for the odd (slightly) longer trip on the highway, surely there’s a market for the Sakura in Europe and the US? We’ll have to hope Nissan comes to think the same.
