LEAF is making big waves across the globe. In Japan and the US pre-orders are now beyond the 23,000 mark and rising, while here in the UK the buzz is already building ahead of LEAF’s launch early next year.

The motoring media is genuinely enthused by the prospect of the LEAF bringing all-electric vehicles into the mainstream, but it’s not just the car’s glaringly obvious green credentials that’s got them on the edge of their seats.

Whatcar.com was particularly wowed by ‘just how easy and how good it is to drive,’ highlighting the absence of gears and mechanical engine clutter as the big bonuses.

The LEAF’s cabin is described as ‘a glimpse of tomorrow’ and ‘an airy place to be’ by Autoexpress.co.uk, which was also impressed by the car’s ability to email its owner when fully charged.

Autocar.co.uk suggested the LEAF could represent ‘a defining moment in automotive history on the way to cleaning up emissions and weaning us off fossil fuels (June 2010).’

The LEAF must be the ‘world’s best-connected car,’ according to carmagazine.co.uk in an article highlighting the ‘Intelligent Transport’ system that displays nearby recharging stations and gives sat-nav directions to get there.

High praise indeed for the zero-emissions LEAF ahead of its launch here in the UK in March 2011.