A day spent with the 3rd generation Nissan LEAF.

I get back on the Tomei Expressway and turn ProPILOT 2.0 back on. Since I’d mastered how to use it on the way there, the operation goes smoothly. When the steering wheel icon changes from green to blue and the OK sign appears, I take my hands off the wheel.

“I was a little nervous this morning, but after driving all day and getting to know this car, I naturally found myself thinking, ‘Maybe I should just let it handle it,’” said Mr. Yasushima. He had gotten a feel for the EV’s performance in the morning and tested its handling on the mountain roads, and all that experience paid off here.

Even when traffic was heavy, it kept driving while carefully controlling the distance to the car ahead. “The way it adjusted the following distance was incredibly precise. Since it never got too close, I never felt the urge to take the wheel back!” Just as he said, I felt as though a bond had formed between us.

Before heading home, we stopped by “Talo,” a Scandinavian furniture store in Odawara City that had been our original destination. The store was overflowing with a wide variety of Scandinavian furniture, both old and new. Mr. Yasushima slowly ran his hands over the chairs and shelves, examining each piece as if to verify its quality.

It’s nice to take the shortest route to your destination. But I think it’s the leeway to enjoy detours that brings out the true joy of life. Perhaps that leeway is what “effortless travel” has given us.

We got on the Tomei Expressway and headed toward Tokyo. With ProPILOT 2.0 still engaged, Mr. Yasushima simply rested his hands lightly on the steering wheel. “I really thought this was the best feature for traffic jams,” Mr. Yasushima said, sharing his insight from the trip. “It moves forward safely and without any stress.”

The biggest advantage of this car is that it’s truly less tiring to drive once you get the hang of it. That was the conclusion Mr. Yasushima reached after experiencing it firsthand throughout the day. “If I were to drive it again, I’d like to head toward Niigata. I feel like this car could take me to places I don’t usually get around to visiting.”

With the tireless new Leaf, you can go anywhere. Just feel it and let it take you there. When the ride was over, all that remained was the anticipation of wanting to go even further.