Nissan Ariya

Ariya’s timely arrival finally gives Nissan another string to its bow

In a sector where range is king, the Ariya could be a big seller, says Andrew Walker

Nissan broke new ground when it introduced the Leaf in 2010, but little did it know that it would be another 12 years before its second electric car was launched – the Nissan Ariya. While we may puzzle over the company’s lack of enthusiasm to follow-up on the Leaf’s success, it is clear that the Ariya has been well worth the wait, as it offers something all electric vehicle owners crave: range, and lots of it. With a choice of two batteries and real world ranges of either 230 or 300 miles, the Ariya is just what the doctor ordered.

What is it?

Based on the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s CMF-EV platform, it’s a five-door SUV Crossover in the mould of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and KIA EV6. Like the Leaf in 2010, it launches a new Nissan design ethos, with a top-quality interior inside a car that’s very spacious.

The key choice is the battery. The 63kWh is offered in either Advance or Evolve trim, while the larger 87kWh battery comes with either of those two or two other all-wheel drive options, the e-4orce Advance or e-4orce Evolve.

Exterior

The Ariya certainly looks good, with slim LED headlights and a flat black grille up front. It’s coupé shape offers a curved side profile, with a contrasting light blade and narrow rear window at the back. The rear end is slightly raised giving the car an aggressive stance. Overall, it looks the part.

Interior

Nissan has really gone to town here. As per the vogue, it’s minimalist inside and features wood-effect trim, top-notch upholstery, Japanese lantern inspired ambient lighting and stylish cream and black colour ways. The haptic climate controls are hidden within the wood-inspired centre dash and on Advance spec models, you get the electronically adjustable floating centre console.

Infotainment

The 12.3” infotainment screen dominates the centre dash. It’s not as big as those found on the Ford Mustang Mach E or Tesla Model 3, but it’s plenty big enough. As far as usability goes, the screen functions are logical and work well, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included. The graphics aren’t the sharpest we’ve experienced but the loading time is good. Overall, the system is way better than what you’ll find in other Nissan models.

Specifications

Advance offers 130kW DC CCS charging, automatic dual zone climate, Pro Pilot with Navi Link, the 12.3” TFT screen with 12.3” navigation screen and a 360 degree all around view monitor.

Evolve adds an electric panoramic sunroof, the power moving centre console, ventilated and heated front seats, synthetic leather and suede seats, 10 Bose speakers and intelligent key with memory function. Both e-4orce versions add All Wheel Drive with Snow Mode, front e-4ORCE entry guards, a rear e-4ORCE badge and dark chrome window mouldings.

Battery, charging and range

Here’s the crunch. The 63kWh battery offers 250 miles from a full charge. Utilise 130kW rapid charging and an 80 per cent top-up takes just over half an hour. The larger 87kWh battery comes with on-board 22kW charging and a range of 329 miles. On a home 7kWh charger like our own Rolec, a full charge from 20% on the smaller battery would take seven hours. As ever, get yourself a smart home charger, programme it to charge at night when electric rates are lower and it will cost you less too. measuring 4585mm long by 1850mm wide by 1660mm high. However, being electric means there’s loads more space inside. So you get a good sized 466 litre boot, with space underneath for your charging cables and the bonus of a power tailgate.

The cabin is really light and roomy, with large door pockets, a glove box, central twin drinks holders, under armrest space, front and rear USB connection (Type-A and Type-C) and on our Evolve test car a wireless phone charger. Rear privacy glass and a rear armrest finish things off.

If you need to tow, then the twin-motor e-4orce model is the one to choose as it will tow up to 1,500kg, the single motor version only 750kg. But be warned, this version only offers 408 litres of boot space.

Driving and real world range

Like all electric cars, straight line performance is brilliant. The Ariya’s 215bhp front-mounted electric motor with 300Nm of torque offers plenty of smiles. It’s quiet, refined and smooth.

We were testing the 87kWh Evolve and despite its 2,000kg weight, Nissan has done a fine job of hiding the imbalance caused by the battery, as it corners better than you’d expect. Unsurprisingly the suspension is a little on the firm side, with the battery showing itself here, but it’s still softer than in some competitors. Steering is light and generally positive and overall it’s a comfortable ride.

On the road you can shake things up a bit by selecting Sport Mode which sharpens the Ariya’s performance. Top speed is 100 mph and 0-62mph takes 7.6 seconds. The

alternative is to stick to Eco mode and utilise the Ariya’s on-board brake regeneration to eke out that extra range.

Talking of which, we managed to average 3.5kWh of brake regen in our time with the Ariya so we’d guess a real world range of 290 -300 miles is infinitely possible, putting it right up there with the Kia EV6 and Hyundai IONIQ and ahead in this category of the Skoda Enyaq and Volkswagen ID ranges.

Pros

Company car drivers get 2% BIK, so you’ll pay as little as £160 a year on the entry level Advance 63kWh version. The interior is one of the best in the electric car sector. It’s also spacious inside and very comfortable. The Ariya also proved to be one of the better larger battery electric cars to drive, with sharp handling and strong performance.

Cons

As with most electric cars, it suffers from a high entry price point. Our mid-range test car would set you back £53,590. Even though its one of the better handling electric SUVs, it’s not as good to drive as a Nissan Qashqai.

Conclusion

In 2021, both Kia and Hyundai came up with two of our favourite electric offerings with the EV6 and IONIQ 5. While the Volkswagen ID5, Skoda Enyaq and Ford Mach-E are direct competitors, the Ariya belongs at the top table with the Kia and Hyundai. Not only does it look good, the attention to detail inside and build quality is excellent and it drives and handles well too. Furthermore, it’s real world range of 230 or 300 miles dependent on battery size, means range anxiety will take a back seat.

CC&V VERDICT

With range anxiety still stopping a hefty slice of the public from hitting the electric switch, the Ariya offers a real option

CC&V RATING:

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