Nissan Ariya

Tell me about it

If there’s one thing Nissan can claim to be experts in, it’s electric cars. It might’ve only made two fully electric models so far, but it was first on the scene with the pioneering Leaf hatchback back in 2010.

The Leaf wasn’t perfect of course, but the Ariya is something very different indeed. For starters, it’s not a mid-priced hatchback, but a posh-ish SUV designed to take on rivals from Audi and Mercedes.

Thing is though, while the Leaf was in a class of its own for many years, the Ariya is up against some stiff competition. Almost every car manufacturer has got the hang of electric cars now, and most of those are in the same size and price bracket as the Ariya. So, can Nissan still teach these newcomers a thing or two?

Exterior

The Ariya was first unveiled back in 2019, but one pandemic later, Nissan finally managed to get it into production in 2022. Despite us all having a few years to get used to its design, it still manages to look fresh and futuristic – to our eyes at least.

Despite looking absolutely enormous, it’s actually not that much larger than a Qashqai, and is both shorter and narrower than the likes of the Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLC. In electric car terms, it’s almost identical in size to an Audi Q4 e-tron, and slightly shorter than a Skoda Enyaq.

It’s a handsome car, though to our eyes it looks best when fitted with optional 20-inch alloys – the like of which you’ll see in all the brochures and adverts. If you want our advice, go for one of the lighter paint colours too: the darker tones tend to merge with its gloss black wheel arches and grille, turning the Ariya into a giant gloomy blob.

Interior

You wanted futuristic? Well here you go. Nissan has really let its designers go mad with the interior, turning it into one giant ‘lounge’ space.

Alright, you’re still obviously sitting in a car and not someone’s front room, but the Ariya is an incredibly spacious and refreshing place to be. The floor is almost entirely flat, and there’s no centre console as you might know it: instead, a sort of movable box between the driver and passenger.

That means there’s room to stretch your legs right across the width of the cabin – which might not sound like much, but it’s a real stress reliever for those frequent moments sat at a rapid charger.

Its seats are also incredibly comfortable. We won’t be cliched and say they’re like armchairs, but… there’s a resemblance. As is au fait these days, they can also be optioned with a massage function.

Beyond that, everything is relatively restrained in terms of design. There’s a smattering of neat mood lighting, and some touch-sensitive buttons on the wood effect dash, but the overall effect is simplicity and zen. Compared to the in-your-face screens and neon colours of a Mercedes EQE, the Ariya feels like a buddhist temple.

Space-wise, rear passengers get a decent amount of room, though the boot is smaller than you might expect. Most Ariyas have 466 litres on offer, which is less than both an Audi Q4 and Skoda Enyaq. Opt for the four-wheel-drive e4orce model and you’ll only get 408 litres, thanks to the rear motor eating into the underfloor space.

Technology and equipment

For a car with such a space-age design, you’d expect the Ariya to be brimmed with the latest tech – and luckily, it mostly is.

Infotainment is taken care of via a 12.3-inch screen on the dashboard, alongside an equally large information screen in front of the driver. That matches the system Hyundai uses in the Hyundai Ioniq 5, and is an inch larger than the system in an Audi Q4.

What’s less impressive is the user interface of the infotainment screen itself. The graphics look a bit dated, things can feel fiddly to use while driving, and it’s not always immediately obvious where settings are hiding. The screen in front of the driver is thankfully better, with lots of configurable settings for layout and information on show – albeit with the same Windows Vista-like design scheme.

Top-spec ‘Evolve’ models get a tantalising equipment list, with ventilated front seats, 8-way electrically adjustable seats, and the aforementioned ‘centre console’ that slides back and forth electrically. There’s even an extra glovebox in the centre of the dash, deployed electronically in a rather theatrical manner.

Further down the line-up, even the cheapest ‘Engage’ models are well appointed – just say goodbye to the seats, centre console and glovebox moving via electricity. All models also get a rear view camera, sat nav,

Naturally, there’s also an app that lets you pre-heat or cool the car from afar, lock its doors, flash the lights and more. The Ariya is also Alexa-enabled, meaning users of Amazon’s smart home devices can do these things by barking instructions at their Echos.

Safety and security

The Ariya received a five star rating from EuroNCAP, having been crash tested in 2022. As such it’s one of the safest cars of its type – albeit with lower individual scores than that of a Tesla Model Y.

You get an impressive number of safety systems as standard on all Ariyas: automatic front and rear braking, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert and more.

Posher models also get more sophisticated versions of the above – which Nissan calls ‘intelligent’, but simply means there’s more sensors for it to rely on. Nissan’s ‘ProPilot’ tech is also included further up the range – effectively a clever adaptive cruise control function that also keeps the car within its lane.

Security-wise, all Ariyas get the usual alarm and immobiliser combination, along with the ability to locate the car and lock it via a smartphone app. Every Ariya has keyless entry and go, called ‘Intelligent Key’, which can also lock the car automatically once you’ve walked a few feet away from the car.

Engines and performance

In terms of performance, all front-wheel drive Ariyas get the same electric motor under the bonnet: good for 214bhp and 0-60 in around 7.5 seconds. e4orce models get an extra motor at the rear axle for four-wheel-drive, bumping the total power up to 302bhp for a 0-60 of 5.7 seconds.

All Ariyas feel pretty quick, but e4orce models are on another level. Torque is doubled from the regular model to a whopping 600Nm, meaning the e4orce pulls relentlessly no matter the conditions. Nissan’s clever four-wheel-drive system – or rather, software – ensures not a hint of wheel spin either.

There’s two battery sizes on offer in the Ariya: 63kWh or 87kWh. Both rapid charge at exactly the same (peak) speed of 130kW, with Nissan quoting a 20-80% charge in 35 minutes on the smaller battery, or 40 minutes on the larger one. That’s not bad, but slower than rivals from Kia and Hyundai.

In terms of battery tech, Nissan has also thankfully moved on from the air-cooled battery of the Leaf, so the Ariya is now better able to keep calm and carry on in the face of being repeatedly rapid charged. All models get a heat pump too – valuable for keeping the cabin warm without draining the battery too much.

For those charging at home, Ariyas fitted with the smaller battery option can charge at 7.4kW using the Type 2 charger, upgradable to 22kW as an option. Larger battery-equipped Ariyas get a 22kW charger as standard.

Ride and handling

For what is ostensibly a tall, relatively heavy car, the Ariya does a pretty good job of disguising its size and weight in the corners. Steering is relatively light and devoid of feedback though, so don’t expect much entertainment on a B-road.

Where it simply can’t hide the big battery under the floor is in the way it deals with bumps. The Ariya has a tendency to bob and bounce around on our less-than-perfect tarmac, which can get a bit tiresome on long motorway journeys.

e4orce models are, despite their extra weight, a little better – not to mention far more entertaining thanks to the extra propulsion from the rear wheels.

One slight irritation is the Ariya’s implementation of ‘e-pedal’, Nissan’s idea of one-pedal driving. In the Leaf this worked brilliantly: allowing you to drive purely using the accelerator, and slowing you to a stop when you lifted your foot off. In the Ariya there’s an awkward delay between releasing the pedal and any brakes kicking in, and the system only slows the car to a crawl rather than a stop.

Should I buy a Nissan Ariya?

There’s plenty of reasons to recommend the Ariya: it’s spacious, comfortable, and has a reasonable enough driving range across all models. The real selling point is its lounge-like interior though – you’ll either love it or hate it, but there’s not many cars that offer a similar experience.

Fans of snazzy in-car tech may be disappointed by the decidedly average set-up though, and there are rivals with batteries that can charge much faster.

That said, there’s lots of kit thrown in as standard – including that ever-important heat pump – and the Ariya is at least something a little bit different in a sea of other SUV-alikes. If you like the way it looks and drives, we say go for it.