Nissan Ariya | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Nissan Ariya | Test Drive

4 March 2024 Redazione News, Tested

Words Marco Mancino / Photos Gian Romero

It’s been a long time since the Leaf paved the way for electrification according to Nissan and now it’s time to move the bar even higher with a completely new model created on a 100% specific platform for environmentally friendly cars. It’s called Ariya and although it shows traits in common with Nissan’s other crossover – the Qashqai – it differs for smoother and even cleaner profiles thanks to the opportunity of not having to create slits and air intakes, especially at the front. However, it is in the rear area that the Ariya smells fresh (and pardon the words game), with a raised tail crossed by a large luminous horizontal profile that gives an important presence in the dark, with lights on.

We are talking about a full electric vehicle currently available in two (or rather three) power steps, the 63 kWh entry level and the 87 kWh of our test, equipped with two electric motors – one at the front and one at the rear – and therefore with all-wheel drive layout here called e-4orce. In addition to more power and more torque we also have a few extra kilos of weight, but everything is compensated by a better range which makes this Nissan perfectly usable even over long distances. The battery packs are liquid cooled and supported by a heat pump, but the height from the ground makes the Ariya more of a small SUV than a pure crossover, or at least this is the sensation you get when driving and also looking at it from the outside. After all, it has overall generous dimensions and in line with the segment, with a length of 460 cm, a width of 185 and a height of just 166 centimeters which instead makes it more streamlined and consequently aerodynamic, an aspect which for an EV is of great importance.

If on the outside the details that differentiate it from the rest of the Japanese brand’s family may not seem particularly evident, the passenger compartment is very refined, both in terms of materials and assembly, however it does not fall into the trap of adopting unusual solutions just to distinguish the electric model from the others in the price list. The presence of surfaces that play with the contrast of the copper-colored profiles is predominant and while we have two large displays with a 12.3″ central screen, you also get buttons embedded in the dashboard, nice to touch, but not immediately intuitive while the car is moving. It must be said that the multimedia system works perfectly and offers great possibilities in terms of configuration and customization, with the only annoyance being that you have to deactivate the driving aids every time you “start the engines”. The central tunnel floats and therefore slides back and forth, increasing the perceived space and comfort for resting the arm on the soft cushion placed above the charging compartment for your smartphone. Still on the central tunnel we have other embedded buttons, including the e-Pedal for single-pedal driving, the selector of the different driving modes – Standard, Eco, Sport and Snow – and those for opening and closing the enormous drawer created at the base of the dash, for which I would have preferred a rubber support surface, so that it could also be used as a flat surface, once fully opened.

I admit that I expected a good car, but the Ariya amazed me even more with its driving precision, comfort and efficiency found even over long distances. It is obvious that on the motorway you consume significantly more than in other contexts, especially when using air conditioning and not being able to regenerate a few kWh, but the average data shows a very respectable 16.2 kWh every 100 km. If you keep in mind that the car receives up to 130 kW, it is therefore calculated that from a 22 kW socket it is possible to recharge 132 km in an hour, while from 50 kW you can almost fill up, with 301 km in sixty minutes. As usual, it is preferable to make an extra shorter pit stop, going from 10% to 80% in just 35 minutes, rather than waiting for a full charge. With completely full batteries (the brand claims about 525 km) I traveled about 430 kilometers without problems. Not bad.

Another added value of the Ariya is the on-board comfort offered by the beautiful leather seats, with attention to detail both in the design of the stitching and in terms of a pretty low seating position, to the advantage of precise driving feedbacks which really encourage you to crunch road with this Nissan SUV-crossover. Peak power is 306 hp, enough to move with total ease even when overtaking, but it is the torque of 600 Nm that intervenes the most, making driving linear in any circumstance and above all not making you realize a weight of 2,293 kg. I mean, if I hadn’t checked it, I would have told you that it was at least 400 kg less. The Ariya fits into a very crowded market segment, but it does so with the awareness of bringing efficiency and practicality, with a refined but not at all exasperated design and this is another factor that will make it attractive to very different types of customers. The 63 kWh has a starting price of €42,600, with three trim levels (Engage, Advance and Evolve) that overlap with the more powerful 87 kWh which starts at €54,000 and introduces all-wheel drive for just over €58,000. The example we tested is just over 60,000 Euro (€61,350), while the top of the range Evolve + comes home with you for €67,350.