Nissan’s Ariya is one of the most strikingly designed electric SUVs, inside and out.
Unashamedly bold and futuristic exterior styling is paired with a superb cabin design that matches BMW and Audi when it comes to quality.
The Ariya is built to rival other mid-size electric SUVs including the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6 and Ford Mustang Mach E.
Prices start at just under £40,000 and you have the choice of two battery sizes. The base model has a 63kWh battery with an official range of around 250 miles. There’s also a larger 87kWh battery that can cover up to 329 miles on a charge.
Both of those versions are front-wheel drive. At the top of the Ariya range is the e-4orce model I spent a week with, which has a price tag not far off £60,000.
It pairs the bigger battery with two electric motors, making it four-wheel drive. The extra weight of the second motor dents range slightly but it’s still good for 309 miles.
Not everyone will love the futuristic exterior (although I did) but I’d be amazed to find anybody who isn’t impressed by the cabin.
Premium interior
It is quite simply the best interior Nissan has ever come up with, and it feels as premium as anything offered by BMW, Audi or Mercedes.
A smart touchscreen swoops across the dash. Wood trim has touch-sensitive buttons embedded in it that operate the climate control system. Unlike the vast majority of touchscreen systems these are actually easy to use when on the move. It’s nice to see a system that is as usable as it is elegant.
A large central console slides forward and backward electronically to suit the driver’s preferred position. Meanwhile, a tray in the dashboard also slides out electronically and is handy if you want to have some lunch while you’re charging up.
Perforated leather seats look and feel great and are comfortable over long journeys. A panoramic glass roof floods the interior with light.
Practicality
Front and rear passengers get plenty of head and leg room, and the Ariya can carry four people in plenty of comfort.
Boot capacity in the Ariya is 466 litres. The four-wheel drive version loses the adjustable boot floor to make space for the rear electric motor and only come with 408 litres of storage space.
The numbers don’t tell the full story, however, and different car makers use different measurements to calculate their boot space. In real-world living I found the Ariya’s boot to be as spacious as I would need it to be.
You can fit a family’s luggage or a couple of dogs in there without any issues. The sharply sloping rear end does mean the boot is akin to a hatchback, with limited room for bulky items. If you need a huge boot in an electric SUV the Skoda Enyaq comes with 585 litres in an estate-car like shape.
On the road
The Ariya is very good to drive. Power delivery is instantaneous and the twin motors shoot the car from 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds.
Nissan’s weakest quality has always been its transmissions, which never made gearchanges as smoothly as you’d expect. With an electric drivetrain this issue is done away with, leaving a car that’s very impressive to drive.
Ride quality is excellent, as is refinement – it’s a great car to cover long distances in.
I took the Ariya to Auchterarder, on a jaunt to Edinburgh, and all over Angus and Fife. I had it just shy of the shortest day of the year, and drove it in cold weather, rain and darkness. In short, pretty much the worst conditions for an electric car.
Usable range was about 220 miles. That’s well shy of the official range but pretty decent considering lights, heater, heated seats and heated steering wheel were on all the time. I don’t tend to do many big road trips over winter and a 200-plus mile range would be plenty for me.
The Ariya can charge at up to 130kW and at that rate it’ll go from 10-80% in around half an hour. That’s pretty good, although rivals such as the Tesla Model Y can charge at well over 200kW.
I was sad when Nissan collected the Ariya after my week with it. It’s a hugely impressive electric car with a premium interior that sets new standards for Nissan.
Facts
Price: £58,590
0-62mph: 5.7 seconds
Top speed: 124mph
Range: 309 miles
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
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