Nissan Ariya
Big brother for the Leaf
Nissan Ariya
© press-inform – the press office
Nissan wants to fully electrify its models by the end of the decade. In addition to the Leaf, which is already slightly outdated, the Ariya will also be available in Europe from the summer as another purely electrically powered model.
At 4,595 mm, the full-fledged crossover coupé is similar in length to the Mercedes C-Class, for example. The width of 1,850 mm and the height of 1,660 mm also show that the Ariya, as the bigger brother of the Renault Mégane E-Tech, is not exactly modest and that Nissan has the VW ID.5, the Mercedes EQB, the Audi Q4 E-Tech as competitors. Tron or the Kia EV6 spied. The basis is the CMF-EV platform for electric vehicles developed jointly with Renault.
You have to get used to the body shape first – especially the massive new front end with the no less massive Nissan logo. The thin LED headlights with four mini-projectors are combined with sequential turn signals. The wheel arches are fitted as standard with tires on 19-inch alloy wheels. 20-inch models are available at an additional cost. At the rear, the taillights are connected with a red light strip.
Inside it is downright spacious. Plenty of room in the front and enough room for your head and knees in the back – as long as you’re not taller than 1.80. Then it gets a little tight on the back seat. The snugly upholstered seats are a bit reminiscent of lounge chairs: comfortable, suitable for long journeys and with good lateral support even when cornering faster. Cardan tunnels are superfluous in electric cars and so the footwell in the Ariya is flat and even between the seats. Unusual is the illuminated square next to the pedals under the dashboard, which, according to Nissan, should be reminiscent of Japanese paper lanterns. In real terms, however, it can become a source of excitement: If you want to operate the gas pedal with slightly wider feet, you will easily land on the lampion that is only slightly higher – and with acceleration there is nothing more.
There are no more traditional buttons on the Ariya dashboard. Only a volume knob survived. Otherwise, dialing is via touch-sensitive switches. After all, Nissan also keeps the buttons on the steering wheel. As is usual with many new cars, the easy-to-read instrument display is completely digital and stretches across half the cockpit. At 468 liters, the cargo space is not exactly lavish. If you are traveling with two engines, only 415 liters remain. After all, the Ariya still has practical storage space under the actual loading floor.
As a power source, Nissan lists two battery packs for the Ariya: either with 63 kWh or with 87 kWh. The electric crossover is available with front-wheel drive and 160 kW or 178 kW of power or as an all-wheel drive version e-4ORCE, in which one motor acts on the front and one on the rear axle. Up to 290 kW then come together there. We drove the 63 kWh version with front-wheel drive and 300 Nm of torque. It has an official range of 403 kilometers, takes 7.5 seconds to accelerate the nearly two-tonne Fraont drive from zero to 100, and is limited to a top speed of 160 km/h. The all-wheel-drive variants of the Ariya are likely to offer significantly more driving pleasure: they can sprint to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds and only stop at 200 km/h. Their range is up to 460 kilometers.
Even this basic version of the Ariya – as far as the first impression is concerned – can be driven in a relaxed and confident manner. The acceleration is calm, the steering precise but somewhat indirect and understeering. Since we were driving on a closed race track, not much can be said about the suspension comfort. In any case, the rolling movements were very limited, even in slightly faster corners. The low center of gravity – thanks to the battery packs in the floor – also contributes to this. If there was a brief lack of traction when accelerating out of the bend on the wet road surface, the ESP quickly and emphatically put everything back into the green zone.
The real loader times will still have to be tested. After all, Nissan promises that thanks to a consistently high charging curve, the batteries can be charged from ten to 80 percent within 35 minutes using a fast charger.
The Nissan Ariya can be ordered from April 1, with the market launch in the summer. Nissan doesn’t say much about the prices at first. According to reports, however, you should expect just under 50,000 euros for the entry-level model.