Test: why the electric Nissan Ariya impresses | Autotest

Nissan Ariya 87 kWh (178 kW/242 hp), from €57,990

Although the Ariya has the same technical basis as the Mégane E-Tech from alliance partner Renault, it is a bit bigger and therefore much more spacious. The interior appears gracefully designed and beautifully finished with beautiful materials and successful color choices. Special are some control buttons integrated ‘in the wood’. The infotainment offers everything you expect.

You sit nice and high in the Ariya, on good seats. In the front of the car, the completely free, flat floor is striking, which is even enriched with mood lighting. Also special is the electrically opening storage compartment, in the middle of the dashboard. And even the center console can be moved electrically.

In the back, passengers have plenty of legroom, but their thighs are not supported much by the bench seat. In addition, the coupé-like roofline limits the headroom there.

The luggage space (468 liters) is large enough for this class and is especially practical. Extra, large storage compartments are hidden under the loading floor, for example for the charging cables. Unfortunately, there is no luggage compartment in the nose of the car (frunk).

The 87 kWh battery pack gives this Nissan a particularly large driving range of 533 kilometers. In this way it surpasses many competitors and in practice it is not really difficult to get close to 500 kilometers. The 22 kW on-board charger enables smooth charging with alternating current. But an 800 Volt system for fast charging with direct current, such as Hyundai and Kia have, is still missing.

The Ariya is smooth enough to drive, but not as snappy as some competitors. Its weight of almost 2100 kilograms undoubtedly plays a role in this. Furthermore, this Nissan steers well and its suspension comfort is certainly comfortable, while the handling leaves little to be desired. The towing capacity is limited to a trailer of 750 kilograms; that is too little for a caravan.

Plus
+ Large driving range.
+ Spacious.
+ Comfortable suspension.
+ Excellent handling.
+ Surprising interior solutions.

Min
– Seating comfort in the back seat.
– Bad caravan tractor.
– No frunk up front.
– High weight.

Conclusion
This Nissan Ariya is a spacious SUV with a long driving range. It appears to be comfortably sprung and is firmly on the road. The original design, with sometimes surprising solutions in the interior, gives it character.

It took a while, but if you finally do it, you have to do it right. Nissan must have thought that when developing the Ariya. Because this is literally an electric SUV of size. This Nissan clearly distances itself from the Leaf in everything.

Nissan has had an SUV of this size for years: the Qashqai. But you can’t order it fully electric.

With an acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 7.6 seconds, the Ariya is smooth enough. Its top speed is 160 km/h.

The rear seat is unfortunately not slidable; something that is possible in the Hyundai Ioniq 5, for example.

The Ariya is front-wheel drive, while many competitors are rear-wheel drive. In practice you will notice little difference.

Unfortunately, Android Auto does not work wirelessly in this Nissan. This is the case with some competitors.

The Ariya is for sale from €50,990. Then you get the basic version with a 63 kWh battery (400 kilometers of driving range) and an engine power of 160 kW/217 hp. The tested car has the larger 87 kWh battery (533 kilometers driving range) and an engine power of 178 kW/242 hp. Prices start at €57,990.

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