The Nissan Ariya SUV lands in select countries in Europe this summer to give the brand a halo electric model priced significantly higher than its traditional SUV lineup.
The 4595-mm-long coupe-styled midsize crossover blends dramatic styling with strong performance in the top-of-the-line version to compete alongside other premium-priced electric SUVs from volume brands such as the Volkswagen ID5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.
Launch date: Summer (4wd late summer)
Base price: 41,845 pounds (UK)
Where built: Tochigi, Japan
Platform: CMF-EV
Main rivals: Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Ford Mustang Mach-E
“The Ariya is probably the best synthesis of Nissan DNA,” Arnaud Charpentier, Nissan's head of marketing for the region that includes Europe, said at an test-drive event held in Madrid in March. “On one side we have our experience with the Qashqai crossover and on the other electric vehicles with the Leaf.”
The first European deliveries of the Ariya start this summer limited to the UK, Netherlands and Norway. In the UK it starts at 41,845 pounds ($54,900) for the 63-kilowatt-hour Advance variant with front-wheel drive and 214 hp. By comparison, the rest of Nissan's range in the UK costs between 17,000 and 31,200 pounds.
May the e-4ORCE be with you: The all-wheel-drive system, called e-4ORCE (Force), receives power from two electric motors, one on each axle. As with other EVs with separately driven axles, Nissan uses the setup to control the torque delivery. “It improves ride and corner stability and gives a very good driving performance,” Nissan Europe Vice President of Powertrain Engineering Matt Wright said. The setup can't deliver 100 percent of available torque on the axle to an individual wheel but can apply braking to one wheel to mimic the effect.
ProPilot takes control: Nissan's ProPilot suite of active safety control systems comes as standard on all but the base model of the Ariya. Nissan has taken a more traditional approach and said that, because ProPilot needs the addition of some hard switches, it can't be added to models without it using an over-the-air update. However, Nissan did say that more features can be added to the car over the course of its life, without saying what they will be.
That price, however, slightly undercuts the cheapest fwd Mustang Mach-E, which has a 70-kWh battery and starts at 42,530 pounds.
Four-wheel-drive Ariya models, which are due in late summer, such as the e-4ORCE variant with an 87-kWh battery, twin electric motors and output of 389 hp will start as 58,440 pounds. Nissan says version of the EV accelerates 0 to 100kph (62 mph) in 5.1 seconds.
Nissan estimates the 63-kWh version will provide a range of 403 km (250 miles) while the 87-kWh variant can travel 500km.
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The fastest charging speed is comparatively slow at 130 kilowatts, but the car is the first electric Nissan to use the combined charging system (CCS) instead of the Chademo setup favored by the Japanese but not widely adopted in Europe.
The Ariya first appeared in near-production guise at the 2019 Tokyo auto show and has been delayed by the pandemic, the chip crisis and other supply chain disruptions, the automaker said.
Despite the long gap from its debut the EV's design, with its plunging V-shape grille and sweeping curved roofline, still looks fresh.
The Ariya's interior incorporates inspiration from Japanese Kumiko latticed woodwork and the decorated Andon lantern, the latter seen in the ambient lighting, Nissan said.
The Ariya is built on same Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance CMF-EV platform as the Megane E-Tech electric hatchback that also goes on sale this year.
The platform places the batteries under the car between the axles, creating a flat cabin floor. The flatness allowed Nissan to link the driver and passenger footwells to create more of a sense of airiness in the cabin.
All models feature two 12.3-inch screens, one in front of the driver, to deliver information.
Separate buttons for the heating and ventilation sit flush in the panel below the central screen and give haptic feedback when pressed, helping provide a clean look to the instrument panel.
Nissan's product team developed a global proxy customer, or persona, for the car to help focus on the target audience. The proxy for the Ariya is a German man called Alex. He lives outside of London, works in IT and previously owned a combustion-driven vehicle.
The Ariya was developed in Japan, where it will also be built, but Nissan's main regions, including Europe, had input into its creation, the company said.
Each region also tuned the EV's ride and handling for specific tastes.
Europeans prefer a sportier setup, but engineers tried to find a balance between agility and refinement, John Feitts, EV lead engineer electric vehicles, told journalists at the Madrid event. “We are not trying to make a sports car here,” he said.
