It’s their first new electric car in over ten years and Nissan is really confident about the Japanese DNA throughout the design of the Ariya. There will be up to 500 km of range on offer and a choice between a 63 kWh or 87 kWh battery. There’s also two wheel drive or all-wheel drive with fast charging offering up to 375 km in 30 minutes and it can accept a maximum of 130kW from a CCS public charging station. Rivals include Volvo’s C40, the Skoda Enyaq, Tesla’s Model Y and cars like the Kia EV6, the 2022 Irish Car of the Year winner.
At a test drive and press conference we were given the prices, starting at €48,995 for the Advance (inclusive of Government grants and exclusive of dealer delivery and related charges). The Evolve will cost around €66,995 which unfortunately won’t gain from Government grants. For now, the Ariya is available for pre-order only.
There will be three models to choose from. The range starts with the Advance model which has a 63kWh battery that delivers a range of 402 kilometres, a 214bhp motor and two-wheel drive with fast charging up to 130kW available.
Next up is the Evolve model with a 87 kWh battery and 239bhp electric motor, also with two-wheel drive. Nissan estimates around 529 kilometres from full charge available.
That 87 kWh battery is available on both two all-wheel drive e-4orce models, which have increased performance levels. The first Evolve model has 302bhp and an estimated 529 kilometre range and the Performance version has 389bhp that goes from 0 – 100km/h in just 5.1 seconds, although range drops to around 400 kilometres. The bigger battery comes with standard luxuries including a panoramic roof, Bose sound system, ventilated front seats and the ability to charge at 22kW from a three-phase supply.
The steering is light and makes low-speed manoeuvres easy and there’s enough weight and precision for enjoying winding country roads. Despite the car’s high sides, there isn’t too much body lean through corners.
All versions get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring as standard, along with a wireless charging pad, ProPilot with Navi-Link and e-Pedal. There’s a 10-speaker Bose sound system available as an option on starting models which comes as standard higher up the range. There’s loads of space in the front. There’s a small cubby under the centre armrest, some cupholders and decent-sized door pockets, so plenty of storage. The glove box is small, but in some versions of the car, you can press a button and a tray slides from the dashboard. The Ariya’s floor is completely flat so the rear seat passengers have plenty of space.
Four-wheel-drive Ariyas have a smaller boot than two-wheel-drive versions. All versions have 60/40 split-folding rear seats and a powered tailgate. There’s underfloor storage for charging cables but there’s no space available under the front bonnet for small bags and such. There’s lots of equipment as standard including dual-zone climate control, a 360-degree parking camera, heated front seats, LED headlights and a heat pump (for more efficient warming of the interior) , there’s lots of standard safety kit too.