It has one of the largest batteries in its class and will go a long way with it. What else does the electric SUV from Nissan offer and what is its weakness?
If first impressions are the most important thing, then Ariya has quite a few surprises in store. It is enough to drive a few meters to make it clear that it is excellently soundproofed, has a well-tuned chassis that does not transmit parasitic movements to the body, and its steering is communicative, without the usual clearance around the center position.
The care that has obviously been given to the car is above standard by Nissan standards. The automaker once belonged to the electric car pioneers with the Leaf model, and then showed with its second generation how exaggerated some expectations can be when the competition is awake.
Ariya comes to Europe two years late and one would like to say that maybe a little late. In the meantime, the Czech electric car scene has been taken over by the Enyaq Coupé, a Škoda SUV with a flowing rear, which is very close to Nissan in its concept. It might seem that a foreigner would have no chance against the heavy caliber of the domestic automaker, but this time Nissan does not like to underestimate.
Just as Škoda benefits from synergy with Volkswagen, Nissan shares technology with alliance partner Renault. And he has been showing in Europe for some time that he can build electric cars that are user-friendly and even more economical than usual.
The Ariya follows in his footsteps, with consumption settling at 18.4 kWh/100 kilometers after a week’s test, which is a very respectable result given the near-zero temperatures.
In combination with a battery with a usable capacity of 87 kWh, it is possible to travel around 450 kilometers in practice. When it comes to DC charging, the Nissan maintains a constant output of around 130kW for a long time, dropping to 95kW as the battery approaches half its capacity. It remains there up to 82 percent.
Although the Ariya does not achieve stunning performance in the first phase of the charging cycle, it maintains it to a decent degree until the battery is fully charged. The Nissan charger for alternating current has a standard 7.4 kW – the speed of 22 kW is for an additional fee of 25 thousand crowns, which in this case is worth noting.
Although the Ariya doesn’t have much in common with the Leaf, the proven e-Pedal is one of the few exceptions. After activating this function, driving can only be controlled with the gas pedal, the brake pedal only comes into play when you need to stop the car really quickly. In this mode, the car recovers very intensively, after taking the foot off the gas, it stops completely.
The E-Pedal is especially useful for commuting in the city, it requires a bit of practice, and even then it probably won’t suit everyone. But for those who liked it, it can be quite a strong argument for giving preference to Nissan.
It almost looks like a flawless finale, but no word yet on the controls. This has a slightly futuristic touch in Nissan, where a number of functions are activated by pressing the pictograms on the dashboard or center console. Here, everything still seems to be in order, but when it comes to setting functions via the touch screen, the menu is not one of the clear ones, and the same applies to the color-recombined navigation map.
Worse, however, is that every longer journey ends with it “freezing”, indicating software problems. It is true that no car company avoids these in today’s fast-paced times, but from the user’s point of view, this is little consolation.
Nissan Ariya 87 kWh 2WD Evolve
Engine: 1x electric in front
Power: 178 kW / 238 hp
Torque: 300 Nm
Battery: Li-Ion, 87 kWh (usable capacity)
Top speed: 160 km/h
Acceleration 0-100 km/h: 7.6 s
Combined consumption: 18.4 kWh/100 km
Range (WLTP): 525 km
Max. charging speed: 130 kW (DC), 7.4 or 11 kW (AC)
Approximate charging time 0 – 80% (DC): 40 minutes
Volume of the luggage compartment: 468 l
Load capacity (standby / useful): 2014 kg / 521 kg
Price from: 1,449,990 CZK
The tested version with front-wheel drive and a stronger 87kWh battery is the best choice in terms of range, but there is also a version with a smaller 63kWh and a weaker engine, the price of which starts at 350,000 crowns lower. However, the equipment also corresponds to this, which, among other things, lacks heating of the seats, steering wheel and windshield, but also a better audio system or a panoramic camera.
If the person interested in a weaker version chooses the same level of equipment, the difference between the prices suddenly shrinks to 170,000. This may still be of interest to someone who rarely makes longer trips and has convenient access to a charger. For everyone else, we recommend choosing the larger battery, as it brings less stress with charging on the go and saves time, among other things.
