Finally, a new EV from Nissan
Tesla may have made EVs cool, but Nissan put 450,000 Leafs on the road before Tesla took the crown as the best-selling EV maker. With a decade head start over its peers, Nissan squandered an early lead in the segment as the Leaf was certainly ahead of its time. The arrest of its CEO, Carlos Ghosn, along with global sales dropping from 5.6 million vehicles to 3.2 million vehicles from 2018 to 2022, among other issues has put the company in comeback mode the last few years.
The Ariya is the first conventional EV from Nissan. While the Leaf is an impressive vehicle, its quirkiness is akin to the first-generation Prius whereas the Ariya is like the 2nd generation Prius – larger, sleeker, and more appealing. I first saw the Ariya at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2019 in concept form and was impressed by its lines – exhibiting a futuristic look that Nissan successfully employed to make the Murano a standout upon its debut two decades ago.
The production version of the Ariya looks largely the same as the concept. With the chip shortage delaying its debut, the Ariya didn’t start reaching American customers until Fall 2022 as a 2023 model. A lot has changed in 3 years, and other models like the Hyundai Ioniq5 and Kia EV6 have gone to market with glowing reviews. Without the charisma of the Hyundai and Kia EVs or the sportiness of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Nissan may have played it a little too safe with the Ariya’s design.
However, Nissan could be playing the long game here. Since the Ariya feels more familiar to buyers currently driving an ICE vehicle, they may find the Ariya to be an easier transition than if they were to purchase one of its competitors. Thus, aside from being a new EV, I don’t see the Ariya being one with a long waitlist to get in the driver’s seat. However, I could see the Ariya becoming a steady seller year-over-year.
Given its recent drop in sales, Nissan needs to appeal to new buyers and retain existing customers more than ever to change course. Finally filling the gap above the Leaf while simultaneously more likely than not replacing the Murano in the lineup, Nissan can certainly pull loyal customers from within the brand. With its coupe-like shape, the Ariya is also an alternative to a sedan and should appeal to Altima and Maxima drivers as well.
The Ariya is probably targeted more for the later EV adopters in the baby boomer age range. It’s a pleasant-looking EV, but it is more understated and avoids the wild futuristic designs of some of its competitors. It doesn’t look like just another ICE vehicle, but it doesn’t scream EV either. Given the anxiety of trying something new, it might be the more “comfortable” option for some buyers – especially those with EV hesitance.
Other vehicles I see the buyers coming from are the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid or RAV4 Prime, Ford Edge, and Toyota Venza. Overall, it feels targeted towards the typical Toyota buyer and has launched around the same time as the Toyota bZ4X and its twin the Subaru Solterra. This is good for Nissan as the Ariya is the more neutrally appealing model with cleaner lines inside and out along with a longer range and faster charging capability than either Toyota or Subaru entries.
At 4 inches taller than a Kia EV6 and 2 inches taller than a Hyundai Ioniq5, buyers will find the Ariya to be sized more like a traditional crossover. With its sporty, steeply raked rear window, the Ariya won’t be able to match a Rogue in cargo-carrying capability. However, there’s still plenty of storage.
Inside, a flat footwell extends the width of the vehicle, which along with a floating dash creates a spacious interior with comfortable first-row seats. The power-operated moving center console is a neat feature. However, once retracted all the way back, it blocks off all legroom to the center rear seat occupant.
Rear seat legroom isn’t as spacious as I had initially expected because the car’s exterior design makes the vehicle appear larger than it is. However, once I read the external measurements of the Ariya, I realized it’s actually an impressively sized interior. Rear headroom is surprisingly good, especially considering the sloping rear roofline.
My biggest complaint is the lack of rear quarter windows. This massively obstructs visibility, which is surprising because it has an otherwise airy and open cabin from the side windows forward.
During my ride in the Ariya at the LA Auto Show, the Nissan represtentative said that it can charge from 10 to 80% in 40 minutes which is in line with some competitors. This is still more than double the time it takes to charge the Ioniq5 and EV6 (10 % to 80 % in only 16 minutes from 350-kW chargers). However, this is still noticeably better than Toyota/Subaru.
Nissan may not have a huge hit on its hands with the Ariya, but it will certainly more than satisfy the needs of most customers. I can only wonder how it would have been received had it debuted 2 years earlier. It is a competitive and appealing entry in the segment and makes me excited to see what’s next in the company’s comeback.
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