2023 Nissan ARIYA Review

Nissan pioneered the affordable EV with its Leaf hatchback that launched for the 2011 model year. But a lot has changed since then. Newer EVs have become larger, quicker and capable of considerably longer range. Now Nissan finally has a rival to the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Toyota bZ4X and Volkswagen ID.4: the 2023 Nissan Ariya.

The Ariya is a four-door compact crossover SUV with seats for up to five passengers. It's spacious inside and offers the latest technology features like dual 12.3-inch screens and an available hands-free driving mode on select highways. It's also capable of driving about 300 miles on a full charge, according to Nissan, which is a competitive distance for this class of EV.

Many electric SUVs give you two choices for battery size, and the Ariya follows that trend. The base version of the Ariya has a 63-kWh battery pack. This is similar in capacity to the standard battery packs in the Mustang Mach-E and Hyundai Ioniq 5. It can be paired with either a single electric motor for front-wheel drive (214 horsepower) or a dual-motor setup that provides all-wheel drive (335 hp). Nissan calls this dual-motor version the e-4orce.

The EPA estimates you can expect about 216 miles of range on a full charge with front-wheel drive and the standard battery. (Nissan quotes 205 miles with all-wheel drive). These distances are below average for the class — typically you can expect around 230-240 miles with a base electric SUV — but it should still be sufficient if most of your driving is commuting and around town.

For more long-distance driving capability, you'll want the extended-range battery. This 87-kWh battery provides a little more power as well — 238 hp with FWD and 389 hp. With the big battery and FWD, the Ariya has an EPA-estimated range of up to 304 miles. This is more competitive and similar to what you see in rival EVs. Of course, we'll know for sure how the Ariya performs once we get one in for a full test and run it through our Edmunds real-world range and consumption test.

We've driven both single- and dual-motor variants of the Ariya, and there's a significant difference in performance as you might expect given the large difference in power. The single-motor Ariya is certainly not a performance model but it still has a suitable amount of power for day-to-day driving, with smooth acceleration from a start, and punching it to change lanes is nice and easy.

We tested a dual-motor Ariya with the larger battery, and its 389 hp gives it a big dose of performance. It still doesn't offer head-jerking acceleration, though Nissan says that was an intentional choice. Power builds off the line and it gets up to highway cruising speed with great ease. And thanks to all-wheel drive, the dual-motor Ariya feels pretty composed around turns.

Braking is also pleasing, and it transitions smoothly between the regenerative and physical brakes in a seamless way. There is one weird quirk: The Ariya offers a feature called "e-Step" that feels a lot like one-pedal driving. Except that when you come to what you think will be a stop, the Ariya keeps rolling forward slowly. Nissan says that this was also an intentional choice, to not stop the vehicle fully. But it's a weird sensation when the vehicle feels like it's going to stop all the way up until the very end and it just keeps drifting forward. To stop it, you'll have to tap the brake pedal and I was unable to get used to it over approximately six hours behind the wheel. Nissan got too cute here.

Nissan says the Ariya can DC fast-charge up to a rate of 130 kW on a fast charger, which is enough to go from 20% to 80% capacity in 40 minutes with the extended-range battery. This is slower than the times quoted for most rivals, including the Mustang Mach-E and ID.4. The Ioniq 5 (and related Kia EV6) is the speedster of the group and can potentially charge at about half this time. At-home 240-volt charging times for the Ariya are also underwhelming.

I asked Nissan if the CMF-EV platform that the Ariya rides on can handle faster charging and it seems that it can. However, the capability will be something added to future EVs that will also ride on this platform. Nissan says that the majority of folks charge their EVs at home so it wasn't a priority, and that the Ariya is able to charge above 80% battery capacity faster than its rivals — something that we'll be sure to test when we get another chance to drive the Ariya for longer than a first drive. But as to why that would preclude the ability to add faster peak charging speeds to the vehicle, there wasn't a great answer.

Finally, Nissan Leaf owners should know that the Ariya's DC fast-charging port uses the combined charging system (CCS) connector. This is different from the CHAdeMO-style connector Nissan's been using on its Leaf EV. We're pleased to see this as CCS is becoming the de facto standard at public fast-charging stations.

There are plenty of soft surfaces to mask a healthy dose of hard plastic. Large swaths of wood-like trim on the dash and center console add an upscale touch, as does the soft ambient glow emanating from the doors and footwells. The flat overlaid buttons atop those wood surfaces are a nice touch. (It helps that they respond quickly to commands, with haptic feedback to let you know inputs have been recognized.) Getting in and out is a breeze because the Ariya lacks thick doorsills, which force a steep step inside on some EVs.

However, some of the more headline-grabbing features fall flat. The nearly flat front floor could allow loose small items to roll under the feet of the driver, and the power-adjustable center console moves slowly fore and aft to create only minimal space. There is also a power-extending center compartment that offers extra storage under the touchscreen. But its reason for existing becomes clear when you notice the traditional center storage bin holds about a business card and nothing else.

The twin side-by-side 12.3-inch screens inside the Ariya are certainly up to modern standards. What can't be ignored, however, are the graphics. The icons and menus on those screens look pretty dated and muted. There aren't any interesting animations at startup like on other EVs. Worst of all may be the native navigation maps. The streets and locations are difficult to discern. The good news is that wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto smartphone integration comes standard, and you can activate helpful voice controls simply by speaking "Hey, Nissan" aloud.

Screens aside, the Ariya has some strengths. In particular, the hands-free driving feature is a huge win. Nissan calls it ProPilot Assist 2.0, and it acts similarly to BlueCruise by Ford or Super Cruise by General Motors — using cameras and radar, plus premapped GPS routes, to navigate certain stretches of highway without the need for driver intervention. Our biggest concern? The system's cameras are vulnerable to sunlight glare, and a lot of glare can render the feature inactive. And in the rain, if the wipers are working constantly the system won't allow you to go fully hands-free for safety. But the overall impression is positive. Operation is smooth and the system doesn't overreact to other vehicles that get too close. Keep your hands on the wheel and it will help change lanes for you too. If we had a complaint, it's that the system doesn't easily detect when your hands are on the wheel. I had to physically shake it back and forth a few times before it stopped warning me to put my hands on the wheel after a few seconds with them removed.

The Ariya is available in seven trim levels: Engage, Venture+, Engage+, Evolve+, Empower+,Premiere and Platinum+. The Engage is the only trim offered with the smaller standard 63-kWh battery pack, the rest of the trims come with the larger 87-kWh battery. The single-motor front-wheel-drive configuration is standard, with dual-motor all-wheel drive offered on the Engage, Engage+ (this trim is AWD only), Evolve+ and Platinum+ trim levels. Feature highlights include:

Engage
Comes pretty well equipped with:

• Standard battery pack
• 19-inch wheels
• LED headlights         
• Power-folding and heated mirrors
• Keyless entry
• Power-adjustable driver's seat
• Heated front seats
• Heated second-row seats
• Simulated leather upholstery
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Power-sliding center console

The Engage also has:

• Digital instrument panel
• 12.3-inch center touchscreen
• Head-up display (displays important information in your sight line on the windshield)
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto smartphone connectivity
• Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the Ariya and the car in front)
• Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)
• Blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning (alerts you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse)
• Blind-spot intervention (automatically steers the car back into its lane if you try to change lanes while a car is in the vehicle's blind spot)
• Rear automatic braking (applies the brakes automatically to avoid an imminent collision with an object behind the vehicle)

Engage+
Engage+ utilizes the standard battery pack but adds all-wheel drive and automatic LED headlights and taillights.

Venture+
The Venture+ has the extended-range battery. However, Nissan removes some features from it that you otherwise get in the Engage. These include the simulated leather upholstery (cloth instead), the power-adjustable and heated seats, and the head-up display.

Evolve+
This has the extended-range battery and the features lost on the Venture+. It also has:

• Panoramic sunroof
• Power liftgate
• LED foglights
• Digital rearview mirror
• Power-adjustable front seats
• Automatic windshield wipers
• Wireless charging pad
• Surround-view camera system (gives you a top-down view of the Ariya and its surroundings for tight parking situations)

Empower+
Similar to the Evolve+ but with:

• Advanced adaptive cruise control with limited hands-free highway driving (Nissan's ProPilot Assist 2.0)
• Automated parking system (steers into a parking spot with little or no driver intervention)

Premiere
A limited-edition order, the Premiere has the above plus:

• 19-inch wheels
• Single-motor front-wheel-drive configuration only
• Illuminated kick plates

Platinum+
Tops the Ariya range with:

• Standard dual-motor configuration
• Hands-free liftgate
• Active noise cancellation
• Ambient interior lighting
• Leather upholstery
• Power-adjustable steering wheel
• Ventilated front seats
• 10-speaker Bose audio system
• Available 20-inch wheels