Why, from postponement comes cancellation? The Nissan Ariya took a long time to arrive, but in June 2022 it will really be at the Nissan dealer. We refresh our memory by taking a closer look at the electric SUV.
New electric SUVs are flooding the car market. In Auto Review we test one or more new models every month. After the arrival of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6, and the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Skoda Enyaq iV, we now have to wait for the Nissan Ariya.
The Nissan Ariya will be at the dealer in June 2022, but we can already briefly meet a Japanese copy. He stands next to the pitch of the Johan Cruijff ArenA, the stadium where 148 Nissan Leaf batteries help with the energy supply. What strikes us at the first meeting?
1. The Nissan Ariya (2022) pulls its pants up high
You would think that all electric SUVs would look alike, but the Ariya has its own design that is recognizable. The high body and low roof make it look like he’s pulling his pants up high. A horizontal crease runs across the side between the handles and the side windows and the headlights are also at this height. All kidding aside: the Ariya looks slimmer and more stylish than the Volkswagen ID.4.
2. The Ariya has two tail lifts
Behind each front wheel is a tailgate. Behind one is the regular charging port and behind the other is the fast charging port. On the Japanese show model, this is a Chademo connector, but for European customers, Nissan is installing the much more popular CCS port with us. This allows fast charging with 130 kW.
3. Nissan Ariya: fast charging with up to 130 kW
It had been known for some time that the Nissan Ariya would fast charge with ‘only’ 130 kW. But with the arrival of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (220 kW) and the Kia EV6 (240 kW), we fervently hoped that Nissan would drill the power line to, for example, 150 kW. But no, the Ariya charges as fast as the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Skoda Enyaq iV (both 125 kW). That’s fine, but not progressive.
4. The interior is beautiful
What color is associated with electric driving? Green or blue, some car brands think. Nissan goes on the chic tour with copper-colored accents. In combination with an anthracite dashboard and two large screens, the interior looks expensive. The small decorations on a panel under the dashboard and the door panels can be found on the nose of the car (in the black shield). Such details make us happy.
5. Legroom is between EV6 and Model Y
Nissan itself is very pleased with the flat floor of the Ariya, because an electric car does not have to have bumps in the floor. But that same floor is quite high. This makes the legroom in the back sufficient, but not great. You can put your feet under the front seats (here the Ariya beats the Kia EV6), but you’ll have your knees bent. In tall people, the thighs float above the back seat. You sit more spacious in the back of a Tesla Model Y.
6. The digital instruments are tilted
The driver is the most important person in the car, every motorist knows that. That is why we were surprised when we saw that the digital instruments are not right in front of you. It is a little slanted on the dashboard. As if you are watching a cinema film from the left of the room. We are not going to draw any conclusions about this yet, because it was a Japanese car with the steering wheel on the wrong side. But we do go for it when we drive the European version.
7. You can see the buttons even when they are off
Press photos of the dashboard (photo left) show a rotary knob for the volume, with a row of touch buttons below it. Behind every touch button is a light and we wondered if the buttons would disappear completely when you switch off the car. We checked and the answer is no: the icons of the buttons remain visible. Just like the greasy fingers (pictured right).
8. The Nissan Ariya (2022) prices are not tender
The cheapest Nissan Ariya costs 47,390 euros. That is more than 45 grand, so private buyers do not receive a subsidy. The business driver (the target audience for the Ariya) pays 16 percent additional tax on the first 35,000 euros and the full amount on the rest (22 percent). So every euro above 35 grand is an expensive euro.
Volkswagen, Skoda, Hyundai and Kia lure you to the showroom with base prices between 40,000 and 45,000 euros. The big argument for choosing the Ariya is that according to Nissan it is very complete as standard. You can’t say that about the Skoda Enyaq iV…