RYAN ZUMMALLEN: Hey, it's Ryan from Edmunds.
And today, I'm getting to know the 2023 Nissan Ariya.
What is that?
Well, it's a fully electric crossover from Nissan.
And it's finally real.
But is it any good?
After all, Nissan has been building electric vehicles
since the original Leaf in 2011.
The Ariya is the result of more than a decade
of learning and understanding being
poured into a brand new model.
So it had better be good.
Let's dive in and find out.
Since we're going to be spending some time together,
go ahead and click that like button and that subscribe
button so we can make more videos just like this one.
Also, if you want to sell your car,
go to Edmunds.com/SellMyCar car and you'll get a cash offer
on that baby right now.
So this is the Ariya.
What do we think of the look?
In the comments below, give me one word
that comes to mind when you see the look of this thing--
can't wait to see what you got.
For me, on first impression, the Ariya
looks a little bit generic.
But when you get closer and spend some more time with it,
there are some cool features that stand out.
First of all, I think that sloping fastback roofline
comes off really nicely.
I like these big, beefy fenders, too.
And there's a cool lighting signature
and a nice backlit feature that really
makes it stand out at night.
But what I especially like is that the Ariya doesn't really
look like any other Nissan--
doesn't really look like a Leaf.
It's just Ariya.
OK.
But what about the important stuff?
Well, the Ariya is a compact crossover--
so four doors, up to five passengers.
It's about the size of a Rogue, if that helps.
Now you can get all wheel drive versions,
but initially, all of the Ariya deliveries
are going to be front wheel drive like this one.
The Ariya is the first model for a new electric vehicle
platform.
That's going to be shared with Nissan, Mitsubishi,
and Renault. So globally, there will be 15 different models
that come off of this EV platform--
15!
Like I said, this has to be good.
Maximum range?
Nissan says that certain trims of the Ariya
can go up to 304 miles on a single charge.
We won't be able to put that to the test today.
But as soon as we get an Ariya back to our headquarters,
we'll put it on the Edmunds EV test loop.
Now what do you say we drive it?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Nissan says its Leaf owners have logged more than 8
billion miles in their cars.
The company should have a pretty good understanding of how
electric vehicles should drive.
And my first impressions in the Ariya have been pretty good.
But first, I want to talk about the different versions
you can get.
Let's talk front wheel drive models first,
since those are the ones that are going
to be delivered initially.
There is a smaller battery option.
That one's a 63 kilowatt hour pack,
making about 214 horsepower.
But this one that I'm driving is the premiere.
And along with some other trims, it
gets an extended battery pack--
87 kilowatt hours and 238 horsepower.
Just driving around town, this is really smooth,
really well executed.
It's not jerky at all when you come on the throttle
or come off it and the regenerative brakes pop on.
Instead, it's a really smooth, nice ride,
which I think is important.
It shows that the company knows how to do
a refined electric vehicle.
What does that 238 horsepower feel like on the road?
Well, when you step on it, there's a nice initial burst
and then, it smooths out and becomes very linear.
It's not the most power in the world.
This is not a performance electric SUV by any means.
But there is plenty of muscle when you need it.
That's what's important.
As for the regenerative braking, the braking system
will allow you to come off the throttle and just coast.
It slows you down slightly, but not too much.
And I like the fact that it allows you to just coast
because a lot of electric vehicles don't.
Then, when you get into the brake pedal,
it's really smooth, consistent, no surprises.
Again, that's not how it is with all EVs.
So, you know, this is saying something, here.
If you want to strengthen the regenerative braking,
Nissan has a little button down here to activate wait calls
e-Step.
Now that makes it more forceful when
you come off the accelerator.
So when I let off of the pedal, there's
a little bit more force there.
But it's not as much as many EVs.
It focuses on smoothness here for sure.
On the plus side, that helps you slow down in a hurry
without having to touch the brake pedal.
On the downside, for a lot of EV owners
anyway, it will not go all the way to a stop.
So true, one-pedal driving is not really possible
in the Ariya--
at least not now.
Steering and handling wise, I'm pretty impressed so far--
steering wheel feels pretty responsive.
And yes, of course, electric vehicles
have their batteries under the floor so they
have a low center of gravity.
But I've been kind of surprised lately how many EVs still
feel like they're wobbling around when
you go through a hard turn.
And I haven't noticed that yet in the Ariya,
so that's a good sign.
And then another point I want to touch on is the NVH here,
or how quiet it is in the cabin.
Now at low speeds going around the city, this is great.
You really don't get much sound at all inside the car.
The motor is quiet.
The wind outside is quiet-- so is the road noise.
You just don't get very much.
It feels like a solidly constructed cabin
with pretty airtight seals.
When you leave the city and get onto highways,
you will feel more noise.
I mean, first of all, there's no engine
to drown out the wind and everything.
But I am noticing that that air-tight quality goes away
just a little bit, feeling like more wind is getting in
and interrupting that silence I was enjoying so much.
But there's more good news to add,
and that is the ride quality.
Feel like the Ariya has really figured
out its suspension geometry.
And a lot of that is that heavy battery pack
on the bottom keeping the car close to the ground--
but haven't noticed harsh vibrations or really big jolts
when I go over cracks in the road.
This has been a very nice, composed ride so far.
There's a lot to like here.
As for all wheel drive models, you
can get that same smaller battery pack
or the extended version.
But what's nice is you have an electric motor
on the front wheels and on the rear wheels,
giving you that all wheel drive.
But because you've got two motors,
you can get up to 389 horsepower.
Yes-- 389.
And I feel like that's a big differentiator
between the Ariya and some of its competitors
that don't offer bigger horsepower versions--
can't wait to drive that one.
We're going to have to wait a little while, though.
The Ariya's all wheel drive system is called force.
And, yes-- tragically, that's force with a four.
The last thing I want to touch on about driving the Ariya
is its hands free driving system.
I didn't get a chance to film it,
but Propilot Assist 2.0 works just
like adaptive cruise control.
It automatically keeps the distance and speed
without you needing to touch the accelerator or the brakes.
But it takes it to another level by also
allowing you to take your hands off the wheel.
It can even make lane changes when you use the turn signal
and keep your hands on the wheel.
Now I only used it briefly, but it felt good
and seems comparable to BlueCruise from Ford and Super
Cruise from General Motors.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The interior is one area where EVs can really
separate from one another.
And I feel like Nissan has really
done a nice job of that with the Ariya.
The aesthetic is minimalist but very sleek at the same time.
There are a few ways that this is illustrated most clearly.
The first is the amount of wood in here--
from this portion stretching along the dash
to this center console.
It's just a really nice feeling.
And the second thing is the way that the buttons and controls
are integrated in here.
You've got your climate up on the wood and the same thing
with these controls down here.
So you do get haptic feedback when you press on them hard,
so you know that you pressed it.
But there's no cutouts for the buttons.
Everything's just real smooth and looks really nice.
Up front, you've got two screens in front of the driver--
one directly in front of the driver, the digital display,
and one center touch screen.
Both of them are 12.3 inches.
Both of them are standard on every Ariya.
On top of all that, Nissan did put
some pretty flashy, cool features in here.
The first thing is this relatively flat floor
and open tunnel space out here.
Since you don't have a traditional transmission
tunnel, you've got all this space.
And they opted to leave it open.
It just makes me a little bit nervous
when something could potentially roll over from side to side
and get under your feet.
But maybe I'm overreacting.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
It is nice to have a big, airy, open feel in here.
Elsewhere, that big center console
I was talking about earlier-- you've got buttons
right here to power adjust it-- move it all the way forward
or move it back, depending on where you want it to be.
You press this button right here and watch this--
get a little storage space that pops out.
Extra-- so some extra cords or stuff in there.
And then, with another press, it just goes right back in.
Now that feature is cool, but it brings up the issue of storage.
And that bin is going to be helpful because you
don't get much in here.
If you open this up, there is a charging pad
for your phone, which is great.
But that's all you get in the center
console storage area-- so maybe enough
for some keys, or earrings, or a watch and that's about it.
Last and final thing is this rear view mirror camera.
And this is coming on a lot of cars, now,
but it's just really nice to have.
And that is something that I think
lends to the more futuristic tech
feel that the Ariya deserves.
To the back.
First things first-- nice, tall opening
so I didn't have to duck too much to get in.
And a pretty flat floor, so I didn't have
to lift my legs over, either.
Something that some EVs struggle with
is having a big, bulky sill right there
that you got to swing your legs over-- not so here, really.
Again, you got a nice, flat floor-- so a big airy space.
And at six feet, I've got a lot of room back here.
I can set back and settle in nicely.
I've still got lots of leg room.
And if I want max leg room-- like, that's pretty good size.
So even though the area is about the size of a Rogue,
it's got the wheelbase of a bigger Murano.
And so you can see where they put most of that space--
here in leg room.
I've also got pretty good headroom
even though we've got a big panoramic sunroof in here.
Nissan didn't leave the back seat completely bare.
So rear passengers do get some of the same cool amenities
as the front ones.
So you've got nice, cool textures here
and soft surfaces, buttons for your heated seats,
and two USB ports.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Let's talk cargo space.
First thing to know-- even though this
is an electric vehicle, there is no frunk.
I don't understand this.
You've got no engine up front.
You've got a brand new platform.
You can design anything in the world that you want.
And you decide not to put a storage space
and utilize that extra room.
I don't know why.
Well we better move on before I get too upset about it.
In the back, you've got over 22 cubic feet of space
behind the rear seats.
That's a good amount of space, as you can see,
but it does pale in comparison to competitors,
like the VW ID.4 and the Tesla Model Y. However,
it is pretty deep in there.
The load floor is a little high, but there's
a nice, wide opening.
So it's still a pretty usable space.
And if you fold down those second row seats,
you get over 59 cubic feet of space,
which is much more in line with the competition.
The area does have a cool trick feature, though-- this divide
and hide system.
So you can lift up one panel or even two--
I can get my laptop bag in there--
and close it up.
And you're not going to be able to see it from the outside.
And you can still use all of this space.
So there is a nice usability factor in here,
but not a whole lot to really wow me
if cargo space is super important to you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
When it comes to charging, Nissan
has two main components inside the new Ariya
that are competent, but not necessarily wowing anybody.
The first is the onboard charger, which
is rated at 7.2 kilowatts.
Now that's more than a Toyota bZ4X,
but less than most competitors.
And so, it's just going to limit the max amount of electricity
you can put into the car at one time.
On top of that, the architecture is a 400 volt system.
Again, that's pretty standard for most EVs these days.
But some of them, like the Hyundai IONIQ 5,
go above and beyond--
up to 800 volts, which will just give you a faster max charge.
When it comes to actually charging the Ariya,
all you do is pop open this door flap here
and you've got the connectors.
Now this is a departure from the Leaf.
For the Ariya, Nissan is using a CCS system.
And that just means you've got two ports--
one for traditional, AC, slow charging and one for DC,
fast charging.
This is just becoming a more universally accepted
charging system in the US.
And so, they wanted the Ariya to have something that would
be easy for US buyers to use.
It's got pretty good capability, too.
Nissan says you can charge from 20% to 80% battery life in as
little as 35 minutes, depending on the charger
and trim level you have.
If you're thinking about getting an Ariya,
there is an incentive that you should know about.
Contact your dealer and see if you can qualify for up to $500
in credits at EVgo charging stations.
It's a pretty sweet deal.
On top of that, Nissan dealers have free fast
charging as well.
Now, those aren't super fast.
Most of them are going to be limited to just 30 kilowatts.
But if you're visiting the dealership already
or you just happen to be in town,
it's nice to stop in and plug in for free.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
What is all that going to cost you?
Well, the 2023 Ariya is starting just over $44,000
including destination.
And this particular model is going
to run you closer to $56,000.
If you want the all wheel drive models that will eventually
come out in 2023, tack on about an extra $4,000,
depending on which trim you're looking for.
Now, Nissan is fighting hard to be
included in those new round of federal tax credits
that are available.
But as of right now, there's not a lot of information.
So be sure to check back to Edmunds.com for all the latest.
Or give your dealer a call and see what information
they can give you.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I found my first drive with the Ariya to be pretty pleasant.
And thankfully, there are no fatal flaws, at least
on first impression-- you know, something like the Toyota bZ4X
having pretty bad ergonomics or the Volkswagen
ID.4 for having really annoying touch sensitive controls.
The Ariya doesn't really make any unforced errors like that--
other than spelling force with a four.
But is it good enough?
Still not sure.
We'll have to wait until we can get an Ariya
back into the Edmunds lab and do our full round
of comprehensive tests before we truly
know where it stacks up against the competition.
I'm also looking forward to getting
into that all wheel drive Ariya in a few months time.
So stay tuned for that.
As for now, I got to go find some food--
with an f, not a four.
[MUSIC PLAYING]