Nissan brought the affordable electric vehicle to the masses with Leaf in 2011. It s next
EV effort, Ariya, arrived over a decade later. Until now, all of them in the US have been
front-wheel drive. AWD versions will be shipping with this moniker, e-4ORCE. Either the marketing
department can t spell, or Nissan executives have a thing for algebra formulas. The + sign
means a larger battery pack by the way. I m attending an event in California s wine
country. The Nissan staff on hand say EVs like Ariya are a high priority going forward.
A lot of new models coming to market across the globe, including in the US. So we ll have
55% globally, 27 new electrified products by 2030, and 19 new all electric vehicles.
Nissan hasn t been able to pump out as many Ariyas as it would like because, you know,
the supply chain shortage and all. So if you haven t seen one of these in person, on the
outside it s about the same size as a Rogue, but on the inside cabin space is more like
the larger Murano, because you know electric vehicles it s very efficient to package to
powertrains.
e-4ORCE models are dual motor. All but the base Engage model make a combined 389 horsepower
and 442-pound feet of torque. The larger lithium-ion battery delivers 87kWh usable. Unlike Leaf
it s liquid-cooled. As expected, it s floor mounted for a low center of gravity. e-4FORCE
Ariyas can travel up to 272 miles of EPA rated range. Time to play frunk or no frunk . Disappointed
you can t stash your smelly gym bag in here?
This is a design element that we focused on. We pushed the HVAC up to the front so there
is no frunk, because the frunk does not have a lot of uses for it, especially in every
day driving. So we wanted to prioritize where customers are sitting most of the time when
they re in the car for, again, that lounge like living room experience.
Fire Ariya up and this what you get
All e-4ORCE Ariyas get an excellent heads-up display that shows loads of information when
driving. This is a single-speed drivetrain, pull back twice to get into a slightly more
aggressive regeneration mode. Another setting, e-step, offers a higher level of recuperation
for one-pedal driving. And to change up dynamics, there are modes to soften or sharpen the throttle
response and steering effort.
Max charging speed is 130kW, Ariya is not nearly as fast to juice as Ioniq5, EV6 or
even Volkswagen ID.4 if you travel often. At home they all take overnight. Great that
Nissan is using a CCS charge port but it would be more convenient on the driver s side. With
a destination set in the navi system, charging stations are mapped out along the way.
This is hardly the first EV to get a dual motor powertrain. e-4ORCE has extra skills.
Nissan engineers took advantage of the instant reaction times electric motors have and developed
algorithms as unique as the spelling.
As you come into a turn or exit a turn, were able to brake one side of the vehicle, keep
the torque to the other side of a vehicle. This is done because we can calculate very
quickly with the electric all-wheel-drive system. We wanted to make sure, based on our
customer feedback and focus groups, smoothness was very important to them, so having a smooth
acceleration was part of the take away. So with our performance themes, we develop the
acceleration that you ll see today, which is very responsive, very exhilarating, but
yet still smooth. We can minimize the pitch of the vehicle. This is very unique to Ariya,
you typically in an ICE vehicle or front-wheel-drive vehicle, under braking a deceleration you
get kind of that forward dive. With our two motor we re able to pull back a little bit
to kind of give it more of a flat ride as you come down to a stop.
This helps to eliminate movements that causes motion sickness in passengers. And over pavement
heaves, it can smooth the ride quality. It s so unobtrusive, most will never know it
s working.
e-4ORCE is a $4,000 upcharge. Pricing begins at 48,500 bucks with the smaller 63kWh usable
pack good for 205 miles of rated range. I m driving the top trim Platinum+ that ll set
you back $61,500. Manufactured in Japan, there are no federal tax incentives, check with
your state.
Time for some driving. Better yet, let s get the car to do some of the work. Nissan s new
ProPilot Assist 2.0 is standard and exclusive to Platinum models. It s similar to handsfree
systems like the excellent GM Super Cruise and Ford Blue Cruise in that it uses HD mapping
data on divided highways, over 200,000 miles of it in North America. A camera watches the
driver, they must look forward and pay attention. This is iPhone video I just grabbed. Riding
for over 5 miles with no hands on the wheel, everything was very confident even in moderate
curves. It will suggest lane changes when approaching slow moving vehicles. Once you
signal, it then wants your hand on the wheel. The car then moves over. Kind feels like a
Ouija Board as it s all happening. Once the maneuver is done and the icons turn from green
to blue, the car is in handsfree mode again.
Nissan says the single motor Ariya will do the 0 to 60 dash in 7.2 seconds. The dual
motor here at 4.8 so if you want the quick one you re going to go with this
Nice and brisk. I like that. Now if you re in Sport mode, there s a performance tone.
I m not sure if you can hear this but here goes. It s kind of cool.
e-4ORCE can vector power front to rear, it s primarily set up to deliver it evenly, there
s no rear drive setting for kicking the tail out. Maybe there s an Ariya NISMO in development.
This Platinum model at 5,500 pounds (some 2,500 kilos) is the heaviest Ariya Tossed
hard into tight turns, there s moderate body roll. The ride quality is soothing but controlled.
There is a touch of sport in the driving dynamics, but Ariya is pretty much set up for a comfort.
This would be a great road tripper if not for the slower charge speed. Now one thing
about the brake pedal there is a good amount of travel it is kind of soft once you get
to the bottom it is firm, but check that on your test drive.
Our first stop is Sonoma Raceway where there s a short course to show some benefits of
e-4ORCE.
We re gonna roll over to the green cones. Go full throttle all the way down to the blue
brake cones.
Even with a comfy suspension
Keep going. Keep going. Keep going nice, excellent
Body movements are managed under hard braking using rear motor regeneration
A maneuver that most people wouldn t and shouldn t do?
Full throttle around the wet corner? Yes. Find out and see if does it.
Traction is excellent. The programming doesn t train power dramatically midway through
the curve really nice control.
Actually it s fantastic control. Yeah. When I jumped in on Sunday and visited for the
first time, it s way better than it used to be. That s pretty much good proof. It s very
good proof.
Next a slalom.
I like to say go for throttle through here now. Remember you ve got a GoPro hanging off
back there. OK I ll try to clear it..
The e-4FORCE system uses brake and active torque vectoring. Ariya tracks right where
the driver is pointing it
Nice. You can feel working through there as well. Oh yeah definitely but it s fantastic.
Yeah, very nicely control. Not a bunch of understeer. Yeah, obviously you can feel the
electronics kicking in and saying no no no no no no you need to go that way. Yeah but
it was helpful, so as you gave it to steering input to get us around that and guide it back
out rather than just pull everything back or understeering over a cone. You would have
had to buy me a beer by the way.
Glad I didn t have to pay out. Oooh.
Adding an extra motor drops the distance Ariya can travel. Front drive models are rated as
high as 304 miles. The Platinum+ e-4ORCE model I m in is officially rated at 267 miles. Obviously,
driving style, topography and temperature effect efficiency.
On events it s hard to gauge real world range because we have limited time with the vehicles.
As best I can tell with almost all of our driving on the highway, I m short of that
EPA rated range by around 20 miles.
Consider that speed varied from 60 to 75 miles an hour, it was windy, temperatures were in
the high 40 s to mid 50s F. A 225-mile trip should be drama free.
By their very nature, electric vehicles tend to be pretty quiet. The area seems a little
bit more harsh than usual. There s acoustic glass, extra insulation in the body panels,
and the engineers made sure that there s no chattering coming from the suspension parts
that is noise that is usually mass by an internal combustion engine.
The visual of the cabin keeps the chill vibe going. Much nicer than Leaf. Let s start with
an Evolve model. It s synthetic leather in here, accents are not silver. The Japanese
Kumiko pattern that s lighted and scattered throughout the cabin is a theme that s repeated
if you look closely. On startup these emerge from this broad panel that looks and feels
like real bark.
So we don t see is a lot of buttons. We have a lot of haptic buttons. A light press, if
you press too hard it doesn t like that. Be gentle with it, you ll get that haptic feedback
right away, you can adjust the temperatures. You also noticed there s buttons on the side
of the center console, we talked about the legroom, you can push that center console,
back spread your legs out, you ve got plenty of living room like experience, especially,
when you re using Pro Pilot Assist 2.0. Other buttons that you don t see? So there s another
button on the center that s to open and close the front table, that ll come out. You can
use that to put your coffee on when you re waiting to charge, anything like that.
Let s move to the Platinum interior. Gotta believe Austin Butler would be a fan of this
trim with it s blue suede material and all. To me Nissan s Zero Gravity seats are second
only to Volvo in comfort. Ariya Platinum is the only EV in class to get Napa leather.
They re vented too. All Ariyas get heated seats and wheel. Between e-4ORCE and all of
the cameras, this car should stay dent free longer than most. Platinum also comes with
an auto park system that I didn t try out. The big glass roof is standard on Evolve and
Platinum. There are two 12.3-inch displays in the single housing. Notice the swerve?
Or that the gauge cluster screen is concave, and the interface side is convex? Oddly, there
s very little storage in the big center console, mostly the phone charge pad but the rest of
the interior is fairly standard. Not all niceties are high tech, haven t seen this in a car
before. Nissan has a natural voice command system that I didn t demo, it also has a new
customizable user interface. It's a big step up from what I ve experienced in Pathfinder
and Altima but still kind of basic, though Nissan claims it s designed to keep a driver
focused. Touch response is average, a bit laggy in some cases. Android Auto and Apple
CarPlay are wireless. It s upgradable over the air.
Remember, Rogue-sized on the outside, Murano-sized on the inside. I am 5 foot nine and back here
I have that much headroom. Knee and leg room are pretty generous, foot room, maybe a little
tight . Cushions are high enough so that thigh support is pretty good and door openings are
big enough so that car seats go in and out without much trouble. Door pockets, those
are a little bit small. At least there s storage on seatback and I do like this texture, it
s not just shiny plastic, looks like fabric. One thing that s nice, heated seats are standard
on all Ariyas. This console moves back-and-forth and if it is all the way back it really impinges
on the person sitting in the middle.
Switching to the Evolve model. The floor is perfectly flat, helping with foot room. Remember
the cabin space in similar to Murano, so the bench is wide enough for three smaller-to-normal-sized
adults. This would be a decent vehicle for carpooling or family use.
Ariya s form factor is very much like competitors Tesla Model Y, Mustang Mach-E, Kia EV6 and
Ioniq 5, kind of a hatchbacky/SUV, crossover type of vehicle. It s practical. It s what
people want these days.
Adding a rear motor takes away some underfloor storage but there s room for the supplied
travel charge cord and a repair kit, no spare. Bag hooks and cubbies? Check. A semi-hard
cargo cover stows here just don t pile heavy things onto it. No remote releases. It s a
stretch to get to these, maybe go to the back doors. No pass though or 40/20/40 split seats
at least the backs fold flat. This is a good amount of room, 60 cubic feet. All seats filled
it s a respectable 23 cubes so all passengers can take a carry-on suitcase and small bag
along. Let s wrap things up with Red Light Green Light.
Green Light- The e-4ORCE system makes for a powerful, secure and comfortable driving
experience. The cabin with its comfy seating is a calm airy living room that makes good
use of space. Ariya seems to hit it s rated range in mixed driving conditions. The clean
purposeful design is cohesive inside and out.
Yellow Light- The ride quality is serene, enthusiast will want more engagement. The
haptic controls work well but the Nissan guy is right, not if they re pushed hard. Check
that brake pedal travel on your test drive, seems overly long to me.
Red Light- Travelers might be kept waiting at DC fast charge stations with a max charge
speed of 130kW. There are lots of standard features but pricing is hurt by lack of federal
incentives. There s little storage in the big center console and motored back, it cuts
into rear passenger space.
The production Ariya looks nearly identical to the concept unveiled at the Tokyo Moto
Show in 2019. In person it s attractive, not nearly as polarizing as Leaf. Chunky and svelte
at the same time, the silhouette reminds me most of Volkswagen ID.4 or maybe Volvo C30
Recharge, especially these wheels. Like Lexus, Nissan ditched the rear badge in favor of
lettering. Good to see a rear wiper. Too many automakers claim airflow from the spoiler
clears rain of the rear glass. I live in Seattle. It doesn t. Fun fact, even though most automakers
market this form factor as an SUV/crossover, this is classified by the EPA as a small station
wagon. Even with AWD, Ariya is not meant for aggressive off-road maneuvers, ground clearance
is just 6.7 inches.
I haven t driven the single motor Ariya, but the dual motor version here with e-4ORCE is
impressive. It s quick it s comfortable it s quiet and handles well. If you re looking
for an EV this should be on your test drive list.
Owners will probably never understand how much the e-4ORCE system does to keep things
calm and controlled. Nissan claims Ariya production is ramping up, that there ll be more of these
on the road. They should be popular. Let s just hope the next model doesn t take 10 years
to come to market.
I attended an event where Nissan did a very thorough demonstration of e-4ORCE packaged
in a Leaf mule where the system could be turned on and off for comparison. I ll have a link
in the video descript It does a great job of explaining the tech in depth.
Special thanks to John Vincent with US News and World Report for taking time to help me
with car-to-car footage. I threw some GoPros on the back of his car and we motored around
for awhile. Keep in mind, because of the wide-angle lens, right here, I m 4-5 feet off his bumper.
So at 50 miles an hour he had to trust my driving skills. Running footage is VERY time
consuming and I have very little of that at events. Generally I m the last person back.
And that was true this time.
And once again, I attended an event to get shoot this video. The hotel was nice, the
food was great. But really, I m more about getting you accurate information.
Before I go a quick story, I ve been able to do some really cool things in the automotive
world and one of the neatest things was just before Covid hit. I was back in Japan, covering
the Tokyo motor show and then was able to go to the Nissan design studios where I was
sworn to secrecy and shown just about everything the company was going to be putting out for
the next five years or so. So I was able to see the new Pathfinder, the Frontier, the
new Z car and then this. So it s really fun to see these cars in the real world now motoring
about. There are a couple more things, but I am sworn to secrecy, so stay tuned. Thanks
for watching. Remember, subscribe to this channel click notifications a follow me on
social media and if you have a question leave it in the comments. That s Driven, I m Tom
Voelk.