Golly, what’s this? A new mid-sized electric crossover from a mainstream brand that’s embarked on a rapid-fire and ambitious electrification strategy? It feels like we haven’t seen one of those in… ooooh, at least seven minutes.
You know the drill. The Nissan Ariya is the firm's answer to the Volkswagen ID 4, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6 and countless other recent arrivals to the market. We’ve driven it in prototype form before but the stickers are off now, ahead of a planned UK launch in the third quarter of the year, two years since it was unwrapped.
And it should be worth the wait, all considered. Company bosses sensibly shout about the marque's long-standing success in the crossover segment, which it claims to have invented with the Nissan Qashqai in 2007, and in the mainstream family EV segment, which it claims to have invented with the Nissan Leaf in 2010. Certainly, the firm is well placed to capture the imagination of a buyer in this field - but will the Ariya’s delayed arrival count against it? In the time it’s taken to land on UK price lists, there’s been a tidal wave of similarly conceived easy-living EVs going on sale – even one-time EV agnostic Toyota has beaten it to the punch – and, as a result, there’s a greater need than ever for brands to make their offerings stand out.
Thankfully, depending on specification, the Ariya is agreeably distinctive - albeit in the context of a target market that tends towards conservatism. And if not obviously outside, then certainly within: the relationship with the safe but staid cabins of the Qashqai and Juke is tenuous at best (to good effect), with a dramatic push upmarket bringing a pair of crisp, intuitive 12.3in screens, a standard-fit head-up display, illuminated haptic climate controls (it can be done, Volkswagen - even if you have to give them a good old prod) and a veritable banquet of electrickery, including a sliding centre console for step-through access and a pop-out storage bin in the dashboard. Gimmicky? Maybe. Ultimately useful? Indubitably.
Plus, while the sloping roof impacts reward visibility somewhat, this remains a bright and airy glasshouse with plenty of leg room in each row - albeit with no space under the front seats for rear passengers’ feet.
In terms of equipment and material quality, the Ariya’s cockpit feels much more plush than a good many other cars at this mid-£40,000s price point – combustion engined or otherwise – although whether you could argue the same of the high-£50,000s range-topper is less certain.
Add your comment