 | Positives: Radically cool interior, powerful with dual-motor setup, fascinating moving center console, great storage options. |
 | Negatives: Questionable exterior styling, touch controls look slick but are hard to use, handling could use improvement. |
 | Bottom Line: The Ariya is a great follow-up to the LEAF, and it delivers good efficiency and range, as well as a truly fresh and original cabin. It's too bad that for this price it's not more fun to drive and better looking. |
Driving Experience
e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive Ariya is significantly quicker. At our test track, the e-4ORCE Platinum+ zipped from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds, a feat that is similar to higher-end electric vehicles. From what we've experienced so far, the Ariya provides a calm, stable ride that should please most buyers, but it lacks the sporty nature we driving enthusiasts prefer.
Ride Quality: The ride quality is very good, but it still feels pretty isolated on the road.
Acceleration: 0-60 comes in a rapid 5.6 seconds, which is pretty good for this segment. It's a little quicker than a dual-motor VW ID.4 but slower than the dual motor Hyundai IONIQ 5.
Braking: The regen brakes work well, but when you select the least powerful setting there's not much feel. They're not totally numb, but they also don't require you to push hard through mushy spots.
Steering: There's some decent steering effort, but that doesn't increase as you turn. It's fine, but there's pretty much no feedback coming through, not a surprise for an EV.
Handling: The top trim Ariya is quick in a straight line, but its handling leaves much to be desired. It's hard to drive the line in a turn well, and there's noticeable body roll.
Technology
It seems like a lot of EVs these days have futuristic looks but also possess in-car technology that's not commensurate. That's true with Nissan's dual 12.3-inch displays that consist of a digital gauge cluster and the infotainment screen. Nissan's system has never been great (nor Infiniti's for that matter). At least Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and nav are all standard, and you can add wireless smartphone charging and a head-up display for extra.
Infotainment System: The gauge cluster and the infotainment touchscreen look fine, and they're legible in sunlight. We just have issues with the responsiveness and the simplicity of menus.
Controls: The touch controls look amazing behind that wood trim, but you always have to look for them because there are no buttons on the center stack or console. At least the shift knob and the single audio knob are physical controls and work well.
Styling
It's good to see Nissan moving away from its current design language to something newer and fresher. The Ariya looks like nothing else on the road, but that doesn't mean it's unequivocally attractive. It looks futuristic, but it can be awkward from some angles. The interior, however, is truly attractive with minimalist styling and high-end materials. We bumped up the styling score because of it.
Front: This is not a good looking front fascia. The solid, untextured black faux grille coupled with the thin headlights looks wrong, and the massive lower slab of a bumper makes the Ariya look like a cartoon character.
Rear: From this angle, the Ariya doesn't look much different from the Nissan Pathfinder. The single taillight element looks good with the simple NISSAN lettering across it. The roof spoiler reduces the visual height, but the flat slab of a liftgate still makes the back end look thick.
Profile: The Ariya's body looks good from this angle with the short overhangs and the sloped roofline. We don't especially like the aero wheels that make the car look like a toy from the side view.
Cabin: The Ariya's interior looks futuristic and minimal. The blue suede, matte wood trim, and copper accents combine for a truly special cabin. Nissan has also discarded every button possible in pursuit of a smooth dashboard that favors a sleek look to match the design of the exterior. Despite Nissan's claim that the Ariya's cabin is unlike a traditional automotive interior, its minimalistic theme appears to be its sole unique trait.
Comfort
The Ariya does a great job for front occupants, but it runs a little shy on legroom in the back, despite the fact that the floor is flat. The front seats are some of the best in the segment, too. The cabin, thankfully, feels airy and the minimalist controls provide a spacious feel in the front.
Front Seats: Nissan's excellent Zero Gravity seats are supportive, well-bolstered, and very comfy. Seat cushion length is also very good for taller passengers.
Rear Seats: 37 inches of rear legroom is almost as good as the Nissan ID.4 but quite a bit smaller than the Tesla Model Y's 40.5 inches. The outboard seating positions are comfortable, but the bump outs in the seatback and cushion of the middle position make things a bit uncomfortable.
NVH (noise/vibration/harshness): Build quality is very good, and wind and road noise are minimal.
Visibility: Rear side visibility is compromised due to the thick C-pillars and the sloping roofline. The rear glass is also very short, so sightlines out the back aren't great. At least the cameras work well.
Climate: The climate system works well and responds quickly to inputs. The vents are thin, but they move a good amount of air.
Safety
The Ariya has yet to be tested by the IIHS or the NHTSA. It does, however, have a good set of standard safety features that should help matters.
IIHS Rating: Not tested.
NHTSA Rating: Not tested.
Standard Tech: The Ariya comes with Automatic Emergency Braking w/ Pedestrian Detection, Blindspot Warning, Haptic Steering Wheel, Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention, Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, Intelligent Lane Intervention, Lane Departure Warning, Rear Automatic Braking, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Intelligent Cruise Control w/ Distance Control Assist.
Optional Tech: Our tester was outfitted with ProPILOT Assist 2.0 semi-autonomous driver assistance tech and ProPILOT Park automatic parking tech.
Storage/Cargo
The interior storage capabilities of the Ariya are good, but they could've added front row space. The cargo space is more than adequate, but it doesn't lead the EV crossover pack like the Tesla Model Y.
Storage Space: The moveable center console is great. Very novel, but they failed to provide a storage tray on the floor where there's a huge open space. Missed opportunity. The retractable dash tray is cool but on the small side. Door pockets are deep but not long, but we do love the cupholders with their folding sides.
Cargo Room: The Ariya provides 22.8 cubes with the seats in place and 59.7 cubes with the second row folded flat. It's about on par with the Volvo XC60 Recharge PHEV but quite a bit less than the capacious Telsa Model Y.
Fuel Economy
Even though range in our dual motor, top trim Platinum+ e4ORCE AWD model is about 40 less than the most efficient trim, 257 miles of range is still pretty good, and they didn't seem to drop at a precipitous rate like the Ford F-150 Lighting we drove recently.
Observed: We were able to get about 84 MPGe over the course of a week in both highway and city driving.
Distance Driven: 212 miles.
Audio
The standard BOSE Premium Audio w/ 10 speakers that was in our top-tier tester was very good. There was plenty of bass, and we noticed no distortion when turning the volume up.
