Nissan had a huge head start when electric vehicles were hitting the market. They were among the first to offer an EV to the general public; the Nissan Leaf. But along the way, Nissan didn’t capitalize on their early lead which allowed other auto manufacturers to catch up and bring new generation EVs to market. Now in 2023, they have finally given us a new generation EV called the Nissan ARIYA. But is this EV worth the wait or is it too late to the game?
Performance
Motors – The Ariya that I had on demo was the Platinum+ e-4orce. EV name aside, it means that this is the most powerful variant of the Ariya with 389 hp & 442 lb-ft of torque (290 kW & 599 Nm). With this EV tipping the scales at 2,274 kg (5,013 lbs), Nissan claim a 0-100 km/h time of 5.1 seconds. So this EV definitely accelerates like other EVs on the market but the way it gets up to speed is a little bit different. The acceleration is now as “snappy” as in other electric vehicles. Instead it’s tapered and gradual. You still get the “push to the back of the seat” feeling, you just won’t get the neck snapping that usually accompanies it.
However, if this is too much power or if you don’t need it, the 2023 Nissan Ariya is available in 4 different powertrain configurations.You can get this EV with 2 different battery sizes and either a single motor or dual motor layout. Below is a list of the different configurations and power outputs.
Engage – 214 hp / 221 lb-ft (159 kW / 300 Nm), FWD, 63 kWh battery
Evolve e-4orce – 335 hp / 413 lb-ft (250 kW / 560 Nm), AWD, 63 kWh battery
Venture+ – 238 hp / 221 lb-ft (177 kW / 300 Nm), FWD, 87 kWh battery
Platinum+ e-4orce – 389 hp / 442 lb-ft (290 kW / 599 Nm), AWD, 87 kWh battery
Battery & Charging – The 2023 Ariya is available with either a 66 kWh or 91 kWh battery pack that is mounted in the floor. But Nissan says that the usable energy of each battery is 63 kWh & 87 kWh respectively. With the two battery packs, powertrain configurations, and trim options, the 2023 Nissan Ariya has a driving range of between 330 km (205 miles) for the Evolve e-4orce and 490 km (304 miles) for the Venture+. This Platinum+ e-4orce is rated for up to 426 km (265 km) of driving range. During my time with the EV, I averaged an efficiency rating of 25.2 kWh/100km (2.47 mi/kWh).
The big change when it comes to charging the Ariya is that Nissan has moved away from the CHAdeMO type connector and is now using a CCS Combo charging port. The Ariya can charge at a maximum speed of up to 130 kW. Charging times vary between the two battery sizes with Nissan claiming 10% to 80% in 35 minutes for the smaller battery and 40 minutes for the bigger battery from a level 3 DC fast charger at 130 kW. From a more common 50 kW DC charger, the times are 65 minutes & 90 minutes respectively. For DC fast charging, the Ariya can warm up the battery before charging to improve the charge speed. As for level 2 charging, a full charge can be completed in 10.5 hours and 14 hours respectively. Additionally, the supplied charging cable is capable of both 120-Volt and 240-Volt charging.
Braking – The Nissan Ariya’s brakes are powerful enough to bring this heavy EV to a stop in a relatively short distance. But it’s the way that it does this that I don’t like very much. For a start, the brake pedal has too much travel. In everyday city driving, you basically have to press the brake pedal through half of its entire range of motion to bring the car to a complete stop. It should not be like that. Additionally, for the first ⅓ of pedal travel, it feels as though you’re stepping on a sponge. Like many other EVs, it primarily uses regenerative braking to slow the car down. But unlike other EVs, the resistance that the brake pedal should provide, even under regen braking, just isn’t there in this car. There is also a “B” mode on the shifter which induces a higher regen braking mode but the pedal feel doesn’t improve.
One small note on the “B” mode is that there’s very little regen braking in this mode if the battery is at or near fully charged. It’s only when the battery discharges about 8% do you notice more regen braking than in the normal “D” mode.
So this brake pedal does not inspire any confidence when you put your foot on it. I always found myself guessing how much pressure to apply and whether it was enough so that I wouldn’t rear-end the car ahead of me or run the red light into an intersection. Because of this, I always found myself applying too much brake pressure which resulted in jerky stops. And I haven’t even talked about the “one-pedal” mode.
The Nissan Leaf was touted as being one of the first EVs to have a true one-pedal mode where the brake pedal never had to be touched in order to bring the car to a stop. For the 2023 Nissan Ariya, they changed the name of this function to “e-step” but it is not a true one-pedal mode. The car will accelerate and gradually slow down by using the accelerator pedal but for the last 10 km/h, the car just creeps forward. You need to put your foot on the brake pedal to bring the Ariya to a complete stop. What’s worse is that in this mode, the brake pedal moves on its own. That means, it’s never in the same place which could be disconcerting in an emergency situation. Nissan really needs to re-tune the brakes in this Ariya because this is now how a brake pedal should feel.
Handling – The Nissan Ariya drives like almost every other EV. That is to say, it’s easy to drive. Steering effort is light and direct but devoid of any feel which is the norm these days. There are different drive modes, Normal, Sport, Eco & Snow, which can be selected depending on the driving environment.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – One area where the 2023 Nissan Ariya really shines is with passenger comfort. Although this EV does not have adaptive dampers, the ride was tuned to be soft. This means that small bumps and road imperfections aren’t felt in the seat and bigger bumps won’t shatter your teeth as you drive over them.
Further aiding to the ride comfort are the seats. Ever since Nissan introduced the “Zero Gravity Seat concept”, their seats have been really comfortable. These seats have plenty of padding without feeling too soft. They also don’t induce any pressure points during long driving periods.
Interior Space – Without an engine and with the battery packing being in the floor, the interior of the Nissan Ariya is decently spacious. At least in one dimension more so than in another.
In the front seats, headroom and legroom is Ok for someone as tall as myself at 6’4”. The Ariya has a little bit less headroom than something like the Hyundai Ioniq 5. Also, due to the unique design of the dashboard, my right knee doesn’t touch the dash but it’s awfully close.
In the back seats, I have an adequate amount of leg space behind my tall driving position but my hair does brush up against the headliner. The rear seats can recline but only a little bit.
Behind the seats, the 2023 Nissan Ariya doesn’t have much cargo volume. It has 646 L (22.8 cu-ft) of space which is quite a bit less than other EVs. However, once you fold the rear seats down, it has 1,690 L (59.7 cu-ft) of space which is more inline with other EVs. The Ariya has a few small item compartments under the floor and a tire repair kit instead of a spare tire. Also, there is no storage space under the front hood.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – Like many other EVs, the Nissan Ariya provides occupants with a quiet cabin. Road and wind noise are very minimal and there’s no powertrain noise to mention. On top of that, every time that you stop and have the climate control running, the fan speed is reduced to almost zero. Then when the car starts moving again, the fan speed ramps up. This makes stops in the Ariya quieter than some other EVs. Everything else in the cabin is solid with no squeaks or rattles.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2023 Nissan Ariya has a starting price that is roughly in the middle of some of its closest competitors. It starts at $52,998 CAD ($43,190 USD) for the FWD Engage trim level. This Ariya Platinum+ AWD will cost you $69,198 CAD ($60,190 USD) which is more expensive than the Ioniq 5 but similar in price to the Kia EV6 GT-Line and Ford Mach-E California Route 1.
Gadgets – As a base model, the Nissan Ariya is well equipped. I mean, you’d expect it to be at $53,000 CAD. It has heated seats in all four corners along with a heated steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, the 12.3” touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay but wired Android Auto, built-in navigation system, 8-way power driver’s seat, 19” alloy wheels with aero covers, front & rear parking sensors, keyless entry & push button start.
Moving up to this fully loaded Platinum+ trim will add on ventilated front seats, power adjustable steering wheel, a panoramic sunroof, a power liftgate, a head-up display, a rear camera mirror, a wireless phone charging pad, surround view cameras which unfortunately have poor resolution. This is much more evident at night. And finally it also comes equipped with ProPilot park which will detect perpendicular or parallel parking spots, even if it’s just the lines on the asphalt, and it’ll do a good job of parking the SUV.
Interior Design – The 2023 Nissan Ariya is nothing like the old Nissan Leaf when it comes to the interior design. In fact, it’s nothing like any other Nissan vehicle on sale today. The Ariya is lined with suede on the dashboard and door panels which not only looks good, but it also absorbs some sounds thus making the interior quieter. While the seat upholstery is not the soft Nappa leather of the limited edition Premiere trim, the leatherette upholstery still feels nice to the touch.
The Ariya does away with physical controls, which I hate, and instead uses capacitive touch controls. The few climate controls that are on the dashboard and on the center console do have haptic feedback but they still require your attention which means looking down while driving. The rest of the climate controls are buried in the infotainment touchscreen.
There are some small item storage spaces in the cabin but some are smaller than others. The door panels have just enough space for a small water bottle but if you lift up the center console, you’ll find a compartment that’s only big enough for a pen… or two. There is a traditional glove box by the passenger’s knees and there’s another glove box that electronically opens & closes from the center of the dashboard. I’m not sure why it had to be power operated. Speaking of which, the center console can move forwards or backwards. But again, I’m not sure why because it doesn’t reveal more storage space when moving abc and it’s of no benefit for the rear passengers. Worse yet, the armrest on the center console is higher up than the armrests on the door panels. So my shoulders were always at an angle.
Exterior Design – Just like the interior, the exterior design is nothing like we’ve seen before from Nissan. Yes, to some it’s a bit “copy & paste” but it’s hard to design something different & be aerodynamically efficient. I think it looks pretty good and the illuminated Nissan logo on the front is standard.
However, the design of the rear end does contribute to the small cargo capacity as the liftgate slopes down at a shallow angle. Additionally, the rear visibility is not the greatest and the rear mirror camera housing is one of the biggest I’ve ever seen. It too takes up some of the rear visibility. Thankfully, you just need to flip up the mirror and you get an unobstructed view out the back.
Safety – Choosing to get the base trim level of the Nissan Ariya will not result in receiving few safety & driver aids. Quite the opposite. The car is well equipped and it even has hands-free driving assist over certain roads. Opting for higher trim levels will add the rear camera mirror, surround view cameras, ProPilot Parking, and far side airbag. The latter is an airbag between the front seats which prevents front occupants from hitting each other in the case of an accident.
Conclusion – Overall, the 2023 Nissan Ariya is exactly what one would expect from a modern day electric vehicle. It’s quiet, comfortable, quick in a straight line, and relatively spacious. At least, for average sized individuals. However, there are a few things about this EV that would stop me from getting it if I were in the market. Most are relatively minor like the amount of headroom, the unequal arm rests, the smaller than average cargo capacity and the wired Android Auto connectivity (speaking as an Android user). But there’s one thing about this car that has me putting the brakes above anything else and it is the brakes. The pedal does not inspire any confidence when I put my foot on it which is not a good thing. Hopefully Nissan will tune it over the coming model years but until then, I’d spend my money on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Ford Mach-E. This is an overall good EV but for me, I can’t get past the “mushy” feeling brake pedal.
Thank you to Nissan Canada for providing the vehicle. www.Nissan.ca
2023 Nissan Ariya Quick Facts
Price: $52,998 CAD ($43,190 USD) – $69,198 CAD ($60,190 USD)
Motors: Single (FWD) or Dual (AWD)
Horsepower: 214 Hp – 389 Hp (159 kW – 290 kW)
Torque: 221 lb-ft – 442 lb-ft (300 Nm – 599 Nm)
Battery: 66 kWh (63 kWh Usable) or 91 kWh (87 kWh usable)
Wheels & Tires: 19″ alloy with P235/55ZR19 All-season tires
Driving Range: 330 km (205 miles) – 490 km (304 miles)
Curb Weight: 2,274 kg (5,013 lbs)
Cargo Volume: 646 L (22.8 cu-ft) – 1,690 L (59.7 cu-ft)
Wheelbase: 2,775 mm (109.3″)
Width: 2,172 mm (85.5″)
Length: 4,645 mm (182.9″)
Towing Capacity: 1,500 lbs
2023 Nissan Ariya Gallery
