NEW ARRIVAL: NISSAN ARIYA EV CROSSOVER

By: CAR magazine

Nissan leaps upon the EV crossover bandwagon with the Nissan Ariya

Sticking closely to the script laid out by the cutting edge 2019 concept car, the Nissan Ariya EV features concept car looks and represents a massive technological leap over the firm’s original Leaf EV.

Featuring an all-new scalable platform, shared jointly with its partners, Renault and Mitsubishi, the Nissan Ariya crossover will be offered in both two- and four-wheel-drive form, with the choice of two different battery packs and power outputs. Nissan claims a healthy 500 km range in WLTP testing.

Featuring either a 63 or 87 kWh battery pack, the twin-electric motor model with all-wheel-drive features Nissan’s most advanced all-wheel control technology to date: e-4orce. That’s saying something when you remember Nissan pioneered active torque split all-wheel drive with the GT-R’s ATTESA E-TS system. The top of the range offering will be the Ariya e-4orce 87 kWh Performance, combining the higher power output with the usual upgrades you’d expect in a range-topping EV.

So it should be pretty fast!?

Performance wise, Nissan says the 0-100 km/h sprint times range from 7.6 sec for the least powerful two-wheel drive model, all the way to a swift 5.1 sec sprint for the 87kWh e-4orce Performance model. Not Tesla fast but not too shabby considering the EV-typical kerb weight of between 1 800 and 2 300 kg. Maximum speed is limited to 160 km/h and 200 km/h respectively for safety reasons.

63 kWh versions have a 7.4 kW charger, while 87 kWh versions can support a 22 kW three-phase charger. For public recharging the Nissan Ariya supports rapid charging up to 130 kW.

Not just a looker

There is no doubting the Nissan Ariya is a handsome thing with clean, aerodynamically augmented surfaces and a striking boomerang-style LED lights. Indeed, the overall teardrop shape of the car was honed in the wind tunnel to boost range. Air curtains at the front help keep air attached to the side of the car for better aero efficiency.

Inside, the Ariya features a close-to-production interior with semi-autonomous capability. There’s a touchscreen, digital cockpit and wheel-mounted buttons, and apart from some glowing switches on the dash, the Ariya cabin is grounded in reality, not overly fanciful.

In fact, Nissan used the arrival of the Ariya to reveal its new logo, too. And much like the car, we like it rather a lot.

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