Anyone who complains about the design of a technical device is quickly exposed to criticism, because that is always a matter of taste. Nissan finds the appearance of its new electric vehicle called Ariya futuristic, the tester gets the impression that an outboard engine could fit at the rear. So let’s agree on “independent”. At the front there is a beefy face with fine LED light strips and air intakes, at the rear a prominent roof spoiler and an angular rump with a continuous light strip over thick cheeks. Because the Ariya is one of those popular coupe-style crossovers with a sloping roofline, the window areas are small, especially at the rear.
It stands on a platform that Nissan shares with Renault and Mitsubishi and is just about compact with a length of 4.60 meters. The basic variant comes with a motor of 218 hp, which drives the front wheels, and a battery with 63 kWh usable energy content, which is only charged in one phase with alternating current. This is of no interest to owners of a wall box, a version that can handle three-phase charging costs 9,000 euros more than the 47,490 euros purchase price. You can also add another 7000 euros and get 242 hp in the Evolve variant and a battery with a remarkable 87 kWh net as in the test car. In comparison, a second motor on the rear axle is cheap for another 3000 euros, it turns the Ariya into a 4×4 and gives it 306 hp.