With the Ariya, Nissan wants to keep its electric drive up to date. And finally benefit from the Stromer boom.
With the Leaf, Nissan was one of the electric car pioneers. But the compact sedan is hardly benefiting from the current boom in electromobility. That should be different with the Ariya - the new Stromer from the Japanese starts in the popular SUV segment and also wants to set accents in appearance and operation.
The 4,60 meter long crossover is based on a new platform from the Renault-Nissan group and is between the SUV Qashqai and X-Trail in terms of size. In Europe, the Ariya will be available in five different versions, which differ in terms of the number of driven axles, motor power and battery size. At the lower end of the portfolio there is a front-wheel drive model with 160 kW / 218 hp and a 63 kWh battery (net), which should enable a range of 360 kilometers. If the battery is exchanged for the larger model with 87 kWh, up to 500 kilometers are possible. The top version also has a large battery, but because an electric four-wheel drive with two motors with a total of 290 kW / 394 hp is installed, the maximum travel distance is reduced to 400 kilometers.
Nissan has significantly optimized charging compared to the Leaf. On normal pillars or wall boxes, up to 22 kW flow into the battery thanks to a three-phase charger that is standard in Germany. And in contrast to what has been common with the Japanese so far, the Ariya also adapts to European conditions when it comes to fast charging and offers the common CCS standard connection. The can be used to charge the DC column with up to 130 kW. Nissan estimates around 40 minutes for the usual filling of 10 to 70 percent. Because active battery cooling is now on board for the first time, rapid charging should also work several times in a row, so that long distances are no problem either.
Visually, the Ariya stands out due to the large black radiator grille, which is flanked by elongated LED daytime running lights. Above the grille, the narrow LED headlights also form a visually continuous unit thanks to a connecting clip. The new Nissan brand logo is made with 20 LEDs. The narrow LED rear light extends over the entire width of the vehicle. Inside, the almost 1,70 meter high five-door with a large tailgate offers generous space.
When it comes to the cockpit design, Nissan, in contrast to the equally new Qashqai, is based on the current fashion of leaving out physical switches and buttons as far as possible. Instead, there are touch-sensitive surfaces and two 12,3-inch displays. It is controlled via voice input and Amazon Alexa answers questions. The Pro-Pilot-System assistance system enables, among other things, semi-autonomous driving. Nissan has not yet announced prices. Presumably, the Ariya will cost around 45.000 euros in the base.
