You have to go back to 2015 to find the latest generation change of the Nissan Murano. The vehicle ages and Nissan is slow to renew it. However, the ambition and intentions of the manufacturer in terms of electrification are clear. It is therefore very difficult to imagine that Nissan will launch a new generation of Murano in 2024 or 2025. The Ariya offers as much space on board as the latter and could potentially be brought in as a replacement.
For the past few days, The Car Guide has been heading to California to drive the 2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce. Here’s the full review of our first impressions.
Interesting but not revolutionary
For Nissan, the Ariya is a second-generation electric vehicle. We remember the first Leaf, launched in 2012. A compact electric car with a format similar to that of the old Versa. The manufacturer has also sold more than 600,000 worldwide and managed to build a solid reputation and place in the electric car world.
Photo: Germain Goyer
Based on that experience, Nissan has taken the exercise even further with the Ariya. However, we seem to have had difficulties designing and bringing the Ariya to market, we’ll get to that below. Remember that in 2019 a concept was presented. So it had to wait four years before it hit the market. Other manufacturers, like Hyundai and Kia to name a few, are beating Nissan by the post. So the Ariya looks like a product that should have come out a year or two ago. Without being at the back, Nissan isn’t at the front either.
The range of the Ariya could not be more extensive. The Japanese automaker offers front-wheel drive versions with standard and extended range, as well as all-wheel drive with standard and extended range. As far as we’re concerned, Nissan has provided us with an extended-range Ariya e-4orce.
So we have an 87 kWh battery in our hands, which gives us a range of up to 428 kilometers. In this regard, Nissan meets consumer expectations. For an Evolve e-4orce version, however, you have to be content with a range of 330 kilometers. In our short test, we measured a consumption of 20 kWh/100 km under conditions that we consider to be more than ideal. For its part, Natural Resources Canada has not yet released its fuel economy figures for this model. It’s also important to point out that we didn’t get to experiment with charging on the Nissan Ariya.
Photo: Germain Goyer
Together, the two electric motors produce 389 hp and 442 lb-ft. Admittedly, this data is impressive, but the total weight and format of the vehicle must also be taken into account. Unsurprisingly, you don’t feel passion when you drive the Ariya. It’s just a means of transportation. A mode of transport that accelerates with a certain aplomb, but does not convey many sensations.
We’re just as excited on board as we are when we step into an STM subway car. Especially since the management seemed completely disconnected from us.
An efficient e-4orce system
As absurd as it may seem, part of this event took place at the Sonoma race track. Of course, the average Nissan Ariya buyer will never go to a closed circuit to test drive their vehicle. But that’s exactly what we did. We tested the function of the e-4force system.
When the system detects a loss of grip on one of the wheels, it essentially manages the power sent to the other wheels and can even slow down one of them if necessary. We tried the whole thing on wet roads and it seemed to us to be effective. We’re excited to do the same on a snowy or icy road in the coming months.
Note, however, that the ProPilot Assist 2.0 driver assistance system is not yet available in Canada.
Photo: Germain Goyer
Difficult beginnings
We mentioned it above, the Ariya doesn’t arrive ahead of time. In fact, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Volkswagen ID.4, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6 have had time to establish themselves well in the market. We will recall that in the spring of 2022 we learned that the marketing of the Nissan Ariya was again postponed. Just a few weeks ago, the Portal news agency announced that the production rate of Nissan’s new electric model had fallen far short of originally expected expectations. Note that the Ariya is assembled in Tochigi, Japan. We sincerely hope it took Nissan that long to develop the final product because they tweaked it and corrected rookie mistakes.
With this new model, there is still one elephant in the room at Nissan: availability. The Ariya, which comes in droplets and droplets, has attracted a lot of interest from consumers here. Delivery of the e-4orce version will begin this spring. The order books are already full, you know that.
High prices
When you step on board you can see that the designers have done a great job. The seats are very comfortable, as is the ride. The cabin is spacious and we like that. In the rear, headroom and legroom are beyond reproach.
Photo: Germain Goyer
In the front there is a sliding center console. Nice oddity to present to your neighbors! However, one wonders what use it has, especially since it prevents the passenger from sitting in the middle when it is moved backwards. It should also be noted that the finishing is successful and we particularly appreciate the blue color of the felt and the seats. After that, don’t be surprised by a nice finish, because at $69,998 for an e-4orce premiere version, the opposite would have been really disappointing. The Ariya starts at $52,998. It’s not the bargain of the year…
Based on the information we have at this time, all variants of the Nissan Ariya qualify for the $5,000 federal electric vehicle purchase credit. In contrast, only front-wheel drive versions and the Evolve e-4orce would qualify for the $7,000 provincial credit.
In summary
The Ariya is much more advanced than the Leaf, but still a late-arriving vehicle. Absolutely not revolutionary compared to other electric crossovers already on the market, it will nevertheless meet the desires and expectations of consumers who have been waiting for many months.