Better late than never for Nissan Ariya

Already four years old Nissan’s first fully electric SUV Ariya is due to arrive in September.

The production version of Ariya was unveiled in 2019, but its launch was delayed because of the global chip shortage caused by the COVID pandemic.

It has been on sale in New Zealand since late 2024.

Based on the LEAF EV, Ariya is 4595mm long, 1850mm wide, with a wheelbase of 2775mm.

Ariya will be offered in four grades with either a 63kWh or 87kWh battery packs, with a range from 385 to 504km.

The liquid-cooled battery offers active thermal management and the battery pack’s flat design and integrated cross-member in the battery case, allow the Ariya to have a true flat floor and impressive structural rigidity.

Engage and Advance variants produce 160kW and 300Nm, with three drive modes (Eco, Standard and Sport). The Advance+ increases power to 178kW.

Dual-motor Evolve is equipped with two 160kW motors, and produces a total 600Nm, with a braked towing capacity of 1500kg and 0-100km/h time of just 5.6 seconds.

The e-4ORCE all-wheel drive system in Evolve trim provides a 50:50 weight distribution (2WD grades are 53:55), with independent brake control at each of the four wheels.

The traditional grille has been replaced by a seamless, single-piece V-motion ‘shield’ that incorporates the stylized Kumiko pattern.

Inside a a sense of openness is achieved through a minimalist dashboard design, flat floor and the option of a powered sliding centre console.

All variants are equipped with dual 12.3-inch displays, one as the instrument cluster and one as the infotainment display, which are oriented in a wave-like shape to seamlessly keep the driver informed and connected.

Ariya is priced from $55,840 for the Engage, $59,840 for Advance, $63,840 for Advance+ and $71,840 for Evolve e-4ORCE — all figures before on-road costs.

 

 

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About Chris Riley

Chris Riley has been a journalist for 40 years. He has spent half of his career as a writer, editor and production editor in newspapers, the rest of the time driving and writing about cars both in print and online. His love affair with cars began as a teenager with the purchase of an old VW Beetle, followed by another Beetle and a string of other cars on which he has wasted too much time and money. A self-confessed geek, he’s not afraid to ask the hard questions - at the risk of sounding silly.
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