The Nissan Ariya is the brand’s latest electric car and offers an entirely different EV driving experience than its smaller and more economical sibling, the Leaf.
While the compact 2024 Nissan Leaf offers consumers a lower price ($29,280 including the $1,140 destination fee) and get-around-town zippiness, the Ariya ($43,190 plus $1,365 destination fee) provides a comfortable refuge for those longer sojourns given its roomier SUV architecture. Our time behind the wheel has given us a more in-depth experience with the vehicle.
Our Ariya
We’ve been driving the 2023 Nissan Ariya Empower+ ($53,690 plus $1,365 destination fee) packed with comfort and convenience features like a head-up display, wireless Apple
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CarPlay and Android Auto, a portable charge cable (120-volt/240-volt), Nissan’s
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Intelligent Around View Monitor, power liftgate, heated front and rear seats and steering wheel, and exterior features like 19-inch alloy wheels. The panoramic moonroof lets you see the sunshine or stars.
As for safety features, our Ariya Empower+ comes equipped with Nissan Safety Shield 360, blind-spot and lane departure warnings, rear automatic braking, rain-sensing wipers, heated outside mirrors, high-beam assist, plus Nissan’s ProPilot Assist 2.0, including Intelligent Cruise Control, and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection.
More: The new electric Nissan Ariya: What’s it like to drive?
What’s the range?
The 2023 Nissan Ariya can travel with an estimated EPA range between 205 to 304 miles, depending on the model. We are pleased with the range of up to 289 miles in the Empower+ version. A frigid 110-mile round-trip to Athens, Georgia, barely chiseled down the range below 100 miles.
Plus: Half of U.S. car shoppers are considering a hybrid or EV, survey says
Our take: driving impressions
The car quickly blends with daily car-driving activities, from high school pickups to errands. So far, our Nissan Ariya has driven a dutiful 813 miles around the metro Atlanta area, including that holiday road trip. We can’t wait to take it farther afield to see how it performs.
What we like so far
- The suite of safety features helps keep driving life safe.
- Minimalist interior and a streamlined, elegant display
- I tested out the ProPilot Assist 2.0. This tech lets you drive using adaptive cruise when it’s green or hands-free when the lighting signals blue. It eases between the systems, and as long as you can take the wheel at a moment’s notice, it’s a fantastic system to drive with when optimal conditions (no rain) exist during a road trip.
- Because parking in public spaces has its hazards, one of my favorite convenience features is also a safety feature: Nissan’s door-locking system. When you approach or walk away from the vehicle with the key in your purse, doors automatically unlock or lock.
- You can ask the car to handle all those hands-free tasks by asking the Ariya, “Hello Nissan,” to do things for you, like finding the nearest DC fast charging station. Speaking of charging, you receive one year of free EVGo charging with your lease or purchase of a Nissan Ariya.
- Driving with a head-up display makes everything that much easier.
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Things that can improve
- Turn signal activation is clunky. Signals tend to stay on if you don’t make a hard turn right or left.
- The e-step mode was difficult to stomach for those with motion sickness. Perhaps adjustments can be made, but it’s a hard pass.
- The Intelligent Key fob, if depressed too long (three seconds), can activate and crack open the Nissan Ariya’s windows. That happened to fellow Autotrader advice editor Chris Hardesty. This is a great feature, but not when the key fob is stuffed in your pocket, and you inadvertently hit it when it’s pouring buckets of rain outside.
This story originally ran on Autotrader.com.
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