New Car Review: Nissan Ariya First Drive

Getting into the rear is a cinch thanks to notably wide-opening doors and, so long as that centre console isn’t all the way back, there’s good room for three adults of average size. The floor is completely flat, there are child seat mountings on the outer two seats, air vents and USB chargers, too. The seatback splits and folds down to increase boot space, which is comparable to the likes of the ID.4 and Enyaq.

Practicalities aside, the dashboard and centre console are simply lovely to look at, use and, well, touch. Nissan has employed some tactile new materials, conspicuously solid switchgear and some very cool new touch-sensitive controls with haptic feedback. It all adds up to a cabin that eclipses those of the Skoda and VW – and compares very favourably indeed with the interiors of the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Like all electric cars, the Ariya’s electric motor delivers maximum torque from a standstill, so it steps of the line smartly enough, though the accelerator is well-calibrated so as to make it easy to drive smoothly at low speeds. There you’ll find a decent turning circle and a complete absence of noise from the powertrain or the world outside. Indeed, the electric motor is rarely heard at any speed, and you come away from this car remembering how quiet and refined it is – even in comparison to other EVs.

Our test car was the most modestly powered one offered, with a single electric motor turning the front wheels producing up to 217PS and 300Nm of torque. Nissan quotes a 0-100km/h time of 7.5 seconds, which is ample by any normal measure. It easily accelerates from there to motorway speeds.

The smallest battery pack is a 63kWh unit, allowing an official range in this guise of up to 403km. Our drive was on a closed circuit and relatively short, so we don’t have a handle on how closely the Ariya can match that as yet.

As the track was perfectly smooth, neither can we report on the ride comfort, but the Ariya certainly can hold its own in the corners, offering safe handling and real composure, even during high-speed bends.

The Normal driving mode is the default setting, though drivers can switch into Eco to maximise the range when needed or Sport if they fancy a little quicker response and a heavier steering feel. Along with those options, there’s a button for one-pedal driving and the (rather strange and flimsy) drive selector can also be slotted into ‘B’ instead of ‘D’ for a higher level of brake energy regeneration.