10 Reasons Why The Nissan Ariya EV Is a Game-Changer!

The Nissan Leaf once was the most popular electric car in the world. Now, with the coming of its spiritual successor, the stunning Nissan Ariya, we are witnessing the dawn of a whole new era for the Japanese manufacturer we grew to love. As strange as it sounds, the Nissan Ariya EV could become a game-changer for Nissan. What does that mean though!? Well, the Ariya EV fuses the latest Nissan tech with slick, yet opulent styling usually reserved for futuristic-looking concept cars. Add to that its integration with electromobility movement, smart infotainment systems, and advanced battery tech, and you truly do get a complete game-changing package. The Nissan Ariya is an SUV-sized vehicle that stands to tackle the greatest EV heavyweights like the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Here are its 10 most prominent features that signal the coming of change.

1 Futuristic Styling That Won't Offend Anyone

Concept-like exterior drizzled with just the right amount of surfaces that deserve fantastic PR names like the “horizon line” and the “tech shield” gave the Ariya some sort of high-end design finesse and sophistication. Now, the so-called horizon line is an unbroken line that stretches around the car - you can see it just above the rear stopping lights, above the Nissan logo on the front, and, of course, on the sides. Despite looking quite dashing, I cannot help but wonder if this line symbolically, and suggestively represents the active and passive safety suite called the Nissan Safety Shield. Nevertheless, the design, only slightly reminiscent of the Nissans of old, gives us a look into the future. New Nissan vehicles should carry on with this powerful and expressive design that, I might add, shower the Ariya with a courageous stance. Could this be the most beautiful EV crossover out there?

2 Nissan Ariya - Dimensions

The Rogue Sport is a proper crossover. Ariya is not; I see it as an SUV. After all, at 182.9 inches in length, 74.8 inches in width, and 65.4-65.7 inches in height, the Ariya outgrew the Qashqai. It is even a tad higher than the Mustang Mach-E with which it competes. This completely changes the game in the interior. It is seriously spacious and practical on the inside. Considering its size, which falls somewhere in between the Rogue Sport and the Rogue in the Nissan lineup, the Ariya may offer just about the best compact SUV experience.

3 Platform Shared With Renault

A 2023 Nissan Ariya finished in copper color — Nissan

Have you ever heard of a car called the Renault Megane e-Tech? Well, it is a French crossover based on the same platform as Ariya. This means that the two share numerous tech and propulsion solutions. However, maybe the most important thing that they share is the position of the batteries. The position of the batteries strategically moved closer to the wheels actually offers sound protection from road noise. If you watch some reviews and read about Ariya, you may find out that Ariya's interior feels eerily quiet. Sharing a platform with another EV also brings the Nissan Ariya's price down.

4 Dual-Motor Option With 4-ORCE All-Wheel-Drive

The least powerful Nissan Ariya comes with a 63 kWh battery, 238-horsepower motor, front-wheel drive, and an estimated EPA range of up to 304 miles for the VENTURE+ FWD trim. On the other hand, the most powerful Ariya with 389-horsepower AC synchronous motors and an 87 kWh battery offers an estimated EPA range of 265 miles for PLATINUM+ AWD trim. More powerful cars, of course, have two motors - one on the front axle and one at the back. With near 50/50 weight distribution and precise power application to the wheels, the Ariya with all-wheel drive can be quite a performer.

5 Liquid-cooled And Heated Battery

In optimum circumstances, the EV battery should operate at temperatures between 30-40C degrees. That is why Nissan integrated a heat pump and an air cooler which regulate the temperature of the liquid surrounding the battery cells. This gave Ariya the wonderful capability of keeping the battery temperature at optimum levels regardless of exterior conditions. While the maximum charging speed of 130 kW isn’t anything revolutionary, the capability of the Ariya batteries to recharge at peak performance for longer compared with its competitors is.

6 The Nissan Ariya Can Even Tow!

Officially, the 2023 Nissan Ariya can tow up to 1,500 pounds. It is not a lot, but the fact that it received towing capacity rating at all says a lot about the prospects of the Nissan EVs. Now, the interesting thing is that in Europe, Ariya actually can tow more than in the U.S. See, the top-notch version with an 87 kWh battery and dual-motor setup can offer up to 3,300 pounds of towing capacity.

7 There Are Enough And More Creature Comforts

Futurism and an aura of utmost sophistication dominate the interior. Some features, like the haptic drive mode control on the central console, adjustable central console (which can move front and back - yes, you read that right), and capacitive haptic switches on the center of the dash launch the Ariya in a whole new dimension. Finally, these features, combined with the onboard Alexa support, and advanced driving assistance like the ProPilot formulate a proper platform for an interesting and advanced vehicle. As for the ProPilot, you may have heard about it before, but here’s a quick rundown, nevertheless: “ProPILOT is a hands-on assistance system that helps drivers stay centered in their lane, navigate stop-and-go highway traffic, and maintain a set vehicle speed and distance to the vehicle ahead.”

8 It Comes With Alexa Integrated

Having an advanced voice recognition system in a car such as Alexa is a big deal. While certain Nissans had the Amazon Alexa option for quite some time now, the system in the Ariya offers a few more features. Alexa could recognize the car now, so, for example, if you say to her that you want to start your car or turn off the headlights, it will do it for you. Alexa voice commands can lock or unlock the Ariya remotely, honk the horn, flash the lights, or prepare the car for you. If you are driving a car, on the other hand, Alexa can interact with the system in your house and respond accordingly. You forgot to turn off the lights, just tell Alexa to turn them off for you, and it will do it. Sure, this is nothing revolutionary, but it shows how voice recognition capabilities can benefit you.

9 Advanced Driver Assist Nissan ProPILOT and Nissan Safety Shield

Advanced active and passive safety systems demonstrate Nissan's dedication to crafting a serious EV. Not only that you get features like the Intelligent Around View Monitor, Intelligent Forward Collision Warning, Intelligent Emergency Braking, and Rear Automatic Emergency Braking Technology, but also an option for ProPilot. It is an assistance system that helps drivers stay in their lane, or easily navigate stop-and-go traffic. You can even maintain a vehicle's speed and distance in accordance with the vehicle ahead.

10 How Does The Ariya Compare With The Tesla Model Y And Ford Mustang Mach-E?

Dimension-wise, the Ariya is a tad smaller compared to the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E. It is also available with two drivetrain options, but, I am afraid to say, not even the most powerful Ariya e-4ORCE can compete with the Model Y Performance and the Mustang Mach E GT Performance in a straight line. This means that Ariya doesn’t necessarily compete with these two directly. Its main competition may come from the likes of the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Hyundai Ioniq 5. With this in mind, it is clear that Nissan wants to offer an exotic-looking electric SUV, but for a bit different kind of buyer.