Nissan Ariya is in Norway: We have a test drive
Comfortable, high quality feeling, quiet, plenty of space in the length and fast enough. But a little low for tall people.
These are the key words after testing the upcoming Nissan Ariya between Oslo and Ingierstrand.
Let us first introduce the car that will roll out on Norwegian roads in June.
The Ariya crossover is Nissan’s first all-electric passenger car model since the Leaf arrived about ten years ago. More than 70,000 Leafs have been registered in Norway, but some believe it has been stern sailed today.
In any case, we think it’s high time Ariya came. Competitors such as the Volvo XC40, Ford Mustang Mach-e, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Volkswagen ID.4 and Tesla Model Y have, after all, gained both months and years of lead.
Fire issues
Ariya comes to Norway in four different configurations, with a WLTP range of up to 500 km. We drove the version with front-wheel drive and the smallest battery of 63 kWh net. Here is a list of specifications (the article continues below).
Nissan Ariya
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Front wheel drive 63 kWh (“Advance”)
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Front wheel drive 87 kWh (“Evolve”)
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All-wheel drive 87 kWh (“e-4ORCE Evolve”)
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Four-wheel drive 87kWh performance (“e-4ORCE Performance”)
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Gross / net battery capacity
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66/63
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91/87
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91/87
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91/87
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Power kW / hp
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160/218
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178/242
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225/306
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290/394
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Torque (Nm)
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300
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300
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600
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600
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Acceleration (sec, 0-100 km / h)
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7.5
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7.6
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5.7
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5.1
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Estimated range (km, estimated based on WLTP cycle)
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360
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500
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460
|
400
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Trailer weight (kg)
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750
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750
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1500
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1500
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Possibility of roof load (kg)
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Yes, 75
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Yes, 75
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Yes, 75
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Yes, 75
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Length / width / height (mm)
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4595/1850/1660
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4595/1850/1660
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4595/1850/1660
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4595/1850/1660
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Wheelbase (mm)
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2775
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2775
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2775
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2775
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Luggage compartment (liters)
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468
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468
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415
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415
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Fast charging, max effect
|
CCS, 130 kW
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CCS, 130 kW
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CCS, 130 kW
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CCS, 130 kW
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Onboard charger (kW)
|
7.4
|
22
|
22
|
22
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Price (NOK, including delivery)
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409,650
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499,650
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529,650
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575,650
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God legroom, a little low under the roof
Ariya looks quite compact on the outside. The absence of a grill supports the car’s long lines – it appears quite soft and supple in our eyes.
Inside, the car is spacious, but only in length. The ceiling height is not impressive. We had to sit crooked to make room for our heads both behind and in front. It should be said that the undersigned is 196 cm tall. For more normal people, toe height should not be a particularly big problem. It is probably still a good idea to test drive the car before buying to check that you actually fit in it.
Here is a short video where we test drive the car:
The front-wheel drive variant we drove has 468 liters of luggage space, while the four-wheel drive version only has 415 liters. It is a lot smaller than, for example, the cars on the VW Group’s MEB platform, where some models approach 600 liters of luggage space.
The car we drove had front-wheel drive and the smallest battery, 63 kWh net. Furthermore, it had a somewhat higher level of equipment than the front-wheel drive model that will be sold in Norway.
Impressive noise insulation
The feeling of quality was very good, with high material quality and a minimalist driver environment. Most are controlled via the infotainment screen, but the car also has several touch buttons that provide haptic feedback when you press them. With these you can, among other things, control the AC system and driving mode.
Nissan emphasizes that the car has almost equal weight distribution on the front and rear axles. We experienced the car as well balanced, but did not get to put it to any great tests. It seemed quite comfortably set up, unevenness in the surface was well absorbed.
We were perhaps most impressed by the noise insulation. We heard almost nothing of the outside world or wheel noise, even on 20 inch winter wheels.
The car had good acceleration, although it was not as brutal as the competitors Volvo XC40 and Tesla Model Y. The engine power of the test model is 160 kW, but you can get Ariya with up to 290 kW which should give 0-100 km / h at 5, 1 second. It is in line with the mentioned competitors.
Slightly slow infotainment system
The infotainment system may have seemed a bit slow, but it may be because this is a pre-production model. The system was developed by Nissan itself. The Renault Nissan alliance has announced that the future will shift to Android Automotive. Fully electric Renault Megane will be the first car based on the alliance with this system.
The navigation should suggest charging points along the route you enter. We did not get to try this. Nissan Norway could not answer questions about whether the car can for how hot before fast charging, or this possibly works.
The car must be able to be updated wirelessly online (over the air, OTA). We asked how many of the car’s components can be updated wirelessly. Nissan replied that this includes multimedia, the electrical architecture, air conditioning, charging and battery management.
We also asked Nissan Norway how long the customer can expect to receive wireless updates to the car. It had no answer.
Ariya’s voice assistant is run by Amazon Alexa and will work in Norwegian. We did not get to try this during the trip. Alexa should also be able to control connected devices in your home via the car. The car should be able to play Apple Carplay wirelessly, while you must have cable to get up Android Auto.
“Only 130 kW”, but the right charging curve?
That trip short gave no usable consumption measurements. We can mention that we got around 17 kWh / 100 from Oslo to Ingierstrand and 14.9 kWh on the return, but this was with different drivers. The compass showed four degrees Celsius and the sun was dazzling, but we also drove over some wet parts. Here we must have several miles behind the wheel before we can say anything sensible.
The charging port is located at the front on the right side. We did not test fast charging. The battery must be able to receive up to 130 kW DC. It is in line with VW’s MEB cars, but lower than several of the other competitors’ maximum fast charging power.
In return, the car will maintain high power throughout large parts of the charging cycle, according to Nissan. We asked how they do it.
Nissan Norway replied that the car keeps the battery temperature down by not driving at as high a peak power as some competitors (Hyundai Ioniq 5 can, for example, receive 220 kW, and Tesla Model Y has a fast charging power of 250 kW). Thus, the speed does not have to be throttled as early as the competitors, they claim. We look forward to testing this out for ourselves.
Nissan Norway could not answer whether the car has active preheating of the battery before fast charging.
Newly developed four-wheel drive system
The four-wheel drive system is newly developed, but we did not get to try it as the car had front-wheel drive. According to Nissan, the four-wheel drive version will drive with the front wheels until it notices that the wheels do not have equal resistance. Then the four-wheel drive system will strike.
The first cars will arrive in Norway in June 2022.
Based on the advance interest, Nissan Norway expects the version with four-wheel drive and a large battery (87 kWh net) to be the most popular in this country. It costs NOK 529,650 and is well equipped with, among other things, a head-up display and electrically operated front seats with both heating and cooling.