2023 Nissan Ariya electric SUV review

One of the most exciting new cars to be revealed this year could be a huge seller in Australia, but there is one thing it needs.

There’s a lot we don’t know about Nissan’s all-new EV. Whether it will come to Australia, for one thing. What it will cost if it does, for another. Even how to say its name, Ariya.

Some Nissan people at the vehicle’s European launch insisted “Are-ee-ya” is correct. Others said “Aria”, like a song from an opera.

2022 Nissan Ariya.

Pronounce it any way you like, but the Ariya remains an EV crossover that combines up-to-date tech with a Japanese design flavour.

It’s about to go on sale overseas, with the USA, China, Japan and Europe first in line. But Australia isn’t yet on the list of destinations for the Made-in-Japan EV. Government policies, especially at the national level, will be a factor in Nissan’s decision-making.

“The early dialogue from the new government is certainly a step in the right direction,” says Nissan Australia managing director Adam Paterson, referring to the new Federal Government led by Anthony Albanese.

Australia might miss out on the Ariya because of government inaction.

“However, we still need a nationally consistent plan focused on increasing EV uptake as the first priority. We would like to see a clear roadmap and plan.”

It takes five-plus years to get a new car ready for production, Paterson says. That makes it tough for a car maker to plan “the required production volumes and development requirements for a market like Australia” without knowing what’s coming down the policy pipeline.

Even with strong signals from Canberra, the earliest the Ariya could make it to Australian showrooms is sometime in 2023. Pricing? Probably about $70,000 for the most affordable version under current conditions, but future changes could push it lower.

The base Ariya has a driving range of a little more than 400km.

The least costly Ariya is the one sampled at the international launch in Sweden.

Equipped with a single 160kW electric motor driving its front wheels and a 63kWh battery pack, it has a driving range of 403km according to the WLTP test standard.

Other versions have a larger 87kWh battery pack. The one with a single 178kW electric motor is the range champion. It can cover 533km before needing a recharge.

Topping the Ariya range is a high-performance 225kW dual-motor all-wheel-drive model. Its official driving range is exactly 500km and it’s rated to tow up to 1500kg.

The Ariya is built on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s newest EV platform. It brings advances compared to the tech powering the current Nissan Leaf.

The interior has plenty of wow factor.

The new Nissan has a slimmer, liquid-cooled battery pack under its flat floor. It can be recharged quickly, too. Motor design also changes. The new electrically excited units in the Ariya contain no permanent magnets, made from dirty-to-produce rare-earth elements.

When it comes to design, the Japanese influence is obvious. While Ariya’s exterior style probably isn’t going to appeal to everyone, it’s hard not to like the interior. It’s spacious, beautifully designed and has some unusual features that are sure to delight.

The free-standing centre console, which houses the gear selector knob, some switches, an inductive phone charger and a storage bin, can be moved backwards and forwards with a switch beside the driver’s thigh. With the console fully back, the full-width flat floor of the interior and slimness of the instrument panel is obvious.

The Ariya looks futuristic.

Apart from large screens for the instrument display and infotainment system, the panel is strikingly plain. Climate control switches with haptic feedback are concealed beneath the instrument panel’s grained accent strip.

The interior feels, and is, very spacious front and rear. The cargo compartment is big, too.

Driving the least powerful Ariya isn’t disappointing. There’s typical EV eagerness moving off from standstill, followed by a surge of silky smooth and near silent acceleration. It’s quicker and much more cultured than the average small crossover or SUV.

The suspension of the European-specification Ariya tested was firm but not uncomfortable. The Nissan corners well for a tall-ish, heavy vehicle, though its light and mostly feel-free steering discourages quick driving.

It’s at its best cruising, when everyone on board can appreciate the silence, space and distinctive Japanese ambience of this new Nissan.

With new pro-EV policies likely coming from the Albanese government and interest

in electric driving surging, the odds are in favour of the Nissan making it to Australia eventually.

But there’s little chance of everyone agreeing to pronounce Ariya the same way.

NISSAN ARIYA

PRICE $70,000 (est)

MOTOR Single; 160kW/300Nm

TRANSMISSION Single-speed; FWD

RANGE 403km

EFFICIENCY 15.6-17.4kWh/100km 

0-100KM/H 7.5 secs