The Truth About The Nissan Ariya: Is It Bad? Do Critics Hate It? Full Review!

[@HelloRoad]

What do you think of the Nissan Ariya? Also, correction: Seems like most Ariya trims come with a 240V charging adapter!

[@toronado455]

I like that manual opening charge door. I just think all the motorized ones are going to break eventually!

[@HelloRoad]

@@toronado455 Same. Some of them are flimsy!

[@jacktomsky6812]

I feel like it fell on def ears especially weird that they had brea Larson do all those ads I think they thought it was gonna be a best seller but the American buyers have such a saturated market they released it at a very bad time

[@АртемПрохоров-Лукин]

Don't like the design, plus, it's just another EV SUV, which i don't like at all.

[@tkmedia3866]

Best thing to do right now if you want a ariya is to get an off lease 2023 model. There are many on the market with under 20k miles for under $25k. Base models can be had for $21k and loaded ones for under $30k.

[@MrPerfection93]

They are a steal off lease

[@floridaliving4900]

We bought our 2023 Ariya Evolve+ with 4900 miles for $31K, tax and registration included. It’s fricken awesome and I just charged on the Tesla network today!!

[@graeme2103]

THis is probably correct. Certainly lease, don't buy, if you want a new car. The lease deals in Colorado are crazy now, but the state credit drops from $5k to $3.5k on Jan 1 and you have to assume the federal rebates might not last long under the incoming administration, so get 'em while you can. We've had ours for just over 3 months now and love it - Evolve+ trim (mid-level - one below the top trim in the video). $165 / month for two years / 10,000 miles, with only taxes and fees due at signing. Hard to beat that.

[@graeme2103]

Thought this was a pretty spot on review. We went with the Ariya for the better ride and nicer interior over most of its competitors. It also had very good lease rates (leasing makes the car eligible for the federal tax rebate - get em while you can). DC fast charging is a once in a blue-moon event for us so the extra couple of minutes to charge vs a EV6 or Ionic 5 wasn't a consideration. Everything else about the car is great. I even consider the relative lack of storage space up front a bonus - fewer spaces for my other half to fill with trash/junk. Only thing I disagreed with in the review was that my Ariya came with a level 2 charger, and the video literally showed the level 2 charger (look at the plug shape). In fact, all but the lowest trims come with a level 1 and level 2 compatible charger. Only the lowest trim is level 1 only.

[@HelloRoad]

Yep I already added a correction note above. Some early Ariyas seemed to only come with Level 1. I have my own Level 2 charger and didn't notice the 110v adapter on the Nissan charger :)

[@aikafuwa7177]

I have an Ariya, go with a lease, I got 13K knocked off the MSRP right away. Then you can buy it out and after it all said and done, my Evolve+ E4orce AWD came in just under $39K which is lower than the even the base level car's MSRP.

[@thomashall2306]

I have a Aryia. Love it. It is gorgeous compared to the others and is so quiet. Got a great lease.

[@Maxkraft19]

I am pretty sure the Ariya comes with a 240 7kw charger. It just has a 120v adapter on it. At least that's what mine came with.

[@HelloRoad]

I think you're right. I had previously read that some trims only got Level 1 chargers but maybe Nissan changed this. I must have missed that the 120V plug was just an adapter. Thanks :)

[@MrPerfection93]

The ride and interior of the Tesla Model Y knocked it off the list. The Nissan looked better, better build and rode better.

[@dunky7157]

The more I see of new cars the more I want to keep my two old Toyotas

[@robocop581]

An EV that would have been a hit four years ago. Here in Asia the Ariya is an after thought vs the Chinese EVs in terms of features and price. My first thought when I saw the Ariya in the showroom this week was this is so 2020. The Ariya is priced at US$45K in Hong Kong while the BYD Sea Lion 7 (Blade Battery) and Xpeng G6 (800V battery) are selling below $37K. It's a no brainer which EV consumers would choose.

[@MyMovie5858]

You are correct. However, since most EV owners in the US charge their cars at home and lease them instead of buying them, super-fast DC charging and low sticker prices are less relevant here.

[@WVURxMan]

The only real knocks are 130kw charging that is getting very out of date and that they were asking about $10,000 too much for it. Otherwise, it's a great car. In January when they are eligible for the $4000 credit (2023 MY), some of the examples on the used market will be had for under $21000. That's going to be an incredible value.

[@floridaliving4900]

Peak charging means nothing, it’s all about the charging curve. My old Tesla would hit 230kW peak but by 50% it was 60kW or less. The Ariya peaks at 130 but don’t drop below 90kW until after 85%. It charges faster than my 4680 Model Y.

[@topofthepalm]

At least it's blue

[@toronado455]

That oversized rearview mirror reminds me of the kind PepBoys used to sell that clipped on to your mirror. 😂

[@MugatuJag]

I'll take that rear view mirror over the tiny ones that come in modern BMWs and Teslas. They are tiny, sure they don't have a frame but they also just don't do the job

[@graeme2103]

It includes a camera mode so you still have a rear view if either cargo or rear passengers are blocking your view. But yeah, it's a bit chunky.

[@toronado455]

@@graeme2103 It's not so much the size, but the shape that makes it seem cheap. No rounded off corners.

[@col888881]

I leased one. I got it because it was nicer on the inside than all the others by miles, i.e., ID4, etron, BZ4x, Equinox, and Blazer. the only one that I liked more was the lyriq but it's too big for my parking spot. I'm not a fan of Korean cars and would never buy a Tesla. i think the Ariya is underrated it's a very nice car to drive and be in and is great in the winter with winter tires. i would like it if it had about 50 more km of range but otherwise, it's a great everyday car.

[@HelloRoad]

I agree, the Ariya is a bit underrated in the EV crossover market. Sure it doesn't lead the pack in terms of charging speed or neck snapping acceleration, but I found it to be more pleasant to drive than a lot of the competition.

[@graeme2103]

@@HelloRoad remember when 4.9 sec 0-60 was high-end sports car territory - doesn't seem that long ago. I agree though - I like the way they tuned the power delivery - fast and smooth without being too intimidating for my wife. It's a really nice car to drive and spend time in.

[@ziploc2000]

I think killing the Leaf was a mistake. The original design was a fun, quirky vehicle, the redesign was bland but at least effective, but killed for me by the ChaDeMo charger and still limited range. I bought a Bolt instead. Instead of this thing that is competing with at least half a dozen similar vehicles, make the Leaf better (better range, faster charging, better battery management) and compete with just one or two others (in the USA) in the subcompact hatchback market. Also the Bolt has a switch for the heated steering wheel, each front seat heating, and a switch for cabin temperature. They're all being used in our Bolt constantly this winter, and going into menus and sub-menus to adjust these things on a screen when I'm trying to drive would constantly annoy me.

[@HelloRoad]

There were rumors that the Leaf would get killed off this year but there will be a 2025 model, unchanged from 2024. But yes they're letting it wither on the vine. Apparently there will be a redesigned Leaf, but no word on when it will arrive.

[@jonathonalsop2120]

There's a couple of them in my small town. I like them, classy looks, but reaching a little bit with some of the interior choices as you said.

[@mikeintampa250]

I test drove it and liked a lot but the best lease they would give me on a Platinum Plus was 1k/month, absolutely crazy. Despite all the talk they were no way anxious to sell a car. It felt nearly identical to my 23 mitsu phev.

[@graeme2103]

That's insane. I could get the same car for $250 / month with just taxes and fees up-front. How many miles a year were you looking for?

[@mikeintampa250]

@graeme2103 10k -12k

[@Molishious]

The Ariya got slammed when it first came out for being too little, too late for too much due to some mediocre specs and higher price than the competition. The climate controls on the dash look cool but I didn’t think they functioned very well. The motorized center console is asinine. However when I drove it I instantly felt at home in terms of size and the way it sits. With no salesman with me on the test drive I may have found myself at 90 mph without meaning to. Allegedly. It has normal door handles, real leather seats and I liked the infotainment system which looked cool and the instrument cluster was customizable. It has a real sunroof that opens which not all the competition has. The price with discounts is very tempting, but I’m not sure where Nissan will be in 4 years and when I inquired about leasing it was in no way competitive with what I’d pay for an Ioniq 5. Maybe I’ll inquire about the leasing again.

[@graeme2103]

The lease rates seem very mileage dependent. If you can live with low miles (10,000 year), it seems like the rates are very good. We leased a mid-spec AWD model for $65 month with only taxes and fees up front. That did include a $5k Colorado state credit as well as the federal credit so might not be a number you can get to elsewhere.

[@MyMovie5858]

Actually, if I remember correctly, Nissan announced the Ariya very early, way ahead of most of its competitors in the video, and it drew a lot of interest at the time. Then, there were delays after delays, and people lost their interest in this car.

[@Molishious]

@@graeme2103 I'm happy for you in Colorado, but I'm not seeing deals that good around me. That's an amazing deal.

[@Molishious]

@@MyMovie5858 I think that's part of it, maybe after waiting they were harder on it. I'm a little surprised I'm not hearing about an updated model. They adjusted the price to make it competitive, but the charging speeds are still lacking. Regardless of how much of a practical impact that they have on people they made the car seem less than it is. So I think its a good car, it could just use a couple of tweaks to make it more competitive.

[@MyMovie5858]

@@Molishious Given Nissan's current financial situation, I am guessing updating the Ariya is not high on their to-do list.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Ethan, I am not sure if the combined efforts of the Three Tenors could save this Ariya. 😉😉

[@toronado455]

[@HelloRoad]

😆🫥

[@LYNDONGOLDEN]

I love the Ariya's design, but I think the car misses several benchmarks set by the Model Y. If an EV is going to directly compete with Model Y, it must do a lot of things better (range, charging network, charging speed, warranty coverage, excellent sales/service reputation) or else charge a substantially lower price. Secondly, Ariya needs to lose the power sliding center console (nothing more than a party trick) and design better deep storage for the driver and front passenger.

[@floridaliving4900]

Ariya now charges on the Tesla network. These used with low miles are insanely cheap compared to sticker and much better dealership network.

[@thomasmills1150]

I'm considering (strongly) picking up a 2023 used Ariya. Keep the center console as is !! Almost every single vehicle has a "cockpit" Ariya and Inioq 5 are about the only choices for people that want "open" !!

[@graeme2103]

MSRP is a meaningless number when looking at EVs. Ariya can be leased new or bought second-hand for significantly less than a Model Y. Ariya has access to the supercharger network (as does just about every other EV now - sorry Tesla folks), and I'd rather have a car where I didn't need to find out how good the service experience is - and that's not Tesla. I also like my cars to not require the services of a chiropractor after riding in them for any length of time - so again, not a Model Y. Finally, to compete with Model Y, the only thing a car has to do for very many people these days is not be built by a company owned by Musk.

[@danielberning1240]

Last year at an EV event in southern California, they had the Ariya there for test drives. I drive a Bolt EV personally, so I thought I'd take a spin and see what I thought. It was nice and I loved the blue trim inside. It felt like a luxury car to me. However, just like so (too) many vehicles today, I find the designs leaving me wanting for a true sedan car. I also highly dislike the way they are making the inside door panels so high and it makes you feel like you're in a hole. Mazda is one of the worst offenders for this! The Ariya wasn't as bad as some, but still way more closed in than my Bolt. Overall, I liked it, but just not enough to where I'd want to go buy one. And that is where I feel Nissan is having issues. Either you need to have the win due to a very low price or a win by truly standing out. The Ariya does neither.

[@HelloRoad]

Yeah totally agree about the high beltline / small window thing getting worse. And you're right, especially in Mazdas.

[@graeme2103]

It's actually a fair point about the Ariya. It's competitive in almost every metric, but class-leading in none (except maybe interior quality). Means it's actually a really good car for most people, but you'll never stand out in car reviews like that.

[@MARC-FENIX]

Modern cars all look the same: Bloated computer mouses. 😑

[@HelloRoad]

Most crossovers do have a very similar look!

[@Dagreatdudeman]

Nissan really made a jelly bean into a car.

[@norwegianzound]

These are going for stupid high money in England. Can't understand why

[@RONderluck]

The infotainment is so laggy even after 6 software updates. It’s basically not usable.

[@HelloRoad]

I didn't have that experience 🤔

[@RONderluck]

@ Yeah ok. 👌

[@HelloRoad]

@@RONderluck 🤷‍♂

[@eto2352]

Range is low, charging is slow, ccs blows, it's slow. It's on the Rogue ICE platform. A well designed vehicle that needs to drop prices because no one is buying Nissans right now.

[@HelloRoad]

For sure it doesn't lead the pack in any of those areas, but still a more well-rounded vehicle than some EVs on the market: bZ4x, Solterra, ID4. And definitely Nissan needs to give buyers more confidence that they're going to be around in 5 years! Rogue is a different platform if I remember correctly though, CMF-C for Rogue, and CMF-EV for Ariya.

[@tkmedia3866]

@@HelloRoadhome charging is subpar at 7kw specially if you have lower tou charging. ccs is fine while not the fastest it maintains a fairly high and flat charging curve to 80% while other cars dip much lower in speed throughout the range. This makes it so you can charge with reasonable speed throughout instead of fast only when the battery is low.

[@eto2352]

@@HelloRoad It is miles better than the Bz4x/Solterra and ID4, completely agree. ID4 is nice but the ergonomic quirks are dealbreakers. People are buying those based on brand reputation. Nissan has a better product but poor dealer reputation.

[@col888881]

​@@eto2352 I leased one. The 7kw charging is fine. I could not care less if it was faster. My home is only wired for a 7kw charger and it's full in a few hours. It would be nice to have faster ccs charging, but the charging curve is flat, so it's still faster than me grabbing a coffee and using the restroom on road trips. I got it because it was nicer to dive and sit in and be in than all the others, i.e., ID4, BZ4x, Equinox, and Blazer. I'm not a fan of Korean cars and would never buy a Tesla.

[@eto2352]

@@col888881 If you're happy with it, that's all that matters. fwiw, Toyota and GM already abandoned their ev platforms. If Nissan had nacs, they would have a marketable advantage to all competitors to Tesla.

[@norwegianzound]

Nissa going broke. Take the chance?

[@Xunxunism]

never gonna happen.