The 2022 Nissan Ariya is finally here and if looks alone are anything to go by, it has certainly been worth the wait.
Nissan will sell the all-electric in four different powertrain flavors. Sitting at the base of the range will be a rear-wheel drive variant with a 65 kWh battery pack and producing a total of 215 hp and 221 lb-ft (300 Nm) of torque. Nissan quotes a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 99 mph (160 km/h). Range is quoted at 280 miles (450 km) based on Japanese testing.
Sitting above this variant will be another two-wheel drive model albeit with a larger 90 kWh battery and now pumping out 239 hp and 221 lb-ft (300 Nm). This variant hits 62 mph in 7.6 seconds, has the same 99 mph top speed as the base variant, and can travel up to 379 miles (610 km) on a single charge.
Two all-wheel drive models will also be offered. The first uses a 65 kWh battery as well as two electric motors making for a combined 335 hp and 413 lb-ft (560 Nm) of torque. Naught to 62 mph is quoted at 5.4 seconds while the top speed sits at 124 mph (200 km/h). Range sits at 267 miles (430 km). Last but not least is a flagship all-wheel drive Ariya with a 90 kWh battery, a total of 389 hp and 443 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque, a 0-62 mph time of 5.1 seconds and a top speed of 124 mph. This variant is good for 360 miles (580 km) of range on a charge.
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Nissan’s designers have kept true to the concept that first previewed the Ariya and welcomed in a new design philosophy for the brand known as ‘Timeless Japanese Futurism’. Found up front is a large 3D-effect shield grille while sitting on the fascia is Nissan’s new logo. Elsewhere, the SUV includes available 19- and 20-inch aluminum wheels. Key aspects of design at the rear include a steeply raked C-pillar and the one-piece light bar.
Things are particularly interesting in the cabin that “is more akin to a sleek café lounge on a starship, evoking performance and intrigue, than to a traditional automotive cabin,” according to the company. With that in mind, there is a flat floor and a dashboard that looks as though it is floating between the A-pillars. Included within that dashboard is a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment system that supports over-the-air updates.
Perhaps even more intriguing than the screens are the almost total lack of physical buttons. Rather than traditional buttons and dials being used to control the climate control, there are instead touch buttons neatly incorporated into the wood-like trim on the dashboard. When not in use they are almost invisible but when the car is switched on, they are illuminated. Similar touch buttons can be found on the center console to adjust the drive mode and other functions.
Nissan has equipped the Ariya with its latest ProPILOT 2.0 advanced driver assistance system, as well as ProPILOT Remote Park. The first ProPILOT package was a hands-on assistance system that kept drivers centered in their lane while also navigating stop-and-go highway traffic but ProPILOT 2.0 expands on that by allowing attentive drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel in certain conditions. Making up the system are seven cameras, five millimeter-wave radars and 12 ultrasonic sonar sensors.
Deliveries of the Nissan Ariya will kick off in Japan in mid-2021 with prices starting at 5 million yen (~$46,000). It will land in Europe, North America, and China by the end of 2021.
