Verdict
Sharp looks and competitive pricing plus a well equipped and spacious cabin make the Nissan Ariya Nismo hard to ignore on paper. It drives well enough, too, even if lacks sparkle beside the headline rivals in this class. But a fidgety ride, poor range and relatively long charge times separate it from greatness, even though it’s certainly a welcome addition at the top of an already strong range of electric SUVs.
We rate the Nissan Ariya at Auto Express. It’s a strong electric SUV that offers space, style, quality and value in equal measure, and it’s an engaging car to drive, too. So much so, that we voted it our outright Car Of The Year in 2022.
Presumably, then, a Nismo version with more performance, plus sharper handling and looks, should be peachy, shouldn’t it? The answer is yes, and no.
Yes, because the Nismo Ariya does indeed look tastier and goes harder than the standard car thanks to its potent twin electric motors. Although its 87kWh battery is unchanged, power rises to 429bhp from 302bhp, dropping the 0-62mph time to 5.0 seconds (from 5.7sec). Torque is unchanged at 600Nm.
No, because compared with rivals such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, Kia’s EV6 GT and the Tesla Model Y Performance, the Nismo’s performance is lagging behind. Nissan says it’s because the car is more of a VW ID.5 rival, hence its competitive £56,620 price.
And yet, all is not quite as it seems with this car, because while on paper the Nismo Ariya appears lacking, in reality it doesn’t matter as much as you may think. In the flesh, it’s a car that’s strong on desirability, with striking styling inside and out, plus a cavernous cabin that contains enough Nismo fizz to distinguish it from lesser models. Think of it as Nissan’s equivalent to a BMW M Sport, rather than a full blown cousin of the legendary GT-R.
