The most common type of electric vehicle (EV) for sale in 2024 is a midsize SUV. Now that almost every major manufacturer has at least one on sales lots, they’re starting to all seem too alike. An electric midsize SUV in 2024 needs a unique personality to separate itself from the crowd.
The Nissan Ariya has a unique personality. Nissan designers worked overtime to give it a genuinely interesting cabin that is a lovely place to spend time.
Our test drivers love the Ariya’s tasteful take on minimalism. While many automakers have stripped their EV cabins down too much, Nissan has found ways to keep all the traditional controls you’re used to in a car but make them feel new.
Even in base Engage trim, the Ariya features elegant design touches and soft-touch materials that feel a cut above its price. The top-of-the-line Ariya Platinum+ e-4orce AWD, however, might as well wear the Infiniti logo instead.
Best of all, Nissan changed almost nothing between the 2023 and 2024 Ariya but dropped prices anyway.
Let’s take a look at what the fully loaded Ariya Platinum+ e-4orce AWD offers for $55,590 (including the mandatory $1,390 destination charge).
389 Horsepower, All-Wheel Drive
If you haven’t driven an electric car yet, what may surprise you most about the experience is the effortless power and grip. Electric motors make high-horsepower output highly attainable. Their small size means automakers can easily place one on each axle for a car for all-wheel-drive (AWD) grip.
The Nissan Ariya Platinum+ e-4orce AWD generates a potent 389 horsepower. Nissan says this electric SUV can run from 0-60 mph in under five seconds.
You’ll pay a slight range penalty for the added speed. The Platinum+ e-4orce AWD manages 265 miles. Other Ariya trims get as high as 304 miles. You probably don’t drive more than 265 miles on an average day, so the odds are good that the extra power is a better everyday investment.
Nissan says the battery can be recharged from 10% to 80% full in 40 minutes with a DC fast charger.
Nappa Leather Zero Gravity Seats
A little car critic insider knowledge – Nissan makes the most consistently praised seats in the automotive business. If you spend a lot of time in traffic, buying the right seat is probably more important than buying the right amount of cargo space or number of speakers.
According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Americans spend 293 hours on average each year behind the wheel. That’s nearly two weeks barely moving your body.
Nissan developed its Zero Gravity seats with help from researchers at the Yamasaki Laboratory at Keio University in Tokyo using NASA-derived research.
They support the body at 14 pressure points to minimize long-ride muscle fatigue.
Every Nissan Ariya gets them up front, but Platinum+ models get them upholstered in plush Nappa leather. The front seats are heated and cooled as well.
ProPilot Assist with Navi-Link
Speaking of comfort, only part of the fatigue in driving comes from uncomfortable seats. Just as much, if not more, comes from the numbing workload of a long drive.
Nissan’s ProPilot Assist 2.0 system can take on some of it. No manufacturer sells a true self-driving car in 2024 (no matter what their ads tell you), but Nissan’s lets you relax your hands and feet under certain conditions on the highway.
Our Brian Moody says it enables “miles and miles of hands- and feet-free driving.”
You still need to stay prepared to take over at a moment’s notice. But we can say from experience that it helps you arrive fresh after a long road trip.
“Hello, Nissan” Voice Controls.
We like the design of the touch-capacitive buttons in the Ariya, which sit neatly flush in lovely gray wood trim. But you barely need to use them.
The Nissan Ariya Platinum+ e-4orce AWD has two voice command systems.
Saying “Hello, Nissan” lets you control cabin temperature, change entertainment volume, and make phone calls with your voice. Amazon’s Alexa is built in, too. Talking to Alexa lets you get weather and traffic updates and control smart home technologies from the car.
Standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also make controlling streaming entertainment easy.
Swipe Right and Left
We’ll save our favorite feature for last.
Almost every 2024 car puts two screens in front of you – one for the driver and one in the center for climate and entertainment functions. The Nissan Ariya does the same, with two 12.3-inch screens.
But Nissan’s setup works more intuitively than most. Users can swipe back and forth, moving information from one to the other. It’s such an elegant, simple way to let you customize what you see where that we’re amazed other manufacturers haven’t copied it yet.
The Plantinum+ e4orce AWD model also comes with a head-up display that puts speed, turn-by-turn directions, and other critical info directly in the driver’s line of sight.
More Nissan Ariya
Read our full review or build and price your own Nissan Ariya. If you’re ready to take some action, check out the Nissan Ariya models for sale near you.
