The Nissan Ariya is the second electric vehicle offered in Australia from the brand that bought us the iconic Nissan Leaf, more than a decade ago, which truly pioneered EVs down under.
The Ariya – an electric SUV first unveiled in Australia more than two years ago, but only newly available to buy – has been priced by Nissan in the mid-$50,000s, which lower than expected given other offerings from established players.
I had the opportunity to drive the Ariya at an event on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula last week, giving me an idea of what it could be like to own the new offering coming to our shores this month.
Letās start with the variants of the car, which include the entry-level Engage, which starts at $55,840 before on-roads and comes fairly well equipped, including 19-inch alloy wheels, 20+ safety and security features, dual 12.3-inch instrument and Infotainment screens, In-built sat-nav, multiple drive modes, a 6-speaker sound system and much more.
For an extra $4,000, the Advance variant adds upgraded seats, heated function, 10-speaker Bose sound system and more convenience features.
Advance+ costs $63,840, with a bigger battery and brings the range up to 504 km. Thereās also a heads-up display, synthetic leather seats, panoramic sunroof, heated rear seats and ventilation in front seats. Thereās also an option for an upgradable 22 kW on-board charger, which will cost more to include.
The top-spec Evolve e-4orce keeps the larger battery but adds a second motor for faster acceleration, higher towing capacity, Nappa leather seats, a smart rear-view mirror and a few other convenience features, coming in at a price of $71,840 before on-roads. That price of course, includes the 22 kW AC on-board charger, which is standard on this variant.
In summary, there is plenty to choose from in the Ariya range, but what is it really like on our roads?
My first impression of the car is that it looks much better in person than in the photos, and personally, I like the look of this compared to many other SUVs in the company’s lineup.
Getting into the car with its conventional door handles is straightforward, and thanks to its ride height with a ground clearance of around 180 mm.
One thing that caught my eye early on was the minimal interior design and build quality. It looked and felt quite well put together, and during the few hours I spent in it, the interior layout and design really sank in.Ā
For whatever reason, I was expecting an overload of buttons, but spending that time with the minimal layout that was presented, I was convinced that this is a very different car from Nissan.Ā
I was also impressed with how well it was put together, with the driver in mind and plenty of space where the transmission tunnel would normally be. This also helped deliver good legroom in the driver and passenger seats.Ā
In the rear, it was the same with plenty of space for adults and kids. On one leg of the event, the car had four adults, and with me being in the rear, it didn’t feel squishy, but just right in terms of space.
Speaking of space, in the boot it was reasonable too, given the segment of the car. I had a bag, while another test driver had a suitcase with camera gear in the back and they fit just fine in the Ariya.
Getting into the driving part was quite straightforward. There is a start button that doesn’t take too long for the car to be ready. From there, the car can be put in drive by using the gear shifter found in the floating centre console.
Overall, the car had good visibility all around. Driving on roads heading out of Melbourne, down to Mornington Peninsula, was easy and the car really felt at home on suburban and country roads.
With its fairly zippy 160 kW motor, which produces 300 Nm of torque, city and suburban driving was no issue at all, especially in traffic with regeneration and its auto-hold function.
On top of the auto hold, with the regenerative braking switched on, it made driving the car a lot better, especially on curvy country roads.
On the amazing country roads around Red Hill and Main Ridge, the Ariya felt quite composed and planted. On the 80 km/h sections, the car stayed within the lanes, and the ADAS system wasnāt intrusive at all, as is the case in some other cars.
This alone was one of the key highlights of this initial Ariya. There were no bings and bongs, which made driving the car such a nice experience for a change.Ā
This well-sorted ADAS system is likely a testament to the extensive testing Nissan has conducted in markets such as Europe and Japan, where the car has been on sale for a few years.
Whatever it is, it all just worked and didn’t frustrate any of the other testers I spoke to while on the drive event.
The suspension also mostly did a reasonable job. Exiting corners, the car did not seem to have as much of a wobble as expected, probably thanks to some suspension tuning that’s gone into the car.Ā
It really does feel like a good all-rounder on the suspension rigidness front given itās geared for daily driving around town and road trips, rather than on the track.
During the drive, I also got to use Android Auto, which worked seamlessly without any disconnections.Ā
Wireless Apple CarPlay is also available, making the overall in-car experience quite an easy one, as all the navigation and entertainment apps get brought into the car seamlessly.
After driving the car for a period of just under 4 hours, the Ariyaās average consumption was 17.6 kWh/100 km.Ā
This is expected given the sweepy moderate-high speed country roads we spent quite a bit of time on during the drive program, especially on the last stretch.
Overall, the time I spent in the car during the drive event gave me a great impression of a family SUV that is mature and right for the market.
It not only marks the chapter for Nissan’s next EV in our market but also an option from one of the most recognised car brands in the market. If initial impressions are anything to go by, it’s a Japanese electric SUV that could convince many ICE drivers today that the market is ready to go electric.
2025 Nissan Ariya pricing before on-roads and specs
Engage
MSRP $55,840
Powertrain
- Electric 2WD
- Battery Usable Capacity: 63kWh
- Power: 160kW
- Torque: 300Nm
- Range: 385km**
- 0-100: 8 seconds
- Drive mode selector (Eco, Standard, Sport)
- 750kg braked towing capacity
- E-Pedal^
- Hill Start Assist
Brakes, suspension & wheels
- 19ā³ alloy wheels
- Tyre repair kit
- Independent strut front suspensions
- Independent multi-link rear suspensions
- Front and rear stabiliser bars
- Electric power steering
- Disc brakes (front and rear)
- Electric park brake with auto-hold
Comfort and convenience
- Automatic dimming frameless rear view mirror
- Intelligent key with approach unlock and walkaway lock function
- 6-way Manual adjustable front seat
- Automatic dual-zone climate control
- Power adjustable/ folding, heated door mirrors with LED turn indicator
- Andon illumination (footwell & front doors)
- Manual Tilt & telescopic adjustable steering wheel
- Leather-accented< steering wheel
- Multi-function steering wheel controls
- One-touch power windows with remote up/down function
- Vanity mirrors with illumination
- āFollow Me Homeā Headlights
- 60/40 split folding rear seats
- Intelligent Cruise control
- Rain-sensing wipers
Exterior
- LED Headlights with auto on/off
- LED Daytime Running Lights
- LED Rear Fog Lights
- LED Tail Lights
- Rear roof spoiler
- Shark fin antenna
- Side window surround ā satin chrome
Audio and entertainment
- 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- 12.3-inch TFT digital driver screen
- Satellite navigation
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto~
- Wireless phone charger>
- Voice recognition
- USB for charging (2 front and 2 rear ā Type A & C)
- 6 speakers
- 12V accessory socket
- AM/FM radio & DAB digital radio
- BluetoothĀ® with audio streaming>
Safety and security
- ProPilot (Lane Keep Assist)āŗ
- Rearview camera
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Front, front side and curtain airbags
- Predictive Forward Collision Warning
- Forward Emergency Braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection
- Lane Departure Warning and Lane Departure Prevention
- Blind Spot Warning & Blind Spot Intervention
- Tyre pressure monitoring system
- Traffic Sign Recognition
- Rear Seat Alert
- Driver Attention Alert
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Back-up Collision
- Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
- Traction Control System (TCS)
- Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
- Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD)
- High Beam Assist
- High mounted LED rear stop light
- Seatbelt reminder (all rows)
- Vehicle sound for pedestrians
Advance variant
MSRP $59,840
Adds or replaces:
- Black cloth and synthetic leather-accented< seats
- Heated front seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Intelligent Around View Monitor+ with Moving Object Detection
- Hands-free automatic opening power tailgate
- BoseĀ® 10-speaker premium sound system Ī©
- 6-way power adjustable driver and front passenger seats
- 2-way power lumbar driver seat
- Rear privacy glass
- LED Front fog lights
Advance+
MSRP $63,840
Adds or replaces:
- Battery usable capacity: 87kWh
- Power: 178kW
- Range: 504km**
- 0-100: 8.1 seconds
- Optional 3-Phase AC Onboard Charger
- Black synthetic leather< with UltrasuedeĀ® inserts seats
- Windscreen Head-Up Display
- Panoramic glass roof
- Power sliding centre console
- 8-way power adjustable driver and front passenger seats with memory function
- 4-way power lumbar driver seat
- Ventilated (heat and cooled) front seats
- Heated rear seats
- LED front and rear sequential turn signal
Ā Evolve e-4orce
MSRP $71,840
Adds or replaces:
- e-4ORCE dual motor (AWD)
- Power: F 160kW / R 160kW
- Torque: 600Nm
- Range: 487km**
- 0-100: 5.6 seconds
- 3-Phase AC Onboard charger Standard
- 1500 kg braked towing capacity
- Drive mode selector (Snow)
- 20ā³ x 8.0ā³ alloy wheels with 255/45 R20 tyres
- Blue Nappa leather< seat trim
- Intelligent Rear View Mirror
- Side window surround ā matte chrome
- Automatic LED headlights with Adaptive Driving Beam
- Power adjustable, power folding, heated door mirrors with memory function and tilt to reverse
- Power Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment with memory function
RizĀ is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.