ALAN DOUGLAS: Nissan Ariya Evolve review
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In a relatively short time, the electric revolution is taking off. There’s never been more choice available for anyone wanting to make the big switch, although you will still have to dig deep to be one of the plug-in people.
No matter how good the EVs have become there is still one big problem and that’s availability in the charging infrastructure. There aren’t enough public chargers around and many of those seem to be suffering from technical issues.
This year, I’ve driven many EVs and have lost count of the times I’ve been frustrated in finding an available rapid 50 Kw charger which isn’t already being used, or is working. In fairness, there seem to be plenty of smaller capacity 22 Kw units, sitting empty but unless you are willing or able to leave your car plugged in for half a day, they are pretty well useless.
If you are going to go all-electric you’d best get a wall-mounted charger installed at home but for many people in our towns and cities without a dedicated cable-accessible parking space, that’s a non-starter.
The government has bigger problems to deal with, but hasn’t made things any easier by scrapping their electric car interest-free loans scheme for purchasing new EVs. Here in Scotland we can still access loans to buy a used EV and grants to install a home charger... if you can park right next to your house and don’t have to drag a cable across a pavement or road.
As for the electric vehicles themselves, one of the most impressive I’ve driven recently is the Ariya family crossover SUV from Nissan.
For a start it looks pretty good, especially in the ceramic grey paintjob of the featured test car.
The designers have done a cracking job in coming up with something fresh and stylish while maintaining the corporate look. Despite all the technology under the surface, the car has clearly defined Nissan looks.
The company has led the way in electrification, breaking new ground with their original Leaf compact when the rest of the industry held back. Even though it had a few drawbacks with a poor range of under 100 miles, it showed the potential of going all-electric.
Aside from its looks, the Ariya is great to drive and as a medium-sized machine, offers superb practicality, refinement and the appeal of electric power to the growing environmentally-conscious market.
Like the rest of the range of plug-in cars, it isn’t cheap, costing more than £50,000 but it is competitive against its rivals, although it has a tough fight against the Korean Hyundai Ioniq5 and the EV6 and Niro EV from Kia.
It’s about the same size as the conventional X-Trail with two battery options – an entry 63kWh model with 214 bhp, while the larger 87kWh version in the featured car produces
238 bhp. Both are front-wheel drive, with a potential range of between 250 miles and 322 miles on a single charge.
Trim levels are nice and simple with only two to choose from – Advance and Evolve which was the spec of the test car. You certainly get a lot for your money with a huge amount of equipment on top of a comprehensive list of safety and comfort features, including intelligent cruise control, speed assist, rear cross traffic alert, emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist recognition and lane-keep assist.
There are ten Bose speakers, a full 12.3-inch TFT screen, 360-degree monitor with moving object detection, wireless phone charger, LED lights all round, electric panoramic sunroof and heated front windscreen. You might find though, that if you use all that lot, you’ll drain your power and reduce considerably your range.
The dash is deliciously clean and simple and the regeneration is very effective, doing away with the need for much braking, which adds to the overall smooth and effortless drive... exactly what EV motoring should be.
PRICE: £53,590 (£54,335 as tested)
ENGINE: Electric Motor 87kWh battery, front-wheel drive automatic
POWER: 238 hp
TORQUE: 300 Nm
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 100mph; 0-62mph 7.6 secs
RANGE: 322 miles
TOWING CAPACITY: 750 Kgs
CHARGING TIME: 130kW rapid charging - approx 30 mins
