[Nissan79]

If you're reading this, you've probably already placed a pre-order for a Nissan Ariya - and you probably have not placed an order for a Tesla Model Y.

So for those who fit this description, I'd like to ask: Why the Ariya over the Telsa?

Let me give my top three reasons (for now), why I'm choosing the Ariya (over the Telsa Model Y) as my next family-friendly EV.

1. Sensible cockpit layout. No 'dramatic' centered screen with a conspicuous absence of dedicated buttons. I want a conventional driver-focused instrument panel, and the heads-up display is a plus... and I really don't want to have to hunt for functions on a touchscreen while driving.
2. ProPilot 2.0. Although this is a sell-up for the more premium Ariya pricepoints, it's functionality (as described so far) is among the best available (with the exception of Tesla's full AutoPilot, which is still in Beta, and is a $10K option)
3. Brand heritage and prior EV experience. Some of the favorite cars I've ever owned have been Nissan/Infiniti, including first generation Leaf. I have a trust for Nissan that I can't say I'd have for Tesla (or Kia/Hyundai, or Ford/Chevy). The Carlos Ghosn situation has affected that trust, as has this new Alliance (i.e., dependency) on Renault. In my experience in hi-tech, splitting a design team up into separate geographic locations typically does not lead to a better integrated end-product. So in reality, although I place this element as the third most important reason on my list, it's tenuous. Nissan needs to do a better job of convincing us that this Alliance isn't going to result in an elephant designed by committed.

So what are your reasons? Please share!

 

[Nissan79]

I guess I'm impatient, so I'll follow up with a list of three more items that are just a bit lower, but still important. Let's call that first list the Tier 1 reasons. Here's Tier 2:

TIER 2:

1. $7500 tax rebate/subsidy (in the US at least). If by the time I take delivery of the AWD version, the 200,000 unit limit has been hit, then I will definitely reconsider the purchase unless Nissan drops the MSRP to compensate.
2. Nappa Leather seats. I want actual leather - not hip 'Vegan' leather, which back in the 80's was called 'Corinthian' leather; and in the 70's was just called what it was: Vinyl .
3. Exterior design. Plain and simply, I think the Ariya looks alot better than the Telsa. It has a very Japanese design/sensiblity, which I have always appreciated. The Tesla model Y looks dated and bland.

 

[atreis]

1. Sensible cockpit layout (same as above).
2. Prior EV experience and brand reliability vs. Tesla.
3. Tax rebate.
4. Exterior design.

 

[WYAriya]

5. Apple CarPlay and android auto.

 

[YellowRattle]

6. Motorised centre console

 

[Stlgasman]

I guess I'm impatient, so I'll follow up with a list of three more items that are just a bit lower, but still important. Let's call that first list the Tier 1 reasons. Here's Tier 2:

TIER 2:

1. $7500 tax rebate/subsidy (in the US at least). If by the time I take delivery of the AWD version, the 200,000 unit limit has been hit, then I will definitely reconsider the purchase unless Nissan drops the MSRP to compensate.
2. Nappa Leather seats. I want actual leather - not hip 'Vegan' leather, which back in the 80's was called 'Corinthian' leather; and in the 70's was just called what it was: Vinyl .
3. Exterior design. Plain and simply, I think the Ariya looks alot better than the Telsa. It has a very Japanese design/sensiblity, which I have always appreciated. The Tesla model Y looks dated and bland.

Corinthian leather in Chrysler products was real leather. It was same leather as other Chrysler cars.

 

[Nissan79]

Ha! You're right - i just looked it up. Wow I've gone my whole life thinking that was a stupid marketing name for non-leather leather . Thanks for the info

 

[nexus2nexus]

If you're reading this, you've probably already placed a pre-order for a Nissan Ariya - and you probably have not placed an order for a Tesla Model Y.

So for those who fit this description, I'd like to ask: Why the Ariya over the Telsa?

Let me give my top three reasons (for now), why I'm choosing the Ariya (over the Telsa Model Y) as my next family-friendly EV.

1. Sensible cockpit layout. No 'dramatic' centered screen with a conspicuous absence of dedicated buttons. I want a conventional driver-focused instrument panel, and the heads-up display is a plus... and I really don't want to have to hunt for functions on a touchscreen while driving.
2. ProPilot 2.0. Although this is a sell-up for the more premium Ariya pricepoints, it's functionality (as described so far) is among the best available (with the exception of Tesla's full AutoPilot, which is still in Beta, and is a $10K option)
3. Brand heritage and prior EV experience. Some of the favorite cars I've ever owned have been Nissan/Infiniti, including first generation Leaf. I have a trust for Nissan that I can't say I'd have for Tesla (or Kia/Hyundai, or Ford/Chevy). The Carlos Ghosn situation has affected that trust, as has this new Alliance (i.e., dependency) on Renault. In my experience in hi-tech, splitting a design team up into separate geographic locations typically does not lead to a better integrated end-product. So in reality, although I place this element as the third most important reason on my list, it's tenuous. Nissan needs to do a better job of convincing us that this Alliance isn't going to result in an elephant designed by committed.

So what are your reasons? Please share!

My reasons pretty much are the same as yours.
Build quality is the number one reason. Nissan has been building cars for decades. I don't think we'll hear about bumpers falling off while going through puddles, or windshields not being attached properly, or gross panel alignment issues.
I'm not a fan tesla minimalist interiors. I want buttons in addition to a big screen.
The (hopeful) $7500 tax credit. hopefully it'll still be around when I take delivery.

reasons to go with tesla
I'm sure their software is much better, and will have much more frequent updates. they are a tech company after all.
tesla charging network.
acceleration much better across the board. not sure about handling but they are up there along with the kia ev6. I don't have high hope for the ariya on both of these qualities.

 

[WYAriya]

Oh and Cooled seats. Something you can’t get on a Model Y

 

[voxel]

The Model Y is great but flawed. It lacks modern safety features - 360 camera, blind spot monitors, cross traffic alerts. I would also like more ground clearance (see Solterra or ID.4).

I like the look of the Arriya and it might be a better EV than a Subaru Solterra or VW ID.4 (can't be hard to be better than this EV - lol).

My favorite EV is the Mach-E but the suspension is a tad harsh. Another EV like with the same safety features, large battery pack, etc. would be great. Ioniq 5 is not it - sadly.

 

[Karey]

I wound up going with neither, have had my Niro EV almost a year now since I stopped waiting for an Ariya. But back in the day I'd settled on an Ariya over a modely Y, mostly over aesthetics and cost. Telsa makes 4 cars that all look the same, and I'm not interested in luxury sedans really. Especially not one as ugly as the MY. It's like they're trying really hard to make an SUV that doesn't look like an SUV at all (and came up with an egg looking thing). But I like the SUV look so that choice is alienating to me. I also don't like Tesla's giant screen sticking out like a clipped on iPad. I actually sort of don't like how the Ariya's screens come up off the dash either, but it looks at least slicker and more integrated than the way Tesla does it.

Cost comparison was a bit of an unknown, but Tesla seems to nickel and dime the final price by a lot, and doesn't have the rebates, and just on principle I don't like the future-purchase system for FSD. The possibility of Nissan's rebate window closing before I could get an Ariya was another factor in choosing to not wait much longer too.

Teslas are very popular where I am, to the point their charger network is overtaxed anyhow, so that wasn't much of a draw.

 

[EarlyEVadopter]

My decision to order an Ariya as compared to Tesla Model Y as follows:
*The price was within dollars of a model Y when I reserved a Platinum + e4orce model. One huge motivation for ordering the AWD version for me was the torque vectoring feature. I have high hopes this will aid my wife from getting motion sickness as a passenger that she typically suffers from on windy roads. If it works for ramen noodles it should work for passengers as well, right? Since the all wheel drive version is a $10k upgrade, I’m also hopeful that the $7500.00 tax credit as long as it is still in play when I take delivery. (I anticipate my delivery date will be 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2023.) On that note- a Northwest Nissan Marketing Representative assured my dealer representative a few weeks back that Nissan doesn’t anticipate that they will hit the dreaded 200k EV sold threshold until July 2023. If that prediction becomes a reality, Nissan EV buyers will be eligible for the maximum $7500.00 federal credit for the entire 2023 calendar year.
*I may be going against the grain with many here, but the apparent e- pedal dampening of the Ariya (vs the full e-pedal to full stop characteristic of the Leaf) may also help alleviate motion sickness tendencies for passengers.
*I’m also not a fan of the Tesla model Y minimalist layout. IMO this design relies too heavily on just one component. ie as the screen dies so does most every function of your car including the ability to move.
*The ground clearance of the Ariya at 7.87” is nearly that of the Subaru Solterra which was designed for limited off road driving. Although I don’t plan to off road my Ariya as a 4x4, the extra ground clearance will be a plus in snow. The ground clearance of the Tesla Y is 6.6” and I’ve been told by a Y owner that it doesn’t perform well in the snow.
*Lastly, as an early adopter of our 2011 Nissan Leaf (built in Japan) I have come to appreciate Nissans engineering and quality build that has stood the test of time. To date with the odometer at 50k our Leaf has only had just two significant part failures- #1 & #2 electric cooling pump failures that I was able Tom replace myself. I am assuming that since this is such an important vehicle launch for Nissan, the same quality design build of our early Leaf will be incorporated into our new Ariya.

 

[ab13]

Another thing I noticed, seems like it still retains a keylock on the driver door. If so then it can still be possible to get inside if the 12V battery is dead. A lot of the new designs are all electronic and don't work without 12 V.

 

[improvius]

*The ground clearance of the Ariya at 7.87” is nearly that of the Subaru Solterra which was designed for limited off road driving. Although I don’t plan to off road my Ariya as a 4x4, the extra ground clearance will be a plus in snow. The ground clearance of the Tesla Y is 6.6” and I’ve been told by a Y owner that it doesn’t perform well in the snow.

Where did you find the ground clearance listed? I haven't seen full specs anywhere yet.

 

[EarlyEVadopter]

Found it in an inside EV forum discussion. The European spec is 200mm - when converted = 7.87”.……assuming USA spec. doesn’t change.

 

[ab13]

Couple of recent videos which are good ones.

 

[EarlyEVadopter]

I guess I'm impatient, so I'll follow up with a list of three more items that are just a bit lower, but still important. Let's call that first list the Tier 1 reasons. Here's Tier 2:

TIER 2:

1. $7500 tax rebate/subsidy (in the US at least). If by the time I take delivery of the AWD version, the 200,000 unit limit has been hit, then I will definitely reconsider the purchase unless Nissan drops the MSRP to compensate.
2. Nappa Leather seats. I want actual leather - not hip 'Vegan' leather, which back in the 80's was called 'Corinthian' leather; and in the 70's was just called what it was: Vinyl .
3. Exterior design. Plain and simply, I think the Ariya looks alot better than the Telsa. It has a very Japanese design/sensiblity, which I have always appreciated. The Tesla model Y looks dated and bland.

I spoke with the internet sales manager at my local Nissan dealer in Olympia, Wa. today who revealed some interesting news that I thought I should share. Apparently a recent dealer memo was distributed by Nissan of America to all Northwest dealers stating that until further notice order allotments for all Leaf models will be limited to (1) order per month. In addition dealer margin on new Leaf orders are now discounted. My source wasn’t specific regarding to what extent Nissan is discounting dealer margins on the Leaf. However she did state that the published rumors about the Ariya dealer margin possibly being adjusted or discounted is currently not being discussed.

Based on the information above I came away with a couple of thoughts.
1.Nissan may be starting to perform a little gamesmanship by intentionally throttling back their Leaf sales in order to control the exact timing of which quarter they want to target the magic threshold number of 200K EV‘s sold. Based on additional information I gleaned from my dealer last week, Nissan also contends that they anticipate the entire $7500.00 Federal Tax credit will be available to any buyer of a Nissan EV purchased during the 2023 calendar year.
2. Everything considered as stated above, Nissan would be targeting that 200k EV sold number no sooner than July 1, 2023. This timing is the only way I can see how the full federal tax credit amount could be available to Nissan EV buyers for the entire 2023 calendar year.

 

[EarlyEVadopter]

I spoke with the internet sales manager at my local Nissan dealer in Olympia, Wa. today who revealed some interesting news that I thought I should share. Apparently a recent dealer memo was distributed by Nissan of America to all Northwest dealers stating that until further notice order allotments for all Leaf models will be limited to (1) order per month. In addition dealer margin on new Leaf orders are now discounted. My source wasn’t specific regarding to what extent Nissan is discounting dealer margins on the Leaf. However she did state that the published rumors about the Ariya dealer margin possibly being adjusted or discounted is currently not being discussed.

Based on the information above I came away with a couple of thoughts.
1.Nissan may be starting to perform a little gamesmanship by intentionally throttling back their Leaf sales in order to control the exact timing of which quarter they want to target the magic threshold number of 200K EV‘s sold. Based on additional information I gleaned from my dealer last week, Nissan also contends that they anticipate the entire $7500.00 Federal Tax credit will be available to any buyer of a Nissan EV purchased during the 2023 calendar year.
2. Everything considered as stated above, Nissan would be targeting that 200k EV sold number no sooner than July 1, 2023. This timing is the only way I can see how the full federal tax credit amount could be available to Nissan EV buyers for the entire 2023 calendar year.

Therefore, for anyone concerned that their Ariya delivery may be too late to qualify for the full tax credit- with this news I‘m more optimistic that Ariya reservations to date may be fortunate enough to get ahead of the inevitable.