[PNWariya]

View attachment 4024

Picked it up yesterday. Unreal lease deal on this base AWD trim, I can't see how Nissan is making money on it.

I traded in a base Mustang Mach-E. Will also have more impressions later this week as I'm doing two 160-mile trips.

What Ariya does well:

• Cabin + accent lighting. Wow. Interior on another level. Not that Mach-E was bad, but Ariya is more interesting. Love the lanterns. Mach-E had the monolith "tablet" in the middle, which was nice, but I also appreciate the connected "wave" display in the Ariya. It's more classy.
• Ride quality--seats more comfortable and ride more relaxed. It's not super composed on uneven roads and allows some kicks, but more tolerable than the Mach-E.
• Seat comfort is top-notch. Adjustable lumbar support, plush padding, + a headrest that doesn't feel like a baseball bat -- nice!
• Provides more useful energy information, although not as detailed as my old Volt oddly.
• Crazy coasting ability in eco + D -- I think this will be the most efficient way to extend range. Also, eco mode lives up to its billing. Mach-E had a "whisper" mode, but it didn't change much in terms of the efficiency.

What needs work:

• Appreciate the buttons, although unpredictable in responsiveness (at least for me as a new driver). I might get the hang of it over time.
• No true 1pd (we know this); mushy brake pedal
• Weirdly no factory tint in the rear passenger windows, unlike the Mach E. Also, back window tint has visible factory imperfections (but not too bad).
• Steering wheel oddly cheap given the quality of the rest of the cabin
• Interesting choices in base features vs. Mach E base features. For example, Mach-E base gives auto high beams, rain sensing wipers, auto-dimming mirrors (but base Engage does not). But Ariya gives auto-folding mirrors, memory seats, HUD, & heated seats where Mach-E does not. This is not good/bad just interesting. Both are fairly well-equipped for base.
• Base battery size is weak. I can live with it, but the difference of 30+ miles from the Mach-E is noticeable.

Driving Impressions:

• Let's just get this out of the way -- the Mach-E is more "fun" to drive. Of course it is--it's the reason for the car's nameplate. The Mach-E was one of the best handling and responsive vehicles I've owned. BUT, it came at a cost of ride quality.
• The ride quality of the Ariya is much better, although not perfect. At speed, the car is very responsive -- it seems to shine at 30+ MPH with steering and throttle response. It's not a "sporty" ride, but offers some mildly fun driving dynamics.
• I'm getting used to the high seating position, I think I'll end up liking it, but I'm still adjusting to not seeing the edge of the raked front end very well. The Mach-E had a mammoth front end.
• I realize I'm getting to know the car still, but I feel like I'm clicking through a lot of menus to turn features on/off on the driver display.

I'll have more to share after a long trip. I'm definitely glad I got this car and I'm excited to try the brand. It's been a lot of years since we had a Nissan in our household and it does seem like they put a lot of care and thought into this vehicle. I'm looking forward to getting more time in it.

Thank you for sharing your first impressions! I look forward to reading more of your insights as you get to know the Ariya. I think the window tint thing may have to do with the Ariya being classified as a passenger car as opposed to an SUV or multi-purpose vehicle, which would likely have the factory tint.

 

[PNWariya]

On the way back from my long trip, I tried the different modes. Definitely a hit to range in "sport" when on the highway since both motors activated, but noticed standard seemed to just have the front -- similar to eco.

Anybody know if you can turn off the "space" sound in sport? It's cool for a minute, but otherwise unpleasant.

Sporty driving in pleasant temps (75+), got 3.5 kw/mi.

Really enjoyed the sport/e-step mode when trying to navigate traffic. What others have said about it being its best at 30-40+MPH is true.

With PP 1.5, I kept trying different hand combos on the wheel to eliminate the "hold steering wheel" warning. On long trips I like resting my hands on the bottom of the wheel. It seemed to like that some of the time, but not other times.

Overall, interesting and unique EV. The attention to detail in the cabin and the Japanese themes make this just a cool ride.

I agree it's a very nice ride -- I can't tell the difference between 35 mph and 65 mph it's so comfy. I don't think the spaceship sound can be turned off in sport mode in the AWD trims. The FWD trims do not have the sound at all -- I think it's one of those features that if you have it maybe you don't want it, and if you don't have it you do want it 😆