Ride & Drive Events - high pressure sales?

Jack said:

Just finished a Ride and Drive in MA. There's zero sales pressure. Their reservation system is full anyway. They have reps on hand to answer questions.
I learned a few things. (1) there are a couple of Ariya trims I've never heard of before...(a) engage and empower. Who knew? (b) there is no regular size spare tire; no donut size spare and no self-sealer tires, either. They give you a can of fix-a-flat type stuff. Seriously. I'm quite surprised by that. At least the Bolt comes with self-sealing Michelins (c) there's -no- regen mode which will bring the vehicle to a stop without braking. I was surprised by that, also.
(d) there's no V2L. It was never advertised to have that but still, I was hoping that with the serious delay in the rollout, they might have been able to add that. No dice on that. The driving course is in the parking lot. It's miniscule. It's not like you're taking this on a test drive through a few city blocks or freeway. It's over in about two minutes. The most value for me in attending was to see the vehicle in person, finally. Ariya strikes me a substantial vehicle in terms of size. It has a relatively high ground clearance and it has tall sides around the front engine compartment so it seems large. The inside appearance seems upscale with nice appearing materials...a synthetic leather. The driver's armrest is nearly useless, though. It's place about 1-2" too low on the door. The top of the armrest is nearly level with the top of my leg so I would have to actually lean to my left in order to get my forearm low enough to lay upon the armrest. This is very curious and tad disconcerting. It will not be of any use, comfort wise, for the driver. I saw the ocean blue model with black top. It looks beautiful. Plus, their chart indicates that the evolve comes in more colors than what appears on the nissanusa website. The reps at the event said the dealer you specified when you made your reservation can modify your order.
Finally, I'd say this vehicle is much bigger and more upscale that the Bolt, as an example.This vehicle will impress many friends because it's a nice car. And oh, the drive around the track did seem to send a lot bumps into the cabin more than you'd expect. Anyway, that's my synopsis.

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Jack said:

Just finished a Ride and Drive in MA. There's zero sales pressure. Their reservation system is full anyway. They have reps on hand to answer questions.
I learned a few things. (1) there are a couple of Ariya trims I've never heard of before...(a) engage and empower. Who knew? (b) there is no regular size spare tire; no donut size spare and no self-sealer tires, either. They give you a can of fix-a-flat type stuff. Seriously. I'm quite surprised by that. At least the Bolt comes with self-sealing Michelins (c) there's -no- regen mode which will bring the vehicle to a stop without braking. I was surprised by that, also.
(d) there's no V2L. It was never advertised to have that but still, I was hoping that with the serious delay in the rollout, they might have been able to add that. No dice on that. The driving course is in the parking lot. It's miniscule. It's not like you're taking this on a test drive through a few city blocks or freeway. It's over in about two minutes. The most value for me in attending was to see the vehicle in person, finally. Ariya strikes me a substantial vehicle in terms of size. It has a relatively high ground clearance and it has tall sides around the front engine compartment so it seems large. The inside appearance seems upscale with nice appearing materials...a synthetic leather. The driver's armrest is nearly useless, though. It's place about 1-2" too low on the door. The top of the armrest is nearly level with the top of my leg so I would have to actually lean to my left in order to get my forearm low enough to lay upon the armrest. This is very curious and tad disconcerting. It will not be of any use, comfort wise, for the driver. I saw the ocean blue model with black top. It looks beautiful. Plus, their chart indicates that the evolve comes in more colors than what appears on the nissanusa website. The reps at the event said the dealer you specified when you made your reservation can modify your order.
Finally, I'd say this vehicle is much bigger and more upscale that the Bolt, as an example.This vehicle will impress many friends because it's a nice car. And oh, the drive around the track did seem to send a lot bumps into the cabin more than you'd expect. Anyway, that's my synopsis.

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cybergem99 said:

I attended the event in LA today. There was zero sales pressure and the team was patiently answering the questions. The Nissan rep i spoke to said there is V2L on Ariya (he said they have it in Leaf for years). The interior felt premium compared to the other same segment cars (ID4, HI5, MACHE, MY). I was told Nissan has been testing this vehicle for years and to expect the best-in-class battery management system.

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Forest said:

I attended the MA event on 7/17. Like others here the event was well managed and organized.
I was looking to see if the Ariya could be the car for my husband and I. He has a back issue and the passenger seat needs to be very comfortable and adjustable.
I found the car to handle well in picku, cornering, sudden swerves. I thought the regen could be better. Could feel bumps more than we like.
Interior average. I thought the copper accent bar seemed cold and the Japanese screen too plastic looking. The driver seat very comfortable with power adjustments. The passenger seat was manually adjustable, not as comfortable as we hoped. I think this is true for most trim levels. I reserved the Evolve and it is true for that.
The car reminded me of the RAV 4 I had, and I don’t want to go back to that.
I am leasing a Leaf right now and looking for the next EV. It has come down to the ID4 for me, given price and equipment and comfort.
I canceled my reservation. The refund was issued in 2 days.

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Jack said:

Interesting commentary. Given the competition, the range of Evolve still keeps it in the running. It's more of a passenger vehicle than a utility vehicle when compared to Bolt. The deep rear cargo area of the Bolt is very handy to transport taller items. It would be nice if Nissan discussed the inevitable battery replacement because I don't want to end up in a situation where the replacement battery is costing $$$$$. Obviously, that requires forward looking analysis but it could provide reassurance if Nissan would address that.

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Forest said:

Yes, we decided we could give up some range in trade for comfort because it is needed for health. Also went with AWD.

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Jack said:

Interesting. I actually downgraded from awd platinum to the evolve due to (1) increased range (2) less complicated powertrain (3) less $ (4) evolve eligible for state EV rebate and platinum not (5) evolve available in a more desirable color. By the way, my info says both front seats in evolve are power-equiped. Right now, I'm looking for a self seal tire for the Ariya but haven't found a manufacturer that makes one for the Ariya.

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