► 429bhp, twin-motor Ariya driven
► 0-62mph in 5.0sec, 261 mile range
► £56k in the UK
If you like your electric SUVs with a bit of pep, the Nissan Ariya Nismo may be of interest. It gains an extra 128bhp over the regular Ariya E-4orce, a more rear-biased torque split to the 4WD, and lots of Nismo badging.
If you’re scratching your head as to what Nismo is, it stands for Nissan Motorsport. That said, you probably last saw the badge on the back of a Juke or possibly a 370Z. Even so, Nissan isn’t chasing the Ioniq 5 N here. Instead, it’s a rival for the likes of the Ioniq 5 N-Line and twin-motor MEB SUVs.
This includes the dual-motor Ford Capri and Explorer, VW ID.4 and ID.5 GTX, Skoda Enyaq vRS and Cupra Tavascan. Proper fast EVs such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5N and Kia EV6 GT are in a different league of performance, although the Nismo is certainly not slow.
Nissan has flown me to the South of France to spend a day in the Ariya Nismo. If you want to know how we test cars here, have a look at our explainer page.
At a glance
Pros: Not much more than top-spec E-4orce, punchy acceleration on the move, airy interior
Cons: Fractious ride, inert handling, poor range
What’s new?
No sporting flagship would be complete without a distinctive bodykit, flashier wheels and lots of red bits. All these are present and correct on the Ariya, although arguably the overall effect isn’t entirely successful.
20-inch Enkei wheels look tiny in the arches, not helped by plenty of ride height, and the bodykit doesn’t look particularly well integrated. It is more than a Max Power fantasy, though. Lift has been reduced by 40% with no reduction in aerodynamic efficiency.
Those lightweight Enkei wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres with improved grip, and the suspension gets tweaked. Spring and damper rates increase front and rear, and there’s a stiffer front anti-roll bar. There’s also a more rear-biased 60/40 torque split.
Inside, the seats remain the same apart from new faux leather and suede seats, a dark headliner, darker wood-effect trim and Nismo badging. The driver’s display does have a specific Nismo startup sequence, too.
What are the specs?
Both front and rear electric motors are identical to the lesser Ariya E-4orce, just with the wick turned up. This increases power to a hefty 429bhp, with torque at 443Ib ft for 0-62mph in 5.0 seconds flat.
The new, grippier tyres do a real number on the driving range. Officially it’ll manage 261 miles on a single charge, with our mixed route giving energy consumption of 2.5 miles per kWh. That gives a calculated range of 217 miles, although cold weather or a heavier right foot would drop that below 200.
What’s it like to drive?
Disappointing, even taking into account the Nismo’s intended competition. The regular Ariya is quite stiff, and the Nismo is firmer still. There is a slight fidget on even the smoothest of surfaces, while potholes and speedbumps can leave you wincing. Adaptive dampers aren’t even on the options list.
This hasn’t really amped up the Ariya’s dynamism, even in Nismo mode. Numb if pleasantly weighted steering makes it easy if uninteresting to place on the road, although the brake response is better than in those MEB cars we mentioned.
Where a twin-motor Cupra Tavascan remains impressively neutral, a Capri can be willed into entertaining oversteer, and an EV6 sits somewhere in the middle of those two, the Ariya favours snap understeer when you nail it out of a tight bend.
I wondered if turning off the ESC might make for a more entertaining morning. I was wrong. All it seemed to do was allow an inside wheel to spin up for a second before the electronics stopped anything exciting happening. Booo.
What’s it like inside?
Like a regular Ariya, but with more black and red bits. The infotainment system looks quite dated these days, and no amount of Nismo branding can hide that, but the screen is big and nav easy enough to follow. The driver’s display menus are far too long and in depth, and it’s here you’ll struggle to disable stuff like the lane assist and speed limit warning.
Buttons are few and far between, with Nissan preferring touch sensitive icons that just aren’t as easy to feel your way onto. The seats could definitely do with bigger bolsters to hold you in place, just adding suede doesn’t grip you in place well enough.
Overall, the dark headliner, red accents and permanently red ambient lighting make for a less appealing cabin than the lighter-coloured standard Ariya, at least to these eyes. Space up front is generous, as is rear legroom, although the boot is a disappointing 408-litres, and there’s no load though facility on the 60/40 split folding rear bench.
Before you buy
Ariya Nismo comes packed full of equipment, and there are no options to add. In the UK at least, you can’t even pick the colour. It’s ‘Stealth’ grey or nothing. At £56,620, it’s around £6k more than the less powerful (if barely any slower) twin motor Ioniq 5 N-Line, and about £10k less than the full fat N.
Verdict
Even with memories of the disappointing Juke still in the back of my mind, I had expected a Nismo Ariya to be far more entertaining than the regular model. It’s certainly faster, but there’s little to no joy to the handling, even with a ride that’s firmer than a regular Ariya, and that rearward bias to the four-wheel drive.
Factor in the shorter than ideal range, and it’s hard to make a case for this Ariya over the regular four-wheel drive model. If you do want some fun from your £55k e-SUV coupe, I’d point you towards the Ford Capri instead.