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AutoNsider | 2024 Nissan Ariya Empower

Maybe I got it all wrong…

Bob Jackson
Bob Jackson

Maybe I got it all wrong…

No…I'm not sayin' that Nissan got it wrong…I'm sayin' that maybe it's me who's been thinking about all-electric from the wrong angle.


So yes, it was the quiet that registered with me first. Kinda' like being in my own personal cocoon, and then the Ariya's capability began to kick in. I realized that the ability to just squirt thru, around, ahead of those folks who seemed much more interested in texting than driving…that was a real luxury, too.

Bob JacksonBob Jackson

Electric power, of course, is immediate.  I'd recently tested a couple of very well-respected sport / luxury vehicles that had the gas-saving engine cut-off systems.  You stop at a light and the engine automatically cuts off…saving a little bit of gas, but stumbling for just a micro-second as it restarts.   Maybe I've become even more inpatient over the years, but I've just gotta' say that the Ariya's immediate seamless acceleration was an absolute delight.

Bob JacksonBob Jackson

So while it looks like a four-door sedan from a few years in the future, Nissan's Ariya is actually a four-door, two-row SUV with a huge hatch in the back. Family vacations for up to four should be no problem at all…and the Empower's 289 mile range might test your bladder before you need to recharge.

Ariya's start right around 40 thousand….and come in what seems like at least a dozen trim levels and configurations.   Even the 40K entry-level "Engage" comes with a 216 mile range and faux leather, heated seats and steering and a sliding console that allows you to find just the perfect support for your right arm and elbow.  Nice touches, indeed, for an entry level vehicle.

Bob JacksonBob Jackson

Our test "Empower" trim had a more than adequate 238 HP and a 289 mile range.   And with a window sticker roughly 10 thousand over the base model's 40K, we enjoyed a healthy array of features like Nissan's "Safety Shield 360", which includes auto emergency breaking, pedestrian detection, and blind spot, lane departure and rear cross traffic alerts.

We also had Nissan's "ProPilot Park" on our Ariya. Nissan is the first in the USA to offer this feature that takes over steering, acceleration, brakes and shifting to guide your Ariya into a parking spot.

Bob JacksonBob Jackson

Other luxury touches included 19" alloys, a heads-up display, dual power heated folding rear view mirrors, Premium sound, and Nissan's Intelligent Key that allows you to control several functions right from your phone.

If "Luxury" is on your shopping list, but you'd like to keep your investment well under six figures, take a test drive and see if Nissan's 50K loaded Aria Empower just might deserve a spot on your list.

Bob JacksonBob Jackson

Maybe I got it all wrong…