Yes…you can almost envision all of today's major manufacturers sitting at the poker table…."I see your 300-mile range and raise you 306 Horsepower," "OK…I see your 306 HP and raise you a 20-minute quick charge..."
With government mandates looming in the coming decade, everyone seems to be getting serious now…hitting the marketplace almost monthly with mainstream new all-electric vehicles.
It's a field full of sedans, crossovers, trucks…all new and all priced somewhere from the low $40s and up, and with long-time electric leader Tesla seeming to cut prices every few weeks, it's becoming a crowded field.
Our test Ariya is Nissan's latest offering. It's a four-door hatchback crossover with slippery aerodynamic styling and is available in various trims, ranges and HP ratings.
Suppose a 216-mile range is more than enough for you. In that case, you'll find the Ariya "Engage" edition comes in under 45 thousand and still gives you heated faux leather seating, a heads-up display, a leather-covered steering wheel, a rather novel sliding center console for greater comfort and utility…and a fast-charging port that can take you from almost "empty" to full in around 20 minutes.
Want more? Depending upon which model you choose, you can get up to 389 HP….0-60 in 4.8 seconds… and/or a 304-mile range.
We tested the Ariya "Empower+" with 238 HP and a 289-mile range. For less than 60 thousand, Empower+ brings quite a few treats to the party. You'll get heated rear seating with your heated fronts, a heated steering wheel, 19" alloys, a panoramic sunroof, rain-sensing wipers, all the expected alerts and warnings, and Nissan's ProPILOT Assist 2…which brings hands-off highway driving and parking among its many features.
And speaking of hands-off driving, you can hit Nissan's website and see all the roads across the country where you can go hands-free. But wait…there's more!
Yes…on Nissan's website, you can download a program to drive their new Ariya virtually. To my knowledge, that's an automotive first.
But suppose you want to go old-school and put an actual steering wheel in your hands. In that case, many Nissan dealers will bring an Ariya to your home and a product specialist to walk and talk you through all this new vehicle's features.
And one more big plus that Nissan's Ariya comes to the market with…One Full Year of Free Charging at any EVgo location…and EVgo is the nation's largest electric vehicle charging network. You're probably one of the 140 million Americans who live or work within 10 miles of an EVG charger.
With a brand-new, highly competitive vehicle and a year's worth of free charging, the Ariya puts its elbows on the poker table and says, "OK, guys…beat this!"
