Nissan Ariya Nismo (2021 - )

We’ve always been genuine fans of the all-electric Nissan Ariya with its distinctive styling, wealth of high-end technology and spirited driving experience. But now the Japanese carmaker has really raised the bar with a race-based Nismo version.

Expect to find new spoilers and air curtains inspired by Formula E, lowered bumpers and a ducktail spoiler, along with plenty of Nismo badging. There is a sporty interior too but the headline news has to be the performance.

This special edition car builds on the performance of the 87kWh Ariya e-4ORCE but increases power output by an extra 130PS to 435PS. That results in some nerve-jangling performance stats, but the car also delivers on the refinement front too.

Here in the UK, the vehicle is only available in a Stealth Grey shade and, just in case you’re wondering, Nismo stands for Nissan Motorsport – that’s the final clue to this car’s potential then. But will it live up to all the hype?
 

There’s no denying the Nissan Ariya Nismo boasts great styling with race-inspired design cues at every turn. This five-door family car features sweeping light clusters with Nismo exclusive rear fog lights, a Nismo air curtain and canard, Nismo Ducktail rear spoiler, distinctive daytime running lights, a twin diffuser, tinted rear windows, lots of sporty red trim, plus 20-inch Enkel wheels with a gloss black finish.

Move inside and that same sports theme is just as apparent at every turn. The seats are upholstered in a stunning graphite suede and synthetic leather mix and these are powered and can be heated. There is a Nismo-unique steering wheel that can also be heated and Nismo red ambient lighting. Once again, there are flashes of red to the seats, dashboard, doors and steering wheel to emphasise this car’s character, and the on-board technology also impresses.

The main focal point is a 12.3-inch infotainment screen offering access to the 10-speaker Bose sound system, sat nav, smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth with audio streaming, DAB digital radio, a 360-degree around-view camera and plenty more besides. There is also a virtual personal assistant to aid with certain tasks.

The main driving data such as speed, range and battery charge levels are clearly shown on a separate screen behind the steering wheel and there is a head-up display too.

The climate control panel is neatly incorporated into the dashboard and, in certain light, this looks really stylish and the haptic controls work well. But on a really bright day, the icons are almost impossible to see clearly and it’s a case of hit and miss whether you increase the air con or turn up the temperature. 
 

Powering our Ariya Nismo was the 87kWh battery with two electric motors – one on each axle for 4WD. With 435PS of power (an increase of 130PS over standard models) and the same 600Nm of torque, this is a car that promises to deliver on every count. 

The impressive 0-62mph sprint time of just 5.0 seconds is aided by the e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive system and the car maxes out at 124mph. The only slight negative when it comes to general driving is the quite limited range of just 261 miles, which will never be achievable if the car is driven in an engaging manner.

It's a competent motorway cruiser and that sharp acceleration means joining the traffic from a slower-moving slip road is no problem at all. It’s also deceptively agile in busier town centres with manoeuvrability aided by the 10.8 metre turning lock and light steering.

Then when faced with more testing country lanes, this car really comes into its own. There are drive modes called Eco, Standard and Snow – but the main setting is the Nismo one which increases the sharpness and responses to a whole new level. Weighing 2.4 tonnes, the Ariya Nismo is grounded and confident when pushed into tight corners and the grip is most reassuring too. The specially tuned e-4ORCE system can maximise grip by adjusting the power sent to each wheel 10,000 times per second and the new 60:40 rear bias adds to the sporty feel of the car.
But, and it’s a big but, we expected a bit more from the Ariya Nismo. Yes, it’s quick, but it lacks the wow factor of some of its closest rivals with performance not quite matching the sporty good looks.

For added efficiency, you can choose a B mode whilst in Drive and that captures more energy when you lift your foot off the throttle and an e-Pedal allows single pedal driving in stop, start traffic. 

The cabin is beautifully refined with extensive soundproofing keep any outside noise at bay, while the suspension set-up smooths out most bumps, although the ride is on the firmer side.
 

The Nissan Ariya Nismo boasts a strong road presence and stretches 4,595mm in length, is 2,172mm across (including mirrors), 1,650mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,775mm. The cabin is spacious with room for four adults (five at a squeeze) or ideally a couple of adults up front and a trio of youngsters in the back.

The boot is accessed via a powered tailgate and can accommodate 408 litres of luggage, a limit that can be increased significantly by dropping the 60:40 split-folding rear seats flat.

In addition, there are numerous storage options throughout the cabin, such as a traditional glovebox alongside a second one that drops down from the centre of the dashboard. There are wide door bins with space for a water bottle, seat back pockets, a compact central cubby housing the wireless charging pad, a sunglasses holder and a couple of smaller trays.

Back seat occupants have two well positioned USB-C ports to keep phones charged, but the same can’t be said for those sitting up front. Once again, they have a couple of charging ports, but they are tucked low down beneath the floating centre console, which is anything but practical. I connected my charge cable once and left it there for the duration of the loan.

The car comes with a heat pump which is really beneficial for pre-conditioning the battery in colder months and when it comes to boosting the Ariya Nismo’s 87kWh battery, it can achieve a 20 to 80 per cent 130kW rapid charge in about 40 minutes, while a more cost-effective full charge from a 7.4kW home or work-based wallbox takes between 13 and 14 hours.
 

The entry-level Nissan Ariya is the Engage trim with the smaller 63kWh battery along with two-wheel-drive and that costs £39,655. This increases to £44,655 with the larger 87kWh battery. The prices increase as you move through the grades called Advance and Evolve which tops out at £54,850.

Then you have the Ariya Nismo that introduces lots more body kit and interior styling, along with that extra power and this is priced at £56,630. The good news is there were no additional optional extras to factor into the price as the car is already fully loaded.

However, the government has put EV ownership costs up this year in a bid to claw back some extra revenue. For the first time, EVs are subject to road tax bills. There is a minimal £10 charge for the first year, increasing to the standard fee of £195 after 12 months. Another cost that needs to be factored in is the Expensive Car Supplement, also a first for EV drivers. This applies to vehicles costing in excess of £40k and adds £425 to the annual charges from years two to six. And Congestion Charge fees will also apply from Christmas Day onwards too.

Charging at home will help keep day-to-day running costs down, but with its quite mediocre range, expect to get caught out and being forced to pay premium motorway charging fees – I did!
 

The Nissan Ariya Nismo was always going to be greeted with great excitement with a nod to the company’s racing heritage. And it certainly looks the part with race-inspired design cues and a similarly themed interior.

The performance is really good, but it doesn’t quite live up to our high expectations. I say that because we drove a non-Nismo Ariya through an iced forest in Finland and it was one of our best driving experiences to date. 

And that rather leaves us to conclude that you don’t need all the flashy aesthetics when the ‘normal’ car is actually anything but normal.