Evaluations of Ariya appreciated from owners who also have had Leafs.

[BeyondBeLeaf]

Keep in mind that the current Leaf is going to be redesigned. That's one of the reasons I decided to trade in my Leaf as it would only depreciate more once the new model was released. I considered the Ariya (even test drove one, and it drove a little better, and larger than the Leaf) but for me to get the options I wanted, the price took it past the $50K mark that I was comfortable with and the charging speeds weren't much better in the Ariya vs the Leaf. Considering all the options out there, I say do some research. You might be surprised by how much prices are being cut by all EV manufacturers.

 

[cwerdna]

I haven’t test driven an Ariya, but I’ve read everything I can about it, and I'm very disappointed. First off, the lack of 'one pedal' driving is a turn off. Second, the low distance on a full battery is not attractive.
Third, Chademo is dead. Either CCS or NACS would be a better choice.
Finally, reading the criticisms of people who have test-driven the Ariya completes the turn off.
Sorry Nissan. Try harder.

US (+ probably Canadian) and European Ariyas do NOT have CHAdeMO inlets. They have CCS inlets. We announced on or around the day Ariya was announced.

https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/re...-standard-nacs-for-ariya-and-future-ev-models also says:
"From 2024, Nissan will make available a NACS charging adapter for Ariya models which are currently equipped with the Combined Charging System 1 (CCS1) for DC fast charging. This will enable customers to connect their vehicle's charging port to NACS plugs at compatible chargers.

Starting in 2025, Nissan will begin offering EVs for the U.S. and Canadian markets with a NACS port. "

The only Ariya with CHAdeMO inlets would be for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM).

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Ariya does not have CHAdeMO!

Ccs with a 130KW charging peak I believe.

 

[BillAinCT]

Ccs with a 130KW charging peak I believe.

That's decent coupled with active cooling!

 

[squirrel4569]

I've been driving an Ariya while my 2016 Leaf is awaiting battery replacement and I'm going to be an outlier here I think and say that I really enjoy driving it. The model I have gives me a 300+ mile range, which is really nice. I can get around quite well without needing to recharge nightly. The ride is really smooth and I enjoy the touch screen. I've seen a lot of folks complain about the e-step pedal and as someone who didn't have an e-pedal in my Leaf, I don't have an issue with it. I like the one pedal driving for 95% of the driving, with the only exception being making a full stop or when someone cuts in front of me. The weather alerts from SiriusXM are annoying for sure, but I found a way to mute them so they are less annoying. I use CarPlay for navigation, which works well, although the wireless CarPlay does occassionally not connect, which is annoying, but then I just plug it in and it works fine.

The negatives that I have about the car so far seem to be confined to the backseat area. The lack of cupholders, weak A/C, and seat angle, have been repeated complaints by my backseat passengers. The backseat seatbelts also seem to lock more than the front seat ones, which again, has been a complaint of my backseat passengers.

There are a few things that I'm surprised aren't included as part of a base package. No heated seats. No heated steering wheel. No power liftgate. None of those things are dealbreakers though for me.

I'm actually considering taking a buyback on my Leaf and then purchasing an Ariya with some of the incentives that are out there. It's been an enjoyable vehicle to drive.

 

[Nighthawk36]

I first least leased a 2023 Nissan Leaf SV Plus. Loved that car and leared what is was like to drive a EV. Did not really take long trips and since I live in a rental in the Bronx, NY. The landlord will not install an outlet in the garage or set up chargers. I really only have access near my apartment for the four Flo charger. If I can get spot to charge when it not being taking over by the Ride share EV taxi drivers. How charge all the way to 100%. I used to work in Westchester and had access to a charger in my office garage and large number of charger and even free ones too. Since then, I have moved on to a new job and work in Manhattan where I take public transportation. After my 18 month lease I have not graduated to the new Nissan Ariya Evolve + with the larger 87KWH battery. What a difference in the battery technology for the new SUV EV. I hope Nissan keeps the Leaf going and ugrades it with the new Battery Tech. Then they would have a true car to compete with Tesla and market the car. I am sure alot of people other then Nissan customers know the Leaf even still exists.

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

What range do you see at 70mph with the Ariya?

 

[mkjayakumar]

I am one of the earlier members in here who joined this forum in 2012 when the first gen Leaf hit the market. I used to be a very frequent visitor (daily) and contributor in those days, but I haven't signed into this forum for over many years now.

Some background. In 2011 I casually without much interest signed up for a mailing list for electric cars on Nissan webpage. Sometime in 2012 I got an email from my local Nissan dealer that Nissan's EV is now in their showroom and I can go take a look. I went in the next day and instantly fell in love with the looks and the gorgeous blue color. I still think that is the best color for any car. They had only one - VIN 512 - and it was inside the showroom. The salesman took the car out of the showroom. I had no intention of even test driving it, let alone buying an EV when I left home. I did not even know what an EV was at that time. And I had no reason to buy a car anyway. I already had a Honda Van and a Lexus.

The moment I sat on it, shifted the funky gears and started moving, it was a life changing event. The car was just literally floating in the air with no noise and an amazing acceleration. 10 minutes later back in the showroom, I was torn. I don't need a car, but I can't just walk away from this one either. The guy kept dangling me lease options and such. And finally I said, screw it, I am leasing this thing - for $425 per month. Two hours later I was back home with a funky looking car (that I technically don't need) that neither my family nor my friends really understood what an EV is.

"what do you mean by you don't need to put gas?" "can this take two people and still go on the highway?"

The love affair started then. One more Leaf lease later, I got my first Tesla Model S in 2016., then a Model 3 and now a Model Y. Many of my friends leased the Leaf and then ended up buying Model 3 & Y after hearing me yap incessantly nonstop about EVs for years.

Recently I drove an Arya for an hour, from one of my friends and was just blown away. Much quieter than my Model Y, pretty good range. Overall looks ore luxurious and drives better than my Y. My biggest pet peeve in my Tesla is the road noise and harsh ride. My wife hates it for that reason alone. Arya felt better than my Lexus 350. Two things that Nissan and everyone lacks, that Tesla has - plethora of amazing Superchargers and fantastic Autopilot (and now FSD). If you ignore those two, IMHO Arya is a superior buy than Model Y.

But it is almost impossible to ignore the huge advantage that Tesla Superchargers provide. Also once I started using Autopilot (and now FSD) and got a hang of it and got used to it, I tend to miss it a lot when driving other cars. There are many who are afraid to use Autopilot and have never used it, even for them Superchargers is till a big moat to cross over and climb into a non-Tesla EV.

The sooner Nissan (and others) start making cars with NACS (Tesla) plug the better, for their own survival. But Nissan sure has a winner in Arya.

 

[Zurc]

I am one of the earlier members in here who joined this forum in 2012 when the first gen Leaf hit the market. I used to be a very frequent visitor (daily) and contributor in those days, but I haven't signed into this forum for over many years now.

Some background. In 2011 I casually without much interest signed up for a mailing list for electric cars on Nissan webpage. Sometime in 2012 I got an email from my local Nissan dealer that Nissan's EV is now in their showroom and I can go take a look. I went in the next day and instantly fell in love with the looks and the gorgeous blue color. I still think that is the best color for any car. They had only one - VIN 512 - and it was inside the showroom. The salesman took the car out of the showroom. I had no intention of even test driving it, let alone buying an EV when I left home. I did not even know what an EV was at that time. And I had no reason to buy a car anyway. I already had a Honda Van and a Lexus.

The moment I sat on it, shifted the funky gears and started moving, it was a life changing event. The car was just literally floating in the air with no noise and an amazing acceleration. 10 minutes later back in the showroom, I was torn. I don't need a car, but I can't just walk away from this one either. The guy kept dangling me lease options and such. And finally I said, screw it, I am leasing this thing - for $425 per month. Two hours later I was back home with a funky looking car (that I technically don't need) that neither my family nor my friends really understood what an EV is.

"what do you mean by you don't need to put gas?" "can this take two people and still go on the highway?"

The love affair started then. One more Leaf lease later, I got my first Tesla Model S in 2016., then a Model 3 and now a Model Y. Many of my friends leased the Leaf and then ended up buying Model 3 & Y after hearing me yap incessantly nonstop about EVs for years.

Recently I drove an Arya for an hour, from one of my friends and was just blown away. Much quieter than my Model Y, pretty good range. Overall looks ore luxurious and drives better than my Y. My biggest pet peeve in my Tesla is the road noise and harsh ride. My wife hates it for that reason alone. Arya felt better than my Lexus 350. Two things that Nissan and everyone lacks, that Tesla has - plethora of amazing Superchargers and fantastic Autopilot (and now FSD). If you ignore those two, IMHO Arya is a superior buy than Model Y.

But it is almost impossible to ignore the huge advantage that Tesla Superchargers provide. Also once I started using Autopilot (and now FSD) and got a hang of it and got used to it, I tend to miss it a lot when driving other cars. There are many who are afraid to use Autopilot and have never used it, even for them Superchargers is till a big moat to cross over and climb into a non-Tesla EV.

The sooner Nissan (and others) start making cars with NACS (Tesla) plug the better, for their own survival. But Nissan sure has a winner in Arya.

My personal take on the Ariya is that Nissan should have done much better given that they were in the forefront of EV's with the Leaf. Tesla and Nissan both got the EV ball rolling despite the opposition and nay sayers and they both did a pretty good job of it.
Why Nissan would take a step sideways with something like the Ariya is beyond comprehension. One would expect a much better vehicle given their experience with the leaf. Don't even get me started on the price tag.

 

[rogersleaf]

What range do you see at 70mph with the Ariya?

I was able to turn a 160 mile expressway round trip in cold & rainy conditions with the smaller battery variant (63 KWh). Mine wasn't fully charged when leaving (@ 92% SOC) and got home at @ 8% SOC) and wasn't babying the speeds. An additional detail, Nissan reserved ~10% capacity below 0% SOC (similar to Gen 2 LEAF). So that 8% remaining SOC is closer to 18% if need to live on the margins (too bad nothing like LeafSpy to help manage those margins). Figure about another hour of expressway run-time on the larger battery or ~ +70 mile difference. Personally finding the smaller battery is plenty for my own needs.

 

[rogersleaf]

I've been driving an Ariya while my 2016 Leaf is awaiting battery replacement and I'm going to be an outlier here I think and say that I really enjoy driving it. The model I have gives me a 300+ mile range, which is really nice. I can get around quite well without needing to recharge nightly. The ride is really smooth and I enjoy the touch screen. I've seen a lot of folks complain about the e-step pedal and as someone who didn't have an e-pedal in my Leaf, I don't have an issue with it. I like the one pedal driving for 95% of the driving, with the only exception being making a full stop or when someone cuts in front of me. The weather alerts from SiriusXM are annoying for sure, but I found a way to mute them so they are less annoying. I use CarPlay for navigation, which works well, although the wireless CarPlay does occassionally not connect, which is annoying, but then I just plug it in and it works fine.

The negatives that I have about the car so far seem to be confined to the backseat area. The lack of cupholders, weak A/C, and seat angle, have been repeated complaints by my backseat passengers. The backseat seatbelts also seem to lock more than the front seat ones, which again, has been a complaint of my backseat passengers.

There are a few things that I'm surprised aren't included as part of a base package. No heated seats. No heated steering wheel. No power liftgate. None of those things are dealbreakers though for me.

I'm actually considering taking a buyback on my Leaf and then purchasing an Ariya with some of the incentives that are out there. It's been an enjoyable vehicle to drive.

Judging by your comments, assuming they likely provided the base Venture+ trim. Personally preferred the feel of those cloth seats. Can agree 100%, except no seat or steering wheel heating in a EV is an immediate deal killer for me. My understanding is the center console is unique to the Venture trim. It's fixed in place (no power slide) and lacks rear seat features such a A/C vents, seat heating, etc... The lack of rear seat HVAC vents was a huge fail on my past Honda CRV. There is too much vehicle air volume for only vents in the front seats. One question I have, does the rear seats have recline angle adjustments? They recline slightly on mine with the Engage trim (similar to both the LEAFs I've owned).

 

[cwerdna]

That's decent coupled with active cooling!

Not great. ID.4 with older batteries (LG Chem?) peaked around there except they'd been shipping for years before Ariya. SK battery ID.4s are even faster:


Skip to ~1:46. He mentions a peak of 192 kW. He falls to 129 kW at 38%.

I guess one good thing about Ariya is that it can maintain a really high rate at the top of the pack.

Ioniq 5 on "800 volt" chargers is pretty quick. Skip to 0:25 of . You can see over 200 kW. If you skip to 3:37, he got from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes with 55.67 kWh dispensed. I believe other E-GMP HyunKia BEVs like Ioniq 6 and Kia EV6 should be similar in charging speed.

 

[squirrel4569]

Judging by your comments, assuming they likely provided the base Venture+ trim. Personally preferred the feel of those cloth seats. Can agree 100%, except no seat or steering wheel heating in a EV is an immediate deal killer for me. My understanding is the center console is unique to the Venture trim. It's fixed in place (no power slide) and lacks rear seat features such a A/C vents, seat heating, etc... The lack of rear seat HVAC vents was a huge fail on my past Honda CRV. There is too much vehicle air volume for only vents in the front seats. One question I have, does the rear seats have recline angle adjustments? They recline slightly on mine with the Engage trim (similar to both the LEAFs I've owned).

Yeah, it's a very basic model. The center console is fixed and has very little storage, doesn't slide, etc. The rear seats aren't adjustable for their seating angle, and my family says it is a little bit awkward because it's further back than they would like for normal seating.

If I were to purchase one it would be an upgraded model. The range on this is outstanding. I typically only have to charge it every couple of days. So if I were to purchase one I would want something that had a similar range to this.

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Has anyone changed out the rims on their Ariya yet. I am thinking of getting a mid tier Ariya (evolve or engage)
+ eforce) , and putting on low weight 18" rims (vs. 19" stock) with eco tires.

 

[rogersleaf]

Has anyone changed out the rims on their Ariya yet. I am thinking of getting a mid tier Ariya (evolve or engage)
+ eforce) , and putting on low weight 18" rims (vs. 19" stock) with eco tires.

I've read where common 18" wheels found on other Nissan products and aftermarket 18" steelies will fit Ariya. Was personally very happy with the 2nd set of 16" Gen 1 wheels with Michelin X-ICE on my '19 LEAF for winter driving. Thinking about that same setup for the Ariya on 18" steelies. Also, if it's any consolation Ariya owners are complaining as common as LEAF owners about early tire wear on factory tires. Mine has Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S 235/55R19 101V in a variant that's tweaked for EV use (supposedly has internal acoustic foam and slightly lighter weight, they are crazy quiet). Recommended inflation is 41 PSI, except FWD +plus models want 43 psi fronts/41 in rears. Mine has almost 15K miles and still look fine.

 

[rogersleaf]

Yeah, it's a very basic model. The center console is fixed and has very little storage, doesn't slide, etc. The rear seats aren't adjustable for their seating angle, and my family says it is a little bit awkward because it's further back than they would like for normal seating.

If I were to purchase one it would be an upgraded model. The range on this is outstanding. I typically only have to charge it every couple of days. So if I were to purchase one I would want something that had a similar range to this.

That sliding center console is an interesting feature and appreciate that flat open floor & knee room more than the slider. But agree the console storage is non-existent and Engage trim doesn't have the wireless phone charger so that slot is useless. Flip up the armrest and only have enough storage space for a men's wallet. In addition, I use the rear seat USB port for my charge cord because the data port & 12v socket on the front of the console is at floor level and impossible to reach while driving. The center glove box became console junk storage by default. It's tempting to mount elastic mesh pockets on the lower dashboard panels, but haven't done that since my VW Beetle in the 1980's.