RE: 2022 Nissan Ariya | PH Review

[TypeRTim]

Sulphur Man said:

cerb4.5lee said:

It could be worse...because I think that EVs are crap and I've never even sat in one!

They just don't make all that much sense to me at the moment. Maybe one day perhaps? Currently for me they seem miles too expensive for what they offer as a package, plus the range they offer seems to be a finger in the wind approach to me.

Granted I'm a dinosaur though, so I automatically have a biased towards the older/proven way of doing it with an ICE.

Your view is a very common one. That's why PHEVs are becoming better and more viable than EVs. Most people recognise that their car usage falls under 30mile journeys the majority of the time, and that the engine in a PHEV is there for the long haul occasions. There is a still a premium for a PHEV over an EV, but its smaller than EV premiums.

Of course, all this depends on convenience of charging, which is an immediate blocker for millions of driveway-less households.

A PHEV, with 30 mile range, AND an owner removal battery, to charge elsewhere, (ie. indoors). Could that be possible one day?

A lot of EV zealots cringe at the very existence of the PHEV, but for 90% of us, it would probably actually be the perfect solution. For my needs, it definitely would be.

Day to day, our max journey is probably 10 miles or less. But this week, my wife travelled to her office for work (150 miles each way) and then this weekend, we travelled to stay with friends down south (who don't have a driveway) which was 140 miles each way. Brimmed the tank before the work journey and didn't worry about fuel at all. Still have over a quarter tank left.

For now though, with prices how they are, it makes no sense for us to change. We don't pay anything per month for the car and filling up is a rare occurrence nowadays. We would be spending hundreds of pounds per month just to have the car, to not save anything in reality.

And to those who will come on and say "with a PHEV, you're just lugging around the extra weight of the ICE on those short journeys" - riddle me this, with a BEV, you're still lugging around the honking great battery pack whether you do a 20 mile journey or a 300 mile journey.

[Clivey]

samoht said:

I understand you feel the essence of PH is being diluted with content about non-enthusiast cars. However, surely almost the entire history of PH is a story of a TVR enthusiasts' site progressively and gradually becoming broader in focus? Why is EVs the right point to stop, why not say no hybrids, no SUVs, or no vans, or no estate cars, or only sports cars, or only British sports cars? I don't see why this specific line is one you feel is such a shame to cross.

There have always been a few “general automotive” or car industry news articles but recently, there’s been a large uptick in propaganda pushing EV crossovers (probably the least “PH” format ever - at least a van or 4x4 can make itself useful and tow a race car). I don’t recall the same number of articles for their older ICE equivalents.

[ajap1979]

Clivey said:

samoht said:

I understand you feel the essence of PH is being diluted with content about non-enthusiast cars. However, surely almost the entire history of PH is a story of a TVR enthusiasts' site progressively and gradually becoming broader in focus? Why is EVs the right point to stop, why not say no hybrids, no SUVs, or no vans, or no estate cars, or only sports cars, or only British sports cars? I don't see why this specific line is one you feel is such a shame to cross.

There have always been a few “general automotive” or car industry news articles but recently, there’s been a large uptick in propaganda pushing EV crossovers (probably the least “PH” format ever - at least a van or 4x4 can make itself useful and tow a race car). I don’t recall the same number of articles for their older ICE equivalents.

Question is though, if there's no news about ICE cars, and very few new cars to review, what do they write about? Their output is to a large extent shaped by what is happening in the automotive industry, and that is predominantly manufacturers turning their attention to EVs.

At the end of the day, you can't please everyone. I've seen people complaining about supercar reviews because they're so far from reality, people complaining about Porsche GT reviews because they're essentially unobtainable, etc etc.

I do think it would be nice to at least keep the "performance" bias though. If EVO started reviewing electric Nissan SUVs my subscription wouldn't last long.

[Clivey]

ajap1979 said:

Question is though, if there's no news about ICE cars, and very few new cars to review, what do they write about? Their output is to a large extent shaped by what is happening in the automotive industry, and that is predominantly manufacturers turning their attention to EVs.

At the end of the day, you can't please everyone. I've seen people complaining about supercar reviews because they're so far from reality, people complaining about Porsche GT reviews because they're essentially unobtainable, etc etc.

I do think it would be nice to at least keep the "performance" bias though. If EVO started reviewing electric Nissan SUVs my subscription wouldn't last long.

I think you've largely answered your own question there. Sadly, I fear that if all but the wealthiest are effectively banned from buying or driving anything we actually want, the car enthusiast we know today will become a dying breed. Similarly, I predict that if / when all motorsport goes electric, most of the current fans will lose interest. I've tried watching a couple of Formula E races but my interest ran out faster than the batteries and I ended-up switching over to something else. They can attempt to drum-up interest from the zoomers via a Netflix series, Tiktok videos or other gimmicks but ultimately without manufactured "drama", I think EV motorsports will struggle to hold many people's attention...never mind if they make the cars autonomous.

[Leithen]

My only concern are the quantity of nails it appears Nissan is using.

[napoleondynamite]

I wonder which year pheads forums will cease arguing about the virtues of electric cars? My money is on somewhere in the early 2040s.

As for this car itself, doesn't do anything for me - I'd definitely take one of the Ioniqs over this.

[nismo48]

Harry Flashman said:

We have a Leaf. I rented it 18 months ago when we started having to do a nursery run every morning as using a V8TT AMG Merc as our daily, short run car in London was stupid. Expensive, bad for air quality , bad for the car, and just felt wrong.

I will never go back to an ICE car as a town runabout. Thr Leaf is, frankly, aweaome at what it does. Buttons to run on overnight charging in the driveway. Buttons to use in the cockpit too, as opposed to endless screen menus. Is 18C inside when i get into it at 7.30am every weekday, whether it is -5 or +25 outside. Utterly reliable. Swallows buggies and kit for small kids. 90% of our journeys are under 30 miles. It is surprisingly fun to drive too, at least in town. It is also effortless, convenient , and quick enough for the SE's crowded roads

It cannot be our only car as i love a V8, it won't do big trips, and the battery drops alarmingly on the motorway, especially with heating or aircon on.

But it is the best town car I have ever driven. I have grown to love it for its capability.

EVs aren't the answer to every question , but they are the answer to many, for us city dwellers withh access to home charging. And Nissan seem to know what they are doing with the tech, in teems of usability.

good write up and some positive feedback on actual day to day city driving in an EV vehicle

[Clivey]

napoleondynamite said:

I wonder which year pheads forums will cease arguing about the virtues of electric cars?

Never. Especially if we’re forced in to them. HTH.

[X100SCD]

Really very good styling. Surprisingly good in fact. Good range with the big battery. Nice package. Looks like an advance on the Model Y. I really don’t like the single central screen set up on the 3 and the Y either. Nissan just need to get the price down and it would be the benchmark for mid/compact ESUVs. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Fer]

So I have had my Ariya for a few weeks now. The ride isn't going to set the world on fire, but it's a fine car. There are a few niggles - the buttons below the screen are easy to brush when trying to work the central screen. The climate control seems to have a mind of it's own, so you will suddenly find your seat is being cooled/heated when not expecting it. The parking cameras are useful, but the "auto-park" is pretty terrifying to actually use in the real world.

I am about 1,000 miles in, and yet to get my home charger sorted - but it's not been too difficult to find somewhere to charge it.

I was lucky enough to walk into a dealer who had managed to over order, so had one for immediate collection. I had no choice on the spec, but got an Evolve with the larger battery, which is what I would have gone for anyway.