For three weeks, Boosted had a Nissan Ariya for testing, to see if you can replace the combustion engine with the electric engine without reservation . Here are the web editor's experiences after 3 weeks in an electric car.
Let me say it first and last. I sincerely hope that Nissan keeps its word and delivers electric cars with the so-called solid state batteries from 2028. Read more about it here .
Because it will remedy the Nissan Ariya's biggest problem. Namely that it is… an electric car. For three weeks I toured the version of the car with the largest possible 87 kWh battery.
And good for that. Less couldn't have done it for me and my range anxiety. Something I honestly have to admit I didn't get rid of in the 21 days.
In fairness, it must be said that the Nissan Ariya also has many really positive sides. More on them in a moment. First a little about my three weeks with a charging cable and a charging pad in hand.
I HATE stopping along the way
I often come across electric car owners whose only argument for the electric car is: Well, you still have to go out to stretch your legs when you're on the move.
No. Stopping when I'm on the go is the last thing I want. In fact, I have so little desire to stop on the move that I had to get my colleague, Kasper Erling, to confirm it when I was behind the wheel of the Ariya.
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In the ten years we have worked together, we have never stopped for more than five minutes to refuel a press or private car. Maybe for a cup of coffee. But as a rule, the gas station's surveillance does not register that we make a stop. Yes, exaggeration promotes understanding.
I hate stopping when I'm on my way somewhere. I want to go from A to B non-stop. And it shouldn't be the consideration for the car that makes me do that.
A comfort king of a travel companion
In this way, the Nissan Ariya battery pack is against it. Let go, on my regular test route for press cars there are plenty of turns. And in Ariya's case, the total weight approaching two tons is easily felt. But twisting corners is not what the big Nissan is all about.
Instead, the car prepares for long, comfortable road trips. If comfort is the most important thing in a new electric car, there is no way around an Ariya. And like to make the trial trip a little longer than you would otherwise.
On the long stretches, Ariya is an eminent travel companion. Even after long days on the motorways, which can usually be felt, I feel refreshed after the chore ride.
I deliberately sat down to work several times after I had the Ariya on a long trip. No problem there. It is otherwise such long journeys that can well trigger fatigue when I sit down to the keys afterwards.
Own an electric car without a home charger? No thanks!
Then it's just annoying that Ariya doesn't get very far on a charge. Officially, the Ariya, with its large battery and front-wheel drive, goes up to 505 kilometers on a charge.
I could squeeze a maximum of 395 kilometers out of the car. And then I also had to find a charging stand right away. So according to the choir computer. Maybe because I don't want to get behind a truck or do 110 km/h in a 130 zone.
It is claimed around the web that Nissan has put in a buffer with extra kilometers so that 0 percent on the battery is not 0 percent. But I simply don't dare gamble with that. I never shorted the car below 10 percent current. I did not dare.
Up at the lightning charger, I accidentally got into a conversation with a Polestar 2 owner. The free cable he could have used didn't work.
We pretty quickly agreed that life with an electric car without a home charger or at least access to a quick charger that no one or few others use is annoying.
And again – it's a shame for Ariya. Because it is really comfortable. I want to go far in it. I just don't want to stop along the way because of it. So the car…
My gut required another call
After three weeks with many long journeys, I called Kasper Erling again. It's not just me who thinks that the idea of the electric car is a bit silly when you don't have a home charger. I just wanted to be sure. Phew.
Incidentally, not everyone is allowed to set up a home charger at all. This may be due to a listed property or the statutes of a housing association. For some, the home charger is a lifesaver. Not for everyone.
Another thing that is stupid about electric cars is the charging speed. Even in lightning chargers, it's quite slow for me. I don't care as much about stops between point A and B as waiting time.
I try not to charge Ariya in a slower charger than in the so-called lightning chargers. Not even if it can charge with 22 kW, where most other electric cars have to make do with 11 kW in the home charger.
I simply have other things to attend to. Here, someone might say that you are saved by the home charger, if you have one. But no.
Because if the battery is down to a few percent, the current is not restored quickly enough. And not at all if it occurs to you that you might have forgotten something or need to use the car again.
Thanks for the equipment, Nissan!
The Nissan Ariya is – at least in the Evolve edition I spent three weeks in – stuffed with equipment. I usually drive around in a BMW, where the most advanced is the cruise control. And I happily admit that I now miss everything Ariya can do.
And the wildest thing of all? The Japanese way of doing the technique. I covered just over 1,300 kilometers over the course of the three weeks. Not once did the assistance systems fail.
E-pedal, which is Nissan's way of controlling the car solely on the accelerator, just works. After a few kilometers the car's way of braking was etched in my memory. And I didn't turn it off again.
Pro pilot, which Nissan calls the cruise control, which i.a. can keep your lane was a pleasure. And above all, easy to figure out. That kind of thing doesn't always work out.
Yes, I could have thought that the car read road signs in a way so that it adjusted the speed itself between two zones.
Yes, it would have been nice to have better carbonation in the seats on the really hot days, and that Nissan, like its sister brand Renault, had just let Google make the control system.
Bottom line? Electric car – yes please! but… and that's how I want it to be until the day I can drive 1,200 kilometers on electricity without charging stops.
Read more exciting news from and about the world of cars right here
Nissan's so-called e-pedal, which makes it possible to control the speed almost exclusively on the accelerator, was not switched off after the first trip. That's how easy it is to sing along. Credit: Bjorn S. Nielsen 
In opposition to the sister car Renualt Megane E-tech, Nissan insists in Ariya to make its own interface. Although Andorid Auto and Apple CarPlay are an option. However, Nissan's range estimate in the navigation is completely on the moon. Now just let someone else do it, please! Credit: Bjorn S. Nielsen 
The rear view mirror in the Ariya can be switched between the regular glass and a camera screen. The latter requires getting used to, especially because the camera is not the world's best and tends to flicker. Credit: 
Interior is a matter of taste, but the few 'buttons' in the cabin work and the comfort is class leading. The materials are also really delicious. But Nissan? Why does the air conditioning have to be set to 26 degrees to feel like 21? Credit: Bjorn S. Nielsen 
The test car was packed with equipment. Among other things. adaptive LED headlights. Absurdly delicious to sing with. Credit: Bjorn S. Nielsen
