2023 Nissan ARIYA review

What We Like

Good seating position: Though the floor is higher in the Ariya than in other electric SUVs, it is fairly easy to get in and out of. The numerous seat adjustments should allow most drivers to find a comfortable driving position. Our test vehicle also had power adjustments for the steering wheel, which is a nice touch for this class. The Ariya offers plenty of legroom in the front and rear, but headroom in the back seat is not quite as expansive as you'll find in the Tesla Model Y or Hyundai Ioniq 5.

User-friendly tech interface: Touch-sensitive controls line the dashboard and the center console. This would typically be a downside for us, but they actually look good and are easy to use. They respond quickly to your touch and make a subtle vibration that indicates when the controls are activated. The touchscreen is also within arm's length of the driver's seat, and the layout of all of the controls up front is intuitive.

Ride quality: We're fans of the Ariya's ride quality. It stays smooth even on broken pavement, and there's just enough resistance in the suspension to keep the Ariya from feeling too floaty on the road. On the highway, road noise is kept to a minimum.

What Needs Improvement

Disappointing technology: Contrary to the Ariya's modern interior design, the technology features are a missed opportunity. Finding what you want in the various onscreen menus is difficult and unintuitive. The Ariya's voice controls are also hard to figure out, and entering a navigation destination that way is frustrating. In another strange choice, the blind-spot warnings are only shown in the head-up display and only when adaptive cruise control is activated. This means that if you're driving on the street or on the highway without adaptive cruise on, you lose out on those alerts.