Nissan Ariya Long Term review

There is also a weird omission from the Ariya’s spec. Most seasoned EV drivers will know that you should only charge up to 80% battery capacity unless you need the extra, to help preserve battery life. In most other cars – including the Leaf – there’s a setting in the menu to stop the charge when you get to this level. The Ariya doesn’t have one, and I even went to the extreme lengths of reading the manual to check. Weird.

I've been making more use of the 22kW charging this month too. The EVIOS point fitted at our usual filming location is connected to a three-phase supply so charges the Ariya at just over 21kW. A coiuple of hours is enough for 140 miles of range or so. 

Rug-ged looks

The next observation is made by almost everyone who steps into the Ariya for the first time: it has the loveliest carpets. This may seem a strange thing to mention, but they are thicker than a rug in front of the fire in a luxury boutique hotel. My kids have taken to removing their shoes when in the car, so I’m glad of the ventilation system’s efficiency and filtration functions too.

The carpets are just part of an interior which really is a cut above rivals. I gave a neighbour a lift to the station and she said, with some surprise, that it was a lot nicer than inside her Audi e-tron. High praise indeed. I also told her how far it went on a charge and how much it cost and she’ll be steering towards a Nissan dealer when her lease is up in 18 months.

Cleaning confusion

Next up on the list from the notes this month is how confused the Ariya becomes when it’s being cleaned. I like to pamper my cars and everytime I approach with a sponge and hose, the Ariya seems to lock and unlock with the full performance of unfolding mirrors and welcoming light show. More entertaining – and alarming – is the habit of opening the boot. I can only imagine the sensors which operate the ‘handsfree’ leg swipe function think the water jets or hose under the bumper are a foot. Perhaps the engineers need to program in a car wash setting.

Any car valet specialists who wince at the idea of a mechanical car wash might look in horror pictures showing YOP has been through one. I hated it too, but had the key prised from my hand by Nicola, who needed to do a video about EVs in car washes. It seems to have survived, but will be getting an extra coat of wax to make up for it. Luckily, the boot didn’t open automatically in the middle of the cycle either. I was a little worried….

Attracting the birds

The final point is especially silly. The Ariya seems to be attractive to pigeons, with unfortunate consequences. Now it could be a complete coincidence, but in all my years of driving I’ve never known a car which has caused the demise of so many birds. I can only imagine pigeons can’t hear it coming or are drive towards it by some frequency which is inaudible to other creatures.

At first I was worried that there might be half-dead creatures trapped in the grille which I would have to remove and humanely dispatch. Luckily though, the Ariya doesn’t have any grilles – that’s yet another advantage of electric cars.