Nissan has decided to revise its Ariya trim line-up, including price reductions, a new lead-in trim that reduces the SUV’s entry-level price tag, and the addition of a new top-spec trim grade that offers more power and acceleration.
Before this minor update, the Ariya was priced at around £46k, which is around £3,000 more expensive than the cheapest version of the Skoda Enyaq, which reviewers largely agree is the current class benchmark.
In order to make the Ariya a more competitive consumer proposition, Nissan has decided to slash the entry-level price by introducing the two-wheel drive ‘Engage’ trim level, which is £6k cheaper. Powered by either a 63kWh or 87kWh battery, the brand says that this new grade delivers 251 or 330 miles of range respectively.
The ‘Engage’ comes with the LED headlights, LED rear fog lamps, electronically-folding heated door mirrors and 19-inch alloy wheels as the Mid-range ‘Advance’ trim, as well as rain sensing wipers, dual-zone automatic climate control, a leather steering wheel and the combination of a 12-inch digital instrument display and 12-inch infotainment screen on the dashboard.
Lead-in safety features also include a rear view camera and front and rear parking sensors, but the ‘Engage’ is missing the ‘ProPilot Assist’ pack that is included with the ‘Advance’ grade, which adds lane keeping assistance and traffic sign recognition, as well as wireless smartphone charging.
The ‘Engage’ also comes with black fabric upholstery, while the seats in the ‘Advance’ are trimmed in synthetic leather. These are a few of the key ways that Nissan has cut equipment levels for the new ‘Engage’ to offer more affordable pricing.
If you are more interested in the ‘Advance’, Nissan has also rolled out a price reduction for the middling ‘Advance’ and ‘Evolve’ trim grades. 63kWh models are now £3k cheaper, while more powerful 87kWh versions of the ‘Advance’ and ‘Evolve’ are now close to £4k cheaper.
Finally, a new range-topper has arrived as part of this range refresh – the four-wheel drive Ariya ‘Evolve+’. With an output of 388hp and a 0-62mph sprint time of 5.1 seconds, this new trim is 0.6 seconds faster than the previous top-spec ‘Evolve’, while reportedly still offering 310 miles of range.
The ‘Evolve+’ sits on larger 20-inch alloy wheels and comes with a panoramic sunroof, a head-up display that displays driving information on the windscreen, a power-adjustable centre console and steering column with temperature-controlled front seats wrapped in Nappa blue leather, and Bose speaker system upgrade.
Pricing for the refreshed Ariya range now starts at under £40k for the ‘Engage’, rising to £59k for the ‘Evolve+’.
The Nissan Ariya has been well-received by the British motoring media so far. Currently holding an Expert Rating of 74%, reviewers agree that the Nissan is well-equipped and refined inside, but a few comment that the Ariya might struggle to stand out from a very competitive all-electric SUV class.
This update has the potential to increase the Ariya’s Expert Rating score, as one of the key drawbacks of the SUV was the more competitive pricing of its key rivals.
