The Ariya e-4orce’s all-wheel drive system calculates its movements 10,000 times per second and distributes torque to each wheel individually. We tested it on ice and snow.
A frozen lake. Studded tires. ESP disabled. A burst of gas. The 87 kWh, 394 HP Nissan Ariya e-4orce in this test politely turns to the side, almost as if it were asking my permission to do so. He leaves with nobility and not without some resistance: what he wants is to stay in line.
Which seems more than adequate, if you ask me. But before continuing, let me explain to you why I am doing things that no one in their right mind is ever going to do, much less in these spring winters that we have been suffering for a couple of years.
I am somewhere in Finland, more or less towards the middle of the country, where Nissan has invited me to test its all-wheel drive models: the Ariya, the protagonist of this test, and the X-Trail, with which I have also been able to do the same exercises only to draw a hooligan conclusion: without ESP, you have a livelier rear axle on ice.
The place is chosen consciously, because I can’t think of a better place to test an all-wheel drive system than a completely snowy place where its inhabitants are worried: with -1ºC “it’s not cold, we should be at least minus 10,” I tell myself. say the people who live in the area.
Fortunately, despite the “heat”, the thickness of the frozen lake is sufficient and my companion, a very nice former rally driver (she started with an Opel Manta decades ago), guides me with precision and certainty along the ice route: “stay on “Out, hold on… now to the top!”
With all the controls and Winter mode, it obeys with nobility and speed. The e-4orce system reacts 10,000 times per second, so the sensations are immediate: the front axle marks the line, you feel it begin to slide, the four wheels individually receive the amount of torque necessary to help me close the turn.
What’s more: most of the time, if you don’t go crazy, you won’t see the ESP flashing (the right tires for each circumstance help: here some Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 EV) nor will you feel bad. Likewise, even if there is no ice, it works as a kind of integral self-locking device that gives it an agility that you do not expect.
And the Ariya is not light. The protagonist of this test has the 87 kWh battery (actually it is 90 gross). That means that he has a weight above 2.2 tons that insists on fighting with all the technology (and almost always losing) every time I turn the wheel on that peculiar circuit.
It also means that you will be able to cover about 500 km if you take as a reference its official consumption of 20.4 kWh/100 km, a figure that in the circumstances in which this test is carried out is unattainable.
Also running on the open road (and snowy)
But since skidding on ice is not something that truly demonstrates the behavior of an all-wheel drive system, I take the Ariya e-4orce for a walk on roads open to traffic in real driving circumstances.
Settled in its more than pleasant interior, I enjoy a great ride quality and I am dedicated to confirming what I have always thought: I believe that this Nissan electric SUV deserves more than what it has achieved: in 2023, 179 units were sold compared to 620 of Enyaq, for example.
And it is very well done. It has a very nice interior with the two standard screens (both 12.3 inches), but its handling is not bad at all.
Apart from the menus, which have the drawbacks that we all know, it has touch buttons and haptic feedback integrated into the same piece of wood that runs the width of the dashboard.
For the rest, it is a spacious car that will not put you in trouble if you decide to fill its rear seats, at least in terms of legroom, and with a wheelbase of 2.77 meters it does not offer the best figure on the market.
The main drawback is the height: the taller ones will have the crown too close to the ceiling due to the shape of the body.
Returning to the road test, from the seats of this Ariya I enjoy good dynamic balance. The weight distribution of this system is 50% on each axle, which, together with a good setting of the suspensions, makes it noble by nature (and reveals its lack of leaving behind).
I find myself in the curves playing with the different driving modes, I use the Eco little: here I don’t want to spend little, but rather play with the 394 HP that is delivered smoothly.
The Winter mode is very good because it does the power delivery and programs the ESP so that you don’t have scars on your journeys from A to B.
But given its manners and smoothness, I drive most of the time in Sport mode, which has a slightly sharper set-up and the ESP lets you move the body when exiting corners (I think it would be a little more permissive). great) to enjoy a slightly more involved drive.
Conclusion: he does not envy his rivals anything
But the truth is that it is a price range more or less similar to its all-wheel drive rivals:
- Nissan Ariya e-4orce (306 HP): 56,000 euros
- Nissan Ariya e-4orce (394 HP): 60,000 euros
- Kia EV6 GT Line AWD: 325 HP, 61,900 euros
- Ioniq 5 AWD: 325 HP, 59,300 euros
- Skoda Enyaq 85x: 285 HP, 55,300 euros
- Tesla Model Y Great Autonomy: 372 HP, 49,990 euros
Otherwise, this frozen test of the Ariya e-4orce confirms for me what I already knew from other tests: it has smooth steering and a fairly natural brake feel that makes it very pleasant on a daily basis…
Assessment
It is a spacious electric SUV with a powerful image. Its most powerful version moves with agility and all-wheel drive is a guarantee of safety on any terrain, even dry asphalt, where it helps in all turns, whether urban roundabouts or curves on the road.
The best
Driving comfort, permanent all-wheel drive system with distribution to each wheel, brake feel
Worst
Headroom in rear seats, it is difficult to access some menus (heated seats), maximum charging power (130 kW).
