So here is the all-new, all-wonderful, all-electric new Nissan Ariya. It spent much of the time parked outside my home next to a bronze Nissan X-Trail, as if in a formal comparison study, and side by side the pair looked decades apart. It is a testament to how the world’s carmakers, led by pioneering firms such as Nissan, have risen to the challenge of electrifying the planet’s personal transportation. Ten years ago there was nothing around with the capability of the Ariya.
You should think of the Ariya as the Nissan family car of the future: an evolution of its existing X-Trail and Qashqai family SUVs, but rather more stylish and striking. It really is a very handsome beast indeed, from its ultra-narrow V-shaped LED lights and block of piano-black plastic at the front, through its razor-sharp sweeping lines, to its coupe-like tail. The launch colour, “Akatsuki copper”, is especially tasteful. I have to say I’ve not been so excited by a Nissan since the last time I had a go in their raucous GT-R sports machine. The Ariya isn’t quite as entertaining as that, but it is the future.
