Semi-charged Kind of Life: Introducing my new Nissan Ariya

Regular visitors to the blog may remember me musing about changing my daily driver for something powered by current rather than crude oil a while back. Well, this year that switch finally happened. After over a year of waiting Nissan finally delivered the brand-new Nissan Ariya Premiere I reserved way back at the end of 2021. Of course, they had to be the ultimate tease about it and deliver it the day before I was scheduled to leave town for a couple of weeks to go to Japan. Well played, Nissan, well played.

Eventually I got back, sorted the paperwork, and took delivery of my very first electric vehicle and I have to say it's been an exciting and eye-opening experience. I know EVs are a divisive topic for gearheads like us who were raised on the smell of high octane and the feel of grease and brake dust under our fingernails but they do have their advantages – especially if it's for a daily driver and you have other cars for fun and road tripping. If you like to modify cars it's always a good idea to have that one reliable car in your stable as a daily driver so you don't have to worry about not getting to work on Monday after tearing half your engine bay apart over the weekend. EVs are super reliable thanks to less moving parts so that appeal wasn't lost on me.

Although EVs have gotten a lot more exciting nowadays I still think nothing beats the spectacle and soulfulness of a well-tuned internal combustion performance car. Most of the time though we're not going to be at the racetrack or even on any sort of exciting road. Instead we'll be on normal streets shuttling to work or schlepping stuff or people on errands. That's exactly the environment a good EV excels in. And the Ariya is a very good EV indeed.

No, it won't be starring in any of those reaction videos where hot women are surprised by eyeball-popping acceleration to the delight of horny teens and lonely adults everywhere but with a 7.2 second 0-60 it's more than sprightly enough for daily driving, especially considering it's roughly the weight and almost the size of mid-size soccer-mom-special SUV. Two hundred eighty nine miles of range and decent fast charging speeds mean road trips are quite doable with proper planning. And you'll be comfy and cared for on said road trip thanks to the luxurious interior, modern electronics, and the hands-free driving ability of ProPilot 2.0. A roomy back seat and cargo area mean the family – or some not-to-be-surprised hot women – can come along too and share in the bliss.

The Ariya is far from perfect. Its charge speed is only average. Other EVs in its category are cheaper (although the Ariya makes up for it by trying to be more upscale in its features and design). Some get a bit better range. Overall though the Ariya is more than competitive and makes a good case for itself if you're not beholden to sticking to internal combustion or to buying EVs from companies that start with T.

In the three months I've had it so far I've already put 2800 miles on it including a road trip to Phoenix and back. It's been fun trying something different and I hope you'll follow along as I learn more about the electrified life – but no, rest assured, my GT-Rs aren't going anywhere so you'll still find plenty to read on here even if you're hitting the “opt out” button on the EV revolution!