First Drive: The 2023 Nissan ARIYA Front Wheel Drive

Nissan pushed boldly into electric vehicles with the LEAF in 2010 back when electric vehicles were little more than a novelty and a dream. The vehicle set the bar for what a mainstream, affordable electric vehicle of its time should look and feel like, cutting the path for others to follow. It was a bold and costly push into the early world of electric vehicles and polarized company leadership.

In the ten years following the initial launch, Nissan continued to refine the LEAF, adding more range and smoothing out some of the more controversial design lines on the bubbly first generation vehicle. It found itself and evolved into a mainstream vehicle with plenty of range for the average driver. As battery costs came down and more fast charging infrastructure was installed around the world, the LEAF emerged as a great fit for many drivers.

Nissan has been anything but idle, mapping out plans to overhaul the company with EVs at the core under the umbrella of the Nissan NEXT initiative (PPT). It will see 20 new products launched over the next 5 years, building the bridge to 2030, when the company expects 40% of sales to be pure electric vehicles. The majority of the new vehicles are not electric but the plan does include a focus on pure electric vehicles as well as Nissan’s hybrid e-Power line. e-Power vehicles utilize a smaller battery to power a fully electric powertrain with a range extender combustion motor to provide additional range and driver comfort for longer trips.

A foundational pillar of the initiative is Nissan’s fully electric ARIYA crossover that is aimed directly at the heart of the popular segment. Nissan invited CleanTechnica out to drive the ARIYAs and we eagerly headed out to Nashville, Tennessee to put some miles on the exciting new market entrant.

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