The Nissan Ariya is no doubt one of the more interesting electric SUVs to come out in the past few years. It’s not for everyone, but it’s great to see Nissan – one of my favourite JDM brands – give it their all, and to see what’s next for them. Well, it looks like I didn’t have to wait long to find out, as Nissan has recently treated the Ariya to some high-performance NISMO bits. Their new Ariya NISMO is officially Nissan’s first production-spec performance EV for Europe, which begs the question, is the Ariya really fit to get the NISMO makeover? We didn’t get the new Z, which I guess gives us fewer access to fast Nissans, so maybe this will get the ball rolling.
It at least looks the part, with NISMO’s iconic Stealth Grey paintwork – the very same one used on the GT-R NISMO – being the standard paint option at launch. Contrasted against bright red accents, the Ariya, in NISMO form, does look rather hot. If you’re thinking of buying one, you’ll be able to order one starting from January 2025, but for us here in the UK, you can order one as early as September 2024. So, what else has Nissan imbued within their Ariya electric SUV to make it worthy of wearing the legendary NISMO name? Well, how about the fact that it has a bit of aerodynamic tech that was carried over from Nissan’s involvement in Formula E?
The Advent Of JDM Performance Electric SUVs?
Yes, you heard that right, the Ariya NISMO has Formula E to thank for all its aero. You’ll find a set of new spoilers, air curtains, and a front splitter with canard vortex generators to improve the Ariya NISMO’s airflow and reduce drag. Nissan has also redesigned the lower bumpers, as well as adding a twin diffuser, and a ducktail rear spoiler, all to help reduce the lift coefficient by 40%. That’s a big improvement over the regular Ariya – now down to CL 0.11 compared to CL 0.18. Moreover, to give the Ariya NISMO a sportier look – in addition to performance – you might’ve noticed those cool 20-inch ENKEI wheels, embossed with the NISMO branding.
They’re cast aluminium too, and using ENKEI’s MAT manufacturing process, these wheels have a strength-to-weight ratio that almost matches forged wheels. Plus, with thinner spokes, you’ll get better brake cooling along with it, to boot! To give you the best possible traction when you want to drive hard in the Ariya NISMO, these wheels come with a set of Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres. Better yet, not only are these tyres made specifically for EVs, but you can expect best-in-class handling, braking, and a reduction in unsprung mass. Should you ever want to really push this beast of an SUV, Nissan has even programmed in a special NISMO driving mode.
Nissan’s High-Performance Rebirth In Europe
On the subject of driving, there’s a lot more to like about this new Nissan Ariya NISMO. You get an 87kWh battery, but thanks to a bespoke, NISMO-tuned powertrain, it’s putting out a pretty respectable 435PS. That’s a huge increase of 130PS over the non-NISMO Ariya! Not to mention, the Ariya NISMO outputs an eye-watering 600Nm of torque, split evenly between the rear and front electric motors – 300Nm each. Numbers-wise, you’re looking at a 0 to 62mph sprint in 5.0 seconds, and crucially for day-to-day driving, it’ll do 50mph to 70mph in a mere 2.4 seconds. In addition, we also have Nissan’s unique e-4ORCE electrified all-wheel drive system.
Sharing a few trickle-down learnings from the Nissan GT-R NISMO’s ‘ATTESA’ AWD system, the e-4ORCE in the Ariya NISMO could adjust torque distribution between each wheel at a stunning rate of 10,000 times per second. By default, the Ariya NISMO has a 40:60 torque split, so it is a bit more rear-biased, offering you a sportier feel. On top of that, when you consider how much more work Nissan’s done to the suspension and chassis to make the Ariya NISMO – all to give it better balance, body control, agility, and precision steering – it sounds like a lot of fun to drive. Only time will tell if a NISMO SUV is really what the world needs, but at least it’s a start.
