I think I've answered the "Why Ariya?" question

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5DH

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Some folks are curious who the target audience for the Ariya will be other than Nissan die-hard fans and Leaf owners. I admit I was grappling with this myself, but as my research has evolved, I think I know how Nissan can make a killing with this car, and it's essentially to become the equivalent of what Mazda is for ICE SUVs.

If you're not familiar, the Mazda CX-5 is widely seen as the most premium car in the non-luxury segment. I rented a CX-5 for a week myself and was blown away with the ride comfort, premium interior quality, and quiet cabin. I've also driven the RAV4, CRV, Envision, Equinox and the CX-5 is much better than all of them in my opinion for the same price.

So in short I think if Nissan threads the needle perfectly they can be the choice for the following EV SUV buyer assuming they check the following boxes:
  1. The feel of riding high in a proper SUV (it's taller than the Ioniq 5, MachE, Q4, Model Y...)
  2. Affordable AWD (Q4 charging $6,000 and AWD performance is still below competitors?)
  3. A premium feeling cabin (this is where they could poach Model Y customers, as well as Q4 customers who notice the Audi Q4 interior is noticeably cheaper compared to ICE Audi cars)
  4. Those who want to avoid the risk buying a first-gen car on a new platform from a company who hasn't made a mainstream EV before (I'm honestly scared to buy an Ioniq 5 after so many complaints are coming in from EU)
And awaiting real world tests, but if they can avoid as large of a steep loss in range at highway speeds compared to other non-Teslas, that would be big, too.

In short, there isn't currently an EV SUV offered with all of the following for under $50,000 USD: 1) 300mi range, 2) AWD, 3) 300 HP and 450 torque, 4) Premium cabin/ride comfort. And such an EV isn't even planned to come out for the next couple of years.

If Nissan can knock the interior and suspension out of the park I think they have a unique offering here. What I hope doesn't happen is that they release a car in 2022 that was finished in 2020. If they used the last 2 years to fine-tune every tiny detail this could be the reinvention that the brand needs.

What do you think? Am I just talking myself into it?
 
DJP said:
That's my fear.
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Mine too, but my plan is to snag a reservation (next month?) anyway, assuming it's a refundable deposit. My guess is that deliveries in the US won't begin until Summer 2022. So there will be a lot of time for real world information to come in from early markets like Japan and Norway, as well as press cars across the globe.

I think what we're seeing is a lot of demand for these EVs so you sort of have to get your place in line for the 1-3 models you want and then just bail on those that don't pan out.
 
I want to love the Ariya BUT, until real range figures ( not buying 300mi just yet), availability and real pricing get published, it remains a nice looking concept car.
 
5DH said:
What I hope doesn't happen is that they release a car in 2022 that was finished in 2020.
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A lot has happened since 2020. To be specific, the V2L capability of the new Hyundai and Kia models has been groundbreaking. If the Ariya comes without it, it will be just another old-fashioned EV.
 
Michel Clasquin said:
A lot has happened since 2020. To be specific, the V2L capability of the new Hyundai and Kia models has been groundbreaking. If the Ariya comes without it, it will be just another old-fashioned EV.
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I think this depends on your use case. I'd say the Ioniq 5 and Ariya are my top 2, waiting for more to come out on each (we don't even have pricing for either here in the USA). V2L is an important part of the future of EVs, but for me right now I don't think it's absolutely critical, it's not like it can power your house like a generator. Power goes out you can make a pot of coffee and blowdry your hair. If I was an outdoor enthusiast maybe it'd be different. I'd easily drop V2L for a better hands-free driving system (many real world reports of Hyundai's software being very ping-pongy centering you in the lane), for example.
 
I feel like the Ariya was built for me. I currently own a Murano Platinum & I love the amenities and the gas mileage for mid-size SUV. The performance could be better but I'm no longer living my life 1/4 mile at a time. I also have Alexa products in my home. An EV that's basically a new Murano w/better amenities, a HUD AND Alexa built-in sounds as perfect today as it did in 2020 (when I thought I'd be able to buy one). The supreme worry is that I have not seen one journalist anywhere drive this vehicle & we don't know anything about its charging curve. Have they used this time to refine the vehicle or were they just twiddling their thumbs waiting for chips to arrive?
 
StubbyStan said:
I feel like the Ariya was built for me. I currently own a Murano Platinum & I love the amenities and the gas mileage for mid-size SUV. The performance could be better but I'm no longer living my life 1/4 mile at a time. I also have Alexa products in my home. An EV that's basically a new Murano w/better amenities, a HUD AND Alexa built-in sounds as perfect today as it did in 2020 (when I thought I'd be able to buy one). The supreme worry is that I have not seen one journalist anywhere drive this vehicle & we don't know anything about its charging curve. Have they used this time to refine the vehicle or were they just twiddling their thumbs waiting for chips to arrive?
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I have fallen off the Ariya train. It appears that they've used the last 2-3 years to just sit on it. For the price I can't see this making sense, the charging is slow (both L2 and DCFC), the range is very low, no one has even driven the thing so I bet deliveries in the US won't even happen until maybe very end of the year, if not 2023, and that's not even getting into the price which is $5,000 too high at all trims. If Nissan has a rebate program then go for it, I just don't see how this is worth so much more than competitors. The only version with AWD costs more than the Cadillac Lyriq! I just don't see who the target audience is OTHER THAN existing Nissan fans like you. This is an ID4 competitor but they priced it to compete with Cadillac and Volvo and I don't see it.
 
Seems like everyone is disappointed with the pricing. Yeah, it doesn't bode well for those preordering. The Nissan I'm familiar with will respond to the market, and I see them quickly lowering MSRP if sales aren't meeting expectations. I mean, look at the Leaf...definitely priced competitively. It's going to take a while for this to settle. I've never thought of Nissan as cutting edge. That said, I've been very pleased with my Leaf (except for battery range degradation due to air cooling). Yes, I'm a fan (no pun intended).
 
5DH said:
I have fallen off the Ariya train. It appears that they've used the last 2-3 years to just sit on it. For the price I can't see this making sense, the charging is slow (both L2 and DCFC), the range is very low, no one has even driven the thing so I bet deliveries in the US won't even happen until maybe very end of the year, if not 2023, and that's not even getting into the price which is $5,000 too high at all trims. If Nissan has a rebate program then go for it, I just don't see how this is worth so much more than competitors. The only version with AWD costs more than the Cadillac Lyriq! I just don't see who the target audience is OTHER THAN existing Nissan fans like you. This is an ID4 competitor but they priced it to compete with Cadillac and Volvo and I don't see it.
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I suspect it's bigger than ID.4 on the inside (reports are that it's about the same size as the Murano for passengers). I'm fine with the 250-mile range for the AWD spec I've got reserved as long as the charging curve is substantial (i.e. maintaining ~125 kW deep into the pack). I suspect the my vehicle wouldn't be available until Christmas 22 & I'm fine(-ish) with that. I'm just waiting for people not from Nissan to drive it & report on real-world stuff about it. I've gotta admit that there hasn't been much news that has been promising so far. If it's a dud then it's an EV6 or hop on the waiting list for an R1S, or both!
 
Shelly said:
Seems like everyone is disappointed with the pricing. Yeah, it doesn't bode well for those preordering. The Nissan I'm familiar with will respond to the market, and I see them quickly lowering MSRP if sales aren't meeting expectations. I mean, look at the Leaf...definitely priced competitively. It's going to take a while for this to settle. I've never thought of Nissan as cutting edge. That said, I've been very pleased with my Leaf (except for battery range degradation due to air cooling). Yes, I'm a fan (no pun intended).
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It is definitely too expensive especially when you look at the Korean offerings. The value proposition that they're presenting really can't be matched. If those vehicles are incident-free they're really going to be market disruptors.
 
StubbyStan said:
I feel like the Ariya was built for me. I currently own a Murano Platinum & I love the amenities and the gas mileage for mid-size SUV. The performance could be better but I'm no longer living my life 1/4 mile at a time. I also have Alexa products in my home. An EV that's basically a new Murano w/better amenities, a HUD AND Alexa built-in sounds as perfect today as it did in 2020 (when I thought I'd be able to buy one). The supreme worry is that I have not seen one journalist anywhere drive this vehicle & we don't know anything about its charging curve. Have they used this time to refine the vehicle or were they just twiddling their thumbs waiting for chips to arrive?
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Same here, really. I don't need or even want blazing speed in my car.

The majority of my charging will be done at home, so I'm not chasing ultra-fast charging speeds or things like V2L (which in my use case would just be an unused gimmick) that are important to others. I want a comfortable car that drives well and suits my daily driving needs.

The range, power, amenities, styling, and the overall package have it as my top pick right now, but as you say, we haven't seen any real reviews yet.

I could legitimately likely be happy with a Leaf, but I'm going to see what happens here. I have a reservation for an ID4 and an Ariya and I'm going to let it play. I've seen a couple posts that indicate we are getting an update from Nissan next week.
 
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