Ariya

Make
Nissan
Segment
SUV

After three years of rigorous testing across the globe, Nissan is finally happy with the durability of the new Ariya, and with more than five times the Earth's circumference under its belt, we think this EV is ready to hit the road.

The nifty Nissan Ariya might have had a few shaky moments in the buildup to its launch due to the ongoing semiconductor shortage, but this Japanese crossover is looking more than ready to take on competitors such as the Tesla Model Y, and according to Nissan, it can handle a few punches. Watch what it went through below.

Every manufacturer tests new models to the extreme. Some go a bit further than others, but in the case of the Nissan Ariya, it seems like Nissan held nothing back. To effectively gauge this all-electric coupe-crossover's performance, Nissan tested the Ariya across 5,000 parameters, each designed to fully expose the car to driving conditions found across the globe. With over a decade's worth of EV experience gleaned from the highly successful Leaf, Nissan knew where to focus its attention and assigned a team of over 500 experts at Nissan's Tochigi test course in Japan to put the Ariya through automotive hell.

In a YouTube video posted by the manufacturer, we see the Ariya being battered and bruised across various surfaces, including loose gravel, undulating roads, deep water, cobblestones, and more. Out in the real world, the Ariya was tested on a variety of road surfaces, including sand, wet tarmac, and snow. As a brand new model, the intense testing makes sense; after all, Nissan doesn't want to face any embarrassing recalls in the near future. It also has a reputation for building solid vehicles, and it wants to maintain that image regardless of how propulsion comes about. Lots of people are expected to buy this vehicle, so it needs to be good from the get-go.

As a quick reminder, the Nissan features a base power output of 214 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque and sends its power to the front wheels. The base model comes with a 66-kilowatt-hour battery pack (63 kWh usable) and a range of 216 miles. The 91 kWh battery pack (87 kWh usable) pushes the power up to 238 hp, and the range gets pushed up to a maximum of 304 miles. e-4ORCE AWD models pack 335 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque and a range of 205 miles, or 389 hp, 442 lb-ft of torque, and a range of 265 miles. The Ariya can charge at a peak rate of 130 kW. The Ariya starts at $43,190 and tops out at $60,190 for the e-4ORCE Platinum Plus.