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By Jonathan Crouch

In Nismo form, Nissan's Ariya shows its fiery side. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 35

Nissan's fastest Ariya EV, this Nismo model, isn't the quickest or most dynamic mid-sized performance electric crossover you could choose, but it might still charm you with its rapid pace, attractive looks and classy cabin.

Backgroundword count: 137

In 40 years of history, Nissan's Nismo performance brand has produced some interesting cars. Some great (the GT-R Nismo supercar), some good (the 370Z Nismo performance coupe) and some not so good (the Juke Nismo frantic small SUV). What it hasn't yet engineered - until now - is a performance EV. This is it, the Ariya Nismo. We've had plenty of performance-minded EVs based on mid-sized crossovers to date; some quite fast (like the Volkswagen ID.4 GTX with 340PS). And some very fast (like the Hyundai IONIQ 5N with 650PS). With 435PS, the Ariya Nismo falls somewhere in between. It's the first Nismo-badged Nissan to be offered in Europe since the GT-R was forced into early retirement by tighter emissions regulations. Can it really be a fitting follow-up to that memorable car? Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 319

You might have thought that no niche had been left unaddressed in the over-crowded market for mid-sized electric crossovers, but Nissan thinks it's spotted one here. In terms of performance models in this segment, there's quite a performance gap between something like a Volkswagen ID.4 GTX (340PS) and a wild Hyundai IONIQ 5N (650PS), with most contenders (think Kia EV6 GT or Ford Mustang Mach-E GT) offering either just above or just below 500PS. Developing 435PS, this Ariya might not be quite as fast as you'd hoped, but it strikes a useful middle ground between these two extremes. Though it's worth pointing out that this output is only 130PS more than you'd get in the top standard Ariya model, the Evolve e-4ORCE. The only other rival to offer this kind performance balance is the Tesla Model 3 Performance, which has 459PS, but beats this Nissan's 5.0s 0-62mph time by around two seconds. Nissan wants you to know that the more important 50-70mph overtaking stat increment (2.4s) looks a lot better (faster than the rorty old 370Z Nismo sports coupe). As in an ordinary top Ariya, there's a dual motor e-4ORCE four-wheel drive system, but here the torque output is more biased towards the rear, variable to the road surface beneath. The front can take up to 60% of motor output, the rear up to 75%. But there's no system to shuffle torque around between the wheels - and certainly nothing that would allow circuit drifts a la IONIQ 5N. Disappointingly, Nismo hasn't uprated the brakes to better cope with the extra power (though the ABS has been re-tuned), but all the splitters and skirts apparently up downforce by 40%. Aided perhaps by the prodigious 2.2-tonne kerb weight. There's grippy Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres. And the drive modes get a feistier top 'Nismo' setting. The fake powertrain noise (that apparently mimics Formula E racers) isn't fitted to European-spec cars.

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