The Nissan Ariya rivals the Tesla Model Y

Nissan’s most significant production car news in a long time, the all-electric compact crossover you see is the real deal: showroom-ready and available in five different versions – some prioritising range, others with a performance emphasis – with a UK arrival date tipped to be early in 2021.

What we don’t know yet are prices, but with rivals including cars like the forthcoming Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID.4, a tag starting around £35,000 is our guess. Confirmation is promised in coming months.

The Ariya marriage between two Nissan gamechangers like the Qashqai and Leaf is in concept only, for the Ariya is new from the boots up. There’s a new electric platform courtesy of the Renault Nissan Alliance, new proportions – it’s a hefty 200mm longer than the Qashqai – and new style of minimalist and very hi-tech cabin. All this newness is finished off with Nissan’s new electric car identity, displayed to the world by a light-up Nissan shield on the nose and full-width light “blade” at the rear. All very EV.

What’s old, relatively speaking, is the design: that dates from the concept of the same name shown at the Tokyo Motor Show last year. And as you may have guessed, the production version has not changed much, keeping its coupe profile and distinctive front and rear ends. Even in a rapidly filling class of electric SUVs the Ariya promises to stand out, even if you don’t see eye to eye with the assertion of Nissan designers that it is “sleek, sexy and seamless.”

Incidentally they won’t all be copper coloured like the debut car. Five other hues are available, each paired with a black roof, while there are four full body colours available as well.

The five Ariyas for Europe comprise versions with a single (front) motor, two-wheel-drive and 63kWh batteries, and models with motors back and front, all-wheel-drive and an 87kWh power supply. Weights range from 1.8 to 2.3 tonnes, power outputs from 242PS to 394PS, boot size from 408 to 466 litres, and all of them are rated to tow up to 1,500kg.

There’s an Ariya that can drive for 310 miles (and cover 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds), and an Ariya that can sprint from 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds (and cover 248 miles). You takes your choice…

The best versions get e-4ORCE, what Nissan is billing as its most advanced all-wheel-drive technology and spiritual offspring of the Nissan GT-R's torque split system. Combined with the under-floor batteries for a low centre of gravity and what Nissan says is near equal weight distribution, the Ariya will be fun to drive as well as comfortable to ride in, says the firm. There are three drive modes, standard, sport and eco, with the all-wheel-drive version also offering a snow setting. Whatever the version, all Ariyas get the e-Pedal from the Leaf for drivers who like the option of one-pedal motoring.

The Ariya in any form also promises plenty of room inside. Thanks to clever mechanical packaging inside the long wheelbase platform, Nissan claims the cabin floor is completely flat and obstruction-free from front to back, while thin “zero gravity” seats boost back seat kneeroom.

This cabin reinforces the electric vibe with a very minimalist, techie ambience, what Nissan likens to “a sleek cafe lounge on a starship”. So if you like big screens, swipe control, head-up displays, softly glowing lights and haptic switches that appear only when the car is turned on (Nissan says there are no physical buttons), you’ll be right at home. One useful feature: a centre storage box with a slide-out table to make the car a mobile workspace. Natural voice recognition, a “Hey Nissan” assistant and the latest connectivity all feature here.

It all speaks of a very well thought-through range, but then Nissan is historically the SUV and electric car pioneer, and it has had long enough to get this right. And there’s the rub. Unlike the first-in-class Qashqai, Juke and Leaf, the Ariya already faces a lot of stiff opposition. Still, an electric crossover has Nissan written all over it and could well be the one to beat.