Nissan makes the Ariya in trim levels called Engage, Venture, Evolve, Empower, and Platinum. Those with a “+” after their name get an 87 kWh battery pack, whereas those without the plus sign receive the standard 63 kWh battery. Their names also correspond to the drivetrain type, either front-wheel drive or e-4ORCE all-wheel drive. The Engage is offered in FWD or AWD, while the Engage+ is only sold with AWD. The Venture+ is exclusively FWD. While the Evolve+ is only compatible with the larger battery, it can be ordered with either drivetrain. The bigger battery is also issued in the FWD-only Empower+ and the AWD-only Platinum+.
With FWD, the Ariya gets a single front-axle motor, while those with e-4ORCE have an additional motor on the rear axle. With the 63 kWh battery and FWD, the Engage generates 214 hp, while FWD Ariyas with the 87 kWh battery make 238 hp. The AWD Engage with the 63 kWh battery produces 335 hp, but Ariyas with AWD and the 87 kWh battery hammer out 389 hp. If you have a small trailer to pull, you’ll like hearing that an Ariya with AWD can tow up to 1,500 pounds.
The Engage with e-4ORCE is estimated by the EPA to travel up to 205 miles per charge, but the other trims will supply 216 to 289 miles, depending on the individual configuration. The Venture+ is the exception: it can go 304 miles before needing to be plugged back in. Those ratings are based on the EPA’s MPGe (miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent) estimates, with the FWD Ariyas achieving 91 to 95 MPGe in the city and 105 to 111 MPGe on the highway. As of this writing, MPGe ratings for AWD are not available.
The Engage may be the entry-level Ariya, but it’s equipped with high-level furnishings, including LED exterior lights (headlights, daytime running lights, and taillights), heated and power-folding side mirrors, proximity keyless entry (Nissan Intelligent Key), push-button start, dual-zone automatic climate control, a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, faux-leather seats (both rows are heated), a power-adjustable driver’s seat with position memory, a power-sliding center console, rear HVAC vents, and a cargo organization system.
This deluxe trim also comes with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system powered by NissanConnect that brings together navigation, Intelligent Assistant voice recognition, smartphone connect (plug-in Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay), SiriusXM satellite radio, a Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth hands-free, and a six-speaker audio system. On top of that, the Engage trim has four USB ports (two Type-A and two Type-C), a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, and a head-up display. The Nissan Safety Shield 360 bundle is standard as well, helping to protect occupants with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, intelligent lane intervention, front and rear parking sensors, reverse automatic braking, intelligent cruise control, ProPILOT Assist with Navi-link (which syncs the navigation and cruise control systems for an improved driving experience), traffic sign recognition, and driver attention monitoring.
The Venture+ is missing some of the Engage’s more upscale properties (the power-sliding center console, simulated-leather upholstery, heated seats, heated steering wheel, driver’s-seat power adjustability and position memory, head-up display, and cargo organizing system). That said, it does come with the larger 87-kWh battery pack that’s available for the Engage (hence the “+” designation), making it capable of greater range.
The Evolve+ resembles the Engage, but it’s heightened with a panoramic moonroof, LED fog lights, a power liftgate, rain-sensing wipers, a power-operated center storage console with a retractable tray table, a wireless phone charge pad, a digital rearview mirror with HomeLink, and a power-adjustable front passenger’s seat. Not only that, but it also gains a surround-view camera system, giving you a 360-degree view of your surroundings.
The Empower is a lot like the Evolve+, but with ProPILOT Assist 2.0 installed. This bundle provides route assist, lane change assist, and hands-off driving assist, as well as ProPILOT Park (Nissan’s exclusive hands-free parking assistance technology).
The Platinum+ gets the full scope of luxury refinements with reverse gear tilt-down side mirrors, a motion-activated liftgate, high-end Nappa leather seats with front row heating and ventilation, a power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, an expanded position memory system with settings for the steering wheel and side mirrors, and a booming 10-speaker Bose with subwoofers set into the driver’s headrest.
