Nissan became one of the great explorers of mass marketed electric vehicles with their LEAF hatchback. And despite its success, new EV products from the brand were slow to trickle out. We didn’t drive a new one until last year, the 2023 Nissan Ariya; and we’re back in the saddle to experience the Ariya now with e-4ORCE.

That’s the Ariya’s all-wheel drive system, and it can generate up to 389 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque, traveling up to a claimed 272 miles. That’s with the 87 kilowatt-hour battery. The 63 kilowatt-hour standard range battery puts out a little less power and is good for 205 miles.

On paper, these numbers aren’t out of this world; but, they are mostly on par with the competition. It’s the e-4ORCE’s all-wheel drive abilities which make it stand out a little more.

ALEXANDER KELLUM: “I’ve been driving this Ariya all day and I’ve gotta say this e-4ORCE all-wheel drive has really impressed me. We had a short little pit stop over at Sonoma Raceway where we ran through a little agility course; you know, a slalom, a late braking test, uh, a wet hairpin. And I was just impressed at how well the e-4ORCE could mitigate road conditions, driver input, and kind of fuse it all together to make sure I was carving the line I intended to take. It was really cool.”

e-4ORCE or not, the Ariya’s cabin features that EV-openness we’ve come to expect, plus some nifty storage solutions. Here, the minimalist dash houses haptic controls, above which are dual 12.3-inch displays.

The 2023 Nissan Ariya starts in the mid-40’s, with the first e-4ORCE model starting around $48,000. The Extended Range e-4ORCE starts just over 50K, topping out over 60.

We’ll have our Ariya e-4ORCE Road Test and more Quick Spins… soon!