05/10/2023 UPDATE: This evaluate has been up to date with instrumented take a look at outcomes.

We have by no means been all too smitten by all-wheel drive for all-wheel drive’s sake. In our opinion, most automobiles are merely higher off simply driving two wheels, particularly the rears—a minimum of, that was the case earlier than the proliferation of EVs. Since then, we have discovered ourselves extra impressed by the EV fashions with twin motors driving each axles. Why? As a result of they’re usually much more highly effective and much faster than their two-wheel-drive counterparts. One such instance is that this 2023 Ariya e-4ORCE, which is Nissan’s humorous new nomenclature for its all-wheel-drive electrical powertrain.

When we examined the front-wheel-drive Ariya, we had been upset by its acceleration efficiency. The common Ariya’s single electrical motor drives the entrance wheels and makes 238 horsepower, however at 7.5 seconds to 60 mph, that mannequin lacks the satisfying zip we get pleasure from in different EVs. That adjustments with the addition of the all-wheel-drive mannequin, which provides a second electrical motor that drives the rear wheels and will increase the entire horsepower to 335 ponies in base Interact guise and to 389 horsepower within the Interact+, Evolve+, and Platinum+ trims.

With two motors on board, the Ariya is way fleeter. At our take a look at monitor, our 389-hp Platinum+ take a look at car wanted simply 5.0 seconds to succeed in 60 mph and accomplished the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds at 108 mph. That is not Ford Mustang Mach-E GT ranges of efficiency, but it surely’s a giant enchancment and one which makes stop-light launches and freeway passing maneuvers extra satisfying.

Including extra energy does not, nonetheless, enhance the Ariya’s dealing with, because the all-wheel-drive mannequin is simply as bland because the front-wheel-drive one. With motors spinning each axles, the Ariya e-4ORCE solely marginally improved on the front-wheel drive mannequin’s skidpad consequence, with the Platinum+ returning 0.86 g versus the single-motor Empower+’s 0.85 g. That is not dangerous contemplating our all-wheel-drive Ariya is 361 kilos heavier and rolls on 20-inch wheels and Bridgestone Alenza Sport A/S tires versus the Empower+ and its 19-inch wheels and Dunlop Grandtreks.

There’s a Sport driving mode, however apart from conjuring up a man-made whirring sound and minutely sharpening throttle response, it does little to boost the EV crossover’s highway manners. The Ariya’s all-wheel-drive system will generally apply braking to the within wheels throughout cornering to fight understeer, however it is extra helpful for staying in higher management on low-friction surfaces than for looking apexes. Unseasonably heavy rainfall in Northern California’s Sonoma County offered loads of moist corners on which to check the system, and it does work reassuringly effectively at sustaining stability.

Some dual-motor all-wheel-drive electrics—akin to early variations of the Tesla Mannequin Y—supply extra driving vary than their two-wheel-drive analogs as a consequence of cautious calibration to solely use a single motor in the course of the EPA’s take a look at cycles. However not right here. Nissan gives the identical two battery packs within the e-4ORCE because it does in the usual mannequin, and the vary for each is barely decrease with all-wheel drive.

The entry-level Interact trim will get a 63.0-kWh battery with an estimated driving vary of simply 205 miles per cost. The three dearer trims—Interact+, Evolve+, and Platinum+—all include a bigger 87.0-kWh battery pack. The driving vary estimate for the Interact+ and Evolve+ trims is way extra aggressive at 272 miles, whereas the Platinum+ carries an estimate of 267. In our 75-mph freeway vary testing, the Ariya Platinum+ delivered solely 210 miles of driving earlier than we would have liked to cease to recharge, making it much less best for highway journeys than the front-wheel-drive mannequin, which offered 240 miles of driving in the identical take a look at.

The Ariya’s impressed inside design is its most important benefit over rival EV crossovers. Patterned panels on the doorways and bulkhead beneath the sprint are backlit with ambient lighting and look fairly elegant, whereas considerate touches akin to a built-in smartphone charging-cord organizer are designed to scale back litter. The cabin is spacious in each the entrance and the rear seats, and a modern-looking dashboard includes a pair of curved 12.3-inch digital shows. A wood-trim piece that runs throughout the sprint can be backlit and homes the SUV’s local weather controls, which function with only a mild faucet, however the controls for different features positioned on the middle console require a tougher push.

All fashions are effectively geared up, however the loaded Platinum+ we sampled at $62,770 pushes the boundary into the posh class, each by way of value and options. That price ticket will get you niceties akin to heated and ventilated rear seats, a 10-speaker Bose stereo, real leather-based upholstery, a self-parking characteristic, and navigation-enhanced adaptive cruise management. The addition of the rear motor has little affect on cargo room—general baggage house is equivalent to the FWD mannequin, however the underfloor storage bin has been sacrificed.

As with all-wheel-drive variants of internal-combustion automobiles, all-wheel-drive EVs include advantages in addition to compromises, so one factor that hasn’t modified on this transition from gasoline to electrical is rigorously contemplating your personal wants. The minor sacrifice in vary and the key enchancment in acceleration that the Ariya e-4ORCE gives over the usual mannequin looks like an honest tradeoff to us.

Managing Editor, Purchaser’s Information

Drew Dorian is a lifelong automotive fanatic who has additionally held all kinds of consumer-focused positions all through his profession, starting from monetary counselor to auto salesperson. He has dreamed of turning into a Automotive and Driver editor since he was 11 years previous—a dream that was realized when he joined the workers in April 2016. He’s a born-and-raised Michigander and realized to drive on a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am. His automotive pursuits run the gamut from convertibles and camper vans to sports activities automobiles and luxurious SUVs.