Nissan Ariya EV SUV Doesn't Disappoint In The Moose Test

The Nissan Ariya is now starting to arrive at dealers around the world and it is already available for orders in the United States with prices starting at $44,485. The Japanese electric SUV is surely a very interesting new product on the EV market but before you go to your local Nissan showroom and put in a deposit for one, you’d probably want to see how good it is in terms of safety. We won’t talk about electronic assist systems but will instead take a look at what’s the vehicle’s road behavior.

The famous moose test is a good litmus regarding a vehicle’s weight balance and chassis stiffness, two of the main factors that define how good a car is on the road. A new video by km77.com shows us the Ariya doing the moose test and a slalom test. We’ve seen plenty of videos with different models performing the same type of evaluation and it is now time for the newcomer in the EV sector to take on the challenge.

The Ariya managed to register a top speed of 48 miles per hour (77 kilometers per hour) around the cones. This is not a record pace but it is more than what many other electric vehicles can achieve. The publication says the SUV felt easy to control with neutral and safe reactions at higher speeds. The body roll was moderate and the steering, while not especially informative, did just enough to allow the driver to guide the vehicle in the right direction.

The tested version of the Ariya had the optional 20-inch wheels with 255/45 Michelin Primacy tires, which probably helped the SUV perform well in the moose test. The electric family hauler, however, was from the base model with the smaller 64-kWh battery pack and a single 218-horsepower electric motor on the front axle. This is the entry-level variant of the Ariya in the United States, which can be had for at least $44,485 without the extra equipment. The most expensive Ariya in the US has a dual-motor powertrain and costs at least $61,485.