I attended the Ariya test drive event at Orlando Florida yesterday. Here’s my initial impression after a short test drive ina parking lot.
I was a little bit underwhelmed.
Exterior was decent looking.
Interior seating was nothing special
Acceleration was more subdued compared to our Leaf. It was more like an ICE car . Initial torque was less then torque increased as speed increased.
Handling and steering was light.
Interior appointments ie seat etc were just OK, nothing special.
Single pedal e-drive was more subdued than our leaf and it does not come to full stop as our leaf does. It only slows down. It’s less aggressive when coming off the throttle then the. B mode or e-Pedal on our leaf.
Rear seat head room was much better than the leaf
I liked the displays better than a Tesla huge center screen
Cargo storage capacity in trunk area was better than our Leaf but not as big as our 2015 Lexus RX450h
I was surprised that I hit my head on the rear hatch when it was open and I reached into the cargo area. I’m 6’ tall. I don’t hit my head on the leaf rear hatch when opened.
It had the same type hard cargo cover that our SL leaf does.
Battery cooling. I was told battery is kept at 75 degrees all the time even when fast charging with CCS. That’s a big plus
When I asked about placing an order the rep told me dealers are taking pre orders but most are “Price gouging”. She suggested trying country dealerships rather than big city dealers. Her words exactly.
Overall my impression was neutral.
With the recent passage of the new bill possibly allowing Tesla and GM to qualify for the $7500 tax rebate a Tesla Model Y may be a better choice in the long run., due to its possibly holding its value better.
I was a little bit underwhelmed.
Exterior was decent looking.
Interior seating was nothing special
Acceleration was more subdued compared to our Leaf. It was more like an ICE car . Initial torque was less then torque increased as speed increased.
Handling and steering was light.
Interior appointments ie seat etc were just OK, nothing special.
Single pedal e-drive was more subdued than our leaf and it does not come to full stop as our leaf does. It only slows down. It’s less aggressive when coming off the throttle then the. B mode or e-Pedal on our leaf.
Rear seat head room was much better than the leaf
I liked the displays better than a Tesla huge center screen
Cargo storage capacity in trunk area was better than our Leaf but not as big as our 2015 Lexus RX450h
I was surprised that I hit my head on the rear hatch when it was open and I reached into the cargo area. I’m 6’ tall. I don’t hit my head on the leaf rear hatch when opened.
It had the same type hard cargo cover that our SL leaf does.
Battery cooling. I was told battery is kept at 75 degrees all the time even when fast charging with CCS. That’s a big plus
When I asked about placing an order the rep told me dealers are taking pre orders but most are “Price gouging”. She suggested trying country dealerships rather than big city dealers. Her words exactly.
Overall my impression was neutral.
With the recent passage of the new bill possibly allowing Tesla and GM to qualify for the $7500 tax rebate a Tesla Model Y may be a better choice in the long run., due to its possibly holding its value better.
