You see, all of this grandstanding was done when I was mostly just nipping around town and using the occasional dual carriageway. In the past month or so, I increased my mileage drastically compared with the norm and the Ariya has been a bit of a headache.
Range was typically close to 200 miles with my mixed driving. But in the cold, at 70mph, it is more like 140. This is quite annoying, especially when, during one trip, I could not get the ginger spaceship to do more than 2.5mpkWh.
Typically, it does around 3.0mpkWh, but for some reason the efficiency tumbled, as did my mood. This particular act of insubordination led to an unplanned charging stop and a rather tired-looking partner, who was already wearing her coat because I had turned the heating off to attempt to claw some range back.
I’m aware that my last two reports have been on the topic of range. But I’m not being obtuse (or lazy, sub-editors). When you drive an EV with a small battery in the depths of winter, range is the thing that you think most about.
You don’t have the mental capacity to judge secondary ride when you’re on Google Maps attempting to find a shorter, if not quicker, route to where you’re going.
And my gut feeling is that if I were driving a Tesla Model Y or Kia EV6 right now – the Ariya’s main competition – you would be reading about some little quirk or the way it drives or how its range prediction software has remained spot on during the cold snap and not about my girlfriend wearing her winter jacket inside of the car.
Love it
Speed thrills
The ride, enhanced by relatively small, 19in wheels, is glossy at motorway speeds.
Loathe it
Speed chills
Range, not helped by the cold weather, is greatly reduced at motorway speeds.
Mileage: 11,206
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