I drove Nissan’s new $50,000 Ariya SUV. It’s an elegant, high-tech EV with some annoying flaws

The Nissan design team did a good job with the Ariya’s aesthetics. It strikes a balance between being edgy enough to feel modern and futuristic and subtle and restrained enough to avoid being off-putting.

A large, single-piece LED light strip runs across the width of the rear facia.

Front-wheel-drive Ariyas have 6.3 inches of ground clearance, while all-wheel-drive variants get 6.7 inches.

Those figures are on par with those of rival EVs like the VW ID.4 and Hyundai IONIQ5, but they fall short of Rogue’s 8.2 inches.

The Ariya’s 130kW DC fast charging rate allows it to charge from 20% to 80% in 40 minutes.

That falls behind rivals like the Volkswagen ID.4’s 175kW DC fast-charging speed, which allows it to charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes.

Both vehicles trail the Hyundai IONIQ5, which can charge from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes using 350kW DC fast charging, one of the fastest charging rates out there.

My test car was rated for a solid 289 miles of range. With some gingerly applied throttle and the regenerative braking turned up, I found I could easily surpass the 300-mile mark.

The Ariya’s exterior styling looks good, but the interior looks even better.

Not only is overall material quality solid, but there’s also a good diversity of differing textures in the major touchpoints around the cabin, including faux leather, imitation open-pore wood, and copper accents.

The seats, designed to combat driver fatigue through improved posture, provided great support and were incredibly comfortable.

The Ariya runs a version of Nissan’s corporate infotainment system, which is solid and fairly easy to use but not the industry’s best.

On the plus side, the system comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto.

In addition, the shortcut touch buttons to the left of the screen for functions such as CarPlay and the climate controls were very helpful.

The center console is also home to the Ariya’s toggle-style shifter and a pair of cup holders.

That’s about four inches less than the Rogue and two inches short of the IONIQ5.

The camera is located near the top of the ear windshield and projects an image onto the rearview mirror above the front dash.

According to Nissan, the power retractable tray offers additional utility for those wishing to turn the Ariya into a mobile office.

However, I found the tray table useful only when the vehicle was stationary. When I drove around with my smartphone on the table, it slid around too much for comfort.

In addition, the motor used to actuate the tray table is kind of slow, and you have to hold down the controls, or it will stop moving.

The Ariya’s stylish sloping rear roofline eats into its cargo capacity, which is nearly 10 cubic feet short of the boxier Rogue.

Fold the rear seats down, and the cargo room expands to 59.7 cubic feet.

Instead, Nissan chose to locate the electronics and mechanicals powering the Ariya’s climate control under the hood. This isolates the equipment’s noise and vibration away from the occupants, facilitating a quieter cabin.

After a decade of selling affordable EV hatchbacks, Nissan took a step forward into the modern EV market with the Ariya.

Although Nissan may not have the same cache among EV shoppers as a Hyundai or Tesla, overlooking the Ariya would be a mistake.

Despite a less-than-ideal peak fast charging speed, the Ariya remains a capable EV with sophisticated styling priced to compete among the latest electric compact SUVs on the market.