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Originally Posted by nismoskyz
I sat in an Aria a few months back at Nissan's GHQ in Japan and it was pretty sweet. I was very impressed to find an interior that was completely designed from the ground up. Not sure if the USDM version is way different. Here's a little video review I did on the interior https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVY-PWUetTk. I last checked out a 2019 Murano at a dealership and that and the many Rogues I've sat in all had (by now) very outdated interiors. This is finally something new from Nissan and I call it a win, purely from a design standpoint. |
It's a new design from the ground up for sure. But IMO its 90% glam and nothing to shout about. Why? It looks kinda cool inside, but nothing special compared to other electric offerings. But the features and how it works just aren't great. Like the air vents that look great but just aren't that well made. A tiny little glove box in what is a big car. The center console slides front to rear, but what the frack for? One of those things that's initially "cool", but after thinking about it, when will it ever be used or needed? Neither the dealer nor I could figure out how to get the large center console to open to allow storage. The top section has a top area with a phone charger inside that simply won't be very practical (it's angled backwards for some reason). My poor opinion was exasperated by the fact that the center console was in the slid back position, so placement was odd. There is a new material that is supposed to resemble wood with wood grain. Well I'm here to tell you my PVC vinyl fence in my back yard in dark gray and tan with fake wood grain looks just as good or better. In the Aria all the plastic squeaks, badly. Door panels, console, air vents .... everything I touched moved and squeaked to some extent or another (like a GM car). The only really nice upgrade thing about the Aria interior is the suede alacantra (sp?) leather on the dash. But the leather and leather seats in my old 2004 Murano were made from higher quality finished material. One new thing it appears many new cars are doing (like a big ugly BMW I saw at a car show) because they can, are making the window and door buttons electronic, like a smart phone. Well that may certainly look cool, but in actual use they will completely suck. Who wants to have to look down every time they want to open the window just to see where the button is? In direct comparison to my old 2004 Gen 1 Murano, the Aria is even more modern, and perhaps more plush. But its poorer made with lower quality leather and features that don't really work. There was a magazine review of the Gen 1 Murano many years ago that said something along the lines of "the interior of the Murano belongs in the museum of modern art --- it's simply stunning and a joy to use." The Aria is not that IMO. Its a glam mobile that lacks substance.
I don't think the Aria is a Nissan flop. I think it's a current generation of cars flop. It's simply too much money for what you get.
But then again, I'm not used to this modern new car era either, where even a small Chevy Bolt can cost you $45k. It's a shitty time to have to buy a car, that's for sure.
One more thing, about the outside. Like the new Cadillac I saw a few weeks ago, the *** end is all glam and huge, like a Kardashian ***. And like the Tesla 3 with its fugly black fan wheels, the wheels on the Aria I looked at were some of the most hideous wheels on a car I've ever seen. Just repugnant.