Compare the2025 BMW iXVS 2024 Nissan Ariya

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The iX’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Ariya doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the iX and Ariya have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The iX has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Ariya’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The iX’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Ariya doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The iX has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Ariya doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the iX. But it costs extra on the Ariya.

Both the iX and Ariya have rear cross-traffic warning, but the iX has Cross Traffic Warning with braking function (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Ariya’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the iX and the Ariya have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The BMW iX weighs 613 to 1495 pounds more than the Nissan Ariya. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The iX comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Ariya’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The iX’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Ariya’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Nissan With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks BMW higher than Nissan.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Nissan vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW 8 places higher in reliability than Nissan.

Engine

The iX has more powerful engines than the Ariya:

	Horsepower	Torque
iX xDrive50 electric motors	516 HP	564 lbs.-ft.
iX M60 electric motors	610 HP	811 lbs.-ft.
Ariya electric motor	214 HP	221 lbs.-ft.
Ariya + electric motor	238 HP	221 lbs.-ft.
Ariya electric motors	335 HP	413 lbs.-ft.
Ariya Engage+/Evolve+/Platinum+ electric motors	389 HP	442 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Car and Driver the iX xDrive50 is faster than the Ariya + electric motor:

	iX	Ariya
Zero to 60 MPH	4 sec	7.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	9.3 sec	19 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	4.3 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	12.3 sec	15.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	115 MPH	92 MPH
Top Speed	123 MPH	103 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The iX can travel longer on a full charge than the Ariya on a full charge:

			Miles
iX
	AWD	xDrive 50 20" Wheels Electric Motors	309 miles
		xDrive 50 21" Wheels Electric Motors	303 miles
		xDrive 50 22" Wheels Electric Motors	302 miles
		M60 22" Wheels Electric Motors	285 miles
		M60 21" Wheels Electric Motors	284 miles
Ariya
	FWD	Venture+ Electric Motor	304 miles
		Evolve+/Empower+ Electric Motor	289 miles
		Engage Electric Motor	216 miles
	AWD	Engage+/Evolve+ Electric Motors	272 miles
		Platinum+ Electric Motors	267 miles
		Platinum+ 20" Wheels Electric Motors	257 miles
		Engage Electric Motors	205 miles

Transmission

The iX’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s at 60 in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Ariya doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the iX’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Ariya:

	iX	Ariya
Front Rotors	13.7 inches	11.7 inches
Rear Rotors	13.6 inches	11.33 inches

The iX stops much shorter than the Ariya:

	iX	Ariya
100 to 0 MPH	321 feet	342 feet	Car and Driver
70 to 0 MPH	158 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	130 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the iX’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Ariya (275/40R22 vs. 245/45R20).

The iX’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Ariya Platinum+’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the iX xDrive50 has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Ariya. The iX’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Ariya Platinum+.

Suspension and Handling

The iX offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Ariya’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The iX has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The iX’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Ariya doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the iX’s wheelbase is 8.8 inches longer than on the Ariya (118.1 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the iX is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 2.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Ariya.

The iX xDrive50 handles at .88 G’s, while the Ariya Empower+ pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The iX M60 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Ariya Platinum+ (25.5 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 26.3 seconds @ .71 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the iX has a 2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Ariya (8.7 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the iX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The design of the BMW iX amounts to more than styling. The iX offers aerodynamic coefficients of drag from .25 to .26 Cd (depending on bodystyle and options). That is significantly lower than the Ariya (.3 to .33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the iX get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the iX uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Ariya doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The iX has 1.9 inches more front headroom, 4.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 1.9 inches more rear legroom and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Ariya.

Cargo Capacity

The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Ariya with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 22.8 cubic feet). The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Ariya with its rear seat folded (77.9 vs. 59.7 cubic feet).

The iX’s cargo area is larger than the Ariya’s in almost every dimension:

	iX	Ariya
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	41”/75”	38.3”/74.8”
Max Width	43.8”	54.6”
Min Width	43.8”	43.3”
Height	31.6”	26.9”

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the iX’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Ariya doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Ergonomics

The iX has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Ariya doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

If the windows are left open on the iX the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Ariya can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The iX’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Ariya’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Laser headlights, optional on the iX, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Ariya’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the iX has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Ariya doesn’t offer cornering lights. The iX also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The iX’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Ariya offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The iX has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Ariya Engage/Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+.

The iX offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Ariya.

The BMW iX has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Nissan charges extra for Homelink® on the Ariya.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the BMW iX has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Ariya Evolve+/Empower+/Platinum+ offers wireless charging.

The iX’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Parking Assistant Professional will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Ariya Empower+/Platinum+’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the BMW iX and the Nissan Ariya, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the iX first among upper midsize premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Ariya isn’t in the top three in its category.

The BMW iX outsold the Nissan Ariya by 28% during 2023.