VIDEO: Nissan Ariya drags caravan up ski slope in Landgraaf

Good tow car

Caravan owners know that a good tow vehicle can make the difference between a successful vacation and a disappointment. But what makes a car suitable as a tow vehicle? Is it only the powerful engine that counts? No, stability and control are just as important. To show that the Nissan Ariya possesses all these features, the brand sent the electric SUV up the steep slope at Snowworld in Landgraaf. Reaching the top is an achievement in itself, as few cars just drive up a slippery slope with a gradient of 25%. But Nissan wanted to prove that the Ariya has even more up its sleeve, so they also hitched a hefty caravan behind the car for the stunt.

Dakar driver

Behind the wheel was Dutch driver Tim Coronel. It is known that it can steer quite a bit, yet we had our doubts whether the Ariya would make it to the top. The indoor track in Landgraaf is not just any hill. We were already struggling to clamber up the 400-meter slope ourselves. Even with our sturdy mountain boots it was a chore to get grip, so how is a car with a hefty caravan behind it going to manage that in the snow?

No run-up

Then there was another problem: the track in Landgraaf is not long enough at the bottom to make a run-up. Coronel did have a solution to that. The Dakar driver placed the Ariya with caravan crosswise in front of the starting line, so he still had a few extra meters to gain momentum. With a drifting caravan behind him, he tore spectacularly across the start line, only to immediately gain altimeters. With its foot firmly on the gas pedal, the SUV-caravan combination climbs up in a controlled manner, to our surprise. Within a minute, the caravan is at the top of the pitste. We are not the only ones impressed by what just happened. “Bizarre! The Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE finished the job like it was nothing. I really didn’t expect it to go so easily,” Coronel said.

How so!?

For the snow stunt, Nissan did not specially modify the Ariya e-4ORCE. The car was driven straight from headquarters in the Netherlands to Landgraaf, did its thing there and then drove back home. Of course, it was on winter tires. So how could he have driven up so easily? The Ariya in question is an E-4ORCE variant, with all-wheel drive. Unlike regular 4WD cars, e-4ORCE technology can adjust the power distribution of the two engines extremely quickly. The car knows which wheels have grip and sends power directly there, keeping it stable even in difficult conditions. The system also allows for more precision in steering and limits unnecessary movement of the car, providing greater comfort. The video below shows the spectacular snow ride:

Also read: EV-ROADTRIP from the Netherlands to Scandinavia IN THE WINTER: epic or grueling?