What do I spy here, then?

The first Nismo-badged car to be offered to European folk since the GT-R was forced into early retirement by tightening regulations. Excitingly, it's set to be the first of several Nismos to be offered here. Culminating in yes, hopefully, another halo supercar.

But this is where the necessary volume – and thus financial sense – lies for now. Electric crossovers are the car du jour (even if EV sales are faltering) and remain one of our best bets of seeing brand new performance cars entering the market, however paradoxical such a concept may strike you. Fortunately Nismo has form in sportifying unlikely cars; we refer you to the Elgrand Nismo for ultimate proof.

And electrification can play a useful role in making larger, more practical cars drive with renewed vigour. The Ariya Nismo is based upon the dual-motor, e4ORCE setup of the Nissan Ariya Evolve+ below it, albeit with a newly focused front/rear torque split of up to 25/75 depending on conditions. There's no RWD drift trickery, but there are more lenient stability controls to help make more mischief.

How much power, then?

Two identical engines sit fore and aft for 429bhp and 442lb ft peaks, enough to shift its approximately 2.2 tons (weight is TBC) from 0-62mph in five seconds flat. Which compared to the 3.4s of a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N or 3.2s of a Tesla Model 3 Performance – the two cars cited by Nismo engineers as rivals – is more than a little meek. The engineers instead point us to a Z Nismo-bashing 2.4s sprint between 50 and 70mph.

Indeed, there's something far more real-world about the Ariya Nismo than its blockbuster rivals, a grasp on reality and an awe-inspiring set of gimmicks that might just make it a simpler car to live with. But yes, you'll be losing arguments with more pedantic performance EV owners. Better learn to foster the art of Zen to shrug them off.

Is the Ariya a good place to do that?

In all forms this car nails a Zen atmosphere with an interior unlike anything else on sale. Sure, it's swapped buttons for screens as much as the next EV, but the materials are more contemporary with a wood-ish veneer whose coolness isn't broken by the chintzy anodized red detailing of Nismo trim. It feels less 'generic masculine washbag' than many a purported performance SUV, a lack of OTT carbon trim certainly helping matters.

Mind, there's no carbon anywhere, so while the GT-R Nismo (which continues service in the Japanese market) is fighting fit and frightfully expensive with its lightweight bonnet, boot lid and body kit, the Ariya is just as stocky as before and with only a moderate performance uplift over the previous range-topper.

So why would I bother?

Nismo has been fiddling beneath the skin. As well as the more rear-biased e4ORCE there's stiffer suspension (by three per cent at the front, ten at the rear), new 20in Enkei wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires and retuned ABS (albeit no bigger brakes), while the drive modes gain a feistier Nismo setting. For JDM cars – like the one we've driven on the legendary Hakone Turnpike, a couple of hours out of Tokyo – it adds faux powertrain noise that mimics Nissan's Formula E racers. European cars will forgo the soundtrack, which is probably wise.

Crucially, should I bother?

The Ariya Nismo is a different proposition to the Ioniq 5 N. While its engineers have clearly had a play with Hyundai's wonder EV – 2023 TopGear.com Car of the Year, no less – they also decided to walk a different, less track-focused path with their competitors. The Ariya is supple, smooth and – unless you really up your commitment – ​​not a big leap on from its base car.

It resists understeer well, though, tucking far more neatly into corners than its size and mass surely suggest and with a neutral balance as you get back on the power. More boisterous and binary inputs can result in a flourish of wheelspin – although it's more notable for the 'wheeee' of its augmented sound than any rich stream of communication from the components beneath – and a small handful of oversteer. Albeit nothing you as a driver have any meaningful connection with, the 4WD system neatening things up almost the moment they begin. Nevertheless, there's fun if you go looking for it. Just not as much as that Pesky Hyundai.

I also wonder how often you'll actually go looking for it, the brakes presenting a big barrier to truly wringing out the Ariya for all it's worth. Nismo claims to have kept the weight under control by not beefing up the discs and calipers: we'd have happily taken a few more kilos on board to make the car stop properly. It only takes a few committed corners for the smell of overworked brakes to erode your confidence and this car's less hardcore demeanor to be truly rubber stamped. At least you can slow it down with the rain.

So who's it for?

If you're a company car user looking for something interesting, it might just fill the role. In both style and spec sheet it's less shouty than the Hyundai, its sober color scheme (white, gray or black), subtle styling upgrade and smart interior giving it a much more amiable daily driver vibe. Nismo may have 40 years of enviable motorsport heritage, but its makeovers are variable in their focus; plenty of its JDM models represent only a slight transformation over their base car. The Ariya Nismo is more than a mere trim upgrade, but less of a jump than its key rivals.

Happily, the engineers are open to a gnarlier Nismo RS model – like the old Juke offered – should customers demand it. Perhaps with similar faux gearshifts to those which elevate the Ioniq 5 N so successfully above the mainstream. And pleasebigger brakes…

How much will it cost?

Prices are yet to be confirmed, but with the Ariya Evolve+ costing a whisker under £60,000, you can expect the Nismo to tip things perilously close to the Hyundai's £65,000. Other sensitive stuff, like a WLTP range figure, is also TBC, but its 87kWh battery should make somewhere approaching 300 miles achievable. Max charging is 130kW, some way short of the class best.

There's lots to like, then, but a few fuzzy areas too. More promisingly this is merely the start for Nismo, as it targets a range of European models much like it offered a decade ago. The Ariya is the sensitive line in the sand, the car Nissan surely insists on kickstarting the range from both a sales and image perspective, especially when Europe is going all in on electric. If it begins a timeline to much sportier stuff – and an eventual GT-R Nismo replacement – ​​then its arrival should be welcomed by us all.