I drove Nissan's electric Ariya SUV — it proves that 13 years after the Leaf, the automaker can compete with Tesla

• Nissan's first electric vehicle since the Leaf hatchback has arrived. 
• The Ariya SUV is stylish, capable, and has a few tricks up its sleeve. 
• It shows that the EV trailblazer still has what it takes to compete with the best EVs out there. 

Long before Tesla became a household name, Nissan was the electric-vehicle pioneer making headlines.