This afternoon, the wife and I got in the almost new (about a month old now) Nissan Ariya. It’s just really hard to break old habits. I got my keys out and actually started to insert them in the ignition. That would not work and I knew it. Still it took a while for me to realize error.

You see, the car has no place for an ignition key. In fact, normally it doesn’t use a key at all. Because I had a fob in my pocket, I was able to simply touch the door handle with my finger to unlock the door. Then once inside, the normal procedure is to put my foot on the break and press the power button, (about the size of a quarter just to the right of the steering wheel). Then I put the car in reverse to back out of the driveway. Without the fob, none of this would occur.

I don’t totally understand all the workings, but it would appear to me as if it is as close as possible to being the highest security possible for a car. It operates on a proximity basis. When the fob gets close enough, I can control the car. If I don’t have the fob and the door is locked, I cannot unlock it. If I push the power button, it will have no effect.

The beauty of the system is that I am very unlikely to ever lock the fob in the car. I just put it in my pocket and keep it there. When I leave the car, it is unlikely I’d leave the fob behind. I don’t have children, but if I did, it would be almost impossible to lock them in the car with the keys.

In fact the system is so good, I would love to have it in my home. If fact, I have no idea why they haven’t had something like that already, not only for homes but also for businesses. Well, it that case, I would assume the fob would need an on/off switch to keep the door from being unlocked while you are inside.

I asked about that at the Nissan dealer. He told me that the system knows when I am inside. Once I am in and the door is locked, I am safe, that is unless someone broke the window.

The system they have is one of the biggest reasons for me to chose a Nissan. Never did enjoy carrying around all those keys. Never did like the idea of locking myself out of my car because I left the keys in the ignition. Maybe it isn’t the perfect system, but it has to be close to it. It gives me the security of locks while still allowing me the convenience of no locks. If I am in a hurry to get in my car at night, with my hands full, there is no fumbling for keys.

There is of course, no steering column lock as on most modern cars. However, I tried to turn the wheel while the power is off and it is just almost impossible. I don’t know if it is intentional, but it may as well be.

Now, having said all this, I must back up and say there are two exceptions. First, the car can be unlocked by Nissan in an emergency. Secondly, for those who get the app to download on their phone, not only can the doors be locked or unlocked remotely, but it is also possible to control climate control remotely. I don’t have any idea why you would want to, but you can do it from anywhere you can get an internet connection for your phone. I’m not sure about needing the internet connection by the car. It might use satellite.

Now, if I can just get used to leaving my keys in my pocket when I want to go somewhere.