USED Nissan Note Hatchback (06 - )

My car

I bought this car 2 weeks ago and so far I'm very pleased with it. 48 mpg is the best I have achieved with the Note even on a long motorway trip going no faster than 70mph, so much for the claimed 55mpg for faster driving. The engine noise becomes quite noticeable at 70mph so even on the Continent one is not tempted to go much faster because it all gets a bit buzzy. It feels like it needs another higher gear. My main gripe with the car is the comparatively small dials which are hard to read. The speedo is partially obscured by the steering wheel rim when the steering wheel is set low and the seat is set high. The kph numbers on the dial are tiny and are completely obscured by the needle, a serious flaw and a very poor design. A satnav should help with this problem I hope. There is no engine temperature gauge so it's difficult to know when to boost the fan without being blasted with cold air. The seats seem very flat and hard and are not particularly comfortable on longer trips. The best things are the various storage compartments in the cabin and the false floor in the boot, the huge amount of leg and headroom and the solid feel of the car apart from some of the hard plastics used inside. I also like the way the car is made to look a bit quirky with the funky front and rear light arrangements. I would buy another one as it's a fun car for running about in and has loads of space for four adult passengers.

My car

bought second hand with 11k on the clock. Engine is prone to surge at low speed ie in traffic and when decellerating. Numerous attempts by Nissan dealership fail to remedy the cause. Brakes are noisy when operated, cleaned by dealership with no difference to performance. Now the engine howls which is diagnosed as the auxillary belt and guess what! its not covered by the 3 year warranty. The dealership inform me that they have had several go, so be warned, expect a bill at about 12,500 miles. Ridiculous!!!!

My car

Had this since 3 months old as an ex demonstrator. Now done about 48,000 miles and had no reliability issues apart from glitch with the 6 disc CD player that fixed itself a few days later and hasn't reoccurred. Love the storage features, got plenty of space for 4 adults. Possibly have issues with back (lumbar?) support though. The one major annoyance is tyres. Mine are a unique size that ONLY Continental make and they seem to wear out quickly even though I am not hard on them.

My car

Mine is an automatic and I have covered just over 12000 miles in 6 months. Good :- The mpg is reasonable. My two teen-age children like it and find it roomy and funky. I love the engine and gearbox and find it is very nippy. The intelligent key works fine. The ride is hard and speed bumps really jar the car but I suppose the handling makes up for it. The bluetooth in the radio/CD player works really well with my mobile phones.

Bad:- I paid an extra £700 for the technology pack consisting of reversing sensors and upgraded alarm. These are dealer fitted and neither work as they should. The fog light is on all the time due to this BCM problem. Great! I find the road noise really loud at speeds over 60mph and it's a lot worse than my wife's Fiesta. The seat material is both uncomfortable and impractical. The stitching on the leather steering wheel is very "sharp/hard" and really makes holding the wheel unpleasant. It steams up really easily in damp weather and I have the a/c on all the time to combat this. The electric power steering is a lot heavier than my old Espace. The front tyres need replacing within the next month and so will have lasted about 13,000 miles.

Overall this car gets you from A to B but I would not have another one.