USED Nissan Primera Hatchback (02 - 06)

My car

Initial fuel consumption was disappointing: high 30s at best. After 10k miles, it was 40mpg. It's since improved with 46k miles up to low- to mid-40s.

A real problem has been quality control and reliability. I've suffered the mystery power loss referred to by others (also see the X-Trail reviews, as that uses the same lump). In addition, the back of the passenger seat fell apart, and the rear screen leaked water into the electric tailgate release mechanism, which fritzed and set the alarm off because the computer thought someone was breaking into it. Amazingly, Nissan asked the dealer to take digital pix of the screen to prove it was the original as they didn't believe it could happen. That took three months to fix.

The biggest problem involved the onboard display screen, which handles all functions and displays, including the satnav and reversing camera. In cold weather, when you turned the wheel, it changed the display. If the radio was on, it turned the volume up and down. If you had the digital display on, it cycled between mpg, service intervals, elapsed mileage etc. Of course, as soon as the car warmed up, it behaved and it never went wrong when at the dealer. It took two winters before Nissan acknowledged there was an issue with the model (a dodgy earth in the steering wheel column switch, apparently) and fitted a modified wiring harness under warranty. Since then, it's been fine.

My car

I bought this car may 04 new 1.8.S the only problem was a poor handbrake, that Wessex Nissan failed to fix even after 3 attempts. My local dealer Wickliff fixed it in no time, and booked me in for a modified cable recall, now its excellent. no other problems. has averaged 38.7 mpg over 34000 miles, looks and drives like new, performance adequate, engine pulls really well from low revs, good road-holding, but not for boy racers. poor visibility for reversing only 1 reversing light. Excellent climate control, demist/defrost rapid, good headlights, rear screen stays clear even in heavy rain except at very low speeds. no squeaks or rattles running cost sensible. My old premera was faultless with 150,000 on the clock. Ideal family car. have heard about turbo diesel problems, but petrol 1800 is fine. Could do with more storage for odds and ends for driver.

Brian Turk Stroud Glos

My car

Had this car now for a year.

Good Points:

- Standard climate control - Electric windows all round - Roomy cabin - Automatic windscreen wipers - Auto dim rear view mirror - Reversing camera

Bad Points

- Looks - Service reminder which turns off reversing camera in the middle of a manoeuvre - Cold temperature warning that is far to distracting - The cruise control doesn't seem very intuitive - Engine is a little agricultural, particularly when cold and isn't the smoothest at delivering its power - Only the seat base adjusts for height not the whole seat - Central dials not ideal - Display dims when you turn on the side lights meaning you either can't see it during light rain or it's far to bright at night

All in all a decent effort that is let down by the details.

My car

I bought this car second-hand from a car supermarket due to a new addition to the family.

Its space and practicality are superb, and the boot just eats up everything I can throw at it. It has a solid feel which would make me confident of survival in a crash. The styling is a bit 'out there', but I like its individuality after driving a couple of really dull European cars.

It also has a lot of grunt in the right rev range for overtaking and motorway cruising. As someone said, the camera should be fitted as standard.

The only real downside I can find is the fact that the fuel economy is truly dreadful. I'm not one to drive around at 1000rpm, and I'm certainly no boy-racer either, yet the maximum I get is 20-25mpg (town) and 30-35mpg (motorway). A recent trip from Cardiff to Stansted cost me £30!

All in all, I really like this car, but with the fuel economy the way it is, I may have to start searching for my new car sooner than I would like.