Are all Nissans soulless / characterless ?

Delancey · 25-09-2011 01:53AM #1

My Alfa was in the garage all week for crash repairs and I got a replacement car for the duration - a Nissan Note.

In fairness it started every time , turned in the direction I wanted it to , got me from A to B , etc.
Thats really all I can say that was positive - it was the most ' characterless ' or boring car I've ever driven - gear change was like a bag of spanners and overall the car looked and felt like little more than a tin box with 4 wheels.
It was such an ' underwhelming ' experience I couldn't be arsed establishing what engine it had.

Is the above a feature of Nissan or is the Note just unlucky ?

Alanstrainor · 25-09-2011 01:54AM

Well let's be honest here...it was a Note you were driving, not a GTR!

Cill Dara Abu · 25-09-2011 01:57AM

I have an Almera 1.5 and its a great car, have it a year and had no bother with it atall.

Handles brilliantly, very quick and very nice inside.

StonedRaider · 25-09-2011 01:59AM

Primera 1.6 and not an ounce of bother in the last 4years and 40K miles..

challengemaster · 25-09-2011 02:01AM

Oh dear, Nissan GT-R, 370z, 350z, r34 GTR/GTT, R33 Gtst/GTR, R32... 300zx, S15/14/13.....and the list goes on, and thats not even including the Infiniti range...

That's before you even get to the run of the mill cars..

The note may be a bag of ****e but dismissing one of the worlds biggest car manufacturers based on 1 car.. /facepalm

Delancey · 25-09-2011 02:10AM

challengemaster wrote: »

Oh dear, Nissan GT-R, 370z, 350z, r34 GTR/GTT, R33 Gtst/GTR, R32... 300zx, S15/14/13.....and the list goes on, and thats not even including the Infiniti range...

That's before you even get to the run of the mill cars..

The note may be a bag of ****e but dismissing one of the worlds biggest car manufacturers based on 1 car.. /facepalm

I wasn't dismissing all Nissans based on 1 car - hence my question.

ottostreet · 25-09-2011 04:08AM

Cill Dara Abu wrote: »

I have an Almera 1.5 and its a great car, have it a year and had no bother with it atall.

Handles brilliantly, very quick and very nice inside.

Ah man, c'mon.

FearDark · 25-09-2011 04:31AM

Cill Dara Abu wrote: »

I have an Almera 1.5 and its a great car, have it a year and had no bother with it atall.

Handles brilliantly, very quick and very nice inside.

I'm sure its a ****ing rocket on the road, heap of wánk boring car tbh.

Woah EDIT: Quick, compared to what, a snail in a fúcking headwind.

seanybiker · 25-09-2011 04:43AM

Delancey wrote: »

In fairness it started every time , turned in the direction I wanted it to , got me from A to B , etc.

Thats all its supposed to do sure.

FearDark wrote: »

I'm sure its a ****ing rocket on the road, heap of wánk boring car tbh.

Woah EDIT: Quick, compared to what, a snail in a fúcking headwind.

What are you driving?

Yes im going to use my bike as an example in this argument, only because you brought up his vehicle as being a rocket on the road.
(In a piss taking way) / edit.
He likes his car. a lambo and a micra still have the same rules of the road.

I fooking hate brand snobbery.

Bumpstop · 25-09-2011 05:08AM

it's not a Nissan problem. It's a board room, profit margin, share holder, engine cover, no user serviceable parts problem. If you want a car with soul these days, either have thousands of pounds, or else a set of jack stands and some old clothes. Otherwise own a blacmange.

The likes of Lotus cars had bags of character, and were the vision of one person, not a board of directors. The price you pay for affordabillity is blandness.

Pdfile · 25-09-2011 06:25AM

Bumpstop wrote: »

it's not a Nissan problem. It's a board room, profit margin, share holder, engine cover, no user serviceable parts problem. If you want a car with soul these days, either have thousands of pounds, or else a set of jack stands and some old clothes. Otherwise own a blacmange.

The likes of Lotus cars had bags of character, and were the vision of one person, not a board of directors. The price you pay for affordabillity is blandness.

this plus the fact that they make diffent cars for different regions.

the crafty son of a guns.

ShadowHearth · 25-09-2011 10:15AM

Last time drove my skyline it wasn't boring...

Nissans normal range is boring like any others manufacturers, but Nissan makes one of the finest performance cars in the world.

Eric Cartman · 25-09-2011 10:26AM

not realy, the note is a boring a-b car really , pretty much all manufacturers at the moment are like this ,pretty much anything sold in ireland since 2008 with an engine smaller than 1.6 petrol or 2.0 diesel is just a boring kitchen appliance type car

sean1141 · 25-09-2011 10:54AM

companys make these small cheap cars because its what most people want. a car that will be cheap to buy new, cheap to run, tax, insure etc. will start when you want etc.. not everyone is interested in a car with character. to them its just a tool for doing a job.

pajo1981 · 25-09-2011 11:13AM

I though the primera was kinda cool/different when it came out. The interior at the time couldn't have been accused of being boring.

L-M · 25-09-2011 11:25AM

Just because it had that screen with that reversing camera? It was still horrendously boring, unless you were reversing. And even at that, that was only because you were looking at stuff behind the car rather than the dash.

Slig · 25-09-2011 11:39AM

50% of the cars I've owned (well 2 of the 4 so far) have been Nissans and I'd have to say yes the main-stay everyday models are soul-less. when buying this time I looked at a few primeras and almeras, they dont handle well, even the 2.2td engine is sluggish and somehow they still managed to somehow make the outlandish looks of the primera feel boring.

I dont know if its the same for every manufacturer of modern cars but its definately something I'd associate with Nissan

stimpson · 25-09-2011 12:17PM

Limerick man wrote: »

Just because it had that screen with that reversing camera? It was still horrendously boring, unless you were reversing. And even at that, that was only because you were looking at stuff behind the car rather than the dash.

Thats not really fair. It was far from boring if you were on a motorway at speed and there was a crosswind - it was a white knuckle ride. I was surprised Nissan hadn't invested in a wind tunnel. Awful awful car.

Ardennes1944 · 25-09-2011 01:25PM

a guy in our place has a navara. great jeep! wheelspin in 2nd with a caravan on the back is fun

dgt · 25-09-2011 03:05PM

Every car maker makes dull, soulless cars and it just so happens you ended up driving a dull, soulless, generic, unspecific transportation device for deadbeats in dead end jobs, school run mums that are too cheap to buy an mpv or post mid life crisis people that have just given up and want a generic tinbox that gets them about with as little fuss and cost as possible but want something that could possibly seat more than 2. Its a huge culture shock to an Alfa, like eating lobster then immediately following that eating gruel :eek:

Nissan do make very exciting cars

0708_impp_74_z+nissan_cefiro+right_front_view.jpg

If the owner of this car is looking at this, they'll probably agree this is anything but dull...

Even the jeeps are somewhat exciting...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOWo8X84fSM

Plug · 25-09-2011 03:08PM

IBND:p

EPM · 25-09-2011 03:09PM

It's the dull souless cars that cover R&D costs that ensure cars like the GTR are built.

L-M · 25-09-2011 03:23PM

LOL @DGT's post.

Every single one of those is modified.

166man · 25-09-2011 05:49PM

Delancey wrote: »

My Alfa was in the garage all week for crash repairs and I got a replacement car for the duration - a Nissan Note.

In fairness it started every time , turned in the direction I wanted it to , got me from A to B , etc.
Thats really all I can say that was positive - it was the most ' characterless ' or boring car I've ever driven - gear change was like a bag of spanners and overall the car looked and felt like little more than a tin box with 4 wheels.
It was such an ' underwhelming ' experience I couldn't be arsed establishing what engine it had.

Is the above a feature of Nissan or is the Note just unlucky ?

It probably doesn't help that you climbed out of one of the most characterful cars in the world into a Nissan. Worst car I was ever in was a Nissan Almera saloon. Collected in one a few years ago and should have walked home instead... Terrible interior but the worst was the gearbox, gearlever was shaking all over the place just sitting in traffic!

mondeo · 25-09-2011 05:58PM

The old Nissan Bluebirds were great cars

mox54 · 25-09-2011 06:00PM

i have a nissan almera cause a car is a car but God, IT'S BORING!:D

robbie_998 · 25-09-2011 06:14PM

I've only ever driven 3 nissans in my life

98 micra - piece of ****... hate the thing

07 almera saloon - decent car that wont break down and the likes but the interior is just bland and dull

07 X-Trail - same again that wont break down - not much equipment for off roading like a landrover or anything. but the interior is just poxy... why do they need all the dials in the middle ? why not behind the wheel ?

im not saying nissan are bad but a real life one you would use everyday there are better things... but at the same time you could say the same time about any car.

its just a matter of preference

op - you might aswell pose the question of who's better... stereophonics or lady gaga ? some people will say lady gaga.. and others stereophonics... just like nissan against mazda or the likes.

me... stereophonics !

For Forks Sake · 25-09-2011 06:17PM

Limerick man wrote: »

LOL @DGT's post.

Every single one of those is modified.

And hasn't been manufactured since the 90's at the latest with the exception of the Skyline.

The only Nissan in current production with any character is the GTR, you can't include the Infinitis as you can't buy one new here, also they've the same delusions of grandeur as Lexus(s)

BahSheep · 25-09-2011 06:20PM

Limerick man wrote: »

LOL @DGT's post.

Every single one of those is modified.

So what if they're modified, unmodified cars can look great too.. Nissan Silvias range of s13,s14,s15 and 180's.., Skylines and some other great nissans are extremely great cars.

There ^^^ is a standard nissan silvia s13 for example and it's still absolutely gorgeous, not boring. The inside of these cars are interesting also. And if they are modified it's just to make it more interesting, more fun to drive. It doesn't have to be fast or modified drastically to be fun. Silvias are such a gorgeous car.

s15 for example, hardly much done to the outside of this car. Yet absolutely lovely to look at ..

And also, nissan GTR's wouldn't be my taste in car's.. but, hardly boring.

VolvoMan · 25-09-2011 06:31PM

The only Nissan I would like in production today would be the 370Z or something obscure from their JDM range.

Otherwise, the Qashqai and Juke do absolutely nothing for me and I don't get them at all.

For Forks Sake · 25-09-2011 06:33PM

VolvoMan wrote: »

Otherwise, the Qashqai and Juke do absolutely nothing for me and I don't get them at all.

I'm leaving this here for posterity

2008-nissan-tiida-latio+_12_.jpg

Are all Nissans soulless / characterless ?

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