NEW PRIMERA (Nissan Primera (1996-99))

Member Name: FLYGURP

Product:	Nissan Primera (1996-99)
Date:	03/10/00 (379 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Price, standard fetaures

Disadvantages: Image , depreceation

Having had a primera since 1996 which I was very pleased with, I decided earleir this year to buy the new model recently introduced. The prices for cars at the showroom were discounted as Nissan's lack image and are notorious for their massive relative depreceation. I previously owneda 1.6 lx but decided to go for the 2.0l SE+ which comes with a 6 Cd changer, better headlights , leather trim , electrics all round , climate control, ABS , alloys etc etc. The car available for a reasonably good discount of £3000 on list was a Silver metallic one. The paint on delivery was noted to be very marked and it looked as though some foreign particles had got embedded into the lacquer. A quick visit to a body shop and the problem was cleared.The dealer gave me a free service plan for the inconvenience. Driving the old car was great fun, although only a 1.6l , it was quite agile as long as I was the only occupant. This new two litre version is as much fun ( as fun as these saloons can be) but the seats are definately not as comfortable. Long journeys in the old primera were a breeze but my wife and I both find that the new version is not as comfortabel for longer journeys, the lower back support is poorer and leads to fatigue quite quickly. The car also sounds asthmatic when pushed.Acceleration isn't as slick nor as capable as you'd expect from a 2l engine. Gears are smooth however. The climate control is quite effective but unlike in some cars, when the air conditioing and demisting are selected together, the ambient temperature quickly falls even if the temperature has been selected as higher. Living with the car is easy, no one bats an eyelid when you park a new primera within 2 feet of them. Added to this is an impressive alarm system with anti hijack locks ( ie , the passenger doors are kept locked unless you activate the key fob twice). So unlikley that the car will go awry without your say so.So far the fuel economy has been good with an average of around 30mp
g despite being pushed hard on motorways. The interior finish is not tacky nor plasticky as Nissans used to be. Soft feel plastics and firm trim abound. The fake wood is ok within the leather environment. safety is high, air bags everywhere , including side impact bags. The boot space is good enough for a family of four. Overall an excellent car with hopefully the same reliability of its predecessor.

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