Faults:

Rear bumper a bit... floppy. Common complaint apparently.

Chrome trim around tailgate handle fell off.

General Comments:

This is my second Primera, having previously had the pleasure of owning a beautiful, silver, 1998 2.0 GT SE - which I now wish to God I'd never sold. Sadly I did and after 6 months of emptying my wallet into the diesel tank of a Mitsubishi Shogun, I found myself back at the showroom looking for cheaper transportation.

This latest car was less than 1 year old when I bought it from a Nissan dealership. I was immediately drawn to it's 17" alloy wheels, metallic black paint and smart black interior. A closer look at the specification revealed Automatic Climate Control (!), Anti-lock Brakes, Electronic Brake Distribution, 4 airbags (front & side), 6 speaker RDS stereo, snazzy projector-style headlights, trip computer, electric windows/mirrors/headlamp adjustment etc, etc, etc. The real clincher however was the price. £9000!

Dropping from the GT's 150bhp to 115bhp had me concerned about the Sport's performance on the road - but I really needn't have been. The engine is still quite punchy above 3500rpm and I only really notice the drop in horses when I push the car hard. When I do need to "make progress", I find much the same sure-footedness as before, even if the suspension is a little bit softer than the GT's and so consequently the Sport rolls just a tiny bit more through the corners.

I recently toured the South-West of England, starting from Scotland and clocking up over 3000 miles in 2 weeks in the process. The boot was crammed full of camping equipment yet, as before with the GT, the Primera's insatiable appetite for long, winding stretches of road meant that whenever I arrived at a new destination, the remainder of the day wasn't written off recovering from the journey.

I really have nothing bad to say about this car, I suppose I could mention I was a little disappointed that some of the interior trim had been directly ported over from the previous model (the gearstick console and door-mounted switchgear look particularly out of place) but at least everything is solid and well put together (apart from that rear bumper!). Not too sure about the fuel economy either. I struggle to achieve a combined figure of 35mpg driving sensibly when I seem to recall the GT achieved 40+mpg easily.

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

The Activ Special Edition is worth seeking out; sill extensions, fog lights, white dials, aircon, and all for less money than the basic 1.8 model.

1.8 variable valve timing engine is excellent, revs freely with a wide power band and good flexibility. Not the quietest engine in its class, but this fits in well with the Primera's sporting personality. Better economy than my previous 1.6 Primera too.

Handling is simply superb - Avensis, Vectra, etc. feel soft and woolly after driving a Primera. New multi-link rear suspension encroaches slightly on boot space, although the boot is still large for the class of car.

Dashboard is marginally improved over the previous model, aircon controls are a little confusing, and steering wheel obscures the rev counter and some minor switches for taller drivers.