2004 Nissan Primera Acenta Wagon 1.8 from Slovenia

Summary:

Great family car

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Extremely comfortable seats (strong lumbar support is great for my back).

Nice, quiet, smooth driving on the highway.

Lots of useful gadgets (camera for reversing, cruise control,...).

Ergonomic and intuitive to use.

Roomy (it doesn't seem at first glance).

Quite reliable. Low fuel consumption if driven properly using cruise control (approx. 7.0 l/100 km!).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th October, 2008

2004 Nissan Primera 2.2 diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Do not purchase one

Faults:

Sound system changes channels around bends, the volume goes up and down, and it switches from radio to CD by itself.

Integrated Nissan phone system never worked right; calls get cut off around bends and over bumps.

Sent the car to the Nissan dealer I purchased from, they did not fix it. Sent to another Nissan dealer and they did not fix it, after having the car for a week.

Fuel pump failed at 114,000km, and it is 9 working days and still not repaired.

General Comments:

Car is quick, and the reversing colour camera is good.

Comfortable inside. But the electronics and car in general are unreliable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 19th November, 2007

2004 Nissan Primera SE 2.2 dCi from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A good car - really

Faults:

Nothing at all has gone wrong with the car. It has however been recalled for an issue with the ECU and turbo.

General Comments:

Very good. Not the drivers car the old P10 and P11 was, but very comfortable and pulls very well. At its best as a motorway car where the car is quiet, stable and very comfortable.

Loaded with standard toys which is great. Built well, roomy and practical. The dash and controls are unusual at first, but within 5 minutes becomes second nature. A brilliant piece of design.

My only real gripe with the car concerns the fuel economy which in diesel terms is not that great - particularly round town although on a run it's perfectly fine. Other minor annoyance is simply the sound from the doors when you close 'em - just a bit clangy for my liking.

Put it this way - no way will anyone convince me that there is £6000 of a difference in list price between this and my wifes A4 TDi. Primera is comfier, quieter, roomier, quicker, handles as well and every bit as well built even if the materials aren't ultimately as good.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th December, 2005

13th Dec 2006, 15:49

Update to the above review. Now at 36000 miles and the car is at the stealership - again - this time having blown up its engine. It has already had various new sensors, new turbo and a new fuel rail. It now awaits a new engine... Thankfully under warranty so being fastidious about maintenance pays dividends (on that subject full marks for promptness of dealing with the warranty claim to Arnold Clark in Dumbarton - not often I can say that!!!) Also there was a clonking noise starting to appear from the front suspension as well as various other minor niggles which are magnified by my growing dissatisfaction. Yes when it runs I still stand by what I said about the car back in 2005. However I now feel the caveats involved are just not worth it. After 8 Nissan vehicles this will be my last. Thank you Renault for totally screwing up a great product. Hell mend you...

11th Feb 2008, 13:04

I find your comments very helpfull. I am considering a 03- 1.8 AUTO Primera for 5000euros. BUT, 144k and ex-taxi. I'l get it fully checked out of course, but the shape and feel is emotive and I am waivering over and back.

-Cheers.

2004 Nissan Primera ST 2.0 Ltr from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Nice car - shame about the suspension

Faults:

Had tow bar added and since then, the rear bumper has been rattling - however this is probably a fault of the installer (Nissan Dealer).

Asides from this nothing is wrong with the car to date.

General Comments:

The car is generally a nice car to drive. It has a smooth power band, and seems capable when pushing harder. Although nothing mind blowing.

Interior is well spaced out, and seems comfortable for all passengers.

Materials seem to be nice and subdued (mine being black/charcoal), however there are already some annoying squeaks coming from the dash/doors.

When the car is loaded up (for example 4 adult passengers, full luggage, and a small trailer), the gearbox seems to struggle with overtaking maneuvers. It takes a long time to actually accelerate - you can hear the engine revving , but it is as though the clutch is slipping for a bit.

The suspension is absolutely horrible. Around town all seems fine - however judder bars/speed bumps taken at any speed above 5kph will make you reach for the phone number of your back specialist. This is only made worse when traveling at speed with a load in the car.

It seems as though the rear suspension (front appears fine), bottoms out and then wants to get back to the top quicker than the space shuttle! Closest metaphor would be like a donkey try to kick a passenger off. Makes traveling in the car very annoying, and you will find yourself apologizing to your passengers - frequently.

Dials in the middle of the dash take a bit of getting used to however are fine after a while.

The centre control screen - which has the display for radio/cd/climate control seems like a throw back from an early 80's digital dash and generally let's the rest of the car down. The Japanese Import cars which come through have far nicer screens, which makes me left wanting.

The transmission seems quite intelligent, dropping down a gear when the car is going down a steep hill, so that you can make the most of engine braking. In addition to being smooth and painless to drive (asides from the comment about overtaking above)

Styling can take a bit of getting used to - however after owning it for a few months, it is nice to have a car which has it's own styling.

Overall a nice car, if only the suspension could be sorted - I could cope with the other points.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 29th March, 2005

7th Jun 2005, 20:23

The suspension I agree is rubbish, Nissan need to get their act together.

25th Jan 2006, 14:47

The CVT has a Sports mode. CVT's used to suffer from "rubber-band effect", but Nissan seems to have overcome this. When accelerating or pulling up (or going down) a hill flick the switch to sports mode and the performance is little different from other automatics.

As far as suspension goes you have to have the right tyres. I have found that the NZ models use Bridgestone which can be rather harsh and not really suited for NZ roads, but having changed to Dunlop Le Mans the ride is much softer.

2004 Nissan Primera SVE 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A very strong car!

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

When I ordered the car I had no idea as what it looked like. When I took delivery I was disappointed with quality of the plastic in the dash. But after couple of drives I kind of settled with the fact overall performance and ride overturn this minor cosmetic ugliness!!

Indeed it's worth every penny paid for it. It is an ideal car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th January, 2005