Nissan Note - Opinions, & auto or manual?

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R.Y.K. LEE

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Hi guys,

I'm thinking about buying a Nissan Note, and was wondering do any of you guys own one? Does the boot allow for pushchairs/prams, or will it struggle with it?

Also should I get it as an automatic or manual? What are the pros and cons? I heard auto will use more petrol, but how much more. Significantly more or not enough to really notice? What other pros and cons are there?

Don't know that much about cars, only ever driven 3 door corsas (owned 3), looking for something a bit bigger now for a small family use. But don't want to pay too much more in tax/insurance than the corsa at the moment (so no 2L+ 4x4's for me).

Any other recommendations I should be looking at? Asking on the forum as I prefer user feedback. Been to a few places already and the sales teams were like vultures! Thanks in advance :)
 
I can't comment on the car specifically but other things to be aware of are that the automatic versions are usually more expensive initially, more thirsty (as you point out) and they'll also be a higher tax band. I assume they'd also be more expensive to service.

Nissan Note tax bands
 
I'd go for a manual if I were you. Automatics don't really suit small cars; small cars with automatic transmissions only tend to be bought by old people who can't operate a manual very well anymore, so as long as you can drive a manual, go for that.
 
I cant comment on the Nissan but I drive an automatic Rover Diesel and the fuel consumption around town is awful, about 27mpg but on a run its up near the 50 mark. the manual version returns around 45 round town and over 50 on a run. Tax is also an issue mines £260 a year and the manual is £175
 
R.Y.K. LEE
I have had a Nissan Note 08 reg (petrol/manual) for five and half years, and have been quite happy with it. The only things I have had trouble with are the horn stopped working which was easy fixed, and I have to be very near to the drivers door for the key to be able to unlock it by pressing unlock on the key, It is now well out of warranty and think it would may be costly to repair. It still opens the door just not from a distance. With regards to the boot, it is a good sized boot for the car size, you can have a deep boot or it as boards that can be laid across so it is not as deep. I would think it would fit pushchairs/prams using the deep option, also you are able to slide the rear seats forward which is a great help.
 
my OH has a skoda fabia 1.2 diesel. the ved is £35 pa. its been very reliable and we've got a large pushchair in no problem.
 
buckle247 said:
Have you changed the battery? Might be on the way out?
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Or, facing the car point, the key at the underside of your jaw and open your mouth, press the button. Sounds daft, you'll probably look daft, but it works.(y)
 
My wife has a Nissan note 1.4 and whilst it's not the most elegant car on the road it is brilliantly versatile, the boot is large enough for most needs. it's quite, rides comfortably and is very reasonably priced.
I call it the ronseal car, it does exactly what it should do.
 
nilagin said:
Or, facing the car point, the key at the underside of your jaw and open your mouth, press the button. Sounds daft, you'll probably look daft, but it works.(y)
Click to expand...

I did something similar, but touched the key against the top of my head.

It easily doubled the range of the key fob.

:)
 
Working foe nissan the note is one of bread and butter cars, are you looking new or used as advice will depend on any advice given as the new note comes out in a couple of weeks :)
 
I too have worked for Nissan. They are a good little car. The auto is only in the 1.6. And is a bit thirsty.

They are just a good practical car. Won't excite you but won't be disappointment either
 
My wife and I both now have automatics after many years of manuals, however they both have much larger engines than 1.6. In the past, I've driven small engined autos and found that they tend to hunt for the correct gear and to be significantly thirstier than their manual counterparts. TBH, I prefer the involvement of changing gear (and I do have the option of manual gear selection via flappy paddles, although the computer still deals with the mechanics of changing gear) but full manual isn't an option in my car.
 
Another Nissan employee here( I used to build the note) and having owned the 1.5 diesel I couldn't fault it, I also had a young family at the time and I never had any complaints about it.
 
Thanks guys for all the replies! So I should be looking for a manual for more urban driving, instead of an auto?

I've also noticed that the diesel is a lot less to tax and insure than the petrol version. Also that it does more mpg too. I was talking to a salesman the other day and when I mentioned that to him, he said that I didn't need a diesel as I am doing mostly urban and less than 10k a year.

I was told about the new diesels being fitted with something called a DPF and they can be a nightmare. What I want to know is, how much of a nightmare is it? Surely if the manufacturer can fit it to one of their cars, then it must be fit for purpose?

Has anyone had any experience with a DPF fitted car, driving mainly urban/low miles? Have you had any trouble with it?

I was tempted by the Citroen C3 Picasso too on their forecourt, also a diesel, 1.6.
 
DPF or Diesel Particulate Filter to give it it's full title is a filter system in the cars exhaust. This has to regenerate every once in a while and it is best to do a lot of motorway driving to enable this. A vehicle only used for urban driving will never get a chance to regenerate and eventually the DPF breaks and will need replacing which is costly. However on some cars, the dpf can be mapped out of the system.
 
As long as you give the car a run out to get the engine up to temperature every few weeks you won't have a problem with the dpf. If all you ever do is town centre stop start driving you might notice a cough and a splatter of white stuff out the back once in a blue moon as the system tries to clear itself.
 
Or look at the new 1.2 Dig-S 2013 note which drives amazingly well, petrol so no dpf and all the latest toys available :)
 
TheNissanMan said:
Or look at the new 1.2 Dig-S 2013 note which drives amazingly well, petrol so no dpf and all the latest toys available :)
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Unfortunately I won't be buying new (never bought secondhand before, it's one of the scariest things I've done lol). Looking for something around £8k.

I had my heart set on the Nissan Note, but it was a 1.6 automatic. Hence me asking here about whether or not it would be wise to get one in auto.

The more I look in this price range, the more I'm tempted by different brands/models. When I bought new, there were cars that were clearly out of my league. But secondhand seems to be a free for all at the £8k price point!

So currently, I have these options:

Nissan Note 2010
Vauxhall Meriva 2011
Citroen C3 Picasso 2010
Ford C-Max 2010

Haven't given much thought at any others, yet. Decided to stick to what I know and go with a manual. But now contemplating whether to go petrol or diesel. Enquiring about the DPF on the newer diesels too.

One thing to mention also is that my wife has family in Plymouth so we are down there often. The Corsa 1.2 petrol struggles immensely with getting up the steeper hill roads (Bovisand was a nightmare!). Will a 1.4/1.6 petrol people carrier also struggle compared to a diesel version?
 
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my father in law has a note auto it drives well and is ok on petrol

id say get the manual if your not set on auto as it is more expensive to buy run repair

the back seat slides forward so you can have more boot space if needed he fits golf clubs in ok

nice little car by all accounts and well specced
 
You can get a lot of car for 8k if you don't mind something a little older. That's what my wife paid for her XK8 4 litre soft-top. Not much good for your needs though - boot's not big enough (probably, although it does hold a set of golf clubs) and no isofix for a child seat. There is room for an adult in the back seats (note the an - not sure you'd get 2 in!) at a squeeze!
 
Personally would not get an isofix seat as although great in head on/rear shunt they are awful in side impacts but that's another discussion :)
 
I wouldn't have children!!!
 
If you want a Nissan Note auto, there's no great problem with them - even if they're not fashionable with the internet cognoscenti! You'll lose on fuel consumption but gain on driving convenience. It's not a quick car. Some years ago, I used a Renault Modus automatic - essentially the same thing - that would get to about 102 leptons on the motorway and simply could not get to 103!

Lots of clever interior space for the external dimensions and a sensible trade-up from a Corsa unless you have a very good relationship with your Vauxhall repairer, in which case look at a Meriva.

The point about fashion, is that the internet is full of cognoscenti, telling you to buy a diesel ... but those pesky sellers go online too and diesel car prices are inherently higher! With your expectation of less than 10,000 urban miles p.a. you will not recover that extra cost!
 
Yves Geza said:
The point about fashion, is that the internet is full of cognoscenti, telling you to buy a diesel ... but those pesky sellers go online too and diesel car prices are inherently higher! With your expectation of less than 10,000 urban miles p.a. you will not recover that extra cost!
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You should recoup a lot of it when you come to sell it.
 
If you aren't doing regular motorway journeys, get an efficient petrol.


You need to do regular long journeys for the dpf to urn off the bits. If you don't, expect a £1000 bill.

Quite a few people have purchased a diesel car for pottering around and have been given a rather hefty bill when the dpf has buggered up. In a showroom they will ask you what type of driving you do and advise appropriately.
 
My dad has a note 1.6 auto and gets around 40mpg most of his driving is around town. He gets it up to around 43mpg on a long journey but its not all motorway when he does. He bought it mainly for the boot space with the amount and size of radio controlled planes he gets in it. Finds the dual level boot handy. and likes the way the seats fold flat. He is not sure about the new version of the note due to the redesign of the back end.
 
Only 43 on a long journey? I can get that and my car's a 3litre. OK, mine's a Diesel but it's not a small car. I used to get close to 40 in my old Citroen and that was a 1600 petrol Picasso.
 
His long journey is about 60 miles on wales A5 a long and winding road. He sometimes comes home via the A55 (a motorway for wales) but not for that long.
 
Thanks again for the advise guys!

Getting somewhere now. Went to look at the Nissan Note again and I think for my use, the boot is a little small. Even with the deeper floor, it is not deep enough lengthwise. I intended to lay the travel system's wheels down flat in the boot floor to allow me to put other items on top of it.

I really got my eye on the C3 Picasso now, it grows on me every time I see one. I think at the dealer's, the petrol 1.4 was £175 to tax, the 1.6 diesel was £30. So a big difference.

I read that the DPF can be "cleaned" by running the car for at least 5-10 minutes at around 40-50mph, or driven at a higher speed in a lower gear e.g. 50mph in 4th gear. Would this cause more wear and tear to the car, or is it normal practise?

Someone told me that it shouldn't really be much trouble, when the warning light for the DPF lights up, take it for a motorway run for 10 minutes and it should sort it out. Does that sound about right?
 
Sounds about right, although I would (and do) try to pre-empt the warning light and go for a cobweb clearing blast once a week. (Quite fun but with tyres at ~ £200 each, I tend to do the blasting in 2nd or 3rd rather tan a full blown acceleration test!)
 
Dale_tem said:
To "clean" (regenerate) the DPF, you need to get the exhaust temps up, so a constant cruise down the motorway for 10 minutes should do it.

I am not sure driving at 40mph as it would need to be constant, stopping and starting or slowing down will stop it.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuels-and-environment/diesel-particulate-filters.html
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From that AA link (and copied below), wasn't it mainly Nissan or Mazda engines that were self destructing fairly recently? It does seem a bit ironic that to reduce certain emissions you have to burn more fuel and increase other emissions :wacky:

If the regeneration is unsuccessful the extra fuel injected will not burn and will drain into the sump. Oil quality will deteriorate as a result of this and the level will rise. It is important that you check that the oil level does not increase above the maximum level on the dipstick as diesel engines can run on excess engine oil – often to the point of destruction.
 
The idea I believe is to reduce emissions around town and let them out on the motorway (they need higher temps to get burnt off or something)
 
Sure, but then lots of people buy a diesel and don't go on a motorway from one month to the next (or if they do, according to the AA, that might not even be enough due to high 6th gear).
 
THey are the people who have been having the £1000 bills and why small petrols are better around town.

My mum has a Mazda 3 diesel, the DPF light comes on, she goes for a half hour cruise down the motorway in 5th, its fine for another month or 2
 
Hi,

I actually own an 08 Nissan Note so I'll be happy to answer any questions you have. I've own mine for 3 years now and absolutely love it. Actually considering buying the new one later in the year as long as I don't invest in another camera before then.

As for the boot space, the Nissan Note has a handle that allows you easily to move the back seats forward to increase boot space. I've got 2 kids, ages 10 and 8 and unless you push it to maximum boot space, they still have ample leg room to sit comfortably. In addition there are fold out tables on the rear of the Driver and passenger seats. Works wonders when on a long journey as they're able to store their drinks comfortably. Rear seats sit three adults well. I installed the Nissan Connect system myself into the and that works perfectly. So I have Sat Nav, and can connect my iphone to the USB socket to play my music and answer my phone via bluetooth. I've got the auto model, it costs me approx £40 to fill up (usually less), and I get around 300 miles on a full tank of urban and motorway driving. I get it serviced once a year at my local Nissan dealer, and that costs me £230 for the annual service. Hope that helps.
 
Is that the 1.6 petrol auto?

I just don't know about it anymore. The car is lovely, I really like the look but the only thing bothering me is that I can't get the travel system in to the boot without compromising the rear passenger leg room.

It's got the upward height/depth, but not enough depth lengthwise. Someone suggested a Focus or an Astra would do the trick. Funnily enough, the travel system managed to fit in the boot of my brother's Hyundai Coupe quite comfortably! Would have gone for that if it had back doors and the rear passenger headroom wasn't so low (hit my head on it a few times).
 
Yep, mine is a 1.6 Auto :)


R.Y.K. LEE said:
Is that the 1.6 petrol auto?

I just don't know about it anymore. The car is lovely, I really like the look but the only thing bothering me is that I can't get the travel system in to the boot without compromising the rear passenger leg room.

It's got the upward height/depth, but not enough depth lengthwise. Someone suggested a Focus or an Astra would do the trick. Funnily enough, the travel system managed to fit in the boot of my brother's Hyundai Coupe quite comfortably! Would have gone for that if it had back doors and the rear passenger headroom wasn't so low (hit my head on it a few times).
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I *don't* own a Nissan Note 1.6 Auto. I thought I wanted to, until I took one for a test drive.

I thought the automatic gearbox was absolutely dreadful. I was fighting it continually and it never seemed to change up or down at the right time. Everything else about the car was fine - it seemed like it would be very practical in real day-to-day use - but I could not live with that gearbox.

In the end I got a VW Golf 1.4 Auto. I'm not usually remotely interested in cars, but I am (to my surprise) really really enthusiastic about the DSG gearbox. It reads my mind, it changes gear in a blink, and I find that in practice I just don't have to even think about gears (except when I'm reversing). It's just always in the right gear and it makes driving it very easy.
 
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