Which? works for you Which? Car review Nissan Primera (20022006) On sale: Feb 2002 Class: New price: Used price: From 995 Performance: Boot & Storage: Ride comfort: Safety: Wellequipped and cheap to run. Good to drive. Spacious and practical. Lack of image. Poor visibility. Small engine range to choose from. handling: Reliability: Ṯotal score: Recommended models in the range Which? Car Top Choice Model 2.2dCi SE 5dr [138] New price: Used price: 1,195 Fastest Model 2.2 dci TSPEC 5dr [138] New price: Used price: 1,725 062mph: 9.8 secs Most Efficient Model 2.2Di SVE 4dr New price: Used price: 1,175 Combined fuel economy: 47.9 mpg Cheapest Model to buy new New price: Overview Nissan no longer competes in the large saloon/hatchback car sector and you get the feeling it had already given up when it made this model. Safety isn t up with the best, and although it comes well equipped and has modern styling, there s little else to recommend it beyond the fact that it s now a cheap secondhand buy. The steering, handling and suspension are fine, and the engine is well matched to the sixspeed gearbox, delivering crisp acceleration in the 2.0litre petrol version. The brakes work well and the Primera came packed with safety technology to help you out. Some of the fancier features can take a while to get your head around, but the controls, dials and displays are all well laidout and clear, while the heating and ventilation work well. The seats are fine in the front, but taller passengers could find the rear seats lack headroom. The boot is large enough for most needs, and the only gripe we have is poor visibility: it s difficult to judge where the front of the car is, and the large pillars obstruct the rear view. The Primera is one of the cheaper family cars to run; fuel, insurance and servicing costs are reasonable, and the worst of its depreciation (loss in value) has now happened, making it an affordable secondhand buy. Cheapest Model to buy used 2.0i SE 4dr Used price: 995 Cheapest Model to Run (new) New price: Running costs: (3 years/36,000 miles) Owner s View Space in the car including the boot is fantastic, very comfortable drive, both on motorway and normal roads.
Nissan Primera (20022006) On the road The Primera inspires confidence and feels good on the road, aided by stability control (standard in SVE models). The suspension isn t bad, but the lowspeed ride is not always comfortable. Performance The 2.0litre petrol engine delivers plenty of pull from low revs providing decent acceleration without the need for frantic gearshifting. This engine is coupled to a sixspeed gearbox, and the two work well together, but unfortunately gear changes aren t particularly smooth, and you need a strong left arm to engage sixth gear and reverse, which some could find offputting. The 1.8 is reasonably refined, but feels a bit underpowered in the big Primera, necessitating downchanges on motorway gradients and lots of revs for overtaking manoeuvres. The only diesel option is the 2.2dCi. It s much more flexible than either petrol, with better pull across the rev range. However, it s a bit noisier than the petrols, and sends vibrations into the cabin when worked hard. Our testers felt that sixth gear was a little too highset, and there were too few opportunities to use it at UK motorway speeds. Acceleration (3762mph) diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate 6.7 secs (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) 7.4 secs petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) 6.3 secs Performance We use the sophisticated electronic timing equipment to record standingstart and ingear acceleration, and repeat each test several times. Ride comfort Ride comfort is assessed by our laboratory experts who have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in a myriad of different models. Ride comfort While the suspension deals nicely with major bumps and potholes, rough country roads can cause loud thumps, particularly at the rear end. It can get wearing after a time. diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003)
Nissan Primera (20022006) On the road continued... Handling We can t fault the steering, which is precise and gives good feedback to the driver. Its low gearing makes the car easy to handle, but does mean going from lock to lock takes a few turns of the wheel. The Primera corners well, and if the driver gets things wrong at speed, the ESP system (fitted to SVE models, but optional in others) comes to their aid to help keep them on the road. The handling is biased towards understeer, which is the safer option. diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) Brakes The brakes are good they respond immediately and feel precise. ABS and an electronic brake assist system also help the driver bring the car to a halt as quickly and safely as possible. Braking distance (620mph) diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate 39.3m (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) 39.3m petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) 39.2m Refinement and noise Interior noise levels are generally low but you can hear the engine at all times. At motorway speeds wind noise can get rather annoying. Generally the diesel engine is noisier at idle, but thanks to its longlegged gearing it s actually quieter at motorway speeds than either petrol variant. Cruising noise diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) 68dB petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) 70dB petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) 69dB Handling Onthelimit handling is explored well away from public roads to ensure a fair test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of the harshest tests in the industry.. Brakes The Which? Car braking test measures stopping distance from 620mph and is repeated ten times in quick succession to highlight any brake fade issues. Refinement and noise The Which? Car experts use a decibel meter to record interior sound levels at common UK motorway speeds, and combine this with subjective assessments to arrive at an overall score.
Nissan Primera (20022006) On the road continued... Cabin and controls The steering wheel is easy to adjust to your driving position and the instruments are well laid out and easy to read. The Primera is generously equipped, so most grades get niceties such as a rearview mirror that automatically reduces headlight glare from following vehicles and automatic windscreen wipers, freeing you from much of the donkeywork. The onboard computer and warning lights constantly keep you informed of key information and driving conditions. Some systems are a bit too clever for their own good, however the menudriven air conditioning, radio and satellite navigation are difficult to operate and the owners manual isn t much help. But the overall finish and feel of the interior, controls and displays is good throughout. diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) Visibility and parking Visibility is poor it s difficult to judge the position of the front of the car and large bodywork pillars obstruct the rearview. At night the glare from the various dashboard displays can be a distraction too. On the plus side, the clever rearview camera (on all grades except S ) can help when parking, though we feel that audible parking sensors are a more practical option. Cabin and controls We penalise cars with difficult controls, and we look for things like backlit light switches and easytouse heating and ventilation adjustments. Visibility and parking Visibility is a major issue for motorists today, so each car gets a 360degree swivel view test to reproduce the driver s eye view and any obscured areas. Turning circle diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) 12.3m petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) 12.3m petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) 12.4m
Nissan Primera (20022006) Comfort and practicality The Primera is well thoughtout and provides ample space to accommodate most people. Its large boot gives it great loadcarrying abilities too, and folding the seats down is very easy. Getting in and out Getting in and out is quite easy, aided by the Primera s tall body and large doors. Once inside, frontseat passengers have plenty of space and even the tallest person should have no problems with headroom. Rear seat space is more limited. While most people should have plenty of leg and headroom, very tall adults may struggle. diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) Seat space and comfort The large front seats are comfortable and mould nicely around your body. You can adjust their height and tilt to some extent as well. The good driving position makes for a relaxing and enjoyable journey. But things in the back aren t quite so rosy, as the rear seats provide little in the way of thigh support, which can get uncomfortable. diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) Getting in and out We take measurements all around the driver and passenger s door apertures and note the height of the seat, door sills and step down onto the car floor. The best cars don t require too much bending or stretching to get in and out. Seat space and comfort We assess seat comfort subjectively, using our road testers expert knowledge and experience from thousands of different cars. And we measure the head, legand elbowroom on offer in every seat, to see how well the car caters for people of all shapes and sizes.
Nissan Primera (20022006) Comfort and practicality continued... Boot and storage The boot is large, with the hatchback offering a 460litre capacity that expands to 807 litres if parts of the rear seat are folded forward which we found easy to do. The boot opening is large, making it easy to load. The only thing the boot lacks is a small cubbyhole for stowing smaller items safely. Because of the slant on the estate s tailgate, its boot is actually smaller than the hatchback s (410 litres) with the seats up. But it s much bigger with the seats folded down 1,670 litres all told. Other competitors, such as the Ford Mondeo estate (540/1,700 litres) are better for carrying large loads. Boot space (seats up/down) diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate 385 litres / 695 litres (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) 430 litres / 430 litres petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) 430 litres / 430 litres Heating and ventilation Air conditioning comes as standard, and the heater is powerful and kicksin swiftly. Even when it s minus 10 degrees outside it ll warm up the interior to a very pleasant 22 degrees in 12 minutes (16 minutes in the rear cabin). diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) Boot and storage Carmakers give official stats for boot space, but our tests are more realistic. We load the boot up with measuring blocks only as far as the rear window line, so that luggage is well secured and won t obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test with the rear seats up, and folded down (where possible). Heating and ventilation Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm each car up from a frosty 10 degrees in our climate chamber. Starting with a cold engine, we measure how long it takes to warm up the front and rear of the cabin. Diesel cars usually take longer. We also check the effectiveness of air conditioning, where fitted.
Nissan Primera (20022006) Running costs and depreciation The Primera is now a cheap secondhand buy, and overall it s cheap to run. The 1.8 petrol is typically in insurance group 8/9, while the larger 2.0litre model sits in groups 10 and 11. The 2.2litre diesel is in group 8. Servicing costs are reasonable. Fuel consumption Fuel consumption Official combined fuel consumption was 38.2mpg for the 1.8litre petrol engine, but we only saw 25.0mpg in our road tests of the 2.0litre petrol, some way short of Nissan s claim of 32.5mpg. Petrol (combined mpg, claimed) Diesel (combined mpg, claimed) 31.0 mpg 38.2 mpg 46.3 mpg 47.9 mpg We test fuel economy under strict lab conditions using realistic test cycles to reveal the facts behind the figures. Our figures rarely match manufacturer claims as, unlike the official mpg test, we measure economy with both a hot and cold engine, and on the motorway. diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) Urban (claimed/measured) 35.8 mpg/35.3 mpg 29.4 mpg/29.4 mpg 23.7 mpg/24.1 mpg Extra urban (claimed/measured) 55.4 mpg/53.3 mpg 46.3 mpg/45.6 mpg 40.9 mpg/42.2 mpg Motorway (measured) 34.4 mpg 28.8 mpg 26.2 mpg Combined (claimed/measured) 46.3 mpg/40.4 mpg 38.2 mpg/34.0 mpg 32.5 mpg/30.1 mpg
Nissan Primera (20022006) Running costs and depreciation continued... Emissions The popular 1.8 petrol emitted 177g/km of carbon dioxide, so fits in quite a high VED (road tax) band. The diesels don t do much better; lowestemissions model was the 2.2Di hatch, which put out 161g/km. Emissions Petrol (CO2, claimed) Diesel (CO2, claimed) diesel 2.2Di (126bhp) manual 5door estate (2002) petrol 1.8 (116bhp) manual 4door (2002) petrol 2.0 (140bhp) manual 5door (2003) Safety and security 177g per km 220g per km 159g per km 164g per km Emissions (claimed/measured) 161g per km/189g per km 177g per km/212g per km 208g per km/219g per km While testing fuel economy, we also collect exhaust gases to enable us to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted. We also check whether particulate filters are effective at removing sooty emissions from diesel engines. Safety Euro NCAP score Here is the video of the 20022006 Nissan Primera Euro NCAP frontal crash test. Please enable JavaScript to access this content. We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP crash test scores (where available), alongside our own comprehensive safety checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results from our accident avoidance test after all, it s far better to steer around a crash than rely on the airbags... Adult occupant Child protection Pedestrian protection Which? safety rating Active (crash avoidance) Passive (crash safety) Child Pedestrian Security Security scores come from the security experts at Thatcham, who break into hundreds of cars each year. Most modern cars are very difficult to drive away, but are still too easy to steal from. Security Theft of car: Theft from car:
Nissan Primera (20022006) Which? Car Survey results The Which? Car Survey is the UK s most robust reliability and owner satisfaction survey. In 2015, drivers told us about 58,000 cars, covering more than 484 million miles in the previous 12 months (that s equivalent to driving to the moon and back a hundred times). This unique feedback allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars. Note: Star ratings below are from 15 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages shown under Most common faults indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem in the past 12 months. Brand Nissan ratings Sample size: 2,062 people Overall owner satisfaction for this brand 81% Brand reliability Dealer Sales Service Dealer Servicing & repair Model: Nissan Primera (20022006) Ownership ratings Sample size: 42 people Overall owner satisfaction for this range 69% Driving enjoyment Ease of driving Comfort Dash layout and controls Practicality Value for money Running costs Incar technology About our survey Brand ratings Everyone who takes part in the Which? Car survey tells us about their car and the dealers who sell and service it. We analyse this feedback across all cars to give toplevel satisfaction ratings for each brand, including the brand s reliability record over the last eight years. All star ratings are out of five. Model ownership ratings These show how owners score this car in 12 different areas, from performance to heating. Owners ratings are subjective so may differ from Which? Car test scores but they give a good idea of what the car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars are scored against other cars in the same class (e.g. for space). Owner s View It s a good performer with decent acceleration and yet economical on fuel. It is reliable with plenty of versatile boot space. The reversing camera is a real advantage, particularly for difficult parking. Owner s View Reliability, practicality, room, range of standard extras reasonable running costs and reliability. Excellent dashboard design and the reversing camera as standard is great. Friendly customer service.
Nissan Primera (20022006) Which? Car Survey results continued... Reliability ratings Overall Reliability About our survey Reliability ratings Up to 3 years old 48 years old Petrol cars Reliability breakdowns average annual repair cost Diesel cars Reliability breakdowns average annual repair cost All cars Reliability breakdowns average annual repair cost Breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months Average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12 months We split reliability into breakdowns (including failure to start), faults (where parts need replacing) and problems (minor issues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where the car has been on sale for some time, and we have numerous survey responses from owners, we also split scores by the age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are out of five the more stars, the more reliable the car. Most common faults Most common faults Up to 3 years old 48 years old Want to know what s most likely to go wrong as the car gets older? These are the five most common faults reported by owners, grouped by age into new, recent and older cars. A score of 40% means four out of 10 owners reported problems with that part of the car over the previous 12 months. Engine electrics and nonengine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause more headaches than mechanical parts in most modern cars. Failure rate: The proportion of owners reporting this problem in the last year