18,500 miles and counting...NOW UPDATED 45,000 miles
Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 1:48 pm
So, as I prepare for my first service at 18,500 miles I thought I would write up some of my experiences over the last 9 months...First off, the Interior - for me, one of the reasons I bought the QQ versus a Sportage was the premium feel of the interior and on the whole, I still find it a really nice place to be sat. The seats are on the whole as comfortable as any I've had before which places them right up there with Range Rovers, Volvo's, Saab's and Jags and if I had any complaints at all, it would be that I'd liked to have had memory settings so I can keep my seat 'just so' and easily revert back after my wife has driven the car.
Other observations would be that the heated seat appears to be on a thermostat or timer, so you find the seat going warm and then cooling in a cycle (I assume it's meant to do this?) whereas I like a constant warmth - something I will mention at it's service this week.I have a few minor rattles starting to creep in, but nothing too serious - again, i'll mention it at the service and see if the dealership can locate and fix them - I think it's coming from the passenger door or seat. Also, I find the drivers seat has developed an annoying 'knock' as I drive like it's moving on it's mountings.
The plastics and dash all seem well made on the whole although I find the glossy bits seem to love attracting dust and are easily scratched/marked, even if cleaned with a micro towel but other than that it all feels very premium and after 18,500 miles looks good.The stereo has 'settled in' to create a pleasing sound - initially I thought it was quite muddy but I am sure it has got better with use - either that or my ears have gone weird. A major bug - and again, something I will mentioned at the service - is that my bluetooth microphone is hopeless. The gain is set way too low and according to people who have called me in the car it sounds like I am sat in the back seat. I've reverted to using a headset if I have to take a call which kind of defeats the purpose somewhat.
Heating/Cooling - In general it works fine however at times I keep having to adjust it slightly to get the temperature where I want as it seems to drift up and down in temperature. Also, there is no auto-recycle so nasty smells can get into the cabin and you have to press recycle - that said, I understand there is an ioniser built in and this does a good job at neutralising nasty smells from the cabin (or it certainly does something as tested following a few beers and a curry!).I can live without the window buttons being illuminated but cannot see why Nissan didn't put illuminated switches in. I also miss not having auto door locking - apparently this is due to an EU regulation to remove it from new cars but personally think that's an excuse as I cannot find anything supporting this. Little things like this make a good car into a really great car.
Exterior: Love the shape and still think it's one of the nicest looking SUV's on the road today - that said, the paintwork is woeful. It chips, swirls and marks easily and in some places has terrible orange peel effect. This is simply down to poor application and quality of paint - attempts to correct scratches are often impossible due to the thickness of paint and lacquer. In years to come the bodywork is likely to look fairly substandard and even though I love the Nightshade colour when clean, if I was to have another I'd got for Appliance white as it wont show stonechips as easily. Wheel look great and yes, they are easy to kerb! That said, if you use the automatic parking, youll not have an issue and on the two occasions I have nicked mine, it was when i was parking manually - I'm ashamed!
Tyres - I got 18,000 miles from my fronts so have no complaints there and have only just changed them for a middle of the road brand - the OEM tyres are expensive and the Nexen tyres I have just fitted are half the price. I'll let people know how long they last as I pile on more miles but for now, very happy with the grip and comfort of these tyres.Performance and
Economy - Performance is what it is, this is not a performance car so as long as you accept that you'll be satisfied. Economy - brilliant. I average 600/650 miles per tank and the OBC says 50mpg - I've had 70mpg on a run once before (but was bored stupid) and since then drive about on the m/way at 75/85 mph without any complaints on MPG. The engine sounds like any 4 cyl Diesel - horrid, but it's a plucky little unit and surprisingly smooth when warmed up. I did have the rattly air box after a few thousand miles but a couple of self tapper screws quickly fixed this.
Overall, I'm really pleased with the car - I've normally got bored with a car by now but for some reason feel quite content - let's hope this continues! Can't really think of anything else to add really other than the horn is gay but I'm looking forward to the next 18,000 miles in the QQ
Foot note: One thing I forgot to mention - it's beautifully quiet in the cabin - I've not been blighted with any wind noise that some have suffered and think this is probably one of the quietest cars i've owned - even passengers have commented on how quiet it is, and I often find I am in the wrong gear as the engine, when warm is about as quiet as you can get on the inside.
Other observations would be that the heated seat appears to be on a thermostat or timer, so you find the seat going warm and then cooling in a cycle (I assume it's meant to do this?) whereas I like a constant warmth - something I will mention at it's service this week.I have a few minor rattles starting to creep in, but nothing too serious - again, i'll mention it at the service and see if the dealership can locate and fix them - I think it's coming from the passenger door or seat. Also, I find the drivers seat has developed an annoying 'knock' as I drive like it's moving on it's mountings.
The plastics and dash all seem well made on the whole although I find the glossy bits seem to love attracting dust and are easily scratched/marked, even if cleaned with a micro towel but other than that it all feels very premium and after 18,500 miles looks good.The stereo has 'settled in' to create a pleasing sound - initially I thought it was quite muddy but I am sure it has got better with use - either that or my ears have gone weird. A major bug - and again, something I will mentioned at the service - is that my bluetooth microphone is hopeless. The gain is set way too low and according to people who have called me in the car it sounds like I am sat in the back seat. I've reverted to using a headset if I have to take a call which kind of defeats the purpose somewhat.
Heating/Cooling - In general it works fine however at times I keep having to adjust it slightly to get the temperature where I want as it seems to drift up and down in temperature. Also, there is no auto-recycle so nasty smells can get into the cabin and you have to press recycle - that said, I understand there is an ioniser built in and this does a good job at neutralising nasty smells from the cabin (or it certainly does something as tested following a few beers and a curry!).I can live without the window buttons being illuminated but cannot see why Nissan didn't put illuminated switches in. I also miss not having auto door locking - apparently this is due to an EU regulation to remove it from new cars but personally think that's an excuse as I cannot find anything supporting this. Little things like this make a good car into a really great car.
Exterior: Love the shape and still think it's one of the nicest looking SUV's on the road today - that said, the paintwork is woeful. It chips, swirls and marks easily and in some places has terrible orange peel effect. This is simply down to poor application and quality of paint - attempts to correct scratches are often impossible due to the thickness of paint and lacquer. In years to come the bodywork is likely to look fairly substandard and even though I love the Nightshade colour when clean, if I was to have another I'd got for Appliance white as it wont show stonechips as easily. Wheel look great and yes, they are easy to kerb! That said, if you use the automatic parking, youll not have an issue and on the two occasions I have nicked mine, it was when i was parking manually - I'm ashamed!
Tyres - I got 18,000 miles from my fronts so have no complaints there and have only just changed them for a middle of the road brand - the OEM tyres are expensive and the Nexen tyres I have just fitted are half the price. I'll let people know how long they last as I pile on more miles but for now, very happy with the grip and comfort of these tyres.Performance and
Economy - Performance is what it is, this is not a performance car so as long as you accept that you'll be satisfied. Economy - brilliant. I average 600/650 miles per tank and the OBC says 50mpg - I've had 70mpg on a run once before (but was bored stupid) and since then drive about on the m/way at 75/85 mph without any complaints on MPG. The engine sounds like any 4 cyl Diesel - horrid, but it's a plucky little unit and surprisingly smooth when warmed up. I did have the rattly air box after a few thousand miles but a couple of self tapper screws quickly fixed this.
Overall, I'm really pleased with the car - I've normally got bored with a car by now but for some reason feel quite content - let's hope this continues! Can't really think of anything else to add really other than the horn is gay but I'm looking forward to the next 18,000 miles in the QQ
Foot note: One thing I forgot to mention - it's beautifully quiet in the cabin - I've not been blighted with any wind noise that some have suffered and think this is probably one of the quietest cars i've owned - even passengers have commented on how quiet it is, and I often find I am in the wrong gear as the engine, when warm is about as quiet as you can get on the inside.