Nissan Primera Hatchback 2002 - Present

The Nissan Primera offers families a great deal of car for their money. The same can't really be said for thrills per pound but it's not there to excite, it's there to get the shopping or take the kids to their gym class, which it does with aplomb.

The styling of the Primera was lauded at it's re-launch in 2002 but now the car looks dated. The futuristic dashboard is confusing and continues the theme of looking old. Switch gear works well and the controls feel entirely natural.

Inside the car you're treated to comfortable seats with ample leg and headroom. The materials used throughout are of surprisingly high quality and it all adds up to an extremely pleasant environment.

The ride is comfortable with suspension set up to smooth out whatever the roads throw up while retaining great poise and posture for cornering. Steering is a little vague at best and slack when pushed. This does nothing to inspire confidence in the Primera's ability on the road. The Primera is a large car and it really drives like one. Nothing is nimble or agile when behind the wheel of the big Nissan, but on the flip side of that point it does offer a solid stable ride. Long journeys are a breeze, again helped by the quality of the interior.

The engine options are all sensible, offering decent levels of power and reasonable fuel efficiency. The pick of the bunch is the 2.2 diesel which almost returns 50 mpg fuel figures while going from 0-60 in less than 10 seconds. Is offers good levels of power and pull throughout the rev range. The petrol options vary from an adequate 32 mpg through to 38 mpg but the smart money will be looking at the diesel option for the best returns.

The Primera really ticks the boxes that it sets out to but does them with a pencil. It will offer lots of trouble free miles and an extremely comfortable setting in which to travel. Thrill seekers need not apply.

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