2021 3rd Generation Nissan Note (E13)

[tweek79]

23 hours ago, Ceecookie said:

Read the review on straits times motoring today. The spec is not appealing - you get a 9 second sprint despite 280n/m rating (petrol competitor could do it in 7-8 seconds) and top speed is just 150km/h.

For the price it's retailing, it's really an expensive city car not meant for high speed driving on highways.

I believe the century sprint timing is grossly estimated. Nissan has not declared any such timing. 

[Vinceng]

On 3/6/2021 at 11:23 AM, Didu said:

TC put up ad in newspaper today.

Quoted price at website :

https://www.nissan.com.sg/vehicles/new/noteepower.html

Starting price

$99,800

VALID TILL 17 MARCH 2021, 12PM. PRICE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. TERMS APPLY. VES BANDING: A2

https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/nissan-note-e-power-now-singapore

Doomed for failure at such pricing at $99,800 for the Lite (base model with fabric seats and steel rims with plastic wheel cover).

I'd rather get the highest spec Hyundai Avante Elite at $95K, with change to spare, or entry model Toyota Altis at $99K.

Hybrid is good only for high annual mileage > 30,000km to recoup the high purchase price.

Edited March 7, 2021 by Vinceng

[RogerNg_185295]

On 3/6/2021 at 11:23 AM, Didu said:

TC put up ad in newspaper today.

Quoted price at website :

https://www.nissan.com.sg/vehicles/new/noteepower.html

Starting price

$99,800

VALID TILL 17 MARCH 2021, 12PM. PRICE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. TERMS APPLY. VES BANDING: A2

https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/nissan-note-e-power-now-singapore

Are they already killing the sales with this type of price?

[Vinceng]

24 minutes ago, tweek79 said:

I believe the century sprint timing is grossly estimated. Nissan has not declared any such timing. 

In summary, you get 18km/l, but a rough and noisy engine, extreme light steering with no feel and hard plastics.

[Spring]

On 3/27/2021 at 11:38 AM, Didu said:

 

Surprisingly, the ride comfort was considered poor. Almost unheard of in passenger cars these days. I wonder why?

[Magfocus]

2 minutes ago, Spring said:

Surprisingly, the ride comfort was considered poor. Almost unheard of in passenger cars these days. I wonder why?

It didn't feel all that stiff and bumpy to me; perhaps the test car had overinflated tyres? 

[RogerNg_185295]

On 3/8/2021 at 9:16 AM, mikk123 said:

TC has lost his mind.... They think Singaporean are bunch of idiots with too much cash lying around. 

Let's see how many of this model they can sell.

[Heartlander]

On 3/6/2021 at 9:17 PM, Ceecookie said:

Read the review on straits times motoring today. The spec is not appealing - you get a 9 second sprint despite 280n/m rating (petrol competitor could do it in 7-8 seconds) and top speed is just 150km/h.

For the price it's retailing, it's really an expensive city car not meant for high speed driving on highways.

 

[ZMC]

If only the Note was upgraded but still a petrol car to fight the Honda Fit...

[Watwheels]

16 hours ago, Spring said:

Surprisingly, the ride comfort was considered poor. Almost unheard of in passenger cars these days. I wonder why?

To me it's not surprising at all. First you got to look at what segment this car falls into. Second the cost price of this car, what I am trying to say this is a budget car however you see it. Most of the cost will no doubt goes to the electric drivetrain, battery pack and the petrol generator. That leaves a lot of other parts feeling budget and that includes the suspension setup. 

Funny thing about the review is that there isnt talk about power to weight ratio. The reviewer mostly mention how much torque it produces. I was waiting for him to mention weight but I got bored, got distracted and started doing other stuff.

I have to say the overall look and feel is that the little car seems to be offering a lot for its price tag in terms of what's powering the car. But there are also a lot of compromise in terms of other parts made cheap. If this car is made affordable for the masses it make sense why the car maker made it in this way. If you want everything in including luxury then most ppl would probably cannot afford it. Like I said you have to see what price point and what segment this car is in.

 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Watwheels

[RogerNg_185295]

54 minutes ago, Watwheels said:

To me it's not surprising at all. First you got to look at what segment this car falls into. Second the cost price of this car, what I am trying to say this is a budget car however you see it. Most of the cost will no doubt goes to the electric drivetrain, battery pack and the petrol generator. That leaves a lot of other parts feeling budget and that includes the suspension setup. 

Funny thing about the review is that there isnt talk about power to weight ratio. The reviewer mostly mention how much torque it produces. I was waiting for him to mention weight but I got bored, got distracted and started doing other stuff.

I have to say the overall look and feel is that the little car seems to be offering a lot for its price tag in terms of what's powering the car. But there are also a lot of compromise in terms of other parts made cheap. If this car is made affordable for the masses it make sense why the car maker made it in this way. If you want everything in including luxury then most ppl would probably cannot afford it. Like I said you have to see what price point and what segment this car is in.

 

It's still a budget car but the price is a bit uncomfortable for the budget segment. 

[Wen]

For $100k (even at 90k) there are a lot of other choices, esp if u are ok to buy from PI

New Honda Fit 1.3/1.5/1.5H, Yaris cross, Raize, Avante, Mazda 3, Kia cerato, Stonic, swift, city, Vios, Hyundai venue, Vitara , Opel Astra, even the Altis can be had for $102k 

All sort of makes and types for u to choose.

Edited March 30, 2021 by Wen

[Spring]

12 hours ago, Watwheels said:

To me it's not surprising at all. First you got to look at what segment this car falls into. Second the cost price of this car, what I am trying to say this is a budget car however you see it. Most of the cost will no doubt goes to the electric drivetrain, battery pack and the petrol generator. That leaves a lot of other parts feeling budget and that includes the suspension setup. 

Funny thing about the review is that there isnt talk about power to weight ratio. The reviewer mostly mention how much torque it produces. I was waiting for him to mention weight but I got bored, got distracted and started doing other stuff.

I have to say the overall look and feel is that the little car seems to be offering a lot for its price tag in terms of what's powering the car. But there are also a lot of compromise in terms of other parts made cheap. If this car is made affordable for the masses it make sense why the car maker made it in this way. If you want everything in including luxury then most ppl would probably cannot afford it. Like I said you have to see what price point and what segment this car is in.

 

Granted that this car is in B&B segment but even the lower priced Attrage, Bezza didn't hv any adverse feedback on ride comfort which is basic to me regardless of what segment u belong to. I await the review on the new Jazz which is just a shade more expensive than Note to see if the ride is OK or not but early indications from PI Fit didn't seem to hv any negative reports on this.

My initial feel on this Note is that despite the plastic parts, it is a well made car, nice design and being "semi electric" was affordable and reasonable value at below $100k despite what some forumers feel. However the harsh ride comfort took me by surprise.

[Spring]

10 hours ago, Wen said:

For $100k (even at 90k) there are a lot of other choices, esp if u are ok to buy from PI

New Honda Fit 1.3/1.5/1.5H, Yaris cross, Raize, Avante, Mazda 3, Kia cerato, Stonic, swift, city, Vios, Hyundai venue, Vitara , Opel Astra, even the Altis can be had for $102k 

All sort of makes and types for u to choose.

I almost never compare prices for AD vs PI as it's not a fair comparison. I'm open to buying from PI but not on comparing prices per se.

U got to acknowledge that this Note is e power ie "semi electric" (my own term) and so shld be compared to similar cars or perhaps hybrid. Yaris Cross, Jazz being in the same segment though YC is more Crossover than HB are more ex. This Note also comes with Nissan Safety Suite which is the equivalent of Honda sensing, Toyota safety sense etc

The other important factor is that Nissan/TC gives 10yr warranty on the hybrid battery for Note but Toyota/Borneo n Honda/Kah only gives 5yr warranty on the hybrid battery, all this adds up.

Raize, Fit are PI cars without the safety sense though I think Fit u can indent with Sensing.

Mz3, Cerato, Stonic, Swift, City, Vios, Venue, Vitara, Astra don't come with safety sense. Avante and Altis only has the full safety sense in their highest spec which is more ex than Note highest spec. Note is MIJ v MIK for Avante n MIT for Altis.

[tweek79]

I booked mine at 97k, still waiting for the car to arrive. Honestly I didn't find it a budget car, the cabin design and finishing is quite a great leap from the previous Note. Plus the very healthy torque. The reviews in Japan seem to be quite positive so I was surprised too at the lukewarm reviews in Singapore. 

Edited March 31, 2021 by tweek79

[boonhat_91]

Any more well-versed forummers can weigh in, could the suspension be set firmer to account for the much higher torque output? Hence the harsher-than-expected ride.

[Kopickosong]

I tested this about 2 weeks back, some quick inputs to contribute

Ride
Comfort - The test drive route doesn't really have many bumps or humps (aside from exiting the carpark for test drive) so I think the SGcarmart (SCM) review would probably offer more insight than to test drivers like me. That said, my wife whom isn't much of a car enthusiast mentioned it wasn't comfortable, more specifically, the seats are quite stiff. We tested the kicks after that, and she gave thumbs up to that. Although I felt the kicks' seats were too soft for my liking. 

Power - Pick up definitely the key and main selling point here. The SE will spare no expense in pointing this out to you. But again, at the test route, you won't really be able to test the car at higher speeds of 70-90km/h. (which is a key blindspot) So kudos to SCM for the input that at higher speeds, the car loses its breath. One key feature of the ride, is that the battery powers the car, and will be charged using petrol. The potential issue with this is the noise when it is charging the car and you're driving in it. Now, the smarter and more meticulous SEs will make sure its sufficiently charged so you don't get to experience the sound of it. Of the 2 epower units (kicks being the other) I tested, this was largely true. I managed to experience the charging sound for a brief moment and I think some folks like myself, would find it pretty annoying. So this is another "blindspot" in a test drive. You'd probably only find out later on when you've already signed on the line. Very very important to make sure you experience it before you sign! This could be a deal breaker for some folks.

Interior
As others have mentioned, a lot of cheap plastics used, I'm not a fan of their styling at all. Almost looks like an expensive toy car sort of feeling. If you're looking for something elegant, this is definitely not it. Huge bezels on the instrument cluster and infotainment, almost Toyota like. (For avoidance of doubt, not a compliment) I'd rather they go with a mixture of analog and digital if that saves some cost.  Rear space is decent though for this, no complaints. No rear air-con vents, I guess this is the "hint" it's supposed to be a "budget" ride.

Features
They bothered to include sufficient safety features but..... no cruise control. REALLY?! This was an immediate deal breaker for me. Our family car 10 years ago had cruise control, it is now the year 2021, for those that think cruise control is no big deal - I'm sorry, but you're just delusional. This is to me, a VERY BASIC feature and something that is genuinely useful in day to day driving; esp for the price bracket this car is competing in. To cut cost in another blindspot which you don't see as others have mentioned - rear drum brakes. Again, in this day and age, why?!

All in all, it's not a terrible ride per se. I would say don't readily dismiss SCM's review points on the ride comfort. But there are other points SCM also didn't mention as per above which I thought are important points. So do take note of the other "blindspots" mentioned earlier.

Somehow with the Nissan rides, it's largely specc-ed toward the budget conscious crowd, and whether or not it makes sense to buy will really boil down to price. For the e-note, I think 90-95k would warrant a consideration. Anything above 100k, personally, I'd rule it out. It's just not worth the price tag, and I believe most of the cost is really directed to the battery tech and therefore, leaving the rest of the experience compromised. 

 

 

[tweek79]

Finally collected my car yesterday. Pretty good ride so far, quiet and stable, fuel efficiency ranging from 21 to 25 km/l