Nissan Note Review (2013-2017)

Nissan is a carmaker that spent a lot of time and energy rethinking traditional bodystyles in the early 2000s. It practically invented the crossover SUV when it launched the Qashqai, a move that has been copied by almost every car brand since.

But even before that came the Nissan Note, launched in 2006 as a compact MPV, a people carrier with a spacious interior, but based on the same underpinnings (shared with Renault) as a conventional supermini hatchback. It wasn’t a huge seller, but it had its fans, not least because it was a very decent small car with lots to commend it.

Fast forward to 2013 and the second-generation Note hit the showrooms. Built in Sunderland, the new Note tweaked the formula, being more supermini-like and placing less emphasis on the family car MPV side of its character.

This is obvious from the design of the car. Less boxy than the original, this Note has the appearance of being sportier and lower-slung, thanks to the wheels being pushed further to the corners, creating shorter overhangs. The roof has been lowered by only 20mm, which looks more because of the other styling changes. The side profile still indicates we’re in the presence of an MPV, as does the upright design of the rear, but it looks as if Nissan attempted to position the Note against the Ford Fiesta, rather than the Ford B-Max, to take two potential rivals as examples.

The interior of the Note does, however, appear more compact MPV than supermini. It feels spacious, with lots of room in the back, especially when you realise that in some trim levels the rear bench slides back and forth to change the amount of legroom and/or bootspace by 150mm. The rear doors also open to almost 90 degrees, making it easy for any rear passengers to enter or exit, or to place a young child in a booster seat in the rear seats.

Less flexible is the driving position, which is rather too high-set and doesn’t have reach adjustment on the steering wheel, so taller drivers might find it difficult to establish a truly comfortable position. Visibility, however, is good, thanks to the large glassed areas around the car, the upright stance and the airy feel of the cabin.

There are a few storage spaces in the car, but none of them particularly innovative or eyebrow-raising, nothing that will make you sit up and positively want a Note. The centre console also feels a little cluttered, with two vents, a 5.8-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system and heating/air conditioning controls all squashed together vertically.

One of the plus points in the Note’s favour is the simplicity of the engine range, with just one petrol engine and one diesel on offer to buyers.

The petrol engine is a three-cylinder 1.2-litre unit, which is available in two different variants, with different power ratings and some significant other differences. There’s enough usable performance from the base, naturally aspirated 78bhp engine, along with 60.1 mpg as the official fuel consumption.

The other petrol version is a supercharged DIG-S unit that increases the power to 97bhp and improves efficiency, with an economy figure of 65.6mpg. This version is available with a manual gearbox or a CVT (continuous variable transmission) automatic that lowers fuel economy to 55.4mpg.

The 89bhp 1.5 dCi diesel engine is, as you’d expect, even cheaper to run: the official fuel consumption figure was 78.5mpg, but as with all such figures – especially under the old NEDC testing regime – it will be hard to match in real-world driving conditions.

The CO2 emissions figures for all these engines were very low, so they’re cheap to tax, even now. The most you’ll pay is £30, for the CVT auto 1.2 DIG-S, while the lower-powered petrol version is just £20: the other two variants both had CO2 figures under 100g/km, so they’re zero-rated.

Insurance groups are very low, ranging from group 6 to group 10. If you have a car fitted with the Nissan Safety Shield system, it will take it down a couple of groups, as the technology should help reduce the likelihood of collisions.

The service intervals for the Note are 12 months or 12,500-mile (whichever comes first). Servicing costs should be kept well in check, thanks to Nissan dealers offering to service your car according to a fixed-price list, irrespective of the car’s age. This fee also includes individual repair costs, such as replacement brake pads.

Japanese carmakers generally have a good reputation for reliability, with the brands tending to be highly rated and models being well placed in customer satisfaction surveys.

Unfortunately, this is not the case with the Nissan Note. While customers were satisfied with many aspects of ownership, reliability wasn’t one of them. It’s not a disaster, but there are reports of issues with the CVT transmission, the air-conditioning system, the electrical system and the anti-roll bars. And the Note's three-year warranty will have expired now, so owners of used Nissan Notes should try and get some extended cover.

There have also been three major recalls for the Note. The first concerns cars built between July 2013 and May 2014, and relates to a potential malfunction of the push-start button to turn on the engine, which remains pressed in and engaged when the vehicle has started, instead of popping back out. One potential problem that this can cause is that the emergency engine stop may activate if the car continues to be driven, halting the car suddenly.

The other recall is for Notes built between July 2015 and January 2016. The issue here relates to the engine coil, which might not be the correct specification, leading to the engine stalling and not restarting again.

The final recall relates to a small batch of cars built in April 2016, where the ABS anti-lock braking system might not work as it should, resulting in the wheels actually locking under heavy braking.