"... and it's a goodnight from him" to coin a phrase!

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gloucester
Posts: 5173
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 7:04 am
Location: Gloucestershire, England
Qashqai Model: Mk.2 Qashqai - J11 (2013–2017)

Post by gloucester »

Well I don't think I ever posted a topic in this section of the forum, and there isn't a board for departures, so I'll put my goodbyes here!

I really liked my Qashqai - it only had a few foibles (principally stop/start hardly ever working, poor fuel consumption and a not-very-nice gearchange) - but I couldn't face the prospect of it going out of warranty, and the biggest problem by far was the dealership service - or, usually, lack of it.

There are only two Nissan dealers in Gloucestershire and the one I bought it from (Wessex) is a 5 minute walk from work whereas the other is 20 miles away - and out of county ones further still. So despite having (eventually after a lot of effort) got quotes from Wessex for an extended warranty (pricier than others had reported - refer this posting - I decided enough was enough - the Qashqai had to go.

To be honest the Qashqai was a little large for me. I'd been thinking Yeti for years, and in fact went seriously looking for one in 2010 but then bought a second Fabia vRS instead. The first Fabia vRS was bought new in 2004 and was a nice car, but in the last year of ownership had to have over £1000 of repairs to the steering and front suspension. And I still bought another one - which fortunately was much more reliable! I don't really know what made me look for a Qashqai six years later but once I "discovered" it I was hooked. It was the gadgetry which sold it to me - and why I went for an eight-month old Tekna instead of the pre-reg N-Connecta I'd originally targeted. It also wasn't that large despite appearances, and looked really good in Black.

To be fair it's never broken down, has always started immediately on pressing the starter button, and hasn't cost me anything in repairs apart from two services and a somewhat expensive set of tyres. However at the three year service, fortunately carried out two month early, nearly £800 of warranty works was called for carried out a month later. That was the final straw to be honest - and of course an MoT was due before the end of June too.

However what to get - something smaller would be useful to turn round in my drive without going 5-point. I'd paid £17,995 for the Qashqai at 8 months/9.5k miles - which would have been £25,200 new, but I fancied having a brand new car this time round. I really liked the VW T-Roc (which I realise isn't much smaller than the Qashqai) but when I optioned up a T-Roc Design (according to VW: "From £21,320") it came to over £30,000! Admittedly that included an auto box - which immediately put the price up to "From £24,595" owing to only being available with a larger engine! A Toyota CH-R also looked interesting. However I wondered whether I really wanted to spend so much money - even as much as the £18k I'd paid for the Qashqai.

In the searching I discovered the Suzuki Ignis, not a car I would have ever considered but it became increasingly possible as I delved deeper.

... to be continued

( I'll be staying around here for a while. I still even occasionally visit the Briskoda.net forum! )
Last edited by gloucester on Mon Jun 18, 2018 8:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
(2015 Nissan Qashqai Tekna DIG-T 1.2 sold 15/6/18) ~ 2018 Suzuki Ignis SZ5 - 2018 Yamaha MT-07 ~ (2024 Volvo EX30 ordered)

DaveBerlin
Posts: 8623
Joined: Wed Mar 19, 2014 12:39 pm
Location: Berlin, Germany
Qashqai Model: Mk.2 Qashqai Facelift - J11b (2017–2021)

Post by DaveBerlin »

Gloucester, sorry to hear of your departing but all good things generally come to end sometime.
Our QQ Tekna 2014 is coming up to being 4 years old in August and our extra Guarantee is also running out, but despite its previous problems it has settled down now and is still enjoyable. The J11B still interests us but the elimination of the “Hands Free” Issue is not for us at present. A good Dealer is worth his weight in Gold if you can find one - we have !
Funny enough I took a look at the Toyota C-HR Lounge Hybrid (top model) priced at around £29,000 here, but I thought it was a similar size to our previous Juke. I am now looking at the Specs which are similar to the QQ Tekna of a Kai Niro Spirit Hybrid priced at around £31,000, I need to take a look and a possible test drive in the near future what naturally of interest is the 7 year Guarantee. Keep in touch Best Regards Dave :D
11.19/1.3L/160PS/Tekna+/DCT/PrOPILOT/KAD Gun Metallic/Trunk Lower Finisher/Rear Glass Finisher/Ambient Lighting-LED’s Innen/Entry Guards Illuminated/Sport Pedals/Front Styling Plate/LED No.Plate/Chrome Door Handles/Rear Valance/Giacuzzo Alloys + Falken
User avatar
gloucester
Posts: 5173
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 7:04 am
Location: Gloucestershire, England
Qashqai Model: Mk.2 Qashqai - J11 (2013–2017)

Post by gloucester »

So why the Ignis?

Well as I've said I had problems turning the Qashqai round in the drive, although I'd known that when buying it, deliberately trying it out on the test drive. I'd trimmed the shrubbery to minimise the parking sensors beeping, but to do a three-point turn I still had to drive over the edge of the lawn going in to achieve that. And the previous two cars had been Skoda Fabias which were fine. Previous cars to those had been larger including a Citroen XM and a BMW 5-series touring, but I'd had to reverse those in or out and living on a busy road that wasn't really easy or safe.

However the Ignis is a VERY small car - just 3700mm long compared to the Qashqai at 4377mm (longer for a newer one). and 1690mm wide compared to 1806mm, yet curiously 5mm higher! And the turning circle is 9.4m compared to 10.72m so it's easy to turn round.

Yet it's surprisingly large inside. Even with the sliding rear seats forward I can still sit comfortably in the front passenger seat and then climb into the back and be comfortable. Wouldn't be behind the driver though. With the sliding rear seats back - they travel 165mm - there's LOADS of room. Obviously the boot is smaller - 260 litres compared to 430 litres but moving the seats forward (1.1m x .55m x 165mm) must increase the size by about 100 litres to c. 360 litres (though I can't find official figures anywhere). Certainly when slid forward the Fabia boot tray fits in easily with room to spare, and I can almost get the Qashqai one in.

Most of the decrease in length occurs in the engine compartment - the bonnet is tiny!

There's also a huge spare wheel well, large enough to take a full-sized spare I reckon. However it's filled up presently with a massive expanded polystyrene filler to contain the few tools provided - since there's no spare wheel. I'm trying to find a circular storage box to substitute to release lots of space for other things but no one seems to make one. So I may have to resort to making something of of slotted together MDF.

Next episode - performance and economy......
(2015 Nissan Qashqai Tekna DIG-T 1.2 sold 15/6/18) ~ 2018 Suzuki Ignis SZ5 - 2018 Yamaha MT-07 ~ (2024 Volvo EX30 ordered)
gvmdaddy
Posts: 2245
Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2014 11:28 pm

Post by gvmdaddy »

gloucester, is the QQ forum the right place to be singing the praises of a vehicle from another manufacturer?
Den123
Posts: 289
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:00 pm
Qashqai Model: Mk.2 Qashqai Facelift - J11b (2017–2021)

Post by Den123 »

And it’s good night from me. Lol
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gloucester
Posts: 5173
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 7:04 am
Location: Gloucestershire, England
Qashqai Model: Mk.2 Qashqai - J11 (2013–2017)

Post by gloucester »

When I bought the Qashqai the main reason for a test drive was to determine whether the 1.2 was quick enough. I decided it was - just... However compared to my Fabia vRS it was significantly slower. So what would it be like dropping from an already low 113bhp to just 89bhp?

Well not a lot of difference to be honest. The weight also drops from 1419kg to just 870kg so the bhp/kg figure actually goes up! Torque however drops from 190Nm to just 120Nm (but see below).

And I've also noticed it's more eager at low revs not needing to wait for the rev to rise to bring a turbo into action. The Ignis has a 1242cc naturally aspirated engine compared to the Qashqai's 1197cc turbo.

So the end result is a claimed 11.4secs for 0-62 for the Ignis compared to the Qashqai's 10.9secs. Not a lot.

And since the Ignis is a "mild hybrid" there's a secondary Lithium battery under the passenger seat which links to a "starter/generator" to provide stop/start and power boost. The latter is apparently 50Nm so boosting the torque to 170Nm. It certainly seems to work.

I think stop/start has kicked in with the Ignis more times in the first 24 hours than the seldom encountered stop/start has done in the Qashqai since New Year!

Emissions for the Ignis are down from the Qashqai's 133g/km to 97g/km - though of course with the revised tax structure I still have to pay road tax! :(

Claimed fuel consumption for the Ignis is 57.6/70.6/65.7 compared with the Qashqai's 40.9/57.6/50.4. However the latter was EXTREMELY optimistic and I never got anything like those figures! The best top-up to top-up figure I ever had with the Qashqai was 41.7mpg. The average over 2.25 years of ownership was only 34.2mpg and the recent average (last five top-ups - few long trips) was a miserable 30.2mpg. I don't know how they've got away so long with official figures being SO wide of the mark! The Fabias (diesel) had returned around 50mpg.


Next episode - gadgetry comparison.....
Last edited by gloucester on Mon Jun 18, 2018 8:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
(2015 Nissan Qashqai Tekna DIG-T 1.2 sold 15/6/18) ~ 2018 Suzuki Ignis SZ5 - 2018 Yamaha MT-07 ~ (2024 Volvo EX30 ordered)
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gloucester
Posts: 5173
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 7:04 am
Location: Gloucestershire, England
Qashqai Model: Mk.2 Qashqai - J11 (2013–2017)

Post by gloucester »

gvmdaddy wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 9:43 am gloucester, is the QQ forum the right place to be singing the praises of a vehicle from another manufacturer?
I don't see any reason why not. Most of the forum is devoted to the many problems that a Qashqai can have.

To be honest I loved driving the Qashqai but the dealership experience - of which I haven't written a great deal about yet - was honestly the worst I've every encountered in over 40 years of car ownership.

I had taken a long hard look at the new Micra which looks like a lovely car - but I just couldn't go there! And whilst I liked the idea of a new Leaf they're simply TOO expensive, both in initial purchase cost and dire depreciation.
(2015 Nissan Qashqai Tekna DIG-T 1.2 sold 15/6/18) ~ 2018 Suzuki Ignis SZ5 - 2018 Yamaha MT-07 ~ (2024 Volvo EX30 ordered)
User avatar
gloucester
Posts: 5173
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 7:04 am
Location: Gloucestershire, England
Qashqai Model: Mk.2 Qashqai - J11 (2013–2017)

Post by gloucester »

When I initially got interested in the possibility of buying a Qashqai 2.25 years ago, the thing that grabbed me was the gadgetry! There was loads of it. And although as I've already said I originally went into the dealer having spotted a cheap N-Connecta, subsequent research convinced me it had to be the all-singing-all-dancing Tekna (partly also it has to be said for the leather seats since the lower specs look rather low-rent inside). Since the garage didn't want to let me test-drive a pre-reg car with 9 miles on the clock, they sourced a 1.2 from another branch for the test drive, and that one was the Tekna I bought.

When at the beginning of May I initially "discovered" the Ignis, besides the price, the thing that grabbed me was the gadgetry! For such a relatively cheap car (we'll come onto that again) the provision wasn't far short of a mid-range Qashqai - and better in parts. So briefly to compare the two (in respect of Qashqai Tekna J11a and Suzuki Ignis SZ5):

NQ has climate - SI has climate, albeit not two zone (which didn't really concern me since it's usually just me in the car)

NQ has leather seats - the SI doesn't and they aren't available from Suzuki (pondering a retrim - c. £1k)

NQ has heated seats - the SI doesn't (despite it being available in other markets -I can live without especially with cloth seats)

NQ has fixed rear seats (with 3 seatbelts) - the SI's slide 165mm and have adjustable backrest angle (but only 2 seatbelts).

NQ has a panoramic roof (optionally by the time mine was built I believe) - the SI doesn't even have a sunroof option (I'm missing it)

NQ has roof rails - so does the SI

NQ has sat-nav - so does the SI (dated 2017 incidently)

NQ has 4 x electric windows with auto only on the driver's door - the SI has 4 x electric windows with auto only on the driver's door in the down direction (unnecessary penny pinching!)

NQ has electric heated folding mirrors - the SI has electric heated mirrors but not the folding facility (despite it being available in other markets)

NQ has LED lights (head, DRL, tail, brake) - so does the SI

NQ has auto-lights - so does the SI

NQ has high beam assist - the SI doesn't and I will greatly miss this!

NQ has auto-wipers - the SI doesn't and I will miss this - apart from the fact it didn't always work.

NQ has cruise and speed-limiter - so does the SI (though not a digital speed readout unfortunately)

NQ has an electric handbrake - the SI has a conventional handbrake (still getting used to that!)

NQ has DAB - so does the SI

NQ has Bluetooth, Voice Control etc etc - so does the SI (but I'm still learning on that front what's what and the differences)

NQ doesn't have Apple AirPlay/Android Auto/Miracast, but the SI does (still getting to grips with that too!)

NQ has keyless entry and go - so does the SI but it's better since you can press once for just the driver's door and again for the passenger doors.

NQ has Around View Monitor - the SI only has a basic reversing camera

NQ has parking sensors front and rear - the SI doesn't - I'm missing them... (pondering a retrofit)

NQ has park assist - when you can get it working and have the time to use it. I found it was SO much easier manually parking with the excellent around view monitor making the park assist redundant. The SI doesn't.

NQ has lane departure warning - so does the SI although with steering vibration and prominent dashboard warning rather than beeps.

NQ has collision detection/emergency braking (though I only got beeps never brakes) - so does the SI though it's actuated by twin (stereoscopic) cameras by the rear view mirror. Not experienced it yet.

NQ has tyre pressure monitoring - so does the SI (which I gather is now mandatory?)

(I've probably missed a few and might edit)

So all in all an impressive spec for such a small cheap car.


To be continued - costings next...
(2015 Nissan Qashqai Tekna DIG-T 1.2 sold 15/6/18) ~ 2018 Suzuki Ignis SZ5 - 2018 Yamaha MT-07 ~ (2024 Volvo EX30 ordered)
chrisw99
Posts: 541
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2016 10:42 am

Post by chrisw99 »

extended warranties are vital these days... I took out a 2 year extended warranty rather than 1. It is a couple of months into the second year and I have been told I am having my engine replaced. Shudder to think what that would have cost me if I hadn't gone for the 2 year.
Oct 2014 N-tec+, 1.2 dig-T
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gloucester
Posts: 5173
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 7:04 am
Location: Gloucestershire, England
Qashqai Model: Mk.2 Qashqai - J11 (2013–2017)

Post by gloucester »

So how did it stack up financially?

I'd bought the £25,200 Tekna at eight months old (first registered 29/6/15) and just under 10k miles for £17,995. It was an ex-hire car, but apart from the wheels (later rectified) there was no evidence of rental car abuse. I traded in my nearly nine years old 2007 Fabia vRS SE and was given a reasonable £3,500 pex.

Checking out various websites - those where I didn't have to enter personal details - I got a fair idea what my nearly 20k Qashqai was worth in 2018:

Autotrader - trade-in £12,240, Private sale £13,130.
HPI Valuations - £11,190-£12,150 (at their set 28,896 mileage figure)
Arnold Clark - £12,195

Bearing in mind the slight scrape down the nearside doors I'd received two weeks after buying it (which I pointed out to the dealer) I wasn't unduly concerned about the £12,000 the Suzuki dealer offered; despite the fact I was also paying list price for the Ignis. That's approx £2700pa depreciation.

I was also mindful of the fact they nearly had to pay ME the balance. Owing to a Suzuki special offer when ended 30/6/18, the SZ5 Ignis was available for £12,499 if I'd accepted the standard red colour. Whilst that wasn't at all bad (compared to VWs which seem only to come in grey as standard) I was rather set on the orange at an extra £465. And not just the orange but the orange with the black roof too - a further £185 making £650 for paint! At least the orange also came with matching centre console and door handles...

So the swap actually cost me just £1149, and I saved the hassle of an MoT on the Qashqai plus received a £90 road tax refund. I also had to pay the numberplate transfer (£80) but negotiated free mats!

What surprised me was the high insurance group for the Ignis, which I only realised after putting down the deposit. It's group 17 compared with the Qashqai's group 15. Inexplicably though, when I rang the insurers to change the car over they gave me a £17.79 refund for the nine months remaining (+ I had to pay a £20 admin charge!). I await to see what the renewal will be next March.

The other surprise was the cost of servicing. I asked the dealer what their 3-year service plan would cost (it needs one annually like the Qashqai) and was shocked to be told £21.33pm - which worked out to £255.96pa and £767.88 over the three years. Fortunately the Suzuki website has an online service booking facility and thus I could check out the costs at the six nearest Suzuki dealers - mine was the most expensive! I also discovered I could take out a service plan with Suzuki direct - and my dealer confirmed their service would be the same apart from the loss of three mini-valets and a free MoT at the end of the term. But then Suzuki only wanted £623.03. I've now taken out the Suzuki one, but had to ring them up for a clarification and for some reason on the phone the price dropped to £581.03! In comparison a new Qashqai would be approx £667 for three years - so a result!

On petrol costs the outlook looks promising. One of the reasons for getting rid of the Qashqai was the poor fuel consumption I was getting - despite driving relatively gently - so gently the stop/start wasn't getting enough battery charge to operate. The last four top-ups gave a calculated consumption of 26.2, 31.5, 27.1 and 31.2 mpg. Nissan's figures of urban 40.9mpg, extra-urban 57.6mpg, combined 50.4mpg are a complete myth! But I had hoped for around 40mpg average when buying the Qashqai - only once was that figure exceeded on a top-up.

I'm still running in the Ignis of course and have only topped up once after the initial one, but so far the prognosis is looking good. The first top-up calculated out at 54.7mpg and the computer is presently showing 56.1mpg since.

Last episode to follow - the verdict after a month's ownership...
(2015 Nissan Qashqai Tekna DIG-T 1.2 sold 15/6/18) ~ 2018 Suzuki Ignis SZ5 - 2018 Yamaha MT-07 ~ (2024 Volvo EX30 ordered)
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