Nissan Serena LX

First point this is a family car so 0-60 is irrelevant as far as I am concerned, which is just as well. For when it is fully loaded, 7 family and accompanying backage, the measure is well over 30 seconds.

We bought it 4 years ago, previously it had a hard life, a massive rear shunt which was not picked up the AA car inspection or the HPI check, but by mate the mechanic, who instantly noticed the rear end filler patch and respray. I only mention this as it may explain the problems I have had with it.

The quick run down of our LX goes as follows

Seat arrangement is 2 front and two rows of 3, the rear seats positions are not adjustable, the only problem here is the last row which is not suited for someone large who wishes to stretch out

2 Normal front doors and a lhs sliding door for the rear passengers.

Front and sliding doors have mechanical wind windows; the rhs 2 rear rows have swing windows with catches and due to the sliding door the lhs last row window is fixed.

Basic fan heater/coooler independent systems and controls for front and rear. However there are on/off switches for the rear fan both on the drivers console and in the rear, this can the result in the driver having a battle of wits with a determined sibling!

The car has six 3 point seat belts and 2 lap belts, thus making 8 seat positions.

The first advantage over the competition is that the rear seats are fixed in the car and if required folded away for use as a bulk carrier. For seat stowage, the last row requires the seat to be laid flat, head rests removed and then stowed in the underseat framework when the seats are stored to the left/right sides. For the middle rows, again I would remove the head rests, this is optional but ours have been damaged by not doing so, these then fold forward and thats it. A load area that will impress even the most ardent Serena hater!

The engine noise is pronounced when driving and due to its positioning under the front area can be warm in summer. This also makes checking the oil level slightly cumbersome as the dipstick is under the passenger seat and the oil cap under the drivers, however as it doesn't leak oil then this hasn't been too much of a nuisance and you can soon get the system for lifting the seats down to a fine art.

The actual drive is quite firm with a Galaxy owning friend impressed by the lack of body roll during cornering. The progress of the car is best described as stately, you will reach top speeds (70-80) eventually, however this has to be done in the inside lane for everyones safety, acceleration and hill climbing are definatley not this cars forte.

As a family car it is ideal, the lack of acceleration prevents the passengers from being thrown about, The engine is happiest at 60mph but will quite happily sit at any legal speed for long distances. The boot space is sufficient for 2 large suitcases and several holdalls and the cooling system ensures that everyone is comfortable.

As for our problems, we have had to change the gearbox due to problems with 5th gear, however the noise coming from this was there ever since we bought it and may have been caused by the rear shunt. The battery was changed last year ( the old one was a petrol type - probably due to the price of £90 for diesel battery). The tyres and exhausts have both done well, the tyres are commercial grade and thus have very rigid side walls, this comes into its own if you have a puncture.

A word of warning on the Nissan roof rack. Ensure that this is fitted by the Nissan mechanics and then mark the positions with paint. The reason for this being that according to Nissan Lincoln, all Nissan manuals are translated from Japanese into English by a Danish team! The result is that all the measurements and instructions are confusing. If the roof rack is fitted wrong then both front doors end up getting warped and fail to seal properly with a subsequent rise in wind noise

We have done 50,000 miles in 4 years so it has done well, thus in summary considering the condition of the car when it was purchased. A reliable car that would suit a large family who go on infrequent holidays and enjoy regular days out with a reasonable amount of luggage.

March 2007: After covering 60K (final mileage 186,000) over just short of 5 years a final MOT confirmed that the cars structure had begun to give up the ghost, and thus was not realistically worth repairing. Therefore onto a new car................