An unexpected departure.....

[fat controller]

As some of you know, I have been considering changing my car for a few months now, with a view to getting an A6 Avant, even getting as far as setting up a test drive about a month ago. That test drive didn't happen, as the dealer didn't have the V5, and despite waiting weeks, it never turned up; others that I had seen were not to the spec I was looking for or had quite a bit of 'leg' on them (ex-fleet) and whilst I know the cars are good for it, to be honest it scared me a wee bit (having had the dreaded clutch and DMF issue resurface on my A4 for the second time in three years and 18k miles, for example);

Yesterday, we took a trip to a Vauxhall dealer (I know, I know :big laugh as they were doing deals with 5 years interest free credit and five years free servicing on new cars - - too good to be true? Well, yes. It was only on certain models (you know, the ones that nobody wants), and the salesman kept on trying to switch us to a used car (completely defeating the object of the exercise, as the only reason I was even considering a Vauxhall was the thought of buying something brand new, with the warranty etc etc. Worse still, when I asked to see an Astra estate to see what size it was, they didn't have one. Then he decided it was a good idea to start slating another manufacturers product (never a good move), so we left thinking he was talking through a hole in his rear, and headed to that other manufacturer's local main dealer.

We had a brief visit (it was absolutely mobbed in there) but saw a car that Mrs C really took a shine to and I must confess that I did too, albeit out of our budget as a new carr; we went home, and found a used ones just a matter of months old, with less than 10k on the clock and the balance of the manufacturers warranty, so went for a test drive this afternoon, and bought it.

The lure of something so new, so comfortable and so practical simply made too much sense to walk away from; I loved my Audi, and almost certainly will return to the fold in the future - but right now, we need something that is going to be cheap to run and give the least hassle possible.

[Scott K]

Great. What is it?

[fat controller]

Its a Nissan Qashqai (CashCow ) 1.5 dci Acenta Premium. Although it will never be an Audi, it is surprisingly well screwed together, has pretty much all the toys, is very comfortable indeed, £0 road tax, and so far is giving me just over 60mpg.

[EssexGonzo]

It's easy to look down one's nose at a Nissan from an Audi perspective but.......I reckon you've made a fantastic choice.

This is a car that has won many awards and magazine top ratings - they are consistently praised and IIRC the top selling crossover/SUV in the UK? I don't recall the A6 or A4 having been praised quite so much, great cars though they are.

We've just sold our A6 to make room for builders and early next year will be buying something new. Mrs EG wants something "higher up", so an SUV, the default options for looking at being the Q5, X3 (but not one of the vomit inducing Mercs) and possibly an XC60.

However, the peeps over the road have just changed their X3 for a Cash Cow and it has caught Mrs EG's eye. It's in a lovely grey with privacy glass and some nice alloys. She now wants one. We'll also have a quick look at a CX-5 and a Santa Fe. But if we end up with one of these we might save enough to add a new MX 5 to the driveway!

Oh, and the Cash Cow is made in Britain!

[Sam]

Bold move FC.

Is the 1.5 dci still a Renault engine, I seem to recall there being issues with premature belt failure on the earlier Renault engined QQs - a feat not just reserved for the VAG marques

[zollaf]

yeah, same engine as a renault, normally found in a clio , micra or dacia. in fact most of the electrics are renault.

[Sam]

Belt issues were sorted with a modification on all QQs after 2010.

Happy motoring FC!

[fat controller]

I must admit that I never even considered a Nissan, or an SUV until very recently - in fact Nissan appeared on my radar a matter of months ago when a colleague bought a brand new Pulsar (same colour as mine too), and took me for a run in it the day he bought it. He is getting an average of 50+ mpg around town in London traffic, and it seemed really well screwed together. I had a brief look at the Qashqai after seeing a black one in Sainsbury's car park, but then dismissed it purely as it wasn't an Audi. Meanwhile, Mrs C saw the Qashqai and liked the interior and the panoramic roof, and kept going back to it....

I continued on my trail for an A6, gave up on the idea of an S-Line as I reckoned the suspension would be too hard for me given my arthritis, and then sat in a colleagues Volvo - - so much more comfortable than the A4, but also quite a 'clinical' feel to it; I am one of those people who either connects with a car, or doesn't (if you know what I mean), and I just didn't click with it as such. Anyway, that made me think a bit about widening my horizons, then I spoke to my (older and wiser) cousin who suggested that I might be better off not going for "other people's trouble" by buying at three or four years old and that resonated a bit with me, not least due to the clutch and flywheel issues that I have had with the A4, and that seem to be pretty common with the A6 also, hence looking at a brand new Vauxhall. The Vauxhall's were as dull as ditch water if truth be told, and regardless of it being brand new, I would have been bored to tears with the thing in a matter of weeks. Mrs mentioned the Qashqai to the Vauxhall salesman, asking if any of theirs had the panoramic roof -- instead of telling us the virtues of one of his new models, he chose to say that the Qashqai was tiny, and basically the same as Mokka which was a Nissan Note on stilts; he then promptly followed that with a "what do I need to do to get your business today" line (I hate that), which sent me into "F you pal" mode, and sent me toward the Nissan dealer for a look.

I had a poke about the boot (very clever dual floor), and the cabin whilst my wee one launched herself into the back and started pointing to the glass roof; I got into the driver seat, looked out the windscreen at Mrs C and she just nodded. The seats are incredibly comfortable (NASA technology somewhere allegedly), and despite initial fears about the engine being thrashy and gutless, it was quite the opposite. The cabin isn't up to Audi build standards, and Audi remain the one to beat in that respect, however it is equally as good as VW/Seat/Skoda in my opinion. It was designed in London, built in Sunderland and tuned for British roads (and that shows in the way it drives so comfortably) - apparently the engine is not just a standard Renault lump, but rather Nissan's own take on it having let their engineers loose to make it more refined and get an extra 20Nm torque. Besides anything else, it is probably only the second car we have gotten into at a dealers and all liked (the other being my Jaguar), which is quite impressive.

It doesn't have the badge appeal that the Audi had, however it is quite a nice looking motor (the colour of mine really sold it to me, and once I get it polished I will share some proper pics, I promise); the spec is HUGE including Privacy glass, dual zone climate, bluetooth, nav, active chassis control, TPMS, DAB, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, reversing camera, forward collision avoidance radar...... and it all seems to work just fine. The higher seating position and better seats really suit my old bones too. If you are in the market for an SUV, I would suggest taking one of these for a test drive and be prepared to be surprised.

I intend to stick around here though, if there are no objections, as I have had a lot of great help here over the years and live in the hope that I might be able to give something back - - besides, there is still a four-ring tattoo on my heart.....

[zollaf]

they are indeed very well built cars. probably cost a lot less to look after than any vag, to be fair.

[fat controller]

When it came down to it zollaf, I couldn't have afforded to buy a VAG car that I wanted (so, Audi really) that was young enough to have over two years of manufacturers warranty left - right now, that sort of peace of mind is more important to me than a badge I'm afraid, However, I am not going to go as far as to call it badge snobbery, because it isn't - there are areas on the QQ that show how they have achieved the car at the price (thickness of parcel shelf, some of the plastics used in places such as the lower dash etc), but they are not so significant that it ruins the car. Is an Audi as good value for money? Hell yes! But, there are sometimes when we have to take a wider and more sensible view, and this for me is one of those times. I have NEVER scrimped on car maintenance, ever, but I was finding myself in a position where I was putting up with a fault (clutch/flywheel) simply because I couldn't afford the fix, and that ain't good. I've long believed that if you cannot afford to run a car like an Audi properly, then you shouldn't be driving one.

I'll be back in the fold in a few years, and most likely in an A6 Avant Ultra....