1.0 Visia 5dr Hatchback

Entry level Nissan, Indian built, cheap and feels it.

Bought a July 2009 Pixo Visia in December 2012 for £4000 with 17,000 on the clock, so have only had it for 2 months at time of writing, having done 1800 miles in it.

Cheap purchase price for a 3 yr old car but this is built in India, and it feels cheap. The dashboard looks attractive but also as if it's sprayed with hammerite, and uses cheap, hard plastics. Also there's no temperature gauge, just a warning light if it overheats. The rear view mirror cannot be dipped, and the passengers in the back only have hinged windows as opposed to wind down ones. An MP3 CD/Radio is standard, but has only two small dashboard speakers and can sound tinny. Some parts prices are expensive, such as £55 for a set of brake pads, and spark plugs at £14 each.

On the plus side, it has a willing chain-cam driven 67bhp 3 cylinder engine which does 48 mpg around town, although it's rather high geared so needs at least 30mph in 4th and over 40mph in 5th. Motorway cruising is relaxed but the high gearing affects acceleration, making it feel less lively than the old K11 1.0 Micra I had previously. Car tax is only £20 for a year.

Problems: on viewing it had the common problem of the rear wash-wipe pipe slipping off, flooding the driver's footwell - this was fixed before the sale. Dismissed a slight wheel bearing noise - thinking this can't happen at 17k - by 19k it was a front nearside wheel bearing getting very noisy, now replaced and quiet again. Squeaks when setting off from start - suspension or engine mounts?. Occasionally throttle response is poor from standing start - flat spot - needs lots of revs to set off and stalled occasionally at traffic lights. Possible CV joint excitor ring broke - occasional grinding when braking, very bad braking in snow - grinding from front offside wheel with feeling of no braking on that wheel in thick snow. Exhaust can sound raspy, especially at higher speeds such as on motorway.

Previously myself and members of my family have had good service from Nissans including a N14 Sunny, N15 Almera, three K11 Micras and two P11 Primeras. Having heard of a drop in standards of later Nissans as a result of their collaboration with Renault, I was willing to give the Pixo a chance, as it is a joint development with Suzuki - the Nissan Pixo is almost identical to the Suzuki Alto and is built in the same factory by Suzuki. To be honest I would prefer a new Micra K11 1.0 if it was available, having had good service from these cars, I'm not happy with the Pixo, it shouldn't be having any problems at this age and mileage.

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