Nissan

The brand name Nissan has accompanied the company since before the war, but was first adopted internationally in the 1980s. Today, Nissan is in alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi.

Upgrade anxiety?

Posted 02/06/2017 by Terje Bjørnstad

upgrading the batteries — Do you need better range? (ScanStockPhoto)

Owners of the BMW i3 and Renault Zoe can probably shrug their shoulders. Leaf owners are dependent on a third-party supplier and lots of duct tape. No one knows what happens to e-golf sweepers…

Buy now or wait?

All the mentioned electric car models have received new and better battery packs that make it possible to drive round trip to Oslo Main Airport, but not to the cabin at Geilo. Maybe it will come in the next round? Because the Opel Ampera-e and Tesla are already there.

I think many people wonder whether they should buy an electric car access, or wait until the next upgrade. Realistically, there will always be a "next upgrade". If you are unlucky, the car you bought this year may be difficult to sell in two years. The fear of exactly the can well be called upgrade anxiety.

Imagine if the car manufacturers could guarantee the possibility of upgrading the batteries afterwards?

Nissan Leaf

And if the car manufacturers don't do it, maybe other battery manufacturers will offer independent solutions? If you have a Nissan Leaf 24 KWH, you can put 4,500 USD on the table and double the battery capacity and range. The disadvantage is that the extra batteries fill the trunk and give a significant weight increase of 150-300 kg. The news is spread online, but the manufacturer, Hybrid Industries, seems a bit reticent with information. The only thing we have seen so far is a prototype installation on YouTube that looks like a real "redneck solution" with a manual switch to switch between the two battery packs. I wouldn't sacrifice the trunk space on my Leaf, - and I don't think the Norwegian authorities will ever approve the solution, either.

The problem for Leaf owners is that there will probably be no opportunity to upgrade from 24 KWH batteries to the new ones with 30 KWH. Nissan is working hard to complete the new Leaf that will arrive next year. It has been reported that it can be supplied with several battery options, 24, 30, 48 or 60 KWH. Then I think Nissan could offer a 48 KWH battery pack for older Leaf models. But Nissan has never indicated any intention to offer upgrades.

BMW i3

BMW, on the other hand, has a goal of being able to upgrade previous models. The future for BMW i3 owners thus looks brighter. It is rumored that BMW will offer to upgrade cars with 21,6 KWH batteries to new 33,4 KWH with an extension of the range from 130 km to 183 km (EPA), - enough to drive round trip Gardermoen. The price will be relatively high in relation to the power increase, - as much as 7 euros *).

BMW has not announced an exact date for when upgrades will be available. They have also never carried out any similar update program. The i3 update will be a pilot project.

Volkswagen e-Golf

Volkswagen has never made any official statements that they want to offer battery pack upgrades. Car owners with 24,2 KWH batteries currently do not know whether it will be possible to increase to 35,8 KWH with a range increase from 133 km to 199 km (EPA). It is not improbable that Volkswagen will eventually declare the same political goal as BMW, namely to offer upgrades for environmental reasons. But in order to be able to upgrade older models, it must be taken into account already during the planning of the model, as BMW did with the i3.

Did Volkswagen do it?

Renault Zoe

Renault has chosen a more open and honest line for its customers, including customers in Norway. If you rent the battery pack, upgrading the battery pack from 22 KWH to 41 KWH will cost 3 euros *) in a lump sum plus adjusted rent. If you eier the batteries cost 9 euros *). The price includes shipping, working hours and administrative work, mainly related to changing information in the vehicle registration card. The price is high, but then you will get an electric car that can actually take you all the way up to the cabin at Geilo on one battery charge. The upgrade will be possible from the second half of 2017. A closer date has not been specified. The weight of the batteries is increased from 290 kg to 312 kg. The change not only requires changes to the vehicle license but also the associated insurance agreements.

See

Nissan today
Renault today

nine norway — NIO changes batteries in 3 minutes

Leaf for car enthusiasts?

Posted 02/05/2017 by Terje Bjørnstad

Among the cars of the car enthusiast public, I could not find any Leafs other than "mine". Strange, because the Leaf is one of the best-selling car models in Norway. Last year it was in 7th place.

This weekend I visited the Classic Cars Show Norway at Exporama outside Oslo. When car enthusiasts gather, there are many beautiful cars in the parking lot. I myself arrived in a Nissan Leaf, – 30 KWH with a range of 250 km.

250km?

There were only 187 km on the dashboard when I took over the car. Then it had been charging for over a day. The charging time for 30 amp chargers is 5,5 hours. Where had the last kilometers gone? Skeptical. But after driving exactly 40 km, I discovered that the batteries had only lost 25 km. Despite the fact that I didn't get the full range at the start, I see that it should be possible to get a mileage that comes well up to what Nissan promises. I would have preferred the indicator to be more accurate, but settled on the fact that this car can go significantly longer between charges than other electric cars I've driven. Thus, I stopped following the consumption.

I like the look of the Leaf. It resembles a duck, with a beak at the front and a kind of tail at the back. Everyone recognizes it on the road. "My" Leaf is a Nordic. It has LED lights, BOSE system, DAB radio, reversing camera and intelligent control functions for mobile. The seats are comfortable, but without a hint of sportiness. It felt like sitting in an ordinary armchair. The adjustment options are simple, but I quickly found an alright sitting position. The velor-like seat cover is pleasant to sit on and touch, but hardly suitable for coffee spills and small children.

The Leaf does not feel like a premium car, but it is not a cheap car either. The quality of the switches, instruments and infotainment system is completely up to par. I like the composition. The interior is unsophisticated. A lot of plastic, but still quite alright. I like to highlight the feelgood factor here.

On the road, the impression of comfort is reinforced. The noise level is amazing. No "tram sound" from the engine, no whistling wind and no rumble from the tires against the road, as you experience in the e-Golf. But the comparison is not real, since the Leaf was still on soft, stud-free winter tyres. The 109-horsepower electric motor ensures that the one and a half tonne heavy vehicle accelerates effortlessly. You can cruise at 100 km/h on the motorway without any problems. Of course, I know that you should stay below 90 km/h to get the most out of the batteries, but 100 km/h suited the Leaf very well.

I notice that the Leaf is not as direct and direct as the e-Golf in a "moose test" (steer away from game that suddenly appears). The comparison would be fairer on summer tires, but this is perhaps where you can also feel the age. When the Leaf came on the market in 2010, the driving characteristics in extreme driving conditions were not the most important thing. At the time, it was a big news that you could drive 10-15 kilometers with 5 people in the car - quickly and comfortably, like a completely normal car that didn't look like a Tupperware product.

Like other electric cars, the Leaf also has an artificial engine brake that regenerates electricity. You can switch between B (engine brake) and D (drive) on the gear lever. This may be a matter of taste and preference. Without an artificial engine brake, you can save electricity by letting the car roll freely. The Leaf's engine brake is basically not as powerful as on the BMW i3. In normal driving mode, it is roughly like the first step on the e-Golf, or like the engine brake on a normal petrol engine. By pressing the Eco button on the steering wheel, the artificial engine braking is reinforced. This is an effective way to increase your reach.

Place

The interior space is one of the Leaf's biggest advantages. This really is a full-fledged 5-seater. The boot is 370 litres, 29 liters more than the e-Golf, and 10 liters less than the standard Golf. The usefulness of the room is somewhat reduced by the fact that it is not flat, and that the tailgate is quite slanted. Also, the bag for the charging equipment steals some space, and I don't know if it's a subwoofer or what, which also steals some floor space. The Leaf is not particularly suitable for transporting large suitcases and prams, but perfectly fine for small packages.

Safety

The Nissan Leaf was tested by NCAP in 2012. What was most critical for the driver and passenger was the risk of injuries to the knees and hips in a frontal collision due to hard materials in the inner ear. In the test, some poor protection against whiplash was also demonstrated. The overall grades are still good. Compared to its competitors, the Leaf's overall marks are below the standard Golf, which was tested in the same year, - and marginally higher than the BMW i3.

Economy

The Nissan Leaf Nordic costs NOK 267 at the dealer. Put on winter tires and annual tax and you are "good to go". The competitor e-Golf costs approx. 990, with a 306 km range. It has similar equipment to the Leaf, but in addition a very extensive list of additional equipment.

I don't think the range increase is big enough to create new uses for the Leaf. It is still a car for urban areas and relatively short trips. The advantage is primarily that you don't have to charge as often, and that you are safer against running out of power. I recommend choosing the largest 30 KWH battery pack due to trade-in price. Unfortunately, there is no possibility to upgrade cars with 24 KWH battery packs to 30 KWH. When traded in, I think the Leaf will hold its value well, despite the fact that there have been extensive parallel imports.

Although the electric motors themselves are not very advanced, there is a lot of advanced electronics in the electric cars. When new models appear, people are naturally skeptical about durability. Will the cars work for many years or will they collapse like the Nokia phones did a few years ago? Because the Leaf has been in production for so long, a lot is known about maintenance costs. It is known that the cars last, and that they rarely cause big surprises for the owners. Everyone knows that the general, daily operating costs of an electric car are very favorable.

Conclusion

There was a lot of fun to see at the Classic Cars Show Norway for car enthusiasts. I think the ticket price of 250 was quite high, as many of the cars were exhibited by voluntary car clubs. It's still not every time you get to study Arnardo's old Mercedes-Benz 600, or see an Iso Grifo, Lamborghini Espada or Tatra Tatraplan in unrestored condition.

Last year, 4127 Leafs were sold in Norway. It is one of Norway's best-selling car models. Of course, there must be the occasional car enthusiast in the customer lists. The Nissan Leaf is unlikely to be the first choice of a "keen driver". It was initially a hit because it then competed with cars such as the Think, Buddy and Reva. It was an easy match for Leaf!

But today? Leaf is no Tesla. It does not have as good driving characteristics as the e-Golf. It's not as cool as the BMW i3. It is still my first choice in terms of space and comfort. It's a car I happily take for a ride. Another factor, which counts for many, is operational reliability. Leaf has proven that.

It is, after all, Norway's longest-lived usable electric car.

Not as fast as this one (parked outside by NSK member).

The Maserati Biturbo is not the world's best Maserati, but perhaps the Maserati that sold the most when new in Norway?

See

Looks small, but you sit high and airy in it.

Nissan.no

Nissan Qashqai 1,2 Dig-T

Posted 11/09/2016 by Terje Bjørnstad

It's big, I thought, as I parked it in the garage next to my wife's Audi Q3. On paper, they are the same size, but the Qashqai looks bigger. It really fills out its dimensions, unlike the Q3's rounded corners.

"Crossover" is what Nissan calls its tall passenger cars. I automatically think SUV when I see Qashqai. High ground clearance and unpainted plastic along the spoiler, wheel arches and over channels to cope with rough roads. But 4-wheel drive is only offered with the largest engine option, – not with the 1,2 liter engine that I drove. That is basically why I choose the designation SUV light for the Qashqai. The car belongs to the Golf class, and although it is tall and large for the class, it does not weigh much more than a well-equipped Golf.

The expression and, too also covers the driving characteristics. The Qashqai feels somewhat light on the road. Basically, I think it's a positive feeling. It is quick and responsive. I take the Qashqai to a place where the road makes a bump just before a bend. By giving in over the bump, I can judge how steadily the car settles into the subsequent turn. With the Qashqai, I felt that the rear wheels almost lifted over the bump, - a worrying thought since, for example, the Q3 picks up the bump through the undercarriage - but the Qashqai still handled the bend nicely.

The 1,2 liter is taken from Renault and can be found, among other things, in the Renault Scenic. It has 115 horses and the torque curve is flat at 190 Nm from 2000 to 4000 revs. In terms of performance, it corresponds to a 2-litre 10-15 years ago. Compared to Volkswagen's 1,2 TSI 110 HP, the turbo kicks in a little later, but the impact is not as noticeable as in the Volkswagen. One can also compare the engine in terms of performance with PSA's new three-cylinder 1,2 liter with 110 HP, although it does not run as cultivated as the Renault engine.

I experienced the Qashqai's engine as quiet, vibration-free, responsive and very easy to drive. It surprised me how well the little engine worked in the big Qashqai.

I didn't feel the need to gear very often. On the country road I alternated a little between fifth and sixth gear. The two gears are quite close. In fifth gear, the engine maintains exactly 2000 revolutions at 80 km/h and thus within the engine's optimal rev range, but I could just as well shift up to sixth at around 65 km/h and accelerate calmly and effortlessly upwards.

The engine sound was unobtrusive, and off and almost absent. At first I perceived the car as quiet since I could hardly hear the engine, but when I chatted with my wife while we were driving to an out-of-town department store, I felt that the interior noise must still be louder than in the last cars I've driven. The soundscape has the character of road hiss, - not rumble of tires against the road, - and in no way abnormally loud compared to other cars in the Golf class.

qashqai — Behind the wheel, I found everything you need.

On the comfort side, I would emphasize good sitting comfort. The driver's seat had electric adjustment, and it was possible to find a very good sitting position for my 1,88 meter tall body and shoe size 46. I chose to sit a little higher than I usually do. A high seating position gives a good sense of space both in front and behind. The luggage compartment is 430 under the hat shelf. It is actually the same size as the Volvo V60, but 30 liters less than the Audi Q3.

"My" Qashqai had equipment grade N-connecta. It is quite well equipped, in fact so well equipped that I couldn't find anything on the equipment list that I absolutely had to have. Among other things, it has automatic lighting, blind spot warning, anti-collision system with emergency brake, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, navigation, speed limit display and lane departure warning.

"You're going to unplug it soon," it came from the passenger seat. The lane change warning alerted hastily as I steered through the bends along the Enebakkveien from Oslo out towards the department store The casualty. They specialize in buying up damaged consignments and offering them to consumers at a reduced price. I liked the speed limit indicator very much, as the speed limits after Klemetsrud alternate between 50 and 60 about every 100 metres.

Qashqai N-connecta costs NOK 317 in dark gray metallic. It's a lot of car for the money. Few cars in this class are more beautiful than the Qashqai. I especially like the crease on the rear side windows that run in a line up along the rear spoiler. This is car design at the highest level. The car is also beautiful inside, but when it comes to general look-and-feel, there is a limit to how much it is possible to achieve within the price. Neither the controls on the steering wheel, the switch panel at the bottom left of the dashboard nor the infotainment system give any distinct feeling of quality, so to speak.

The Qashqai does not give the same feeling of quality that you find in more expensive cars such as Volvo and Audi. It is simply because the Nissan Qashqai is a more affordable car. The beautiful design still gives a feeling of quality. It's almost like IKEA, where you can find beautifully designed lamps and sofas far cheaper than the high-end brands. IKEA still manages to keep prices down, among other things, by using cheaper materials and more efficient production methods.

The department store The casualty At Enebakk, goods are sold cheaper than other shops because they are B goods, either after an accident along the road, or due to date marking. It makes it exciting to walk between the shelves, because you never know what you will find. This time we ended up filling only a small carrier bag with a few small items.

So we chose to take the long way home with the Qashqai in the fine autumn weather.

The interior is beautifully designed, but the choice of materials reveals that we are not in the premium class. — The interior is beautifully designed, but does not belong to the premium class.

The yield from the "Havaristen" did not manage to fill the trunk. — The yield from "Havaristen" did not manage to fill the trunk.

Start/stop switch on equipment grade N-connecta and Tekna.

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Who decides the lifespan of the car?

Posted 01/05/2015 by Terje Bjørnstad

We who like to look after cars hope that we can keep them on the road for many years. The truth is that we will have no say in the future.

The speedometer on our youth car has started cutting out. With the help of the family's youngest driver, I have now ordered a new speedometer on Ebay. Our old Civic of American origin is equipped with one of America's best-selling - and most-screwed - drivetrains. That's why there are probably hundreds of videos on YouTube that show how to fix most things yourself. Also the small circuit board that sits behind the speedometer clock, - the one that no longer works.

It's electronics, but not hi-tech. Anyone with a test lamp can troubleshoot. One should really expect that the electronics fails first, and not a mechanical component, - such as the small gear that whirs around in the gearbox and produces data for the speedometer. I think about what would have happened if I had left my laptop from the late 90s in the car. Would it still work today?

Hardly.

A salesman for Audi told me that if you short-circuit the electronics on a modern car, for example by giving jump start assistance, it can cost you around NOK 150. I know a guy who had a Volvo V000 that had problems with the electronics in the automatic gearbox. The entire cash register was replaced with a similarly overhauled cash register. Price tag 70, but fortunately it was only a warranty issue for the owner. I thought: Why didn't they just replace the electronics? The explanation is probably that the electronics are not just about circuit boards, but components built into the case itself.

The point here is: What would happen to the V70 today? A 2005 model with a market price of around NOK 100? Would it be worthwhile to fix electronic faults in the gearbox? One thing is certain: no one can do such a job themselves, even with a thousand YouTube videos. I unfortunately think that an otherwise well-functioning V000 would have ended its days as a share car, while old electronics-less 70s are still rolling around on the road.

The car industry is aware of how vulnerable new cars are to electronic faults. Therefore, a practice seems to have developed to cover electronic faults - and other vulnerable components - even if the warranty period has expired. I know that MøllerBil sends the bills to Germany, - also for pirated imported cars. I have taken advantage of that on several occasions. Toyota has a similar agreement with its factories.

But no warranty covers faults with 10-year-old cars.

It can therefore be the case that car industry will determine the lifespan of our cars. Imagine that you have delivered your car to a workshop because the yellow engine management light has started to light up, and you are told that the software in your car has unfortunately expired.

-We no longer support version 1, and unfortunately your car is not compatible with newer versions...

Then I think primarily of the newest generation of electric cars. I've heard that if you're thinking of buying a used Nissan Leaf, by all means make sure you get version 2. Version 1 can't compare to the latest version. It's almost like mobile phones. If you need a new version, you might as well buy a new phone. Volvo advertises that you get your software upgraded for free while your car is being serviced, and they actually call their service "2.0". It is nice. MøllerBil probably charges 2 for it. But if you need a proper upgrade, you may have to change components "all over the place", and then maybe the NOK 000 estimate from the Audi man is not too far from the truth?

Hope new cars can be recycled.

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Rent or own batteries?

If you buy a NIO, you can choose between owning or renting batteries - currently the only car manufacturer. Renault ended the scheme in 2021. Leie never took off very well in Norway. **See more**

The cars that go first in the press (Motor.no)

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