Nissan Note Reviews

Nissan has announced it will offer Australia’s only 10-year/300,000km new-car warranty, doubling the timeframe on its previous five-year/unlimited km warranty. Announced officially today, the offer will stand for all new Nissan vehicles purchased in Australia from January 1 2025. Additionally, it also includes up to 10 years of Nissan roadside assist and five years of flat-priced schedule servicing. That means new Nissan Qashqai, X-Trail, Juke and Pathfinder owners will be charged a flat rate of just $399 each service for the first five services, while Patrol, Navara and Z owners will be charged $499. Owners of the Nissan Leaf EV will pay a flat rate of $349. In total, Nissan estimates savings of up to $1149 on the plan, depending on the model. The warranty extension will also apply to Nissan vehicles purchased new since January 1 2021, providing they have met their service intervals at an authorised Nissan servicing provider at the correct intervals and times. If they haven’t, buyers will have to have their vehicle assessed by Nissan during their next service to determine their eligibility, which will cost an extra $99. Should buyers purchase a vehicle with the warranty offer activated, Nissan has confirmed it will be transferable to the next owner in case of sale. “The new service-activated warranty is Australia’s only 10-year 300,000km warranty and is industry leading. It’s designed to deliver peace of mind to our customers. Peace of mind that Nissan has your back. Peace of mind that Nissan is with you for the long term,” said Michael Hill, Director of Aftersales, Nissan Oceania. Prior to Nissan’s announcement, the longest warranty on offer in Australia was facilitated by MG, which offers a 10-year/250,000km warranty. Mitsubishi was second (now third) with a 10-year/200,000km warranty. Nissan sold 45,284 vehicles in Australia last year, an increase of 14.0 per cent on the previous year.

The car industry is based on constant model renewal. Cycles have been getting shorter and shorter, with the main industry settling on between six and eight years as the norm. 

The Australian new car market is more competitive than ever before and the 2024 sales charts proved exactly that. It doesn't matter whether you're a legacy brand or a new kid on the block, the electric transition has created ample opportunities for carmakers to thrive – and a considerable number did so this year. So, without further ado, here they are... GWM’s rise to a top-ten brand in 2024 caught many by surprise, though people are quick to forget that this has been a long time coming. As the first Chinese car brand to reach Australian shores in 2009, GWM has evolved considerably from its early ute foundations, with its SUV range now comprising the vast majority of its sales. Specifically, the Haval Jolion, which GWM sold 14,238 of last year – a record for the brand for what is Australia’s second-cheapest hybrid car and 10th most popular in December.  We knew BYD was coming, but who expected this? The Chinese Tesla-challenger came big in 2024 with a sales uptick of 64.5 per cent, primarily off the back of the fully-electric Seal and plug-in hybrid Sealion 6 models – which sold 6393 and 6198 units, respectively, in their first year. With the Shark 6 ute and Sealion 7 on its way, who knows, by this time next year we could be calling it a top-ten brand. It was another strong year for Ford which maintained the title of Australia's best-selling vehicle with the Ranger ute. It clocked 62,593 sales in total. Second to it, albeit much further behind, was the Ranger-based Everest SUV, which clocked 26,494 sales for the year – a 75.8 per cent increase on last year. Together they accounted for nearly 90 per cent of Ford's sales, which puts them in a precarious position in 2025 with New Vehicle Efficiency Standards and stiff competition from BYD and GWM on the plug-in hybrid ute front. Australia’s love of Mitsubishi clearly isn’t waning despite the brand lacking an EV. Sales of the Outlander SUV, which is offered in plug-in hybrid guise, skyrocketed in 2024, with 27,613 sales making it the second-best selling medium SUV in the country behind the Toyota RAV4. It is also worth noting that the new-gen Triton had a strong year, with sales up a further 7.6 per cent to 14,737 for the year. There are few things Australians love more than a Toyota.  The Japanese powerhouse grew its sales by 26,056 on last year, with the final tally of 241,296 sales exceeding the volume of both second (Ford) and third (Mazda) places combined.  A big chunk of that was off the back of the RAV4, which nearly doubled its sales from 29,627 last year to 58,718. Toyota expects that to grow even further in 2025. HiLux sales retracted by 14.2 per cent in 2024 and are likely to do so again in 2025, but it still performed strongly with 53,499 total sales. Expect some of the slack to be picked up by the brand new Prado this year. The South Korean powerhouse continues its march as one of Australia’s best-selling car brands, increasing its slice of the pie by a further 7.4 per cent in 2024 to 81,787 total sales. Leading its sales was the Kia Sportage with 22,210 sales, a 41.0 per cent increase on the previous year. The Cerato and Carnival models weren’t too far behind at 15,502 and 10,080 sales, respectively. Regardless of challenging times for the brand globally, Nissan had a strong year in Australia, clocking up nearly 6000 more sales this year compared to last. Those were greatly helped by the X-Trail, which had a huge 36 per cent increase in sales year-on-year. Though it's far from the most compelling ute in Australia, the Navara continued to sell relatively well, clocking up 10,063 sales for 2024, a 15.5 per cent increase. So apparently selling super-affordable cars during a cost-of-living crisis was a winning ticket, who would’ve thought? Chery shook things up in 2024 with its very affordable range, which doubled in size. The Omoda 5 reigned supreme, growing its sales from 5370 to 6162. It wasn’t without help from the Tiggo 7 Pro (2734) and the brand new Tiggo 4 Pro (1918) and Tiggo 8 Pro (1789) models, though. Suzuki is proving that you don’t necessarily need a brand new line-up to achieve sales success. As the brand’s most popular model, the Jimny (9697 sales), enters its seventh year, it shows no signs of slowing down, with sales up 93.9 per cent from 2023. The same can be said for the Vitara (2456 sales), which enters its 10th year this year with a 45.6 per cent sales increase on last year. Porsche’s strong year was largely off the back of its petrol Macan model, which is now out of production as the brand transitions to an electric-only Macan range. Expect sales to dip strongly next year. The second- and third-most popular models were the Cayenne and 911, which remain strong market favourites with respective sales increases of 15.5 and 40.3 per cent. While recording a modest sales increase, BMW retained its title as Australia’s best-selling premium brand for the second year running. With 26,341 total sales, BMW saw strong results across its very dynamic line-up, which consists of EVs, plug-in hybrids, mild-hybrids, petrol and diesel. Notable models were the electric i4 sedan, which saw a staggering 484.1 per cent increase on last year, along with the new X2, which saw a 565 per cent increase. It sounds big on paper, but the 16.1 per cent increase only equates to 600 sales from 3703 in 2023 to 4303 in 2024. Not to downplay it, though, it's a strong result for Chevrolet which sells its cheapest car in Australia – the Silverado LTZ 1500 premium – for $130,500, before on-road costs.

The UK-built Nissan Leaf is now Australia’s second-cheapest electric car as Nissan slashes more than $20,000 off its retail price.

Nissan is in dire straits and another Japanese carmaker is coming to the rescue.  Forging an official bond through a memorandum of understanding in March, Honda and Nissan are now taking steps towards a ‘business integration’ — that means a new holding company led by Honda executives will likely sit above the two brands. Mitsubishi, Nissan’s ongoing alliance partner, also expressed an interest in joining Japan’s nascent automotive giant. Nissan's other alliance partner Renault elected to keep distance from the Japanese arrangement.  Not everyone is so sure the new deal is a good one, including outspoken former Nissan Boss Carlos Ghosn. Investors have also cooled on their initial excitement, with Nissan stock dropping 7.8 per cent late last week. Distinct from The Alliance, the new arrangement will see Nissan and Honda merge under a new, as-yet unnamed holding group. The deal is tipped to be finalised by August 2026 and the new company will be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE).  Mitsubishi’s involvement in the new company will be decided by January 2025.  This is a response to Nissan’s current position, with the company battling sales declines, shrinking profits and huge debts. Specifically, China is the main target, with Nissan’s sales in the country down 50 per cent last fiscal year. New, electrified and ‘software-defined’ products are desperately needed.  Banding together won’t see Nissan and Honda outsell Toyota, which delivered over 11 million vehicles last year. Still, with Honda’s 3.8 million unit and Nissan’s 3.4 million unit projections, the pair will be close. Add Mitsubishi’s circa-900,000 sales and that’s over 8.0 million.  Honda will have a controlling share in the new group, being Japan’s second-biggest carmaker and the larger company of the three. It also has more stable financials than Nissan.  In short, working together should see Honda and Nissan share vehicle platforms and technology investment, giving the two brands greater operational efficiency. The goal is to have a combined sales revenue exceeding 30 trillion yen (A$300 billion) and a healthy 10 per cent operating margin.  The change in arrangement will see Honda and Nissan working closely but will not preclude the brands from continuing relationships with the likes of General Motors and Renault, respectively. In Ghosn's eyes, the deal stands to stem Nissan's losses, yet does not offer clear advantages in terms of technology, supply chain or platform. Neither company has a strong foot hold in China, for example, yet they compete fiercely in other markets such as the US and Europe. “It doesn’t make sense ... the first thing you look at when you want to envision an alliance is complementarity between the two partners. When I look at Honda and Nissan, I see none,” Ghosn commented from Beirut, Lebanon. Honda's engineering excellence lays mainly in combustion engines and it will forever be the bridesmaid in the hybrid game. The cutting edge Insight beat Toyota to market with a hybrid yet it failed to have the cultural impact the Prius did. Honda then didn't persevere with hybrids in passengers cars in the same way Toyota did. The brand's electric cars have struggled, too. The Honda e ended up being a quirky curio, while the North American-market Prologue and (critically panned) European market e:Ny1 haven't blown the competition away. Nissan was, on the other hand, early to the electric car game with the Leaf yet did not progress the technology as fast as new Chinese carmakers have since. The Ariya is its lone electric car though an all-new Leaf is coming in 2025 or 2026. Game-changing solid state batteries are also in Nissan and Honda's future arsenals, which could turn the game around in the eventual merged company's favour.

Here are our top 10 cars released in the first 25 years of this century.

Modern emissions regulations are finally in force in Australia thanks to the introduction of the much-discussed New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES). In force from January 2025, the new legislation catapults Australia’s emissions laws from the 1980s into the 21st century, essentially harmonising our standards (for C02, at very least) to the emissions regime in Europe. From this year until 2029 an ever tighter fleet C02 average will be imposed on automakers in Australia. It may initially seem this could limit the choice of models available to consumers, but it will instead serve to change the dynamic that local distributors and factory-backed outfits have with their respective factories, opening access to models, which before were unavailable, or are actually more suited to sync up with strict Australian Design Rules (ADR) or the safety standards imposed by our local crash-test body, ANCAP. The legislation is also specifically designed to stamp out the practice of using Australia as what some describe as a “dumping ground” for old-technology engines, which are otherwise only sold in developing markets. The light-speed introduction of the rules from virtually nothing won’t be without casualties. Some vehicles, even perennial favourites in Australia, are under threat from these new rules. Some manufacturers are well prepared with a range of hybrids and EVs to help bring their fleet average down, others are scrambling for solutions to improve their otherwise comparatively high-polluting vehicle line-ups. To be clear, these brands will continue to be able to sell these high-emitting engines. It’s not an outright ban. Some V8s, V6s, big capacity four-cylinders and diesels will continue to be sold, so long as their manufacturers are able to sell enough electric vehicles, hybrids and plug-in hybrids to bring their total fleet average down. The only other option? Pay the fines, which could mean the costs are passed on to consumers. So, which brands are most exposed from 2025 onward, and what are they doing about it? Let’s take a look. Isuzu is enormously popular in Australia considering it sells just two vehicles, the D-Max ute and MU-X SUV. The problem is both models are largely famous for their rugged 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine sourced from the brand’s light commercial truck range. This high-emitting engine, plus the fact that Isuzu doesn’t have a range of passenger cars, hybrids or EVs to fall back on as part of its international range, means the Japanese stalwart might be the most at-threat of any mainstream brand in Australia right now. So what’s the plan? Isuzu has already introduced the smaller and more emissions-friendly 1.9-litre four-cylinder engine from its Thai range, which looks to be followed up by its recently-announced 2.2-litre four-cylinder big brother. Lighter, cleaner, and potentially equipped with 48-volt mild hybrid technology, this engine could buy Isuzu the time it needs to get its EV ute plans off-the-ground. Even though Ford remains one of Australia’s most popular brands, this popularity is almost entirely due to just two models, the Ranger and Everest, both are powered by relatively high-emitting diesel engines. To make things worse for Ford, its lower-emitting Euro-sourced SUVs don’t seem to sell in Australia (in fact, the underrated Puma and Escape were both discontinued here recently). Its only other popular vehicle, the primarily V8-powered Mustang, certainly doesn’t help the equation, and uptake has been tame for the Mach-E electric SUV. Ford cancelled its plans to launch the promising Puma Gen-E in Australia, which it seems simply can’t compete with Chinese alternatives on price. What’s Ford doing about it? As is the case in Europe, it is leaning more heavily into its commercial vehicles. It has introduced a range of electric and hybrid Transit vans in hopes fleet customers will take up the low-emissions volume it needs to off-set its utes, which are overwhelmingly popular with private buyers. The Ranger PHEV will also no doubt help, but could have limited appeal with its specs not looking impressive compared to the recently-launched BYD Shark 6. Jeep is another brand full of big and off-road focused vehicles, which look set for a headlong clash with NVES rules. The brand’s 3.6-litre naturally-aspirated V6, which still lives in some of its vehicles, is a comparative dinosaur of a unit. It provides the old-school combustion thrills its audience is looking for, but the problem is it emits well in excess of the 140g/km requirement to avoid NVES fines. Unlike some of its rivals, Jeep is at least having a red-hot go at introducing plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, with the Avenger electric small SUV recently landing in Australia. On top of that, as CarsGuide currently understands the situation, NVES is measured at an OEM level, meaning its Stellantis parent may be able to off-set every big-engined Jeep it sells with a hybrid Alfa Romeo or something fully electric from its incoming Chinese joint-venture brand, Leapmotor. Will they sell in big enough numbers to off-set Jeep’s most popular model, the Grand Cherokee? Time will tell. Like Jeep above, Subaru’s current primarily naturally aspirated range of relatively high-emitting signature boxer engines put it on a collision course with NVES rules. Subaru might be least at risk of the options here though, because it is deep in the process of rolling out hybrids to join its lone EV model, the Solterra. The Solterra hasn't proved as popular as its rivals, but buyers are champing at the bit for the coming next-generation hybrid Crosstrek and Forester SUVs. They use Toyota's hybrid tech blended with the brand’s signature boxer engines. But wait, there’s more working against Subaru. 2027 is not far away, and by then the final stage of NVES will even be putting pressure on currently popular plugless hybrids, which the brand is only just now getting its hands on. Will Subaru be able to keep up? We’ll have to wait to see how its new model plans in 2025 shake out to get an idea, as representatives from its Inchcape importer declined to comment on the impact of NVES on its range at this time. Mahindra’s fledgling new-generation offerings in Australia are a major reset for the Indian marque, with a big increase in spec and quality proving to be a step-change, really giving it a better shot in Australia. The problem is right now, the brand is exclusively bringing in relatively high-emitting turbocharged petrol and diesel engines for its large vehicles, a recipe for emissions beyond the scope of NVES rules. Mahindra is working on a solution though, promising its incoming next-generation range of electric vehicles will feature heavily in its Australian line-up as soon as it can get its hands on them. Additionally, it may be able to off-set emissions from its larger vehicles with its recently-revealed 3X0 small SUV, which could prove to bolster its Australian hopes in more ways than one. Whether it will be enough to off-set its incoming next-generation diesel dual-cab remains to be seen. One of Australia's favourite brands has precisely zero electric vehicles on sale, despite an expansive passenger car range and an offering in almost every segment. Sure, its range of new engines for its large vehicles are impressive. Even though they’re big straight-sixes, they use innovative hybridised transmissions in an attempt to offer its buyers the best of both worlds. Combine that with a range of plug-in hybrids, and Mazda might well just buy itself some time. It will need to do something about its also relatively high-emitting 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder engines, which feature in its range of hatchbacks and small SUVs. The brand recently announced it will introduce a range of lower emissions replacement engines from 2027. Dubbed SkyActiv-Z, the new engine family will burn leaner and theoretically reduce emissions without the need for electrification, and the brand said it will also borrow Toyota hybrid tech for some of its next-generation core vehicles. There’s little zero-emissions vehicles on the immediate horizon. The local division has denied it will need to dig into its Chinese joint-venture and introduce the EZ-6 sedan (at a price that will actually sell), but it almost seems an inevitability with NVES rapidly closing in. Ineos offers just one 4x4, and it looks like exactly the sort that will fall afoul of NVES rules. The Grenadier off-roader is heavy, four-wheel drive, and six-cylinder combustion powered. It is also on a ladder frame, which buys it a higher bar to beat, and its BMW-sourced engines are inherently Euro-6 compliant. The company’s local boss, Justin Hocevar, told CarsGuide at the launch of the Quartermaster ute variant that it was likely the brand would also lean on BMW for engines with upgraded mild hybrid (MHEV) technology in the short term to help it achieve its emissions targets. Additionally, he noted the smaller Fusilier, which will be available with both battery electric and range extender hybrid, was not cancelled, just put on pause for the time being as the brand globally responds to a retraction in EV demand. An EV pioneer turned laggard, Nissan is in trouble when it comes to emissions in Australia. Unlike Honda, which could potentially switch to an entirely hybrid-only range to buy itself some time, Nissan will need to radically overhaul its range of passenger vehicles in just a handful of years if it wants to avoid NVES wrath. Sure, it has introduced the appealing range-extender e-Power hybrid tech on its best-selling Qashqai and X-Trail, but the system isn’t efficient enough to off-set the amount of Navaras or petrol V6 engines it sells. Its trailblazing Leaf EV is now gone and the mid-size Ariya electric SUV is still nowhere to be seen, leaving future hopes in the hands of the small SUV Leaf replacement due to be revealed next year. Ram is arguably a worse position than Isuzu. Its importer, Ateco, has ditched the V8 1500 for next year and is replacing it with a twin-turbo V6, but it isn't likely to fare much better in emissions tests. As CarsGuide understands, Ateco isn’t allowed to spread its emissions across its brands in contrast to its factory-backed group rivals. This means every big Ram could be looking at a major price increase if its emissions aren’t allowed to be offset by Ateco’s LDV Chinese commercial vehicle marque, which is expected to move quite a few electric Deliver 7 vans and eTerron 9 utes in the next year. It puts the brand in quite a spot going into 2025, as much of its success has been due to the bulk of its 1500 sales sitting right in the circa-$130,000 sweet spot, which seems to attract buyers to the ‘full-size’ American pick-up space.

What’s a car without a name? It’s an object that may function superbly well. It might even look impressively tough or beautifully sleek.

What is the cheapest ute in Australia? At the time of publication the cheapest ute in Australia is the Toyota HiLux Workmate 4x2. A key reason for the HiLux’s sustained success is Toyota’s decision to ensure every end of the market is covered, from the humble Workmate to the plush Rogue and dynamic GR-Sport. The Workmate 4x2 starts at just $26,475 (plus on-road costs), retaining its title as cheapest new ute Australia despite the influx of new cheaper offerings from China and India in recent years.  As the legend goes, utes were originally intended to be a vehicle to take farmers to church on Sunday and the market on Monday. Therefore, they were designed to be an affordable, working class vehicle that appealed to a limited audience. Fast forward nearly 100 years and the ute has become a defining feature of Australian automotive society and culture. The ute is now no longer just going to the church and the market, it drives people to building sites, office blocks, the beach, the motocross track, the local shopping centre and just about anywhere else a modern car goes. As the ute has become ubiquitous it has evolved into many different forms and become increasingly expensive. The popular Ford Ranger Raptor starts at more than $90,000, while the new breed of locally-converted American ‘pick-ups’ can cost more than six-figures, with the Ram 3500 Laramie a whopping $177,950. But what if you’re still after an affordable ute that won’t break the bank? Well, we’ve got you covered. In this article you’ll find a list of the cheapest utes Australia has to offer at this moment in time (December 2024). While the market has shifted more upmarket in recent years, the good news for Australian buyers is there are still plenty of affordable utes available. As the Toyota HiLux Workmate proves, these aren’t from just newer brands like GWM, Mahindra and LDV. Instead, (if you don’t need 4x4) you can get into an Isuzu, Nissan, Mazda or Ford for under $40K. Beyond the usual factors you consider when buying a new ute - price, payload, towing capacity, etc - one of the key considerations when looking for a budget ute is reliability and future ownership credentials.  For example, the Tata Xenon was the cheapest ute Australia offered a few years ago, starting at just $19,990. However, the brand did not last long and exited the Australian market, which leaves owners with an uncertain future. All the brands on our list below are now firmly established in the local market, so should not suffer a similar fate to Tata, but it still pays to consider the company you’re buying from and what reputation it has for reliability and ownership in the ute sector.   The HiLux was the best-selling ute (and one of the most popular new models, period) in Australia for a very long time and the Workmate has a lot to do with that. It may be powered by a humble 122kW/245Nm 2.7-litre turbo-diesel, have a single cab chassis and only be 4x2, but for buyers looking for a cheap, hard-working ute it ticks all the right boxes - it can tow up to 2500kg and has a payload of up to 1145kg.  While Toyota may have a diverse HiLux range now, it has never forgotten the need to cater to the budget end of the segment, even in the face of the arrival of GWM, Mahindra and Tata with some very cheap utes in recent years. But while some have come and gone, the Workmate has remained. The D-Max is one of Australia’s favourite utes, typically finishing behind only the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux in the sales race. A big part of that popularity is its affordability, which is led by the entry-grade SX Single Cab.  It’s powered by a 110kW/350Nm 1.9-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel paired with a six-speed manual transmission. While it has a small engine, it has a braked towing capacity of 2800kg and a payload capacity of 1400kg (without a tray), so it can still work hard. You’ll be noticing the theme here is single cab chassis models, because the bed adds to the cost and bumps them out of the most economical ute discussion. The Navara SL is another example of this, taking a no-frills approach and only offering the important elements. That includes a 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel good for 120kW/403Nm and paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. This is enough to give the Navara SL a 3500kg braked towing capacity, which is on par with more expensive 4x4 models, and also a payload of 1350kg. The Chinese brand has made its mark with its affordable range of Cannon utes, which begins with this cab chassis option. It has the same 120kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel as the rest of the range but misses out on the four-wheel drive. That gives it enough to tow up to 3000kg and the payload is rated at 1050kg. What it does have over the previous utes on this list is a back seat, with a dual cab body and it also gets the aluminium tray out the back included in the price. It also gets some other nice touches not common at this price point, such as an eight-speed automatic transmission and alloy wheels.  The Indian brand has been in Australia longer than most people probably remember, first arriving back in 2007. The Pikup has been its staple since then and after the cut-price S6+ and S10 models laid the foundation, this newer S11 has arrived to carry on the legacy of affordable utes from Mahindra. While it’s the most expensive of the five on this list, it’s the only 4x4 and the only dual cab of its kind for under $40K. Powered by a 103kW/320Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel the Pikup S11 can tow up to 2500kg and has a 1035kg payload.

What is the fastest P-plate legal car in Australia? There’s no hard and fast winner when it comes to what is the fastest legal p-plate car, as each state has differing rules about what is allowed.