Against The Current

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Against The Current
Against The Current

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Video: Against The Current
Video: Against The Current - again&again (feat. guardin) [OFFICIAL VIDEO] 2024, March
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Nissan is breaking new ground. With the Tiida, the carmaker does not want to appeal to a youthful and lifestyle-oriented group of buyers, which marketing experts like to target as a target group.

From Thomas Flehmer

Nissan shows courage. At a time when almost every car should appeal to a young group of buyers between the ages of 18 and 49, the Japanese automaker is rowing back. "The Tiida is designed more for comfort than sportiness," says Nissan press spokesman Michael Bierdümpfl, "we mainly offer it to existing customers who now still drive an Almera or Primera and are aged '50 plus'."

Conservative and rational

Conservative, conventional, rational are the parameters for the Tiida, which has been traveling in Japan and North America for several years and is now coming to Central Europe. Here, the golf competitor, available from January 26th, is supposed to close the gap between Note and Qashqai, which was created by the elimination of Almera and Primera. The name says it all. In Japanese, Tiida stands for the change of the tides, in which the main target group on the way to old age is also located.

The appearance of the sedan made in Mexico, which is available as a five-door hatchback or a four-door notchback, is also conventional. The 4.48 meter long notchback sedan is due in particular to the Eastern European market, where this body shape continues to enjoy particular popularity. In Germany, Nissan assumes that 85 percent of all buyers prefer the 18 centimeter shorter hatchback variant.

Lots of space in the interior

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The front section with the radiator grille and the curved bonnet is reminiscent of the Murano and the Note. The front bumper with the integrated fog lights should then show a dynamic brushstroke. The rear shows a clear relationship with the note. The two vehicles are also technically manufactured on one platform.

In keeping with the target group, the slogan “Get in and feel at home” comes into play. Indeed, with a wheelbase of 2.60 meters, there is plenty of space available to the occupants. The interior length from the accelerator pedal to the hip point of the rear seat is 1.84 meters and exceeds the competition, regardless of whether they are called the Golf, Peugeot 307, Renault Megane, Opel Vectra or even Passat, BMW 3 Series or Audi A4.

Everything in its place

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The seats have also been adapted. You don't sit as comfortably as in a French touring limousine, but you still get enough lateral support. And even the giant seats, despite the glass roof, do not touch the very conservatively designed headliner. The faucets don't make you rapturous, but neither should they. All important buttons are easy to reach or are on the multifunction steering wheel. Only the buttons for the seat heating below the center armrest are awkward to reach.

The trunk of both the hatchback and the notchback is very spacious and easy to load thanks to a low loading sill. 500 liters are available for the notchback, 300 liters for the hatchback. Here, however, the rear seat bench can be moved up to 24 centimeters, so that the volume increases to 425 liters without folding the bench.

Solid Japanese

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With two petrol engines with 1.6 and 1.8 liters and a 1.5 liter diesel from Allianz partner Renault, the engine selection is quite manageable. The new 1.8 liter engine we drive has 93 kW / 126 hp and with its maximum torque of 173 Nm at 4800 rpm does not scare other road users.

On the test drives, he acted very solidly and thus underlined the aspirations of the Japanese. Even sporty curves could not disturb the 1.3 ton truck. The suspension, which is hard for this class, was a perfect match for the unusual sportiness.

Loud diesel

Nissan specifies the consumption of the Tiida, which is designed with a six-speed gearbox, at 7.8 liters, which corresponds to CO2 emissions of 188 grams per kilometer. The 100 km / h mark is passed in 10.4 seconds and the top speed is 195 km / h. However, the speed up to 160 km / h is more appropriate, as otherwise the engine noises try to take over in the interior - conversations are still possible.

The 78 kW / 106 PS strong diesel rattles just as strongly, which works much more subdued in Renault mode, for example. This shows a consumption of 5.2 liters and 138 grams of CO2 per kilometer. Thanks to the maximum torque of 240 Nm at 2000 rpm, the dCi that we also drive looks much more agile, even if the top speed already ends at 186 km / h.

Modest goals

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The starting price of 15,990 euros for the gasoline engine and 19,240 euros for the diesel engine seems somewhat unconventional. Nissan points to a very opulent standard equipment that is indeed there. It remains to be seen whether the more than 23,000 euros for the top-of-the-line “tekna” diesel will be attractive to customers.

What is attractive, however, is the offer from Nissan dealers. They have already placed the Tiida on their order form more than 2000 times. Nissan itself has approached the target conservatively with 6175 units for 2008 and has already brought in over a third of the seeds. In addition, the Japanese hope that the currently around 410,000 existing customers of Almera and Primera will someday change the tide with a Tiida. But Nissan lacks the courage to change the sales target based on this number.

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