New Primera arrives in Ireland

27 February 2002: Nissan’s new Primera goes on sale in Ireland this week with an expectation of sales of 9,000 units between now and the end of 2003.

The car is a major break with its predecessors and is very distinctive in style. It comes initially in a saloon with very coupe lines and an estate that to some view is maybe the nicest version. A hatchback will come later.

Interior styling distinction comes from the central pod for the pleasingly large instruments set, and a quite dramatic curved dash-into-door trim design. A central switchgear unit has everything accessible with the span of a hand, and while the positioning takes a little getting used to, it works out ergonomically very well.

All but the entry level cars also come with a rear-view camera mounted above the numberplate, which transmits an image to a screen in the dashboard. This allows more accurate reversing, which is just as well and the rear styling of the car involves a fairly high-mounted rear window and no visibility of the back ends.

There are three specification levels, and Nissan has dispensed with the old LX and SLX designations in favour of Visia, Acenta or Tenka to denote various packages. All cars come with full climate control and a driving info computer.

The car is available with 1.6-litre and 1.8-litre petrol engines and a 2.2-litre turbodiesel, which gives the new Primera the same market advantage as the Renault Laguna against segment competitors Ford Mondeo and the new Opel Vectra (coming in July). An automatic is available with the 1.8-litre engine, and the diesel has a 6-speed manual gearbox.

A brief drive in the 1.6-litre version gave us the impression of a very smooth and tractable car, with more than adequate power from the 109bhp engine. The 2.2-litre diesel, whose price is affected significantly by Ireland’s penal VRT taxation, is torquey and powerful.

Prices range from 22,995-29,895 euros.

February 2002