NOTE: NEWLY REFRESHED AND REFINED
10/02/2008
Nissan
Almost three years after its initial launch, the Nissan Note has benefitted from a comprehensive round of improvements underlining its position as a desirable, spacious and stylish compact car.
"The NOTE has proved to be a hit with buyers who love its mix of eye-catching design, huge interior space and fun to drive dynamics. With this re-design and improvements to the ride and refinement, NOTE's position in Europe as an attractive and enjoyable family car has been reinforced"
- Simon Thomas, Nissan's European Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing.
At a glance
Redesigned front grille, headlights and bumper
New alloy wheel designs
One new exterior colour
New combi-meter for improved clarity
Enhanced flexi-board storage
Revised suspension for improved ride comfort
Improved refinement
Deliveries begin in January 2009
Since its launch in spring 2006, the Note has carved itself a position in the market as an attractive, dynamic alternative to the more mundane compact family cars that populate the shopping lists of car buyers.
With a lower roofline and more squared off, purposeful appearance than many of its rivals, customers appreciate its vast interior space that appears surprising considering its compact exterior dimensions, and its enjoyable handling which isn't compromised by the high roofline of traditional compact family cars.
To maintain its place as one of the most innovative, space-efficient and popular, accessible compact cars on the market, a wide range of changes and improvements have been made to Note.
Updated Exterior
The most obvious changes can be found to the exterior design, where the front end benefits from a completely new design of grille, bumper and headlight, lending the Note a more premium and sleek appearance.
The grille now consists of two parallel horizontal bars which meet at a centre point where the Nissan badge is mounted. The base of the grille has a discreet and tasteful chrome-effect strip, adding sophistication.
The headlights are more striking, with two principal elements and a clearer overall feel. A new bumper design has been applied, giving a more substantial feel to the lower part of the car's frontal aspect.
New Alloy Wheels
At the rear, the signature 'boomerang' lights are now darker, another discreet change which adds to the Note's premium feeling. Two new design of alloy wheel - 15" and 16" wheels - complete the exterior changes to Note.
One new exterior colour has been developed. Cider is a pale green, giving the Note an eye-catching, youthful feel which complements its distinctive purposeful appearance, in contrast to the indistinct shapes of other contenders in the compact family car segment.
Inside, the overall design has been refreshed to improve its cohesion and colours, as well as the quality and fit of the materials.
Four trim levels are available. Visia trim is a dual tone combination, with the upper portions and base of the back rest which support the shoulders and the side thigh supports trimmed in high quality dark grey material, while the rest of the seat is lighter grey, high friction breathable material giving comfort and support.
Two trims are available for the Acenta grade. Acenta Black is also a dual tone trim, with the vertical seat base, thigh and shoulder supports trimmed in dark grey, with the rest of the seat a rich brown, with a hint of orange. The other Acenta trim is called Cement and is pale grey throughout, with the thigh and shoulder supports, and the base of the back support all trimmed in a high quality material, while the rest of the seat is covered in a pale grey, high friction breathable material. The overall look is sophisticated and understated.
The top grade Tekna trim is a combination of a black, high friction material, while the shoulder and thigh supports, and the base of the back upright are trimmed in a dark grey material. The Tekna trim looks premium and modern, yet discreet and timeless.
Improved Interior Finish
The quality of the surfaces and touch points in the cabin have all been improved, giving a more pleasing, tactile feeling, as well as improved appearance.
For the driver, a new combi-meter has been introduced, giving improved legibility and clarity. The two main dials for road speed and engine speed have either chrome or painted silver bezels (depending on grade) and between them is a new digital readout containing information from the drive computer, as well as mileage and outside temperature.
Note is now available with Cruise Control (depending on grade) and an electronic speed limit warning which indicates when the driver has exceeded the speed that they have determined.
Additionally, Note sees the introduction of Nissan's new navigation, communication and audio interface system, Nissan Connect.
MP3 Compatible Audio
The system combines an audio system - which can play CDs or audio files via a USB port or auxiliary plug from an MP3 player, navigation system and a Bluetooth mobile phone connection, as well as voice recognition. Nissan Connect will be available on Note from January 2009.
In the rear, one of the most popular features on the Note, the Flexi-board storage in the boot which allows different configurations for the way loads are stored, has been further refined. The two boards can now be stored vertically at the rear of the storage area, allowing the full depth of the boot area to be used efficiently when necessary to accommodate particularly deep items.
Under the skin, improvements have been made to the Note's suspension to improve ride comfort, while improving responsiveness, knowing that customers consider driving enjoyment a key priority - after all, just because they have a young family doesn't mean they should not enjoy driving.
The spring rates at the front have been decreased by 10% and the stabiliser friction has been reduced by 40%, which together improve the suspension's reaction to road imperfections, resulting in a smoother ride.
At the rear, an increase in damper piston area and piston rod diameter have resulted in improved damping control, while damper valving has been tuned for an improved optimum ride and handling balance.
Changes to the power steering have resulted in a tighter turning circle, as well as improved feeling and linearity.
Improved Refinement
Overall refinement has also been improved thanks to improved insulation around the engine bay, offering better isolation from road and engine noise.
Following revisions to its engine and gearbox ratios, October will see the introduction of a 1.5-litre dCi powered Note which produces CO2 of just 119g/km, making it one of the most efficient contenders in the compact family car segment. This follows the introduction of a diesel particulate filter on the 1.5-litre diesel engine earlier this year.
Additionally, from November, customers will benefit from reduced CO2 emissions from the Note's 1.4-litre petrol engine. Thanks to revised gear ratios, it will produce 139g/km.