Later, faced with a cataclysmic collapse of the Central American cocaine market Maya Indians amused themselves by plotting the skies and drawing up the long count calendar.
Now I have news to distract from the current snow shock horror commuter road chaos. The moon is back to front.
No, really. Scientists at the Paris Institute of Earth Physics say long, long ago, even before Bruce Forsythe, an asteroid struck our satellite and flipped it through 180 degrees.
To be absolutely certain we really need to revisit the lunar landscape. The trouble is President Obama can’t afford to tax the space shuttle – eaving a gap in the market for scientists at Cambridge University who have developed a string so strong it could be harnessed to carry a space elevator. As Led Zeppelin could have sung, a kind of stair lift to heaven.
Such a development would put Britain back in the vanguard of invention but I foresee trouble with government funding unless the elevator is suitably ‘inclusive’ having a kebab dumped in it every Friday night and being regularly sprayed with distinctive human fragrances.
To the best of my knowlege Nissan does not have a celestial lift programme but there is a space issue with the new seven-seat Qashqai. As in there isn’t any for luggage with all the seats up.
In fact the Qashqai+2 dCi Acenta is something of a paradox. A bulky seven seater which has only 148bhp to play with but as a two-litre diesel, develops 260lb/ft of torque promising much as a vehicle for towing caravans and horse boxes off muddy fields. Except that the test car was a two-wheel drive version.
Which is deserving of a closer look.
Firstly those fold flat extra seats. Given that the Acenta will do up to 50mpg that makes it a guilt-free trip to school for your own and the neighbour’s kids. But make no mistake, even though Nissan increased the car’s length, you won’t be offering the same service to football on a Saturday morning with their kit.
What then are the advantages? Well, seats folded there is more space and height than in the standard model which I always felt was something of a crossover on a hot wash.
On the road the two-wheel driver version is quick enough at 9.6 seconds to 60 and smooth with a pretty faultless six-speed gearbox. An excellent cruiser it also has a capable chassis and handles well.
We already know about the Qashqai’s high-spec and clever storage ideas, the reversing camera, safety features like ESP and brake assist along with looks improved by the extra inches.
Buy one now and you will pay £21,500. Great news when you consider that the warranty will run out just as the Maya calendar reaches its end date in 2012. The year the sky falls in.
]]>They averaged 67.35mpg over the 867-miles run, which is a common route for UK endurance and economy tests.
There remained seven litres of diesel fuel in the tank, which would have taken them a further 110 miles, giving the vehicle a total range of 977 miles.
The economy figure achieved on the trip is equivalent to a 29 per cent saving over the quoted brochure figure of 52.3mpg.
If a Qashqai travels 10,000 miles a year this saving would equate to £193 based on current UK fuel prices.
Speed limits were adhered to on minor roads and a cruising speed of 60mph was used on motorways.
The test-drivers used cruise control, headlights and air-conditioning when required and during the run the vehicle averaged 111g/km of CO2 compared with the quoted brochure figure of 145g/km.
To offset the CO2 emitted during the test Nissan says it will contribute to a carbon-neutral tree planting scheme.
The Qashqai went on sale earlier this year throughout Europe and has since attracted more than 70,000 buyers so far.
]]>It’s quiet and serene even when the latest 170bhp diesel engine is being pushed for its best.
And that best is well worth having, although it does cost a good deal more than the standard 148bhp diesel.
It will storm to 60 in 10 seconds and yet driven carefully is will still do about 36mpg, which is not bad for any 4×4.
The comfort is marvellous and the roadholding just about the best in class, but it’s the peace and quiet that is so good.
Cruising at motorway speed is almost as quiet as driving a saloon and, even when it’s going over rougher surfaces, there is no sound from the suspension and hardly any from the tyres.
This is one of the best in class now, and with Nissan’s reliability, what more could you want?
Interior
Inside it is light and airy with a lovely driving position helped by excellent seat and column adjustment.
Equipment, even in the mid-range Sport, is excellent and if I were in the market for such a car this would be at the top of the list.
FAST FACTS
Nissan X-Trail
Price: £22,500
Mechanical: 171bhp, 1,995cc, 4 cyl diesel engine driving all four wheels via 6 speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 124mph
0-62mph: 10secs
Combined mpg: 38
Insurance group: 13
CO2 emissions: 198g/km
BIK rating: 29%
Warranty: 3 years/ 60,000miles, 3 years paint, 12 years anti-rust, 1 years breakdown
Marks: 10/10
Main Rival: Honda CR-V, Land Rover Freelander
]]>LOOKS and performance count for plenty in the coup̩ category, which explains why the Nissan comes out on top. Few cars at any price handle as well as the 350Z, and the futuristic styling manages to tick all the right boxes, too.
Better still, it’s cheaper than ever. Last year, you needed £20,000 to get behind the wheel, but you can now find early models from £16,000 – imports can be picked up for even less.
These first examples have taken the brunt of their depreciation, which should begin to ease up due to the car’s strong image and limited supply.
What you get is a 276bhp V6 which powers the Nissan from 0-60mph in 5.9 seconds. The firm also sold 176 limited-edition, 296bhp Gran Turismo 4 variants, but they’re about £24,000.
Nissan has a reputation for excellent build quality, and reliability is first-rate. However, make sure any prospective buy has a full service history – attention is required every 9,000 miles – and that the optional RAYS alloys wheels are not damaged, because they are expensive to replace.
Even standard models feature six airbags, climate-control, a CD autochanger and xenon headlamps as standard, so entry-level cars aren’t exactly spartan. If you spend the extra £1,300 for a used GT model, however, you’ll get a leather interior, too.
Minus points are few, but include the uninspiring cabin, which lacks cubbies and is dominated by hard plastics, and the boot. At 235 litres, it’s big enough, but with no load cover, you can’t leave valuables locked inside.
COMMENDED
AUDI TTPrice: £8,000-£28,000 Years: 1999 to 2006
THE original TT will become an all-time classic, so its recent replacement isn’t likely to have a huge impact on values – although left-hand-drive models, or those with poor service histories, will become harder to sell.
Prices for the classy Audi start at £8,000 for early 180bhp versions, and a good 225bhp quattro could be yours for £1,000 more. There’s even an entry-level 150bhp model.
JAGUAR XKPrice: £9,000-£50,000 Years: 1996 to 2006
AROUND £10,000 is enough for a half-decent XK8 and, while its cramped rear seats and high running costs merit careful consideration, that’s still a lot of metal for the money. It’s a gorgeous coupÌ© with Jaguar’s traditional wood and leather-lined cabin.
If you go for the XKR, there’s the promise of serious performance, too. Always get a professional mechanical inspection, though, as faults will be costly to fix.
]]>PERSUADING the right people to drive your cars is big business. Firstly you decide what sort of image you want to generate for the vehicle and then you ask someone who fits the bill if they will kindly drive around in one, making sure they are noticed as much as possible.
In the case of a Land Rover Discovery it is the county and horsey set but for Nissan‘s rival Murano it is a more youthful market they are after.
This is why UK band Blue have been provided with one for their UK tour and lead singer Duncan James is happy to pose next to the vehicle in return for its use.
In 4WD terms the Murano is pretty wacky, with a distinctive swathe of curved chrome running across the full width of the front that creates a grin like a Cheshire cat.
The vehicle goes well on tarmac and offers plenty of performance by using the same 3.5-litre V8 engine as the 350Z roadster.
It zooms around corners like the roadster too and can accelerate to 60mph in just eight seconds.
Unfortunately this can take its toll on economy, with a figure as low as 16mpg when pushed and little more than 20mpg overall.
It also tends to become rather noisy as the speed builds up and there is the glaring omission of a diesel in the single-model range.
The price is reasonable at £29,800 for a vehicle of this size and in terms of equipment the only thing lacking is the proverbial kitchen sink.
Whose dream car? Anyone who is given one for nothing just to create the right image.
Whose nightmare? Upper crust county types who turn up in a burnt orange one at their daughter’s local gymkhana.
]]>Not that there will be much of a crowd to stand out from – even with an increased first year’s allocation, less than 850 examples of the high performance coupe will find their way on to Britain’s roads this year.
But for those who want the ultimate in distinction when they take delivery of their 350Z from October onwards, Nissan is making a range of high-performance accessory parts available.
Sold under the NISMO brand name – it comes from Nissan MOtorsports – the range includes a dramatic Aero Kit which is said to increases the forces on the front and rear of the car – there’s more grip at the front and added traction at the rear.
It includes a deeper front bumper incorporating a low lip spoiler, while an additional louvre in the bumper grille gives the 350Z an even wider and more menacing look, and side skirts rectify irregular air stream around the tyres at high speeds. A high mounted rear wing is also included in the kit which is expected to cost around £1500 plus fitting and painting.
Also available for around £1,000 will be a sports exhaust system developed for even sharper engine response in fast driving and a further improvement in dynamic performance while ensuring ample torque at mid-to-low engine revs.
]]>Frank Eickholt, a member of the Nissan 24 Hours NÌ_rburgring race team and Nordschleife expert, steered the 1.3 million euro Nissan X-Trail FCV prototype through ‘The Green Hell’ – as the course is often referred to – on standard street tyres.
And although the 20.8 kilometre-long (12.9 mile) course was consistently wet Eickholt was thoroughly impressed with the X-Trail FCV which clocked in at 11:58 minutes.
‘I was very surprised at just how comfortable it is to drive a fuel cell car. You get in, turn the key and off you go, just like with a normal car,’ said Eickholt.
‘Although some of the uphill sections were challenging, the speed was still very impressive. If the course hadn’t been so wet, I could have gotten more momentum out of the curves. Thirty to 40 seconds could have been shaved off for sure,’ he added.
The five-seater X-Trail FCV is a zero-emission electric vehicle that runs in near silence. It is powered by electricity produced on board the vehicle, in a hydrogen fuel cell stack.
Electricity is generated following an electro-chemical reaction between hydrogen – which is stored at 700 bar in a purpose-designed high-pressure tank – and oxygen. The only by-product is water vapour.
This electric current is channeled through an inverter to drive a motor in the front of the car.
The X-Trail FCV, which has been undergoing real-world trials in Japan and California since 2006, has an official top speed of 150km/h and a range of 500km. Maximum power is said to be around 120bhp.
Still in the early stages of development, Nissan is currently working to improve durability of the FCV componentry; to find a breakthrough in hydrogen storage systems; and to reduce the cost of the technology. The company hopes to see fuel cell vehicles in series production by 2015.
The X-Trail FCV is part of the Nissan Green Program 2010, Nissan‘s midterm environmental strategy which is aimed at reducing CO2 emissions from the company’s products and activities around the world, as well as reducing other exhaust emissions and increasing recycling.
]]>This coincides with the holiday period when potential punters are typically more interested in a trip to Majorca than their local showroom.
In a bid to tempt them to reverse the trend, Nissan has introduced a new version of the Micra that costs almost £1,000 less than the model upon which it is based and comes with £750 worth of extra equipment into the bargain.
Taking the name of Sport+ it costs £8,795 in 1.2-litre three-door guise and has the same equipment as the standard Sport model plus the Urban Sport pack thrown in for free.
This includes the 16-inch alloy wheels from the 160SR model, aluminium pedals and air conditioning.
An engine upgrade to 1.4-litres is on offer for £300 and it is also possible to upgrade to the 60mpg diesel unit for £800, with five-door versions of each adding £650.
Visually the car is almost indistinguishable from the 160SR model with bigger bumpers, tinted headlamps, spot lamps, side sills and a tailgate spoiler.
In Sport+ form it also boasts an in-dash six-CD auto-changer, leather steering wheel, one-touch electric windows, air conditioning, a driver’s information computer and electric door mirrors.
Leather upholstery adds £850 and an electric sunroof is on offer for £375. As a further incentive there is free finance over two years with no deposit.
]]>First came the Note mini-MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) – a practical, family friendly car which is also huge fun to drive.
And now comes the Qashqai replacing the poor selling and rather dull Almera.
In some guises it has proper 4WD (four wheel drive) but sensibly, because most owners do not need or want 4WD, just the looks that go with it, the lower order models are front wheel drive.
I drove the smooth and powerful 2WD 1.6 petrol, but about now, there is also a powerful two-litre turbo diesel in production.
It has good acceleration in all five gears, but needs a heavy right foot to get the best.
The ride is comfortable over all surfaces and the handling and roadholding are excellent, with only a small amount of roll.
Interior
Comfort is great but the seats are an odd shape – too deep – which meant the front was too high behind the thighs.
The clutch is light, the five speed gearchange easy and there’s plenty of legroom front and rear.
But the electric window switches in the driver’s door are oddly much too far back and difficult to get at.
FAST FACTS
Nissan Qashqai 1.6 Acenta
Price: £14,999
Mechanical: 115bhp, 1,598cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 109mph
0-62mph: 12 secs
Combined mpg: 42.2
Insurance group: 5
CO2 emissions: 162g/km
BiK rating: 19%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 12yrs anti-rust
Marks: 9/10
Main rival: Ford Focus, Suzuki Vitara.
]]>Nissan‘s Qashqai goes further and is arguably better than Toyota’s Auris, but the principal is the same. Other manufacturers look likely to follow suit. But actually, these are not the first offerings in this area. Here are three often-overlooked used cars that are a bit pumped-up.
Honda HR-V (1999 – Present)
Fun styling and good to drive. A different kind of family estate car which has struggled to be taken seriously because it was ahead of its time. There are few around so are all well priced. Like the new Nissan Qashqai it is available in two-wheel drive.
Most economical: 1.6 – 32.8mpg
Best used buy: Five door model from 2000.
UsedCarExpert.com buyers checks: 5
Price: A 1.6 01/51 plate 1.6 model with 60,000 miles will be around £5,900 at a dealer.
Renault Scenic RX4 (1997 – 2003)
Plenty of room, cheap to run and buy. It may only seat five but it is very practical and in RX4 format looks beefier and more aggressive. Unlike the Honda, if you want the bigger suspension and the extra 4×4 styling, you also have to take the four-wheel drive.
Most economical: 1.9 dTi – 49.6mpg.
Best used buy: 1.9 RX4
UsedCarExpert.com buyers checks: 26
Price: A 01/Y plate 1.9 model with 60,000 will be around £4,750 at a dealer.
Rover Streetwise (2003 to Present)
Like the Renault, this is a standard Rover 25 with plastic bits glued on and higher suspension. Like the new breed of Nissans and Toyotas it won’t go off road. Like the Honda, it’s a bit of fun but it also happens to be really cheap to buy and run.
Most economical: 2.0TD – 47.1mpg
Best used buy: 1.4 cheap, economical.
UsedCarExpert.com buyers checks: 16
Price:A 05/55 plate 2.0 TD model with just 20,000 miles will be £5,500 at a dealer.
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