This. Nissan can’t even afford to make a good sports car because they’re loosing (and have lost) so much money from a lack of normal sales, thanks to putting JATCO CVTs in everything. It’s the reason the current Z sucks and the R36 hasn’t happened yet. Nissan is BROKE and they can’t afford good R&D. They have to ditch the CVTs NOW.
That and the fact that they made some seriously off putting looking cars in the early 2010s. Juke, CrossCab, Cube, and the final iteration of the Quest come to mind.
Honda and Toyota both use CVTs in many of their biggest selling cars. That's not the issue. It's their incompetence to make it reliable in the first place
@@maximilianoluera6679while you may not like it, the Juke was a massive success for Nissan - they sold roughly 100k per year in Europe from 2011-2017, and roughly 35k per year in the same timeframe in the US. For a subcompact CUV, that's very good. The Cube, on the otherhand, was just late to the party - they should've been competing with the Scion xB, but didn't push enough on that market. They sold great in Japan, but the rift between there and here (IMO) was timing and marketing.
Its almost like Nissan became a mini GM from the 80s. Finance bois ran the company instead of engineers being the catalyst. I love this discussion BTW. It’s the behind the scene details that real car people love and not just drag races and 0-60 crap.
@@sdjrinc.6921 yup as a mechanic i grade ford on part with nissan, its very bad... 80-90's gm is more like toyota in 00-10's making a stupid brand to look younger that fails, making boring cars all with same boring and outdated drivetrains, paying other brands to build their cars and people that still thinks they put out decent products, its exactly the same but toyotas are overpriced while gms were cheap
I honestly believe they did it on purpose so they would undermine the company. CEO that brought them up from dead was framed with a lot of stuff, so that's when it was obvious what they're doing to Nissan that was once head to head with Toyota in a way.
I agree, there needs to be a big global conversation about all the car brands rather than picking and choosing which ones to bash on just randomly here. Because it's not like any car brand is somehow a saint today.
Honda and Toyota are still out ahead, even if its not as far as it once was. Mazda is close. Audi and BMW are as reliable as American cars and nicer when new, although more expensive when they both break down.
@@wayward03 I'd argue you are a bit off. Japanese still have the commodity cars down, but they will surely prove in the future to be just as unreliable now with regulations forcing forced induction, DI, hybrid tech, infotainment complexity, ect as well as plastic manifolds, valve covers, radiators. American cars are strictly gimmicks and the last of the v8's with govt subsidies. Germans are just a lost scramble of 2.0 turbos on massive vehicles which is depressing. It's a bad time for them all. Maybe rivian, Tesla, and lucid are the big 3 and future in todays regulated market.
@@On2wheels94 I agree 100% with your first part. As for your new big 3 thought. Rivian and Lucid will be lucky if they're not out of business in 5 years. They make nice cars but the competitors as this video suggests are so numerous and similar (looking at Hyundai and Kia) and Tesla so far ahead not just in tech but in how to crap out a cheaply made EV that's good enough to sell with juicy profit margins when no one else has ever made a profit on an EV, I don't see it happening for Lucid who is selling cars for well into the six figures and still can't even dream of making money (pun intended). They make nice cars, no question but can they compete with Tesla's giga factories or giant automakers with deep pockets and local dealerships?
Unfortunately, all they're really prepared to talk about is US perceptions, and these are global brands. Some, like Subaru, depend heavily on US sales, but for others it's a small share of their total. A big problem for most of the big brands is China. Their declining economy and population demographics are going to hurt car sales badly. Combine that with Chinese automakers finally making decent vehicles, especially EVs, and a governnent pushing nationalism, and sales of mainstream brands like Nissan will continue to suffer. I'm not convinced Chinese vehicles will make big inroads in Europe, and the US tariff situation will make them uncompetitive here, but I've already seen plenty of cars from BYD and Link & Company in developing nations. Those places need cheap EVs and the Chinese make a ton of them.
My favorite line you said in the driving impression..."Not everybody wants or can afford a 50k plus SUV" Manufacturers keep pushing these more expensive vehicles and the reality is they're being tone deaf to us who don't want to spend over 30k on a vehicle. My Focus ST is 5 years old this month, almost paid off, and I'm going to keep driving it because there is nothing on the market in the same category for what I paid for this car new in 2018.
The companies have the tech and ability to churn out solid smaller cars that dont cost 40k. They could easily release quality 25k cars with ICE and make money. But with EV thats impossible. So not sure how you push EV as a company. But some of it is market, credit made it easy to buy big ass 50k SUVs all day. Max profits all the way around, until people cant get loans or cant afford it.
@@savagegeesepeople in this country always were a poor debt slaves that have to pay interest for the money they don't have or can't save. Almost two decades of free money spoiled these broke slaves even more, but the covid money printing changed everything forever. That paper is worth almost nothing. At the same time manufacturers are completely out of touch. Unfortunately, we live in an interesting times.
@@savagegeesecitroen just unveiled a 22k euro (24k USD) city car with 200 miles of range. It'll even be made in Europe. Brands just have decided that Americans don't want small, cheap cars anymore, so they're not going to offer them. With EVs, big cars mean big batteries, so they need to be unbelievably expensive to make any money on them. Sigh.
@@savagegeeseICE automakers are legacy companies. They are in the same veins as Kodiak. They have large suppliers that are making thousands of intricate parts; EVs use fewer parts and are more modular. Dealerships make money on service; a well designed ev/hybrid is more reliable. These legacy companies have under invested and have the innovator dilemma. If they don’t figure this out, Chinese automakers will eat their lunch, regardless of the tariffs. Sony (electronics) destroyed Kodiak. BYD/Tesla are software and battery companies. They are going to destroy legacy autos if the legacy automakers don’t commit to this transition.
@@savagegeese IMO we are possibly approaching a crash in the automobile financing market. Loans are larger than they've ever been, APR's/monthly payments higher than ever, but more importantly repossessions have ticked up significantly in the past year or so. Something's gonna give if it keeps going in this direction.
I’m old enough to remember the cult-like following attached to the Datsun 510 sedan with IRS. Then came the 240Z and they were, arguably, the equal of Toyota. What concerns me today is that Nissan is selling a lot of its cars via the sub-prime loan segment and that’s a bad sign. I agree they’re in trouble.
@patty109109 That can all be pointed back to Renault. Nissan in the 90s was struggling following Japans economic bubble burst and was in the red constantly due to mismanagement. Renault may have pulled them from the brink of insolvency, but it was at the cost of permanent damage to brand reputation.
Nissan can’t afford to make a good sports car because they’re loosing so much money from a lack of normal sales, thanks to putting JATCO CVTs in everything. It’s the reason the current Z sucks and the R36 hasn’t happened yet. Nissan is BROKE and they can’t afford good R&D. They have to ditch the CVTs NOW.
Very true, it’s unfortunate because their current CVTs have been greatly improved. The CVT issues are from a decade ago but unfortunately people will always bring it up with current Nissans.
@@zkiller195ignorance here is overwhelming. Nissan contracts with Jatco to purchase cvt’s from them. Suzuki, Chevrolet, Subaru, Mitsubishi, are just a few of the manufacturers that purchase from them. Jatco hasn’t had a major cvt issue since 2013 with the judder/shudder campaign. Since then, 2013-2015 Honda has major issues with their cvt’s. In 2018 Toyota had a major issue with their cvt. Since 2018, no manufacturer has had widespread cvt issues.
A couple of decades ago, Nissan shared the Japanese quality and performance reputation along with brands like Toyoto and Honda. Sad to see how far the brand has fallen!
I think what destroyed the brand was moving to CVTs before they were ready for prime time. I know someone who lost her CVT at 60,000 miles. Cost her five grand to replace. This should not happen and she is never buying another Nissan
@@ArgedisMy mother's replacement cvt was 6k on a 59,000 maxima. POS products now. Still think I'd like to test drive a new Z though. Haven't seen a Z on the streets yet though.
The Prius and early-90’s Nissan Micra’s had reliable CVTs even back then, modern Renault-Nissan just used the cheap, crappy ones from Jatco (Junkco) and didn’t do anything to fix the weak points.
So was the "grey clothes in grey seats in a grey interior on a grey day" thing an intentional choice? If so, nice intentionality. Keep up the great work.
I stepped away from Nissan in 2021 after being a loyal fan for 26 years. My first Nissan was a used 1991 Stanza. It was awesome. It wasn't a looker, but it handled EVERYTHING I threw at it. That's why, in 2003, when I was looking for a new replacement vehicle, I went for a brand-new 2004 Maxima. It was great, at first, but small things started to go wrong. Oil burning, the engine mount cracking, etc. In 2016, the transmission died at 100k miles. It was out of warranty, of course, and way over the Kelly Blue Book value for it to be fixed. I donated it for parts, but was still headstrong in sticking with Nissan. I went with a used, low-mileage 2014 Maxima, thinking that the "kinks" were worked out because this was several generations newer. Well, in 2018, that Nissan's CVT died on me. Luckily, it was still under warranty. However, after driving it for less than 10k miles, the CVT died on me again over the pandemic. Knowing the ridiculously low mileage, Nissan absorbed 80% of the cost to get it fixed. Well, after a few months of driving it, the CVT started to act up again. I brought it back to Nissan, but, this time, they wanted to charge me for the diagnosis. It wasn't worth the headache anymore. I jumped brands and bought a brand-new Toyota Camry Hybrid. Because it was during the pandemic, I almost broke even selling my used Nissan in its then current condition. Nissan was a great company and it's a shame seeing how far they've fallen. I really do hope to have the confidence in Nissan again to buy their products. Back in the day, they were great cars with a lot of power for the price you paid.
My 2011 Maxima still pushing although it only has 43k on it. But my 2004 Maxima died at 72k in 2016 and I was a turning point. I only got this Maxima because I got a great deal. But I'm done after this because Nissan has the image of a ghetto car now. I don't want that image lol
My neighbor just sold a ~2012 Sentra for a huge loss after the trans went out under 100k miles. Car sat for months before they could bear to take the hit. Had been riding a bike the whole time. Finally bought a high miles late 90s Camry with what was left- so far so good but what a kick in the pants.
As a Gen Xer, for me, I still remember the Nissan Maxima of the 80s/90s fondly. A four-door sleeper of a sedan with a small wing on the decklid that looked just the right amount of sporty. Auto journos loved the way that thing drove. Your comment about Hyundai/Kia was spot on. They are everything Nissan used to be.
I had a 96 Maxima SE with a 5spd in HS. That car was a hoot and you could hoon the shit out of it due it's solid rear axle. Gave it a huge truck too. I miss that car.
I don’t understand what is so hard for these car companies to get. People can’t afford food! They can’t afford a $60,000 car at 8% interest with a payment of $900.00 per month. They’ve mostly all stopped selling cheaper models and want to go after the upmarket customer and there are only so many of those people to sell to! Additionally, their customer isn’t buying this type of car anyway. The Nissan customer is after a Sentra or Versa at 84 months.
Obviously they can. Problem with typical Americans is that they will just go in more and more debt without regard to the practicality or feasibility of it long term.
Great point but people will keep living the lifestyle they can't afford until the next financial crash. Compact, cheap and cheerful cars are going extinct because of crash test regulations, R&D costs for cars are skyrocketing and it doesn't make sense to develop cheap cars with tiny profit margins. Everybody wants to drive around in 2.5ton suvs that project to the world how macho they are. And because it's an EV they'll still feel good about themselves.
I got a 2023 Versa SR in May. I got a 3-year loan at a great interest rate. Sadly, I will probably be permanently pushed into the used car market if I ever have to let this car go because auto makers are making it clear that they are not interested in my meager business anymore. What poorer people are going to left to choose from within 15 years are big, used SUVs that will be costly to maintain with tech features that they neither needed nor wanted. The new car market is headed off a cliff and everyone seems to be OK with that.
You don’t NEED to buy a $60,000 car. Cheaper cars absolutely do exist, but stupid ass people have decided they need a big ol expensive SUV to drive to the grocery store alone
@@onefastr6 True. Here in FL, even if I could afford a new car, the cheapest available, like a versa I couldn’t afford because car insurance here is out of control. Guess I’ll get a bus pass. 😢
They are at risk of taking over Mitsubishi's station in the US market. It's a known brand, but not necessarily respected by most people. The cars, the dealership experience, the warranty and longevity, and the residual value are all very questionable. If you buy a Nissan today you have to consider what the trajectory of the brand is for the next 10 years.
Even if I wanted a Mitsubishi there aren't any dealerships in Oregon outside of the Portland Metro area. I could see a Chinese company buying Nissan for the dealership network though.
Funny thing is, over in my country Mitsubishi sells heaps of cars and is extremely popular. There are more Mitsubishis in my family than any other brand.
Mitsubishi's were also way more reliable than Nissans, it's their brand image that's shit. I'd have no issues buying a Mitsubishi if I had dealer support.
I have a 2013 Infiniti EX37 with a traditional automatic. It is an incredibly reliable, solid and sporty car. It is sad that I trust a 10 year old car more than a new one.
That's a good car but have oil issues in the 200k mile range and also trans issues on some of them. Don't think it's perfect. My 2.5 made over 400k no problem. I wouldn't trust the vq37 to make it over 400k honestly. My cvt made it also lol.
@@occckid123 I am only at 70k miles and paid $12k for it. If you can find these from the original owner you can get very low kms at a good price. I will have had all my value back well before 200k miles. I don't know if I'll ever buy new again.
@@bigmacdaddy1234 literally every review on the internet calls it "sporty." It is essentially a hatchback version of a g37 sitting on the same platform and with the same V6.
The EV market will put most manufacturers in the same situation in short order. How much "glitter" can a toaster or coffeemaker have to make it special in the market?
@@ADUSNyep, and when everything is completely soulless, you’ll buy solely based on price, practicality, or as the real world has evidenced, charging network
So true. ICE cars have their different characteristics depends on their engine layout, tuning and transmission design and gearing ratio. So many aspects to decide which car is better than the others. With EV, however, they all drive the same and that makes it very hard for manufacturers to separate themselves. I’m sure some die hard EV enthusiasts will have ways to classify various EV’s worthiness, but for most consumers, I think shopping EV is like shopping a bicycle at Walmart or Costco, pick whichever is cheapest and has the right paint color.
@@povertyspec9651 At least Chrysler/Ram/Jeep/FCA/Stellantis (whatever they call themselves...) has some products that are interesting (and priced accessibly). Outside of the GTR, which I don't count due to being expensive and limited-production, there is nothing in Nissan's lineup that offers any compelling reason to buy it over some other competitor. There is nothing interesting about any of them. Then it comes down to being sold cheaply ... but that isn't a recipe for success.
Nissan focused on the wrong things. The Ariya has way too many trim levels, so costs and quality control aren't kept in check the way they would be if there were only two or three trims. Customers want EVs with a lot of range for an affordable price. They're not asking for all the bells and whistles, especially when additional electronics just add points of failure.
Their range is odd. I took one on a 260 mile round trip at 80 mph and got 260 miles of range out of the fwd (had to slow to 65 for the last 5 miles just to be sure. I arrived at 1%) in winter so far the range loss seems far less than other brands I’ve seen
Nissan used to be a style brand with well performing drivetrains. Though they were never reliable, you bought them bc they were cool and stylish. The early Xterra, Maxima were badass and all the young ppl wanted them.
I’ve owned 3 Nissan Leafs over the past 10 years,and they were trouble free and the 2019 is a great car. Its range is 170 miles summer and 155 miles winter. Only had to put on new tires.
I have had 2 Leafs in 5 years (leases). Just bought out my last lease. Best car ever! No degradation on either (most of that was in the 2011-12 Leafs). These cars are a crazy value if you don't mind looking like a nob (I don't).
I like the discussion on the brand. I'd like to see more of this kind of thing. Sure, others might be going the same but I like y'all hot takes on things.
My first car was a 2011 Xterra and I could not have loved that car more. Hunted/fished/camped out of it and generally beat the shit out of it for 7 years and it never gave me any trouble. I would have another one in a heartbeat. However. I’ve now sold used cars for over 8 years, and I see how generally crap Nissans have become, and it makes me sad. I have a soft spot for the brand because of my Xterra experience and I love many of their products from the 90s and early 2000s(Infiniti QX4 the GOAT), but I can’t honestly recommend any of their newer stuff to anyone.
The frontier is probably the last truly reliable Nissan (once the titan leaves) because it’s still a 20 year old truck at heart. Made when Nissan put effort into it. The pathfinder might be pretty decent too since it’s got a traditional automatic again
@@dawsongranger4940people talk shit in the frontier because it’s too old school, but the second Nissan stops selling it people will be crying as to why aren’t there any good basic old school work trucks left.
@@Me-eb3wv Lol, yep! Frontier is still a great truck and I'd argue it's still just as good if not better than a tacoma. Just wish they'd put a manual back in it. Nissan has definitely declined in a lot of ways with CVTs, but recent years have just been too much circlejerkin to overhype toyota and bash nissan. It's a bit skewed, at least when it comes to the trucks.
I recently bought a Nissan Versa, and it was a huge mistake. I mean, I like the car, but I didn't know how bad the CVT situation was until after I took the plunge. So now I'm driving around in this timebomb, knowing the transmission is going to die one day, probably before the loan is paid off and after the warranty has expired. Why the company would choose to kill its own reputation like this is something I'll never understand.
Just make sure to change the transmission fluid every 30k. Most people believe the "lifetime fluid" claim and run it into the ground, absolutely ensuring it will self destruct. Might as well give yourself a fair shot.
My father who was Japanese told me that when he was younger, Toyota was good at marketing and sales and Nissan was known for their engineering. Sad to see where Nissan is today.
Holy November grey skies and depressing bare trees. You guys captured perfectly the reason I had to leave the Chicago area 23 years ago. Great video (again). Keep up the fair but blunt critique of the industry!
I’d take the serenity of rural “bare tree” Tennessee over anywhere in the entire state of Illinois. We like “bareness” where I live. It keeps the god awful tourists and transplants away.
Arizona gets really boring after your 6 or 7th year I mean, clouds and rain and dullness are kind of dramatic sometimes. Go up to Michigan for some beauty! VISIT Arizona lol
Thank you for your insight. As a brand loyal person I can appreciate your thoughts as where the company maybe globally as I tend to not look at segments that we are not interested in, such as EV or mid-size "sedans". Happy Holidays!
Nissan were my first 2 cars. A 1998 Nissan Maxima GXE, followed by a 2000 Nissan Maxima GLE. I loved those cars, particularly my 1998 Maxima. They were well built, had bulletproof engines and transmissions. Were fairly light and sporty, fun to drive, do all daily drivers. They also had a decent aftermarket...(remember the original The Fast and The Furious featured a Nissan Maxima 4th gen as one of their Hero cars, that Vince drove). But other than the 350/370 and GTR's they had nothing like that to offer again. They nerfed the Maxima lineup completely by going with a CVT only, and turning them into porkers (heavy, lumbering, 4 doors). The Altima kinda became what the 4th gen Maxima used to be, however they nerfed that also. Seems they haven't recovered yet...They need to go back to what they were doing in the 90's. They had some of the best cars...The 300ZX Twin Turbo, The 240SX, The GTR, The Maxima, just to name a few.
Nissan can’t even afford to make a good sports car because they’re loosing so much money from a lack of normal sales, thanks to putting JATCO CVTs in everything. It’s the reason the current Z sucks and the R36 hasn’t happened yet. Nissan is BROKE and they can’t afford good R&D. They have to ditch the CVTs NOW.
Yes! The maxima from the 90s was sweet, especially the SE trim. My first car way back in high school was a manual ‘94 Altima SE. It was the cheaper Maxima, but it still had a bit of sportiness to it!
@@Ryan57GarrYeah...my friend had a late 90's Altima in my High School days. That thing was pretty awesome. I like that model way more over the current gen Altima's. His was sweet, he threw some Pioneer speakers in it, and a Pioneer deck. It was small, but light, and really comfortable, it was also built bulletproof, it had decent power for it's size, so you could really hammer around in it. Unfortunately we totaled it on Coney Island Ave in Brooklyn NY. Driving back from Park Slope during afternoon rush hr, he was zig zagging trying to get through the traffic, and some guy would'nt let us by him, so he went chasing after him in the right lane. Last second the guy cuts back into the left lane, while leaving no room for us cause it was full of cars, meanwhile right in front of us was a double parked car just standing in our lane, that we smash right into the back of at like 45-50 mph. We were all fine, so were the people in the car we smashed into...but the Altima was done and gone.
Had a Sentra SE -R and it was spectacular. A well built but inexpensive car that was very fun and reliable. Didn't try to trick you into being anything else...
Had a 94 Nissan pickup truck. 2.4 liter four cylinder manual transmission. Put over 350k on it. Had to get a new clutch at around 200k. Some belt replacement, brake pads and rotors and oil changes is pretty much all I ever did to it.
Same. Had a 93 manual 4cyl, put over 350k, sold it in 09 and guy still drove it for at least another year or two that I know of, maybe still going, not sure. But that thing was solid. Never smoked, never leaked, had zip and ran like a top. Best small pickups ever made in my opinion. Still see tons of them still running around. Don't see nearly as many toyotas from those years still going. Now have an 08 Frontier V6 manual and argue many through those years with a manual were just as good if not better than any tacoma through those years.
In the mid 1990s the second car I owned was a 1992 Maxima SE 5spd - the original 4 Door Sports Car (4DSC) - with the higher output 3.0 DOHC V6; at the time that car was lauded as an “Everymans BMW”. Imagine trying to pin that accolade on any new or modern Nissan with a straight face….. The last Nissan I bought was the 2nd new car I ever bought - a 2002 Maxima SE 6spd. Believe it or not, the then brand new Altima SE had a V6 and 5spd and was a semi-aspirational sporty sedan for enthusiasts - cheap speed with a stick shift in a mid size sedan. The 350Z also came out that year. To me, that was around the last gen of Nissans heyday. Sadly, I wouldn’t consider any of their products in any category I was shopping in.
Nissan as a company right now has a laundry list of issues, but in my opinion the CVTs are the biggest. They could quit using them tomorrow and they still have a solid decade of consumer confidence in Nissan being shattered because of them. The Jatco CVT did to Nissan what the 5.4 Triton/6.4 Powerstroke engines did to Ford.
Nissan CVTs issues have been fixed for a long time now, but I agree the reputation will take years to return and that’s only if they don’t have any new issues in that time.
They have been fixed for 4 years at this point... However people still remember the cheap models that blew up in the past and act like it's all their cars... Chevy, Honda and Toyota all had cars in the last decade that have massive transmission failures.... People are still buying those 10:1 over Nissan as if Nissan is the brand that did everyone wrong...
@@Jimster481 Well since 2018 so nearly 6 years but semantics I suppose, either way it will still probably be a few more years before Nissan an turn around its damaged reputation. That said Nissan's biggest issue was the lack of continued improvement and competitiveness in the car market. Ghosn wanted to drive sales as much as possible and cut R&D costs to nothing and the CVT was a major component of that equation. SG did a good job summing up why Nissan is being outsold 10:1 right now and its because they stopped innovating and let brands like Hyindau/Kai do what they used to. But I 100% all brands have issues, pick any model of car and one generation will usually have some major issues.
@@BigHeadClanI don't agree that Hyundai/Kia does what Nissan used to do. Hyundai/Kia is a trash brand that makes really trashbox cars that have constant recalls and literally the entire cars fall apart. I know enough people who have owned them. They literally break EVERYWHERE. The door hands fall off/snap, the dashboards crack, the door panels fall apart.... literally every aspect of them breaks.
@@Jimster481 I have a Hyundai Elantra GT (2002) with 435,000 miles. I was waiting for it to die, it never did. It's now the community "spare" car for family & friends, keys in the ash tray. Besides regular maintenance, the only things replaced... 2 radiators, 2 fuel pumps, one CV half shaft, o2 sensor, MAF sensor and 1 alternator. Not bad for that many miles. I used to beat on that car too.
Grabbed a ‘19 Titan over the summer. I bought it because Mark convinced me it wouldn’t leave my garage in the middle of the night to cheat on me with another truck. My first pickup. It’s great so far. Didn’t need a full-size pickup. But, Titan seemed to be a great value. Hopefully the brand hangs around as long as I own the truck! You guys are great!
The 2nd Gen Titan is a great truck costing $15-25 less than a comparable big three truck. Problem is, is they didn't market it and it accounted for only 1% of truck sales .Now, it goes away in 2024 while they retool the Mississippi plant for EV production.
@@hanksta34 I was fortunate to find one with really low miles AND a new engine to replace the original that had the cylinder 7 knock. Everything I saw and read aligns with what you said. Seems like a great value over the “big three” and Toyota.
My 1977 B-210 5-manual hatchback was great. Electric choke module failed, got one at wrecking yard for $5. Never had another problem. Got me through the 55 MPH speed-limit, oil crisis to the tune of 43 MPG.
Same with me, I used to own a Nissan Serena (minivan) and March (little hatchback) and now own a Leaf. They’re great products and they ride more comfortably than other rivals! Now their lineup is just… not good enough to attract new buyers…
As a once brand ambassador for Nissan, it truly is hard to see the decline. Everything at the moment is DOA. I really wish it wasn't the reality. They need help for sure.
Thank you for not turning this video into an "I don't like EVs" rant. I appreciate that. Nissan has to go through the same process as everyone else with their first EV platform, they're no different. There will be growing pains. But also maybe highlight some of the good things about the Ariya like cabin space, NVH, and build quality. I saw an Ariya parked next to me the other day and it had a rich dark green color that really stood out in the sun and looked awesome. I peaked in the cabin and my first thought was that it looked huge inside. So its not all bad.
The Ariya is a decent product ... 4ish years ago. The problem it has now, is the Genesis GV60. And the Hyundai Ioniq5 and Ioniq6. And the Kia EV6. And the Tesla Model Y. And the Ford Mach E. What does the Ariya do that those other vehicles don't? There's a fair argument that the Nissan Ariya is better than the Toyota BZ4x ... but the failings of Toyota's first mass-production EV are worthy of a completely separate discussion.
It can't be understated how many buyers drove a bad nissan rental, said I would never buy a nissan and now won't buy one until they are doing well for 10 years or longer (and have proven they are no longer crap).
I was a HUGE Nissan fanboy. The brand basically died to me when they ruined their v6 sedans with CVT. Anybody who owned a 5th gen maxima and has driven newer one knows what I mean.
They need to just fix the battery cooling issues in the Leaf. Electric cars aren't on many shopper's radar simply because they're priced out of the market. The Leaf and the Bolt were really the only "cheap" EV cars available.
Model 3 is as cheap as a Corolla within 5 years of use, cheaper than a Prius. At US$31 500 it is $9k cheaper than the average car purchase. In California $23k, Oregon $27k, Columbia only $21k with state incentives! Premium featured 21C car. Safest car ever tested. Outlast an ICE. Nissan et al cannot do that. Ever. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3rwUEr0J7wg.html
A million times yes. Transfer the liquid cooling from the Ariya to the LEAF battery pack. Keep it in the $25-35k range. Add a subcompact hatch with same battery pack in the $20k-30k range. Make money. It's really that simple. I want my next car to be an EV, but the LEAF and Bolt are really the only options I'll consider due to price. I refuse to tie up any more of my income in car payments than what I would pay for something in that range.
@@themanthemyththebanger It makes me very sad how small that sector of EVs are in North America. I've wanted to purchase a VW ID.3 or Honda E for years but there are no signs of these coming to North America and instead expensive SUV/Crossovers/Trucks like the rest of that auto market here. Like seriously why spend 50k for an ariyia when a chevy bolt of leaf plus gets about the same amount of range for far less money. Most people would find the low cost of maintenance and electricity costs (depending on the region) worth it over an ICE vehicle but there is just nothing available. The leaf and the bolt already seemed to be ignored / on their way out as it is. What is the point in making all of these cars that no real person can afford.
Nissan is where it's at because they chose to be a junk throwaway brand. The recipe for quality cars exists. Toyota builds them; Mazda builds them; Nissan used to build them. I don't think they'll ever return to old Nissan either.
I own a 2019 maxima. Love it. The exterior looks aggressive the interior is modern. My girl wanted a rogue. I dove into all of the stats and problems with Rogues and wound up getting her a CX5. Smh.
It’s a shame Nissan is having this fall from grace. My mom had a mid 2000’s maxima and that thing ran for ever with very minimal problems. Now I’m just holding on to my 350z and cherishing that age of design
Brilliant commentary that’s spot on. Nissan execs need to take this to heart. Every word of it. I love Nissan but they better figure things out quick. Just bought a new Frontier and I love it but basic things like value for the money are sore spot with me and many others. Would I buy another Nissan? Maybe. That answer should worry the brand.
The Ariya is just over-priced (doubly-so since it isn't eligible for the $7,500 federal incentive in the USA). It was on my short-list for my next EV. I figured I'd give it a test drive and wait for them to come to their senses on price. But during my drive I realized that they ditched one-pedal driving, so, it's off my list. Once you've driven regularly with one pedal driving, anything that doesn't deliver that experience will be a non-starter (which is why VW is also on my list of excluded EVs).
@@mikefarrington7141Totally agree. A brand that doesn't offer 1-pedal driving doesn't know what it's doing. I know not everybody likes it, but for those that do, it's indispensable.
I am seriously considering an ev as my next. Fortunately for me, I have 2023 rav4 hybrid that I’m getting 41mpg and it costs around 38-42 dollars to fill up. So I figure by the time I’m ready to sell the rav, I’m hoping manufacturers come to their senses and offer more attainable ev options. I’m not shelling out 70k for a car with so much uncertainty surrounding it. From infrastructure, to the range phobia, and the astronomically high costs, it’s just too much. Once the range is comfortably and consistently around 400-500 miles, I think ev’s are definitely the way to go. Until then, the trusty rav4 will do just fine.
I think people underrate what a barrier the need for a home charger is. The EV experience without one is just not good. Assuming someone lives somewhere they can install one that's a minimum $1200 extra they need to pay, and that's only if they have enough spare current in their existing service and panel. If either of those isn't the case it can easily be 5k+
@@AriaLaurel Yeah it's pretty much impossible to own an EV if you're a renter and your apartment complex isn't one of those overpriced corporate controlled ones that offer amenities like EV charging in exchange for jacking your rent 10% each year every year
This company has such a deep history. Many innovations and past solid products that most people either disregard or dont know about, along with bad timing, and quality issues on certain models. Their first mistake was not listening to customers. Lets start with getting rid of those CVTs, that's not helping their longevity.
We just dumped our 2023 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum. It had a pano sunroof leak that Nissan basically did nothing to address. So we bit the bullet and took a 4k hit and traded for a 2024 Honda Pilot. That is probably the last Nissan we ever buy. The Pathfinder just seemed to be checking boxes rather than trying to be great. The customer service experience was piss poor and the dealers exp in my area really sucks. I know folks really love the Pathfinder, but there is no comparsion to the new Pilot. The room, build quality and the fact that Honda has an identity of a practical vehicle that will run for 200K miles. I never thougth our Pathfinder would ever go that far.
So sad. I remember the 90’s Infiniti/Nissan. The Q45, G20, Maxima, and also the OG Sentra SE-R were phenomenal. I wish I hadn’t sold any of mine. Even the M30.
I had a 2014 altima 2.5 until about 6 months ago. The CVT was a turd, and I had to baby it to make it last as long as it did, even with fluid changes. Finally what happened is the catalytic converter failed at 120k miles and I couldn't renew my registration. Since it was a California emissions car (even though I bought it new in AZ), the cat alone would be $3600 to replace, not including labor. Wasn't going to spend that on it just to have another $4k bill at any moment from a transmission failure. I've had probably a dozen different vehicles, have never had a catalytic converter go bad until that. I'll never buy another Nissan.
I missed the Nissan Xterra for how practical it was. I wish they had better automatic transmissions in them. The Jatco transmissions were complete garbage.
Most companies, except for Tesla, are in the same situation as Nissan with electrification. Do we or don’t we? Ford is really feeling that pain with Lightning and Mach E. With Nissan, it shows too with Leaf and Ariya. Adoption will be slow.
With current inflation, high interest rates, automakers doubling MSRP cause of single digit inflation, unscrupulous dealers fleecing customers at every opportunity, used cars getting more expensive than cheap new cars were a couple years ago; people simply decided to run their cars longer.
*ugh* EVs are selling just fine outside the US. China is all in on EVs , but legacy automakers had grown dependent on profits from China and with the rapid decline of ICE and rise of EVs (and numerous EV startups offering more for less) in China, they are finding their share of the Chinese market crashing. The top 5 countries with the highest share of EV sales are Norway (all-electric vehicles made up 80% of passenger vehicle sales in 2022), Iceland (41%), Sweden (32%), the Netherlands (24%) and China (22%). China’s place on this list is especially significant considering it is the biggest car market in the world. The other two biggest car markets have lower EV sales but are growing quickly: the European Union (12%) and the United States (6%).
@@Jabid21 You've also got stories coming out of the UK of some insurers charging £5,000/yr to insure an EV, and that's IF you can find one who will insure it (many won't, especially if it's stored in a garage because they're worried a fire will destroy the house as well as the car).
@@deanchur Based on a fully comprehensive policy with one driver holding a full UK driving license, MoneySuperMarket data suggests the average annual premium for a Tesla Model Y would be £479 - 03/2023. Tesla also offers its own insurance, based on driver performance - go to directline /tesla. (5 minutes on Google!)
Y'all exaggerate the range issue. I imagine both of you have a garage and more than one car. A L2 charger is like $2K installed and will go from 0-100 in a couple of hours. Plus who drives 200-300 miles every day? You do all your local driving with the EV and then your long distance stuff in one of your gas cars. It's really not that complicated for people with multiple cars in their households
Sept 2020 they painfully announced a break through in carbon fibre technology for parts. Since then... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KX8nnadn09M.html
We just bought a Chevrolet Bolt EUV bolt for 29k plus tax and licensing. Gets about 210 range in the current weather conditions at 80% charge. 28-50 degree weather range. It’s half the price of this and we will get about 300+ range during summer time.
Great video, sad and accurate. I've owned 4 pre-2014 Nissan/Infinity cars. Most were made in Japan and really good cars. Waited forever for a new Murano, drove a pos 2023 Platinum, gave up and now drive a Santa Fe Calligraphy. Love it! It is what Nissan used to be. Fairly powerful, fairly economical, feature filled and has good and functional tech. Sorry Nissan, I'm a fan boy no longer. Hyundai is truly making a better built car at a better price.
Hyundai is honestly a complete trash brand that makes appliances to throw in the garbage. I mean honestly, they have the most recalls of any manufacturer and their build quality is utter garbage. In working on friends' Hyundai's, I can see how they use the absolute cheapest plastics and rubbers. Every single person I know who has a Hyundai spends their time going to dealerships over and over again to get things looked at that just don't work properly.
@@MeltingRubberZ28 No idea what you were even trying to say. Hyundai is made like shit. The cars are litterally the cheapest built vehicles on the market with the worst inital quality of any brand I've ever seen (Ford included). When you go to work on them in 1-2 years (which you will need to, because everything will break by 50k miles in one way or another); the plastics will be hard AF and nearly impossible to take off. Sensors and plugs will be basically melted into place and hoses will be hard as rocks and nearly impossible to replace even if they have failed.
@@Jimster481 dude, there has been a number of recalls, but if they were truly bad vehicles, they would be out of business. Any company that can offer a 10-year warranty has to be somewhat decent. For the record, Toyota has WAY more in terms of recalls going back to the stuck accelerators (no, not a floormat issue). I've owned multiple Toyotas, Hondas, Nissan, Mazdas and for me, my two Toyotas were the worst and Mazda and Hyundais were the best. There is no company that is innovating faster than Hyundai and Kia, but you in your small world, can't see the big picture..
@@alex99398I mean I don't see Hyundai as "innovation" i see them as stuffing in more useless electric bullshit into cheaply built shitboxes. Hyundai right now has lots of popular cars by making shit which is cheaper than other brands. That is basically it.
Only two types of people by nissan's anymore. People who are unaware And know very little about vehicles, And those with really bad credit who will take just about anything they can get financed for. A sad change from what they were just a mere 20 years ago when they still had some passion. It all changed around 2005. Thanks Carlos.
10:38 I guess that stopped around 2014-1/ when Infiniti gave up on it's identity and stopped producing cars like FX50 and G/M series (Q was just rebranding with no real development) and went with Front drive and CVTs.
I absolutely think so. It seems that it stemmed from an aspirational team within the brand, but most likely their ethos/viewpoint wasn't shared by other organisational silos within the company. @@thatracinglife
Jack, the Ariya didn't come out 3-4 years ago. It literally came out just over a year ago as a 2023 model. It was delayed by one year due to the chip shortage.
I like my Aryia, but I would agree that there are very few people who can / want / will spend on an Ariya. For me, when looking at other vehicles, the ID4 was close and basically when choosing which car to get after returning my Leaf, the fact that the Leaf has been around for a decade, and it as far as the LEAF battery goes, upon which the Ariya's technology and battery design are based, the LEAF is generally reliable, and fairly durable. The range could be better, on both the LEAF and the Ariya, but what is importan to me is reliability and familiarity. I feel that I can trust when I get in my Leaf, or my Ariya, it's going to work. I'd read a lot of instances of the ID4 having significant issues, and saw videos of folks who had issues with theirs as well. In my mind, Nissan is a good brand. It's nothing spectacular, but it's nothing bad. I would say that I wouldn't buy an Ariya, I only lease, and I prefer 18 month or 24 month leases. For me, the relationship with the dealership and the company also are important...I feel like Nissan was more than accommodating with my LEAF lease - I put over 37,000 extra miles on it, and the dealership not only discounted the Ariya, but basically cut me a check for about 75% of the excess mileage cost, and Nissan didn't charge me any excess wear. I think all of the criticisms in this video are valid. For someone like me, I like the car a lot, for reasons that aren't going to motivate most buyers.
@@Syncopia Its a one piece replacement because nobody can trust technicians to troubleshoot and properly repair harness damage, "bwahh, change the brain box sal, i gotta couple brake job to do, f this, oh and charge that bitch double labor for that trans fluid change we totally pretended to do" - average shit tech.
Had a Versa in for a CVT rebuild. Car left and 2 weeks later customer came back complaining about lack of power (usually a sign that the CVT is failing). Tested a throttle body we had to make sure it was not that, nope issue was still there. Brought the transmission down and rechecked it, nothing clean as can be. Finally called my buddy at Nissan to check it out for me. He noticed one taillight was out and said that was my issue. Changed out the taillight and sure enough the car ran again. Apparently the wire harness for the taillights is the same for the transmission.
@@james10165your situation often happens in reverse, too: The taillight (center high-mounted stop light, specifically) will stay on even after the brake pedal is released. This sends conflicting info to the ECM. You may or may not get the brake warning and traction control malfunction lights on the gauge cluster when this happens. The fix is a $30-40 stop lamp switch that takes five minutes or less to replace. In many Nissans, no tools are required to remove and install. Happened to my wife's cube recently.
This conversation is about Nissan and the auto industry but it could easily be about almost any business today.Bold leadership has been replaced by cookie cutter risk averse management with no ability to predict the future let alone “shape” it. Everything is a commodity. Occasionally a roque designer will get a great design through and every other manufacturer makes a version of it. That is true of so many industries today. But still, the first to market in ANY market that gets it right will win. In the auto industry, who is that today?
I have been following you guys for years, and I love how you call things very clearly and view things as both enthusists…but also from a practical standpoint. This is easily in the top 5 of all RU-vid car channels full stop. 🙏 My wife and I got an Ionic 6. Although not perfect, for an electric sedan it’s easily my favorite and is such a refined car to drive. The electric SUV/CUV thing has become a laugh. With a couple exceptions no one is creating a state of the art unique vehicle that is engaging to drive, looks compelling yet doesn’t cost 75k plus. Keep up the great work gentlemen, 😊
@@savagegeese I didn’t drive the 5, but by all reports it is different, I hope you get to drive one. I was shocked how competent it is (of course in the context of electric sedans). It’s plenty fast and will push 300 miles on a charge. The RWD is not rediculous heavy and saves a couple hundred lbs over the AWD. Our other car is a Kona N… I hope they make a two door Ionic 6 someday, it could be made into a fantastic two door GT car ala 911. Here’s hoping 🤞 The bones of the car are really something imo.
There is a lot of misconception around the "charge to 80-90%" guidance for EVs. Yes, don't charge to 100% on a daily basis, but charging all the way to 100% every once and a while As Needed for a road trip is not going to hurt the battery. Range numbers should not be quoted based on 80-90% state of charge since the vast majority (99%) of people will only get close to that capacity for long road trips and can use the whole battery pack.
I agree Nissan has felt kind of lost. For me, a former Maxima owner, I have little faith in Nissan these days. When the GTR finally came to the US I was excited. Now it feels very dated. When I look across the Nissan line nothing grabs me. The recent nostalgia Z play seemed cool, but for the money it just comes up short for me. The world needs more builders and I am hoping all the front office drama is settled and Nissan finds ways to spice up their products so they get people excited about Nissan again.
All I know is they're selling a ton of those new Pathfinders where I live. Dude, I even bought one as a tow vehicle. I felt the value proposition was excellent.
My first (and only) new car (leased) was a '98 SE-R. It was a fun and reliable car for a 22-year old. In the early 2000s, Nissan came out swinging with the new Altima, Z, and Infiniti G35. They haven't done anything good since. Pity.
I actually find Nissan to be in a better place than they were a few years ago. The exterior styling (subjective of course) of most of their vehicles has greatly improved, and their interiors are a huge step up.
2002-2010 Nissan/Infiniti was THE car brand, literally they were cutting edge, price competitive, and their designs were inventive and beautiful…The 02 Altima was the beginning of its renaissance, then they the 3 hit combo of G35, FX35, and Z…but then they introduced the CVTs which in my opinion usurped all The momentum.
When Hyundai first entered the US market people laughed. The styling was nothing to look at, and nothing really set them apart from other manufacturers other than price. That really pissed them off, so they poached talent from European brands. Now they are absolutely crushing it. Nissan's not dead, but their brand image is nothing to shout about. Can they turn it around? Maybe. But it will take a full re-thinking of their lineup. I doubt they have the capital to pull off an overhaul like that, but I hope they do. I've had good luck with several Nissans, apart from chronic rust problems. They need to find a niche. Scrap the Jatco CVT's, and offer manual transmissions and torque converted autos. That'd be a good start.
Where are the numbers to suggest Nissan is falling behind or is in danger of doing so? I love these ‘state of the union’ automotive conversations as much as the next guy, but without any objective evidence it all just sounds like conjecture on how Nissan is failing when in actuality the numbers suggest they’re doing relatively ok.
I have a 2019 Nissan LEAF. Affordable and has the range we need driving around town and doing rideshare. We test drove an Ariya and it's a really good car, but we weren't going to spend $50K on a car. It rides really nice, seats and seating position was very comfortable, they look good in person, and the interior is modern but not a spaceship or sparse. Everyone claims to want cheap cars, but most people refuse to buy cheap cars. They want a large vehicle with lots of technology, and those cost lots of money. The American companies stopped manufacturing cars because trucks have high margins and their customers keep buying expensive trucks 🤷♂️
In North America I've thought of Nissan as the Japanese Pontiac (sporty but practical) and I think it could carve out a niche in this market doing that.
Mazda made that niche work for awhile, but they're a much smaller company than Nissan that could get by with less total sales, and they still decided that image was a dead end. Probably because there's no competing with Hyundai-Kia in the fun cheap practical segment. You can only beat them on quality, not cost.
@@maninredhelm you might be right on that though. Hard to beat a company as vertically integrated as Hyundai/KIA, especially since they have such compelling offerings
Thank you for this. Like you, I am disappointed with where Nissan has brought itself. My first "car crush" was the late '60s, early 70s "Datsun" Z car. There's not much to "crush" about now at Nissan.
This. Nissan can’t even afford to make a good sports car because they’re loosing so much money from a lack of normal sales, thanks to putting JATCO CVTs in everything. It’s the reason the current Z sucks and the R36 hasn’t happened yet. Nissan is BROKE and they can’t afford good R&D. They have to ditch the CVTs NOW.
I owned a 2018 Nissan Sentra. It was without the doubt, the biggest piece of junk I’ve ever driven. The quality control was so poor as to be nonexistent. Made in Mexico, and it showed! The Pathfinder seems to be doing well though.
Back in 2015 my friend's 2013 Sentra (2 yrs old at the time) had the transmission fail and stranded him on the highway. Nissan kept building pieces of junk and has several class action lawsuits. I feel bad for people that buy them without knowing better.
Luckily mine was leased. The window stripping would come out at highway speeds and flop around. The quality control was literally non existent. Other than that, it was ok, but it was a nearly brand new car when I picked up the lease.
Loved Nissan, bought several, joined a Z-car club, ended up getting a CVT, moved on to other brands… just like everyone else except 19 year-old leases. Selling the Nismo Z with an automatic only isn’t bringing us back.
Every time somebody comes out with electric car is not actually a car it's some type of crossover and it's only so much you can get out of something that shaped like a crossover everything can't be a crossover... The shape is inefficient especially when it comes to electric powertrain... Then on top of that it cost too much you overcharged for the electric cars so did shit catching on and when you come out with basically an electric Murano that cost 60k and barely 300 miles of range that's not going to cut it because we got several vehicles that's doing the same thing
