Note Notes: 5 days in

Kinja'd!!! "Vimto" (smudgey)
08/30/2014 at 09:11 • Filed to: None

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Hi guys!

So, I've had my 2014 Nissan Note 1.6 S 5-speed for five days now, and I thought I'd add some additional things I have NOTE-iced since my '24 hours of ownership' update. Positive things are marked with a +, negative things are marked with the - sign.

+Rear windows roll all the way down!

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-Wish I could turn off the electroluminescent gauges during the day, and just have the odometer/trip computer lit up. I find it distracting.

+Told my coworker, who is a huge Honda fanboy (has a Civic Si, dad has an Accord and Pilot, etc.), about my Note, he said I should have gotten a Fit until I gave him a little test drive in it. He was pleasantly surprised, but would still get a Fit for the extra standard features (things I don't really care about)

+Dual glovebox is awesome.

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-The hood is tiny. The prop rod pictured is maybe 8" long, and there is probably a foot and a half, maybe two feet of horizontal space between the latch and the base of the windshield. Hopefully the drain plug and filter underneath is relatively easy to access, because I'll be changing it myself.

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(that is just morning dew in the headlights, not condensation inside. If it were inside, I would be flipping out right now, not posting on Oppo.)

+Standing in front of the car when it's running but the A/C is off, you basically can't hear it at all.

Overall, I am still very happy with the car. And the best part? If I get sick of literally rolling down my windows, unlocking each door individually, and having some degree of seat bolstering, I can just drive my Mercury to work. It's nice to have two markedly different vehicles.

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Any questions?

(I'm probably going to post an OFFICIAL Oppo reivew after 30 days of ownership)


DISCUSSION (16)


Kinja'd!!! Alex B > Vimto
08/30/2014 at 09:15

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I'm familiar with those gauges. :) Your note is better equipped than the rental SV sedan we had. We only got one glove box. :( and our head unit was even worse than yours. Does the car feel under powered to you?


Kinja'd!!! blackchair > Vimto
08/30/2014 at 09:16

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Great car!

When I had my old Neon, I could roll every window down from the driver's seat. They were manual. I have a Rio now, but for some reason that car felt so small. I miss it sometimes.


Kinja'd!!! Vimto > Alex B
08/30/2014 at 09:19

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The head unit and second glove compartment are exclusive to the Note, but your SV sedan will have had power windows/locks and keyless entry, which my Note doesn't have. One thing I hated about the 2012 sedan I owned was that the head unit was a markedly different shade of plastic than the dash around it. Looked aftermarket.

I don't think the car feels underpowered, but I've never owned a powerful car. My Merc may be a V8, but it's only got 220 horsepower to move 4200 lbs. My previous cars are another Versa, a 4 cylinder stick shift Toyota Tacoma, a Suzuki Esteem 1.8 automatic, and a Mazda2, so as you can see power isn't a big deal to me.


Kinja'd!!! Vimto > blackchair
08/30/2014 at 09:23

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Wow, that's quite a talent! The Rio is pretty wide for a subcompact, probably moreso than the Neon. Still, I really want to sit in a Neon just to try that. lol.


Kinja'd!!! Alex B > Vimto
08/30/2014 at 09:26

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The Versa sedan CVT felt slow. You just kind of moved along, no urgency. With the leaf, it feels peppy (electric torque for life!). although, I was surprised that the Versa could do 85 without much fuss.


Kinja'd!!! Vimto > Alex B
08/30/2014 at 09:28

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My Dad actually got a rental SV sedan (CVT obviously) to drive to the airport once. I drove it. Blegh. CVT ruins the car. You can floor it, and the car will just groan and ignore you. With the 5-speed, you get a burst of speed immediately because 1st gear is really short. The car is way more responsive with the manual.


Kinja'd!!! Jayhawk Jake > Vimto
08/30/2014 at 09:29

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Do you have a dimmer switch for the gauges? Usually it's either buttons or a scroll wheel type dial, in cars where I've had analog gauges it's always been possible to turn the light off, or at least super dim.

And dual glove boxes are, in fact, the shit


Kinja'd!!! Vimto > Jayhawk Jake
08/30/2014 at 09:34

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Yeah, there is a dimmer, but because I'm a pain the ass I want to keep the trip computer/odometer lit up and just dim the gauges. It dims everything.


Kinja'd!!! Alex B > Vimto
08/30/2014 at 09:40

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Okay, it's good to hear that with a manual it's more responsive. I really think the note is an attractive car.


Kinja'd!!! Vimto > Alex B
08/30/2014 at 09:53

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I'm going to be honest, before I bought the Note I didn't think it was very good looking, and even when I was in the process of buying I was kinda ehh about the appearance. I had gone to the dealer to buy a sedan but they didn't have any with the 5-speed. But, the longer I own it, the more I feel it really is quite handsome for a small vehicle. I also like that it looks like its smiling, too many cars these days look angry.


Kinja'd!!! Jayhawk Jake > Vimto
08/30/2014 at 12:17

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Ah. Maybe they are on separate fuses?


Kinja'd!!! norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Vimto
08/30/2014 at 13:01

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Whoa this has manual windows? That's awesome.


Kinja'd!!! GhostZ > Vimto
08/30/2014 at 18:44

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Interestingly enough, both Honda and Nissan a page dedicated to direct comparison between the Fit and the Note:

http://automobiles.honda.com/fit/competitor…

http://www.nissanusa.com/cars/versa-not… (they add in the Fiesta and Sonic, but it's clear who the real target is).

I didn't realize how much cheaper the Note was.


Kinja'd!!! Vimto > GhostZ
08/30/2014 at 23:37

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In addition to the lower MSRP, I paid well below invoice for mine, mainly because it was a manual stuck on the lot.

The Fit has a bunch more standard features, but I don't really care about any of them, I wouldn't have got multiple incentives on it because the 2015 is brand new.


Kinja'd!!! GhostZ > Vimto
08/31/2014 at 00:08

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I agree wholeheartedly. The Note is the ideal base model, and more manufacturers need to make cars like it. The Fit used to be what it is now, but Honda thinks they need to keep moving upmarket.


Kinja'd!!! Vimto > GhostZ
08/31/2014 at 00:15

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I guess you mean the Note 1.6 S I bought is the ideal base model, because it can be had in higher trims that add a lot more features/cost. But you're absolutely right. I guess base models just don't sell, or at least don't make enough profit to justify their existence, cause now all your "cheapest" subcompacts have power features, bluetooth, 15 speaker bose stereo, massaging, heated leather and breakfast serving seats...