As documented previously, our car needed repairing after a minor traffic accident.
I’m glad I paid extra on our insurance for a hire car, as we have been driving one for the last two weeks while our own car was being repaired. While we appreciated the convenience and the niceties of a new car, the one drawback was the car itself – a Nissan Tiida. To make matters worse, it was an automatic.
When launched six months ago in Australia, Nissan decided it would be a good idea to pay Kim Cattrall $1 million to orgasm while driving a Tiida for their advertisements while proclaiming it mnade her feel “really good inside”. This made sure that guys figured the Tiida was a girly car, while Kim Cattrall’s sexual overtures and past character, Samantha Jones, from “Sex and the City” ensured girls viewed the Tiida as a slut’s car. Sales have therefore been non existent, except to fleet company buyers such as rental businesses picking up new cars at cheap prices. Why not? They don’t have to drive them.
I have recreated my underwhelmed reaction when handed the keys of the Tiida below. Note this is a simulation only, and does not capture the full vulgarity of the Tiida’s shape – particularly the sedan.
[coming as soon as I download the pics off my camera!]
Getting past the ugly slut thing, the Nissan was a quiet and comfortable car. It was also well built and didn’t miss a beat in 500 km of driving. The seats are good and there is far more leg space than you’d expect from a small car in the rear. Especially with someone as midgetary as me driving. See, I can be nice.
Now here’s what I didn’t like:
- It’s butt ugly.
- The ride was compliant enough but it got choppy at highway speeds inducing a mild seasickness on undulating roads.
- Any attempt at handling prowess was routed by the lack of grip from the cost cutting Toyo tyres. Any type of driving enthusiasm induced pronounced understeer and tyre scrub ensuring the driver (i.e. me) soon gave up.
- The auto moaned up and down the gears and acceleration was often preceded by an alarming deceleration as the box changed all the way back to first gear. Accelerating out of a corner often induced an unwanted and unneeded change of gear which produced torque steer on the loaded and otherwise boring and lifeless steering. Avoiding gearbox dramas by selecting the gears manually was impossible thanks to a unnecessary and awkward overdrive button located on the side of the gear selector.
- The radio was awful quality.
- The dashboard may have been inspired by a 1984 Nissan Bluebird.
- The rear seats didn’t fold down. This is inexcusable in a small car!
- The fuel economy was bad for a small car. Just under 10l/100kms including plenty of highway driving.
- It had a nice feature of turning the dashboard lights on when the outside light suddenly dulled, for example entering a car park. Yet, it didn’t turn on the headlights. That seemed odd to me.
- And finally, did I mention the slutty-girl-car image problem already?
Now Hertz have their Tiida back, and I have my own car back. But I will say this for the Tiida. It made me realise how loose and sloppy our cars have gotten and how nice a new car feels, and how great toxic new plastics smell. In fact, it inspired us to go and test-drive something we would like to own. More about that in a separate post.
