NISSAN products hit the right notes with motorists, Auto Express’s Driver Power 2012 published today shows.
The Japanese maker has taken two class wins, a category win, and its SUVs and Crossovers have all been placed in the top 20 list for the best cars of 2012.
Around 29,000 motorists voted in this year’s Auto Express Driver Power survey, which aims to find and celebrate the best cars to own in 10 different categories. And this year it was one of the closest fought battles with the winner only taking the top place by 0.12 per cent!
Nissan’s X-Trail came top in the Best SUV class and was praised by owners for its easy driving characteristics and for its affordable running costs. X-Trail owners also declared the Nissan SUV is no fake off-roader – the car’s off-road capabilities and spacious cabin were praised highly.
The Juke also came in for high accolades, taking once class win and a category win. The Sunderland-built car clinched the Supermini class thanks to ‘consistent good performances’ and took the win ahead of the Honda Jazz and Toyota iQ.
The bold Juke also snatched victory in the ‘Best for Technology’ category from the Skoda Yeti and Superb. Readers felt the Sunderland-built Crossover had the ‘most useful, reliable, and best-value gadgets of any car on sale’.
One Juke owner told Auto Express they loved the car’s Bluetooth connectivity, and the ability to sync iPhones and stream music, while others praised the car’s enjoyable driving characteristics. The Qashqai and X-Trail finished fourth and ninth respectively in the category.
Herve Genin, Nissan’s Crossover Category Manager, told the publication: ‘The Juke is packed full of useful technology, such as a colour rear-view camera, touchscreen sat-nav, torque vectoring and a dynamic control system.’
But that’s not all. In the Best Car of 2012 category the Qashqai, X-Trail and Juke finished impressively in sixth, ninth, and 13th places respectively.