The following are my experiences with the Nissan Serena within its first 1,800 km:
The car would experience hard-starting 2 out of 5 times.
The gear-shifter stalk feels like it belongs to a USD200 child's electric toy car than a USD21,000 minivan. It has quite a lot of freeplay for a brand-new vehicle.
The automatic transmission sometimes does not engage DRIVE securely from NEUTRAL. Although it registers on the dashboard display as being in D already, the car is still in neutral and thus refuses to move off unless the gear is re-shifted to N and returned to D.
The brakes emit a barking sound like a seal whenever I lightly apply them when going over a speed bump.
The suspension makes a thumping or dribbling sound as the car goes over less-than-perfect roads.
The left passenger door does not slide open or close as easily as the right one.
The rear passenger air-conditioning system emits a whirring noise whenever it has been working longer than 10 minutes.
The supplied Clarion audio-video system could use a more sensitive antenna for its radio.
Finally, the finishing of the interiors shows shabby details, like the bolt caps of the right B pillar passenger handle is forever sticking out and cannot seem to be positioned properly. The cutaways of the bolts that hold the included jumper seats in the rear are very roughly done--seems that the assembler just got a nail clipper to do it.
This is not one of your classically styled vehicles. It's either you like it or you don't--no middle ground here.
This minivan has a sufficiently powerful engine for most around-town applications. Its passing ability (overtaking) in highway situations is, as expected of minivans of this sort, slow, but manageable. You have to remember its bulk and make allowance for additional passing times when in the highway. I have never tested its performance on uphill drives, though, so this still has to be proven.
In general, this is a comfortable minivan. The seats are OK, though they do not provide sufficient support for long trips.
The ability of the middle row and rear seats to move along tracks is a useful feature to increase or adjust the cargo-holding capacity of this vehicle. However, the fact that you must move the middle row to gain access (ingress and egress) to the rear seats is inconveniently slow and cumbersome.
My family likes the ability of the middle and rear seats to fold completely down to form a long bed.
In mixed city and highway driving, I get around 6 kilometers per liter worth of fuel consumption, which is 14 percent more than my Nissan Sentra, a compact sedan. Not too bad, considering its added bulk.
Outward visibility is very good in front, though somewhat blocked rearward because of the headrests of the seats.
For its price, I would have expected the vehicle to come with the de rigeur front passenger air bag, fog lamps, and car alarm, but this was not the case. It does, however, come with ABS, which is good.
I have also a Nissan Serena Q-RV limited... I am also experiencing quality problems with my van... :- (
I was just about to buy a SERENA. Having read about your problems I will think twice or maybe give up the idea. Thanks for the info.
We like the car, though there are faults (all owners seem to experience problems with the sliding doors, it's also true that the back seats don't have enough support, and we've had to adapt even the front seats to provide lumbar support).
The big issue we have now is very poor fuel consumption. Three kilometers per liter is what we get in town usage. This is absurd for a van with quite a small engine.
My Serena QRV-R Limited is almost 2 years old now and here are some of my comments;
No, I did not experience hard-starting, not even once.
The gear shifter did not have any problem for me.
The automatic transmission does not engage to drive sometimes, but this is only because the gear shifter lever is not properly positioned, yet. Just gently position it and it will engage.
Oh yeah the brakes do have annoying sound like a metal to metal scratching, but the technicians says all breaks are in good condition. One problem I had with the brakes that I encountered already twice is that the rotor discs get deformed easily. Mine got two times re-facing.
The suspensions are OK except for those dribbling noise.
The sliding doors are heavy for women.
The audio system is OK. The VCD player is likewise quite OK, but could have been better if it was a DVD player for such a price of this minivan. Also, the monitor should have been installed behind the rear a/c unit rather than in front coz it is too near for the 2nd row seat.
The rear a/c unit did not have any problem.
The interior is really not that good. The velvet trims on the doors have black spots that are coming from the inside, I think from the screws. No matter how hard you clean it, it will always be there. Looks very dirty or shall I say really dirty.
The engine is indeed quite powerful. I have tried it on uphills (in Baguio) thrice fully loaded and it went up easily. It is proven.
It is indeed uncomfortable to go in and out from the 3rd row due to the limitation of 2nd row to move forward.
I wonder how the first reviewer liked the 2nd and 3rd row seats to completely fold down flat and turn it to bed. This is because; the seats do fold down, but IT IS NOT COMPLETELY FLAT. The back rest is higher than the seat so it as uneven surface when folded as bed. I was completely disappointed with this feature coz it is not what they had advertised.
Yes, the consumption is 6 km/liter on the average. I wish it is higher.
The price is not worth this minivan.
The Serena Minivan may not be 'worth the price' when purchased new, but on the used car market, it can be acquired for a good price. Those looking for a 'bargain' car that can meet city- and some country-side driving needs will find this model to be a reasonable bargain.
I just bought a 2002 Serena QR-V with 57000km odometer reading for 1/3 the price of the new one. Yes, the rattling of the door still has to be fixed, and the side panels do look dirty. But overall, it is a bargain ride for the price, and I love how light it feels to drive. The kids love the van, mainly because of the TV I guess. Am still looking to see if I can hook up an iPod Video onto the receiver (says there is AUX input).
The brakes have that sound once in a while... brought it to Nissan for service... they said all OK and just cleaned it...gone...but after a hundred kilometers is back - guess it is just dirt.
Suspension has to be repaired, and am still exploring my options.
I agree that buying the Nissan Serena for its full price is not worth it, but buying it second hand at less than 1/3 of its price sure is worth it. I don't experience the hard starting, but do have the annoying whirling noise in the rear air-con. Installed an LPG conversion kit and have been fully satisfied with my weekly fuel expenses. Handling was quite good and it is quite comfortable to drive.
Hi, I also bought one last year.. I have a problem though, and I hope you guys can help.. it seems lately that every time I gas the pedal, say on an uphill, the engine is very slow and the engine makes an irritating sound like it is coming from the valve or something. Anyway, I had it tuned-up and the sound seem to have disappeared, but I noticed that the car has become even slower.. Any comments?
Good points:
1. aircon is OK
2. read power windows are big and my kids love them
3. VCD is great with kids
4. confortable captain seats in rear
5. can use 91RON gasoline, no need for the expensive 95RON types.
Bad points:
1. rear aircon has whirling sound
2. alternator needs to be replaced after three years
3. engine support broke after four years
4. fuel economy is less than 6km per liter
5. brakes need a lot of maintenance.
I own a serena qrvr purchase 2002 here are my comments:
1. sliding door too noisy
2. alternator broke after 2 years
3. gear shifter stock in N position and the lever can't be move
4. I installed a khaos my fuel consumtion increase to 8km/ltr.
I do not know where the Serenas you buy originate. I am from Trinidad in the West Indies. The Serena we get are imported used from Japan and they are excellent. We see them as a luxurious vehicle. They are powerful, silent, handle like a car, and have great acceleration. I have driven my brother's Serena many times and have been so impressed that I expect to take delivery of one myself this week. The demand for the vehicle here in Trinidad is growing and I would buy a Serena any day over a Noah, which is the other minivan available locally.
I've bought a Serena 2002. Engine sr20. I'm just wondering anybody knows what kind of shock absorber to replace? The suspension is not too good.
I bought a Serena model 2002 last Oct/08. 2 weeks ago, the engine did not start. I thought I needed a mechanic to fix the problem, but thanks to my friend who gave me an advice, he told me to open the fuse box and try to press in all of the fuses. Wow!!! Presto!!! One click!!! It did start.
The same thing I do when my A/C malfunctions. Maybe, cleaning is the solution cos my Serena is more than 6 yrs old.
The speed is great, and also the suspension, but there's some noise when the road is rough. But I think it's natural.
It's very convenient to drive, but it's been inconvenient every time the 3rd row seater will using. It's difficult to get in/out. And there's no armrest both to the 2nd and 3rd row seats.
I recently bought a 2003 Nissan Serena qrvr limited for 400 thousand pesos. Compared to the other posted Serenas, I can say it's worth it because the one I got is really well maintained. Complete Casa Maintenance Record every 5,000 km up to the present, mileage of 52,000 km.
Original paint, aircon is really cold. Stock sound system, although I changed it to a single din DVD player with motorized lcd (16,500) so I can watch while I'm waiting, Installed a beige leatherette seat cover for (5,500.00).
Only complaint is the fuel consumption. In city driving in Manila, honestly I'm just getting 5 km per liter, but maybe on highways could get 6 to 6.5.
I like this Van, very comfortable for my family, especially its legroom. The entertainment system is really nice for kids.
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