Any Elgrand Owners Here?

[pixel8r]

Hi there,

I currently have a stagea C34 and am toying with the idea of buying an elgrand E50.

The petrol models seem a bit too thirsty so I've decided that a diesel is the only option.

There are 2 diesels, the older 3.2L prior to 2000 and the 3.0L direct injection from 2000 onwards.

The older one is more reliable, but not as economical (12L/100km city, 10L/100km highway).

The newer one is better on fuel when running well (some have reported as low as 8.3L/100km on the highway), but it has more reliability issues due to the added complexity of the common-rail setup and also the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) which can foul up the MAF sensor, causing overboosting.

There's about $4000 difference between the sale price of each of these, although the older 3.2L generally have higher kms also, which might explain the lower price. Hard to tell which kms are genuine though.

Its just such a confusing choice...

Can anyone help with the costs of owning a diesel? I've heard they require more maintenance, are more expensive to service and repair, and are a lot more sensitive to fuel quality than petrol cars.

Any engine failure in a diesel would seem to far outweigh the benefit of fuel economy.

Can anyone help me with some good info either on elgrands cost of ownership or diesels and reliability in general?

All the info I'm getting suggests I'd be better to stay with the stagea due to its known reliability and low service costs.

[(OO)SKYLINE(OO)]

A friend of mine has an E50.

He was looking at the Turbo Diesels models but went with the VQ35DE.

Fuel for him is very good but he has also done a LP Gas conversion as it is his work van and he does quiet a few Km's per week.

I think the VQ35DE, being the newer engine would be a tad better on fuel.

They are a decent engine and you should be fine for parts as the local Nissan dealers would stock parts, cause it's the same engine as the 350Z.

[pixel8r]

A friend of mine has an E50.

He was looking at the Turbo Diesels models but went with the VQ35DE.

Fuel for him is very good but he has also done a LP Gas conversion as it is his work van and he does quiet a few Km's per week.

I think the VQ35DE, being the newer engine would be a tad better on fuel.

They are a decent engine and you should be fine for parts as the local Nissan dealers would stock parts, cause it's the same engine as the 350Z.

The VQ35DE seems to get 13.5-16L/100km on fuel, going on what people are saying on nissanelgrand.com.au. That's a lot worse than the 11-12L/100km for the diesel.

The highway figures I've found are 11L/100km for the VQ35DE and 10L/100km or even less for the diesel. A month ago diesel was cheaper than petrol but these days its looking like diesel may get more expensive again wish it were an easier comparison...

I'm looking at the older diesel QD32ETI mainly due to the proven reliability (less chance of issues than ZD30, easier to fix if there is any) and much lower purchase cost. The ZD30 ones seem to start at $14-15K and there's major issues if not maintained properly (and with imports you just dont know).

The VQ35DE in the elgrand would be the same as the maxima (170kw), not the 350Z (206kw). probably not a great difference parts-wise though. I think it is the same engine more or less, just detuned.

I've owned 2 silvias and 3 stageas, so I'm used to imports. Just trying to work out pros and cons of whether it is the right car for me or whether I'm better to stick with the stagea. Definitely the elgrand wins on space and it has some cool features, but the stagea has been a great reliable car (just a bit squashy in the back seat with 2 baby seats).

[(OO)SKYLINE(OO)]

The VQ35DE seems to get 13.5-16L/100km on fuel, going on what people are saying on nissanelgrand.com.au. That's a lot worse than the 11-12L/100km for the diesel.

The highway figures I've found are 11L/100km for the VQ35DE and 10L/100km or even less for the diesel. A month ago diesel was cheaper than petrol but these days its looking like diesel may get more expensive again wish it were an easier comparison...

Petrol vs Diesel:

If Diesel's price is on the rise, then it wouldn't matter much, you still gotta pay to make it run.

But if Diesel has a better fuel economy then go for that.

I'm looking at the older diesel QD32ETI mainly due to the proven reliability (less chance of issues than ZD30, easier to fix if there is any) and much lower purchase cost. The ZD30 ones seem to start at $14-15K and there's major issues if not maintained properly (and with imports you just dont know).

If you are more familiar with the QD32ETI and know of maintenance / support then go for that.

The VQ35DE in the elgrand would be the same as the maxima (170kw), not the 350Z (206kw). probably not a great difference parts-wise though. I think it is the same engine more or less, just detuned.

Well yes, I was not saying the Elgrand is a 350Z but same engine, so was just seeing it from parts point of view

I've owned 2 silvias and 3 stageas, so I'm used to imports. Just trying to work out pros and cons of whether it is the right car for me or whether I'm better to stick with the stagea. Definitely the elgrand wins on space and it has some cool features, but the stagea has been a great reliable car (just a bit squashy in the back seat with 2 baby seats).

If you need more room then what the Stagea's got then the Elgrand would be perfect.

[GTR-N1]

Don't Elgrands have trouble with their electronic fly-by-wire throttle?

[pixel8r]

Don't Elgrands have trouble with their electronic fly-by-wire throttle?

Haven't heard anything like this. Nothing about it on nissanelgrand.com.au.

Older elgrands were all cable driven. I heard a rumor that even the vq35 elgrands were cable driven, but not sure on that.

I had an issue with the fly-by-wire on my previous M35 stagea (VQ25 engine) - too much soot build-up just behind the throttle plate, so it got sticky and would stall occasionally.

However once it was cleaned up there was no issue at all (except for the problem of fly-by-wire not being as responsive as a plain old cable).

The most common problem with the turbo diesel elgrand is the same as with the nissan patrol due to build up of soot in the EGR on the ZD30 motor, and also gumming up the MAF sensor, causing overboosting.

With proper maintenance and a few small mods (oil catch can, boost controller) this issue is avoided and then its a pretty reliable motor, so I'm told. Certainly the fuel economy seems pretty good in the diesel elgrands (for a 2T vehicle). I dont imagine it would be difficult to find parts for the ZD30 either. They are pretty common here.

Having a read through nissanelgrand.com.au they do seem pretty reliable overall.