Any Y51 Fuga Hybrid owners here?

[Duncan]

I'm looking into replacing the F50 Cima as the highway cruiser, it has been excellent but is a bit tired at 300,000klm.

Are there any Y51 Fuga owners on here? Happy? Issues?

[R377]

Not yet, wife is looking at trading in her v36 sedan for a Y51 Fuga 6-12 mths.  They look like great cars and not sure how many if any have been brought in yet........

[KiwiRS4T]

Are you looking to buy from Japan? This listing gives the name of a Japanese company...

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/nissan/auction-2685852912.htm?rsqid=38d842ed9f56419bbd445ed199a48494-004

[Duncan]

8 hours ago, R377 said:

Not yet, wife is looking at trading in her v36 sedan for a Y51 Fuga 6-12 mths.  They look like great cars and not sure how many if any have been brought in yet........

Yeah that's why I was interested in experiences here. Looks like they were added to SEVS about 12 months ago so there must be some by now even if they were dealer imports that didn't sell well. http://rvcs-prodweb.dot.gov.au/sevs/D38-00 USED ELIGIBLE.htm. 4 RAWS available and not all in Vic which is handy right now!

I actually think they are a little awkward on the outside but I'm driving it so won't notice  Unfortunately Cima compliance stopped in 2004 when they went from DD to DE motor, and I am looking for something newer as it is for regular highway driving. Fuga is next best thing for that type of driving but only to 2009 (Y50) unless you go hybrid, so here I am....

Thanks Bob, yes I'll import but I've got that part under control. Was tempted by their free tank of fuel on Thursdays though  Looking to keep the price a few thousand cheaper by importing as I'm not in any particular rush.

[R377]

I have a crown majesta 186 and absolute love it.  The next model after (S200 series) isn't that much more expensive and with a 8 speed gearbox is slightly more economical.

 

My 186 crown ran an easy 14.2 on only two passes, so 13.8 to 14.0 would be expected.  can get around 8L on highway and around 11L around town.

[Duncan]

Ha, my broker tried to push me that way too, he is running a 200 crown hybrid

But I don't bat for the other team

Looks like no owners around here, it is the battery that concerns me most in a 10yo import that might be hard to replace here.  So I'm just going to get battery heath checked over at a dealer in japan prior to export. I would rather have non-hybrid after 10 years old (plus I mostly do highway so hybrid system wont get much use and just adds weight) but no alternative atm other than going V37 skyline

[Zveruga]

I've been driving Y50 2009 for a bit more than a year, non-hybrid obviously. Previously had a v36 Skyline and would recommend the Fuga, it's a more refined car in many ways although based on the same drive train. If you have any questions - ask away.

[Duncan]

Interesting pair of cars to change between as a comparison! I looked at both as options, and the v37 before settling on the fuga hybrid mostly due to age; my preference was the Y50 v8 because the Cima v8 had been perfect for my needs; very smooth, sufficient power for highway cruising and excellent on fuel for a 20yo car at 9.2l/100.

The main differences I noticed between the Cima and say R34 skyline is the effort nissan had gone to with things like soundproofing, awesome ride from the factory suspension, generous width in the cabin, leg room etc. Of course it handled like a barge in corners but there aren't many corners on the freeway...

I guess the only other question I've had is have you had anything fail/need to be replaced?

[Zveruga]

the mid-cycle refresh in 2007 introduced the VQ35HR engine, same as in the v36 that is delivering just 20hp less than the v8 with arguably better fuel economy (less torque though). I was looking for a recent model and pretty much all v8s are much older, and they are really hard to find in a good shape, so I got the 2009 v6 model.

I'd say driving the Fuga does not feel like handling a barge, quite comparable with the v36.

I had the car for circa 18 months so far (~20k done) and nothing failed as yet. The car was found to be picky about the tires, and I found it's cheaper to buy spark plugs and air filters from Japan than locally. As with the v36, the Australian conversion for the head unit removes indication of outside temperature and connectivity third-party front camera, a bit annoying and still looking for a decent electrician who would have a look to hook it back up. Very happy with the car otherwise.

[Duncan]

Cool, thanks for the feedback. I never converted the Cima display from japanese, it was easy enough to remember the only 2 things I ever use (long term fuel economy and daylight savings clock adjustment)....will see if the Fuga annoys me enough to get a conversion.

Spec I want (light colour, sunroof) isn't coming up every day so it may take a while before I get it sorted

[nickcorr]

Have been driving around for a couple of years now in a 206 Crown Majesta, wanted the V8, but missing the Nissan life... Would love an Infiniti Q70 5.6, if only they existed from Japan, so looking like the Hybrid is the way to go without the backwards step to the 3.7 again. Loved my V36, but the kids are getting bigger, so the Fuga/Q70 looks like a logical choice to me..

[Duncan]

Yeah I totally agree, shame they are us market only. I've got the VK56DE in the Titan and it goes and sounds great

[Duncan]

well, hope they are OK, picked up one at auction today for 1.5M yen

second nissan I've had now inspired by Camry's designers, check out my C34 Stagea 

 

[Zveruga]

Looks awesome!

[Duncan]

Yeah looks good, but now the long wait until I actually find out if it's OK

[mybrains]

if you want a good bodykit, check the WALD one 

http://www.wald.co.jp/showcase/detail/y51_bb_2009/index_en.html

 

 

[Duncan]

Thanks, that's much better than the Impul kitted one I was happy to not win. I'm sure it cost a bomb but not my style (plus the front bar fit was terrible for such a nice car and kit)

I was more interested in whether that HKS 350z supercharger kit would fit though. Or maybe the stillen one would work better.

[R377]

Bump Duncan, how do you find your y51 Fuga ?  What model did you get ?

 

love VIP

 

http://www.j-spec.com.au/f18073/2014-Nissan-Fuga-Hybrid_VIP_05.jpg

 

http://www.j-spec.com.au/f18073/2014-Nissan-Fuga-Hybrid_VIP_15.jpg

[Duncan]

The one I ended up with is "Base Grade" which ironically is not the lowest spec...

I used this link to check specs for VINs when cars came up at auction, but because I wanted white and sunroof (super rare combo) and reasonable quality/price compromise, I just took what I could get spec wise.  https://partsouq.com/en/catalog/genuine/locate?c=Nissan 

It confirmed mine had SAFETY PACKAGE; COLD AREA; PURE DRIVE EMBLEM; SUNROOF; LEATHER PACKAGE,BASE GRADE; PASSENGER SEAT CONTROL SWITCH; TRUNK AUTO CLOSURE; 2013 YEAR MODEL which was correct when it arrived 6 months later. The only thing I was looking for (not mandatory) that I didn't get was the Bose audio instead of basic but it is still good to my crappy ears.

The VIP level has awesome toys but the reality is I never use the back seat except for the dogs, so I didn't worry too much