I've put 14k miles on mine in 9 months and it still feels and sounds just as tight as the day i bought it. I have yet to notice any rattles, the transmission can be a bit clunky (6spd) but once it warms up it's fine. I love my car and am very satisfied with my ownership experience so far. And to my knowledge Nissan has done nothing to reduce the amount of tire noise, but that isn't much of a concern to me.