NISSAN’S new Micra is here and the critics have been falling over themselves to be horrible to it.
That’s a bit of a surprise, to be honest, because the old Micra was something of a star. It may have looked like a cutesy kiddy carrier but the trendy looks clothed a chassis of rare virtue.
The Micra was a good car to drive and cheap to run. All up, it was a very pleasant ownership proposition.
Maybe it’s because the old Micra was such a virtuoso, or perhaps it’s because the new one isn’t made in Sunderland any more and critics don’t feel so bad kicking a car that’s shipped here from India, but reaction to the new model has been lukewarm, to say the least.
This Micra isn’t related to the old one. That car was designed with European input and carefully honed for our tastes.
The new Micra is a world car. Nissan plans to sell them to more than 160 countries. Design Director Koji Nagano hit the nail on the head when he said: "The car must target a very broad spectrum of people worldwide. It must satisfy a multitude of needs in one package.”
A bit of a jack of all trades, then.
That’s fair enough, but I’m not so sure about Nagano-san’s claim that just “because a car is compact it doesn't mean customers will accept lower standards of quality - we know our customers expect nothing but the best. Our job was to raise the bar on quality...”.
The problem with the Micra’s cabin is that it’s all too obvious where Nissan has shaved the costs. Seconds after slipping inside, I was marvelling at the cheap-feel of the flimsy upper glovebox lid and the fascia and door cards have all the tactile appeal of a Kinder egg.
Still, there are no sharp edges caused by poor plastic moulding and the switchgear is the same functional stuff you’ll find on the Juke and the Qashqai. So it’s not all bad news.
The ivory trim in the test car would give parents nightmares, though. I had to rack the front passenger seat as far forward as it would go, for fear my son’s muddy shoes would rub on the seat. Thankfully, other more kid-friendly colour choices are available.
The Micra is based on a new platform (the Type V, which stands for versatile, if you really must know) and is the first Nissan to use a new range of unusual low emission three-cylinder engines. The entry-level version is a normally aspirated 80PS unit which delivers a claimed 56.5mpg - nearly 10mpg more than the previous Micra 1.2.
It sounds good, too. At idle and around town there’s a distinctive three-cylinder thrum which turns into a pleasing coffee grinder growl at higher revs. Sure, at motorway speeds the cabin gets a bit noisy but it’s simple enough to turn up the radio.
There’s just the one body-style - a five door hatchback - and two transmission choices, a five-speed manual and a continuously variable automatic.
Nissan has adopted its usual practice of three bafflingly-named trim levels - Visia, Acenta and Tekna. Every Micra features electric power steering, six airbags, electric front windows, Bluetooth phone integration and the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) as standard.
The Acenta throws in 15 inch alloy wheels, climate control and cruise. Nissan sent the range-topping Tekna for evaluation which has the company’s excellent Connect combined sat nav and entertainment system, plus a real throwback to the Eighties - a glass sun roof - and a simpler version of the parking assist technology that’s only recently trickled down to cars in the Focus class.
Parking Slot Measurement automatically scans potential parallel parking spaces and tells you whether the Micra will fit or not. It doesn’t do the wheel twirling for you, but it’s a handy device if you’re myopic or nervous.
No one buys a Micra and heads for the Nurburgring ,but the Fiesta and the Mazda 2 demonstrate that small hatchbacks can still be fun. The Micra may have a feisty engine note but that’s the sum of its attractions if you enjoy country lanes. The soft suspension and skinny tyres conspire to make the car feel nervous should you want to press on. It’s better to kick back and enjoy the countryside.
The primary ride is OK, thanks mainly to the soft suspension, but the secondary ride isn’t so hot. Poor damping control causes the Micra to bounce about on wash-board road surfaces, but at low speeds it’s acceptable.
If the Micra was cheap you could forgive many of its foibles - but, at £12,891 our test car costs the same as a similar spec Fiesta, a Mazda 2, a Fiat Punto Evo, an Ibiza Sport and several hundred quid more than a Skoda Fabia 1.2 TSi.
As a means of getting from A-to-B as efficiently as possible then I suppose it makes sense. The roomy interior might feel a bit cheap in places, but it is undeniably well built. And, for some drivers, that’s all that matters.
In August 2006 a survey discovered that of 340,000 original Micras sold in the UK, 96,000 (or nearly 30 per cent) were still in service. Stocks of the Metro and Fiat Uno had dwindled to less than three per cent.
And you still see them. I pass a well looked after mark one Micra on my way to work every day but I can’t remember the last time I spotted a Fiat Uno (scrap yards excepted).
It might not set the pulse racing, but the new Micra likely to be around for a long time to come.
SPEC: Price as tested: £12,891 Engine: three cylinder petrol Max power: 80PS @ 6,000rpm Max torque: 110 Nm @ 4,000 rpm Max speed: 106 mph Acceleration 0-62mph: 13.7 seconds Fuel cons: 56.5 mpg (combined) Co2 emissions: 115 g/km Equipment: Electric windows, parking assistant, park distance radar, remote folding heated door mirrors, climate control, electric windows, 15-inch alloy wheels, front fog lamps.
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