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Nissan Micra 2011 road test report

2011

The first rule of launching a new car is it must move the game on from its predecessor. Nissan has decided to move the goal posts a little with its new Micra, which is designed as one car for the whole world, or at least 160 countries. So, no more Sunderland-built northern soul and in its place Chennai, India-made right-hand drive Micras for the UK. Has Nissan diluted the Micra to give it global appeal, or is it still a treat for UK tastes?

Road Test Reports Says 3 star rating
A front-facing image of the Nissan Micra 2011

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ALISDAIR SUTTIE SAYS

Performance Performance - 3 stars

For the time being, there’s just one engine choice for the Micra and it’s a 1.2-litre three-cylinder motor with 79bhp. It’s no ball of fire, but it does a reasonable job of powering the little Nissan around town and up to motorway speeds with little fuss or drama, and a mildly appealing three-cylinder thrum to the engine note. It’s not one of the great engines of the automotive age, but the five-speed manual gearbox helps make the most of the motor’s oomph and 0-62mph in 13.7 seconds is on a par with similarly powered rivals. However, unless you really need a self-shifting gearbox, avoid the CVT automatic at all costs as it blunts performance and makes the engine sing far too loudly for its supper when the driver asks for anything more than a trickle of acceleration. A supercharged version of this engine is due later and will have 97bhp, as well as driving emissions down from the current motor’s 115g/km to just 95g/km of carbon dioxide emissions.

Ride & Handling Ride & Handling - 2 stars

On most roads, most of the time, the Micra does a decent job of quelling British surfaces to the point where the Nissan is comfortable. However, once in a while a lump or rut sends a shiver through the suspension and into the cabin when you don’t expect it. It’s as if the Micra’s suspension is happy to work over 90% of its range but then gives up the challenge for the other 10%. This is most noticeable on lumpier country roads, but can also show up in town or trotting round the ring road. Still, the Micra is as comfortable as most rival, but is not a patch on a VW Polo or Ford Fiesta. This is true of the handling as well, where the Nissan resides firmly in the lower echelons of its class. There’s too much body lean, almost no feel through the over-light steering and, though there’s surprisingly plentiful grip, the driver is left with little confidence to make the most of the Micra’s handling. At least every model comes with ESP traction control as standard and a small compensation is the Nissan has a very compact turning circle to make nip and tuck town driving a cinch.

Build Quality & Reliability Build Quality & Reliability - 3 stars

This is an area where we should be awarding five stars without even thinking about it. Nissan is rightly well regarded for its build quality in most of its range of cars, but the Micra lets the side down. It’s not so much the way the car is screwed together, though we did note a fair few squeaks in the cars we tried, but the materials it’s made from. There’s a profusion of scratchy, cheap looking plastic scattered throughout the interior and it leaves a lasting impression of a car built to a very low price. On the up side, we expect the engine and mechanical bits to last well given Nissan’s expertise in this area.

Safety & Security Safety & Security - 5 stars

There’s no arguing the Micra packs a lot of safety kit into a small car. Every model comes with twin front, side and curtain airbags as standard and ESP traction and stability control is also included with every version. On top of this, there’s anti-lock brakes with automatic brake force distribution to make the most of the stopping power, while Isofix child seat mounts are also there to keep kiddy seats securely in place. Security is taken care of by an alarm and immobiliser, while deadlocks help beat the thieves. There’s also speed-sensitive central locking to secure the doors when the car is on the move, which is a handy feature for a car that will spend much of its time on the hostile environments of towns and cities.

Space & Practicality Space & Practicality - 4 stars

All Micras within the new generation are five-door models, so no more three-door to choose. This makes access to the rear seats very easy and the rear doors open wide to help further. Space in the back is reasonable, if not class-leading, and Nissan as added an extra 20mm to the wheelbase of the new Micra to help with rear legroom. There’s also a further 5mm in width compared to the last Micra to offer a fraction more shoulder space. Overall length has increased by 61mm to serve up more boot space and the Micra can cope with 265-litres of cargo, or a decent week’s shopping. Fold the 60/40 split rear seats, which is an option in the most basic model, and there’s 511-litres of load space to be on a level with most of the competition. In the front, the driver has lots of room for elbows, knees, head and shoulders, but finding the ideal driving position is hindered by a steering wheel that only adjusts for height and not reach. Still, all-round vision for the driver is good in the Micra and the simple dash is neat, functional and has a sprig more style than the exterior looks. An option for the new Micra is Nissan’s PSM, which is parking space management. It assesses the size of a parking spot and decides whether it’s easy, difficult or just not big enough. However, this is not like VW and Ford’s parking assist systems that do all of the steering wheel twirling: the Micra’s merely indicates if a parking space is suitably sized.

Ownership & Value Ownership & Value - 3 stars

Nissan has pitched the prices of the new Micra very competitively at the opposition, but there’s a nagging feeling that it has to be this cheap to stand any chance in one of the most talented sectors of the auto industry. This is likely to be reflected in used values of the Micra, which we reckon will be no better than average and possibly not as steady as its predecessor’s. Carbon dioxide emissions of 115g/km for the manual gearbox model are good, while the CVT automatic comes in at 125g/km. The manual model manages a good 56.5mpg average economy, with the CVT coming in at 52.3mpg. Nissan has cut the insurance rates of the new Micra and some models are now 10 groups lower than the previous model’s, which is a welcome saving. There are three trim levels: Visia, Acenta and Tekna. The Visia is a touch sparse, doing without air conditioning, 60.40 split and tip rear seats or alloy wheels, but it does have a CD stereo, electric front windows, six airbags and ESP traction control. The Acenta adds climate and cruise controls, front foglights, alloy wheels, electrically adjustable door mirrors and driver’s seat height adjustment. Go for the Tekna and you also gain rear parking sensors, a panoramic sunroof, trip computer and splashes of chrome.

Submitted: 25/01/2011 11:14:45

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