Tweaks for small Nissan

MICRA ACTIVE: GOOD RUN-AROUND AND FIRST CAR

Light on fuel, lots of space and a lot of safety features at under R160 000.

Afew weeks ago, I attended the launch of Nissan Micra Active which is not an allnew car – it is the last hurrah model before an all-new Micra reaches our shores next year.

I drove the new Micra Active at its launch. Nissan thought that was not enough and decided to drop it at The Citizen’s offices in Industria for an extended review.

With this not being a new model, there are few subtle changes that can be hard to notice unless you are a die-hard fan of the product.

You get reworked headlights, taillights and bumpers.

Fitted with the Trendsetter Pack that Nissan says you can have at an additional R8 500, it came fitted with black alloys, a rear fin, mud flaps and a chrome finish on the exhaust tip.

Thus endowed, the Micra looks different from the standard model.

It even looks a bit aggressive, but looks can be deceiving.

Jump inside, the interior has been reworked a bit to keep competitors in the segment on their toes.

There’s manual air-conditioning, Bluetooth and steering wheel adjustment.

The car also boasts front power windows, setting it aside from major market competitors.

There is a touch-screen infotainment system that incorporates TomTom mapping with live traffic

The Micra Active packs a punchy 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine with impressive power output of 56kW and 104Nm all sent to the front wheels via a smooth fivespeed manual gearbox.

The Micra has enough space for five grown ups, all well taken care of. It has a big boot rated at 265-litres and should you think that is not enough, you can simply fold down the rear seats thus adding more space.

The driver’s seat offers a spoton seating position; however, it was a bit high for me. This prompted me to raise the steering wheel a bit, thanks to the steering wheel adjustment that comes standard.

On the road, the Micra feels comfortable at highway cruising speeds and around town which makes it a perfect run-around car to your local shopping mall.

The turning circle of 4.6m was remarkable, more specially when needing to undertake parking manoeuvres in tight spaces.

Something you should take my word for: do not take the Micra on a long road trip. Despite its easy gearbox operation, the Micra requires you to downshift when it encounters an uphill, which is normal in a small city car.

After a week with the car, I managed to average 6.2 l/100km compared to Nissan’s claim of 5.2l/100km, which is not bad in real world driving situations. However, if you have a light right foot, you are likely to get those numbers down.

In terms of safety, the Micra comes standard with ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, driver and passenger airbags plus ISOfix child anchors.

To conclude, the Micra makes a good run-around car. At R159 900, I choose not to call it cheap but affordable.

The Active comes with a threeyear 90 000 service plan and a sixyear 150 000km warranty.