Nissan Micra
All-new supermini steps into the ring
There’s no need to rub your eyes: this the new Nissan Micra. Yes, this handsomelooking brute is a Micra and Nissan’s attempt to disrupt the established supermini order.
That means the bubble-shaped Micras to which we have become accustomed are no more, having been banished to history along with the hideous C+C. This fifth-generation car, with its sharp exterior lines, has been given “an athletic and dynamic makeover”, according to Nissan, while subtly harking back to the straight lines worn by the original Micra, launched in 1983.
This fresh approach has been driven by what customers want, says Nissan. Through its various focus groups and clinics, it believes it has created a no-compromise package that answers the needs of supermini buyers. However, such a departure from the past represents a huge risk for Nissan when you consider how loyal Micra buyers are and the fact that seven million Micras have been sold worldwide over its 34 years, with more than 3.5m of those finding a home in Europe. So is this radical approach going to pay off?
Nissan’s faith in its new Micra isn’t without reason and logic, because the car has been developed through the Renault-nissan Alliance, which has enabled the new Micra to be built on the same production line as Renault’s Clio and Zoe in Flins, France. That makes the Micra the first Nissan to be made in a European Renault plant.
But there is more to this car than the sharp looks, because Nissan also aims to disrupt the usual supermini contenders through a peppy little engine, better handling and rafts of technology. The new Micra is stuffed full of safety technology, including intelligent emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, high beam assist, intelligent ride and trace control, all fitted as standard across the range.
There’s a choice of five trim levels that progressively add more equipment than you would expect to find in a executive saloon, with the range-topping Tekna model fitted with climate control, sat-nav, a reversing camera and Bose’s Personal Audio system, which pairs a couple of speakers in the driver’s headrest to give a 360deg music experience. The system is also available as a £500 option on the mid-range Acenta and N-connecta trims.
For our test subject, we have chosen the 89bhp turbocharged 0.9-litre petrol engine, although you can opt for a 1.5-litre diesel and a naturally aspirated 1.0-litre petrol. Our car has been kitted out in the N-connecta trim, which, with its charming Power Blue paint job, is priced at a little over £16,000. This puts it in the same ballpark as the Mini Cooper, an St-line 1.0-litre Ecoboost Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen’s 1.0-litre TSI SEL Polo.
However, if you look at all those cars side by side, the Mini is the most powerful, while the Micra’s equipment list is far more generous than those of its closest rivals.
Another area where the Micra edges out its competition is on boot volume. Its rivals struggle to match the Nissan’s 300 litres of space with
the seats up, and the Micra has a full 1000 litres of load capacity with the rear seats folded down.
But we couldn’t leave our Micra standard once we’d browsed the options available. We included Nissan’s Vision+ Pack, which comes with the 360deg camera and blindspot and moving object detection systems that we were so impressed by on our long-term Nissan Navara. We also opted for Nissan’s Intelligent key and the Bose sound system.
The final additions to our Nissan are two personalisation packs. To complement the Power Blue metallic paint, we have added the Exterior Pack Plus, which adds silver trim and 17in black alloy wheels. We have also opted to continue the Power Blue colour through into the cabin.
So far, the Micra ticks enough boxes to give its rivals cause for concern. Inside, the materials feel far nicer to touch and interact with than they did in previous incarnations.
The toughest area for the Micra to score points against its rivals is on the road. The Ford Fiesta is the daddy at blending a supple ride with engaging handling, Mini has distilled the go-kart feeling with its three-door hatch and the Polo is competent in all areas, as you would expect a Volkswagen to be.
We’ve covered well over 500 miles so far, but it’s early days yet, and the engine still needs to be run in properly before we can start to see the best of it. The 0.9-litre engine has been taking a little bit of getting used to. It’s an eager thing that’s keen to rev, and that has required a tweak to my driving style. Otherwise, it’s a peppy little unit that’s ideal for nipping around town, but it’s nonetheless capable enough cruising at motorway speeds with minimal fuss.
Before I was given the keys, two systems on the new Micra intrigued me: Intelligent Trace Control and Intelligent Ride Control. The former has been set up to stop the Micra washing wide under hard cornering by adjusting and engaging the brakes on each wheel to maintain the optimal line through a turn.
My first encounter with the system, which presents itself on the driver’s info system in the form of Chassis Control, has shown it to be effective. My desire to test the system prompted me to throw the Micra through a tightly knitted ribbon of roads across the Chilterns in order to see how the system works. It makes the car far nimbler and more responsive in corners, allowing you to carry far more speed than you might have thought feasible.
The Intelligent Ride Control system aims to suppress the pitching motion over larger potholes and traffic-calming measures. It manipulates the engine, brakes and shock absorbers to soften the blow. So far, the system hasn’t been given adequate scope to reveal itself, but over time, we will discover if it makes any difference to the Micra.
So far so good for the Micra, then, but with six months ahead of it, can this fifth-generation supermini really prove it has what it takes to run with the very best in this congested class? Watch this space.
This fresh approach has been driven by what customers want, says Nissan