Refreshed Micra widens its appeal
position the Micra against the likes of the Ford Fiesta ST-Line and Seat Ibiza FR – models that get a slightly sporty look without huge amounts of performance. It still comes at a cost, though, with pricing starting at £19,005.
This is comparable to its rivals but also strays close to genuine hot hatches such as the Ford Fiesta ST.
The Micra’s look is subtly stylish rather than overtly sporty, which is just as well as much more would be overselling the Micra’s abilities. While it is a little quicker than the next most powerful model, it is still no performance hatch. The 0 to 60mph time takes 9.9 seconds with a 120mph top speed but the most notable thing is the lack of pulling power in anything other than a low gear.
If you want to pull off a swift overtake or even pull away from a low speed, then you’ll be dropping down more than one gear. That gear change doesn’t help the sporty feel either, being a little notchy to shift between ratios.
What really sets the higher-powered engine Micra apart from the other new 1.0-litre version is the extra kit aimed at improving handling.
The steering feels that little bit sharper, while the body control is marginally tighter when around sharp corners. Although it isn’t as sharp and entertaining as the excellent
Ford Fiesta, it manages to maintain a good balance of sharpening things up without taking it too far and dulling down the Micra’s strengths, of which there are many.
Key among these is the ability to shut out the vast majority of engine, road and wind noise from the cabin.
Both versions of the new 1.0-litre engines are impressively quiet and refined on the road, whether you are popping around town or sat on the motorway.
The new 99bhp engine isn’t that much slower – the manual version takes slightly more than the more powerful model to get to 60mph, which is an improvement of more than a second over the 0.9-litre engine it replaces. Perhaps more important to most Micra buyers is the improvement in fuel economy, which has been upped to
51.4mpg, while emissions have come down by 15g/km too.
The automatic approaches life in a much more ponderous manner, taking much longer to accelerate at any speed. Fuel economy is slightly less as well but still decent with 44.9mpg possible.
The automatic is a CVT, or Continuously Variable Transmission, a system often criticised for its high-revving nature. This is one of the best out there though. It is slick at shifting down when you need to accelerate and offers a smooth experience at lower speeds so it will be a great option for those who want a relaxing urban cruiser.
As this isn’t a notable facelift for the Micra, the fundamental elements – the cabin and boot layout – remain unchanged.
This means you get a huge amount of room up front but you don’t get much room in the back seats. Rear head and legroom is pretty poor compared to rivals such as the Skoda Fabia.
The boot is good rather than great.
At 300 litres it is certainly competitive with the class rivals size wise and it’s a decent shape with a wide opening and a lip at the entrance that isn’t overly intrusive.
The reason it stops short of greatness though, is the lack of clever tricks to set it apart from its rivals – it gets a 60/40 split folding rear seat that offers a bit of a step in the floor but that’s it really.
Practicality isn’t going to be the Micra’s main selling point but it shouldn’t put you off buying one either.
These updates manage to widen the Micra’s appeal notably, by offering something for two very different buyers.
Those who want a relaxed automatic have a gearbox available that perfectly suits the quiet and refined manner of the Micra, while those who want something a bit sportier now have that option too.
That said, it might have those uprated looks, but just don’t expect it to provide hot hatch performance.