Nissan Micra: The Keyless Baby

I don’t really specialize in cars, but I have been interested in this little car called Micra and as I read the reviews of the car one after the other, I thought I could summarize a few things about the car that is going to be out there on July 14th, especially those things I liked to read and would love to have.

Familiar Styling: OK. This one wasn’t on top of my list. But then it’s one of the first things out there. Nissan has kept a familiar look without an edgy design so as to create a robust image. Though the car looks ‘exciting’ from front with its ‘sporty’ nose.

Keyless: Now this is something new for the segment and certainly something people would vouch for. Nissan’s Micra doesn’t have a key, but a keyless entry fob instead, using which you can open the car door from your pocket. And then start the car with a Push Button. Did you hear ‘Wow’ somewhere?

Power and Ride Quality: Micra is powered by an 1198ccc three-cylinder motor that makes 75bhp of max power. First impressions are of a smooth motor that in some parts of the powerband feels as refined as a four-cylinder unit. The performance within 4000-6500 rpm range is good though after which it’s described as a bit ‘harsh.’

The ride quality of Micra is impressive. The suspension and tyres have plenty of compliance in them and it works pretty good with bad roads as there’s very little bobbing, the suspension works silently and this allows one to drive over rough patches easily.

Also, as per autocar, city commuters will be thrilled by the Micra’s very tight turning circle which was actually designed keeping Indian customers in mind. Now that sounds impressive.

Spacious: Looks like the new Micra is pretty spacious inside, with generous headroom and legroom at the back, though the seats are reportedly low, which may need improvement.

Special Features: For the Top end models, Nissan has offered a lot of new features. It has got automatic climate control, a feature that’s not common among hatchbacks. And it’s got electrically folding mirrors. There’s a mini on-board computer which gives real-time fuel consumption and ‘distance-to-empty’ readouts. In fact, Nissan wants to make the feature-packed Micra one of its selling points.

What’s NOT there: Features like steering-mounted audio controls are missing for the Indian model. According to company sources, Nissan is saving some of the other goodies like steering controls for the audio and Bluetooth for hands-free phone operation for a refresh that is being planned a year after launch. I wonder if that will affect their buyers as we can see some of these features in the Indian markets already.

Price: And here comes probably the most important thing: Price. Micra’s estimated pricing (ex-showroom Delhi) is Rs 4.00 lakh for the base XE model, Rs 4.75 lakh for the XL, and Rs 5.25 lakh for the top-end XV variant.

Sources: Autocar India: [1] [2]

Tags: automobiles, car review