[rajeshsundaram]

The Story of how a Micra XV CVT joined our family.

It was little ironical, that a brand which I never liked, then ended up as our choice.

SIS & TRAFFIC STALLS
Things started when my trusty Alto in my Erode home showed signs of ageing. Sis, who was driving the Alto for the last one year felt that she needs a better car, or to be exact - a NEW car. One of the main reason was - She sometimes stall the Alto in tight traffic. No matter how much I tried to train her, she could not get it 100%. Also, my Alto had a minor gear box problem which made her life a bit worse. So she tried booking a Maruti WagonR which is much better than Alto in all terms. But the loan and EMI parts put her plans on hold. At that time she could not afford a Maruti WagonR.

SELL ALTO - BUY EON
Hence, I offered her a choice. Sell the Alto for a decent price. Book a Hyundai EON Magna with the money from Alto’s sale. For the rest of the money, go for a car loan. Math revealed that the EMI was well within her affordability. So things seemed fine. We decided to wait till Diwali, for offers.

BMW TD
Meanwhile, my good friend Bharath bought BMW 320D with a Auto-Tranny. A quick TD on the Bangalore Inner Ring Road and Indira Nagar impressed me a lot. The convenience of driving a AT car in city was totally impressive and relaxing. That was my first on-road experience with a AT car.

PRAISING AUTOMATICS
The next month when I visited Erode, I was praising the convenience of AT compared to Manual Transmission. I told my sis these exact words “AT cars are like driving a Wego, or Activa. All you need to do is either press the Accelerator or Brake pedal.”. My sis never drove any AT cars. And so she was intrigued by the fact that AT cars never stall in traffic.

That evening we all had some time to kill. So I decided to go for a TD of EON and Grand i10. EON was our choice of car. Grand i10 TD was just to check out how good the car is. Though there were almost 3 months time for Diwali, we just wanted to do some TD before hand.

THE TEST DRIVES
Myself, wifey, kid and sis hopped into our humble Alto and drove to Hyundai dealer in Erode (ARAS PVPV Hyundai).

(Image used for representational purpose only)

On the way, we saw the Nissan Showroom (Rajeswari Nissan). Call it a hunch, I thought I would just check out the Nissan’s cheapest hatch the Micra Active. We entered the showroom and was checking out the Micra Active on display. Compared to Alto, the Micra Active looked way better. My sis and I were talking about the transmission, and I asked the SE if they have any AT cars for TD.

(Image used for representational purpose only)

They had a Sunny CVT for TD, but not a Micra CVT. I decided to take a TD, and we all hopped into the Nissan Sunny. The TD went well. The sunny CVT was easy to drive. It was not a scorcher, but I never felt any issues with the performance. I asked my sis the take over when we entered a interior road. She took the wheels and surprisingly she was able to drive effortlessly, negotiating all the speed bumps, on-coming traffic, and tight turns. She did that without stalling, and she couldn't believe herself. The convenience of AT made her jaw drop! She was in all smiles.

(Images used for representational purpose)

Our next stop was Hyundai Showroom. We checked the EON and Grand i10. EON was better than Alto in many terms, but performance wise, it was on par with the Alto. On the other hand, the Grand i10 was cool, gorgeous and drove much better. Sis took the test drives, and did not stall the Grand i10 or EON. So we were comfortable going with booking an EON Magna. While finishing up, I asked if they had any Grand i10 AT for TD. “No sir, you are first person in Erode asking for Grand i10 AT” was the reply I got. So dropped the idea of AT test drive.

(Image used for representational purpose)

On the way back home, we stopped by Ambal Maruti to enquire about the Ritz AT. We did not like the Celerio even though it offered AMT. The whole experience at AMBAL MARUTI was pathetic. The SE’s had no clue that Ritz was offered in a AT variant. The sales team was not interested in attending me either. Things went ahead when another sales guy confirmed that AT is indeed available in Ritz. Then I got the brochure of Ritz AT and the price list. I was informed that delivery would take 60 days from booking. The whole experience was downright boring, and un-impressive. This was contrary to the positive experiences at Nissan and Hyundai showrooms. I walked out of the Maruti showroom disappointed.


THE EXCHANGE PLAN
I asked the Hyundai sales guys to evaluate my ALTO for exchange program, so that we can plan the finances accordingly. The evaluator visited my home after an hour.He checked the car, and gave me a price quote which was south of 1 lac. Part of the reason was the car has met with an Accident. I know that my Alto may not fetch the market value, but I never expected such a low valuation.

So I decided that I would try other channels for selling my Alto. I informed my friend circles and a few known contacts. When I visited Erode the next weekend, I got a call from Rajeswari Nissan for a status update. I was not interested in Nissan anyway. But I told them that, I am planning to sell my Alto and already I am in talks with Hyundai and few others. I told them that if they are willing they can check my Alto and quote their best price.

ALTO’s SALE
Soon the Nissan ASM visited my home with another person. Turned out that the other person was a direct buyer who is looking to buy a used Alto for his BIL. Both checked the car, and took out for a TD. The other guy checked the papers, asked the details of the accident and finally offered me a price close to the one I had in mind. It was north of 1 lac.

Meanwhile two other contacts checked out the vehicle and they offered a slightly better quote than Hyundai guys, but not matching the Nissan’s offer. Finally I settled the sale with Nissan.

The ASM from Rajeswari Nissan co-ordinated the sale proceedings. The RTO formalities got completed and I was given a copy of updated RC papers bearing the name and photo of the direct buyer whom I dealt with.

Finally things turned different. It was - a Hatchback from Nissan Stable.

(Image used for representational purpose)

Enquired about Rajeswari Nissan in Erode, and got positive replies in terms of Sales and Service. One of my close friend recommended them as well. This was quite contrary to the horror stories I heard about other Nissan dealers. So decided to take a bold step, and moved ahead with booking a hatchback.


MICRA ACTIVE MT vs. MICRA XV CVT
Initially I thought we would go for a Micra Active so that EMI is manageable by my sis. That month, my sis got a considerable salary hike and so she had some extra bandwidth for EMI. Again we did the math and found that we can extend our budget. The ASM from Rajeswari Nissan coordinated with bank and revealed that if I join as co-applicant, the loan would be easily approved. As my sis liked AT more than MT, I decided to buy CVT. It also offered a lot of bells and whistles compared to the humble ALTO. Some of the highlights were SAFETY KIT, CVT, Better Audio, Alloy wheels, Premium fabric and a lot.

The color chosen was - Silver Gray

I joined as co-applicant in my sis’s car loan and things went in a jiffy.

On-Road (Nissan MIcra XV - CVT Petrol) - Rs. 7,45,000/-
Loan (SBI Car Loan) - Rs.5,00,000/-
Cash from hand - Rs.2,35,000/- (Alto Sale + Cash from Wallet)
Cash Discount - Rs.10,000/-
Freebies : Mud flaps and Mats
OE Accessories : Pair of retractable rear window Sun screens worth Rs.2500/ (Paid)
EMI : Rs.8,XXX/pm (Part of the EMI is paid by me!)
Car loan : SBI Car Loan


OTHER MODELS CONSIDERED
Just before booking the Micra CVT, I did a quick collection of price details of all proper AT hatches.

The i20 AT is by far the costliest one with - Almost 8.75 to 9 lacs on road. Classy choice. But this was ruled out as extremely expensive for our budget

The Micra CVT is the second costliest one with -7.45 lacs on road. Got selected which offered all the bells and whistles. Plus, the Nissan dealer offered a better valuation to our Alto. This is the maximum budget we could reach by stretching ourselves.

The Brio AT stands at 3rd position with - 6.5 lacs or something. Deal did not happen because it offered Manual ÅC, very limited boot space, and ugly dashboard. Micra scored better when compared.

The Grand i10 AT and Ritz AT stands at 4th position with - 6+ or something. Grand i10 was a great choice. We would have chosen it, had the Hyundai guys offered me a better valuation. Rtiz AT was ignored because of poor experience at Ambal Maruti.


PDI and DELIVERY
We were told that Nissan Chennai yard has ready stocks of CVT variants. So our car will reach the showroom by 10 days max. Next weekend got a call that the car has reached the dealer’s yard. Visited Erode and did the PDI + VIN decode. It was June 2014 manufactured and whole car was quite fine. No scratches or dents. Approved them to proceed further.

Applied for a fancy number and got it registered. (TN 33 BH 6444). Damage Rs.17K.

On the delivery day, I was in bangalore. So my sis, niece, mom and my friend took the delivery. There was a customary delivery ceremony at the dealership. Post that, my friend drove the car to a temple. Did the pooja and drove back to my Erode home.

(Our Car)

INITIAL DRIVING EXPERIENCE
Walked to the car with the key, and pressed the small black button on the door handle. With a little beep, the car became alive. Opened the door and sat in. The car is neither tall boy, nor a low-seater. It is between the best of both worlds. The Interiors are shades of beige and gray, which is pleasant to look at. But the same time, they make you realize that you need to spend extra time taking care of the maintenance. The seat fabric is good and looks very durable. I prefer to put on a after-market seat cover. Preferrably from ELEGANT.

Once seated, my right hand groped for the ignition key. Took a second to realize that this is a Keyless model, and so placed the key fob in the cup holder and pressed the START STOP BUTTON. All the electricals became alive. A PRESS-PEDAL icon on the instrument panel reminded me that I should press the brake pedal to start. Pressed the brake pedal and pressed the START STOP button once again. The car engine started. The NVH levels are good inside. But outside, the engine is noisy for a petrol. Slot the stick to D and released the brake. The car started moving ahead and a slight input on THROTTLE made the car go jiffy. Within minutes I got used to the driving style of Micra CVT. Absolutely no fuss. The steering was nice to hold and offered a balanced feel, which was better than our Alto, and great than our Xylo.

Within minutes I was feeling at home, and was operating the AUDIO system, which had big-enough-buttons. The SQ is excellent for a OEM. The steering mounted controls were easy. Things were convenient all over. The Dash looked good, and the textures were better. Seat ergonomics were better and felt good. Everything seemed that they were bolt-on tough. Would be happy if Micra doesnt start rattling like typical Marutis down the years. While driving , then and there my left foot hunted for clutch. But did not interfere with the brakes. I was happy that I did not press the brake pedal. Driving in the city is a breeze.The CVT responds well. But for those who drove a manual, things might be a bit off for the first few hours, until they get used to. Negotiating two wheelers or four wheelers or those notorious Tata ACEs are equally simple and effortless.

The ABS brakes are good, and offer a good bite. Bringing the car to stop is good. Unlike the Alto, Micra inspires a lot of confidence. But bringing the MIcra to an emergency stop when you are driving at 120 is little slow. Only the last 40% of the braking distance has good bite. And what I did not like was - the KRRRKK sound which can be heard when you release the brake pedal when you car is in stand-still. The Sunny CVT we test drove had the same sound. So I guess this is typical for a CVT-ABS combination. Correct me if I am wrong.

The rear seat offers decent space. The infamous under-thigh support is still noticeable. The welcome addition is the height-adjustable head restraints. The leg space is decent too. The rear bench is good for people whose height is less than 5' 7". Two can sit comfortably, and three can sit a bit un-comfortably. The floor hump is marginal. With 4 on-board, the performance of the car doesnt degrade. The CVT does a good job here. It is good.

THE CVT
Talking about the CVT, I must say I am impressed. There are no sudden jerks. Unlike in the conventional AT where you can feel when the transmission changes the gear, CVT works the other way around. You don't feel any gear change. Being a CVT, there are no gears, and this helps the acceleration to be linear. The disadvantage is - you need to plan a bit when overtaking vehicles on highways. Nissan has provided a TURBO button on the gear stick, which when pressed offers some boost to the performance. It helps satisfactorily. It is not a real TURBO which will push you back to the seat! Be it HIGHWAY or CITY, the CVT is absolute delight to drive.

THE PERFORMANCE
I was in an idea that being a CVT, Micra cannot reach 120 or 140 quickly. But to my surprise - Micra reached 120 KMPH easily. This is not a laggard. One can keep up the perforamnce on highways without any fuss. But beyond 120, the car runs out of breath slowly. So the best and safest max speed for Micra CVT is 120 KMPH (in my opinion).

THE RIDE QUALITY
For a 7.45 lacs-on-road car, the drive quality is above average. If you are expecting a superior ride quality, then you would be disappointed. It is better in most terms, but lets you down when it comes to road noise. The Bridgestone B250s are pretty basic in this regard. May be a better tyre upgrade would help. The Micra can handle pot holes and speed-breakers well. But with 5 persons on board, some tall speed breakers are likely to kiss the underbelly. Cornering reveals that Micra does not like to be pushed around the corners.


OVERALL FEEL
Absolutely good. The CVT, The interiors, The Exteriors, The Equipment levels, The Safety Kit everything made us feel it was worth spending 7.45 lacs. Save for a few things, every other thing scores well. We do not have any regrets.


Pros

• CVT is seamless. Driving experience is great.
• Performance in city driving is closely on par with Manual transmission. But the linear acceleration takes a few hours of getting used to. Once you get the feel of it, the driving is pretty fun.
• Classy interiors. Parts are firmly bolt on.
• AC is good.
• Can reach triple digit speeds on highways quite easily. (Chauffeur verified it is easy to touch 120 on highways. Beyond that the car feels little unstable. This is in-synch with the general observation from other owners as well)
• Small turning radius (Very handy)
• Excellent visibility (Sis feels she is at home when driving Micra)
• Superior OEM Audio system. No need to upgrade, unless required.
• Full Safety kit. Airbags, ABS+EBD+BA.
• Premium Fabric seats. (Feels excellent)
• New alloy wheels looks great.

Cons

• Beige interiors requires constant care.
• With 5 onboard, tall speed bumps tend to kiss.
• Not a scorcher. Engine is little noisy at higher RPMs.

Neutrals

• Average performance on highways.
• ABS brakes are decent. Bite is good, if not great.
• Boot space is neither small , nor big.

FUEL EFFICIENCY
So far, we did not check the FE accurately. But it is north of 11KMPL, as a safe assumption. Sis said the AFE kept showing numbers between 12 and 15 most of time. Driving included in-city and 3 highway trips.

DEALERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Rajeswari Nissan is very good. Mr.Sudhakar (ASM), Ms.Nithya (SE) and Mr.Mani (Finance) handled the deal well and ensured the purchase experience was good from the start till Delivery . Hoping to get the same level of satisfaction from After-Sales-Service as well. TW.

UPGRADES
OSRAM Night Breakers H4 60/55 Bulbs - Installed the OSRAM night breakers. The light throw is much better. It is between the OE lamps and 100W lamps. Good enough to drive through dark roads and highways.


VIDEOS
One video available for now. Limited availability of time when the car arrived bangalore has limited my video coverage. Will shoot more videos and share later. For now, enjoy a quick rush video below. (Sorry for the shaky video parts)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y3Mh0fs6Wg

PHOTOS
The official review has a lot of photos. I recommend them. Nothing has been changed much then.

So below is a collage of some photos of our car.

Click to enlarge this Collage.
↓

[Rehaan]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

@ Rajeshsundaram - That's a very professional looking collage! Looks like an official brochure. What software did you use to make it?

cya
R

[rohansachar]

Congrats rajeshsundaram for your purchase!

I too have the Micra XV CVT & in the same silver color .

With respect to FE, I have it since almost year now, (1 year on 1st November), with only AC & city traffic driving, it's giving me a FE of 12~13 KMPL.

[rajeshsundaram]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

@ Rajeshsundaram - That's a very professional looking collage! Looks like an official brochure. What software did you use to make it?

cya
R

Thanks!! I used the trusty Adobe Photoshop.

[humyum]

Hey, very very nice review. Covers everything what one looks for while choosing a car.

The trick to get maximum mileage out of the CVT is not to smash the throttle as I ll reach 6 thousand rpm and stay there for a long time until the CVT belt slowly starts sliding towards lower ratios. Gradually accelerating is the trick here.

[Mahesh Prasad]

Congrats to you Rajesh and your sister for your latest acquisition. Loved the narrative of the whole review and buying experience. But the collage simply took the cake. As mod Rehaan pointed out, it surely did look like a brochure, the first picture I actually thought it was a sales brochure.

I've always felt that the Micra is an underrated car. The equipments, safety package and other specs it offers is definitely on par with the best in class. It is a very practical offering but somehow does not fly out of showrooms as the Grand i10 or the Ritz.

But I hope that this car serves you and your family well and wish many more miles of happy and safe motoring.

[rejoycjohn]

wow , brief but covered all points - I like this review.
And as many pointed out the collage looks like an official brochure - excellent.

I always had this doubt though, does Micra XV come with a manual gear box as well?
Can you elaborate the ex-showroom price and the break up of tax and insurance please ?

Wishing you lots of happy miles ahead.

[TheLizardKing]

Congratulations! Wish you and your sister many happy miles.

Originally Posted by rajeshsundaram

The i20 AT is by far the costliest one with - Almost 8.75 to 9 lacs on road.

Um I think you forgot the GT TSI. I couldn't help but point this out for two reasons:

1. I am a VW owner - a happy one at that.
2. The GT TSI is my dream car.

[9thsphinx]

Interesting review. I love how it has been presented. The video, the collage - all very professional-like! Quite different from what we're used to seeing.

The only CVT i've driven is the A4, and I didn't have any qualms with it.
Hope your Micra serves you well.

Good luck with your new possession. Drive safe.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by rajeshsundaram

.......She took the wheels and surprisingly she was able to drive effortlessly, negotiating all the speed bumps, on-coming traffic, and tight turns. She did that without stalling, and she couldn't believe herself. The convenience of AT made her jaw drop! She was in all smiles.

This is the same reaction I got from my wife when she hopped onto her M800-AT.

The convenience of a AT is unparalled for people who cannot master the C Pedal, and even for regular drivers who tire out in heavy stop-go city traffic!

I still get a smile everytime I take my little M800AT into crazy single laned local markets.

[Rajeevraj]

Congrats on the Micra CVT. Good choice and perfect for your sisters needs. It is an excellent car and tends to get overlooked by people looking for a good in city AT. The fact that it is fully loaded is an added plus.

[rajeshsundaram]

Originally Posted by rejoycjohn

I always had this doubt though, does Micra XV come with a manual gear box as well?
Can you elaborate the ex-showroom price and the break up of tax and insurance please ?

Wishing you lots of happy miles ahead.

No. The XV variant comes only with CVT transmission. I am not sure if Nissan offered the XV with MT earlier. Yes, will post the price breakup when I visit my home town next month.

Originally Posted by TheLizardKing

Congratulations! Wish you and your sister many happy miles.



Um I think you forgot the GT TSI. I couldn't help but point this out for two reasons:

1. I am a VW owner - a happy one at that.
2. The GT TSI is my dream car.

Yes, I did had VW GT TSI in the list. But did not consider GT TSI, because GT TSI is a overkill for my sis's style of driving. She would be driving the car inside city for most of the time. If she drives a GT TSI inside city at 50KMPH for 95% of the car's lifetime, then petrol heads will curse me!

[ajaypjayaraj]

Congrats on your choice! It's a great car for the city. CVT is not for spirited driving but that's what I mean by saying "for the city" where traffic is dense. If it's purely for the city, this comes as my first choice too among the AT hatchbacks available. GT TSI would be the winner if I consider a hatchback for the city as well as highway. But for your purpose, this is the best you could get.

[Wanderers]

Hi rajeshsundaram

Congratulations !
CVT definitely fascinates all the car lover and I am sure Micro would live to the title it carries.
Grand i10 Auto would have definitely impressed you but surprisingly no Car for TD in Hyundai own County (Tamilnadu)
Another thing I like about Micra is the space, which is better than Grand.

What all accessories have you taken or going for ?

[rajeshsundaram]

Originally Posted by Wanderers

Hi rajeshsundaram

Congratulations !
CVT definitely fascinates all the car lover and I am sure Micro would live to the title it carries.
Grand i10 Auto would have definitely impressed you but surprisingly no Car for TD in Hyundai own County (Tamilnadu)
Another thing I like about Micra is the space, which is better than Grand.

What all accessories have you taken or going for ?

Got the OE floormats and mud flaps as free from the dealer. They were already offering me 10K discount. So did not push them much.

I additionally bought the OE rolling sun shade for rear windows. They worked for few months. But soon, they dislocated, as the sticky strip that holds the roller in place became ineffective.