Nissan Micra : Test Drive & Review

extreme_torque · 29th June 2010, 23:45

Excellent review Rush! The tall gearing is almost ridiculous! 2nd gear 100 kph for a 1.2 liter hatch! Driveability within the city will definitely suffer for sure, especially in Delhi where you have flyovers almost every kilometer.

prince_pervez · 29th June 2010, 23:47

Great review. The dashboard looked nice. The Orange color is also cool. The exteriors I did not like. Electronically adjustable mirrors, nice. Hope they price it correctly to succeed and create a market share, or whatever is left in this segment.

Deep Blue · 30th June 2010, 00:14

Much awaited review and as always excellent and detailed one at that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Other Points:

• Lock the car and the mirrors fold in automatically. Convenient. IIRC, only the Hyundai i20 provides this feature amongst the hatchbacks. No, my Civic doesn't!

I wish my Figo had this feature. Very convenient.

I am one of those who likes the look of the car. Very nice combo of clean curvy lines & quirkiness. Very cute. Not too much quirkiness like the jigsaw puzzle like beat.

Interiors are dull but functional. May be they should think of Figo's orange dash to liven up things a bit

Hope an automatic is on the pipeline sometime.

Hope also that Nissan works hard on the dealer network. A hatch should go beyond the Tier 1 cities. Maybe they can combine with Renault, what with hints of the Fluence coming in.

vigneshA · 30th June 2010, 00:19

A nice review GTO.
As others have said, you havent praised it too well, neither

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Other Points:
Before driving off, you need to press the “lock” switch on the driver’s control panel to lock all doors. Merely locking the driver’s door ( from where the door open handle is) will lock only that single door.

Where exactly is this Lock Switch?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Further, the 2nd gear is so tall that it can touch nearly a 100 kph!

I thought you wanted to say the opposite. Taller gears will only keep the top speed lower but torquier.

Other Questions
1. Is the water bottle 600ml one. COuldnt see clearly. Wanted to confirm.
2. Gear shift lever - plain. Upgrades in production car?

Downright negatives
1. Absence of Boot Release button
2. Placement of 12V socket on passenger side. Difficult for driver use.

The looks is the bigger question. However with passage of time, it'll become acceptable, i believe.

tj123 · 30th June 2010, 01:44

Comprehensive Test drive, Thanks GTO.
This car looks quite cute, girlish and might be be quite appealing to feminine users. Yet to see it in flesh to conclude on looks.

Overall I feel that Micra does not score well on core features ie. engine , transmission, handling characteristics etc. The shortcoming are evenly balanced out by having gadgets like start stop button, keyless entry etc.

Introducing Air bag on all models is a trend setter however I feel that it is a bit rude to the co passenger , his/her life is as important on the lower trim version.

Nissan sells quite well across the world, I think they need to work hard to build up a decent dealers and service network in India.

GTO when is the launch date for this car ?

Also any clue when is the Toyota Etios hitting Indian shores.

ph03n!x · 30th June 2010, 02:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by aargee

I couldn't understand the above? Can someone help me pls?

This is similar to iCATS I guess. The key does not need a battery for the ECM to detect it, and hence even a key with dead battery will allow cranking. The battery power in the key is required only for the keyless lock / unlock.

GTO - If this test drive was done anytime in the last week or two, then Chennai ain't hot at all!! And there you go, without calling for a T-BHP meet on another one of your quick Chennai dashes!!!

aargee · 30th June 2010, 02:34

@Phoenix - Thanks for the clarification & yes, I understood it now & its indeed a good feature. From the test drive, its apparently visible that there're quite a few first to offer features such as air bags in all variants, anti pinch on small car, start/stop button etc. This shows the commitment & seriousness of Nissan in Indian market. If the service interval is also more than 5-10K, then this will be the killer in this segment.

naveenvenkatesh · 30th June 2010, 04:41

Excellent review GTO. The Diesel variant will be interesting to watch only if the dealership number increases. Also, initial ownership experiences will be crucial!

//M · 30th June 2010, 07:51

Excellent detailed review GTO. I liked the funky interiors and the retro and cute exteriors are look good from many angles. Initially I wasn't impressed by the styling but now it seems its growing on me. Boot space is not impressive enough when compared to the Figo/Punto/Polo. Fingers crossed for the 1.5 diesel.

rishab.k · 30th June 2010, 08:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by tj123

GTO when is the launch date for this car ?

The launch date is 14th July.

Zero Cool · 30th June 2010, 08:12

Nice review. some very well taken pics as well. seems like micra has all the ingredients a of a hit car, leaving apart the after sales service, infact where the hell are the showrooms if one wants to check out the car.

mnhegde · 30th June 2010, 08:20

Nice Review GTO, Very nice . Pics are superb!! Nissan has made a good move by adding airbags on all variants. Hope to see other manufacturers doing the same. Agree with members here, the front looks great (with cayenne like headlamps). Pricing will be very crucial and hope Nissan does a good job in that part. GTO's Review = 5 stars!!!!

sajo · 30th June 2010, 09:36

Great review GTO!!

If one wants a nippy zippy slick and Japanesey feeling car, we now have an additional choice.

As a drivers car, how do you rate it against its (direct) Japanese competition , the Swift Petrol ? Can it match the practicality of the Ritz ? Or the dynamics of the Figo ?

PAVAN KADAM · 30th June 2010, 09:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by sajo

Great review GTO!!

If one wants a nippy zippy slick and Japanesey feeling car, we now have an additional choice.

As a drivers car, how do you rate it against its (direct) Japanese competition , the Swift Petrol ? Can it match the practicality of the Ritz ? Or the dynamics of the Figo ?

It can beat the Swift in terms of Better fit and finish and quality Control

It can beat the Ritz in looks department, and practicality.

I cant say anything with the Figo, because Figo looks like a cousin sister to the Micra

quadmaniac · 30th June 2010, 09:58

Another great review GTO. For me the Micra's looks simply don't work. Features look good though... even if the mill is nothing to write home about, it might sell decently.

29th June 2010, 23:45	#31
extreme_torque BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,462 Thanked: 5,534 Times	Excellent review Rush! The tall gearing is almost ridiculous! 2nd gear 100 kph for a 1.2 liter hatch! Driveability within the city will definitely suffer for sure, especially in Delhi where you have flyovers almost every kilometer.
	() Thanks

29th June 2010, 23:47	#32
prince_pervez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Redwood shores, CA, USA Posts: 4,211 Thanked: 53 Times View My Garage	Great review. The dashboard looked nice. The Orange color is also cool. The exteriors I did not like. Electronically adjustable mirrors, nice. Hope they price it correctly to succeed and create a market share, or whatever is left in this segment.
	() Thanks

30th June 2010, 01:44	#35
tj123 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: BLR Posts: 1,165 Thanked: 704 Times	Comprehensive Test drive, Thanks GTO. This car looks quite cute, girlish and might be be quite appealing to feminine users. Yet to see it in flesh to conclude on looks. Overall I feel that Micra does not score well on core features ie. engine , transmission, handling characteristics etc. The shortcoming are evenly balanced out by having gadgets like start stop button, keyless entry etc. Introducing Air bag on all models is a trend setter however I feel that it is a bit rude to the co passenger , his/her life is as important on the lower trim version. Nissan sells quite well across the world, I think they need to work hard to build up a decent dealers and service network in India. GTO when is the launch date for this car ? Also any clue when is the Toyota Etios hitting Indian shores.
	() Thanks

30th June 2010, 02:34	#37
aargee Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: TSTN Posts: 6,354 Thanked: 10,053 Times	@Phoenix - Thanks for the clarification & yes, I understood it now & its indeed a good feature. From the test drive, its apparently visible that there're quite a few first to offer features such as air bags in all variants, anti pinch on small car, start/stop button etc. This shows the commitment & seriousness of Nissan in Indian market. If the service interval is also more than 5-10K, then this will be the killer in this segment.
	() Thanks

30th June 2010, 04:41	#38
naveenvenkatesh BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: US/India Posts: 365 Thanked: 184 Times	Excellent review GTO. The Diesel variant will be interesting to watch only if the dealership number increases. Also, initial ownership experiences will be crucial!
	() Thanks

30th June 2010, 07:51	#39
//M Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 6,566 Thanked: 25,161 Times	Excellent detailed review GTO. I liked the funky interiors and the retro and cute exteriors are look good from many angles. Initially I wasn't impressed by the styling but now it seems its growing on me. Boot space is not impressive enough when compared to the Figo/Punto/Polo. Fingers crossed for the 1.5 diesel.
	() Thanks

30th June 2010, 08:12	#41
Zero Cool BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 202 Thanked: 6 Times	Nice review. some very well taken pics as well. seems like micra has all the ingredients a of a hit car, leaving apart the after sales service, infact where the hell are the showrooms if one wants to check out the car.
	() Thanks

30th June 2010, 08:20	#42
mnhegde BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: B E N G A L U R U Posts: 473 Thanked: 2 Times	Nice Review GTO, Very nice . Pics are superb!! Nissan has made a good move by adding airbags on all variants. Hope to see other manufacturers doing the same. Agree with members here, the front looks great (with cayenne like headlamps). Pricing will be very crucial and hope Nissan does a good job in that part. GTO's Review = 5 stars!!!! Last edited by mnhegde : 30th June 2010 at 08:25.
	() Thanks

30th June 2010, 09:36	#43
sajo Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 2,625 Thanked: 1,157 Times	Great review GTO!! If one wants a nippy zippy slick and Japanesey feeling car, we now have an additional choice. As a drivers car, how do you rate it against its (direct) Japanese competition , the Swift Petrol ? Can it match the practicality of the Ritz ? Or the dynamics of the Figo ?
	() Thanks

30th June 2010, 09:58	#45
quadmaniac BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 435 Thanked: 119 Times	Another great review GTO. For me the Micra's looks simply don't work. Features look good though... even if the mill is nothing to write home about, it might sell decently.
	() Thanks