[anumod]

As usual, very good and valuable review.

Happy to see that you are getting so many goodies in Indian hatch also.

Hopefully these goodies will create an impact on the buyers also.

All the best Nissan

[sanjayatarizona]

5 stars(yet again) for a GTO review. 6 months in, a Diesel plonked in and my cheque book will be out for the Micra...

[sidindica]

Originally Posted by GTO

I can tell you are a fan of the car. Someone from Nissan actually mentioned your "V" picture

tell me you got to be kidding! if the engine is weak, it could be a letdown for me. Anyways, lemme drive it and see it how it feels. I think that price and maintenance would be comparable to that of the I10 kappa.

[r_subbiah]

As usual very detailed and well written review from GTO. Now its a time for GTO to write the comparison report by segment wise.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Somehow I don't understand the idea behind Nissan's hasty entry in the Indian small car market. A more sensible approach would have been to gradually shift from CBUs to mid size sedans and then to the small car segment (and expanding the service network in the meantime)

Why not do the hatch and then the sedan? Nissan have been dilly-dallying for 5 years now with the X-Trail & Teana. I'm happy they are starting with a serious product. Manufacturers start with a sedan because they are afraid of the competitiveness of the hatch market and / or they can't meet the stringest cost control requirements. Nissan is obviously confident.

1. Did Nissan officials mention any concrete plans to increase sale and service network ?

20 by the time of the Micra's launch
40 by March 2011
100 by (year) 2013

2. Where is the passenger side air bag located in the variants which have dual glove box ?

Only the top-end XV variant has the dual glovebox and the passenger airbag is located right on top (as is usually the case).

3. If the owner (with the keyfob in his pocket) is standing within range of the car, is it not possible for someone else to open the door and take out valuables from the car ?

The car is locked but can be opened till we go out of the 2 meter range after which the car becomes 'well and truly' locked. correct?

Unfortunately yes. I'll add this point to the keyless entry / go FAQ.

Originally Posted by myavu

[*] How do you rate Micra’s ride and handling when compared to Beat?

Both have a comfortable ride, though Micra has the advantage. At high speed though, the Beat feels more stable.

The Figo has the best balance between ride & handling.

Can we buy OEM Alloys under accessories?

I'm sure Nissan will offer OEM alloy wheels at the dealer level. Though, most BHPians would rather choose a slick design from Lenso and the like.

Originally Posted by joy_swift

How is the interior space and engine when compared to Figo?

About the same. Micra feels better up at the front.

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

GTO - What is the rear internal width? It seems to be a major factor for deciding the success of a car

Driver + front passenger have ample shoulder room between themselves. Car is a proper 4 seater.

Originally Posted by sukeshs

Micra looks like a serious option for those are looking to buy the 1.2L petrol hatch. It is quite distinct from the other options in the market in a lot of ways.

True, the car is unique in many ways.

One question for GTO, does Micra have a possibility of a bigger engine coming in due time (Like VW has promised). Do you think a bigger engine will do more justice to the car.

No need for a larger capacity petrol, though more torque from the current 1.2 would be welcome. I told the Nissan engineers that its as simple as retuning the ECU, what are they waiting for?

The engine of choice will be the Logan 1.5 diesel in this car. Just like the Figo 1.4 TDCi, it has ZERO turbolag, excellent driveability and astounding fuel efficiency.

Originally Posted by vulpine101

LOL only in GTO's review I find this statement. Great attention to detail.

Your review is enough to know about a car completely. I need not look else where or even take a TD.

Thank you

Originally Posted by sidindica

tell me you got to be kidding!

I'm not. Honest.

[Ketz]

Awesome review!!

IMO the closest rival to Micra is going to be the VW Polo, considering the fact that both have a thin service network, 3 pot engines, similar built quality and decent feature set (Not sure for the price diff though). If TD vehicle is available in Pune, would get a test drive just for the heck of it..

[Zappo]

This one as always was a great review to read. And the photos only added to the entire effect of a well rounded review.

Originally Posted by GTO

Why not do the hatch and then the sedan? Nissan have been dilly-dallying for 5 years now with the X-Trail & Teana. I'm happy they are starting with a serious product. Manufacturers start with a sedan because they are afraid of the competitiveness of the hatch market and / or they can't meet the stringest cost control requirements. Nissan is obviously confident.

I think Rohan is referring to the school of thought that if a manufacturer gets too big with hatches/B segmenters and then later tries out the bigger car they find that acceptability of the brand at the higher end gets highly compromised. Maruti struggles with this problem. Even Hyundai faced it.

However, I think that may not necessarily happen here. For one, as you pointed out that Nissan any how was dilly-dallying for long with their X-Trails and Teanna without going the whole length of the road. At least now they are starting off with a more serious product that gives people some comfort that they are here to stay and not just testing the waters with a ready-to-scoot at the shortest trigger attitude. Moreover, it can also bring some seriousnes in marketing their other (costlier) cars which can only be good.

Another important reason could be that unlike Maruti (Suzuki) and Hyundai, when they came in, Nissan is a bigger brand. People know much more about them. So they may not exactly face the impediments that Suzuki and Hyundai faced (and probably still face) while launching the higher end brands here. The NRIs probably will also add to their cause as they will bring back better/favorable impressions about their bigger sedans than what they did for say Hyundai; we all know what many of the US returned chappies used to feel back then about the Hyundai brand...

[SunilM]

As usual, a great review GTO! Extremely good pictures.

The car looks nice to me. Should do well. A refined engine is what most people look for, they might ignore the torque and unexciting parts if the car is reliable. It should do very well in the market. Feminine appeal should do good to the car - everyone will agree, females have a big say in buying decision. If they go ga-ga over a car, it is very likely to be selected

The million rupee question is, will Nissan be able to cope up with demand for this small car? Or will they do a Polo?

[myavu]

Unfortunately yes. I'll add this point to the keyless entry / go FAQ.

Any solution for this. Do we need to walk backward watching the car till the range limit? This will be a serious security threat in busy open parking areas.

[mohandas]

Hi GTO,
Great review as always!
I have already booked a Micra some time back but I am little concerned after reading your review.

I have few questions for you -
1> My assumption while booking the Micra was that since it is a very light car (~920 kg), it has a very good power/weight ratio. SO, I was expecting good acceleration compared to Polo/Figo, nearly equal to Swift/Ritz (0-100 kph times) Can you please comment on the same?
2>How is the NVH levels compared to Polo/Punto/Figo at higher rpms?
3>How bad/good is the handling at speeds of around 100+ kph?
4>I read several reviews on the net saying that the gearshift is slick. But you seem to opine otherwise. How bad is it?
5>How is the Micra's stability on highways at speeds of 100+kph?
6>I am really concerned about the brakes on the car. Car sliding sideways under heavy breaking is not acceptable. How serious is this flaw you think?

[SunilM]

One question, I park my car just outside my house on road. Distance between the car and my living room is about 10 feet. If my keyless FOB is in my living room, is it possible for somebody to open my car and rob me? I understand car will not start till key is inside. Is there a way to override this feature and lock it for good?

(sorry, I was too late to edit my previous message)

[joshguy]

Nice review GTO,

BTW i too have that same question of SunilM

What about the price any idea how much it is going to priced? 3.5-5.5 range?

If priced aggressively it will take on FIGO,RITZ,ESTILO,SWIFT,i10 and even SANTRO

[oss]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Vento is being launched on the 6th! Hopefully, sometime soon.

That's a great news. Is it just the unveiling of Vento or they are expected to announce the price as well. Hope you've already got the invite for a test drive

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by GTO

Why not do the hatch and then the sedan? Nissan have been dilly-dallying for 5 years now with the X-Trail & Teana. I'm happy they are starting with a serious product. Manufacturers start with a sedan because they are afraid of the competitiveness of the hatch market and / or they can't meet the stringest cost control requirements. Nissan is obviously confident.

I had suggested the CBU -> Mid size Sedan -> Small car approach as a more sensible one for Nissan because the Sedan would have lesser volumes than the Hatchback. If they had brought in a sedan before the hatchback, they would have got more time to improve their sales and service network to handle the large volumes before launching the hatchback.

Also, it would have been easier for Nissan to take on Honda/Toyota in the sedan segment, rather than competing with Maruti/Hyundai in the hatchback segment, especially considering Nissan's limited sales and service network in the country.

If Nissan is targeting high volumes for this small car, then 20, 40 or even 100 dealerships in the whole country sounds like a joke.

Also, like Zappo mentioned above, a sedan buyer would typically be more aware of Nissan's presence in the worldwide market and would be willing to trust the brand's product even with the brand's limited presence in India. But the small car customer is more demanding. He/she would prefer a product from a brand who has better presence in the country.

Originally Posted by Zappo

I think Rohan is referring to the school of thought that if a manufacturer gets too big with hatches/B segmenters and then later tries out the bigger car they find that acceptability of the brand at the higher end gets highly compromised. Maruti struggles with this problem. Even Hyundai faced it.

No, actually I was thinking the exact opposite of this. Nissan's current image in India is that of a car company which sells CBUs at very low volumes and very high prices. Would the average Indian small car buyer want to buy a small car from a car company which has such an image currently ?

Originally Posted by Zappo

Another important reason could be that unlike Maruti (Suzuki) and Hyundai, when they came in, Nissan is a bigger brand. People know much more about them. So they may not exactly face the impediments that Suzuki and Hyundai faced (and probably still face) while launching the higher end brands here. The NRIs probably will also add to their cause as they will bring back better/favorable impressions about their bigger sedans than what they did for say Hyundai; we all know what many of the US returned chappies used to feel back then about the Hyundai brand...

Nissan may be a bigger brand worldwide, but in the Indian small car market they have to start from scratch. Nissan is a newbie here.

Buyers who have had good experience with Nissan cars in other parts of the world may recommend or even buy this in India also. But these people are a very small fraction of the small car market.

Rohan

[-NUT-case]

Good review as usual. Nice details and observations.


Well what would you say is the USP of the MICRA as compared to recent launches.

For the FIGO it was the handling and for the BEAT it was the class leading interiors and funky looks.

What would inspire someone to buy the MICRA overlooking the fact that a dealer/service network is almost non existent ?

This car somehow does not excite me as the FIGO or the BEAT did at launch. I cant place my finger on why.