[chncar]

Originally Posted by ManavJain

I have been driving a diesel Micra since June last year. It has completed 49000 kms and due for 5th service. Touchwood, there hasnt been any problems faced till date. Yes, brakes are an inherent problem but apart from that the car has been maintenance free. The best part has been that even after 49000 kms, there havent been any rattling and the car still feels solid and quality is intact. It has been a fill it, shut it, forget it kinda car.

I love the way it drives on hills because of nil turbo lag. FE has been exceptional. I have been getting between 21-24 with 100% AC and 50% highway and 50% city driving. If i drive it sedately, it easily gives in 26-28 kmpl.

Very happy with my decision coz it has been a value for money car. No other car offers the features this car offers in this price range. The features that stand-out for me are the keyless entry system and auto-folding mirrors...

Hi Manav,

How do you find the ground clearance? On paper it looks pretty low.

Also, how has the service experience been?

I checked out the car in the showroom and the interiors and build quality seem good, but wasn't sure how practical it would be for our conditions.

[ManavJain]

Originally Posted by chncar

Hi Manav,

How do you find the ground clearance? On paper it looks pretty low.

Also, how has the service experience been?

I checked out the car in the showroom and the interiors and build quality seem good, but wasn't sure how practical it would be for our conditions.

Hi. The GC is adequate if not great...Service exp. has been good till date and improving with every visit.

[thoma]

Today, the bug is back from the first service. Labor is free, not the parts. Total came to ~ INR 3100. Oil, oil filter, fuel filter and the air filter changed. I denied doing a WA/WB as I have been extremely careful in not putting the car heavily in pot holes, and they never seemed to persist. Moreover, WA/WB has been added to their service schedule recently. Driving over potholes fast is one thing I hate doing, just because I had spent a lot of money on our previous car, the Baleno's lower arms, dad being careless about pot holes.

Brake master cylinder replaced finally, under their recall campaign. I see some improvement in the hardness of the brake. My take was that earlier it was hard (non-reactive) at slow speeds and now it reacts more with lesser effort. But ASC claimed that many people felt sponginess before the replacement!

I notice some drop in A/C performance, but the ASC could not find any faults. I'm sure earlier, it was a chiller earlier, but not any more.

Originally Posted by thoma

Some other advantages of the smart key I can think over GTO's points in the above link.

And another very important point that I realized today. After taking delivery from service center, I stopped for some refreshment and as usual, tried to lock the car using the request sensor. It won't. Tried couple of times, opened and closed all the doors and later remembered that the key was inside the car, as given from the ASC. So, the smart key definitely saved me from locking the key inside the car.

Originally Posted by ManavJain

FE has been exceptional. I have been getting between 21-24 with 100% AC and 50% highway and 50% city driving. If i drive it sedately, it easily gives in 26-28 kmpl.

Are these MID figures or have you checked any full tank figures?

Originally Posted by chncar

How do you find the ground clearance? On paper it looks pretty low.

Also, how has the service experience been?

For me, I had never thought I would scrape the belly until I took the front wheels off the end of a long incline. I guess the wheelbase too added in the case, otherwise bumps are never a headache. Far better than the protruding nose of a Beat, which hits at the start of every incline. I used to scrape the Baleno a lot often on bumps. Overall, I just cannot believe the GC numbers of the Micra.

Having experience with service from Maruti, Hyundai, Dewoo, Chevrolet, Volkswagen (for a simple check up I had to wait 2 hrs without being informed of anything) and finally Nissan, I feel all service guys are the same anywhere in Kerala. Still, I would pick Nissan over the rest, with the slightest of advantage as they tend to care for our queries and that they have lesser workload; and Maruti for their vast service network.

[thoma]

Updating the service breakup and the new Brake Master Cylinder after the recall.

[thoma]

Guys, do you feel that my posts in this thread are getting irritating with mostly FE figures? This is because I do not have much other things to update; I like to keep my car stock. And the one thing that enthuses me more is clocking miles, more and more of them, never satisfying my passion for driving. In the meantime, isn't it a bit soothing to see such figures pop up on your MID, that too with oodles of torque still under the belt?

I adore the Micra for these two above aspects. This mostly comes out of my frustration in buying a petrol Beat last year which neither had good low end torque nor did it return good FE. All that I was doing was pressing the a-pedal harder to make her move and this affected the FE very badly. I was never so concerned about FE till the unworldly hike in fuel costs recently.

Today, I was not so sedate. Between the speed cameras, I got up to 3 digit speeds. And this is what she returned. Okay, no A/C and I was alone.



I sincerely hope this is my last brag on her FE; no, not that I do not want such figures, but I do not want to bore you guys with these figures anymore unless there is much deviation. At least not until a full tank figure.

[gsurya]

@thoma : please continue ur posts I am watching keenly as I may buy the Micra instead of wait eternally for the Ecosport.

I have a 15 yr old Fiat Uno that I need to move on from but havent found the heart to do so as it still serves me well. I will make a purchase if it gives me any major trouble.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by thoma

- Chiller of an A/C

- Pathetic pathetic brakes.

Brakes are more confidence inspiring, than before the Brake Master Cylinder recall and replacement.

The A/C is a dud these days and I had mentioned on-off performance of the A/C during the first service. The ASC were not able (incompetent?) to find any issues. Yesterday I called up and they have asked me to bring the car again. How come a chiller of an A/C deteriorated in a short span of time? How should I take it up with the ASC?

I mean, is there any specific tests for the A/C I can ask them to do? What temperature an A/C usually measures at the vent?

[Achyuth Vaibhav]

Originally Posted by thoma

Brakes are more confidence inspiring, than before the Brake Master Cylinder recall and replacement.

The A/C is a dud these days and I had mentioned on-off performance of the A/C during the first service. The ASC were not able (incompetent?) to find any issues. Yesterday I called up and they have asked me to bring the car again. How come a chiller of an A/C deteriorated in a short span of time? How should I take it up with the ASC?

I mean, is there any specific tests for the A/C I can ask them to do? What temperature an A/C usually measures at the vent?

Firstly thanks for the brake report, boon for potential customers.


Now let's go into the A/C matter, two Micra customers said me about the same issue, so I think it must be some minor defect. Do check the oils and
filters and also check the A/C filter; it is very important.

The manual has an instruction that we must check the A/C at regular intervals, so might even be that.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by Achyuth Vaibhav

Do check the oils and
filters and also check the A/C filter; it is very important.

What do you mean by oils and filters?

The A/C filter, I guess, was cleaned during the 1st service a week back.

[Achyuth Vaibhav]

Originally Posted by thoma

The A/C filter, I guess, was cleaned during the 1st service a week back.

But the manual insists that we must give special attention; if not given attention it might put us into severe trouble.

Well I meant that check all the basic thing.

Also, you can try to stick to a much lower temperature like 24 degrees instead of the earlier 27.

Do you do the idling with you dCi regularly? The SA says that the turbo idling is mandatory for 2 minutes.

The A/C is solid in my Sunny. Current temperature is 25. Please also give us the FE figures

[thoma]

Originally Posted by Achyuth Vaibhav

Also, you can try to stick to a much lower temperature like 24 degrees instead of the earlier 27.

Do you do the idling with you dCi regularly? The SA says that the turbo idling is mandatory for 2 minutes.

The A/C is solid in my Sunny. Current temperature is 25. Please also give us the FE figures

Oh, I remember mentioning earlier in my thread that I was quite happy with 26/27 degree C with fan speed 2 or 3. But now even with fan speed 4 and more at 18 degree does not cool the cabin. So, there is definitely something wrong and I'm frustrated that the service center didn't do a thing on my first service.

Idling is done for 30 sec while start up and 60 seconds after a hard drive else minimum of 30 sec. Adding to it, I drive her real sedate for the first couple and more minutes.

Next FE update will only be done after a full tank check, unless there is vast variation from the recent figures.

[Chitta Pradhan]

Originally Posted by thoma

Guys, do you feel that my posts in this thread are getting irritating with mostly FE figures?

Not at all. Keep us posted about the FE figures. What is the FE you get on TFM on long drives at 100 kmph or around with AC?

One of my colleagues has changed his car from Ford Ikon diesel to Pulse diesel, essentially the same car you have. He is very happy with his new car. Reports FE of 20 km/l on TFM in city with AC. In same condition my Verna CRDI returns only 12 km/l. To check his claim, I had accompanied him to the BPCL outlet yesterday to find the actual FE. On that top up the tank took 38 odd liters of diesel & the FE was 19.9 km/l. My friend was spot on with his calculation. The MID FE was 21.8 km/lit, thus the error in his car is 9%. What is the error in your car? I just get too jealously after calculating his FE myself. IMO no other car now can beat this kind of FE. The engine is old one, wonder how it returns so amazing FE. The FE & zero turbo lag are reason enough to buy this car. I am sure negligible turbo lag is contributing to this kind of FE.

The NVH was acceptable to me & felt like a Swift/Ritz diesel & better than Figo. Of course, we could not exceed 80 kmph. Do n't how is the NVH at say 110/120 kmph. What is your experience? Have any one tried the new Micra? Is there any substantial improvement over the old one including braking?

Cheers

[thoma]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

What is the FE you get on TFM on long drives at 100 kmph or around with AC?

Reports FE of 20 km/l on TFM in city with AC. In same condition my Verna CRDI returns only 12 km/l.

What is the error in your car? I just get too jealously after calculating his FE myself.

The NVH was acceptable to me & felt like a Swift/Ritz diesel & better than Figo. Of course, we could not exceed 80 kmph. Do n't how is the NVH at say 110/120 kmph. What is your experience? Have any one tried the new Micra? Is there any substantial improvement over the old one including braking?

I'm sure the Renault K9K DCi is the uncrowned champion in terms of that it deliver both FE and torque at the same time. In many other cases, when the torque / power is tried to be increased, there will definitely a reduction in FE. The other motors that give good FE close to these figures is the Toyota 1.4 followed by the Maruti/Fiat/Tata 1.3. And I bet that most diesel motors, including the Verna, will give better FE if you do not floor the pedal. My friend has claimed a 21 kmpl in his old Verna. Just that you need to be relaxed and drive sedate. Why don't you either try drive your friend's Micra once and see if you can achieve this figure OR try take your Verna over a sedate long drive. FE is best measured out on the highway than inside the city.

I don't do 100 kmph usually as my usual route is lined with speed cameras with a restriction of 70 kmph. For a 100 km run over this smooth road, with a couple of pot holed section and more than a few junctions, without A/c she returns ~34 kmpl as per the MID. 50 km of my further journey is on the twisties of Kerala. On that stretch, the MID shows ~28 kmpl. So, on an average over the 150 km, the MID shows ~31kmpl usually. My drive is sedate in the sense that I do not exceed 70 kmph and that I do not race from a stop. Start stop will be slow and right foot will be always gentle. Add to that, there will be at the most 2 pax. But, no hyper-miling like coasting in neutral or high tire pressure and so on. And I hate to put my car in pot holes, so I go real slow over them. With A/C, the average drops to ~26 kmpl. Disclaimer : I have not checked a full tank over this condition.

The most accurate full tank figures will be over from my Vellore trip where the MID showed 25kmpl and the full tank figure was 22kmpl over a distance of ~1200km. An error of 12%. On that stretch, I could touch 3 digit figures occasionally, but not all the time. And the NVH was satisfactory. Though it looses out some enthusiasm at high speeds after 110/120, I was more comfortable with 90 kmph most of the time. If it is the plain highway that you are doing all day at speeds you mentioned, I will definitely consider bringing a Swift or a Punto into the equation, as these offer better grunt and cornering at those speeds.

Though I've not driven one, the new Micra will surely be far better on braking, with the addition of ABS. The older diesel models lacked ABS!

[Chitta Pradhan]

Originally Posted by thoma

My friend has claimed a 21 kmpl in his old Verna. Just that you need to be relaxed and drive sedate. Why don't you either try drive your friend's Micra once and see if you can achieve this figure OR try take your Verna over a sedate long drive. FE is best measured out on the highway than inside the city.

I have TD of Micra (old) diesel right after my drive of 250km in my Verna. The lack of turbo lag was immediately felt & at slower speeds it felt quicker & easier to drive than my car. But noise of the engine inside was quite high. Few days after I had a TD of Pulse(d) & took the car upto 120 kmph.After that although traffic & road permitted to reach still higher speeds, but the car just refused to move further. It was almost same as Micra, but surely felt more refined & the noise level inside the cabin was bearable. Probably Renault has used better insulation for the Pulse. Now Nissan is claiming of better refinement in the new Micra. To be experienced once I have a TD. By the way, my friend has a Pulse (not Micra) & I have driven his car inside the city. Impression is the same as the TD car.

As regards FE, my car is ok on long drives. Many a times I have checked the FE on long drives & made conscious effort for max. FE. With lightest acceleration @80-85 kmph, 6th gear,@1500 rpm, with AC, alone in the car with little luggage- FE is around 22 km/lit. I am OK with it. With normal driving,three-four adults, more luggage,100% AC, @100-120 kmph, the FE is 18-19 km/l. I believe Pulse/Micra under above two conditions can return FE of approx 27 & 24 easily, which is 20-25 % more than Verna. But in city there is a huge difference. Micra is 65-70% more fuel efficient than Verna ( 12 v/s 20 km/l). Micra/Pulse are real crackers for city driving due to their right size, easy ingress/egress, less gear change, oodles of torque at low rpm & unbelievable city FE.

I am seriously considering Pulse/Micra, if I am reasonably ok with it's highway capabilities with atleast 4 adults.

Cheers

[thoma]

Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan

I believe Pulse/Micra under above two conditions can return FE of approx 27 & 24 easily, which is 20-25 % more than Verna. But in city there is a huge difference. Micra is 65-70% more fuel efficient than Verna ( 12 v/s 20 km/l). Micra/Pulse are real crackers for city driving due to their right size, easy ingress/egress, less gear change, oodles of torque at low rpm & unbelievable city FE.

I am seriously considering Pulse/Micra, if I am reasonably ok with it's highway capabilities with atleast 4 adults.

Cheers

What is your daily drive like? Inside the city or on the highways? You have to set your priorities first, based on your usage. The Micra/Pulse is better in the city and the ghats (regarding torque and FE but not regarding handling) and the Punto/Swift better on open highways. You will get 27 & 24 by the MID, which could be ultimately 24 & 22 on a full tank. I am sure that the K9K is efficient than the others by just a couple of kms for standard driving, else you have to drive real sedate. And one more thing, please do TD how comfortable you are with the cornering. I am not at all impressed with the Micra's high speed cornering stability.

My worst city FE is 15.8 kmpl over a full tank. And regarding NVH, I am strongly of the opinion that the diesel clatter (engine noise) is also dependent on individual cars. My Micra is a bit more clattery than other Micras. I've seen some silent MJDs as well as clattering-like-hell ones. These are my observation : all K9Ks are clattery, but some are more, like mine; most Figo TDCi are clattery, but very few seem silent, especially when new; and few MJDs are clattery, not all. Whatever be it, my bottom line was the Micra is leagues ahead of the tractor-ish 3 cylinder Polo and Beat.