Value. It is what the Indian consumer is looking for. Whether it is
the world’s cheapest car or the best car in the world, we want the
most bang for our buck, and this is most apparent in our market’s
fast-growing hatchback segment. There are two ways to approach the
concept of ‘value’ – one, to offer a low price. Sure, there will be
compromises on quality, but you essentially get more car for your
money. The other is to provide extra features at the same price as the
competition. Nissan had tried the former with the original India-spec
Micra, but with the imminent launch of budget sub-brand Datsun,
they’re taking the Micra brand to the place it usually occupies in the
markets it is present in: the premium end of the hatchback segment.
DESIGN AND STYLING
With substantial exterior updates, the new model of the hatchback
looks completely different from the old one. The front fascia sports
radiator grille with a thick chrome bar, new headlights, fog lights
with chrome surround and modified bumper. The side profile, however,
remains largely similar to the old mode, except for the new alloy
wheels. The rear end gets new LED tail lights, revised bumper with
bold creases and longer tail gate.
CABIN
The bulbous theme follow suite on the inside as well. Nissan’s ‘twin
bubble theme’ dashboard in multi-grain plastic looks very modern and
breaks away from the conventional dashboard layouts. The nice roomy
interiors remain and the Micra is definitely one of the most cozy cars
to be in. While we already mentioned about the lack of storage places
in our earlier review Nissan probably read wrong and as a result the
second glovebox has now been omitted. Other than skimping on storage
places, there is not much to fault with and everything feels pretty
well put together.
ENGINE AND PERFORMACE
Due to tax benefits most manufacturers are tuning into 1.2 ltr
engines and since fuel efficiency is more of a concern to the Indian
buyer, a 3 cylinder engine is the ideal compromise between power and
efficiency. The Nissan Micra is powered by a 1.2 ltr DOHC 3 cylinder petrol
engine which churns out 75 BHP @ 6000 rpm and 104 NM Torque @ 4000
rpm. Low end grunt is not the best but the acceleration is good above
2000 rpm. The Micra gives 18.06 kmpl as per ARAI but practically
speaking we expect the Micra to deliver 14 – 15 kmpl in regular city
driving, which is pretty good. Floor the engine and the Micra hits 120
comfortably, keep it floored and it accelerated towards 140 but then
you back off as the tires don’t give you enough confidence to push
beyond. Thanks to the Renault – Nissan alliance, a diesel engine is
just around the corner and the diesel Micra will be powered by a 1.5
ltr diesel which is currently serving the Logan.
RIDE AND HANDLING
It covers the low-speed stuff well enough, offering a smooth urban
ride that is unaffected by lumps and bumps like most things in the
class. Its electrically assisted steering is light, as most buyers
will demand, and although it lacks the oily slickness and response of
the better electric racks, it proves accurate enough.
Book a Test Drive for Nissan Micra
Raise the speed and you challenge a few of the Micra’s facets. The
first is noise – the Micra isn’t an overly refined car – and the
second is its driving dynamics. We wouldn’t expect the Micra to be any
kind of driver’s car, but there are superminis out there, even
inexpensive ones like the Suzuki Swift and Skoda Fabia, which maintain
a broader level of capability at all speeds than the Micra, whose
primary interest is at the slower end of the scale.
SAFETY AND FEATURES
The base model on the Micra has a new steering wheel and even centre
arm-rest. As the demand for automatics is on the rise, this will help
Nissan to capture more buyers especially those who need an automatic
and aren’t willing to spend a lot more on the features. The other
features include push start and stop, keyless entry, in-dash music
system with steering mounted controls. There is even ABS on offer as
well. The company had earlier even introduced dual airbags as a
standard feature for all variants. Now, the base model is offered with
a single driver airbag.
CONCLUSSION
There are three variants (trim levels, including one CVT variant) of
the petrol engine, and four variants of the diesel engine to choose
from.
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The facelift has improved the overall appeal of the Micra. Standard
equipment levels including some safety and comfort features will
certainly boost the value proposition too. Hopefully, Nissan will keep
any price increase on the new versions to a minimum. Currently the
prices for the Micra range from Rs. 4.3 lakh to Rs. 6.5 lakh
(ex-showroom, Delhi). The 2014 Micra will be available at Nissan
showrooms by the end of this month.