Nissan Micra - The cute hatchback

Nissan's attempt to revamp its position in India comes in the form of BIG launch from the small cute hatchback called Micra. The company believes that the Nissan Micra launch in India is like bringing in global standards (the Japanese car maker has over 5% global market share and is adored by millions for the technology) to India. Although the global car major has been mulling with the launches in all segments, for now Nissan Micra name is reverberating in the car circles and giving sleepless nights to the Hyundais, Tatas and the Marutis.



Nissan Micra was launched in India in July 2010 and ever since the launch of the Micra, Nissan India's sales figures have grown by over 20 times as compared to the figures of 2009 same time. The Nissan Micra sales are around 1000-1200 every month. For those of you who thought that the number is a joke, well, considering the practically not present dealer network of just about 19 awesome figures ain't?

How does the looks of the Nissan Micra differ from other A2 segment hatchbacks?

If you thought that Hyundai looks are more claustrophobic and Marutis conservative appearance do not impress you anymore, the Nissan Micra with the cheeky chic kind of looks will take you away. The front of the Micra can be compared to a happy smile face and there is roundedness all over the front, the Beetle like look (not to belittle the Beetle per se) with sloping roofline the front grill gives impressive looks from the front to the Micra. The roofline subtly rises through the back so the headroom that is generated looks ample even for the 6 footers.

The rear of the Micra though has flatter looks and not as appealing as the front. It may give you a feeling that the Nissan may have taken after the Maruti Alto in the back (but we should know it was Micra first and Alto next), anyways the back may not look as exciting still it will not be a disappointment to anyone. The exteriors with good finish look quite impressive.

Open the doors, nah not the usual way but with the iKey and you will be greeted by plush beige interiors with leather seats (however this is for the top end version of the Micra only) and you will be impressed by the space inside. The driver seat looks comforting one while the seat at the back looks flatter and may not give the under-thigh support (did Nissan assume that the Micra is for city drive?).

The car comes with default power steering in all variants, power windows for all 4, neat glove compartment, vanity mirror, cup holders in the front, trunk light, remote trunk opening, reading lamp for the rear, external temperature display, window wiper and washer in the rear (for top variant), full wheel covers, leather steering, fabric upholstery, etc. The Micra doesn't feature Bluetooth which is a let down considering the big name Nissan has.

The electric push button start will make anyone feel they are driving a classy car, and it's true because Nissan Micra is the first car in its segment to offer this feature in India. If you thought this could be for advantage of car hijackers, you are wrong as the engine immobilizer feature makes the engine stop if the key is not inserted.

Now go sit in the driver's seat (the head rest is adjustable) and take the steering in your hand (adjust the seat to front or back to adjust the seating position), the steer wheel is tiltable to make driving more comfortable than ever. The door shuts smoothly off, which actually tells you of how much of engineering would have gone into minute details of the car as well. Nissan's emphasis on passenger is felt from the airbags feature (even in the low variant and there will be 2 airbags for the front seaters in the top variant). The top end model also sport other security features such as ABS, EBD, BA

Then as you see the look and the layout of the instrument console, you will fall in love with it. The Nissan Micra continues to follow the round theme inside too. The instrument panel has all tell tales and the unique feature of the Micra is the presence of an on-board trip computer which gives important real time details including distance that the car can travel to empty the fuel as well as the fuel consumption of the car for your speed. The low fuel warning light will keep you informed of the fuel present in the car. While it may not be the one you've looked forward, it may help one on long journeys especially when you are traveling with little fuel in the tank.

Look through the rear view mirror from the driver seat, while it looks impressive with body color, there is engineering that went into it as well. The electronic folding mirror feature gives you great comfort as you can control and tilt the mirror to make the view comfortable for you so easily with fingers tips and you don't have to bend over like in other cars.

Engine specs of the Nissan Micra:
Type: DOHC, 12V, 4 valves per cylinder
Cylinders: 3 in-line
Fuel: Petrol and Diesel
Displacement: 1198 cc
Bore X Stroke: 78 X 83.6
Max Power: 56 KW/ 76 PS@ 6000 rpm
Max torque: 104 NM (10.6 KGM)@ 4000 rpm
Compression ratio: 9.8:1
Transmission: 5 speed manual

The metallic finish with orange back lights as well as greige color theme (top variant) gives lively milieu inside. Top variant of the Micra comes fully loaded flaunting unique features (not seen in the some sedans).

Space inside looks one of the best in the B segment cars and in fact it more than what you see in a Maruti Swift. The boot is laid out neat with 226 liters, and she is ready to swallow huge chunks of your baggage.

The story might not look all that exciting for lower variants of the Nissan Micra. The lower variants carry black interiors wanting the jazzy features. The package for the lower variants is just average (Nissan wants to encourage buyers to go only for the top end version, looks like). Talk of rear seat comfort or the feel inside they seem a notch under standard of a premium hatchback.

Varaints, price and color options of the Nissan Micra
Micra comes in color schemes of Sunlight orange, Storm white, Blade silver, Oynx black, Pacific blue and Brick red.

Variants and Prices
Nissan Micra XE - Rs. 395,000
Nissan Micra XE Plus - Rs. 440,000 (XE with factory fitted accessories such as OE audio system with 4 speakers and auxiliary in, seat cover-fabric (black and silver color combination), steering wheel cover (pure leather-black and silver color combination) and full wheel cover
Nissan Micra XL - Rs. 480,000
Nissan Micra XV - Rs. 525,000

Nissan Micra Diesel
Nissan has opened pre-launch bookings for the diesel version of the Micra on November 08, 2010. According to company release the Nissan Micra Diesel comes in two variants, i.e., XV and XV premium. The claimed mileage of the Micra Diesel version is about 23 kmpl. The company has not made an announcement on the pricing of the Nissan Micra Diesel as yet although it is expected that it will be in the Rs. 600,000 range. The company hopes that the Diesel Micra will be their tool to aggressively market the hatch in India which has been a huge success in the European markets.

Last Word for the Nissan Micra:
The steering is smooth, but pick up appears lazy, and lane changing isn't all that pleasant in the Micra, The average engine performance and the noisy riding besides poor sales and after sales network gives the cute hatch a big thumbs down. But all said if you ask why anyone should buy the car - for the cheeky looks, amazing features in the XV Variant, and very good claimed mileage of over 18.06 kmpl (ARAI certified) on highway and 14 in the city.