Nissan Micra long term review first report

In its short time here, our Micra is proving to be quite the city slicker, and it isn’t bad on the highway either.

Published on Oct 05, 2014 08:00:00 AM

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Nissan Micra long term review first report

Bluetooth Audio easily connects with phone sound quality and is decent too.

Light steering and tight turning makes parking the Micra a breeze.

Glove box is small; open storage above isnt much of use either as phone slides out.

Make : Nissan

Model : Micra

The rains have been lashing down on Mumbai. It’s a late monsoon and it looks like Mother Nature is hell-bent on making up for lost time. I’m making a dash fromthe foyer to the parking lot, both hands engaged in wielding an umbrella and a haversack. Luckily, I don’t have to hunt for the keys inmy pocket; the keyless entry on our mid-spec Nissan Micra XL comes to the rescue. I also don’t have to handle the phone with my wet hands because the Micra’s Bluetooth does a great job of automatically connecting to it. So far, it has already made things a tad easier.

I thumb the starter motor and set off into Mumbai’s dreaded ‘peak-hour-traffic’. What immediately strikes me is the fantastic almost-360-degree view you get from behind the wheel. The massive side windows, thin pillars and large windscreens in the front and rear create almost no blind spots. I find this especially useful during the heavy downpour as bikers tend to make a quick dash to shelter (read under the nearest flyover) and often pass with just inches to spare. Fantastic visibility is just one of the facets of the Micra’s easy-to-drive demeanour. I love how the light clutch is easy on my left calf, and the effortless steering combined with a tight turning circle converts many three-point turns into two-point ones.

In front of me sits a 1.2-litre three-pot motor. But its refined nature made it easy to fool my friend into thinking it’s a four-banger. What stands out though is the Micra’s part-throttle response. At low speeds, I find it a bit too responsive for stop-and-go traffic — it took me a couple of days to get used to this. But the Micra works best when kept in its mid-range that has enough torque to overtake Sunday drivers without any fuss. I haven’t taken the little Nissan out on open roads much, but from the couple of times I did drive it to the outskirts of Mumbai, I was quite impressed with its highway manners. However, I wish its shoes were at least a size larger — these 165-section tyres feel a bit low on grip at higher speeds. Even with a moderately heavy foot, the Micra consistently returned 10.8kpl in the city. Not bad at all.