2015 Nissan Micra coming to Canada (US too?) ... for under $10k ... new Micra Forum - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

MetroMPG · 02-20-2014, 11:47 AM

See Nissan Micra Forum photo gallery for more images.

2015 Micra news: visit our new Micra Forum for specs, photos, reviews, fuel economy, etc.

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Economy car fans will soon have a compelling new option in Canada: Nissan is bringing the Micra back this spring, with a base price under $10,000.

It may be Nissan's most efficient ICE car, but if so, the ratings won't be significantly different than the Versa sedan or Versa Note because they all share the same 1.6L engine and tranmissions (except CVT). The Micra is a bit lighter than the Versa sedan, but the sedan has better aero.

Official fuel economy figures haven't been released, but I did some homework and have posted some reasonable estimates: 2015 Nissan Micra fuel economy / mileage / mpg (NRCAN, EPA)

The numbers aren't terribly impressive for a small car (the Mirage kicks its butt, especially with the automatic transmission). But you can cry all the way to the bank, because...

The car's trump card is its crazy low price: $9998 for the base car (5-speed, no air conditioning... which I'd say isn't needed in most of Canada anyway).

With that price, Nissan is going to turn the subcompact market upside down: the next cheapest competitors' cars are more than $2000 higher (Chevy Spark, Mitsubishi Mirage start in the low $12k range). Nissan thinks they might sell about 5x better than those cars, too.

For those who don't like to spend money on new vehicles, consider that the average new car is worth around 40% of its original price after 4 years, and start saving your pennies for a ~$4k modding platform.

US version?

There's no technical reason why it can't happen - Canadian federal safety & emission standards mirror those of the US, with a couple of minor differences. If it can be sold in one country, it can be sold in both. But the official word is there are no plans to sell it in the U.S.

However, the company also explicity ruled out Canadian sales too when it started building the car in Mexico. So, let the speculation begin.

New Micra Forum

Tim & I have decided to spin off another economy car forum specifically about the new Micra. Check it out at www.Micra-Forum.com for specs, photos, reviews, fuel economy, etc.

That's it for me! No more new forums.

LeanBurn · 02-20-2014, 01:38 PM

"The numbers aren't terribly impressive for a small car"

You got that right. I beat those numbers without even trying (117km/hr), cold temps and absolutely no tricks used...with a Toyota Camry rental I had last week. Mirage trumps it despite slightly higher initial cost IMO.

MetroMPG · 02-20-2014, 02:02 PM

Keep in mind, the estimated numbers are 5-cycle (EPA style), not the old 2-cycle NRCAN "optimistic" tests.

In other words: the 5-cycle numbers will be easy for anyone to beat with careful driving, and beat by a wide margin with serious effort.

But I agree: with a 109 hp engine, the car won't be winning eco-driving contests. It's got twice the power of an old Metro (though it carries ~400 lbs more weight).

The draw is price, price, price. I guess that sticking the Versa's drivetrain in this platform is what lets them keep the price down.

Quote:

Mirage trumps it despite slightly higher initial cost IMO.

It'd be interesting to calculate payback period for the Mirage.

MetroMPG · 02-20-2014, 02:03 PM

PS: I agree - 4-cyl Camrys are stealth highway MPG monsters! http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...2-a-23818.html

spacemanspif · 02-20-2014, 02:11 PM

You couldn't pay me $10k to drive a Nissan. And those numbers are terrible for a micro, economy car. Sure the price is low but there are better, nicer, SAFER cars on the market getting the same MPG. I'd rather spend more on quality in this case as every Nissan I have ever had the misfortune of knowing was I piece of junk...

MetroMPG · 02-20-2014, 02:18 PM

I've only owned one Nissan. It was an old, low-kms, ridiculously soft-riding Sentra station wagon.

Had no complaints about reliability (though I didn't own it very long).

Ironically, it (well, the sedan version) was the most efficient car on the EPA's list when it was introduced... if you believe wiki.

It was old enough that it had both "Nissan" and "Datsun" badges on it.

Pandaf · 02-20-2014, 03:38 PM

Here they start with a 1.2 with 80 hp rated at 5 l/100 km. Unimpressive indeed. Introduction price 9990 euro, which is kinda cheap as well.
For 3000 euro more you get another 1.2 but with 98 hp rated at 4.1 l/100 km.

poomanchu · 02-20-2014, 03:41 PM

Those ratings seem horrible for the performance and size.

MetroMPG · 02-20-2014, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pandaf

For 3000 euro more you get another 1.2 but with 98 hp rated at 4.1 l/100 km.

Is that the supercharged Micra?

As usual, we only get the largest displacement engine option in North America.

I suspect they've run the numbers: if they brought over the smaller engine (which would be used only in this car), it would increase cost and decrease sales to the point of not making it worthwhile to do.

Pandaf · 02-20-2014, 04:12 PM

Is that the supercharged Micra?

Yep, 3 cylinder with compressor and direct fuel injection. Like with other cars, it is difficult to reach the promised consumption. During a test from a car magazine they only reached 7.8 l/100 km...

EU test cycle seems less realistic (other discussion..)