Review: driving a $9998 2015 Nissan Micra (Nissan's most efficient manual in Can/US.)

[Arragonis]

Boring History Alert!

The Micra has been sold here in Europe since the K10 which sold bucketloads despite being really horrid to drive.



No, they really were horrid to drive. The styling came from Giugiaro and was (allegedly) a rejected design option for the FIAT Uno - the doors look similar ?



The K11 was much better :



and The K12 was pretty good, even if a lot of it came from Renault via the Clio.



The new one is selling much slower, this is a review from here in the UK

Nissan Micra K13 2010 - Car Review | Honest John

Basically, like Mitsubishi Mirage, their models are way behind what the competition are offering...

[MetroMPG]

We actually had the 1st generation Micra here as well. Then it went away until this one.

As for the reviews, it's all relative: you guys are practically swimming in subcompact & supermini competition. When you've got little else to compare it to (there's not much else in this segment on this side of the ditch), it doesn't suffer as much.

As a result: I have not read a single negative review of the car in Canada after 80-something reviews. Many are positively glowing. "Cheap and cheerful" is a frequent conclusion.

I think a good reason for that is the price: people expect the cheapest car available to be somewhat horrible, and then when it isn't, expectations are exceeded! That colours a lot of reviews.

EDIT: also, the Canadian version gets a few tweaks that address some of the Euro criticism. Front & rear stabilizer bars are standard here (only country that gets both); the steering ratio has been made "faster"; the standard tire size is bigger (and on the top trim bigger yet). At least that's what Nissan's saying.

What's a Micra cost in the U.K.? Google says $9998 CAD = 5263 GBP.

[Arragonis]

In the UK a Micra costs £8995 which is 14700 USD.

20% of some of that is VAT.

[MetroMPG]

Filled out post#2 with how Nissan cleverly doubled their coverage of the Micra by managing the press fleet.

[Chrysler kid]

The fact you still drive a metro and not one of the nissans says enough, they type of people who need a sub $10k car are the type of people who destroy them by not doing any maintenance or cleaning and then buy another new car 4 years later because now the car is "always braking down and the interior is trashed"

Our fleet vehicle is a 2014 ford fiesta with crank windows. Came standard with blue tooth and sync, but no cruise control and no keyless entry

[MetroMPG]

^ All generalizations are dangerous, including this one.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Vman455

Actually, the block heater is a nice no-cost feature.

Yeah, it is a nice touch. In the Micra it's a 400w unit, in the block.

Nissan took pains to explain the changes they made to the car for Canada, eg: rear heater ducts, block heater, 15 inch tires standard (16 on the top trim), standard front & rear stabilizer bars, faster steering ratio. (The last 2 items address handling complaints I've read about the Euro Micra and I believe were also aimed squarely at the competing Mirage which is criticized for epic body roll and lifeless steering.)

I honestly don't know if the block heater is common standard equipment on new cars, but in a quick search shows it on a few other Nissans -- Sentra, Rogue, Altima -- and it's implied on others as part of the PDI fee "block heater cord installed".

[niky]

We never got the Micra here officially, except as the Verita variant of the K11, which was a Micra with retro lights, grille and chrome hubcaps.

We do get the Versa sedan, which is quite a lot of car for the money. Even if it's not a terribly great car, the cubic inch per dollar equation is hard to ignore.

[niky]

We never got the Micra here officially, except as the Verita variant of the K11, which was a Micra with retro lights, grille and chrome hubcaps.

We do get the Versa sedan, which is quite a lot of car for the money. Even if it's not a terribly great car, the cubic inch per dollar equation is hard to ignore.

[MetroMPG]

"a lot of car for the money"

What is the cheapest new car in the Philippines? I don't suppose that's it (Versa).