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

[Arragonis]

We don't even get the 1.6.

So if you had a Micra 1.2 with stop/start (£14,445) would that get a better figure ?

[MetroMPG]

I'd imagine so.

The Micra 1.2 would be closer to the Mirage 1.2, which on the same route turned in 56 mpg US = 4.2 L/100km = 67 mpg Imp with basic ecodriving techniques (plus manual stop/start at lights, as I did with the Micra 1.6).

The Mirage has the city advantage of much lighter weight:

• 895 kg (1973 lbs) manual Mirage, vs...
• 1044 kg (2302 lbs) for our manual Micra, which is at the portly end of its class.

[MetroMPG]

Aesthetic criticism: I don't like all black interiors. What a sad, dark place to spend time.



Mitsubishi Mirage, that means you too. In both cars, other countries get the option of lighter shades in the interior below the level of the dashboard cap. Why not us?

Blast from the past! Manual mirror adjusters & window cranks:

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

...other countries get the option of lighter shades in the interior below the level of the dashboard cap. Why not us?

Because most people don't clean their cars and dark interiors hide it a bit better. A lot of times, floor mats are even 1/2 step darker than the interior color. We're just lucky to generally get lighter colors in the upper half of the interior.

[MetroMPG]

True - the headliner is beige/sand.

Probably true about cleanliness as well... I've seen some truly horrid interiors so far on my C.R.A.P Prius hunting adventure.

But look at this:

Euro Micra:



Our Micra



Sadness.

[MetroMPG]

Happy looking car in a happy looking setting:

[MetroMPG]

It's supposed to get up to 26C / 79 F this weekend. Ooh lawd, the heat.

So I just installed the Micra's "A/C"...



Actually, that's the second mod I've done: the tires are now bumped up to sidewall max (44). Much better!

A few more temporary mods & testing are coming next week.

[Fat Charlie]

I thought the first "A/C" mod involved tire pressure...

[wdb]

Wish people would give me cars to test - Porsche, Aston, McLaren are you reading this?

For the record in the US the Chevy Sonic LS comes with manual transmission, windows and mirrors. But OnStar is standard!?! And A/C.

[Fat Charlie]

The Sonic was a close second when I got the Fit. You just had to be careful about the exact engine you got, especially since sales types would rather hype the turbo and don't understand when you don't want that.