ROAD TEST/Nissan Micra: Radical and funky, says Nissan. Yes, says Andrew Hamilton, the new Micra is indeed a bright and likeable car - and it's going to be a big hit in the market.
Nissan calls its new Micra "radical and funky" and, if that means getting a lot of street attention, then the description is well-merited. Our drive was in the second week of December and even the frenetic pre-Christmas activity, didn't detract from the head-turning attention.
The fact is that new Micra does stand out in a crowd, just as much as its predecessor gets lost with looks that are thoroughly aged and dated. The old car had been around for 10 years, a lifetime for a car competing in the key supermini sector.
Back in 1992, it was different: radically chic if not funky. Strange, isn't it, how the years take their toll with style and appearance.
Designed, engineered and built in the UK - at the Nissan plant at Sunderland - the new Micra is a Japanese car that maybe isn't. For a start, small Japanese cars rarely come with such bold looks, although the Toyota Yaris also broke the mould.
Micra breaks new ground in most areas. From the headlamps which sit virtually on top of the wings to the semi-circular roofline which arches over the passenger cell, this has to be Nissan's most adventurous shape to date.
Most cars are getting bigger these days - and surprisingly, the new model is 30mm shorter overall than the old Micra. The trick has been an increase of 70mm in wheelbase, making the cabin feel much roomier than before. One of our first impressions, from the international press launch and the later Irish test drive, was the first-class driving position. There are long seat runners and loads of headroom. In spite of the lack of reach adjustment on the steering, the sporty three-spoke steering wheel lines up perfectly with the rest of the controls.
The swoopy lines don't actually interfere with rear visibility which is excellent. With a large glass area and low waistline, the new Micra can be shoehorned into tight spaces that other bigger cars would have to reject. We liked the unique ovoid headlamps which incorporate a small "bubble" at the top. When illuminated, they actually make it simple to judge where the edges of the car are.
So what's the driving like? Much more comfortable than we thought, given that small cars with short wheelbases, are never the best solution for a compliant and smooth ride. But that's what the new Micra offers. A new plaform has been developed in conjunction with Renault - it will obviously also be the basis for the next Clio.
The chassis is well balanced and the suspension is supple. Small imperfections in the road are dealt with competently, although the car does tend to bounce a bit over bigger bumps. We thought its only real weakness was the electric power steering which appears to lack feel. Overall though, this baby Nissan is incredibly simple to drive and much more refined than we would have come to expect.
Much of the refinement is due to the engine structure. All the petrol units are of lightweight 16-valve alloy with electronic drive-by-wire throttles and variable valve timing systems to boost torque and improve driveability. Most of our driving was in town where it was nimble and agile. However, on the open road, it was also capable. The 16-valve powerplant is responsive and well insulated which keeps the cabin quiet.
On higher specification models such as our Tekna 1.2, there are sliding rear seats which offer more boot space or leg room depending on priorities.
Boot space is only average: the new Fiesta, for instance, is much more commodious here. In its smallest capacity, the boot has 237 litres of space, expanding to 371 litres with the seat forward.
We were much taken with the keyless entry facility: no fumbling for keys while laden with Christmas parcels. No fumbling either with the stereo radio controls which are conveniently mounted on the steering wheel.
Keyless entry actually does take a little familiarisation. It works in the same way as that on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, where the driver has the key in his or her pocket and simply presses a button on the driver's door to unlock it. When pressed twice, it opens all of the doors. The "intelligent key" works so long as the key itself is within 80cm of the door lock.
In conjunction with it, the headlights can also be programmed to stay on for up two minutes after the locking the car. That should see us safely to the front door.
On our test car, there was an abundance of storage spaces. The front passenger seat usefully flipped up to reveal a 10-litre hidden cubby that's also removeable. We can't think of a better place for keeping the handbag away from prying eyes. Other storage areas include a large glove box with an accompanying bottle-holder and a document tray. There are also large door bins and a fold-out tray with cup holder in the lower centre console. It may be a compact cabin but it brims with places to stow bits and pieces.
The driver and front-seat passenger fare well for head- and leg-room but it's a different situation in the rear with headroom being affected by the slope of the roof line. However, the rear seat travels up to 200mm, so most leggy bodies should be able to fit in.
Most of our driving was in the city where we were able to take advantage of its nimble and agile nature. It was great for parking too: more than once we were able to get into spaces rejected by other bigger small cars.
Fuel consumption in a mostly urban scenario worked out at 35.1 mpg. According to Nissan, the official Euro average figure is 47.8mpg. Other official figures are a top speed of 104mph and a 0-to-62mph (or 100kph) of 13.9 seconds.
The new Nissan Micra is an endearing small car and, even with the "radical and funky" looks, it should become just as much of a class success as its predecessor. In 10 years, a staggering 1.3 million Micras rolled out of the Sunderland plant. Its appeal was much enhanced by peerless reliability and strong engines. It was also the first small car to achieve a modicum of success with a CVT automatic.
The new Micra has all the traits of the old car and much more and the styling makes a real splash. We confidently expect it will cause a lot of ripples in the small car and supermini scene this year.