2017 Nissan Micra IG-T 90 Tekna

From £11,9958
Not quite a class-leading return to form, but a more stylish and tech-savvy kind of Micra than we’ve ever known – and an encouraging one to drive

Our Verdict

Nissan Micra

Nissan Micra

Has this much-needed reinvention of the Nissan Micra turned it into a real contender once again? And should those who masterminded the Ford Fiesta, Seat Ibiza and Skoda Fabia be worried?

  • First Drive

    Nissan Micra N-Sport 2019 review

    Nissan adds 117bhp 'warm hatch' model to Micra range as part of mid-life revisions. Does it transform the supermini?

  • First Drive

    Nissan Micra 1.0 71PS 2018 review

    Nissan plugs the gap in its Micra range with a naturally aspirated 1.0-litre petrol engine, but is it good enough to unseat the Ford Fiesta, Seat Ibiza and Volk
Matt Saunders Autocar
10 January 2017

What is it?

Do not adjust your sets, ladies and gentlemen – it really does say ‘Micra’ on the bootlid of the bold- and alluring-looking hatchback you’re looking at. It’s hard to believe, partly because ‘daring looks’ don’t rank among the strengths that this long-lived supermini has built a reputation for over its thirty years on sale. But the fourth-generation Nissan Micra that's now being ushered into the waste paper basket of automotive history was both singularly undesirable and execrable to drive. Micras have not always been thus, but the last one certainly was. The new one, however, is anything but.

So much we already know, of course, after a lengthy drive in a prototype Micra late last year. Now comes the chance to drive the finished car, which arrives in UK showrooms in, wait for it… March (a gag there for anyone who knows what this car is called in many other global markets. Waka waka, how we laughed, ahem).

The new fifth-generation Micra is built on an updated version of the same ‘V-platform’ that underpinned the last version but has undergone radical change under the skin; major mechanicals shared between the last Micra and the new one number only the engine mountings and the relative location of the car’s pedals, some of the suspension components and the fuel tank. The new Micra has a power steering system derived from that of the Nissan Qashqai, a completely reconfigured chassis, wider axle tracks, a lower centre of gravity, all-new seats and interior, and a choice of engines and transmissions sourced from alliance partner Renault. For now, the most powerful of those engines is the 898cc turbo petrol three-pot that also serves in the Renault Clio and Twingo, producing up to 94bhp and 111lb ft of torque on overboost.

Find an Autocar car review

Driven this week

Now built in a Renault factory in France and developed for the most part at Cranfield, UK, the new Micra is out to prove that it can represent the sub-compact car as only Europe knows how to make it. Among the segment-firsts it brings to the table are a camera-based active lane keeping system, ‘around-view’ parking cameras and an innovative premium audio system from BOSE with near-field speakers housed in the driver’s head restraint.

And for those more interested in the driving experience, this is a car benchmarked against the very best in the class – and which, on this evidence, won't give the likes of the VW Polo, Ford Fiesta and Mazda 2 an easy time when push comes to shove on UK roads.

What's it like?

The Micra’s cabin smacks of the same feather-ruffling ambition as the exterior. The quality of its plastic mouldings is consistently high and, although you do have to pay for a higher-end model to get the more colourful finishes and richer material touches of our Tekna-grade test car, the Micra’s soft-touch rolltop dashboard and attractive chrome accents come as standard.

Like its power steering system, the Micra’s instrument pack comes from a Qashqai, as does the 5.0in colour ‘drive assist’ trip computer screen – and so both are a good size and supremely readable. Tight back seat space is the one serious black mark you can level at the car, although there’s still enough room to get bulky child seats in and out easily. Otherwise, the Micra’s is an interior that bears comparison with the very best.

Both the 898cc turbocharged petrol version of the Micra and the 1.5-litre diesel were available at the European press launch, and both produce a nominal 89bhp, with the entry-level 72bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol set to follow on.

Considering the hefty £1350 premium that Nissan is asking for the oil-burner, the fact that it would actually be a more expensive prospect than the equivalent petrol on company car tax, and the general kicking that diesel emissions are getting in the national press at the moment, you’d expect a dwindling proportion of customers to be interested in the ‘dCi’. Both turbocharged derivatives get a noise-reducing ‘acoustic’ windscreen as standard, however, and both operate with good mechanical refinement – the three-cylinder petrol in particular running more smoothly and quietly than we’ve found it in other applications.

The three-pot petrol definitely makes for the sweeter all-round drive in this new Micra, its relative lightness allowing for softer spring rates on the car’s front axle than the diesel runs, and a marginally more settled ride.

On performance, there’s a softness to the engine’s pedal response that makes it feel a little reluctant at first. Even at maximum torque, it doesn’t pull quite as stoutly or feel as flexible or as linear as other downsized turbo petrols. Nonetheless, it does a very creditable job of motivating what’s a relatively light supermini, through a nicely weighted and agreeable five-speed manual gearchange.

On ride and handling, Nissan’s mission was to approach the agility and verve of a Ford Fiesta and the planted, rubber-footed composure and maturity of a VW Polo; an impossible brief, really. But, although the finished Micra doesn’t end up beating either rival on their own terms, it does split the difference between them with some success.

The Micra steers with more lightness and less pace than the Ford, but handles with similar fluency and feel; rides with a noisier, busier, springier gait than the VW, but with better isolation and absorption than most of its competition. It corners with good grip, crisp chassis response, fine body control and discreet electronic stability management, making a keen virtue of its compact size but obvious without compromise to its low-speed ride. It’s got a comparable understated kind of dynamic polish as the mkIII Micra had, in fact –  without managing to be particularly memorable or special.

Should I buy one?

You should definitely give it a chance. After a regrettable hiatus, the Nissan Micra is back to its very best as a small car presented and executed to an apparently high European standard – and in almost every way that matters. 

Also styled and equipped like Nissan means business, the Micra has just confirmed what our earliest impressions suggested a couple of months ago: that Nissan’s deadly serious about forcing its way back to the sharp end of one of the most important parts of this continent's car market – and that any buyer would be unwise to overlook one of its very best recent efforts.

Nissan Micra IG-T 90 Tekna

Location Dubrovnik; On sale now; Price £17,295 Engine 3cyls in line, 898cc, turbocharged petrol; Power 89bhp; Torque 104lb ft; Gearbox 5-spd manual; Kerbweight 1082kg; 0-62mph 12.1sec; Top speed 109mph; Economy 61.4mpg; CO2/tax band 104g/km, 19%  Rivals: Ford Fiesta Titanium 1.0T 100, Mini Cooper 5dr

Join the debate

Comments
17

Einarbb

11 January 2017
The 898cc engine always appears to perform in the zero to 100 range between 12-13 seconds. Offering good drivability with reasonable economy. The engine however appears downsizing too far. Triples in the 999 to 1199 range appear to provide a more reasonable performance -- like the latest WAG triple is case in point.

fadyady

11 January 2017
Pricey. Isn't it? Same money as Fiesta ST. Not even the sturdier 1.2L for this money. Not to mention the 1.6L in the Clio that this car resembles a lot on the outside.

xxxx

11 January 2017
fadyady wrote:

Pricey. Isn't it? Same money as Fiesta ST. Not even the sturdier 1.2L for this money.

Cheapest 5 door Fiesta ST is £19,500 so that's £2,200 extra for a start and the Fiesta will have a fairly basic inside NO parking sensors, NO auto lights, NO cruise, NO ELECTRIC rear windows, £400 for Sat Nav, NO rear view camera. I'm pretty sure the Tenka has all these but I can't be sure.
Either way it's not the same as the Fiesta ST.

typos1 - Just can’t respect opinion

simpy3

12 January 2017
This is the top-spec form. A top-spec Corsa with the same equivalent engine is over £18k, and a Fiesta of the same is over £17k too.

It's no more expensive than any others in the segment.

CarsGuru

11 January 2017
Is it really appropriate to use the term 'execrable' to describe the driving experience of a well-made and designed small car? Surely Autocar is a higher-brow publication than that.

Matt Saunders

11 January 2017

Even Nissan admits the gen4 Micra wasn't close to good enough for European tastes. It sold a fraction of what older versions did, and we put in amongst the least commendable cars in a very big class. I guess 'bad' would have done - but nobody else is arguing.

Bishop

11 January 2017
Whilst better than the just-defunct version, I find the design for this is trying just a bit too hard. The MkIII had real charm and character that was true to the marque's national identity, whereas this is a bit Esperanto in nature. That said, having been utterly wrong-footed by the popularity of the Juke, I suspect this will sell very well - heavens given how popular the MkIV actually was (it deserved to sell little or none), this new version should become a very common site on our streets.
The car-buying public gets what it deserves, unfortunately ...

Clarkey

11 January 2017
Has there been any indication that the 'E-power' series hybrid drivetrain might make an appearance in this Micra?

MaxTorque

11 January 2017
It's amusing to see that Nissan simply cloned the interiors of the Hyundai i10 and i20:

www.autoexpress.co.uk/hyundai/i10/96864/hyundai-i10-2016-facelift-pictures#7

images.carandbike.com/car-images/gallery/hyundai/elite-i20/interior/hyundai-elite-i20-dashboard.jpg

We all know that the Japanese are not exactly the most original designers in the world but this is taking copying to a whole new level.

Mini2

11 January 2017
MaxTorque wrote:

It's amusing to see that Nissan simply cloned the interiors of the Hyundai i10 and i20:

www.autoexpress.co.uk/hyundai/i10/96864/hyundai-i10-2016-facelift-pictures#7

images.carandbike.com/car-images/gallery/hyundai/elite-i20/interior/hyundai-elite-i20-dashboard.jpg

We all know that the Japanese are not exactly the most original designers in the world but this is taking copying to a whole new level.

Sorry but if you see that as 'copying' (the only similarity I can see with the i10 is the colour) then maybe you need introducing to the world of the Chinese copycats. I would also say that "the Japanese" ARE some of the most original designers in the world. You sound misinformed.


"Work hard and be nice to people"

Pages

Add your comment

Log in or register to post comments

Find an Autocar car review

Driven this week