Nissan Micra: Build makes driving simple

The new Nissan Micra is a breeze to maintain and drive. Photo / Phil Hanson

What is it
The Micra replacement is less cutesy than its predecessor, with Nissan bargaining that losing personality is worth a broader target market and a less feminine skew.

It gets a 75kW/136Nm, 1.5-litre petrol engine and a four-speed auto that doesn't have to work hard. Although at 7.6 litres/100km, it sucked more fuel than the 6.6 claim.

Still, it feels perky round town and confident on the highway and quite capable of the occasional open-road jaunt.

We sampled the up-spec $24,100 Ti that adds stuff like alloy wheels, climate air and push-button keyless start to the standard air con, six airbags, stability control and ABS specification.

We like
Simpler build equals simple ownership proposition. We like the quiet ride, and older buyers will love the big buttons, steering wheel audio controls and looped door handles.

They'll also like the secure handbag slot in the front seat squab, among a number of nice little details. The best one? The info screen not only says "hello" and "goodbye", but will wish you a happy birthday and issue an anniversary reminder on appropriate dates.

We loathe
The maddening squeak from the double glovebox - given the cheap-feeling plastics, we suspect we won't be the only ones to suffer it.