Very reliable and fun to drive
Rear sills rotten.
Great first car, very reliable, great for getting round town, not sure about the motorway as I've never been on one in it.
The headroom is brilliant, and it's also got a reasonable size boot.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th January, 2015
A superb car, ahead of its time then and still modern now
Nothing at all.
Other reviews have mentioned this car as being the class leader for its time. I can certainly confirm this in many ways.
The CVT gearbox is an absolute wonder. It provides an infinite amount of ratios, unlike a standard automatic gearbox. Its efficiency is said to be as good as that of the manual. Approximately 4.4 litres/100km on the highway and 6 litres/100km in town (whatever this is in MPG). This I can easily believe. Acceleration is also extremely good for a car of its size - 0-60 must come up in well under 10 seconds, maybe only about 9. This may put it in the league of Saxo VTS, and older Fiesta SIs, but I did not buy the Nissan to race others' cars! 0-40 is certainly extremely rapid and will surprise drivers in considerably faster and larger-engined cars - great for getting away in town. Watch the tyres though - they are quite thin! However the handling is excellent nonetheless.
A recent 700 mile (1200 kilometre) trip across southern England, driving on some roads which were less than evenly surfaced, proved the Micra's worth as a go-anywhere car. It even handled the motorway respectably - 75mph equates to 3000rpm, which gives excellent economy whilst at the same time being able to remain in the middle lane ahead of most buses and lorries.
Internally, yes it is somewhat spartan compared to most of today's cars, but it does sport accessories like power steering and electric front windows. OK this is the SLX version, top of the range, but many of the Micra's then rivals (Fiesta, Clio) did not even have head restraints in the rear, something which is a feature of this Micra. Air-conditioning and an airbag were even an option, although this particular car is not fitted with them - my only small criticism as it can get quite warm what with the expanse of glass. However there is a sunroof with a sliding cover inside the car to hide it and to stop the sun beating in.
The seats themselves are extremely comfortable - I can regularly drive up to about three hours between rest stops and not experience any backache. Try to drive another small car. even today, but especially from the same era, and you will be hard-pressed to match the comfort levels which the Micra has/had to offer.
All in all, the Micra has served me extremely well, and owing to the low mileage I have no worries about owning it for another few years. I have heard that these engines and CVT gearboxes are good for over 200,000 kilometres. I hope this is true.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 9th June, 2007
This is a small follow-up to the review; after nearly a year the car has almost 50,000 miles (80,000km) on the clock. What has gone wrong since I wrote the review?
The headlight bulb went. Hardly a problem, just general wear-and-tear
The rear brake light in the centre (in the screen) went. Again hardly a problem, just general wear-and-tear
The front tyres were replaced. Again just general wear-and tear.
I don't wish to bore people with such almost ludicrous comments about. The Nissan Micra is one of the most reliable older superminis out there, no doubt about it, as the many positive reviews on this site prove. I don't even have a replacement yet as mine is still going so strong and it's 15 years old now. Just have to treat her right and she'll treat me right (like a partner!)
Update Feb '09: the Micra is no more. It has been sold to a friend who rarely drives it, so I am confident it will last for much longer. In its place stands a VW Golf V, from 2004. However I will sorely miss the Micra, and for anybody looking for a cheap, reliable 1st car one cannot go wrong with one of these. Absolutely 100% reliability in the nearly two-and-a-half years I owned it; let's hope the Golf continues the trend in the time I own it.
24th Jun 2007, 18:54
What a great review.
As a CVT Micra owner, I can't agree with you more. I love my little 998cc car, but I'm still jealous of your extra engine power. It's not much of a difference, but my little baby does sometimes sound a bit laboured when she's going uphill. Saying that though, I've surprised more than one Corsa chav when I'm on the A roads ;-P