Nissan Micra: should you still buy it?

In a bustling B segment, where the new Citroën C3 arrives, where the Ford Fiesta, Seat Ibiza, Volkswagen Polo and Skoda Fabia are restyled, is the Nissan Micra still worth it?

Yes, the Micra stays in the game...

At a time when “made in France” was fashionable, the Micra held a major advantage: it was produced at the Renault factory in Flins, near Paris.

A big change in philosophy for this versatile city car which, until 2016, had a rounded body and was produced in India.

For this fifth generation, which has had no trouble overshadowing its predecessor, the dimensions have also been turned upside down and revised upwards, with a length increased from 3.83 meters to 4 meters.

Despite a platform taken from the old Micra, largely reworked and shared with the late Nissan Note, this version has good road performance.

The behavior is not really exciting, but the pleasure, the course keeping and the comfort remain of a good level.

On board, the neat and modern presentation can be optionally coloured, depending on the finish chosen. The endowment is serious from Visia Pack, the basic finish (€17,190), with six airbags and the steering wheel adjustable in height and depth.

Nissan Micra : faut-il encore l’acheter ?

But the Acenta version (€18,990) remains more recommendable, with manual air conditioning, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, and a multimedia interface on a 7-inch touch screen, with Apple CarPlay and Android. Auto.

The Japanese can even afford blind spot monitoring, speakers integrated into the driver's headrest and a 360° camera.

Only delivered with a 5-door body, the Micra enjoys a trunk volume in the average of the category (300 liters) and shows decent dimensions of habitability, even if the large templates will be cramped inside. back.

No, the Micra already has some wrinkles

When choosing the mechanics, it goes quickly: the Micra has only one engine left.

No diesel therefore, but a three-cylinder petrol block, also known under the hood of the Renault Clio, with serious benefits and whose consumption remains reasonable.

Deflated at the start of 2021 from 100 to 92 hp to meet the standards, it can be associated with a 5-speed manual gearbox or an automatic transmission called Xtronic.

The latter, with continuous variation, however generates a penalty ranging from 170 to 330 € depending on the version.

In the B segment, where a multitude of stars also evolve, including the Clio, 208, Fiesta, Polo and other Yaris, the Micra presents well, despite already having more than four years of career.

However, there are finishing details, such as the presence of uneven materials on board.

For lack of real restyling, the Nissan adopted new rims and dark headlight backgrounds at the start of the year, by which time this generation had sold “only” 40,000 units on our market.

A volume of sales lower than that of which the Clio and 208 are capable… in six months. In the first half of 2021, the Japanese car only found 3,842 buyers, almost half that of a Suzuki Swift.

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Range (Nissan Micra) PETROL 92 hp, from €17,190 to €22,690

Specifications (Nissan Micra)

Nissan Micra: the rivals

Lxwxh (m): 4.05×1.80×1.44 Boot (l): 317 From 65 to 140 hp, from €15,900

Lxwxh (m): 4.06×1.75×1.43 Boot (l): 311 From 75 to 136 hp, from €16,200

Lxwxh (m): 3.94×1.75×1.51 Trunk (l): 286 70 to 120 hp, from €18,250

Lxwxh (m): 3.85×1.74×1.50 Trunk (l): 265 83 to 129 hp, from €15,790