The article was originally produced on February 7, 2017, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Nissan Micra

Lower, wider and longer, the new Nissan Micra has received a completely new look and new measurements on all joints and also a new smaller engine. Cars Collection went to Croatia for the first test drive.  

Nissan's latest Micra version has been on the Swedish market since 2010. The model itself was introduced in 1983 and has since appeared in five generations, including the new one. The first generation received a lot of criticism from the insurance company Folksam as it was not considered crash-proof enough. A homework Nissan did well as the following versions were much better despite their compact format. Generation two was even so good that it was awarded the "Car of the Year" award, which was also the first time a Japanese car took home this award. 

The design of the original model, the K10, was Italian and intended as a replacement for the Fiat 127 but ended up with Nissan instead. Italian designers have always been highly regarded among Japanese manufacturers. Generation 3 even managed to score four stars in the EuroNCAP crash test, which can be seen as very good. The new Micra is of course even better with several new safety systems such as blind spot warning, lane keeping assist and emergency braking that detects pedestrians. The latter for the first time in a Nissan for the European market. 

If you put the last generation Micra next to the new one, it is hard to understand that these cars are from the same family. It is clear that they wanted to attract new customers and move away from the cute "minicar" segment. The look of the new Micra is tough and with a lot more attitude. A distinctive V-shaped grill in brushed aluminum with aggressive headlights on either side. The design of the hood is full of speed and on the test car it has speed stripes as decoration to strengthen the sportiness of the car. The line coming from the v-shaped grill runs along the entire hood and then beyond the edge and along the door sides in a wave. Very tasteful and the rear door handle and hidden for a cleaner look. The interior has also been given a real boost with a sporty theme with two-tone leather upholstery in black and oxblood red that can be found on both the instrument panels and the seats. In the middle sits a seven-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system that supports Apple CarPlay and more. A brand new sound system produced by Bose has also been installed. The new thing is that the driver's seat is equipped with speakers in the headrest, which results in a fantastic sound image for the driver. Thanks to the increase in length and width, the interior dimensions have also become more generous and you sit very well with a good overview around the car. 

The chassis has been properly updated. Among other things, new technology found in the larger siblings Qashqai and X-Trail that reduces understeer and significantly improves driving comfort has been used. With the new electronic power steering, this is clearly noticeable on the winding roads above Dubrovnik. The silky-smooth 1 liter three-cylinder petrol engine with turbo has to work hard and it is easy to see that hardly any Micra owner will actually push the car this hard. As soon as the ride calms down, so does the car and the engine purrs like a cat. In addition to the 1-liter engine with 90 horsepower, there is a weaker 0.9-liter gasoline engine with 73 horsepower and a diesel version also with 90 horsepower.

In addition to the safety systems, a lot of assistance systems have also found their way into the new Micra. Traffic sign recognition, parking assistance and high beam assistance are some of these and available in all versions. 

The Nissan Micra has really taken off and should appeal to a much larger group of buyers now, both young and old. This is undoubtedly a practical, safe and fun car!