Class: Supermini
Rivals: Opel/Vauxhall Corsa, Honda Jazz, Ford Fiesta, Vw Polo,
Variants: 3 door hatch, 5 door hatch, Cabriolet, Saloon (Japan Only), Estate (Japan Only)
Engines: Petrol 1.0, 1.3, 1.4,
Diesel 1.5 (Japan Only)
Awards: European Car of the Year 1993
Yes a Nissan Micra!!! The often used as an excuse for being late for work! "Why you late?" "Well Sir I got stuck behind a bloody Micra!!"
This is not my favourite car what so ever, but the reason we are featuring it is because of its longevity!! Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the Launch of the Micra and with a new model out this year, it will be around for another while! The Micra was also the first European built Japanese car to hit the milestone of over one million models built in its Sunderland Factory in 1998!
Now I would love just to write about the Micra SuperTurbo, which had a supercharger and a turbo on a 930cc 8 valve 4pot developing 110bhp which by comparison is like 300bhp in your average 4 door family car! But unfortunately there is not too many of them around!
The Micra has won many plaudits from different automobile associations for its sheer realibility and if you pay attention your sure to see a few '95/'96 MkII models still around!
The MkII Micra scored a 2 star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests which is no bad feat, the MKIII scored 4 stars the the New MKIV has also scored 4.
The MkII micra came in many variations, probably most exclusive is the Nissan Figaro, which was sold by lottery when it came out first in Japan. Many have reached Irish shores and have reach cult status for chic!
You have to admire the mkIII Micras styling, and to be honest I was excited to see what they would come up with next; and when I did I was utterly dissappointed! It looks like a drab, boring plastic toy car you buy in Lidl for your baby cousin for him just to throw it out of the pram because thats how bad it looks! Although it was designed to have a drag co-efficient of 0.32 (how slippery it moves through the air) and returns 18km per liter, its just so bad to look at!
Theres not much to look out for when buying a used micra apart from the usual wear and tear on any car.
They are cheap to tax and to insure for any driver. You can pick one up for anything from a few hundred euros to 7 or 8,000 for a new one.
The Micra is a good easy to drive car, and a favourite with driving instructors!
If your looking for something cheap and cheerful, its ideal, but don't expect much respect from other road users!!!
Gary
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