Some Random Stuff (observations about my base Micra S)

[aftica]

Hey, just p/u mine yesterday. I've only a few KM on it and done just a little poking around here and there, but thought I would share some stuff that I noticed so far. This is my seventh new car purchase, but have not had anything comparable in a long time... ( since 2x CRX, original Micra), so some stuff I notice may be old news to owners of this type of car.

Not a comprehensive review, good, bad or indifferent... just random stuff I noticed and in no particular order.

I have the base model 5 speed with ZERO options, the Ten Grand Tin Can so some of this won't apply to most owners.

Handling, power, general driving:
Handling and general driving is excellent, just about the perfect balance. Boy racers will not be happy and soccer mums will think they're driving a Go-Kart. For normal driving around the city i'm very pleased with the tight, quick, easy manners of this car. No excessive body roll. No excessive brake dive. Steering feels a just little ''vague'' at very low speeds, due to the increased power assist. There is no ''torque steer'' feeling during normal driving, but i'll assume that all FWD cars have this sorted now?
Power is peppy. You will not feel that you are straining to keep up in city traffic.
Exhaust noise is fairly loud at highway speeds, but there is no wind noise. The car needs different gearing (or an extra gear) to drop the RPM's to ~ 2.5K @ 100kph. The 3K revs @ 100kph seems a common theme with a lot of small cars and I'm not sure why. It is a dumb philosophy and leads to extra engine wear.

INTERIOR:
Brake pedal - gas pedal relationship is perfect! Throttle blipping boy racers will approve. Normal people will notice it facilitates easy no roll uphill starts.

Foot rest for clutch foot.

Shifter feels toyish but works well, except reverse can be hard to find at times. (even after multiple tries at neutral and or 1st gear)(Jun 17)this has not happened since that first day!

Window cranks: These actually work great. The smoothest and quickest I've tried, and I'm not even joking. 4.5 turns lock-2-lock... an important spec most reviewers overlook

Front seats: very nice feel, but cheaply covered. They should offer vinyl. I already have grease smears on the passenger seat lol! Seats are high off the floor, much like a pick up. Maybe this is the new normal? I like it just fine. Honda Gangstas will not be happy though...you gonna be in full view G. Ten years from now it is going to be hard to hide your shame, driving around in a rusty Micra rolling on $3.5K worth of custom wheels.

Rear Seats: Same great feel and position, same crappy upholstery. Quite comfortable in the back, not that you as the driver is going care...passengers can be happy they not walking.

Heating vents for rear passengers: Again, who cares if you're feet are cold back there? Would you rather be outside? The much vaunted engineering that went into this is completely LOL. I reached under there and the freaking plastic tube fell off in my hands. Don't fiddle with these or cram anything under seats.

Good access to fuel pump from under back seat. I noticed this while trying to see if I could get the seat to fold flatter or how hard it would be to remove it altogether. (was hoping a quick release seat might be a hidden design feature, but no luck)

Lane change signal: This really bugs me... Three automatic flashes every time. Nonchalant one flash lane changes are impossible in the Micra. WTF?

Door Locks: The design of the chrome door locks makes it hard to tell at a glance if they're locked or not. A quick but daily reminder of how cheap you were when you optioned your new Tin Can.

EXTERIOR:
Rear hatch: must remember to re lock after opening hatch. I would have preferred a pop up upon turning key,and no lever. Note to Nissan: you could have saved a few bucks here! Imagine the positive press at $9990 price point

Rear wheel wells are a shaped with a flat bend bead (not sure the proper term) as opposed to 90° bend. Not as strong or stiff, but I guess the idea is to discourage road crap build up and the resulting rust? We'll see how that works out.

Tire clearance: Height of fender above the tire is about 70mm rear and 80mm front, when viewed from the side. It looks a little much and I think some lowering is in order. Boy Racers and Homies are gonna want to hit the spring shop pronto before doing any serious hangin'

Even more random:

Oil changes look like they will be easy. In a pinch, no jack will be required for oil and filter change. Good for those quick Canadian Tire parking lot changes or just ''dropping it hot'' down the sewer grate in the 'hood.

Shared clutch and brake fluid? Seems odd to me, but this is what the manual suggests. A quick look under the hood shows what looks like a normal brake reservoir, will have to check that more closely.

Timing chain engine: this is good for long term reliability. Belts can perform better, quieter, but no one likes changing that crap. Are most new cars using chains these days?

Event data recorder: 30 second loop records speed, seat belt,gas pedal,brake pedal status. I guess you're ok to lie about not using that left hand signal.

Well that's about it for now. If I notice anything else that is quirky I will edit in.

Feel free to ask any questions!

EDIT: Some more small things.

Interior: I forgot to mention that I really like ''hard plastic'' interior that most reviewers complain about. It is simple, neat and utilitarian, perfect for this car.I also like the plain black colour. Too bad the roof liner and all pillars are in off white though.
There are many spaces here and there to collect stuff like change, phones, drinks etc. Just beware the space in centre console...trying to fish out spare change or keys, it is easy to lose items down the P-brake cavity. Being a butter fingered clumsy bugger, I had to pluck out a loose key today.

Oddabll pet peeve:The passenger side wiper is stored at an odd angle and in view of the driver. For some reason this really irks me, although probably necessary to in order for the wiper to have a broader swipe across windshield.

Driving: Many have mentioned it, but It bears repeating... the turning radius is ridiculous! Nothing short of a unicycle is going to outperform the Micra, if you ever find yourself navigating a cornfield maze. It really feels like a bumper car
Note to soccer mums: be gentle when turning this sharp as it is really hard on the front end and tires.

Important note for 4 percenters: I'm sure you cheap buggers have driven many a car with extreme buffeting or resonance while using the old 260 AC. I am glad to report that the airflow is smooth and quiet with the drivers window at any AC setting.

Speedo error? I have yet to verify this, but it feels like the speedo may be reading high. That's obviously subjective, but my commute to work did take an extra 4KM, even though a short cut just opened up a couple days ago. Will find a way to test this.

Fuel economy: First tank I got 46.31 mpg (imp). This is mixed hwy/city and will improve. I'm driving for break-in, and I doubt the dealer squeezed as much fuel in the tank as I did.