The Toronto Star published a special auto section this week called "Your First Car".
Without even driving the Micra, they put it on their list of 5 Best New Cars as the best compact choice.
I don't know if this link will work for viewing the whole article (it's not a web page but some kind of newspaper reader application: LINKThe Micra may be Canada's cheapest car, but the only thing cheap about it is the price.
[...]
What's best: A new car for under $10,000.
What's worst: Not much power.
Value for money: Can't be beat.
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Also, excuse my rant, but auto journalists drive me nuts with their obsession about power. The Micra already has an above average power to weight ratio, and is near the top among its compact hatchback competitors. These guys just won't be happy until we're all driving 500 hp Vettes!