Media test drives/reviews... first reports next week, and we're taking part too

[MetroMPG]

I sent a note to Nissan wondering when the Micra is going to get its official press introduction, and was told it's imminent -- they're just ironing out the details. (I'll report back when I find out more.)

Generally for these introductory events, a car company will fly journalists to a city where they put them up in a fancy hotel for a day or two, wine & dine them and give presentations about the vehicle. After all the talking, they turn everybody loose on local streets & highways for half a day or so.

If you read auto news, these intro events generate the "first drive" reports -- initial impressions of the car.

After the intro event, the company will put together a couple of "media fleets" in various cities, and then loan the cars out to reviewers, typically for a week at a pop. The loaner cars generate the in-depth "pros & cons" reviews and comparison tests that get published in the weeks & months that follow.

I have a feeling the Canadian press is going to like the Micra. (I stand by my prediction it's going to get more love than the new Mitsubishi Mirage has.) Some of the press have already gone a little ga-ga over the starting price.

My bet: be prepared to read the words "cheap & cheerful"... a lot.

[MetroMPG]

Just heard from Nissan: the press introduction for the Micra is happening next week in Montreal.

Which means we may start to see some initial reviews by mid-late next week.

Even better...

Micra-Forum's going to be there

I have an invitation to spend a couple of hours with Nissan's marketing manager for the Micra in a one-on-one introduction to the car.

That means test drives of both manual and automatic-equipped cars with the company's chief Micra expert along for the ride to answer questions.

I don't pretend to be a car reviewer, but I'll be bringing back my impressions, plus pics & some video as well.

If there's anything specific you'd like me to focus on or ask about, let me know!

[Ustauk]

^
Congrats Metro! Very web-savvy of them. It makes sense, too, as micra-forum.com shows up fourth in the non-paid for search results when looking up Nissan Micra Canada.

Good luck, and have a great time Metro!

[MetroMPG]

Thanks!

Anything you want me to ask about, let me know.

I'd like to know why the car has so many cylinders! When will we see a thrummy triple in it like the rest of the world? But we already know they don't answer questions about future product plans.

[MetroMPG]

Heading to Micra School in Montreal first thing tomorrow AM for a mid-morning meeting. Looking forward to it!

Forecast is cloudy with showers... Here's hoping that changes overnight.

[Daox]

Its just after mid morning! I want a report back.

[MetroMPG]

Just got in!

I can report: the weather was great. No rain, despite the forecast!

I spent ~3 informative hours with Nissan's marketing manager for the Micra and a pair of cars: a manual SV and an automatic SR, both in white. Got a bunch of pics & video, and some more answers for our latest Micra Q&A.

There's an embargo on reporting much about the car (driving impressions) until Friday to give everyone a level playing field (the second batch of journalists is just arriving today).

But I will say that since my driving time was limited, I stayed true to form with a focus on fuel economy (rather than looking for places to play around with handling). Using plain vanilla eco-driving techniques, I took the 5MT and 4AT over the same 34 km route (which included a mix of typical mid-day downtown traffic + highway driving). The numbers on the fuel econonomy display were pleasantly surprising. (The indicated numbers, that is... to be fair we don't know how accurate the display is just yet.)

You can probably guess which transmission posted the better numbers, despite having nearly identical ratings.

Update - see: 2015 Micra fuel economy/mileage test: ecodriving a 5-speed and automatic in Montreal

I won't get into trouble for saying I liked both cars (though I would take the manual)... and also that I wouldn't pick busy downtown Montreal to try out a strange new car if I had the choice!

[pr@j]

Good feedback so far, I bet you are just itching to blurt it all out!! Since you will have 2 days to come up with the details, I am looking forward to a detailed review. Being an ex-Montrealer, one thing for sure is that Montreal is a much more fun city to drive in and around than Toronto/GTA. Though where I live now, there are some nice backroads... (can you say 160km/h?!) where you can let the throttle really open up.

I really miss driving on the west end of the HWY 40, and the North portion of Hwy 13 in Montreal...downtown in any city is a pain, unless you really need to work out your calf/quad muscles in a manual!

[MetroMPG]

Posted!

Thread: 2015 Nissan Micra test drive review (manual & automatic) - first impressions

[MetroMPG]

Nissan's video summary of this week's launch event in Montreal: