2015 Nissan Micra: so nice to see you again (Review from AutoGo.ca)

[MetroMPG]

Here's another undeniably positive review, this one from Quebecer (and Habs fan!) Charles Jolicoeur.

Liked...

- value ("offers more than the price")
- likes the styling more than Mirage or Spark
- interior, though lots of hard plastic, doesn't feal cheap
- surprisingly spacious
- manual transmission smooth & fun
- stable, solid ride inspires confidence (when not in cross-winds)
- tight turning radius

Disliked...

- raspy, "unpleasant" engine sound when pushed past 4000 RPM
- sensitive to cross-winds
- high engine RPM on the highway (though competitors are the same)

Overall...

I genuinely like the 2015 Nissan Micra. [...] It surpasses its main competitors in most areas including driveability, yet it is the most affordable option in its segment.

Read the full review & see the photo gallery: http://www.autogo.ca/en/reviews/test...-see-you-again

[MetroMPG]

This is the third review I've seen which criticizes the engine character/sound when revved high.

I did not experience this at all when I drove the car at normal speeds in the city & on the highway. (Although with the fuel-friendly ecodriving techniques I used, you don't floor the accelerator and hold low gears unneccesarily!)

[AlphaMicra]

So happy to see the positive reviews of the manual transmission. My own experience with the Versa Note's stick shift was that it was buttery smooth, putting to shame the unrefined six speed manual in the Elantra I test drove . It sounds like it's going to be worth the wait, though I really can't wait until my manual SV Micra arrives.

[MetroMPG]

Yup, the manual was pleasant to drive.

Have you by any chance tried a Mazda 2? It's usually the "gearhead's choice" in subcompact reviews, and the 2's manual transmission often gets special mention as being especially nice to shift. I haven't tried a 2.

The best thing I can say about the Micra's automatic is it was "unobtrusive" -- and that's not meant as a veiled insult. Though unlike most auto reviewers, I'd take a CVT over a slushbox. More interesting and pleasant to drive (with the exception of when you're flooring it a lot, which the reviewers tend to do... a LOT). The CVT7 that Nissan uses with the 1.6L in the Note is set up for susprislingly low RPM highway cruising, which makes for a quieter & more relaxed drive, and much better efficiency.

[AlphaMicra]

The Mazda2 was a top contender for me before the Micra came along. Very nice transmission as well, but ultimately, dollar for dollar, is outdone by the Micra.

The thing I don't like about automatics is the fact that they always downshift when more power is demanded at wide open throttle. In some cases, I'd like the power of a wide open throttle in the higher gear, but a downshift is too much. In a car like a Micra, when some redneck in a pickup truck decides he wants to fill my rear view mirror with his grille, the combination of the downshift and increased power with the Micra's great handling means I can lose him very quickly, but with the unintentional side effect of travelling at a highly excessive speed. One might think they're only going 140km/h when in reality they're passing 160km/h.

That said, as far as automatics go, the 4 speed in the Micra is well matched to the 1.6L. I've driven 5 and 6 speed autos, but I can't imagine what extra gears would do for a car like the Micra; it doesn't seem to need any more.