New forum member

[Grumpa53]

I've owned my 2015 Micra S for maybe 4 years now. It was purchased to be my winter Instacart delivery vehicle. It turned into my all seasons delivery vehicle and my motorcycle went back to being a pleasure ride. Longest trips are Ottawa <-> Toronto to visit my mother and take her out for lunch. I found this site while looking for ideas to install AC and cruise control. Now I think a better plan is to buy an automatic fully equipped and swap the automatic for a standard! The other option is to buy an MX-5 suitably equipped for the summer and keep my Micra for the winter. What an awesome car!

[HammyJ]

Welcome aboard!....If not for a bum left leg, I would opt for the manual transmission as well. You do pay a penalty with the automatic for in town stop and go driving, esp when running the air conditioner, and esp. in my town, which is built on a hillside. The vehicle for such a small car, seems to get very thirsty. But I am compensated when driving long distances, and have been pleasantly surprised with my mileage on long non-stop trips. I love that the car can get out of its own way when stepping on the gas.....but I find the shifts with the automatic can be a bit vague at times....still Im pleased the engine and transmissions seem to wear like iron, unlike Nissan's Jatco CVT. If I could shoehorn into a MX-5, that would be my ideal scenario as well......the new model is beautiful......

[Grumpa53]

I'm 70, about 5'10, 265# and fit in the MX-5 easily. Getting out isn't exactly graceful though. 😂

I went for a short drive in my Micra today and absolutely loved the car again. It was a cool day so AC wasn't needed, but cruise control could quickly pay for itself. 3rd gear is so much fun and so tempting.

[Vaszya]

Welcome to the club - From one Ottawa member to another!

Should you consider the MX-5 - Which gen would you go for?

[Grumpa53]

I'm not terribly bothered about the generation, but reading forums and road test reviews I'm leaning heavily towards 3rd gen. The latest 4th? gen is priced beyond my financial comfort zone. I can't honestly justify $60k all in for a toy driven on weekends in the summer. The frame and suspension have gotten better with each generation and clean 3rd gen are more easily affordable and available.

[Jody Thornton]

If not for a bum left leg, I would opt for the manual transmission as well. You do pay a penalty with the automatic for in town stop and go driving, esp when running the air conditioner, and esp. in my town, which is built on a hillside. The vehicle for such a small car, seems to get very thirsty. But I am compensated when driving long distances, and have been pleasantly surprised with my mileage on long non-stop trips. I love that the car can get out of its own way when stepping on the gas

I find that the Micra in its automatic incarnation can use a lot more gas while enduring city driving, all the while being designed for that. Highway driving or at least, more consistent speed driving seems to be where the sweet spots are. Here's how I find I get the best gas consumption and lowest RPMs:

* On a freeway that is rated for 100 km/h, I stay in the right/outer lane and set cruise control for 94 Km/h.
* On a highway rated for 80 km/h, I stay in the right lane and set the cruise for 75 to 78 km/h.
* On a 60 km/h street (at least with minimal stop lights), I cruise at 58 km/h

Here's the rub: on a 50 km/h street with minimal stops, I find it's better to cruise at 55 km/h. At 50 km/h, the RPMs are almost at 2K and the mileage drops, while 55 runs smoother.