New Micra SR manual owner

[bexnik]

Thought I'd post some quick thoughts on my Micra, thanks to MetroMPG's suggestion.
My search for a new car began once my 2003 Ford Escape died... It was my mom's old vehicle and wasn't worth fixing.

I always preferred small hatchbacks over sedans, and definitely didn't need all the space of an SUV, so I initially began looking at used Mini Coopers. I would have loved to buy one new, but alas, my budget didn't allow for that. The no-warranty on a used car (looking at the 2004-2005 models) kind of scared me. So enter the Micra. A small hatchback, brand new, good for city driving, good gas mileage, and is the best looking vehicle in it's class IMO.



I don't do much highway driving, except to visit family occasionally 45 minutes away.
I'm still not a fan of the SR's seat fabric, but it'll do... I love the other aspects of the SR model though (spoiler, side sills, fog lights, etc).

Only thing I wish was an option would be a sunroof, though I bet they will come out with that option in the coming years.

As for actually driving it, this is my first manual vehicle but it drives really nice. It's fun to zip around town in, although the stop-and-go traffic on the highway freaked me out a little bit the first time I had to experience that in a manual car haha. It can be a little noisier once you reach 120km/hr on the highway and I'm not sure how much faster it should really go without getting too loud/rev too high (but no need to go over 120km/hr anyway). Parking is great, still getting used to using the back-up camera. Ride is smooth and so are the brakes.

Fuel economy is also a plus - I've had it almost a full week now and I'm at half a tank. Been driving to/from work every day as well as running errands around town, and also went to Hamilton and back to Toronto once. I'm sure my fuel economy will improve once my manual-driving skills do haha

Anyway, bottom line is I really enjoy this little hatchback and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a small city car.

[MetroMPG]

Nice review, bexnik.

You got the car I wish I had borrowed (manual SR). Congrats on taking the leap to manual shift!

best looking vehicle in it's class IMO.

Agreed.