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The facelifted version of the K13 has just gone on sale in Australia, and it's interesting to read their perspective on the car, considering there's a lot more competition in the "micro" or "city" car segment down under than there is here. Also they get an entirely different engine than we do: a 1.2L triple.

Styling: Along with some changes in options, that's the biggest change in Oz, since their Micra's face used to look like this one on the left:


(From: Thread: A brief history of the Nissan Micra )

The reviewer likes the new look: "cheeky."

Handling: Micra gets praise here, too. "The Micra is a hoot to drive." I'm not even sure if theirs has front and rear stabilizer bars, but they definitely prefer it against the competition.

Engine: the biggest difference between their car & ours is under the hood. Australia gets the same engine as Europe, a 56 kW (75 hp) 1.2L, 3-cylinder engine. They like the way it sounds & revs:

There’s something about the character of three-cylinder engines that really pleases us revheads.
Fuel economy: Ironically, they call it out for poor fuel consumption! (Of course, that's compared to rivals which are lighter, or have smaller engines, or more advanced auto transmissions, and thus better economy.)

Value: that's another big difference. Unlike here, the Aussie Micra is priced at the higher end of its class, and they wonder if price-conscious buyers are going to care about revised styling & handling as much as cost. It's one reason the pre-facelift Micra lost out against the Mitsubishi Mirage in a few Australian comparisons.

Read more:

- http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news...detailed-32396
and
- http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-revi...st-drive-32059