The Japanese carmaker Nissan Motors recently surprised car enthusiasts and buyers by bringing out a new and improved version of their premium car, Micra, at an unbelievingly lower price. The nationwide sales of the new Nissan Micra Active commenced in the year 2013 and the sales volume has increased year on year.
This smarted up version of the hatchback Micra is built on Nissan’s V platform. The double layer integrated grille, body colored bumper with a large air dam and air ducts, flared wheel arches, a roof antenna, laminated front windscreen and the wide windscreen at the rear all add to the sporty look of the car. The Nissan logo is prominently implanted on the boot lid.
Though Nissan Micra Active looks small from outside, it has quite spacious interiors. It has a seating capacity of five persons with enough leg space and headroom. The dual tone interiors and the black dashboard look pleasing. The seats are well cushioned with good fabric, although they could have provided better thigh support. It has a boot capacity of 251 liters, which is commendable.
Nissan Micra Active comes packed with safety features like front dual airbags, ventilated disc brakes, Anti-lock Braking System with Electronic Brake-Force Distribution, Brake Assist, engine immobilizer, follow-me-home lamps, and speed sensing door locks, central locking and a security alarm. Additional features include power steering, power windows, leather wrapped gearshift knob, adjustable rear headrests, adjustable external rear view mirrors, assist grips, stylish instrument cluster with a tachometer, audio system with USB interface, aux-in support along with FM/AM player, a semi drive computer, a rear parcel shelf, a 12V power outlet, a luggage room lamp and remote keyless entry.
Nissan Micra Active comes with a 1.2 liter, 3 cylinders, Dual Overhead Cam Shaft (DOCS) based 1198 cc petrol engine, which generates a maximum power of 68 PS at 4000 RPM and a torque of 104 NM at 5000 RPM. The engine is mated with a 5-speed manual transmission gearbox. This smooth engine yields a decent mileage of about 16 to 19.5 km per liter. The maximum speed is 150 to 160 km per hour and it crosses the 0-100 km per hour mark in just 13 seconds.
It comes in four variants, namely – Nissan Micra Active XE, XL, XV and XV Safety ranging from Rs. 3.5 to Rs. 4.7 lakh. Highly competitive price, lower maintenance costs, superior fuel efficiency and an excellent driving experience are the advantages of this car over others in the same segment like Hyundai i10, Maruti Wagon R and the Chevrolet Beat. It is best suited for first time car buyers who are looking for an economical drive.
