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2017 Nissan Micra Might Be a Match for UK Favorites, Says Review

The difference between the old Micra and the new one is night and day, black and white. It looks like Nissan finally got off its high horse and decided to make a propper supermini specifically designed with the Europeans in mind.
2017 Nissan Micra Might Be a Match for UK Favorites, Says Review 1 photo
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Despite being built at the same factory in France as the Renault Clio and Nissan having access to that platform, the company decided to use its own architecture. But that has no impact on the powertrains, which are all from Renault.

The 0.9-liter turbo remains a popular choice, although it suffers from turbo lag and bad fuel economy when you are hammering it. The other main choice is the 1.5-liter diesel, shared with everything from the Dacia Duster to some Mercedes models. There's also a 1.0-liter naturally aspirated petrol, which is probably best avoided.

We're most impressive with the driving tech this supermini offers. For example, the 2017 Micra comes with something called turn control, which brakes the inside wheel for better cornering. It also borrows Ride Control from the Qashqai, a system which grabs the brakes in a certain way when you go over speed humps to smooth them out. You don't get that in an Opel Corsa, do you?

The Micra has a longer wheelbase than its predecessor, so it rides much better. There's also superior sound insulation and a host of safety aids, including a bird's-eye view camera. The Bose sound system with speakers in the headrests is cool. However, the Micra has wind-down rear windows even on tops spec versions.

While we're on the subject of gripes, the rear seats don't fold flat. Also, they went overboard with the design. It's acceptable from the front, but the back looks fat.

If you're sold on the new Nissan supermini and want to buy one, check out our in-depth coverage of the pricing.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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