[allinbalance]

How much money does is save - actually - by removing the ABS? It is a very useful safety feature which is not worth sacrificing IMO.

All in all - excellent coverage on the Micra, GTO (Petrol+Diesel). You cover all the bases as usual.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by allinbalance

How much money does is save -

I wonder why Nissan thinks the keyless entry & go is more important than ABS? Especially in India where driving conditions are so dangerous.

All in all - excellent coverage on the Micra, GTO (Petrol+Diesel). You cover all the bases as usual.

Thanks

[vignesh_ny]

Originally Posted by allinbalance

How much money does is save - actually - by removing the ABS? It is a very useful safety feature which is not worth sacrificing IMO.

Considering the Swift and Ritz's VXI and VXI ABS versions, the end customer pays up approx 28 K more, which means the manufacturer has to shell out 20 K approx will be my guess. The keyless entry is very fancy and a segment first which might cost nissan 8-10 K. So the bells and whistles remain but essential kit goes

We BHPians are a mature lot and value safety and control but the mass market still does not want the fully loaded top variant all the time and the non ABS/Airbags versions rule. To add to it the time taken to procure the ABS kits , which even Suzuki has not localized and imports from Japan and hence the delays in ABS versions/ top end.
PS : I do not work for Nissan

@GTO : In your opinion, Of the Micra and Figo do we have an upset for the figo D or does it still remain the best D hatchback package.

[CoolFire]

Originally Posted by vignesh_ny

Considering the Swift and Ritz's VXI and VXI ABS versions, the end customer pays up approx 28 K more, which means the manufacturer has to shell out 20 K approx will be my guess. The keyless entry is very fancy and a segment first which might cost nissan 8-10 K. So the bells and whistles remain but essential kit goes

The ex showroom difference between Swift Vxi and Vxi ABS is only around 20k. The difference you quoted could be inclusive of taxes. So Maruti ought to be having a cost of less than 15 K for the ABS.

Nissan's might cost a bit more but avoiding it totally from the Diesel model seems dumb.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by vignesh_ny

which means the manufacturer has to shell out 20 K approx will be my guess

Even a small manufacturer will not pay more than 5 - 6K. Considering Maruti's volumes, it would be much cheaper.

In your opinion, Of the Micra and Figo do we have an upset for the figo D or does it still remain the best D hatchback package.

Nope, I don't think we have an upset for the Figo diesel. It's priced noticeably cheaper & has better kit too. The Micra diesel is more modern, has better interior quality and is easier to drive in the city. The Figo has a better ride & handling setup, matches the Micra in in terms of interior space, and has superior equipment (e.g. ABS + Airbags in the diesel). The Figo is also the more neutral looker, unlike the Micra which is a hit or miss (hit especially amongst the women folk, miss with the males). The Figo & Swift diesel remain the best D hatchback package.

[adimicra]

In a recent shootout between the Micra and Figo D in Autocar, the Micra scored over the Figo in terms of performance - both with respect to outright acceleration and city driveability and also FE but Figo D was declared the winner because of the VFM factor.

[Caramelo]

Originally Posted by Pyrotek

Finally test-drove the Micra Petrol (Shahwar did manage to send the car home, phew). I have to say, it's an effortless hatchback to be driving in city traffic. I got in and felt at home immediately. The large windows give a nice airy feel, but the greige interiors looked lightly soiled and that detracted from the overall feel a little bit.

I also noticed some inconsistent fit and finish, like the horn pads on either side of the central steering boss. It had a pretty large gap with the steering base. But not a deal breaker really. Things like the indicator stalks, climate control buttons and the audio felt slick and reliable to operate. Pathetic sound quality though!

I didn't like the gearshift much. Quite notchy to say the least. And the ride is quite jittery on uneven surfaces. The engine is also quite growly, but I liked it and felt it added some character to an already cheerful little hatch.

Despite the negatives I have listed above, I feel the Micra makes a good case for itself as a city hatch. It also stands out for feeling fresh and different. But as a current Swift owner, I cannot honestly recommend it over a Swift.

The biggest problem with the Micra is that it always feels like a small car, and everything about it seems to that effect. In that sense, you cannot help but feel that it is overpriced for what it offers.

yes i agree with you on this one, i was in my cousin's swift we had stopped for the signal, a micra pulled up besides us and looking at from inside the swift it seemed a bit compact, is it visual trick of this car or what i don't know sometimes it looks decently sized but again in traffic it blends around to look very small. especially from the back.

[vignesh_ny]

Originally Posted by GTO

Even a small manufacturer will not pay more than 5 - 6K. Considering Maruti's volumes, it would be much cheaper.

I tend to slightly differ from your view on ABS prices. Maruti *** folks seem to suggest that the ABS kit is imported from Suzuki Japan and not made in India hence the general delay in availability of VXI ABS or ZXI. So the price would probably be more but this is based on the above assumption.

[vishnurp99]

Surprised to see that Micra has better outright acceleration than figo. Thought the engine was underpowered relative to Figo.

[gharika]

I just bought Figo D Titanium in Jan end and now my FIL is going for a Micra XV Premium . It will be interesting to see when his car gets delivered (in about two months) and we meet to compare notes.
Comparing the two, Micra XVP lacks ABS, passenger airbag, is smaller/less spacious, costs more but has the advantage of rear power windows, fog lamps, keyless FOB, alloys and climate control.
For me ABS is the deal breaker with Micra. I don't think the alloys, FOB and climate control make up for the lack of ABS when it costs about 60k more. It seems Nissan plans to sell on bells and whistles as is clear from there recent advertisements.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by vishnurp99

Surprised to see that Micra has better outright acceleration than figo. Thought the engine was underpowered relative to Figo.

Combination of lighter body, EPS, gearing and 100 cc more displacement.

[Mafia]

Surprising that a feature as important as ABS is missing! It is being introduced in motorcycles in India which are at sub 1 lakh price.

IMO it should be available as an option at least!

[sam003]

Micra ground clearance would be an issue don't you think it will? as I know people used to crip for original zen 165mm gc. And this is 154mm only. Any views guys ?

[rajeshsundaram]

Here's my review based on my test-drive experience



The Necessity
My prime idea was to buy a comfortable vehicle in terms of ingress & egress, back seat leg room etc, to drop my wife in her office. She is pregnant, 5'8" and so, my little Alto can become a cramped space for her quite soon. So I was looking at all pre-owned diesel vehicle options that would fall in a compact budget. One of my friend suggested I should check Micra Diesel because it would fit my requirements, though the budget would mis-match.

Since this is my review about Micra Test drive, I'll skip the others and jump in.

World Invasion - Battle Los Angeles
I had my chance to test drive Micra on Saturday (12 March 2011). While returning from the movie (WI-BLA) with my friends, I crossed Sherif Nissan, Velachery, Chennai.

I decided to give Micra a try. Parked my Alto in the parking lot and we walked in. Karthikeyan, the sales executive came forward and welcomed us.

The Micra - Test Drive

GTO has covered the interiors and exteriors extensively. So I'll skip that part for now.

I told Karthikeyan that I have read review about Micra in Team-BHP and so, I wanted to check that in real. He immediately took us to the display car (Petrol Micra) and explained all its standard features. Since my prime requirements are ingress-egress, handling potholes, good backseat and diesel economy, I checked the display car for ingress-egress. That factor was particularly satisfactory, if not awesome. Since my wife is just an inch shorter than me, I used myself as the test-subject.

When I told my other requirements to the sales guy, he immediately arranged for a test drive. A blue Diesel Micra was immediately pulled forward in a few minutes and the sales guy gave me the key.

He demonstrated how the key-less entry works (request button logic etc) and all 4 of us hopped in. As usual I felt the ingress-egress is okay, should satisfy most. My feeling is that - it is neither pure tall-boy nor low-seater. I pressed the START-STOP button and the car churned to life with the typical diesel growl.The cabin insulation is satisfactory and most time you wont hear much engine noise inside. Slotted the first gear in. The gear-box is much better. Unlike Punto's rubbery shift, Micra's shift is much better, but no-where near Fabia. The clutch is fairly light and engaging the drive was pretty easy.

The 1.5L Renault engine packs enough punch to move the car in a spirited manner around 2K RPM. But cross the 4K and the engine feels bit strained. I assume Micra's diesel engine was tuned more for City driving with good starting and decent mid-range. The renault engine with its good refinement and above average performance gives a no-nonsense smile.

Took the car for a drive around Guindy race-course road. The car's suspension is good, absorbs most pot-holes easily without noise or big jolts. The suspension response is good enough for in-city driving. Mostly no one will complain. The turning radius is a welcome advantage. With just 4.6M radius any one can handle the median U-turns and parking turns quite easily.

Overall I was fairly satisfied with the performance of Suspension and Engine. Here comes the ergonomics. The interiors feel roomy, thanks to the beige dash and plastics. Quality is good.

The front seats are ergonomic and can travel forward and backward. Excellent for short and tall drivers.The steering is good to hold and centre console is easily accessible. The air-con is decent and you wont find anything to complain here. Nissan has done a good job in the dash & it's components, including the OE audio.

The sore thumb in Micra is the back seat comfort. For me the rear seat felt like "Tea kadai bench (Tea shop bench)", Good enough to sit, but no underthigh support. I felt there is little difference between the rear seat of my Alto and Micra here. Though there is some leg-room, the lack of under thigh support is a serious issue, especially for women and that too especially for pregnant women.

The boot has some surprisingly good space to stack your luggage.

Conclusion
At Rs.6.4 lacs (5.5+90k) OTR in chennai for the base variant, Micra Diesel is a good package. IMO, if you are about to buy a Diesel hatch and do not want to become an yet-another-swift-ddis-owner, you may consider Micra Diesel. It is a overall good package in general.

Sadly it is not for me. The rear seat and out-of-budget made me remove Micra from my list.

[vinboy]

I felt Team-BHP members have a better information about the cars in the market! Before I booked the Figo, I did attempt to know more about Nissan Micra. I asked for a test drive online through their website and as expected did not receive any response. I then went to their new showroom opposite to Cubbon park, Bangalore and found that the TD car was not available. The people there were not knowledgeable enough to give all the answers i needed.

I was really surprised at the price of the top end diesel version and more shocking is the absence of ABS and Air Bags! Then followed irritating calls from the sales person asking me about my annual income, etc ( I really did not know that to buy a Nissan you need to be of a particular income group!!) All this because they wanted to arrange for a test drive.

Then I got a call from a chap who seemed to be the team leader of sorts asking me about my decision to buy the car. Even his knowledge levels left lot to be desired and he was claiming that the Micra is longer with better space than the Figo!

Nissan Micra could be a nice car but I felt the dealership experience left lot to be desired apart from increasing the number of showrooms.