Hello Car lovers ! This is perhaps my first thread related to a new possession, Nissan Micra Active XL. I am too excited to write my review and experience with the car so far. Hope this thread would help potential Micra Active buyers and also the current proud Micra Active owners to appreciate this machine.
We were quite happy with our 2 machines, Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair (2004) to cater to long highway driving and Tata Nano CX (2011) for city needs until my dad decided to pass on the fuel efficient Nano to my younger brother, working in Gurgaon. Then arose the need to buy a new city car as Ikon was both fuel guzzler and also big to drive and park in the city traffic. My search started with full excitement and here is a brief description about it.
Cars we looked upon: Hyundai Eon: Liked the interiors and attractive exteriors, downside was small 800cc engine which is seldom at loss of breath with 4 people on board and AC ON.
Hyundai Santro: Practical and spacious interiors but old exterior styling plus I doubt it might be soon discontinued looking at the new Fluidic trend of Hyundai.
Hyundai i10: A practical and proven hit from Hyundai's stable. Was one of our final choices.
Maruti AltoK10 and Wagon R: We have owned Maruti 800 and Wagon R before, so this time we abstained from getting one from maruti's stable. Sole reason was to try ownership experience of other competitors in the market.
VW Polo: A gem of a car, but above our budget, so had to drop this one as well.
Ford Figo:A good package for the offered price, however the car felt too cramped from inside when compared to i10 and Micra Active.
Nissan Micra Active: Although a stripped down version of the earlier Micra, the car still holds enough substance for this price tag. A good package with a spacious cabin and a good build quality. The classic design of this car made it stand out in our minds.
Final Decision and price we paid:
So, after test drives and continued discussions amongst us, it was Nissan Micra ready to be booked and welcomed in the family. We were told by the Dream Nissan (Lucknow) sales persons that XE variant is no longer in production. The next higher variant (XL) had enough features to suit our likings and price tag was also within our budget. Luckily, the owner of Dream Nissan had an acquaintance with my dad so we were showered with generous discounts of flat 10K on Ex-showroom price and insurance for free. This is not all, we received accessories worth 10K with the car and a 2 years Nissan extended warranty cover. We opted for Nissan Full wheel covers, car matting, mud flaps, Sony Xplod music system with 4 speakers and Xenos remote locking system.We booked the Striking Turquoise Blue XL variant on 27 January 2014 and paid a total of Rs. 4.70 lacs including the registration charges. Car was ready to be delivered on 4 Feb, but due to some engagements, my dad could not pick up the car on that date. Dream Nissan was generous enough to deliver the car at our residence (135 Kms from their place) on 9 Feb 2014, with all the requested accessories fitted and car decked up with a ribbon on the bonnet. Later we found out that there was also a Chocolate box kept on the rear seat
Take a look at my blue baby
Reflecting the front aura. Nissan has redesigned the front bumper for Micra Active and call it as "Sporty bumper". Hey !! My lovely Ikon is also parked behind
The side profile. Do notice the full wheel covers, they blend perfectly with the side profile of the car.
Bootylicious rear. Gives the feeling of a spacious and wide passenger cabin.
A glance at the interiors. I like the black and beige treatment to the dashboard. Plastic quality is however not the best in the segment, still feels nice. Notice the beige leather seat covers with teak wood finish patch in the middle and 1 DIN Sony Xplod music system. The 1 DIN music system looked odd in the 2 DIN slot. (later replaced by a 2 DIN Sony infotainment system with LCD touch screen and integrated bluetooth connectivity)
Smoked headlamps go perfect with the car's looks and make it striking. A smart modification to the earlier one from Nissan.
What I like in the car: - A nice and peppy 1.2 litre 3 pot engine that is silent on idling and churns out enough power at low revs for city driving. In spite of the de-tuning done to this engine, power delivery is smooth and it never feels underpowered or out of breath.
- Feather light steering to nimble around in traffic and park in those tough and tight slots. However, not weighted appropriately for higher speeds.
- Fuel efficient. I have achieved an average of 16.8 kmpl on a 300 km highway drive with continuous AC On. Around 14 in the city, as indicated by the digital meter on-board.
- Sitting position is high and comparable to a tall boy designed Santro /Wagon R etc. Good for my dad, to whom ingress and egress from Ikon is a pain.
- The classic design of the car with lots of curves makes it stand out in the crowd. I feel like owning a Mini Cooper look alike at times.
What I found lacking/unsatisfactory in the car: - Transmission does not feel all that smooth.
- Large panel gap between bonnet and front grill.
- Steering lacks feedback at high speeds on highways and does not inspire confidence. Rather, I feel insecure to go beyond 120 Km/hr as opposed to the case with my aged Ikon. May be I am too obsessed with the ride and handling of Ford, but still this steering in Micra could have been weighted properly for a better handling.
- The 3 pot engine starts making audible noise above 100 Kmph in 5th gear giving an impression that the motor is now gettting revved to its limits.
- No fog lamp option even in the top end XV-S variant. Otherwise, I would have got them fitted from the market. Alas! no option left now.
- The most annoying point being absence of reverse light on the right side tail lamp. The right hand side tail lamp cluster has a dummy for reverse lighting. I just wonder how much it would have costed them to get wiring done and fit a bulb on this poor side too. It is often an embarrassment to see people pointing out at your fused bulb on RHS tail lamp. Gosh !! What to explain
- Back seat is not that comfortable, bench kind of feel. Some more cushioning and lumber support would have been better.
2 months of ownership experience:
Well, the car is an integral part of our daily commute now. Ikon is resting since the day Micra has entered the household. Ikon has been kept for weekend leisure drives now. Our experience with the car in past 2 months is delighting and we are happy with our new drive. The swanky blue color attracts a lot of eyeballs and my dad feels proud to own the first Micra Active in our city. Lots of people keep coming to him for car's review and it is gaining popularity, at least in my neighbourhood. Some of the highlights of our ownership experience are as below:
- While the car was parked at my dad's workplace, somebody took away the beading from the rear left door's glass. We enquired Nissan dealership to get a new one fixed, they replied saying no stocks !!
- The original horn in the car was tad too low for highway needs so we got a new pair of dual tone Roots horn fitted. It is the same pair that comes factory fitted with VW cars.
- The Odometer reading is at 1560 kms and we have already got its First service done at Dream Nissan lucknow. Nothing much had to be done except for normal check-up and car washing/cleaning.
- In spite of the bad stretch of road between Lakhimpur and Lucknow ( around 40 kms bad patch), there are no rattles and creeks in the car till date. Suspension is pliant and good for back seat passengers.
- Our driving pattern has been around 70 % long route highway drive and 30 % city drive till date. The mileage on highway has reached a max of 16.8 kmpl with continuous AC On and that is very good as per our expectations. City mileage keeps hovering around 14 kmpl, which is not bad too. Hope the figures will increase with more kms on the odometer and subsequent services.
- The build quality is nice and body panels do not suffer much depression in case of a rub-off in tight traffic, as was the case with our Wagon R . Paint quality too is very impressive and my car shines like a gem in daylight.
- The position of 12V DC charging unit is awkward ( towards the front passenger) and often the USB wire attached to it keeps hanging in the passenger's leg room. An unwanted nuisance.
- Front seat fixed headrests at times do feel irritating and uncomfortable.
Some more pics to share:
My Mini Cooper look-alike Micra
Average fuel consumption showing up on meter console
Got Sony Xplod 2 DIN Infotainment system fitted in the car. Purchased from Amazon online store for 20K INR. Features include Aux,USB, DVD/CD support, Bluetooth connectivity with cell phone for making and receiving calls, Full LCD touch screen, Integrated reverse camera view. Got reverse camera fitted for 1250 INR from a local shop. The system is compact and looks very nice on the 2 DIN slot provided on the dashboard. The earlier 1 DIN Sony Xplod music system, which came fitted with the car from Dream Nissan has been removed and will be up for sale on OLX.
Notice the reverse camera placement just above the number plate.
LCD screen of Infotainment system with reverse gear engaged. Reverse camera view is shown.
Microphone for infotainment system has been clipped onto the driver's side sun visor. I guess no other better placement position.
Odd placement of 12 V DC charging socket.
We are happy with our Nissan Micra Active and hope to drive it many more miles !! At last, this post cannot end without a picture of my beloved Ikon. So here it goes. :OT
My Ikon in all its glory
Thanks for reading this review and sharing my excitement over the new machine. I will keep updating the thread with further updates on ownership and services.
Congrats on your blue baby. Wish you many happy and safe miles and hassle-free ownership
Hi Apoorv I am a prospective Micra Active Buyer. There's just one thing i want to know before i close the deal on the car. Is the low ground clearance of the car a major problem keeping in view the condition of the roads here in our country? Thanks in advance.
