Nissan Micra Review - Interiors & Equipment

29/06/2010 - 07:26 | ,  ,  ,   | Naveen

Nissan Micra dashboard

The interiors of the Nissan Micra carries over the exterior styling traits. The Micra’s cabin isn’t radically different nor is it sporty looking, what really stands out in the Micra is the simplicity. There isn’t an element which would invite people to criticize the car.

The Micra’s cabin is extremely roomy and the generous glass area gives the car a bright and airy feel. Everything has been put together well, the instrument panels, center console, aircon controls and the stereo system are all conventionally placed and there is nothing to complain about the dash layout. The twin glove box, three cupholders and decently sized map pockets (which can also hold a small water bottle) on the doors help stowing away things neatly.

The dashboard on the top end XV comes in a colour which Nissan calls the ‘Greige’ (mix of grey and beige). This colour does not exactly make the car’s interiors look totally upmarket, but it does a good job of livening up the interiors to some extent. The XE and XL variants get pitch black interiors and I actually loved the black interiors more than the ’Greige’ interiors.

The quality of plastics used is very good and there isn’t a spot which looks cheap (except for the key slot on the XE and XL) and the material used on the seats. The AC vents are all finished well and are easy to adjust while the switchgear is top class. The way the indicator stalk feels when you use the indicators is exceptional. The steering feel is extremely nice and soft to hold and wish it could have been a bit chunkier.

The front seats are very comfortable and supportive for most people but the tall people would find it difficult to sit at the driver’s seat. The seat fabric on the mid XL comes in black with a silver theme, the seat fabrics on the mid variant looks better than the top-end XV’s ‘Greige’ seats. The base XE’s seats get integrated headrests (like the i10 and A-Star) and the seats are flat unsupportive and come with a felt-like material which could tear easily on rough use. The XE doesn’t even come with a day/night swappable interior rear view mirror.

Though the front seats are comfortable and the driving position is nearly flawless with great visibility all around, I would have liked the gear lever to have been positioned a bit higher (like in the Ford Figo).

The rear seats on the XL and XV doesn’t come with adjustable headrests and only with integrated headrests, while the XE’s rear bench doesn’t even get integrated headrests. But we guess the base XE is not endowed with any features at all as Nissan could be offering the base XE at a killer price tag.

Only the XL and XV come with a music system with a CD player and Aux-in. A music system is also standard on the XE Plus variant. The XV is the only one that comes with a climate control, keyless remote entry, electrically adjustable/foldable rear view mirrors rear defogger and chrome finished door levers on the inside.

The car comes with a Tachometer as standard across all its variants and the small LCD display shows all the basic info like odometer, tripmeter and fuel consumption indicator.

Final word

The Nissan Micra’s interiors may not be radically new or different. It is conventional, it is very mundane but what really makes the Nissan Micra’s cabin stand apart is the effortlessly elegant design. It is simple, it is a nice place to sit and travel. It is roomy and it is comfortable. The high end variants come with all the equipment necessary and probably even more, like the electrically folding rear view mirrors which fold automatically once the car is locked. The cars cabin is thoughtfully put together and is very well equipped.

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