Nissan Micra review

Up front, there’s little to complain about in the Micra. The seats and driving position are fine, and the steering wheel is a comfortable one to hold with a logical collection of buttons on the two horizontal spokes. The dials are clearly scripted and the central screen is sharp and informative.

A big central screen takes care of phone mirroring (mid-spec) or built-in nav (top-spec). Nissan’s infotainment system is quick to respond and easy to navigate, but looks and feels outdated alongside competitors’ efforts. There’s also a fine-value Bose stereo option that puts little speakers in the driver’s head rest. Nissan’s proud of this tech (which it has exclusive use of for a time) and justifiably so. Youthful Micra buyers will love it and it sounds really rather good.

In the back, it’s on the cramped side for the class, compared to the likes of a Citroen C3 or Ford Fiesta, let alone the vast Seat Ibiza. Boot space is adequate, and rear visibility is a tad more pinched than we’d like. Nissan will argue that the fleet of surround-view cameras and sensors available are happy to combat that problem in car parks. Fine, but they don’t make those nippy lane-change merges on a dark rainy motorway any easier…

Spec the N-Sport and the main swathe of dash is covered in Alcantara, which goes a long way to lifting the perceived quality inside. As standard, the plastics are fine but nothing exemplary. We like the textured cubbyhole underneath the USB socket that’s ideal for storing all but the largest smartphones. There’s also small stowage to be discovered under the armrest and in the door bins.

All told, it’s not a remarkable cabin, but it’s well executed enough not to be actively frustrating.