Review: Nissan Micra Acenta 1.2 DIG-S (long-term test, month three)

WE’VE now had this little Nissan Micra Acenta 1.2 DIG-S for three months. When we picked it up, the weather
was dismal, wet and cold. Now the days are long, the sun is out and the Micra’s air conditioning has been tried, tested and gets two frostbitten thumbs up from me – who would have thought such a harmless little car could unleash such an unforgiving blast of winter through its air vents?

The Micra is punchy enough to pull off various cheeky getaways

Regularly summoning up that
Arctic squall hasn’t helped our Micra’s fuel consumption. We had been
ekeing out about 55mpg on longer journeys, but we’ve been limited to short urban trips lately, and that figure has fallen to 37mpg. Which is still not too bad considering the stop-start
nature of the Edinburgh commute.

Despite the median Acenta trim-level Micra being pretty well equipped, there’s no parking assistance fitted as standard, which we thought was a
little remiss in a car geared towards urban driving.

However, after a few weeks at the wheel, we’ve become accustomed to the Micra’s shape and size and know exactly
where its little bubble of personal space begins and ends, while the relatively 
high driving position and superb
visibility over the shoulder have made parking ridiculously easy.

As a country bumpkin from the sticks, a good satnav system is an
essential for me driving in Edinburgh. On the plus side, the Micra’s gizmo,
integrated into the 5.8-inch full-
colour touchscreen, is easy to use and intuitive, but I’m never quite satisfied with the zoom level and have missed a few turns and lane-changes, much to several other motorists’ frustration. Sorry everyone.

When you do find yourself in the wrong lane at the lights, a bit of poke doesn’t go amiss. The 1.2-litre supercharged petrol engine may not be
ideal for long motorway hauls, but 
it’s certainly been punchy enough for me to pull off various cheeky 
getaways from the white line as I dart haphazardly across town. Again, sorry everyone.

It’s comfortable, parkable and has 
decent fuel economy with just enough fizz to give you an edge at the lights. Yes, the Micra’s right at home in the city.

VITAL STATS

PRICE £12,650 (£13,600 as tested)

ENGINE 1.2l petrol, 3 cyl, 97bhp, 108 lb ft

PERFORMANCE Max speed 112mph; 0-62mph 11.3s

ECONOMY 65.7mpg

CO2 EMISSIONS 99g/km