Test Drive: New Nissan MICRA. –the Nissan Micra is on sale now!–

If I’m in a car, you’ll usually find me in the back. Every time I need a car, I just lean on friends or family – and then, out of nowhere, I get a press release asking me to come and test-drive the new Nissan MICRA.

It was the first chance anybody outside of Nissan Australia would have to try the new model, and Japan IN Melbourne was the only Japanese Press attending!

Was I really the right person for the job? When the day came, I couldn’t shake the doubt from my mind, and I walked more like a man condemned.

The meet, held at Docklands’ Harbour Town, attracted some fifty people, including Nissan associates and representatives from local media.

Rushing in from Nissan Japan, product specialist Mr. Doi Kazuhiro explained a little about just how they’d give the new MICRA a competitive edge in the Australian market.

RRP: $12,990
Available in ten colours, including orange and green exclusively in Australia.

The new Micra’s loaded with stand-out features, but when you take it for a spin you’ll see that where it really shines is city driving. A car this size has a turning circle of about 9m, so it’s perfect to drive – and park- in any city, no matter how narrow the streets.

At this point, even a lousy driver like me was excited. So let’s start the test-trive.

They’d set up a course in a nearby carpark. It included s-bends, slaloms, a sudden-stop test, and even parallel parking. Enough variety to replicate all the various situations you’d face driving in the city.

When my turn came, all my earlier concerns disappeared as the MICRA and I worked in perfect harmony. The course was built narrow like a back alley, but I cleared it no problem, and although it took a bit of care, I was even able to parallel park. Perfectly, first try!

No doubt it was only thanks to the Micra’s design, but I actually started to believe ‘hey, maybe I’m just a great driver after all?’

The final test was the sudden stop. For this test, I had to floor it for a distance of about 50m, then slam on the breaks the moment the stop-sign popped out. Now, although the car itself is a little larger, the lightweight Micra runs smooth even seating two adults, and it braked responsively even for a sudden stop like this.

And to think I started the day so nervous!
Once the test-drive was really underway, the sheer quality of the car’s design worked its magic, and I felt more like a pro-driver.

Having this chance to test the new Micra, I couldn’t help but think on the sheer number of people whose ideas and labour had gone into making this car a reality.

It was humans that created this (design, art, performance/efficiency).

The idea-packed new Micra is on sale Australia-wide from November 22nd. Head to your nearest dealer now!