The Nissan Micra was the Japanese automaker's first major mass-market offering in India. It was a popular seller offering space, comfort and a frugal diesel engine to owners. The Micra competed in a segment against the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Ford Figo, Hyundai i10, and the likes, and managed to have an edge with its cute styling and spacious cabin. In fact, most owners of the Micra have had a largely positive ownership experience barring Nissan's service network with the little hatchback being a reliable choice. So, if you are interested in bringing a used Nissan Micra home, here are five things you need to know.
1. The Nissan Micra went on sale in 2010 and was quite likeable for its curvy design and spacious cabin. The model came with 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines, and it was the latter that was more popular given the frugal nature of the offering. The overall build quality is good and the car holds up rather well even after so many years. The plastic quality though is not the best and feels flimsy in places. Do check out for rattles when checking pre-owned examples.
2. The top variants of the Nissan Micra were fairly loaded on the feature front and came equipped with dual front airbags, automatic climate control, rear defogger, 2-DIN audio system and more. The tall stance also made for liberal headroom in the second row, while the boot capacity of 251 litres was small, even smaller than the comparable Maruti Suzuki Swift.
3. The Micra got its first major update in 2013 with the facelift that brought the low-cost Active variant with a detuned 1.2-litre petrol engine. The Nissan Micra Active got cosmetic upgrades too with the headlamps pushed back, a revised grille that looked sportier and tweaked bumpers. The model also ran only on steel wheels with wheel covers instead of alloys. If you are in the used car market, this would be a more accessible version of the Micra and was on sale till the end of its lifecycle.
The Nissan Micra received a proper update in 2013 with revised styling, more features and a petrol-automatic option
4. Nissan also launched a premium version of the Micra in 2013 that received the V-shaped chrome slats on the grille, revised headlamps and new LED taillights as part of the upgrade. This version also gets the CVT automatic gearbox with the petrol and features like keyless entry and go, climate control, Bluetooth connectivity, USB and AUX connectivity and a reverse camera. Another update in 2018 brought a 6.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system along with driver seatbelt warning, while the rear parking sensors were made standard across all variants.
5. If you are looking for a used Micra, the more premium version brings more value to your purchase. Examples from 2013 command about Rs. 3 lakh for the petrol version, while the diesel version is about Rs. 50,000-70,000 more expensive. There are several examples of the Micra diesel facelift in the used car space but they are usually high-run units. That said, the k9K motor is known to be reliable and pocket-friendly. The petrol-automatic though is known to be less efficient.
