Cute without quite making it to sexy, this effervescent little number is made of good quality stuff for an entry level model. It floats over minor bumps with grace and ease, as though it thinks itself a BMW or a Merc of much grander scale, and it will take you on longer jaunts than the average city run around in relative comfort. Like a Cavalier’s house riddled with priest-holes, the Nissan Micra has numerous hidden compartments for extra storage. The rear seats slide cunningly forward to increase boot space, too. For a small car, it’s surprisingly spacious: every cubic centimetre has been thought about carefully.
The Micra is also built from all the right stuff: it’s sturdy and laden with high-quality specs, and it just feels safe to drive. Moreover, the steering is tightly accurate, the chassis deceptively good, road grip is superb and there is virtually no detectable roll. The car comes in a broad range of engines but the 1.5 litre diesel is probably the best, which compares well with the petrol varieties for acceleration but squeezes an impressive 60 miles out of every gallon of fuel.
Whilst it’s definitely more cosy than cool, more friendly than feisty, it has an appealing cheekiness about it and strong performance credentials which make it truly attractive.
