Nissan has officially unveiled the facelift of its current (fourth) generation Micra hatchback. The car gets a prominent makeover that adds a more up-market expressive look to the adorable character of the Micra. The new Micra has already been introduced on Nissan’s European website and will go on sale in September. It will be launched in the Indian market next month. Nissan launched the first generation Micra in 1982 and has sold over 1 million units in Europe by 1998, that made the company the first Japanese automaker to have crossed the 1 million units sales milestone in the European market.
The major change lies in the front end of the new Micra which is prominent and completely redesigned. The new sharp traingular shaped head lights and fog lamps, 15-inch dual tone alloy wheels, large reformed lower and upper grille with iconic ‘V’ mark replaces the blunt appeal of the current model. Nissan has also redesigned the bonnet and the front fenders. The rear of the Micra gets limited but subtle changes with the new LED tail lights, stretched tailgate and sharp creased rear bumper that looks more rigid. The new Micra also gets two new color shades – Pacific Blue and metallic Platinum Sage.
Inside the car, slightly redesigned dashboard with the new air con vents, new high quality seats fabric with double stitching, bright instrument panel and the centre arm-rest for front passenger, enhance the comfort level for occupants. A new 5.8 inch touch-screen NissanConnect system is being accomodated on dash that controls the bluetooth, audio and navigation operations with simple integration.
The centre console and gear shift lever also get silver finish. The added equipment includes keyless entry, start-stop button and the new parking aid system. The Indian version will also feature steering mounted audio controls which is absent in the current generation model in India. The European model will also get engine start/stop technology to increase fuel efficiency and to lower CO2 emissions simultaneously. However, it is not expected to be featured on the Indian version.
The powertrain options will be the same as the current 1.2-litre petrol engine and 1.5-litre dCi K9K diesel engine in our market. On European roads, a 1.2-litre supercharged engine has been doing duty which is certainly not coming to our shores anytime in the near future. The most interesting addition in the facelifted Micra for the Indian market is the additional option of a X-Tronic CVT transmission that has been offered on the Nissan Sunny and Renault Scala. The CVT transmission will be mated to the petrol motor and will be a boon for city driving as well as highway cruising.
