THE jelly mould Nissan Micra is better than most superminis from the same era, with chirpy looks, good performance, and excellent economy.
It came out in 2003 and has been a good seller, appealing to people from all walks of life.
Other superminis arer catching up and some are bigger, but none have passed it and even fewer have the same reputation for reliability, long life and cheap running costs.
Smooth, quiet and perky engines are 1.0-litre, 1.2 or 1.4 with good performance from the larger two and five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearboxes.
It’s available with three or five doors and is big enough for four adults.
Comfort is excellent for a small car, handling is superb, road holding huge fun and, since all were built in the North East, they have more British content than most Fords and Vauxhalls.
Interior
All have informative power steering, a great looking dash with touches of off-white and silver, very easy controls and comfortable seats.
Interior space is not that big, especially in the back seats and the boot is also quite small. Lots about so be choosy.
FAST FACTS
Nissan Micra
Price: Pay around £3,100 for an ’04 04-reg S, £4,300 for an ’05 55-reg SX or £6,000 for an ’07 57-reg Sport
Mechanical: 78bhp, 1,198cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 104mph
0-62mph: 12 seconds
Combined mpg: 42
Insurance group: 2
CO2 emissions: 150g/km
Marks: 7/10
Main rival: Ford Fiesta