What they said when the Nissan Note was new… (Apr 24 2006)
THERE'S little doubt that Nissan really has taken Note of what its customers want.
Before its latest new car was created its engineers staked out supermarket car parks and watched just how drivers used their small cars.
They studded how they loaded them, how they used the available space for shopping and parcels and then cheekily questioned them about their likes and dislikes of vehicles made by rival manufacturers.
They then turned their attention to children - and quizzed them on the pros and cons of their parents' cars from a junior point of view.
All this information was then analysed - and from the results the Nissan Note for Europe was born.
I say for Europe because there is a Note made in Japan for the Japanese market - but it doesn't have anywhere near the number of goodies that the one made in Sunderland has.
And it's all that homework and the fact that the European Note is such an easy car to live with that will ensure it's a success.
In fact it's already a success. The first models only went on sale last month and already 2,500 have been sold - 500 more than had been expected so early on.
The Note is a big small car, or should that be a small big car ?
Either way it's a very distinctive looking family car which offers an abundance of space wrapped up in a stylish and unique package.
And as a result of the all the information gathered the Note sets out to keep things simple. No need to get the car's manual out to discover how the seats fold down or how more space can be created beneath the hatchback here.
Nissan's Wayne Bruce told me : "The folding seats in cars like the Honda Jazz and Vauxhall Meriva that our engineers looked at are clever but our research showed that a lot of people didn't use them because in many cases they didn't know how they worked. So we decided to make the Note much simpler."
And that's exactly what they have done.
Overall the Note is longer than the Nissan Micra but shorter than a VW Golf, although the space between the front and rear wheels is actually longer than on the Golf to give maximum interior space versus exterior space - a sort of Tardis effect.
It means the rear seat can be slid backwards or forwards more than six inches, depending upon whether you want more leg room in the rear or need to boost the luggage area.
But unlike in most other cars I have across with this feature the Note is so cleverly designed that even when the seat is fully back there is still a really impressive amount of boot space.
And with it in the rearmost position the leggiest of rear seat passengers can really stretch their limbs out, limousine style.
The extra legroom is boosted further by the fact that the front seats - which have aircraft-style folding tables on their backs - are reasonably high so those in the rear can easily put their feet underneath them.
The rear seatbacks fold down as does the front passenger seat back - just in case you decide to collect a large piece of furniture from Ikea.
No matter which of the three trim levels you opt for - S, SE or SVE - you get Nissan's Flex-Board reversible trunk floor.
In essence this is a clever twin board system which slots into place to give you a single or double decker boot, depending upon what you want to carry at any given time.
One side of it is carpeted while the other is covered in a rubberised waterproof material in case you have wet clothes or a wet dog.
And just to complete the story of the interior the glove box is worthy of mention. At first glance it appears there isn't one, just a parcel shelf. But when you push a button in that shelf a hidden glove box that can chill a dozen cans of drinks opens up. Pretty smart.
Externally the new Note has a face similar to that of Nissan's up-market Murano while the rear, well that's eye catching but like nothing else on the road.
Get behind the wheel and the Note is impressively quiet and the ride is comfortable while being firm enough to ensure good handling on corners. The steering is light and the car is generally an enjoyable drive.
I particularly liked the gearbox in the 1.4-litre which is exceptionally creamy to use.
The Note is available with either a 1.4-litre, 88 bhp engine, a 1.6-litre 110 bhp engine or Renault's 1.5-litre 86 bhp Dci engine.
Prices start at £9,995 for the 1.4S while the 1.4SE, which adds features like air conditioning and alloy wheel and is expected to be the biggest seller, is £1,000 more.
Step up to a 1.6-litre and you can add a further £700 to each trim level while for the diesel model you have to add an aditional £300.
Top of the range 1.6 and diesel SVE models - there is no 1.4 SVE - are £1,000 more than SE models. But for that you get features like part leather sports seats, climate control rather than air conditioning and 6-CD in-dash autochanger rather than single CD radio.
Words: Edward Stephens
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