NISSAN dropped the ball in dramatic fashion when it replaced the much-loved 'cloud' Micra with the current car, which is undercooked and, worst of all for a small car, hard to love, writes William Scholes.
Now it wants to make amends with this, the fifth generation of the Micra. It will be built in France and is due to go on sale from March next year.
Apart from vastly better styling, the new car gets a battery of technology including safety kit such as emergency braking and lane departure warning.
It is wider, lower and longer than any previous Micra, so more interior space is a given.
"When the first Micra appeared more than 30 years ago, it marked a revolution in the small hatchback segment and opened a new chapter for Nissan," said Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn.
"The fifth generation Micra is just as revolutionary, and will raise expectations for what a hatchback can, and should, deliver to its customers."
Big talk for a small car...
"Following in the wheel tracks of distinctive cars like Qashqai and Juke, the latest Micra reinforces Nissan's position as a leader in automotive design," waxed Mr Ghosn.
Opportunity to personalise your Micra inside and out is a key selling point this time and Nissan says it has spent a lot of time on driver comfort, something which the current car lags far behind on compared to rivals.
At launch, engine choices will be a 0.9-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel, both developing 89bhp.A 1.0-litre petrol with 72bhp arrives later - presumably quite a bit later given the low power output.
