Micra Active - XL : Perfect City Car

An year back, I was searching for a car with fresh looks, for city usage with budget around 5L. After a long research finalized 'Nissan Micra Actice - XL'.  This variant lacks audio system and rear power windows. Chose this variant specifically as I wanted to try 2-din audio/video system with reverse gear integrated from the out market.

Test driven a lot of cars (almost all in this segment), read lot of forums and got friends opinions (of course). My priority list has these 3 at top: 1. Fresh/unique look 2. Good City Mileage 3. Ease of Driving within the city especially.

I now have clocked 15K kms and used my car for more than an year. Its now time for my 'feedback' (not an expert, so would stay away from the tech word 'review'):

I have made a right decision choosing this car :). The ultra light Steering is a pleasure to drive especially in bumper-to-bumper traffic. An U-turn in those traffic conditions with a narrow road, piece of cake with this car. I would say this confidently, as few times tried Figo and Swift in the similar conditions and feel Micra is the best among these.

Exterior It's fresh and different than the others in the road. Flexible Bumpers! Stayed Strong and avoided damage in lot of instances due to it's flexibility.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Spacious in this segment. Glove-box comes with the 'tilt' basic knob, A regular 'pull up' knob is missing. Dashboard design is decent. The Round Air-Vent looks good.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Getting an average Fuel Economy of 15kmpl (80% city, 20% highways), Which is good. Gear needs an improvement, the first gear especially. At times is hard especially if tried in an hurry-bury. But upon usage, 'I got used to it'.

Ride Quality & Handling Good Suspension, ground clearance. Handling too is good. Steering needs a special mentioning here. You got to feel it to believe. Service The bigger part comes here: Most of the user reviews earlier spoke bad about Nissan's Service, which made me to think twice. Later heard that since 2014 March, the prior service company Hover Automotive (HAI) had moved out and Nissan entered directly into service.   I have completed 2 major services now (6th month and 1 year), and it's great. Especially the last one made in Jubilant Nissan - Gerugambakkam: Good Service, great response, on time delivery, also the pricing is decent.

Final Words Great City Car with good mileage, great steering and fresh looks.

Areas of improvement Gearbox (1st gear) especially, Glove-box comes with the 'tilt' basic knob.

Great Steering, Good Mileage, Unique LookGearbox (1st gear) especially, Glove-box comes with the 'tilt' basic knob