Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2011 | Page 80

motoring

Island Life - February/March 2011
Test driven on the Island
by Peter White

Micra in sync
with the Island
Nissan have celebrated 2011 in style
with the launch of their new Micra
which is available to view and test drive
at Staddlestones Nissan in Ryde.
The fourth generation of the Micra,
and the first new design to launch
in seven years, comes with the
catchphrase ‘In Sync With The City’.
OK, so we don’t have too many cit ies
on the Island, but this catchy little
number is equally in sync with the town
or countryside.
The exterior is neat and compact, and
the inside surprisingly spacious, with
ample head and foot room, even for
four occupants – five at a squeeze - and
with good all round vision. I test drove
the Tekna, with its easy to see and
understand controls, excellent sat nav
and glass roof – so plenty of friendly
innovations.
The new Micra features Nissan’s
all-new naturally aspirated HR12 1.2
litre, 3-cyclinder petrol engine with
valve-timing control (VTC) and is
80

available with either a 5-speed manual
gearbox or the all-new Continuously
Variable Transmission (CVT).
A new feature, and a first for a car
of its size, is a unique parking system.
The parking space measurement (PSM)
device measures the available parking
space, letting you know whether
parking will be easy, difficult or not
even worth attempting!
During parking itself the rear parking
sensors will guide you in with audio
visual signals to indicate how close you
are to objects. Retaining its compact
dimensions, the new car is slightly
longer and marginally lower than its
predecessor.
The legendary class-topping turning
radius of 4.65m has been retained
along with several new technologies
that minimise CO2 emissions and fuel
consumption. Not just kinder for the
environment, the new Nissan Micra
also benefits the owner with lower
running costs – the new model is

exempt from road tax for the first 12
months of ownership and costs just £20
for the manual and £90 for the CVT
version later this year. An insurance
group rating of five is also a significant
improvement on the previous model
and will result on customer savings of
up to £300 per year.
Chris Perkis, director at Staddlestones
Nissan, said: “The new Nissan Micra
is a great addition to the dealership.
We are confident that previous Micra
owners will be delighted with the new
model’s features and with the wealth
of interest in the Micra. We are positive
that the new model will live up to all
expectations.
Prices for the new Nissan Micra start
at £9,250, up to £12,350 without
metallic paint, which comes at an
extra £400, with many other extras
as options. For more information
about the new Nissan Micra contact
Staddlestones Nissan on 01983 562705

Visit our new website - www.visitislandlife.com