Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £7,895 to £13,395
Rounded, naive-looking styling, light controls, build quality.
Rounded, naive-looking styling, ride comfort falls behind current standards.
Love it or loathe it for its looks. As a car, it's unexceptional, but well made and very reliable.
Light controls and a good view from the commanding driving position make the Micra a doddle to drive, and its light weight and relatively skinny tyres mean that you could probably manage without the standard power steering. The gearchange is light and easy, the optional CVT automatic - the gearing changes gradually rather than in steps - is one of the best automatics you'll find in a supermini. It's too vague, wobbly and lightweight to be truly fun on the open road, but the Micra is responsive enough to nip through traffic. To drive, it's more domestic appliance than toy.
The 1.0 is leisurely, the 1.4 is quite lively, both are refined and frugal on fuel.
