Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £7,695 to £12,945
Distinctive cheeky looks, remarkably pleasant interior, good ride, build quality, good visibility, extremely easy to drive, nice simple auto gearboxes, lively diesel engines
A little squidgy to drive, engines could be a smidge quieter, electric power steering very light at town speeds, but not much else to complain about at all
Very good in all respects, with some of the best small diesels around
The Nissan Micra. Not, traditionally, the most exciting of superminis. A bit dull, a bit staid, a bit flat-cap, a bit driving school. Always reliable though. And rather functional. And European Car of the Year in 1993, if you remember. But always lacking a certain... something... to make it a little more exciting, despite a curvy appearance which was relatively interesting back in the early 1990s.
But that early 1990s sobriety (the sort which made the Mazda 626 look exactly the same as the Toyota Carina, which looked exactly the same as the Vauxhall Cavalier, which looked exactly the same as the Nissan Primera, and so on), has passed, and trendiness sells cars these days. So welcome the latest Nissan Micra. It's rather friendly-looking on the outside, and even quite well designed on the inside, too.
The Micra is offered in both three and five door bodystyles, plus is also available as a folding-metal-roofed coupe-cabriolet known as the Micra C+C - reviewed seperately. A warm version called the SR adds a little excitement.
