Category: Small Family 
Price Range: £9,990 to £14,290
Loads of rear legroom and luggage space, affordable and unpretentious.
Small range to choose from, engines can be noisy.
Like the Renault Modus, only roomier - a very useful family car.
The Note is absolutely user-friendly, with clear controls, an excellent driving position and obedient handling. The power steering (a little heavier in the 1.6 petrol model than the other versions) is much-improved on that of the overlight Micra, giving a bit more feedback and a more accurate sense of where it's going on the road.
Nissan has tuned the Note (which has been on sale for a while in Japan already as the Tone) to suit European roads and preferences and, while it can't quite corner like a hot hatch, it's agile and easy to drive.
Usually these days, the diesel model's the best pick in a mainstream range, but in this case, the 1.6 (110bhp, 112lb-ft) is the most appealing. It's quick off the mark (0-60mph in 10.6 seconds, with the manual gearbox), cruises very happily at high speeds (top speed 114mph) and is a capable hill-climber, rarely running out of puff unless it's pushed very hard or heavily laden-down.
The 86bhp, 147lb-ft diesel (0-60mph in 13 seconds, 104mph) doesn't feel any stronger mid-range, isn't that lively at urban speeds and gets rather loud under pressure.
Both of these engines could do with a six-speed gearbox, too, for more relaxed motorway progress and to help stir a little extra urge on country roads - the Note's a long, heavy vehicle compared to the Micra, Clio and Modus, and it has to be worked quite hard if you really want to push on.
The 1.4 (88bhp, 94lb-ft, 103mph and 13.1 seconds 0-60mph) is surprisingly strong and pleasant in the Note as it is in other Renault-Nissan models, and doesn't feel much slower than the more expensive 1.6 under most normal driving conditions.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Nissan NOTE
wrote on 13 09 2008
wrote on 10 10 2007