35 Euro Cars That Can Save America: # 18 - Nissan Micra

 

It's big, it's heavy, but it's a Nissan, thus many buyers will pass buy much better values in this class and make a beeline right for it. Nissan's build quality is arguably equivalent to the legendary Toyota reliability, thus you can't argue with spending a few dollars more to house it in your garage. The fuel mileage could be much better, especially considering that the 104 MPH top speed is not exactly going to be attempted by the vast majority of its buyers. If the Micra could go on a bit of a diet and shed a few pounds, slice a couple of hundred cc's from its engine, and get its fuel mileage up, it could easily be the Number One car in the class.

 

The Nissan Micra Hatchback 1.2 Visia 3 Door is estimated to carry a North American net sale price of $11,492.40, given the prevailing market pricing of similar automobiles. Its 1240 cc engine powers the car to a top speed of 104 MPH and an acceleration shown by a zero to sixty MPH time of 13.5 seconds. The performance factor of 11.9 is average for its class. The Nissan Micra Hatchback 1.2 Visia 3 Door returns 55.4 MPG in highway driving, 38.2 MPG in the city, and a combined loop mileage of 47.9. With a fuel tank capacity of 9.5 gallons, the car can travel 526 miles on a full tank of unleaded regular fuel, but when it's filled right up to the top of the fuel filler neck, the total range should be approximately 634 miles. When all these price, performance and mileage factors are taken into consideration, the Nissan Micra Hatchback 1.2 Visia 3 Door scores a combined Practicality Index of 73, with 100 representing the best, most practical car available and 1 representing a Hummer H3.

 

Nissan Micra Hatchback 1.2 Visia 3 Door •

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ACTUAL AVERAGE EUROPEAN PRICE • $14,237.60

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MANUFACTURER'S EUROPEAN PRICE • $19,323.25

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ESTIMATED NORTH AMERICAN PRICE • $11,492.40

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SPECIFICATIONS & OUTPUT •

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Body Style • Hatchback

Doors • Number of • 3

Seats • Number of • 5

Engine Displacement (cc) & Cylinders • 1240 / 4

Valves • Number of • 16

Type of Fuel • Unleaded

Maximum Power (bhp @ rpm) • 64 / 5200

Torque (lb / ft) • 81

Engine Layout • F

Wheel Drive • Front

Overall Length (mm) • 3719

Overall Width (mm) • 1660

Overall Height (mm) • 1540

Front Seat Head Room (mm) • 965

Front Seat Leg Room (mm) • 1020

Rear Seat Head Room (mm) • 880

Rear Seat Knee Room (mm) • 661

Trunk Capacity Seats Up (litres) • 251

Trunk Capacity Seats Down (litres) • 1024

Turning Radius (m) • 9.2

Towing Capacity (kg) • 800

Curb Weight (kg) • 1035

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PERFORMANCE •

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0 to 60 MPH (secs) • 13.5

Top speed (MPH) • 104

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EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY & PRICING •

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EXTERIOR •

Alloy Rims / Wheels • Option Not Available

Metallic Exterior Paint • $390.00

SECURITY & SAFETY FEATURES •

Central Locking System • Standard Equipment

Remote Locking System • Standard Equipment

Power Assisted Steering • Standard Equipment

Seat Belt Pre-Tensioners • Standard Equipment

Driver Side Air Bag • Standard Equipment

Passenger Side Air Bag • Standard Equipment

Side Mounted Air Bag • Standard Equipment

Center Mounted Three Point Seat Belt • Standard Equipment

Automatic Traction Control • Option Not Available

Electronic Stability System • Option Not Available

Anti Lock (ABS) Brakes • Standard Equipment

Deadlock • Standard Equipment

Vehicle Immobilizer • Standard Equipment

Alarm • Option Not Available

Visible VIN • Standard Equipment

Secure Spare Tire • Standard Equipment

Etched Parts • Option Not Available

Window Etching • Option Not Available

Locking Wheel Lugs • Option Not Available

Side Impact Safety Bars • Standard Equipment

Rain Sensing Windshield Wipers • Option Not Available

Adaptive Cruise Speed Control • Option Not Available

Lane Departure Alarm • Option Not Available

Parking Sensor For Front • Option Not Available

CONVENIENCE & COMFORT FEATURES •

Leather Surface Seats • Option Not Available

Climatic Control • Option Not Available

Adjustable Steering Reach • Option Not Available

Adjustable Steering Height • Standard Equipment

Power Steering • Option Not Available

Adjustable Seat Height • Option Not Available

Adjustable Power Seats • Option Not Available

Air Conditioning • $500.00

Split Folding Rear Seats • Standard Equipment

Power Front Windows • Standard Equipment

Remote Mirrors • Option Not Available

Electrically Heated Mirrors • Option Not Available

Power Moonroof • Option Not Available

Manual Moonroof • Option Not Available

Cruise Speed Control • Option Not Available

Power Sunroof • Option Not Available

Remote Folding Mirrors • Option Not Available

SOUND, NAVIGATION & COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS •

Satellite GPS Navigation • Option Not Available

Radio • Option Not Available

Radio With RDS • Option Not Available

Theft Proof Radio • Standard Equipment

Multi CD • Option Not Available

iPod / MP3 Connector • Standard Equipment

Bluetooth Enabled • Option Not Available

MP3 CD Player Enabled • Standard Equipment

CD With RDS • Standard Equipment

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OPERATING COSTS •

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City MPG • 38.2

Highway MPG • 55.4

Combined MPG • 47.9

Fuel Tank Capacity (gallons) • 9.5

Carbon Dioxide Rating (g / km) • 139

Carbon Footprint Offset Cost • $20.00

Eco Rating • C

Insurability Grouping • 2

Estimated Average Insurance • $281.00

Percentage Value Retained (3 Years / 36,000 mi) • 36.00%

Estimated Average Monthly Lease Cost • $207.00

Maintenance Factor • 28

Estimated Maintenance Cost Over 3 Years • $840.00

Maintenance Intervals • 6,000 mi

Manufacturer's Warranty Term • 3 Year / 40,000 mi