Design & Interiors
To some the Micra looks like an evolution of the Volkswagen Beetle; while on the other hand some feel the car looks like a scaled down Porsche Cayenne; some even tell me that the Micra looks like an obese Maruti Suzuki A-star! You have to agree that all of them are right from their own perspective. The Micra has a bubbly design theme to it – the headlights, the windows, the overall shape of the car – it all looks like a bunch of soap bubbles stuck together. The K13 however looks much better than its predecessors and as Nissan wants it, the Micra WILL cater to the male as well as female customers. The unisex design then isn’t only about form but also about function (more on that later).
Fortunately for India, the Pista Green colour that was shown in the ‘Press Images’ sent out during the Geneva unveiling, won’t make it to the showrooms. Especially in the bunch of Figo and Spark greens, the Micra’s shade looks absolutely hideous! The car we sampled was white in colour, which looks decent – however if I were to buy one, I would prefer the copper.
The interiors of the car follow a similar bubbly theme as is evident from the photos. Thanks to the fairly tall roofline of the car, the interiors feel roomy. The large rear windows are welcome again after being exposed to the claustrophobic windows of the Hyundai i10 and the Maruti Suzuki A-star. The V-platform, with its compact suspension components and wheels-at-the-corners design, has allowed the Nissan engineers to pack in a lot more cabin space than what the exteriors of the car suggest. The rear seat hence, has enough padding on it to accommodate two adults and an early-teenager without poking into each other’s shoulders. While the interior design is innovative and comfortable for the occupants, the quality of plastics isn’t something you would expect from a car that is going to be exported to over 160 countries. We are however told that the car we sampled was hand built as a preview vehicle and the production model will be a lot better – and we would like to believe Nissan on that.
