2007 Nissan Micra Sport SR 1.6

Young petrolhead acquires first car

I know what you’re thinking. How is this guy a petrolhead?

Well, hear me out. In the UK, insurance is ridiculous. In fact, just to insure anything remotely zippy or even popular is often over £2000 in our area. Sometimes it really does feel like nobody wants you to drive (or study in higher education but that’s another story). So I had the idea to find an unassuming vehicle, one that doesn’t set off alarm bells in the hands of an adolescent. Enter the Micra.

A Sporty Micra?

Okay so the paltry power rating of just under 110hp is not a particularly soul stirring figure. Neither is the torque at 113lb/ft. However, glance over at the 960kg kerb weight and it all suddenly becomes not so bad. The engine isn’t a kicking and screaming banshee of a lump, but the 1.6 with its direct electronic port injection is still a characterful car. You rely on the torque as opposed to wringing it out to redline (it’s not a Honda), so it feels quick, even though it isn’t. The car is light and ‘flickable’, and it generates a smile when you’re throwing it around a bend at well under the speed limit. This should be expected though, if whispers about the tuning team that adjusted the 350Z for the UK also messed with this are to be believed.

But the image…

No, you’ll never shake off the OAP moniker. You will however, shake off the rest of the under 20 crowd in their Clios and Corsas. And you’ll be grinning at the theatrics of it all. The Micra sports 16” gunmetal alloys and a few skirts and spoilers. It differentiates the car from its brethren without being all ‘look at me’, which would be detriment to this cars audience.
It’s also surprisingly nice in the inside, without the bakerlite 1980s dials of lesser models, the car feels suitably gruff, without losing all of its cutesy charm. It’s also very spacious, being able to carry 5 at a stretch, and 4 in comfort. Oh yeah, and you can fit in a 21” mountain bike with the seats down. Seriously.

But did you really want a Micra?

No, I didn’t but I was pleasantly surprised by the driving experience. It’s a good car, a fun car but most importantly, a cheap car to insure at just over £900.

Also I couldn’t find a Panda in my price range >.<.