My New Nissan Micra CVT (Blade Silver)


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Hi folks,

So I finally decided on the Nissan Micra CVT after much deliberation and trial of other notable rival candidates such as Brio AT.
As discussed in another thread, the essential requirements were:

1) Automatic transmission for ease of driving
2) Safety features (ABS+Airbags)
3) Back seat comfort for parents
4) Decent boot space.

The initial choices were AStar, Ritz AT, Brio AT, I-10 Grand AT and of course, Micra CVT. Used up the information provided by fellow members on the forum, and based on the requirements above and test drives the list narrowed down to Brio AT and Micra. The reasons others were rejected were

AStar-AT
a)- Poor in terms of back seat comfort
b) poor boot space
c) Does not come with Airbags
d) Model on its way out.
On the flip side, it does feel nippy and solidly built- a rare Maruti in that category.

Ritz AT - has rear seat comfort , boot space and also ABS but NO airbags. Also, for the price (7.4 OTR) , it felt very poorly equipped- not even an OE music system!

Grand I-10-on the positive side, was well equipped with features, has decent space for rear pax, as well as boot space. It could have very well been the choice but for lack of ABS and Airbags, hence I opted out.

Brio-AT- now this was well contested and based on various feedbacks, was a close contender. However, three things did not go in its favour

a) Parents felt rear seat comfort in Micra was better as Brio sits a bit crouched.
b) The rear hatch glass felt uncomfortably close to the rear passenger backs.
c) Small boot space.

So we were finally left with the most expensive of the lot!!
Nissan Micra CVT Positives:
1) Comfortable seating for front and rear pax.
2) Smooth CVT response, especially in city driving. Felt like driving an electric motor car almost!!
3) Well equipped with features and safety kit
4) Decent boot space
Not-so-Positives:
1) The sea of greige!! Hence I chose seat covers to break that monotony.
2) True keyless entry - still getting used to it.
3) Maxxis tyres- but I have some assurance from fellow member's posts on this one- opinions welcome though!!

I got the vehicle delivered on 16th Dec after all the finance arrangements were completed and RTO documents were furnished.
I took the following accessories :
1) Art Leather seat covers in black-greige combination, something to break the greige monotony and also complement the black AC/Infotainment center.
2) Reverse parking sensors

It cost 7.59 OTR in all.

Will take other accessories as needed such as mats etc. The dealership experience at Oxford Nissan has been good . Staff was courteous, friendly although they did goof up a bit on the colour- I had initially selected the Olive green colour which the SA had "blocked" but then later he said there was some confusion . But Silver was available. So Silver it was! I have never been fussy about colour in my previous car ownerships- except that I do not like loud gaudy ones.


Havent driven much, but enjoyed it so far. I plan to switch to nitrogen for the tyres. I have been advised to maintain 29/30 psi since the average load will be 2 people and occasionally 4. The recommendation is for 44 psi for 3 person load in the rear !
Here are some pics attached. Please excuse the camera quality- will snap better ones with my DSLR later.

Update: 16000 Km, 16 months!: If there was ever an understated and underrated car in the market, it would be the Micra CVT. In the past 16000 km of mostly urban driving, this car has been an absolute revelation.
Likes::
1) Smooth engine performance, absolutely no change- feels like a brand new engine.
2) Consistent mileage of approx 14-15 kmpl, occasionally higher during longer runs.
3) Well built body, no rattles, and no loose bits in the interior. Micra is really quite worth the premium.
4) No failures of equipment like AC, music system, zero niggles, faults, malfunctions
5) Most important No unnecessary expenses. Oil change is cheap. My first paid service the other day cost me 2800 Rs including labour. CVT transmission fluid is good for 100000km I am told, and belts to be changed only after 60000 km.

Dislikes:: None really , once you get used to the CVT power delivery.

So in a nutshell- my Micra, while playing the humble hardworking bridesmaid to my other cars (Linea and now Duster), is indeed a delightful piece of equipment in its own right. It deserves this praise.
 

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@acechip - Welcome to the growing community of Micra CVT owners in TAI. Wishing you excellent fuel economy and reliability. Don't know if you visited my ownership thread. Incase you haven't been there yet, it is available at the link below - Ownership Reviews - Page 3
 
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Hey acechip, congrats bro for the beauty. It is a very good car for in city drives with great convinience. Please do post your driving experiences and mileage figures.
 
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Congrats !! for your new CVT micra. I wish you many more happy miles with it.

The pics are not doing justice to the thread buddy, please try and post some nice pics. Wish to read your experience on this CVT in dense traffic situation.
 
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Congrats on the new drive!! Wishing you all the best & a safe drive.

44psi for 3 ppl is quite high and also for rear. Do check again buddy with the SA or in the manual.
 
Thread Starter #12
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Congrats !! for your new CVT micra. I wish you many more happy miles with it.

The pics are not doing justice to the thread buddy, please try and post some nice pics. Wish to read your experience on this CVT in dense traffic situation.
Hi, spent some quality time with my new baby over the past day or two. And therefore was able to get a sense of driving the automatic-correction the CV-matic ([;)]) in Pune traffic. And I like what I see so far. For one- the ability to hold on the accelerator for the occasional short signals or traffic buildups is such a huge boon.
Also, the turning radius of this car is quite nice! And this coming on the backdrop of my tribulations with the Fiat Linea- is such a relief!. Although I daresay, when my Linea blocks the road during its turn, the other cars/2-wheelers do accord a bit of respect and do not resort to incessant honking . The Linea HAS that kind of road presence. The Micra of course,really doesnt need it!!
Twist the steering and the car turns on a dime (almost).
I am still guaging the CVT response to gentle/mid level throttle inputs. The rpm refuses to climb over 2K, except on the occasional slope.
Yesterday, on the BLR bypass, it was holding at around 1.6K RPM for a speed of 80kph..thats really nice.

Please give your suggestions on any "running-in" precautions. The Nissan SA simply shrugged his shoulders and said there arent any specific instructions - this isnt a Maruti , he said with a rather smug expression.

I do know that the Fiats typically do not require run-in, but not sure about Nissan. I read somewhere its better to let the engine rev through the range for the internals to set in. But specific instructions for Micra would be welcome.
 
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Hi, spent some quality time with my new baby over the past day or two. And therefore was able to get a sense of driving the automatic-correction the CV-matic ([;)]) in Pune traffic. And I like what I see so far. For one- the ability to hold on the accelerator for the occasional short signals or traffic buildups is such a huge boon.
Also, the turning radius of this car is quite nice! And this coming on the backdrop of my tribulations with the Fiat Linea- is such a relief!. Although I daresay, when my Linea blocks the road during its turn, the other cars/2-wheelers do accord a bit of respect and do not resort to incessant honking . The Linea HAS that kind of road presence. The Micra of course,really doesnt need it!!
Twist the steering and the car turns on a dime (almost).
I am still guaging the CVT response to gentle/mid level throttle inputs. The rpm refuses to climb over 2K, except on the occasional slope.
Yesterday, on the BLR bypass, it was holding at around 1.6K RPM for a speed of 80kph..thats really nice.

Please give your suggestions on any "running-in" precautions. The Nissan SA simply shrugged his shoulders and said there arent any specific instructions - this isnt a Maruti , he said with a rather smug expression.

I do know that the Fiats typically do not require run-in, but not sure about Nissan. I read somewhere its better to let the engine rev through the range for the internals to set in. But specific instructions for Micra would be welcome.
With my little knowledge about Auto transmission, I say this

1. Handle the Auto transmission bit gently, not like the manual one
2. A light foot is always good till you get sync with the car behavior
3. Do not hard rev at any time until unless it is really required
4. Yes there is a run in period for every car as it is a machine. It needs some time to open up, so handle it carefully for at least 1000km and till 5000km is good.
5. upto 1000km do not push beyond 80-100kmph
6. CVT is really a great transmission, it gives you very good results provided if you handle with care
7. Mind it is a auto transmission, so do not expect it to rash fast at signals

I wish you all the best with your car buddy
 
Thread Starter #15
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Further update to my initial driving observations on the Micra CVT. We went to Lonavala over the weekend, and for a change, drove along the old Mumbai-Pune highway for 2 reasons:
1) I had not really traveled that route in many many days
2) I felt that running the new car on Expressway so early would not be a great idea.

So we went along at a brisk 60-80 kph and still managed a decent time. Furthermore, climbed up some of the ghat turns on the way to Lions Point on the Aamby Valley road. Boy, I really loved the cars response throughout!. On the straight road, she was so smooth, my wife actually nodded off to sleep!!
On the ghat, I would say she took the curves and the inclines without a fuss. So the perceived lack of grunt from CVT was not there at all. And I did not use the Sport mode btw.
So I would say, that she performed really well .
And the icing on the cake?
16.8 km per litre for the trip !! More than met my expectations for a car so new.
 
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