New Nissan Micra CVT: Ownership Review at 500 Kms

[ajit4u2k]

@Sandip24 Thanks. New Micra looks slightly better than the old one courtesy the chrome V and sharp headlights.

I have read in numerous places about the famed tankful method. Its not the most accurate method to measure FE because of the involvement of human factor which is prone to errors.

Most cars today come with fuel injection where the amount of fuel being sent into the cylinders is calculated and metered by the car computer(ECU) many times every second. Hence they can display instantaneous FE. It is by far the most accurate method. The same method is used in engine test cells to inspect engines prior to assembly on the vehicle.

I can tell you this for sure because I work with automotive R & D.

 

[sandip24]

Yes, you are correct that tankful method is not the most accurate methods.
But just wanted to let you know that even I own micra Diesel, and I am very curious about FE my car returns in varying conditions. So I always measure FE by tankful method.
When I compare FE measured by tankful method and that being displayed on MID, there is always a difference of 3-4 kmpl. Sometimes display shows 27 kmpl whereas by tankful method I get 24. You can check my review for more details.

 

[ajit4u2k]

Yes, you are correct that tankful method is not the most accurate methods.
But just wanted to let you know that even I own micra Diesel, and I am very curious about FE my car returns in varying conditions. So I always measure FE by tankful method.
When I compare FE measured by tankful method and that being displayed on MID, there is always a difference of 3-4 kmpl. Sometimes display shows 27 kmpl whereas by tankful method I get 24. You can check my review for more details.

@Sandip24 Its normal to see differences between alternate methods of measurement. There are errors that creep in many places. One of the places being the injection volume calculated by the ECU and what is actually injected. This number should be less than 10% in most cases. Another place for error happens at fraudulent fuel pumps where the fuel actually filled is less than what is displayed. If you fill your tankful till the nozzle automatically shuts off, then that leads to variation. Generally you can fill upto half a gallon more after the auto-shut off which again varies during each fill-up. Too many places that error can creep in, difficult to tell.

 

[ajit4u2k]

Completed first service a week ahead of time -

kilometers covered till service - 2300

Cost - 1584 (engine oil - 948 + oil filter - 175 + other consumables - 320 + taxes)

Time taken - ~ 2.5 hours

Other points - Big amazing service facility, air conditioned customer lounge with TV, you can view your car getting serviced etc. Very good infrastructure indeed.

Negative - outside the city and bad approach roads to the facility

Service adviser was going for replacement of air filter (400 Rs.). I mentioned to him Nissan manual doesn't ask for it in first service. It recommends only cleaning. He said that should be ok as the kms covered was less than 10000. He also suggested some coating which I refused as its difficult to find out anything tangible in it.

 

[sethumurugan]

@Sandip24 Thanks. New Micra looks slightly better than the old one courtesy the chrome V and sharp headlights.

I have read in numerous places about the famed tankful method. Its not the most accurate method to measure FE because of the involvement of human factor which is prone to errors.

Most cars today come with fuel injection where the amount of fuel being sent into the cylinders is calculated and metered by the car computer(ECU) many times every second. Hence they can display instantaneous FE. It is by far the most accurate method. The same method is used in engine test cells to inspect engines prior to assembly on the vehicle.

I can tell you this for sure because I work with automotive R & D.

Yes, you are correct that tankful method is not the most accurate methods.
But just wanted to let you know that even I own micra Diesel, and I am very curious about FE my car returns in varying conditions. So I always measure FE by tankful method.
When I compare FE measured by tankful method and that being displayed on MID, there is always a difference of 3-4 kmpl. Sometimes display shows 27 kmpl whereas by tankful method I get 24. You can check my review for more details.

Just something from my side.

I think every method will have some errors. To my knowledge Tank full to tank full (or call it as Neck to neck) could be the right choice (if you have enough time and the fuel station is not crowded since at the final stage you need lot of patience to see the final neck to neck level).

I do not trust the auto-cut off. Somehow I believe the auto-cut off tech cut the fuel even before it reaches the specific level (maybe the fuel flashes back into the nozzle)

And all vehicles does not have FE calculation on board (OBD might be useful here?)

 

[Sandykudva]

@ sandip24 & ajit4u2k : The MID or the On board data provided for the Fuel consumption is accurate upto a certain level but will only show you the Average from the time the car is started till the car is stopped on that particular day and if the car has not been stationary for more than 2 hours ( This duration is different for different cars ) . My office travel in a day is 25 kms one way so in the morning when i start my car till i reach office if the MID shows me an average fuel consumption of 18 Km/Ltr it means its the average for those 25 kms on my return journey if on the same stretch i drive a bit rough it will show me the average of 15 Km/ltr i.e for that stretch of 25 kms. Also the distance to empty is another information usually this will completely vary on the driving pattern of the driver.
While the Tankful method though not completely accurate gives you a Average fuel consumption of the car for the complete distance travelled in that full tank.

Like for my Polo the MID shows different Fuel consumption everyday when i drive completely on my mood but when my tank is empty and i tank it up it gives me the actual average.

On MID my average is usually displayed from 17.1 Km/ltr to 22 km/ltr
but on tank-full method i have been getting a constant of 15.5 to 16.5 km/ltr and my complete driving is city driving. My fuel tank capacity is around 40 ltrs and my full tank range will be between 575 to 650 kms. By my full tank method i usually tell the guy to fill it up till i can see the fuel and not on the auto shut off.

 

[ajit4u2k]

@Sandykudva What you are talking about is the trip FE which resets after each run. The average FE on the other hand calculates the overall FE for all the kilometers covered till date. It doesn't reset after each run. It doesn't show drastic changes between day to day and trip to trip, rather changes more gradually only after a consistent long good or bad run. The kilometers to empty is not a good way of measuring FE as it is calculated every 30 seconds or so based on the float placed in the tank and the instantaneous FE.

below is a link to some more discussion on ECU FE and tankful method -
fuel consumption - Car average mpg display correctness - Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

It doesn't indicate any direction of conclusiveness but are just views from a number of people.

 

[Sandykudva]

@ ajit4u2k : Every car company has different set of MID display. Till date i have not seen a car which shows an average consumption of the of the kilometers clocked till date. I have not driven a nissan car as of yet so wont comment on that

The cars that i have driven with MID

1. VW Polo- The Average fuel consumption on the first start of the day starts with around 12-13 km/ltr which is fixed in the memory of the car then this will vary afterwards depending on drivng conditions and traffic conditions. It also has an instant fuel consumption meter which keeps on changing every second with the kind of acceleration i give and is active only when the car is in motion.
2. Honda Citi I-Vtec- In a similar manner starts at around 10km/ltr and then varies on drive condition.
3. Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire VDi- Starts with around 13 km/ltr and then varies with driving condition.
4. Toyota Innova- Also the same style.
5. Skoda Octavia: This has a different calculation and shows Ltrs/100km so it starts with around 10/100 and then varies.

All these are the cars of family and frends i have driven and have observed that even if on the previous day i have driven and the last shown average is around 18km/ltr, the next day they start with the figures mentioned only and not 18 km/ltr.

About the Nissan as i said i have not driven and wont comment on its technology or MID system that is well known by you. I am also not degrading the car in any manner its just that these are the things that i have observed. And no method of calculation will give a 100% accurate result. So if your 41 ltr tank capacity of your Micra is giving you a range of say 1000-1100 kms it is one of the best hatch i must have come across then as even my VW Polo diesel 40 ltr tank capacity gives a max range of 650 - 700 kms.. And these figures you'll are getting before the first service so surely it will improve a lot more after that.

 

[ajit4u2k]

Sandy what you are saying is totally incorrect and absurd. No car ever starts at a random kmpl number every morning. When you manually reset the MID it shows "--" as the average mileage till it acquires data for new mileage from your next trip. Till the time you don't manually reset it, the average shown is your overall mileage since the last reset. Its mentioned in my owners manual also. You may read your owners manual to confirm.

 

[Sandykudva]

@ajit4u2k: There is no point arguing on the issue sir, as i mentioned to you all car MID is different and i am not aware of the Nissan MID system. As of for the other cars i have used, those were my observations. I am not a person who keeps on checking my MID and average but once in a while ok.

I am again quoting my lines which i think you missed to read

[I]About the Nissan as i said i have not driven and wont comment on its technology or MID system that is well known by you. I am also not degrading the car in any manner its just that these are the things that i have observed. And no method of calculation will give a 100% accurate result. So if your 41 ltr tank capacity of your Micra is giving you a range of say 1000-1100 kms it is one of the best hatch i must have come across then as even my VW Polo diesel 40 ltr tank capacity gives a max range of 650 - 700 kms.. And these figures you'll are getting before the first service so surely it will improve a lot more after that.[/I]

 

[kapilkal]

@ ajit4u2k: Congratulations on the car. So how has the car been so far. I just got my micra CVT delivered yesterday. I'm still getting used to the transmission. I had a couple of queries.
1. When is the first service of the car due.
2. When i take my foot of the brake from standstill it has a rumbling sort of noise, is it normal.
3. Does the doors get locked by it se;f after a certain speed?

 

[ajit4u2k]

@kapilkal - Congrats and welcome to Nissan Micra CVT owners club. I have done close to 3000 kms. No problems so far. Mileage 14.5-15 kmpl in city with AC 100% of the time.

1. First service is due after 6 months or 10000 kms whichever comes earlier.
2. i have not noticed any rumbling when starting from idle without accelerator input. When you put your foot on the accelerator you can hear the engine revs for brief period and then its gone. This is normal as the revs are higher in lower ratio/gear and then the transmission shifts and revs go down. I think its the engine revs you are hearing.
3. Yes the doors get auto-locked after a certain speed, i think its somewhere around 15 Kmph mark.

 

[kapilkal]

Thanks for the wishes.
1. Actually when i take my foot of the brake from standstill there is a noise, when i inquired about it to the sales person he said it was normal as it was the clutch disengaging or something.
2. The car does not lock it self at all. Is there some setting that i have to do for it to happen

 

[ajit4u2k]

@Kapilkal
1. What you are experiencing is strange. This is my second guess for your problem - Sometimes I do hear the ABS kicking in sound when coming to a stop or letting go off the brakes after a stop(brakes dis-engaging). That i think happens in two conditions - one with rains/wet road conditions or second when tyres are over or under pressurized or there is a pressure difference between LH and RH front tyres. When I got the car from the dealer all my tyres were pressurized to ~40 psi (ideal ~30psi). ABS used to kick-in a lot. You may as well get your front tyre pressures checked. By the way also check your rear tyre pressures, they might be high as well. I am not sure if ABS takes rear tyre speeds as input for activation.

2. My speed autolock began functioning only after the first service. Before that it used to remain unlocked the whole time which I prefer. Its a bit weird, may be even unsafe but I like to drive with doors unlocked all the time so that I can get out of the car(and escape/run) if something goes wrong with the car or there is an accident. Now I have to unlock it manually each time it autolocks.

 

[kapilkal]

@ajit4u2k
Thank you for the immediate response. I shall check the tyre pressure. I agree with you on preferring to having the doors unlocked more as a safety measure incase of an accident people can open the doors without any trouble, the thing is i have a one year old and he is just fascinated with the big chrome door levers and tends to play with it which is very unsafe.