DESIGN & STYLING
You can’t really call the Nissan Micra beautiful. Functional beauty is what makes this little Nissan stand out, and yes you can trace back the lines to the previous generation Micras. It will catch your attention, no doubt, but won’t leave you with a feeling of ‘wow’. The large bug-eyed headlamps and grille give it a distinct character, but importantly the greenhouse design, the shape of the roof and the C-pillar make it stand out among the pack of cars you see here. Sitting on high-profile tyres with plastic wheel caps robs the car of that little bit of finesse, but we don’t think most people will complain.
The other Japanese in the corner, the Swift, has managed to age well. The curves may not necessarily be functional here, but the Mini inspiration has worked well to entice a whole generation of Indian hatch buyers. The fact is that the basic design was so good that Suzuki decided its next generation would retain most of the lines (which will hit our market next year). Minor facelifts and changes have only helped the car in still looking fresh – though the fact that there are so many of them around takes away some of that spunkiness.
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