There’s not an enormous amount of variation in the Nissan Micra line-up, but it can still be a hard task working out which engine and trim is best for you.
We’ve scoured the brochure and called upon our Micra driving experience to work out which combinations are best, and picked out our favourite configuration too.
Which Nissan Micra should you buy?
For a more comprehensive run down of the Nissan Micra check out our full review and for deals in your area have a look at our Cars For Sale section.
Nissan Micra engine choice
There are only two petrol engines to choose from and aside from the entry level spec, both are available across the range.
You can have a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder unit with 79bhp, or a supercharged 1.2-litre with 96bhp, called DIG-S.
While the lower powered engine takes 13.7 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 62mph, the DIG-S unsurprisingly takes just 11.3 seconds.
Economy-wise the DIG-S does better too, promising up to 68.9mpg and 95g/km of CO2 in comparison to the standard 1.2-litre, which produces 115g/km and reckons on 56.5mpg.
While the more powerful engine costs roughly £1,000 more depending on which trim you go for, we think the increased economy and drivability makes it an easy choice.
Nissan Micra gearbox options
Here you have the choice of a five-speed manual, or a continuously variable automatic transmission available for both engines.
.jpg "Nissan Micra: which version is best?")
However, the CVT raises CO2 emissions to 125g/km for the 1.2-litre and 115g/km for the DIG-S, while also making them both slower from 0-62mph (14.5 seconds and 11.8 seconds respectively) and less efficient (52.3mpg and 56.5mpg).
It costs £1,000 over the price of a manual box and is noisy and sluggish. Plus if you want it on the DIG-S engine, the only option is to pay £15,115 for a top of the range car. All in all it is best avoided.
Nissan Micra equipment line-up
New for 2015 is the N-Tec equipment grade which will be a familiar name if you’ve looked at other Nissan cars.
In fact so will the names of the other trims available, which start at Visia Limited Edition, moving on to Visia, Acenta, the new N-Tec grade, and finally top-spec Tekna.
We’ve picked out a few highlights from the range but for a full run down make sure you visit the equipment section of our full review.
The only slight complication comes at the bottom of the range with the Visia and Visia Limited Edition models.
On the surface they are the same, offering a CD player, electric front windows, central locking, black door mirrors and handles and 14 inch steel wheels.
The Visia Limited Edition trim costs £7,995, which is £1,640 cheaper than the Visia grade, yet it comes with front and rear mats and a boot liner absent on the Visia.
However, unlike the Visia, you can only have it with a standard 1.2-litre engine and manual gearbox, plus there’s no option of air-con.
This costs £500 in a Visia grade car, or comes free if you pick the faster DIG-S engine (bear in mind this will cost a full £3,395 more).
Next up is Acenta trim, which costs between £1,325 and £1,975 more depending on engine and gets you 15-inch alloys, automatic lights and wipers, cruise control, climate control, and LED tail lamps. The NissanConnect infotainment and sat nav unit is a £500 option here.
The same unit comes with the N-Tec grade, which is £785 more than Acenta, or £285 more than an Acenta with optional sat nav. However, it also adds rear parking sensors and a gadget that measures parking spaces, 16-inch alloys, front fog lamps and silver satin door mirrors and door handles.
Finally Tekna tops the lot for an additional £615 over N-Tec, adding keyless entry and start button, electric folding door mirrors, printed suede effect trim and leather gear knob.
It’s only really worth going to the top spec if you want the DIG-S engine with an automatic gearbox, or the option of a glass roof – both of which are only available on a Tekna car.
Which Nissan Micra would we buy?
Thanks to its generous equipment level and low cost we’d recommend the Acenta trim with the faster and more frugal 1.2-litre DIG-S engine, and an aftermarket sat nav.
However if you want to pair your smartphone to the car and like the sound of the extra kit you get with the N-Tec trim, then this represents a good upgrade, and is better value for money than adding sat nav to an Acenta.
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