Nissan Note 1.4 : NOTABLE BY ITS COMPETENCE

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Nissan hope to strike a chord amongst UK small car buyers with their 1.4-litre Note models. Steve Walker reportsâ€¦

Small car buyers are a demanding bunch. You can keep most high-flying executives happy if you include enough wood and leather in a vehicle, while sportscar buyers will pay top dollar for a cabin they can barely fit into if the performance is sufficiently ludicrous. People who plump for little cars however, well they want it all.

They want vehicles that are compact enough to park easily and zip about town in but they want them with spacious, versatile interiors to cope with the rigours of family life. Oh, and they don't want to pay high prices to acquire or run these magical models, so a low list price and an engine that's quick but economical would also be nice. Nissan's latest attempt at meeting these physics-defying criteria is the Note 1.4-litre, recently improved with body-coloured bumpers, new trim levels and a series of specification tweaks. It's actually the manufacturers themselves who are constantly boxing each other into a corner with their endless bouts of one-upmanship. If a secret gentleman's agreement had been forged between the world's top car brands in some smoke-filled 1970s backroom, we could all be driving around in Austin Princesses today, blissfully unaware that a higher level of motoring was possible. Instead, the world car market is a never-ending battle between firms intent on outdoing their rivals with successively more advanced, clever and practical products. Consumers demand cars and progress comes from the measures car makers take to ensure that theirs are chosen. The current state of the art in the practical small car sector is something roughly approximating to Nissan's Note and with 1.4-litre power, it also manages to be affordable and economical. There are other contenders too - notably Renault's Modus, Fiat's Idea and Vauxhall's Meriva - which aim to fulfil the tricky remit of being small and practical. The Note is roughly equivalent in size to these products at just under four metres long, 1.53m high and 1.69m wide. To these eyes, however, it's a more attractive and interesting-looking vehicle than any of them. The designers have managed to avoid the formulaic box-on-wheels shape that afflicts the Note's contemporaries. It appears lower and longer with minimal rear overhang and quite a pronounced nose protruding at the front. On it, resides a slatted grille similar to that first seen on Nissan's Murano 4x4 as well as a pair of bulbous headlamps. The Note is squared-off at the rear with the natural roofline taking an unusual last-minute jerk upwards to maximise cargo capacity in the back.

"Nissan appear to have ticked all the key boxes with their Note"

The interior feels very spacious and that's in no small part down to the fact that the wheelbase of 2.60m is longer than that of cars like the Mk5 Volkswagen Golf. This available space can be optimised between luggage and rear passengers with the aid of a sliding rear bench seat as well as the usual folding rear arrangement. The Note's most interesting feature, however, is the split level luggage bay. Most would never know that beneath a flat loading deck there's a 250mm deep second layer that can keep valuables out of the way of prying eyes. Cup holders, bag holding hooks and umbrella stowing points also hint at the Note's attention to detail. The dashboard isn't going to have designers in black turtle necks swooning but it's a tidy piece of work with even the entry level models offering a level of fit and finish that's rare in this sector. Colour and material choices are far from conventional and the cluster of instruments around the centre console is rapidly becoming a Nissan trademark. So we come to the 1.4-litre engine, the entry-level option in the Nissan Note range. It's a four-cylinder unit with a maximum output of 87bhp and a torque rating of 128Nm at 3,200rpm. The engine comes across as being very refined, possibly the most hushed in the entire line-up, and it rarely feels overwhelmed, even on motorway journeys. Performance is nothing to get too excited about with the 0-60mph sprint taking 13.1s and a top speed of 103mph but its all most people need in a car like the Note. Fuel economy of 44.5mpg is only 2mpg better than the more powerful 1.6-litre car and 10mpg shy of the 1.5-litre dCi diesel with 85bhp, while CO2 emissions are measured at 150g/km. The 1.4-litre Note feels highly nimble on the road with body-roll well controlled, a firm ride and steering that's light but accurate. It's perfect for nipping through the city streets and it inspires confidence thanks to good all-round visibility and a tight turning circle. If you really value a comfortable ride, one of the Note's rivals may be a better option but if you like your small car with a taught, sporty feel, this could be it. Three trim levels are offered with this engine, VISIA, ACENTA and the ACENTA R. To keep their offering fresh, Nissan have recently introduced a series of improvements. The latest model year cars come with fully body coloured bumpers, Bluetooth phone operation with steering wheel activated controls, an MP3 auxiliary jack socket, air conditioning with glove box cooler, Nissan's `flexi-board' storage system, front seat storage nets and foldaway tables, front and rear electric windows, plus the combi-meter display which is now set in a silver background with orange indicator needles. There's no doubt that manufacturing a truly practical small car is a difficult thing to do, especially when that practicality must come along with all the other things that buyers have come to expect from their urban runabouts. Despite this, Nissan appear to have ticked all the key boxes with their Note. It's well-equipped, versatile, fun to drive and affordable - the 1.4-litre models in particular offering a tempting ownership proposition. Now it's up to all the other car manufacturers to come up with something better. It may take them a whileâ€¦

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Nissan Note 1.4 range
PRICES: £9,990-£11,640 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 4
CO2 EMISSIONS: 150g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 13.1s / Max Speed 103mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 44.8mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, side airbags, ABS with EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3990/1530/1690mm