Nissan Note 1.5dCi : NISSAN HIT THE RIGHT NOTE

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Nissan's British-built Note dCi offers something a little different to the hatchback norm. Andy Enright reports

Don't you just love management jargon? In a previous life, I used to work for a guy who was forever `touching base', `running things up flagpoles', `pinging the cost accountants' and recognising that the `squeaky wheels got the grease'. Although they'd never admit to it themselves, Nissan would probably like us to adopt one of Dave's other hackneyed terms. When it comes to evaluating a car like the Nissan Note dCi, it pays to `think outside the box'.

For eons, the small car market was divided into superminis and family hatches. Think cars of the size of the Ford Fiesta and Escort respectively. As superminis got bigger and more sophisticated, citycars started slotting in beneath them to fill the vacuum but this level of niche marketing was still insufficient to fill the demands of a rapidly fragmenting car market. Somewhat surprisingly, the answers came from cars like the Renault Espace. Customers enamoured by the practicality and utility of these models demanded those features in ever smaller packages. Mini MPVs started to become a real hot ticket around 1997, the market kicked off by Renault's Megane Scenic. Even this wasn't enough. Urban buyers demanded multiple cup holders, folding and sliding rear seats, auxiliary power outlets and all the other tricks that bigger MPV-style vehicles were offering and the supermini MPV was born - models like the Toyota Yaris Verso and Vauxhall Meriva making hay. It seems that Nissan want to move the game even further along with their Note, recently improved with body-coloured bumpers, new trim levels and a series of specification tweaks. It's a tough car to categorise, falling most closely under the banner of supermini-MPV. The thing is, it's a lot bigger than its rivals and it looks very different too. Most supermini-MPVs are, to be frank, pretty gimpy looking things that any person with a few Y chromosomes wouldn't really savour being seen in. The Note is different, with a far more dynamic look, a pugnacious wheel-at-each-corner stance and some length to its bonnet. Indulge us blokes. We want a bit of bonnet, even if we're buying a supermini MPV.

"Stop asking conventional questions and this car will start making sense"

The 1.5-litre dCi engine that powers this version of the Note comes in two variants. Firstly you have the 85bhp unit which will do the 0 to 60 sprint in 13 seconds ad reach a top speed of 104. Secondly you have the tuned-up 102bhp version with a top speed of 112mph and a 0 to 60mph time of 11.1 seconds. Clio owners will already be familiar with the 86bhp unit and Micra owners may well also have a sense of dÃ©jÃ vu. In addition, the co-operation between Nissan and Renault sees the Note running on a lengthened version of the platform that Renault's Modus sits on. This combination of sunk investment and modular versions of existing technologies allows Nissan to turn out new niche models relatively inexpensively and the Note dCi, assembled in Britain at Nissan's Wearside plant, has come to market in a relatively short period of time. Despite the 102bhp engine's hike in performance, customers may be interested to know there is no penalty in fuel consumption or emissions, with a combined fuel economy of 55.8mpg. Naturally, this will dip if you load your Note up to the gunwales but not by a disastrous amount. What's more, this engine has a beefy 147lb/ft of torque to rely on, which means that it'll pull a loaded vehicle without too much rowing with the gear lever. That's as much as a BMW 320i by the way. Originally unveiled at the 2004 Paris Motor Show as the `Tone', the Note is part of a conscious move on Nissan's part away from slow selling `conventional' categories - as exemplified by the Almera and the Primera - and into more lucrative and exciting niches. Cars like the Note follow interesting models like the X-Trail, the Micra C+C and the 350Z coupe. The Note shares a connection with the X-Trail in that they were both designed by Toyota - Taiji Toyota that is - one of Nissan's most talented stylists. Toyota points out that the Tone is "tall, but not too tall. We wanted a roomy interior and the benefits of a high driving position but we did not want to make the car look top heavy. With the long wheelbase and body, we feel we have achieved a shape that will appeal on both a practical and emotional level." It's interesting to see how the Note slides into Nissan's range. The company have claimed that it doesn't directly replace the Almera and in certain respects that's true. The idea is that a bigger, more upmarket new-generation Almera will take top end Family Hatchback sector sales, leaving the Note to absorb the budget end of the old model's spectrum. That it should do quite easily as there's a lot more to the Note than the old Almera - as fun to drive as it was - could ever really offer. 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 seat back 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. Four trim levels are offered with this engine. At the base of the range is the VISIA, the VISIA+ pitches in at around £500 more, the ACENTA sits in the middle of the diesel range with the TEKNA at the top. If you think in straight lines, you won't even have the Note on your shortlist. Open your mind a little and this Nissan makes all kinds of sense.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Nissan Note 1.5 dCi range
PRICES: £11,090-£14,290 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 4
CO2 EMISSIONS: 136g/km
PERFORMANCE: (1.5dCi 85bhp) 0-60mph 13.0s / Max Speed 104mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 55mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS with EBD and EBA
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3990/1530/1690mm