Nissan Note : NISSAN'S PERFECT PITCH?

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Nissan's British-built NOTE 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, it pays to `think outside the box'. Nissan has spruced-up its charge and in its latest form, it looks better than ever.

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. Eventually, the supermini MPV was born and following on from early exponents like the Toyota Yaris Verso and the Vauxhall Meriva, we now have the Nissan NOTE. Three engine choices are being offered with Nissan's NOTE. The two petrol units comprise an 87bhp 1.4-litre as well as a 108bhp 1.6-litre powerplant but the big seller is likely to remain the diesel engine, a 1.5-litre dCi common rail unit with 85bhp on tap. As a general rule, drag racing isn't a particular forte of the supermini-based MPV but if you fancy giving some spotty oik a run for his money away from the lights in your NOTE the 1.4-litre car will get to 60mph in 13.1s, the diesel is fractionally slower at 13s and the 1.6-litre petrol takes 10.7s. None of the engines are what you would call quick but they're all more than adequate for everyday driving with even the 1.4 pulling reasonably strongly through the gears. The NOTE always 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.

"The current state of the art in the practical small car sector is something roughly approximating to Nissan's NOTE."

The latest Note has been on the receiving end of the usual facelift tweaks including a reshaped bumper and bonnet, revised headlights the essential grille tinkering which has seen the adoption of a shinny black finish. At the back, the tail lights are darker and models with parking sensors get them incorporated more neatly into the bumper. It's nothing too dramatic and the winning Note formula is intact. The designers managed to avoid the formulaic box-on-wheels shape that afflicts the Nissan NOTE's small MPV contemporaries. It appears lower and longer with minimal rear overhang and quite a pronounced nose protruding at the front. 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. The boxy dimensions pay dividends inside. 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 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. On the latest cars the deck can be positioned in a vertical position to help prevent items sliding around. Cup holders, bag holding hooks and umbrella stowing points also hint at the NOTE's attention to detail. Three trim levels are offered with the Nissan Note. The VISIA, the ACENTA and range-topping TEKNA. A CD stereo with MP3 compatibility, a sliding rear seat, four airbags and electric windows are standard but air-conditioning only comes on the ACENTA models and above. The 1.6-litre petrol engine is available with a four-speed automatic gearbox for a premium of around £900. The TENKA comes with the Nissan Connect integrated audio and satallite navigation system which includes a USB connector and Bluetooth. This is available as an option on other models. Your view on the NOTE's value proposition depends on which rivals you align it with. It's a touch expensive in comparison to the top line of five-door superminis but it trumps this class of vehicle in terms of interior space. Most buyers who regularly travel with rear seat passengers will look for something larger and more expensive than a supermini but the Note can fulfil this role and looks good value as a result. Improvements to the Note's environmental performance should go down well with buyers. The manufacturer has even introduced the Pure Drive badge which is applied to any car in its range with emissions lower than 140g/km, helping customers spot the cleanest options. The combined cycle economy figure for the entry-level 1.4-litre petrol Note is 47.9mpg and the entry-level diesel trumps that with 62.8mpg. Bringing up the rear but still hardly in disgrace is the 43mpg 1.6 but choosing the automatic gearbox drops this engine's economy. CO2 emissions are 119g/km for the entry-level diesel and 139g/km for the 1.4-litre. Overall, the NOTE isn't going to cost the earth to run. Buyers can expect residual values to fall slightly faster than more mainstream offerings with the Note likely to prove tricky for buyers to get a handle on. This could present a great opportunity for those in the know to get their mitts on a bargain with Nissan's excellent reliability record making the car an even more attractive ownership proposition. The current state of the art in the practical small car sector is something roughly approximating to Nissan's NOTE. Better still, it also manages to be affordable and economical. There are other contenders though - notably Renault's Modus and Vauxhall's Meriva - which also 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 the rest, especially following the latest facelift. 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 diesel 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 while.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Nissan NOTE range
PRICES: £9,990-£14,290 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 4-6
CO2 EMISSIONS: 119-159g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.6] 0-60mph 10.7s / Max Speed 114mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.5 dCi 86] (urban) 55.4mpg / (extra urban) 67.3mpg / (combined) 62.8mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, ABS with EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 3990/1530/1690mm