Nissan NOTE Review
Published: 24th May 2006
Nissan Note
If you don’t want to put valuable items in the boot, as with the Micra, there is more hidden storage under the front passenger’s seat squab. This does depend on the trim level, of which there are three: S, SE and SVE. All have a 9-litre glovebox but the S doesn’t have the benefit of a cooling or warming vent that works in conjunction with the air-conditioning system.
Reading through the specification sheet, it becomes clear that the NOTE S is limited in terms of available options and that it is worth paying the extra £1,000 for the SE or £2,000 for the bells-and whistles, SVE model.
Prices start at £9,995 for the S with a 1.4, petrol engine, which is only available with the 5-speed manual transmission, as is the SE. The same price differential is applied to the NOTE housing the 1.6 petrol engine and those with the 1.5 dCi, diesel unit as tested.
This diesel unit produces 86PS (that’s 84.8 bhp) at 3750rpm and 200Nm of torque at 1900rpm. It is only available in combination with the manual gearbox and will propel the car from a standing start to 62mph in 13 seconds and will reach a top speed of 104mph, where legal.
Taking the diesel option does mean paying a premium of £300 over the petrol-powered NOTE but the fuel consumption benefit makes it worth it. The official figures for the diesel are 47.9 mpg for the urban cycle, 61.4 mpg for the extra-urban and 55.4 mpg for the combined.
I started by saying that the young designer wanted to continue enjoying his driving - I think he got his wish. Whilst the NOTE’s acceleration may not be blistering and some may hanker for a higher top speed, the NOTE is a very enjoyable drive.
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