Nissan NOTE Road Test

Nissan Note

The performance is reasonable for this type of car and it radiates a positive attitude both on motorways and off the beaten track. The firm suspension has just the right amount of flexibility to make the ride smooth, comfortable and surprisingly agile. Despite having a long wheelbase, the NOTE has a tight turning circle, which together with speed-variable steering, makes light work of parking in tight spaces.

ABS with Brake Assist and EBD is standard across the range and the SVE version has the added benefit of ESP. All NOTE's come with four airbags and a passenger cut-off switch but the SVE adds curtain airbags to the specification.

From the outside, the NOTE looks long and narrow. The front end is a design mix of Micra and Murano, while the squarish rear features boomerang-shaped lights that extend over the roofline.

Inside, the NOTE seats five comfortably, in supportive, sporty seats. The test car had part leather seat covers with the doors panels in the same fabric. The fascia is also dark but to avoid making it too sombre and to mitigate the impact of small sticky fingers, the dark lower half ends at the waistline and is then replaced by a beige upper half and roof-lining.

The fascia is made up of differing levels and contours, which could be incongruous but somehow, looks right. Even the exterior pocket at the front of the glovebox doesn’t look out of place.

As far as in-car entertainment is concerned, the S has a single CD/radio with four speakers, the SE gains two speakers with the same system and the SVE has a 6-CD in-dash auto-changer with secondary steering-wheel controls. However, there is a Comfort Pack available for the SE models as well as including the audio system from the SVE, the extra £500 buys Climate control, rain-sensing wipers and automatic headlights. TomTom sat-nav is available from £349.99. Other options, including the Intelligent Key - keyless entry system are available individually as well as part of a Pack.

The NOTE is comparable, price wise to many of its competitors and, it has to be said there are quite a few but it is a very good drive and definitely worth a look.

Nissan NOTE