Nissan Note review
by David Finlay (2 March 2009)
The Nissan Note is one of those cars that didn't have very much wrong with it to begin with, so there is nothing radical in what has been done to freshen it up three years into its life cycle. There are some definite improvements, though, which means that the Note you can buy now is just that little bit better than the one that was on offer up until the end of 2008.
A quick recap might be in order. The Note is a mini-MPV built on the same platform as the Micra, and as the Renault Clio and Modus. Right from the start it has had a flexible and cleverly thought-out interior, with a lot of storage spaces (including a glove compartment capable of holding a dozen 330ml drinks cans) and a quite remarkable amount of room for rear passengers.
The interior's versatility is also helped by the Flexi-Board boot floor, which consists of two removable sections (carpeted on one side, covered in waterproof plastic on the other) that can be used either to hide or to reveal a lower luggage section.
A new feature of Flexi-Board is that the sections can now be fitted vertically as well as horizontally, so you can store - for example - various shopping bags in a deep compartment with a barrier to stop them crashing into the rest of the luggage area. Like so much in the Note, this is obvious, clever and very unusual, and illustrates the saying that while any fool can have a complicated idea, it takes a genius to have a simple one.
The Note also features something called Nissan Connect, a combination of satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port for your personal music storage system. The satnav isn't the most user-friendly around (the screen is small and the graphics aren't a patch on those of the Birdview set-up available on more expensive Nissans) but it works well enough, and has both a rerouting system for when traffic up ahead becomes treacherous and, would you believe, an Eco setting if you want to get to your destination by the route which will involve using least fuel.
The USB port is hardly a world first in the motor industry, but I do like the fact that it's located in the storage compartment on top of the dashboard. Once you've plugged in your iPod, MP3 or whatever the case may be, you can then close the lid of the compartment to make the place look tidier, and choose tracks via the radio display.
Nissan Connect isn't available on the entry-level Visia, and it's standard on the range-topping Tekna, so you have to examine the Acenta which comes in between them to discover the best bit about the system: its price. £400. Not bad, eh? Certainly good enough to make you forget that there are better satnav displays on the market.
The most obvious change to the Note for 2009 is that it looks slightly different, with revised bonnet, bumpers and lights. Nissan claims that the changes have partly been inspired by the new Murano; I can't say I see much resemblance myself, but it does look a little more up-to-date than its predecessor.
Mechanically there have been very few alterations. The Note is still available with 87bhp 1.4-litre and 108bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines and Alliance partner Renault's excellent little 85bhp 1.5 dCi turbo diesel (though there's no sign of the 102bhp diesel which briefly entered the range last year). The 1.4 petrol and the diesel have both been modified slightly, and have a new set of gear ratios, the overall result being improved combined fuel economy and CO2 emissions of 47.9mpg and 139g/km for the 1.4 and 62.8mpg and 119g/km for the diesel.
The 1.6 continues as before, but I think it could have done with some different ratios too. Top gear is surprisingly low, the result being that this version revs much higher and makes much more noise on a motorway cruise than it feels like it should.
Personally I would avoid the 1.6 largely for this reason, and for the fact that it inevitably has the worst fuel economy (42.8mpg combined) in the range. Admittedly it's much faster than the others - more than two and a half seconds quicker from 0-62mph - but I doubt that this is of much interest to most potential Note buyers. On the other hand, if you want or need automatic transmission you have to go for the 1.6, since the other engines are available only with manual gearboxes.
On the whole, all engines are supplied with all trim levels, with the exception that there is no such thing as a 1.4-litre Tekna. The Visia kicks things off with four airbags, front electric windows, remote central locking and an immobiliser, and if you choose the 1.4 engine and avoid the optional air-conditioning you can have the car for £9795 (all other Notes have five-figure list prices).
The Acenta gets air-conditioning as standard, along with an extra two airbags, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, 15" alloy wheels, cruise control, a speed limiter (new for 2009), the Flexi-Board luggage arrangement, all-round electric windows, a leather-covered steering wheel and a storage tray under the front passenger seat, among other things.
Standard equipment on the range-topping Tekna includes 16" alloys, part-leather upholstery, rear parking sensors, folding door mirrors, rear privacy glass, some interior chrome detailing, automatic headlights and wipers and, as previously mentioned, Nissan Connect. The 1.6 Tekna automatic is the most expensive Note at £14,575.
There are many reasons to be enthusiastic about the Note, though it has to be said that safety isn't necessarily one of them. The old model achieved only four, three and two stars (out of five, five and four) for adult occupant, child occupant and pedestrian protection under Euro NCAP's then-current crash testing programme.
The 2009 car would be unlikely to do any better, and Euro NCAP won't be impressed that ESP (or electronic stability programme, a requirement for a five-star rating from now on) is available only on the Tekna.
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