The Mini MPV from the Japanese manufacturer takes over from the less than interesting Almera 'Tino'.
A genuine five-seater the new Note has first and foremost an impressively flexible and big interior. The Sunderland-built car is built on Nissan's 'B' platform that also provides the basis for Renault's Clio and Modus but Note manages to be longer than both.
Note could fairly be described as a stretched Micra! The exterior is a little ungainly as the car is tall and not overly wide, it appears to be more a marriage of three Nissans - the X Trail (rear) and Micra/Murano (front). The high roofline means that the rear seats can take six footers easily. Like the Micra the rear seat bench can slide forward or backward (160mm of travel) to allow for better cargo or passenger space.
The smallest boot size is 280 litres but this can rise to 437 litres when the bench is forward. The boot is clever as it is a split-level affair with reversible panels allowing you to have a carpet side up or a wash-down plastic surface if the cargo is wet or messy. If you need to use the Note as a van then there is a maximum of 1,663 litres of space available when you fold down all the seats. If you're after cubby space the new Note will impress. There is a huge glove box and on my test car a pull up under seat storage area on the passenger side. The Note is clearly one serious family machine on the inside.
On the open road the Note is refined beyond its looks and while you won't exactly rip up the road the Note can hold its own on the motorway. Top speed is 165km/h and 0-100km/h takes 13.3 seconds. Note's long wheelbase (2600mm) works well in a straight line and delivers a very decent ride quality for a family hatchback. On twisty roads the Note rides better than you’d think.
The only downsides to Note (sorry!) are a poor gearbox shift that feels rubbery and a little vague while the steering could be geared a little better for a quicker response.
Presently there are three engines to choose from, the tried and tested 1.4 litre/88bhp petrol unit, a 1.6 petrol automatic and a 1.5 dCi diesel sourced from Renault and just two specification levels namely SE or SVE. Prices start at €17,895 and rise to over 20K.
My test car was a 1.4 in SVE spec and had all the toys like 'keyless' entry, automatic headlights, auto air conditioning, big 16-inch alloys, remote steering wheel controls and a six speaker CD stereo to name a few.
Note is a clever exercise in simple no frills design. It has to be euro for euro one of the most spacious cars on the market. It's clever, flexible interior and sub-18K asking price is a very tempting package for families on a budget and let's face it aren't we all.
Michael Sheridan
