At the top of a reshuffled Nissan Micra lineup in the UK sits the flagship Micra Sport SR, which is essentially a Micra 160SR with a new name (It's part of the newly-created "Sport" Collection, hence the updated moniker). Nissan UK is responsible for its design, engineering and manufacture, and it will make its debut at next week's London International Motor Show.
Appropriately (or actually, maybe not, based on the picture above), the Sport SR featured in the press photos advertises its Brit creds with a full-body Union Jack motif that makes MINI's rooftop flags look like mere bumper stickers. Nissan assures us that the Micra's flag scheme is not a production option, so good taste prevails. Rest assured, the quirky-cool Micra looks a lot better in solid colors.
The Micra Sport SR is available in bespoilered 3 and 5-door body styles. Foglights, tinted headlamps, and 16" wheels complete the list of Sport Collection visual upgrades. It also gets climate control, automatic lights and windshield wipers, side airbags, a 6CD changer and stability control. The 1.6L 4-cylinder underhood makes 110 horsepower and is connected to a 5-speed manual. Performance is not earth-shattering by any means (0-60 in around 9.5 seconds), but is perfectly adequate for an everyday runabout. Estimated "on the road" pricing (including VAT, etc) is £10,995 for the 3-door and £11,645 for the 5-door.
Nissan Technical Centre employees also prepped a set of matching geese (yes, geese ... don't ask me) to go with their super-patriotic paint scheme. See them after the jump.
(Goose photo, Press release after the jump)
[Source: Nissan UK]
Nissan Micra Sport SR with Nissan Sport Geese in red, white and blue.
For the uninitiated, here's what a Micra looks like without the wild flag paint:
Nissan Micra 160SR
Press Release:
NISSAN LAUNCHES NEW FLAGSHIP
Nissan's Micra has a new flagship, the 110PS Sport SR that was designed, engineered and is being built in the UK. And suitably its launch will be the British International Motor Show along with the rest of a new Micra line-up.
The Sport SR is part of a simplified Micra range. Instead of six trim levels, there will now be three Micra collections called Initia, Spirita and Sport, and the range of six engines previously offered is cut to the most popular four. Which means a shorter price list and a less confused customer.
The outgoing E and S versions are replaced by the Initia with a choice of 1.2-litre 80PS petrol or 1.5dCi 86PS diesel engines. So it's good-bye to the 1.2-litre 65PS and 1.5dCi 65PS motors. The Micra 1.2 Initia three-door sets sail for £8995. That's the same as the old S with which it shares its equipment levels. So that means standard side airbags, rear headrests and front active headrests, a CD player, electric front windows, rear sliding seat, central locking with anti-hijack feature, and ISOFIX childseat mounting points. An extra pair of doors adds £650, automatic transmission (for the 1.2) is £900, and the diesel engine another £1100.
The Spirita collection is made up of more luxurious Micras. For £1000 over the Initia, it adds an integrated trip computer, leather steering wheel with audio controls, electric
door mirrors, one touch up/down electric windows, air conditioning with pollen filter, 15" wheels, six speakers instead of two, a handbag sized storage area under the passenger seat and a multi-function glovebox big enough for an entire haberdashery department. In addition to the 1.2-litre 80PS and 1.5dCi 86PS engines mentioned above, the Spirita is also offered with a 1.4-litre 88PS petrol engine (with the option of automatic transmission). This adds £200 to the price of the 1.2-litre.
Three option packs are available for the Micra Spirita, all for less money than if the items included were specified separately. Firstly the £350 Clever Pack adds rain sensing wipers, automatic lighting and Nissan's Intelligent Key system. The £1200 Luxury Pack takes the Clever Pack and adds fully automatic climate control, an electric glass sunroof and 15" alloy wheels. Finally the similarly priced Comfort Pack has all the stuff included in the Luxury Pack but replaces alloy wheels with leather upholstery and heated front seats – £1800 worth of kit for only £1200.
For the Micra Sport collection, Nissan has taken the spec of the old Sport and added graphite coloured 16" multi-spoke alloy wheels and automatic climate control for £405. Prices start with the 1.2-litre three-door at £10,495. The 1.4-litre engine adds £200, the diesel £1100 and five-doors £650. Front, side and roof spoilers, tinted headlamps, fog lamps and a 6CD autochanger are all standard. The young and insurance unfriendly, or their parents, will welcome the 1.2 Sport's group two rating. The 1.4 and 1.5dCi are one group higher.
The £10,995 Sport SR, which replaces the 160SR, is a bargain in even the stingiest person's mind. It's a 1.6-litre 110PS pocket 'Street Racer' with sub-10 second acceleration to 62mph and group 6 insurance. As well as the bigger engine, the SR tag adds automatic lighting and wipers, side curtain airbags and electronic stability programme – or ESP – to the Sport kit already mentioned above. Yet the Sport SR is priced at just £500 more than the 1.2 Sport. And at only 3.7 metres long with a 10.1 metre turning circle, this is one flagship that's easy to dock. However small the bay.
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