Faults:

Nothing...

General Comments:

Great car.

It was supplied as a lease car, and I was disappointed when I saw it, as I'd enjoyed my Corolla 1.6 so much.

The interior seemed more utilitarian, and there was little space between the front seats. The stereo was very basic, but it has effective aircon that keeps it cool in the summer, and mist free in the winter. The front cupholders are near to useless, as they will only take a child-sized cup.

Visibility is great, you seem to sit high in the car. Very maneuverable, easy to get in and out of, and to park too.

Rear seats slide forward and backward to give either more legroom or more boot space. The boot is quite modest in size really. Seats are comfortable and the driving position good, although it doesn't allow for a lot of adjustment.

My daughter liked the seat-back fold up tables and cupholders!

So I was led to believe this odd shaped vehicle is a kind of stretched Micra...

It's nothing of the sort. The engine is really responsive, as is (unusually for an auto) the gearbox. You put your foot down, and you find yourself in the comparatively wide power band, and pulling strongly. The engine even has quite a nice sound.

The suspension feels a little lumpy around town over pot-holed roads, but when you get to a corner - this little beast just hangs on and drives round. There's a fair amount of roll, but the suspension is supple and gives you gentle understeer on the limit, when the whole thing can be tempted into a four wheel slide.

It is a forgiving, fun car to drive. The brakes are good enough for the performance of the car, and will bring it to a stop as quickly as you like. The tyres are not low profile, but give plenty of grip, and also aid the car's 'chuckable' forgiving nature.

When you're giving it a bit of welly, the engine is quite noisy, but ease off and the cabin is quieter on the motorway at 90 than say a 00-06 Civic, yet can keep up with the traffic better due to the pokier engine. If you compare the figures, there's nothing between these vehicles, but the Nissan is a driver's, rather than a duffer's car. I have owned both.

And the biggest surprise to me was that no matter how heavy my foot got, it never returned worse than 30mpg. This is probably just as well, given the Note has a smaller tank than a Civic.

This is the most fun-to-drive small hatchback you can get.

Faults:

Absolutely nothing...

Unless you count the missing storage bin, but this was supplied very quickly, with no fuss.

General Comments:

The sales-agent at the dealership was great with us from the second we stepped through the doors. He was friendly, helpful and polite. What more can you ask?

The car is quite sporty to look at, despite the fact it's classed as a "mini-MPV."

Inside, the cabin is awash with acres of grey plastic and beige trim, but I suppose this is pretty standard.

The grey-cloth seats are comfortable, if a little firm, and the driver's seat being height adjustable is a great plus. In the back, there is a ton of room for even the lollopiest teenager!

The "SE" grade comes with 4 X electric windows, electric mirrors, air conditioning, three power points dotted about and literally hundreds of little "storage solutions" - including the ingenious split-level boot - as standard.

The 1597cc engine makes for a nippy drive around town, delivering 25ish MPG, and it's a total breeze to park in even the tightest of city spaces, the power steering making this task even easier. She handles the motorway with no problems at all, giving out around 40MPG.

The smooth, apt, 4-speed auto gearbox can seem a bit sluggish sometimes, but once you get going, it's responsive, and doesn't seem to have that awful "shift-shock" that my previous cars have had.

All in all, I love my Note, and hope to keep hold of her for many years of hassle free, Japanese motoring.