Hiding within the depths of the glovebox is a 3.5mm audio jack, which feeds into the stereo system. The four-speaker FM/AM head-unit with six-CD stacker (standard on the Micra City Collection) isn’t anything to write home about, but its ability to take sound from an external MP3 player wins it a few points.

Ergonomically, there are no big complaints. The seating position is upright and relatively high, which affords you a decent view of your surroundings. The seats are comfortable and supportive, and the squab adjusts for height.

The Micra’s glasshouse gives great rearward visibility, but the wing mirrors are a little on the small side.

The steering column adjusts for rake, but not reach. All controls fall readily to hand, and the instruments are clearly legible. The instrument cluster is pretty basic. All you get is a speedometer, fuel gauge and gear indicator; so those used to seeing a tachometer and temperature gauge may feel shortchanged.

In the rear of the cabin, things are slightly more cramped. Depending on the dimensions of the front occupants, rear legroom may be at a premium, while headroom can be a little tight.

The rear seats are comfortable enough if you can secure some decent legroom, but the middle seat gets a lap-only seatbelt – a sales handicap in an increasingly safety-conscious society.

The boot is relatively spacious for a compact car, and the 60/40 split-fold rear seats open up a lot more room should you need it. There’s certainly enough room for the week’s shopping, but don’t bank on being able to move furniture with it.

Safety

Safety is a bit of a mixed bag for the Micra. Driver and front passenger airbags are standard, while side and curtain airbags are part of the City Collection package.

Pretensioning seatbelts are fitted to the front seats, and ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist are also standard.

Countering this is the unavailability of electronic stability control, the centre lap-sash belt on the rear seat and the Micra’s three-star ANCAP rating. The Micra’s age is starting to show in this department.

Mechanical Package

Mechanically speaking, the Micra is a pretty basic machine. A 1.4 litre inline-four drives the front wheels through a four-speed automatic gearbox (no manual option is offered), and the car is suspended via MacPherson struts up front and a beam axle at the rear.

Peak power of 72kW is developed at 5600rpm, while maximum torque of 137Nm is delivered at 3200rpm. Those numbers won’t impress your mates down at the pub, but given the whole car weighs just 965kg empty not a great deal of power is needed anyway.

Braking hardware consists of ventilated discs at the front and drums at the rear, while the electro-mechanical power steering makes twirling the tiller an effortless affair.

The drivetrain feels solid and there’s nothing worrying in how the rest of the mechanical package operates.

That’s pretty much it. Not the most technologically sophisticated car on the market, but the upshot is that there is very little than can go wrong with it.

The Drive

Driving doesn’t get much simpler when you’re in something like the Micra. With no manual gearbox to worry about, excellent outward visibility and compact proportions, the Micra is a cinch to drive.

The suspension is soft and soaks up bumpy roads with aplomb. It’s well damped and despite the relative simplicity of its suspension layout, the Micra handles fairly well.

The engine is always willing to rev, and it’s surprisingly zippy for a naturally-aspirated 1.4 litre motor. It would be a more involving experience if a manual transmission was offered here, but the four-speeder is at least a good one, with well-spaced ratios.

Being a rather bluff shape, wind noise at speed is a little more evident compared to other cars in the Micra’s class. The rear parcel shelf also has a habit of bouncing around and causing the occasional rattle when traversing rough pavement, while insufficient sound deadening in the doors and roof allows pothole impacts to reverberate through the cabin.

But drive it in an inner-urban environment (unarguably the Micra’s intended habitat), and the little Nissan feels quite at home. Thanks to its compact dimensions, ducking into and out of traffic streams is a breeze, and, should you get snagged, the integrated armrest in the driver’s seat makes sitting in traffic a less stressful experience.

Visibility is excellent, and the wheel-at-each-corner stance of the Micra makes parking a doddle (helped also by the prominent headlamp bulges providing an accurate indicator of where the extremities are).