The second-generation Nissan Note is a spacious Fiesta alternative, despite dynamic dullness compared to the Ford
So you thought the Nissan Note was a compact MPV, a rival to the Honda Jazz but much less popular. That fitted well with Nissan's move away from the regular market segments, and the huge success of the Qashqai as an alternative to a regular hatchback shows the idea can work.But Nissan pointedly rejects the MPV tag for the Note you see here. It's a B-segment hatchback aimed bang at the Ford Fiesta, whose prices it slightly undercuts while adding equipment. Yet it hasn't completely abandoned the roots that its name suggests, because, at 4100mm with a 2600mm wheelbase, it's an unusually long 'supermini' to emphasise the point. That wheelbase gives it huge rear legroom, with the sliding rear seat (on middle Acenta versions and above) and a height-alterable boot floor adding more MPV-esque versatility. Not for nothing is the US version called the Versa Note.As before, the Note is built in Britain at Nissan's Sunderland factory. Its 'V' (for, yes, Versatile) platform is shared not with the new Renault Clio, despite the Nissan/Renault alliance, but with the current Micra, suitably enlarged. It's very conventional, with its front struts and rear torsion beam, but rigid enough to help keep weight of the likely biggest seller, the supercharged three--cylinder 1.2 DIG-S, down to a trim, if hardly atheletic, 1118kg.Compared with its boxy predecessor, the new Note is quite a stylish machine. We saw the shape first as the Invitation concept at the Geneva show, and its short nose and overhangs, fast windscreen angle and arrowhead-like depressions in the flanks are taken straight from that show car. The mesh-like front grille is Europe-specific.Nissan makes much of the Safety Shield, which brings lane-departure warning (by beeps), blind-spot warning (by a light in the door mirrors, followed by beeps if it all goes critical) and moving-object warning (around the back of the car when manoeuvring) all under one system. You can disable bits of it if they annoy you, but the clever part is that it's all done through one very wide-angle, rear-mounted camera and a lot of interpretive and image-correcting software.That's a lot for one camera to do, and a clear image is essential. So the lens is kept clean as required by water from the rear washer reservoir and blown dry by a jet of air. It's a first for Europe, but this Japanese invention has also appeared on US-market Altima models. The Note can also be had with the latest version of Nissan's plan-view parking aid, using four cameras around the car whose pictures are now joined very accurately. This Around View Monitor works brilliantly.Not so good is the interior finish. There's much talk of a premium ambience but there's not a soft surface to be touched on the dashboard or most of the door-trims. The controls and displays are well planned, though, with a circular cluster of heater/air-con buttons and a clear screen for the sat-nav and sound system. The Nissan Connect system on top Tekna models lets you plan a route on your computer or tablet via Google, and upload it to the Note's navigation system.Engines start with a 79bhp, normally aspirated, 1198cc three-pot. Next up is the 97bhp DIG-S (Direct Injection Gasoline – Supercharged) version; the 'charger is disengaged via a clutch when not needed, and the engine makes use of the Miller cycle to reduce pumping losses. This one gives an impressive 99g/km CO2 emissions score (109g/km for the normally aspirated model), but that worsens to 119g/km if the standard five-speed manual is replaced by the optional CVT automatic gearbox. The economy champion is the Renault-sourced 1.5-litre dCi turbodiesel, with 89bhp, 95g/km and, again, a five-speed gearbox.The Note DIG-S comes with more sporting suspension settings and 16in wheels instead of 15in, although the 'sporting' term is only relative in a car as unashamedly family-flavoured as this. Springs, dampers and anti-roll bars are all firmed-up, and the electric power steering gains stronger self-centring. The result is a car which feels tautly controlled over undulations but still rides comfortably over bumps, but the steering can feel artificially weighty and, sporting or not, this Note shows absolutely no sign of the pointability a keen driver would enjoy. Gentle, stable understeer and a completely inert handling balance are the dynamic menu here.Nor does the supercharged engine live up to its billing. It feels a bit overwhelmed by the Note's bulk, although the deep three-cylinder sound is appealing. You'll probably enjoy the impressively torquey diesel more; its 11.9sec 0-62mph time is fractionally tardier than the DIG-S's 11.7, but it feels much livelier and you stand a better chance of scoring good numbers on the displays activated by the Eco mode, in which the DIG-S can feel quite torpid.The diesel also steers more naturally and rides better – very well, actually – without sacrificing and precision. It's the version to have, in Tekna trim if you want the camera-based gadgets. As a very roomy alternative to a Fiesta it makes much sense if you don't mind the dynamic dullness.
The second-generation Nissan Note is a spacious Fiesta alternative, despite dynamic dullness compared to the Ford
So you thought the Nissan Note was a compact MPV, a rival to the Honda Jazz but much less popular. That fitted well with Nissan's move away from the regular market segments, and the huge success of the Qashqai as an alternative to a regular hatchback shows the idea can work.But Nissan pointedly rejects the MPV tag for the Note you see here. It's a B-segment hatchback aimed bang at the Ford Fiesta, whose prices it slightly undercuts while adding equipment. Yet it hasn't completely abandoned the roots that its name suggests, because, at 4100mm with a 2600mm wheelbase, it's an unusually long 'supermini' to emphasise the point. That wheelbase gives it huge rear legroom, with the sliding rear seat (on middle Acenta versions and above) and a height-alterable boot floor adding more MPV-esque versatility. Not for nothing is the US version called the Versa Note.As before, the Note is built in Britain at Nissan's Sunderland factory. Its 'V' (for, yes, Versatile) platform is shared not with the new Renault Clio, despite the Nissan/Renault alliance, but with the current Micra, suitably enlarged. It's very conventional, with its front struts and rear torsion beam, but rigid enough to help keep weight of the likely biggest seller, the supercharged three--cylinder 1.2 DIG-S, down to a trim, if hardly atheletic, 1118kg.Compared with its boxy predecessor, the new Note is quite a stylish machine. We saw the shape first as the Invitation concept at the Geneva show, and its short nose and overhangs, fast windscreen angle and arrowhead-like depressions in the flanks are taken straight from that show car. The mesh-like front grille is Europe-specific.Nissan makes much of the Safety Shield, which brings lane-departure warning (by beeps), blind-spot warning (by a light in the door mirrors, followed by beeps if it all goes critical) and moving-object warning (around the back of the car when manoeuvring) all under one system. You can disable bits of it if they annoy you, but the clever part is that it's all done through one very wide-angle, rear-mounted camera and a lot of interpretive and image-correcting software.That's a lot for one camera to do, and a clear image is essential. So the lens is kept clean as required by water from the rear washer reservoir and blown dry by a jet of air. It's a first for Europe, but this Japanese invention has also appeared on US-market Altima models. The Note can also be had with the latest version of Nissan's plan-view parking aid, using four cameras around the car whose pictures are now joined very accurately. This Around View Monitor works brilliantly.Not so good is the interior finish. There's much talk of a premium ambience but there's not a soft surface to be touched on the dashboard or most of the door-trims. The controls and displays are well planned, though, with a circular cluster of heater/air-con buttons and a clear screen for the sat-nav and sound system. The Nissan Connect system on top Tekna models lets you plan a route on your computer or tablet via Google, and upload it to the Note's navigation system.Engines start with a 79bhp, normally aspirated, 1198cc three-pot. Next up is the 97bhp DIG-S (Direct Injection Gasoline – Supercharged) version; the 'charger is disengaged via a clutch when not needed, and the engine makes use of the Miller cycle to reduce pumping losses. This one gives an impressive 99g/km CO2 emissions score (109g/km for the normally aspirated model), but that worsens to 119g/km if the standard five-speed manual is replaced by the optional CVT automatic gearbox. The economy champion is the Renault-sourced 1.5-litre dCi turbodiesel, with 89bhp, 95g/km and, again, a five-speed gearbox.The Note DIG-S comes with more sporting suspension settings and 16in wheels instead of 15in, although the 'sporting' term is only relative in a car as unashamedly family-flavoured as this. Springs, dampers and anti-roll bars are all firmed-up, and the electric power steering gains stronger self-centring. The result is a car which feels tautly controlled over undulations but still rides comfortably over bumps, but the steering can feel artificially weighty and, sporting or not, this Note shows absolutely no sign of the pointability a keen driver would enjoy. Gentle, stable understeer and a completely inert handling balance are the dynamic menu here.Nor does the supercharged engine live up to its billing. It feels a bit overwhelmed by the Note's bulk, although the deep three-cylinder sound is appealing. You'll probably enjoy the impressively torquey diesel more; its 11.9sec 0-62mph time is fractionally tardier than the DIG-S's 11.7, but it feels much livelier and you stand a better chance of scoring good numbers on the displays activated by the Eco mode, in which the DIG-S can feel quite torpid.The diesel also steers more naturally and rides better – very well, actually – without sacrificing and precision. It's the version to have, in Tekna trim if you want the camera-based gadgets. As a very roomy alternative to a Fiesta it makes much sense if you don't mind the dynamic dullness.