With the introduction of the Micra facelift in 2013, Nissan chose to continue the sales of the previous Micra with mild visual changes and basic features. The stripped down variant is termed as Nissan Micra Active that was introduced with a petrol engine option only. The Japanese automaker has positioned the Micra Active below the regular Micra to compete with the lower segment hatchbacks. Now some of those lower segment hatchbacks have diesel engine options while the Micra Active doesn’t. So the carmaker seems to be introducing the diesel variant soon, as it has been caught testing.
The Nissan Micra Active has been spotted testing in Chennai without any camouflage including the badges that reveal it’s a diesel variant from the ‘Pure Drive dCi’ badge. Powering the diesel Micra is the famous Renault k9k 1.5-litre diesel engine that produces a maximum power of 64 PS at 4000 RPM with a peak torque of 160 Nm at 2000 RPM, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Now to differentiate a lower model with a higher model, usually a manufacturer tweaks the power but in this case it seems unlikely, as 64 PS is the lowest state of tune that the k9k engine comes with.
The Micra Active currently comes with a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that produces 68 PS of power with 104 Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. With a diesel engine option and an attractive positioning, the Nissan Micra Active would be a better and desirable package for the segment. Of course, the diesel variants of the Micra Active and basic variants of the regular Micra will see some cannibalization. At present, the Nissan Micra Active comes with a price range of Rs. 3.50 – Rs. 4.71 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).
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