Forgotten mini Nissan through the eyes of users
There will be days when you don’t think about the Nissan Pixo. We can forgive you: the model has not been available for almost ten years and even when it was new it was in the shadow of cars like the Toyota Aygo. Time to give the micro-Micra some extra attention: what did people who bought it think?
By ‘micro-Micra’ we only refer to the position of this car in the range. It was Nissan’s absolute entry-level car, but technically it had nothing to do with its big brother. No, the Pixo was mainly a Suzuki Alto with a slightly more mature nose. A nose that also had no Micra features, but looked more like that of the MPV Nissan Note. Under the hood, the range was clear: each Pixo has a 1.0-liter three-cylinder with 68 hp.
Passenger comfortn
“As small as it is, it offers a surprising amount of space, especially in the front,” we read in the very first review we read. “The seats are good for long journeys, the dashboard is ergonomically pleasant and illuminated at night like the cockpit of a fighter plane over enemy territory.” You understand: we also had to read some other reviews to discover that this writer mainly put humor in his writing and had no cynicism in mind.
This is proven by the writing of another owner: “The seat is quite good in the front, I am 1.83 meters tall and this fits well. The back is of course small, but two kids fit in fine. The trunk is super small, it fits almost nothing, 1 buggy and a bag and then it is full.” The following is reported about the interior: “Dashboard is plastic fantastic unfortunately. In the evening the dash looks good with the built-in radio, everything is illuminated in attractive red. Pretty awesome. It feels and looks like a class above.”
We often read the comment about the amount of plastic inside, such as from this less content Pixo driver: “The dashboard and door panels are extremely sensitive to scratches, which is a constant source of annoyance.” In short: for the best Pixo experience, it better be dark.
And the chairs?
It has already been mentioned, but the mounted chairs are quite popular. One rider decided to improve the seat a little further. “Seating comfort is excellent, and I had the seat of the chair raised 2 cm at the front and 1 cm at the back. This tilts the seat slightly and gives me more support for my thighs.”
The adjustability of the steering wheel appears to be a tricky point for another owner. “To get a good sitting position, I have to move the driver’s seat a little further back, but then I actually sit too far from the steering wheel, which means you can’t put your hands properly on the steering wheel. The handlebars are only adjustable vertically.” In this segment this is the rule rather than the exception, but still something to take into account.
Handling and performance Nissan Pixo
The cheerful writer with whom we started this article also does not leave his driving experience unmentioned. “During heavy acceleration, the engine makes the same hoarse sound as a Porsche 911, after all it is half a six-cylinder, and I constantly see stars of pleasure in the eyes of the grinning occupants. After acceleration, the greasy sound fades into the background, after which a kind of peace settles in the car that gives the impression that you are driving a car of a higher class.”
Humor predominates here too, but if we are to believe the next rider, there is a large grain of truth in it. “As mentioned before, the thing drives like a real car, so you don’t feel like you’re on the road with such a small thing, the noise level is surprisingly low. There are no creaks or rattles and the seats fit very well for us.”
Because three times is a charm, we also quote a third Pixo driver: “We really like the driving comfort of the Pixo. I have always been a fan of large cars, but I must say that the Pixo pleasantly surprised me. The car is wonderfully quiet inside and the interior is also free of rattles or creaks. The car sits nicely on the road and is not affected by wind sensitivity. The engine is also nice and snappy and alert.”
This opinion about wind sensitivity is not supported by every rider. “Although the car drives well and has good road holding, you do notice the difference with a larger car, especially in strong winds and when you steer too hard into a bend and then have to correct,” reports a fourth Pixo employee. driver. Opinions are less divided: the Pixo does not appear to be a very clear car, with considerable blind spots all around.
Maintenance, malfunctions and irritations
The reviews paint a picture of a largely reliable car. It doesn’t mean that the little Nissan has proven faultless to everyone. For example, a driver reports a creaking engine mount, but after replacing it the car also seems to have become quieter. It is an intervention that has been done before, including the following rider: “During the first check they did something with the rubbers on the suspension, but after two weeks the noise was back. The second time they replaced the engine mounts. Nissan has modified engine mounts that are a bit more solid and that limit engine vibrations more.”
One rider was stranded several times along the way, which turned out to be due to a water leak that disrupted the electronics. Another point of interest: “The car has only shown one disadvantage so far and that is the very mediocre paint. You only have to walk past it or you will see the white base layer emerging through the paint in that spot,” reports an owner after 32,000 kilometers of driving experience.
All in all, it turns out to be a pretty good story for Nissan’s smallest. Well, you have to be able to deal with the plastics in the interior and there is no trunk space, but you do sit on nice seats. Apart from an occasional stranding and creaking engine mounts, the Pixo holds up well and convinces with a driving experience that transcends class. This makes the Pixo seem like a better choice than you would expect based on its role in the margins.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl