Friends,
Took back to back TD of Micra & Fabia (both top end petrol) yesterday. My observations are as under:
Micra:
1. Looks are subjective but orange Micra is very catchy for sure. Its for those who like their cars to stand out. I belong to the same group and hence feel Micra is better looking than Fabia. But a red Fabia is also very very good looking. Only grouse is that recent face lift did not freshen up the side profile and rear. So its beginning to look slightly dated.
2. Low end torque is a issue in Micra (like Jazz). But its refined at low rpm. Almost feel like a regular 4 cylinder.
3. Seat height adjust & steering adjustment for reach is missing. But front seat is comfortable enough and with tilt adjustment of steering, finding a suitable driving position is very easy. Clutch has short range and hence comfortable (for me).
4. I am a person with avg height (175 cm) and even after adjusting front seat to my comfort, found there is decent leg room available at rear. I was skeptical about rear seat comfort (cushioning & under thigh support), but it was not an issue for me. To be sure, I repeatedly asked my better half about rear seat comfort and it was Ok for her too. Seat recline angle was also good. But head rest would be missed by people with good height.
5. Interiors: I was thinking that excessive beige/ greige would play a spoil sport but good quality material more than made up for it. Again funkyness of design layout also helped to break the monotony of beige/greige. Orange colour scheme looks good and switch/controls felt premium.
6. On road: steering is light but not as scary as say Santro & i10. Turning radius is probably as good as Santro. GC could be an issue in bad road. G/B felt positive but is not butter smooth, not much to complaint though. Clutch feel is very good and no jerk felt during acceleration. As mentioned previously, weak bottom end is irritating but smoothness/refinement in part of transmission, riding & handling make up for it.
7. Price: Presently, insurance is free and Micra XV will cost around 5.70 L on road. Booking amount is 10k & orange car would take 10-12 days. Other colours are readily available.
Comparison with Fabia
Please not that this comparison is strictly personal and I have absolutely no intention to belittle any car. In fact I love both these cars (and also Jazz :).
1. Looks: Micra is a winner for us (me and her) and my entire relatives adore the cute looks of Micra - guess its in our bood (and also in her). Micra is iOS while Fabia is Symbian.
2. Build quality: No comparison: Fabia is a tank while Micra is a car.
3. Interior: It is tricky, Fabia boast of better quality of material than Micra (which also have very good quality). But design/layout is a let down. AC knobs looks really outdated and my wife will sue me if I declare Fabia's interiors better than Micra. Guess I have to agree with her. Fabia feels solid but slightly boring.
4. Comfort: Fabia has better support, most comfortable seats among all the hatches I have TD'ed. Micra is good but Fabia is better. No second thought about that. But rear seat comfort is tricky. Fabia has better under thigh support & leg room but I found rear seat angle little too stiff. In boot space again, Fabia has distinctive edge.
5. On road: Fabia is quicker off the block, better steering feel, better ride quality, better handling. Only negatives are long turning radius and refinement of engine at higher rpm. Engine has good drivability but runs out of breath quicker than Micra. In open stretch/highway Micra will definitely overtake a Fabia but for city drive Fabia has more grunt. In short:
For highway: Fabia has the dynamics but not the engine while Micra has the dynamics but not the engine. And situation is completely reversed for urbane driving.
But if roads are bad than Fabia is a far better chocie. Fortunately, roads in my locality are in top notch condition and so for me scores are level in this case.
6. Ownership: Micra has a 10k service interval while Fabia has got 15k interval. As per dealer Nissan has adopted child part policy for Micra and so it would be definitely easy to own. As evident from extended warranty clause, Fabia will cost around 12K more for a 2+2 year warranty.
7. Features: Here Micra wins hand down for me. Yes it misses the alloys, but Fabia's 14" alloys are also a turn off for me. In any case I will change the alloys. As per dealer, Nissan has no warranty issue for alloy change, but Skoda has. Micra has auto/ electric mirror, rear wiper/defogger and to top it off the brilliant smart key. Also Music system of Micra is better than Fabia as far as clarity of sound goes.
8. VFM: With 40k less price, expected less maintenance cost, slightly more efficiency & better features, Micra is more VFM than Fabia IMHO.
Conclusion: The driver in me wants Fabia to own, but practicality aspects has reminded me again and again for Micra. It is unanimous choice of rest of family. Tomorrow I am gonna book one and as of now it should be a orange Micra XV. Done.
