2014 Nissan Note - A B-Segment Hatchback Aimed At The Ford Fiesta

All-new Note drops its ‘mini-MPV’ tag to take aim at the big-hitting hatchbacks

Nissan’s new note is not a compact MPV. It’s a B-segment hatchback aimed at the Ford Fiesta, whose prices it slightly undercuts. Any functional resemblance to the old Note is purely a coincidence.

So says Nissan, but the fact remains that the new car is, at 4100mm, unusually long for a ‘super mini’, and has huge rear legroom. The height-alterable boot floor and grander versions’ sliding rear seat add more MPV-like versatility, but don’t tell the neighbors. They’re meant to think you’ve just bought a rakish hatch.

2014 Nissan Note front

Prices start at $17,850 for the base 1.2 Visia and peak at $26,625 for a Tekna CVT. Increments of $1500 take you from 1.2 to DIG-S and on to dCi. Sales start in October, apart from the DIG-S, which arrives next January.

We first saw the car as the Invitation concept at last year’s Geneva show, and its short nose and overhangs, fast windscreen angle and arrowhead depressions in the flanks are taken straight from the show car. The mesh-like grille is Europe-specific and the exterior oozes neat detailing and a fine finish.

It’s not so good inside. Nissan talks of a premium ambience, but there’s not a soft surface to be touched. The controls and displays are well planned, though, with a circular cluster of heater/air-con buttons and a clear screen for sat-nav and sounds. The Nissan Connect system, where fitted, lets you plan via Google and upload it to the Note’s sat-nav.

 As before, Europe-bound Notes are built at Nissan’s Sunderland factory. Its V (for ‘versatile’) platform is shared not with the new Renault Clio, despite the Renault-Nissan alliance, but with the current Micra, although suitably enlarged. It’s conventional, with its from struts and rear torsion beam, but rigid enough to help keep the weight of the car driven here, the three-cylinder 1.2 DIG-S (Direct Injection Gasoline – Supercharged), down to a trim 1118kg.

2014 Nissan Note side

Engines start with a 79bhp, normally aspirated 1198cc three-pot. Next up is the 97bhp DIG-S version, whose supercharger is disengaged via a clutch when not needed. This one gives an impressive 99g/km CO₂ score (it’s 109g/km for the normally aspirate version), but that worsens to 119g/km if the standard five-speed manual is replaced by the optional CVT automatic. The economy champ is the Renault-shared 1.5 dCi turbo diesel, with 89bhp, 95g/km of CO₂ and a five-speed gearbox.

The Note DIG-S comes with firmer suspension than the non-supercharged version and 16in wheels instead of 15in. springs, dampers and anti-roll bars are all stiffened and the electric power steering gains stronger self-centering. The result is a car that feels tautly controlled over undulations while riding comfortably over bumps, but the steering can feel artificially weighty and, despite nominal sporting intent this Note shows minimal signs of the pointability a keen driver would enjoy. Gentle under-steer and an inert handling balance are the dynamic menu here.

2014 Nissan Note back

Nor does the supercharged engine lived up to its billing. It feels a bit overwhelmed by the Note’s bulk, although the deep three-cylinder sound is appealing. You’ll enjoy the impressively smooth diesel more; its 11.9sec 0-62mph time is fractionally tardier than the DIG-S’s 11.7sec, but it feels livelier and you stand a better chance of a good score on the displays active by the Econ mode, in which the DIG-S can feel quite torpid.

The diesel also steers more naturally, flows more readily into corners and rides better without sacrificing any precision. It’s the version to have, and as a roomy alternative to a Fiesta it makes sense if you don’t mind the duller dynamics.