Skip advert
Advertisement

Nissan Micra dCi 82 SX 5-door

These days there's a good case for choosing diesel over petrol, but is it worthwhile with superminis? When you consider the high price premium and the fact that small petrol hatches can be very frugal, it's no surprise many buyers are sceptical about the benefits of an oil-burner.

As one of our favourite superminis, Nissan's Micra has a lot to offer. This miserly new diesel version leaves the 64bhp model in its wake and boosts the line-up. Whether it's worth the price premium over the petrol model depends on the buyer, but we think the dCi 82 is the Micra to have.

Advertisement - Article continues below

These days there's a good case for choosing diesel over petrol, but is it worthwhile with superminis? When you consider the high price premium and the fact that small petrol hatches can be very frugal, it's no surprise many buyers are sceptical about the benefits of an oil-burner. However, Nissan hopes this uprated dCi Micra will offer enough torque to pull in potential punters - so we put it under the 'Micrascope' to find out...

To be sold alongside the existing 64bhp version, the new 82bhp edition of the 1.5-litre turbodiesel not only comes with more power and torque, but is also cheaper to run. This is possible because an intercooler has been fitted to make the unit more efficient.

The lower-powered edition returns an impressive 61.4mpg, but the newer model should achieve 62.3mpg. Ac-cording to the trip computer, our test car delivered around 53mpg in town, but we think it would easily achieve Nissan's figures on a more varied route.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

X5

2023 BMW

X5

23,311 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L

Cash £45,990
View X5
Stonic

2024 Kia

Stonic

11,381 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £16,200
View Stonic
Range Rover Sport

2022 Land Rover

Range Rover Sport

19,523 milesAutomaticPetrol3.0L

Cash £47,300
View Range Rover Sport
Sportage

2022 Kia

Sportage

26,692 milesAutomaticDiesel1.6L

Cash £23,000
View Sportage

The newcomer also has the better performance. With its healthy output and 185Nm of torque delivered at only 2,000rpm, the dCi 82 easily keeps up with busy city traffic. It lacks the rush or pulling power of a VW TDI unit, but rarely feels breathless.

Use all that muscle, and the sprint from 0-62mph takes 12.9 seconds - a great improvement on the epic 17 seconds of the 64bhp. As with most oil-burning Nissans, the Micra dCi is quiet and refined at speed, but can sound coarse under acceleration. Tur-bocharger whistle also penetrates the cabin along with too much wind noise, which becomes tiresome on long trips.

At £11,695, this SX five-door costs £1,400 more than the 64bhp SE five-door, but it's well worth it, and lower emissions and fuel bills will help to recoup the additional outlay. But would we go for a diesel Micra? Top-of-the- range petrols use a 1.4-litre 16v unit and cost £10,795 in SX trim, returning 44.8mpg. And while the oil-burner looks slower on paper, the extra torque makes the performance more accessible.

Even low-mileage drivers will save money on fuel, but whether this and the more usable performance are enough to justify the premium will depend on personal preference. But with its punch and superb economy, we'd find it hard to resist the dCi 82.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Nissan Qashqai

Nissan Qashqai

RRP £27,415Avg. savings £5,568 off RRP*Used from £12,588
Omoda 5

Omoda 5

RRP £25,915Avg. savings £1,882 off RRP*Used from £18,900
MG MG4

MG MG4

RRP £26,995Avg. savings £8,094 off RRP*Used from £13,290
Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage

RRP £28,065Avg. savings £2,233 off RRP*Used from £15,297
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Future of Nissan in the UK: new Gigafactory to power bold EV plans
Future of Nissan in the UK - header with Phil McNamara

Future of Nissan in the UK: new Gigafactory to power bold EV plans

Nissan is about to go from building the Qashqai hybrid to three fresh EVs in the UK over the next three years – all powered by a new gigafactory
Features
19 Apr 2025
Best SUVs to buy 2025
Best SUVs - header image

Best SUVs to buy 2025

There are plenty of great SUVs to choose from, so we’ve picked out the very best
Best cars & vans
17 Apr 2025
New baby Nissan Juke EV on the way to challenge the Dacia Spring
Baby Nissan Juke exclusive image - rear

New baby Nissan Juke EV on the way to challenge the Dacia Spring

Nissan to fast-track development of new battery-powered city car to take on forthcoming Volkswagen ID.1, and our exclusive images preview how it could…
News
18 Apr 2025