Nissan Note vs rivals

The arrival of a new Nissan Note will be music to the ears of many small car buyers. The supermini-MPV original won a loyal following with its mix of class-leading practicality, value prices and decent driving dynamics.

But the Nissan Note has had a major shake-up for the second generation, and the company is positioning it as a conventional supermini. As a result, the new Note aims to build on the MkI’s success with sharper looks and greater efficiency, as well as even more space. Plus, there’s a host of big car kit, including surround view cameras and lane departure warning.

• Nissan Note review

• Ford Fiesta review

• Honda Jazz review

Our reigning supermini champ is the Ford Fiesta, and while it can’t match the Note for interior space and flexibility, it sets the standard for style and driving fun. It’s also great value and very refined, while its brilliant EcoBoost engine combines punchy performance with strong economy.

Completing the Nissan’s welcoming committee is the Honda Jazz. It’s now five years old, but is a desirable choice with its brilliantly packaged, high-quality interior. Which car will come out on top as the all-new Note faces the music?

Boot space

It’s nip and tuck between the Nissan Note and Honda Jazz for practicality. With its sliding rear bench pushed forward, the Note has the edge on boot capacity by 33 litres, with 411 litres. But the Honda hits back when it comes to flexibility, thanks to its more thoughtfully arranged boot divider and Magic rear seats – their bases fold up and out of the way cleverly to create extra carrying capacity. By comparison, the Ford Fiesta can provide only 290 litres with the rear bench in place.

Safety kit

Nissan’s optional £400 Safety Shield kit on the Nissan Note adds blind spot monitors and lane departure warning. Although this hi-tech kit isn’t available on the Ford, you can fit a Fiesta with the £200 Active City Stop autobrake set-up, which helps prevent low-speed collisions. The Note is available with a reversing camera and neat surround view system. Even more impressive is the clever ‘wash and blow dry’ set-up that uses tiny jets of water and blasts of air to keep all the camera lenses free of muck.

Back seats

If you regularly carry adult rear passengers, the new Nissan Note is well worth considering. Acenta models and above get a sliding bench that can be pushed back to free up executive car-rivalling legroom. In fact, our measurements show that in this configuration the Note provides 100mm more space to stretch out in than the Fiesta. Surprisingly, there’s not a lot between the Ford and Honda in terms of passenger accommodation. But the Jazz feels less claustrophobic, thanks to its bigger windows and taller stance.

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1st place - Ford Fiesta

Yes- it's another victory for the Ford Fiesta. Its blend of style, performance and driving fun is hard to resist, while it provides just enough practicality for most growing families. Better still, in Zetec guise it represents decent value, while dealers will be willing to haggle on price. The competition is closing in, though. Plus, the efficient engine and stop-start result in 99g/km CO2 figure, helping to make the Ford the cheapest company choice.

2nd place - Nissan Note

If you value space and versatility, the Note takes some beating. The sliding rear bench and big boot make it extremely family-friendly. It’s also well equipped, attractively priced and cheap to run. A lumpy ride, poor refinement and soft brake pedal were disappointing, as were the nasty hard plastics inside. As with its predecessor, the Note is built in Britain at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, which also assembles the Nissan Juke and Qashqai crossovers. The hi-tech facility recently underwent a £140million refurbishment.

3rd place - Honda Jazz

The Jazz is getting on a bit, but it’s still a hugely practical supermini choice. Clever packaging means it’s as flexible as the Note, while top-notch build and decent refinement give it a grown-up feel. Despite having a relatively short top gear, the Jazz is also very refined on motorways, where it was only a little noisier at 70mph than the Fiesta. However, the cracks are showing, as the Honda suffers from imprecise handling and a dirty engine line-up.