2005 NISSAN Micra C+C 1.4L 16V 5MT FWD (88 HP)

Vehicle Overview

After Peugeot’s success with the 206 CC, Nissan tried its power on the small-sized coupe-cabriolet segment with a version based on the same platform as the Micra.

Sometimes, a carmaker gets its inspiration from one of its competitors, and it manages to create something even better. Yet, this is not the case since the Micra couldn’t match the high selling numbers obtained by Peugeot with the CC. But at least it tried.

The odd-looking Micra CC started as a hatchback and had its roof chopped and reconfigured as a folding one with metallic panels and a rear window. At the push of a button, that could disappear into the trunk in a mere 20 seconds. But the big problem was the car’s proportions and the front area, which was not that appealing even in the hatchback version. The carmaker just couldn’t understand that a fancy car had to look beautiful, especially since its target customers were fashion-oriented women.

Inside, it provided two seats at the front and an unusable bench in the back as its French competitor. It was suitable for a small dog or a purse. At the front, the designers tried to make the ambiance more pleasant and introduced sporty-looking white dials with red needles for the gauges. Moreover, they added aluminum pedals, which didn’t work that well with stiletto shoes.

Since the car was heavy for a small-segment vehicle, the carmaker offered only the 1.4- and the 1.6-liter engines under the hood. It paired them with manual gearboxes, which was not such a comfortable situation. But in the end, the car’s overall design was bad, resulting in poor sale results and a damaged reputation for Micra.