Nissan March 1.2 Review: A Fitter, Leaner March

What we like:

Excellent responsive new engine and chassis

extremely easy to park

What we dislike:

Not much - the solid rear bench instead of one that is split.

In many ways, the March is not your typical Nissan model. For one thing, it hasn't had a name or image change in almost a quarter of century. You can't say the same for almost any other Nissan model - over the last 25 years, the Sunny gave way to the Latio, the Bluebird became the Primera, then the Sylphy; while the Laurel was replaced by the Cefiro for a couple of models, which became the Teana in the last model change.

On the other hand, from the 2nd generation onwards, the March has more or less retained its upright-but-rounded look and image quite consistently. Once one tries to park the car, the beauty and logic of this ‘look' becomes obvious - the March is absolutely the easiest car to park in town. Instead of the steeply raked windshields and dramatically slopping A-pillars, the March's upright stance and large windows means that there is no need to guess where the body ends. The bonnet is visible from the driver's seat, and the whole car seems to make itself easy to place.

It is the new March's interior that marks the most dramatic change from the last model. The soft textures and colours have been replaced by a basic black-on-black monochrome scheme. What Nissan has done instead is to highlight certain areas with grey accents - the factory-fitted in-car entertainment (ICE) system, climate control and instrument binnacle have a metal-like finish. The combination ICE and digital air-con controls in fact look, and work, very nicely. The only other significant change is that the rear seat is no longer split and folds in one piece.

Nissan updates its iconic March with a state-of-the-art new model that is radical and highly advanced while retaining the traditional noddy-like March look. Despite its looks, the March's underpinnings lays down the basis for a whole range of Nissan models such as the next Latio and its derivatives like the Cube, as well as significant Renault models such as the next Clio, Twingo, Modus and Kangoo.

Credits: Story by Justin Lee Photos by Justin Lee and Raymond Lai