The Nissan Note is Thailand’s latest eco car. Its the
company’s final one under Phase 1 of the eco car project, which is now in Phase
2. It has been awhile since there was an all-new model in the affordable eco
car segment, so this is notable entry.
The high-roofed five-door hatch was facelifted in
Japan late last year, and the Thai eco car is based on this latest version with
the V-Motion grille, boomerang rear LED signatures and flat-bottomed steering
wheel.
Under the hood, there is rusty HR12DE 1.2L used in the March and
Almera. With 79 PS and 106 Nm of torque, the three-cylinder engine is mated to
an Xtronic CVT automatic. Claimed combined fuel consumption is five litres per
100 km or 20 km/l. The Note is a Honda Jazz-type of car, and a roomy
cabin is one of its unique selling points. At 2,600 mm, the wheelbase is 70 mm
longer than the Honda’s, and its 1,535 mm height is 11 mm more.
Two variants are available here, the 568,000 baht V
and 640,000 baht VL. Standard kit includes halogen projector headlamps, keyless
entry with push start, auto air con, Fine Vision meter, a five-inch touchscreen
head unit, two airbags, ABS/EBD/BA, Vehicle Dynamic Control and Hill Start
Assist.
The VL throws in significantly more, including LED
headlamps and signatures, fog lamps, rear spoiler, 60:40 split folding rear
seats (one-piece in the V), anti-glare rear view mirror with display, a
seven-inch LED screen head unit with Bluetooth, and steering buttons.
Active safety features such as Forward Collision
Warning (FCW), Nissan Intelligent Emergency Braking, Forward Emergency Braking
(with pedestrian recognition), Lane Departure Warning, Around View Monitor and
Moving Object Detection are all exclusive to the VL – tech that’s unprecedented
in this segment and price point.