The Nissan booth at KLIMS13 houses 2 newly launched cars – the Nissan Leaf EV and the Nissan Almera Nismo Performance Package – but there was also another model that caught our eyes.
The Nissan Note is a B-segment ‘mini-MPV’ type of hatchback not unlike the Honda Jazz. The second-gen Nissan Note made its debut in the second half of last year.
In Japan, the Note is powered by a choice of two 3-cylinder mills, both 1.2 litre jobs. The first is the 80 hp/106 Nm HR12DE, as used by the March/Almera in Thailand. The second is the HR12DDR, a supercharged unit with 97 hp/142 Nm. Both are paired to an Xtronic CVT gearbox, with Idling Stop System available for 2WD versions.
In the UK, where the Note rolls out from Nissan’s huge Sunderland plant for Europe, the Note can be had with the above 1.2L engines as well as a Renault-sourced 1.5 litre turbodiesel that emits just 95 grams of CO2 per km and returns 3.6 litres per 100 km (27.8 km/l).
If Malaysia does get the Note, it will likely share our Almera’s powertrain – namely a 102 hp/139 Nm 1.5 litre HR15DE coupled to a four-speed auto, as revealed by the exploratory specs displayed on the info board next to the car.
Top-spec Notes get Nissan’s Safety Shield bundle of systems, comprising Blind Spot Warning, Lane Departure Warning and Moving Object Detection. MOD works with Around View Monitor to enhance the driver’s field of vision. When the system detects something (or someone) moving behind the car, an audible and visual alert is given.
Around View Monitor combines the feeds from cameras mounted on the front grille, tailgate and both door mirrors to project an overhead 360-degree helicopter view of the car and its surroundings. The camera image is constantly scanned for dirt and if need be, a jet of water and then compressed air is fired at the lens to clean and dry it.
Before KLIMS13 started, we found the Note listed on Nissan Malaysia’s website as an “exploratory model” (page was taken down soon after) so ETCM might be looking at introducing the model here in the future. There’s an Impul version of the Note, too.
