At a class-leading 59 mpg, the latest iteration of the conventionally powered Nissan Note ekes out the kind of efficiency that gets our immediate attention. And why wouldn’t it? The newly revised global compact car has sold over 940,000 copies worldwide since its launch in 2005, which means we’re looking at the kind of mass-market hatchback that can make a dent in fuel use and CO2 emissions.
There’s a lot of goodness in the Note. Nissan has aimed at taking ‘small’ to a new level of desirability by exploring the full potential of compact cars, expending significant effort in providing an appealing design and advanced technologies you wouldn’t necessarily expect in a B-segment car.
For example, the Note offers Nissan’s Around View Monitor to help take the stress out of reversing and parallel parking, a system included for the first time in a compact car. A revamped body structure also enabled Note designers to provide an interior more spacious than one would expect in this segment, with higher quality materials.
Two new engines will be available to customers in Japan, including the supercharged and direct injected three-cylinder HR12DDR (DIG-S) and the HR12DE, which has received acclaim in the Nissan March. Combining the compact and lightweight, next-generation XTRONIC continuously variable transmission with the automaker’s Idling Stop System in the newly-developed HR12DDR delivers the milestone fuel economy mentioned and an enjoyable driving experience.
The new Note’s credentials are impressive – unexpected technology for the class, light weight, great aerodynamics, and hybrid-like fuel economy without the premium cost of a hybrid. When it comes here to American highways, there will be changes from the Japanese and European variants, as is always the case. Those will include some subtle design differences and the types of engines used. Let’s just hope that Nissan sees the U.S. as accepting of engines that achieve the rarefied fuel efficiency that’s enjoyed by the Note in the automaker’s Japan home market.