Nissan Tiida ST-L 2006 Review

7-day Test

Full credit to Nissan for successful cut-through in establishing a new name in a crowded marketplace, but has the raunchy ad campaign created expectations that it can't meet?

The Tiida would be lucky to quicken your pulse and it certainly won't take your breath away. But don't dismiss it just yet.

It's better than all of that. It marks a welcome return to the fuel economy, clever use of space, international styling and simplicity that made earlier small Nissans so popular.

Out of recent small car releases, only the Renault Megane generated more interest on test. Its solid chiseled looks have strong, kerbside appeal with both genders. Compared to the Megane, the Tiida looks like it has been squared up in a vice to cut width and length and squeezed upwards in the process.

Although it shares a Renault platform, the Tiida is one of the few small cars that will still fit inside the Japanese 1.7m width limit. Nissan cleverly locates all Tiida seat adjustment levers in the centre allowing the full-sized seats to sit tight against the doors to generate the elbow room of a wider body while meeting tough new side impact requirements within the same 1695mm width of early Pulsars. Sign on the bottom line and read no further if parking space is tight.

The flat-looking seats are exactly the right height for sliding into and don't require you to double up to clear aggressive contouring. Yet they seem to wrap around you as soon as you are seated -- perfect for someone who has to jump in and out all day.

A long 2600mm wheelbase with clever cabin architecture generates leg and headroom front and rear normally associated with much bigger cars. Doors open wide with long and high apertures that can make limos look silly. If you need a frugal runabout to transport monster offspring this is it.

For securing young children, access is excellent and there is no small car better suited for carrying older passengers with aches and pains. Best to treat it as a generous four seater though its width limits it as a five seater, a limitation reinforced by the rear centre lap-only belt.

All Tiidas are fully imported from Japan, when key rivals start with a lower cost base from Thailand or South Africa. Thus the finish and fundamentals are top shelf but sub-$20,000 pricing for the ST hatch and sedan including air-con strip it of key features.

The correction stickers inside the brochure suggest Nissan was agonizing over what to delete and leave until the last minute. The test ST-L Hatch (an extra $2250 over ST) delivers ABS with EBD (electronic brake distribution) and BA (brake assist), electric windows, plusher tricot trim in a choice of two colours, rear headrests, front to rear curtain airbags and alloy wheels. None of these were featured on the $19,990 manual ST sedan which CarPoint also drove.

The ST-L seems reasonable enough except there is nothing for rear passengers to hold onto, an awkward omission with such a big flat back seat.

There are also no front or rear centre armrests which reduces front storage, no rear grab handles, no front seat back map pockets, no steering column reach adjustment and no overhead sunglass holder. More importantly, the ST and ST-L hatches don't get the Tiida Q's sliding rear seat that gives you 240mm to add or subtract from rear legroom or luggage capacity. This could be a concern when the base hatch's fixed luggage capacity and access are tighter than usual.

The ST and ST-L sedans lose the TI's fold-down rear seat but at least the boot is big. It's only when you spend around $25,000 that it all comes together though cruise control and rear disc brakes don't appear at any level.

So where does your money go? The body, thanks to Renault's industry-leading crash performances, feels strong. The rigid windscreen pillar design with its extra triangles of side glass and their own demister vents is not cheap (when it dictates separate mirrors) but delivers excellent forward vision. Extra air-conditioning vents on the top of the dash direct a cool flow at face level without chilling your left hand.

The all-alloy 1.8-litre engine strikes a fine balance between economy, response and performance except it likes to hang onto its revs between gears. Testing revealed a genuine 7lt/100km overall figure for both with a worst of 9lt/100km during a fast mountain climb in the auto.

Where else can you get a six-speed manual standard under $20,000? Some testers criticise its precise, mechanical shift action but in a Ferrari with a chrome gate at the base of the lever, it would win accolades. When most of today's small cars seem made for a Tupperware catalogue, it is unexpected.

The unobtrusive four-speed auto doesn't have a manual shift function, but it is not missed -- which says something about the Tiida's driver focus! (Or lack thereof.)

Brakes and steering are light with little feel while ride and handling are set up not to disturb or demand anything of the driver. It's not a "whole new driving experience" but exactly what most small car buyers expect.

Likewise, Nissan's "Sexy Inside" cabin stretches the point unless it is referring to what you can do with all the stretching space.

The stalk controls feel good and there are cold and hot temperature warning lights instead of a gauge -- perfect for the Tiida but not for a driver's car. The confronting dash and the inability to see any panelwork beyond the windscreen wipers might worry some drivers.

The extended test loop which involved carrying mountain bikes revealed several compromises. The base of the hatch opening is too narrow for loading bulky objects. Although the raised rear seat base is located at optimum height for passengers, this leaves a giant step between the cargo area and the folded seat backs.

Overall, the Tiida marks a return to the quality Pulsars that once won Wheels Car of the Year awards, not the year's most cheerful cheapie. Yet by engaging the Mazda3, Honda Civic, Holden Astra and Ford Focus benchmarks on sex and driver appeal it can only lose. At the same time, it is too quirky and spartan for a traditional Corolla buyer.

So what is it? The Tiida hatch is a clever peoplemover for four in driving position, cabin space and price. It succeeds where the Mazda Premacy and the now defunct Civic Hatch couldn't when it defines a better line between slab-sided SUV and funky hatch. Even if the high sides generate a butt on the Tiida sedan that is definitely not sexy, it  stands alone as a frugal and capacious shopping trolley or sedan renter for four with heaps of luggage.   

As always, when someone spends a squillion telling everyone they are sexy, it usually means they are not. Instead, the Tiida should be the car of the moment when so many Australians want to downsize without losing their big car stretching space.