Alistair Coull tests the price-busting Nissan Pixo Tekna

Nov 11 2009 Liverpool Daily Post

BUDGET motoring at its most affordable – that's the Nissan Pixo summed up in six simple words. Small car sales are rocketing – helped by the Government's scrappage scheme – and the urban friendly Pixo is perfectly placed to succeed in the A-segment.

Slotting into Nissan's supermini range below the Micra and Note, it answers the needs of people looking for a cheap car with ultra-low emissions, superb fuel economy and a credit crunch-busting price.

Backed by the quality and reliability synonymous with the Nissan brand, the compact yet spacious Pixo leaves rivals like the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto and Toyota Aygo standing.

The Pixo, mechanically identical to the Suzuki Alto and built alongside it at a plant in India, is tiny. If you want an easy-to-park city car, this baby Nissan is just 3.56 metres long, that's 15cm shorter than a Micra. But despite its diminutive dimensions, it still has five doors and four seats.

The cabin has a utilitarian dashboard with some sharp edges, but overall cheap doesn't mean nasty in this instance. The seats aren't armchairs, either, but at least this little runabout isn't going to dent your bank balance too severely.

The Pixo range is simple to understand: three models – Vista, Acenta and, as in the test car, a flagship Tekna – all powered by the same engine.

Start it up and the one-litre, three-cylinder engine bursts enthusiastically into life. Small cars that display healthy bouts of energy are confidence-inspiring despite the tiny powerplant.

In fairly narrow urban streets, the Pixo is ideal for zipping in and out of cramped spaces. It has even got rubber protection on the bumpers to protect it against accidental 'contact parking'.

Nissan do offer an optional four-speed automatic gear box but that reduces fuel consumption which is one of the car's main attractions. Stick to the five-speed manual and you'll be rewarded with outstanding economy of over 64mpg.

Out on the open road the Pixo doesn't feel quite at home although the controls remain easy and intuitive to use. The Pixo is lively enough, certainly no slower than any of its city car rivals. Top speed is 96mph although things tend to get quite noisy once you get anywhere near 80mph. Acceleration to 62mph is a pedestrian 14 seconds but nobody buys a car like this to perform sprints.

The Pixo is remarkably agile and always felt safe. Bodyroll through corners is kept in check by a well set-up chassis although you can easily find the limits of the tyres' grip if you are a little too enthusiastic.

The driving position could do with reach adjustment to make it more comfortable and the seats could be more supportive.

Even so, you could spend long trips in the Pixo if you had to.

There isn't a lot of legroom in the back and the cabin doesn't have much in the way of storage or cubby-holes. The boot, too, is tiny.

On the Tekna test car there was a reasonable amount of standard equipment – power steering, front power windows, air con, pollen filter, front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, front fogs and ESP.

It also had central locking, remote entry, remote boot opening and wind deflectors on the front windows. Not bad for a car costing just over £9,000.