Nissan March Reviews

[Shipwreck]

The title says it all.

How is it?

Was it worth it?

What is it lacking?

What is the best part about it?

Would you recommend it?

I am seeing them all over the place and the wife is liking the idea of saving 200k+ on a compact city vehicle.

So...what do you think of your March?

Edited October 21, 2010 by Shipwreck

[bagatelle]

I was about to buy one but after my friend bought his he didn't recommend it to me.

1. Not cheap, you are looking at 519,000 - 537,000 baht (the top two automatic models) + interest, fees, options and extras which will take it close to 600,000 baht. Don't believe in the 375-425,000 range. These are absolute bare minimal, manual transmission models. For this price I would rather buy a used Tiida (about 480,000), or new City or Jazz. relatively at the same price range at 500K+

2. The march has a 1.2 litre 3 cylinder engine. Ok for city driving but don't even bother trying to pass a vigo or dmax in the fast lane especially with 3 other passengers.

3. I asked about the fuel economy and he said it was not that great compared to other cars. He averaged about 14km per liter. I get 12.5 km per liter in my Navara! If you look at the March brochures they don't really state the fuel economy.

In conclusion it is not the eco car it was advertised to be. It is still expensive, other countries' models have a 1.0 liter engine option which saves more fuel or a 1.5 liter 4 cylinder model for more power with about the same fuel economy.

[Shipwreck]

I was about to buy one but after my friend bought his he didn't recommend it to me.

Thank you so much for that Bagatelle. You've completely changed the way I view the car.

So basically. Unless you want a MT and no options, you might as well go for one of the regular compacts?

Anybody else have an opinion on the March?

[culicine]

I was about to buy one but after my friend bought his he didn't recommend it to me.

Thank you so much for that Bagatelle. You've completely changed the way I view the car.

So basically. Unless you want a MT and no options, you might as well go for one of the regular compacts?

Anybody else have an opinion on the March?

There's quite an extensive review of the march on headlightmag dot com. This is all in Thai but you can clean some information from it. They compared the cvt model to the manual version - the manual is considerably quicker - 0 -100 12.43 vs 15.63 sec ; 80-120 9.73 vs 12.59 sec; top speed 180 M vs 162 auto. The acceleration of the manual is right up there with the auto versions of the b-segment cars.

For fuel consumption the auto was 17.25 km/l vs 18.05 for the manual. This is for fairly open, uninterrupted driving as far as I can tell. (the ford focus tdci gets over 17 km/l in their testing)

The slowness of the cvt is disappointing (would cause problems in high speed traffic) and there's now way you would get near 20 km/l in bkk traffic. The 14 km/l from the previous poster seems realistic. I think I'd rather have an manual jazz for 560k !

[mdechgan]

Thank you so much for that Bagatelle.

I appreciate your comment and thoughtfullness towards a fellow poster trying to give you an honest opinion.

[indothai]

I bought one, top of the line, push start, easy entry, automatic.

I paid 580,000 with all the accessories.

A lot have asked me why I paid so much and not just get the Jazz, City, Vios, etc.... short and simple answer is... I wanted the top of the line automatic.

Top of the line Jazz, City, Vios, etc would have run close to 700-800k.... again,.. i wanted the top of the line automatic... at 700-800k I could start looking at the Civics, Altis, etc... and guess what... I would want the top of the line auto.

The March has been advertised to be able to perform 20km/L, unfortunately, it's been massively misunderstood. Testing methods are based on European UNECE codes... most just don't care to understand what this means, to make matters worse, throw in the Bangkok traffic jams and it's bashing time for the March. Home to work, my CRV 2.4 does 5-6km/L, the March 10-11km/L (my wife can get 12km/L), this is strictly downtown driving. In the highways the March can do well, I have yet to drive it out of town, but I'm guessing it will do much better fuel economy.

Cut to the chase... do I like it... YES I do!!! But please... I'm not in a state of euphoria and I know it's not a Benz or BMW. You can't even compare it to any other Japanese made car because... there is just no competition. The closest competitor would be the Honda, they are supposed to come up with their version of the Eco car next year.

To answer your questions:

How is it?

My version has the Idle-stop technology, it's more of a novelty for me. Basically, under preset conditions, your engine can shut of automatically to save fuel. It will start automatically upon releasing the brake or moving the steering wheel.

Was it worth it?

Yes, the money I saved on my daily commute to work pays for it's monthly payments. Or another way of thinking... more money for me to buy other toys.

What is it lacking?

I wish it had leather seats as an option. I wish it had cruise control as an option. The car only has me and wife in it 95% of the time (daily commuter to work), I've only sat in the back seat a couple of time, I think it could be a little bit better. Rear seats folds to provide more cargo space, but it's not a 50/50 split, I wish it had a 50/50 split.

What is the best part about it?

Easy driving in the city!!! Compared to my CRV, the March is a breeze to drive in the city!!! Parking is effortless and finding a spot is not much of a hassle now. I can go about 340-370km on a full tank of gas.. I know I can go much further if it wasn't for the Bangkok traffic jams. It's affordable, much more affordable than any other car on sale now in its own class.

Would you recommend it?

Yes I would. I don't work for any car company and I currently own Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. I would emphasize on the trunk space... very small, but you can flip the rear seats if you need to carry more cargo.

I heard the waiting period is months... many months.. I don't know how true this is, so if you are in the market for one, be patient. Don't get caught in the debate of March vs Jazz, or March vs City,.. or any other car.. there isn't one built in Thailand that you can compare to. Moreover, the Jazz/City/Vios is in a different catagory/price range.

I have gone 120km/h without any problems, and I know it can do more. I've done mostly city driving.. so passing other cars isn't much of a problem for me, all in all, considering the 1.2 liter engine and CVT automatic, it's not bad.

[JimShortz]

1. Not cheap, you are looking at 519,000 - 537,000 baht (the top two automatic models) + interest, fees, options and extras which will take it close to 600,000 baht. Don't believe in the 375-425,000 range. These are absolute bare minimal, manual transmission models. For this price I would rather buy a used Tiida (about 480,000), or new City or Jazz. relatively at the same price range at 500K+

The 425,000 Baht model is far from bare bones - and yes, that is what it actually costs! I know, I just bought one... Yes, it is manual transmission. I like manual transmission - if I drive an automatic it feels to me like driving an old persons electric chair; I want to control when the gear changes. In the UK only people who can't pass the manual transmission test buy them! If you need an automatic, then I agree, you have to pay for that need.

2. The march has a 1.2 litre 3 cylinder engine. Ok for city driving but don't even bother trying to pass a vigo or dmax in the fast lane especially with 3 other passengers.

What a pointless comparison. What, it's not as fast as a 3 litre turbo charged truck? Get away... is that really true? wow! I don't think it's aimed at petrol (or dirty diesel) heads is it now? The manual does, however, output 78hp and do 0 to 60 miles per hour in under 13 seconds - not fast for sure, but not slow either. If it's a sports car you are after then you are looking at the wrong car; it is not sold as that is it now...

3. In terms of "eco car", it has extremely low CO2 output, and better gas mileage than just about anything else available in Thailand at the moment, so how's that not eco (if any car can ever be considered "eco")? If you had some environmental conscience but needed to buy a car NOW, at a reasonable price, what would you recommend?

Edited October 27, 2010 by JimShortz

[Shipwreck]

Thanks IndoThai and JimShortz. Good to hear some opinions from people who like their March.

I don't mind driving a manual transmission, I am however, a bit worried about the wife learning how to drive one.

425K is a pretty decent price. I don't really NEED a car, so the March is attractive to me. Living in the city it gets bonus points for parkability.

I won't be buying until mid-late next year, but I'm considering anything less than 750K.

Looks like the next step would to be to actually go and test drive one.

[rixalex]

I like manual transmission - if I drive an automatic it feels to me like driving an old persons electric chair; I want to control when the gear changes. In the UK only people who can't pass the manual transmission test buy them! If you need an automatic, then I agree, you have to pay for that need.

I don't think what you say about automatic cars and their drivers in the UK is true any more. A lot has changed, including attitudes. Don't forget too, most auto gearboxes these days are tiptronic.

Conventional manual gearboxes will i think become all but extinct, save for sports and commercial vehicles, in the not too distant future.

[rixalex]

P.S. This thread might help shipwreck:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/348336-nissan-march/

[rixalex]

Oh, and one more thing, if it were me, i'd rustle together a bit extra and get a Fiesta. For about 550 you can get something decent, distinctive and with much more safety features than the competition. And unlike other Fords in Thailand, i don't think the depreciation will be that bad.

[indothai]

Thanks IndoThai and JimShortz. Good to hear some opinions from people who like their March.

I don't mind driving a manual transmission, I am however, a bit worried about the wife learning how to drive one.

425K is a pretty decent price. I don't really NEED a car, so the March is attractive to me. Living in the city it gets bonus points for parkability.

I won't be buying until mid-late next year, but I'm considering anything less than 750K.

Looks like the next step would to be to actually go and test drive one.

Hi highly suggest a test drive. If you don't like it, then find the next car. At the end of the day, it is your hard earned cash that pays for the ride.

Notes on a test drive:

Find a good reputable dealer and a good sales person that is attentive, remember, 300,000 baht is a lot of money to 98% of the worlds population.

I went to 4 Nissan dealers and handled 4 different sales persons and all but 1 were polite and attentive. They recognized a serious customer and treated me accordingly.

The price is pretty much fixed, no use to haggle on it. You can "negotiate" on accessories, but there isn't much on the March.

Hope all goes well with your new purchase, be it the March or not.

[JimShortz]

Having had mine for a short while and done a little under 400km so far I have found that I get an average of 17 to 18 km per litre (according to the average on the digital display).

That average mileage has mostly been with four farang in the car, in and around Chiang Mai. It has included a couple of trips into the city (around the moat and in and around the old city) and the rest has been up and down the Hangdong Road and out around the edges of town. The longest run has been out to Baan Tawai and on to Dok Mai Gardens (yes - I am giving a guided tour of the area to my visiting family!). To me that isn't bad mileage at all. I do drive with a reasonably light foot most of the time, so that helps, but I certainly don't drive like a half blind grandad, and I do get my foot down a bit to overtake from time to time. Where the traffic allows I tend to cruise along at about 85/90 km/h, maybe 95 tops.

I love my little (not that little inside) car so far, and the gas mileage is just about exactly what I was lead to believe it would be (50% better than most cars on the road!)...

[Issangeorge]

I just looked at one today and was initially impressed. It seemed well apointed for a small cheap car, although the one I was looking at was the top of the line ฿537,000 with body skirts for ฿20,000 so ฿557,000 total. I am just under 6 feet tall and there was lots of room in the drivers seat and after I had adjusted it to my preference I got into the right rear seat and there was lots of room there also. One complaint I had was the rear seat seemed a little hard, but since I would never be riding back there it really doesn't matter to me. I was impressed in how much room was in the trunk and that was without folding down the seats. There was more than enough room to hold our bags for a weekend trip for my wife and I. The Nissan salesman spoke pretty good English, but it was hard to get out of him what options I could get for the car, does anybody know what extra options there are for the top of the line model? Thanks Issangeorge.

[Negita43]

I asked about March in December, after reading all the advice my GF bought one (basic CVT) in late december. She loves it and is currently getting 19.7 KM per liter

She doesn't drive like Michael Schumaker but she travels around 80km a day and probably doesn't exceed 120 KPH. I have driven it too and It a nice easy drive and quite responsive.

[culicine]

I asked about March in December, after reading all the advice my GF bought one (basic CVT) in late december. She loves it and is currently getting 19.7 KM per liter

She doesn't drive like Michael Schumaker but she travels around 80km a day and probably doesn't exceed 120 KPH. I have driven it too and It a nice easy drive and quite responsive.

Under what conditions is she getting 19.7 km//? Highway, city or a mixture? I'll consider the march after the honda brio is released. We need a weekday runner as a second car as my civic is quite heavy on fuel.

[MoonRiverOasis]

I asked about March in December, after reading all the advice my GF bought one (basic CVT) in late december. She loves it and is currently getting 19.7 KM per liter

She doesn't drive like Michael Schumaker but she travels around 80km a day and probably doesn't exceed 120 KPH. I have driven it too and It a nice easy drive and quite responsive.

Under what conditions is she getting 19.7 km//? Highway, city or a mixture? I'll consider the march after the honda brio is released. We need a weekday runner as a second car as my civic is quite heavy on fuel.

BRIO will be a huge seller, but it's smaller than March so make sure you have a good look and see if it'll work for your needs before committing.

If you're in range of E85 stations, the 1.8L Lancer EX is cheaper to run than eco-cars (but only on E85) on a baht-per-KM basis, and is more versatile given bigger size.

Edited January 23, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[culicine]

I asked about March in December, after reading all the advice my GF bought one (basic CVT) in late december. She loves it and is currently getting 19.7 KM per liter

She doesn't drive like Michael Schumaker but she travels around 80km a day and probably doesn't exceed 120 KPH. I have driven it too and It a nice easy drive and quite responsive.

Under what conditions is she getting 19.7 km//? Highway, city or a mixture? I'll consider the march after the honda brio is released. We need a weekday runner as a second car as my civic is quite heavy on fuel.

BRIO will be a huge seller, but it's smaller than March so make sure you have a good look and see if it'll work for your needs before committing.

If you're in range of E85 stations, the 1.8L Lancer EX is cheaper to run than eco-cars (but only on E85) on a baht-per-KM basis, and is more versatile given bigger size.

Thanks, we will be keeping our civic for longer runs up country, and using a smaller car most days for commuting. The other option is a honda jazz/city. Fuel economy / cost to run is our main concern at this time. Besides, I've already paid for our civic from new, so financing a brio shouldn't be a problem.

As an aside, when will there be more specifications for the brio released? As I understand it, it will have the 89 hp engine from the 1.2 jazz, but nothing about the gearbox. Hopefully it will bring back memories of my modded 1.3 mini, in manual form anyway:)

[MoonRiverOasis]

I asked about March in December, after reading all the advice my GF bought one (basic CVT) in late december. She loves it and is currently getting 19.7 KM per liter

She doesn't drive like Michael Schumaker but she travels around 80km a day and probably doesn't exceed 120 KPH. I have driven it too and It a nice easy drive and quite responsive.

Under what conditions is she getting 19.7 km//? Highway, city or a mixture? I'll consider the march after the honda brio is released. We need a weekday runner as a second car as my civic is quite heavy on fuel.

BRIO will be a huge seller, but it's smaller than March so make sure you have a good look and see if it'll work for your needs before committing.

If you're in range of E85 stations, the 1.8L Lancer EX is cheaper to run than eco-cars (but only on E85) on a baht-per-KM basis, and is more versatile given bigger size.

Thanks, we will be keeping our civic for longer runs up country, and using a smaller car most days for commuting. The other option is a honda jazz/city. Fuel economy / cost to run is our main concern at this time. Besides, I've already paid for our civic from new, so financing a brio shouldn't be a problem.

As an aside, when will there be more specifications for the brio released? As I understand it, it will have the 89 hp engine from the 1.2 jazz, but nothing about the gearbox. Hopefully it will bring back memories of my modded 1.3 mini, in manual form anyway:)

Final specs for BRIO will come in March when it's officially released (which probably means deliveries in Q3 BTW). There's been a few suggestions of what the engine might be, but given financial difficulties in Honda I'd be putting my money on them using the existing (from 2001) L12B 1.2L engine as well, as the L12A would have troubles reaching the 20km/l target, and the L13A is over the 1300cc eco-car capacity limit.

Gearbox will be CVT for higher models, possiblty MT on lower models.

Edited January 23, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[culicine]

Thanks, it was thrown around in some forums it would be a 4 speed auto, which doesn't really cut it compared to the competition. Will test drives be available at the upcoming motorshow?

[MoonRiverOasis]

Thanks, it was thrown around in some forums it would be a 4 speed auto, which doesn't really cut it compared to the competition. Will test drives be available at the upcoming motorshow?

I can't see a 4AT being able to hit the 20km/l target, even with idle stop, and Honda have already leaked that it will have a CVT (which hopefully with less HP will last more than 100K).

The Motor Show doesn't normally have any test drives on the public days.

[Pinot]

Put down a deposit on the E the low level CVT version. Interesting that to get in white you have to pay 7000b additional. Why is that? Because that's the most popular color. ???? Okay, I'll take it in Silver then. 30-45 day on delivery here in Phuket.With insurance, registration, shipping, tinted windows, floor mats, antirust and a car cover bottom line, 486,546b.

Edited February 21, 2011 by Pinot

[culicine]

Thanks, it was thrown around in some forums it would be a 4 speed auto, which doesn't really cut it compared to the competition. Will test drives be available at the upcoming motorshow?

I can't see a 4AT being able to hit the 20km/l target, even with idle stop, and Honda have already leaked that it will have a CVT (which hopefully with less HP will last more than 100K).

The Motor Show doesn't normally have any test drives on the public days.

Any more news on the brio MRO? Or do we have to wait until the Motor Show for the official information? I did se something in aThai website about the price - the top model only 480K? Seems a bit on the low side but who knows?