The Nissan Pixo is built in India by Maruti Suzuki and apart from very minor changes it is identical to the Suzuki Alto. The most noticeable difference is the front bumper moulding, which has typical, current generation Nissan styling. Walk down the sides and if you are observant, you will notice the Nissan name on the centre of the wheel trims. Then at the back there is the word - PIXO and a Nissan badge. Sit into the driver’s seat and the centre of the steering wheel has the Nissan logo.
Fortunately, that is all that has been changed and if you refer to my road test of the Suzuki Alto, in August 2009, you will see that I really loved driving that car. By the same token, it broke my heart, when the time came to hand the Pixo back at the end of this test. It is a fantastic little car and I thoroughly enjoyed every mile and every minute that I was driving it.
It is a no frills, no nonsense, little economy car, with four doors and four seats. It has a precise gearchange, a delightful little engine, direct steering and an invigorating performance. Looking at the published figures, its performance may look decidedly lack lustre, with a claimed top speed of 155 kph (96 mph) and a 0-100 kph acceleration time of 14 seconds. But it can sprint away from the other traffic at the lights, nip in and out of the congestion and generally perform like an exciting sports car. The important thing here, is that YOU the driver, has to make it do all this, so when it does so, you get a tremendous sense of driving satisfaction and pleasure.

Power is provided by a 996 cc, three cylinder engine, driving a five speed manual gearbox. It is modestly tuned, delivering an acceptable 50.200 kW/lt, with 90.361 Nm/lt of torque. Its power to weight ratio is a very ordinary 25 kg/kW, so that superb driving pleasure comes from what you can do to make it exciting. Keep alert, keep on your guard and you can make it deliver in a very satisfying manner. The little engine is not reluctant to work if you want it to, yet at the same time, it is economical in its thirst for fuel and clean in its exhaust emissions. Without stop/start, brake energy regeneration, or any of those cutting edge modern technologies, it still manages a highly commendable 103 gm/km exhaust emissions.
I estimate that on the urban cycle, I was getting about 40 mpg (7.0 lt/100 km), which is away below the advertised 51 mpg (5.5 lt/100 km), but I freely admit that I was also engaging in a lot of fast acceleration away from the lights and generally extracting all the performance I possibly could, when road and traffic conditions allowed. The official figures are 51 mpg (5.5 lt/100 km) on the urban cycle, an excellent 74 mpg (3.8 lt/100 km) on the extra urban cycle and 64 mpg (4.4 lt/100 km) on the combined cycle.
The steering had a pleasantly direct feeling, so I was surprised when I measured it, to discover that it was geared to give a very comfort orientated 3.4 turns from lock to lock. It was easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces, aided by its compact overall size, yet it did not wander unduly out on the open road, unless you were distracted by the scenery and did not keep your eyes on the road.
Up front it had MacPherson strut front suspension, while at the back, it had a tubular beam axle on trailing arms with a panhard rod. It gave a comfortable ride and held the road well. The braking system had ventilated discs at the front and drums at the back. The system incorporated anti-lock with electronic brake force distribution. When removing the wheels from the car, to look at the suspension, I was surprised how small and light they were. It just goes to show how times have changed, as most modern cars now have comparatively large and heavy wheels, even where the wheel itself is cast aluminium.

The instruments and driving controls are clearly laid out. In our wintry weather, I was delighted with the excellent output of the heater, which warmed up quickly and kept the cabin snug and comfortable. There is just the one large, easy to see, analogue instrument - the speedometer - in a binnacle behind the steering wheel. It incorporates a small digital panel that shows the time and distance. This can be set to show either total distance or the trip distance. There are also various warning lights, that illuminate, as necessary, in the speedometer face. All the heating/ventilation controls are in the centre console, ahead of the gearlever, with the audio controls above. Below the heating controls there is a useful open storage space plus two cupholders.
Both front windows are electrically operated, but the driver’s door only has the switch for its own window. If you want to lower/raise the passenger side window, you have to lean across and use the button in the front passenger door armrest. Fortunately the car is not too wide, so this is just about possible for a person of average height. The windows on the two rear doors are vertically hinged along their forward edge and open outwards, being held by a catch on their rear edge.
Each front door has an open storage box at its base and there is a deep open storage box in the facia on the passenger side. Both front seats are comfortable and have an adequate range of adjustment. Kneeroom and footroom in the rear seating area is confined and is dependent on the range of the front seat adjustment. It is really only suitable for two passengers and they should be of slim build and modest height. ISOfix fittings are provided for two chi;ld safety seats. There is a degree of versatility in that the backrest is split 50/50, so you can accommodate an adult rear seat passenger as well as some awkward items of luggage.
At least there are two rear doors which makes entry and exit far more convenient than those economy and small cars that have only the two front doors.

Above : Front seating area
Below : Rear seating area

Luggage space is minimal, when all four seats are required. When only the two front seats are needed and the rear seat backs are folded flat, it increases to a useful 0.367 cubic metres. I was surprised to find that the Pixo can tow braked trailers of up to 200 kg in weight, or unbraked trailers of up to 100 kg. Thus if luggage space is a problem, as you also need all four seats, a small baggage trailer may be a possible solution.

Above left : Normal luggage space below rear parcels shelf
Above right : Normal luggage space with shelf removed

Below left : Luggage space with half rear seat folded
Below right : Maximum luggage space

The best news I have kept for the last. This delightful little Nissan Pixo in SVE level of trim, carries a list price of Euro 10,860, excluding delivery and associated charges. That makes it one of the lowest priced cars on the Irish market, at the present time. In my book it is superb value for the money !

Technical data

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