Nissan has pepped up the Note mini-MPV for the 2011 model year. Not much is new – we’re in the realms of the classic door handle facelift here – but there’s enough change to warrant a quick mention for the benefit of anorak car spotters.
The latest Nissan Note gets silver painted door handles and tailgate trim on Acenta and Teckna trim levels, with gloss black B- and C-pillars. Upgrade to the N-tec spec and a new front spoiler design is added to the visual mix, along with a host of extra equipment: climate control, auto lights and wipers and fresh cabin colours are added to the existing sat-nav, 16in alloys and privacy glass.
Two new colours (Magnetic Red and Grey) are added to the paint samples while Nissan has finally upgraded the audio system on higher models, allowing the Note to work with USB and iPod sound systems.
Any engineering changes on the new 2011 Nissan Note?
Not much to shout about, but the 1.4 and 1.6 petrols both now comply with Euro 5 emissions regs. Upgraded diesels arrive in autumn 2010.
Prices remain unchanged, despite the model year improvements. That means a starting tag of around £11k and there are numerous special offers bundling in two years’ free servicing, three years’ RAC membership or a £1000 guaranteed minimum trade-in.
Those kind of incentives suggest that Nissan is heavily supporting the ageing Note, which is now the smallest car built at the UK’s Sunderland factory. The Micra is no longer produced in the north-east, making way for the bigger, more profitable Juke which lands this autumn.