BBC - h2g2 - The Nissan Figaro
The Nissan Figaro has been referred to as a 'retro fashion car,' and was born out of the Japanese 'boutique' movement in car design - sub-compact vehicles (such as Honda's Beat, Mitsubishi's Minica Dangan and Suzuki's Capuccino) were based on the mechanical components of mainstream cars, but were externally very different. The magpies of the Figaro design team took all the best and shiniest bits from a variety of European cars and fused them into an almost-cartoon whole. There's something there to remind you of just about every classic car you have ever seen. An Austin Healey specialist provided the grille, a Vauxhall one the chrome and some panels are Ford Popular, others vintage Rootes. This judgement, from the man who left Top Gear to front Channel 5's Britain's Worst Driver, might be taken by many Figaro owners as the ultimate compliment. In truth, the Figaro is not a million miles away from the glorious motor favoured by the best mate of Big Ears - but put in for a pastel respray. The only visible Nissan badge is in the shape of a fleur de lys on the bonnet and the car itself appears to date from the late 1950s or early 1960s - it's all curves and chrome (the lighting units, the grille, the bumpers, hinges, handles) and is finished off with elliptical white wing mirrors (rather like the ones later used in the design of the 'new' Mini Cooper). The Figaro is a convertible, with a sliding soft-top that folds neatly into the trunk so as not to spoil the natural lines of the vehicle. Even the hubcaps are distinctive - white and chrome and reminiscent of Polo mints.
Road Tests: Nissan 2003 Micra
Safety was top of the list. So every new Micra has ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution and Nissan Brake Assist (of which, more later). They all have five proper three-point seatbelts. They all have driver and passenger airbags. They all have electric power steering. They all have single slot CD players. Inside, the dash-top is nice with a sort of skin-like fabric feel to it. The steering wheel is just the right size. There are clever cup holders and storage areas all over the place. Up-spec models have retro ivory-look switches, like the Nissan Figaro of ten years ago. A sliding rear seat, to give more legroom or luggage room at the expense of each other, like the Renault Twingo, Citroen ZX and Toyota Yaris. A huge hidden removable bin under the passenger seat, like the Suzuki Wagon R. And a massive compartmentalised glove locker with a drawer, somewhere for bottles, somewhere for all the nick-knacks you carry in a car. Even the door pockets are thought out, so that if you use them to store maps, the handle stops the map flopping over. The Intelligent Key system is just like that of a Mercedes Benz S Class.
Figaro - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Figaro, the central character in the comedies, The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Guilty Mother by Pierre de Beaumarchais. The first two were each turned into a famous opera: Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Gioacchino Rossini and Le nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, respectively.