Nissan electrifies and updates the Note

Wednesday, 25 November 2020

Nissan has unveiled the updated Note, complete with new looks and electrified power.

In terms of design, Nissan has taken some cues from its Ariya SUV, revealed earlier in the year. There are sharp angles in the nose around the corporate V-Motion grille and headlights with four main LED bulbs in top-spec trim. The wheels are 16-inch alloys. Lesser models make do with halogen headlights and 15-inch steel wheels.

Moving to the profile, there are new lines and more pronounced wheel arches, with a roofline arching more towards the rear. A new Opera Mauve exterior paint finish has joined the 13-strong colour palette.

This the new, hybrid Note with Ariya-inspired looks.

Inside are more Ariya similarities, with a 9.0-inch touchscreen taking over most of the dash. A 7.0-inch digital instrument panel sits behind the driver while physical buttons still control the air-conditioning. Nissan's 'Zero Gravity' comfort front seats – trimmed in either cloth or leather – and reclining rear seats are standard-fit.

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The new interior is nicely updated too, with two digital screens dominating the dash.

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Extra goodies available include wireless smartphone charging, dual-zone climate control, an electric parking brake and USB-C ports.

The new model is smaller than the outgoing, which is interesting, but thanks to a platform change, rear legroom should still be plentiful. Nissan isn’t offering numbers but it reckons rear space “far exceeds segment norms”. We’ll wait and see on that one.

Power is exclusively sourced from Nissan’s latest E-Power hybrid system, which uses a 60kW/103Nm 1.2-litre naturally aspirated inline three petrol engine to generate power for a small front-mounted electric motor with 85kW/280Nm of output. That’s 5kW/26Nm more than the old model.

Fuel consumption is rated at 3.4L/100km, which puts the new Note right up against the Toyota Yaris Hybrid in this regard, though again, we’ll have to see if the claims hold up in real life.

Nissan says it has a “world first” with the new system, that being the ability to detect when road noise increases 'due to surface conditions and vehicle speed.” When it gets a bit noisy, the engine switches on to charge the battery but when things quieten down again, the engine shuts off to prevent 'the need for the engine to operate under otherwise quieter conditions' and reducing noise.

The full ProPilot driver assistance suite is included, offering Level 2 autonomy with adaptive cruise control (with stop-and-go) and lane-keep assist, which use navigation data to adjust the car's speed based on upcoming corners, traffic jams and speed limits.

And on that, there may be an issue. Australia isn't taking the 2021 Note at the moment and we haven’t yet heard from Nissan NZ on whether it’ll make it here. If you’re reading from Japan, Nissan will also sell an all-wheel drive Note alongside the front-drive variants.