The New 2005 Nissan Tiida Is Now on Sale in Japan

Considering the great differences in styling philosophy between Renault and Nissan, it's interesting to see that much of

Tiida, a carbon copy of the C-Note concept, copied Renault's Mégane. (Photo: Nissan Canada)

the French car's design has remained present in the Tiida, including the raised cockpit and its general proportions. One major difference between the two is that a conventional hatchback has replaced the ungainly trunk of the Tiida's French counterpart. Nissan is also offering a notchback four-door sedan body style called the Tiida Latio. Aside from the addition of an ordinary-looking trunk, there is no mechanical difference between it and the regular hatchback. Considering that most Japanese car manufacturers let their international design studios dictate the appearance of their vehicles, the European and American market cars spawned from the Tiida will most likely bear different names and bodywork.

Inside, Nissan claims that the Tiida offers a premium quality interior. By the use of "leatherized" soft-touch plastics on the center console, instrument panel and doors, as well as high-quality fabrics for the seats, doors and headliner, Nissan hopes to create a sense of elegance. Like the exterior, very little was changed between the production Tiida and the

It's not a street machine, but the HR15DE motor is quiet, smooth and efficient enough to earn it an SU-LEV rating. (Photo: Nissan Canada)

C-Tone from concept to reality. Truly, there is much to be desired from the minimalist appearance of the interior.

But perceived appearances are only half the story when it comes to luxury, as another significant portion belongs to roominess and spaciousness. The Tiida has space as its trump card with an interior length measured from accelerator pedal to the rear seat hip point matching that of Nissan's Cima (Infinity Q45) sedan! Nissan has cleverly installed a flexible rear seat bench, mounted on rails, which allows it to slide a total of 240 mm (9.45 inches) fore and aft. The flexible rear seat also allows for expandable cargo capacity, with the rear seats all the way back 289 liters (10.2 cu ft) of space is available. Sliding the rear seats all the way forward increases the capacity to 463 liters (16.4 cu ft).