IT might be a little early to start talking about the Car of the Year for 2003, but my money's on Nissan's Micra.

Not only does it stand out in a crowd, thanks to some adventurous styling, but it's essentially a very sensible car which will have broad appeal.

It would be some achievement if Micra won the 2003 award.

In 1993, the current Micra became the first Japanese car to win the European award which is dominated by European cars.

It went on to great success over nearly a decade twice as long as most superminis last before being replaced by new versions.

It's a fun car from the quaintly comical headlights to the keyless ignition system but essentially it's a good value model.

It is arguably the best Nissan for years.

Better than the Primera (smart, different, but up against a range of excellent rivals), the new Micra stakes a valid claim in its class.

All the talk at the launch will be about style its prominent headlights make it such a distinctive car.

The 1.2 litre unit in the test model is wonderful smoother, quieter and more refined than the 1.4. For the first time, diesel versions will follow to broaden the model's appeal.

Micra won't have it all its own way. There are some good cars in the supermini class, such as the Ford Fiesta, Skoda Fabia and Honda Jazz but most are more expensive or not as well appointed.

Among the features which make Micra stand out are sliding rear seats to maximise cabin space, a keyless ignition system and storage space under the passenger seat.

Space is one of the Micra's key benefits. It's taller and wider than the previous Micra and feels much more spacious, but it's slightly shorter which makes it perfectly at home in the town.

The curved roof looks stylish and helps create a feeling of spaciousness.

It also has an unusually tight turning circle, making it very manoeuvrable.

Other nice touches include 'friendly lighting' the lights can be programmed to stay on to guide you to the front door and it has a computer system which can remind you of the birthdays of family and friends and even wish you a happy birthday on yours.

One of the Micra's main aims is to appeal to younger drivers.

The current Micra's average owner is 56, four years older than the average supermini owner, but the new model seems to have all the credentials to win over younger drivers.

The Micra was Car of the Year in 1993, the first Japanese-badged car to win the award.

The current Micra was launched in 1992 and it's unusual these days for a car to last five years without a relaunch let alone 10.

In the last decade 1.3 million Micras have been sold and Nissan is confident that the new Micra will achieve 160,000 sales a year across Europe.