The Nissan Sunny has been in the Indian car market almost
from last 3 years, Over the time this car has been known for its space
offerings, the feature list, the value for money tag and of course the proven
diesel engine. How ever, other models that have got up in the competition and
this is where I think it was a matter of time before Nissan would get this new
Sunny to India as well. It was shown to us at in Auto Expo earlier this year
and finally this is under us to experience the car. So can the new Nissan Sunny
spice things for the company in India ,
well lets find out.
The new Sunny is not drastically different than the outgoing
version. Of course a lot has been done in terms of style changes but instantly
even a non enthusiast can make out that this is a Sunny that has paid a visit
to the beauty parlour. Upfront we love the new sharper and bigger head lamps and
the way designer has skirted the bumper with new fog lamps insert and of course
the order of chromes that can seen at places, Nissan says Sunny is the most
chromed car in the segment. The overall effect in this new shape does look
pleasing and impart the sense of premium ness. Some thing that the company
wanted to achieve. At the back, not much have changes apart from a bigger
chrome garnish and a new bumper with sharper edges. You also notice the rear
parking camera with sensors. Side profile remains intact except the new wheel
caps for the lower versions and white shaped alloys for the higher version. On
a personal note, the diamond cut design seen on the Terrano alloys would have
looked fantastic here. So while new Sunny looks better the higher version reach
to 10 Lakh Rupees mark in terms of on road price and at this price point, cars
like the new City
and the Verna looks more appealing.
Thankfully Nissan designers have worked equally hard in the
inside and immediately you can make out the new better looking steering that
seems to have been borrowed from its international siblings. This new wheels
looks fabulous with the chrome inserts also houses well damn buttons for audio
system and answering calls with blue tooth. The other big change is the centre
console that now gets a Piano black finish first seen in the Micra last year.
The centre air con vents are rectangular now as compare to round ones for the
earlier versions. The XV model also gets the 5.1 inch screen for the audio
system and this doubles up for rear view camera, a feature missing on the older
version. This new system sounds better as well. Nissan seems to have improve
over all quality of material used and there are two premium pack to pick up.
Pack 1 gives you leather seats while pack 2 gives you side air bags. What
remains unchanged is the ackles of room in the car which, even at tall
passenger in the front there is more than ample of space at the rear for 6 feet
plus people. No other car can comes close to Sunny in this regard. That’s it.
We have been appreciating rear air con vents for the rear passengers’ bench
these air re circulation vents.
So while it looks and
feels better, technically the Sunny remains un changed. Making use of same 1.5
L Petrol Engine and the famous 1.5 L Dci Diesel engine. The former also comes
with an optional CVT transmission that is actual more fuel efficient that the
manual one while the diesel continue to come with same 5 speed manual gear box.
Power and Torque on both the engine remains un change, while the diesel puts
out 5 % more economy. The certified figure now stands at 22.71 KMPL compare
with 21.7 KMPL for the earlier version. The diesel engine continuous to impress
us with its negligible turbo lag and linear power delivery. NBH levels has been
improved and with Air con running, intrusion of diesel clattering to cabin is
pretty well controlled. While this engine might not offer terrific out ride
performance most users won’t have reason to complain. The CVT automatic makes
your life easier but does become noisy when want to get going faster.
So while this Sunny
has change, Diesel has priced up what remains un changed is how car behaves on
road and this is not a bad thing at all. The Nissan Sunny is very specific car
to drive and it’s a car that can play different role, it can be a self driven
car, it can be a chaffer driven car and depending on your age, your sister,
your daughter, your mother, your wife
can drive the car as well. The steering remains light and is good for city use
and yet has bigger feedback for highways and the mountain roads. The big
windows have an airy feel and visibility part how ever on personal note the
road noise has been less.
First launched in
September 2011, the Sunny was a pretty tempting deal how ever that hasn't been
the case lately with the all time low sales of less than 500 units per month.
Can this new Avatar change the fortune of Nissan’s only mass segment sedan in India .
The new Nissan Sunny is more than just an upgrade, it looks better, it feels
better, the diesel engine has an economy better and finally the feature list
impressive as well. Further on, Nissan is not saying the support by offering a
tempting pick up price making the whole packet value for money deal. For well
this car might not offer you terrific performance or driver’s package. As a
all-rounder, as a family car, this car is till manage to take the right boxes.
