Nissan Evalia: First Drive

Published August 9, 2012
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12 min read

Slotting into a class of its own, the Nissan Evalia is more van and less MPV; more function and less form. Regardless, it will definitely catch your attention!

The boundaries that defined body styles are forever diminishing and so we have small cars with sedan dimensions, sedans with small-car dimensions, SUVs that drive like sedans and don’t do much off road and of course MPVs that masquerade as SUVs full with four-wheel drive and the likes – today’s world is one of multitasking. While this does offer buyers the best of many worlds in a single package, the unadulterated functionality of the constituent body forms is somewhere lost in translation and there exists a sizeable bunch of people who want their vehicles to perform one task as best as they can – or so the people at Nissan will be hoping so.

That’s because their latest offering, the Evalia isn’t really an MPV – it’s what the Japanese prefer to call an urban class utility vehicle. Considering that the Evalia is more van than an MPV that drives like a sedan, but is loaded with features that enhance both form and function, we’d say Nissan has got that moniker just about right.

Design & Style

The Evalia made its Indian debut earlier this year at the Auto Expo and with its very boxy body style it very clearly emphasised on its people mover USP. But unlike many of these already on sale today, the Evalia is definitely one that exudes a very upmarket feel with its typically Japanese, but progressively modern styling – especially on the front. There’s no doubt that the Evalia is a very good looking vehicle considering its focused evolution toward maximizing cabin space but at the same time one cannot deny that it is in fact derived straight out of a cargo carrier.

Despite that there are numerous elements that really make you sit back and soak in the attention to detail such as the very dominant character lines along the side, the seamless glass house from the middle all the way to the rear and of course the very neatly designed front grille and headlamps. Notice that we aren’t mentioning the rear because quite frankly there’s not much to look at there except for one of the biggest tailgates we’ve ever seen!

Next Page: Packaging & Luggage Space

Packaging and Luggage space

The Evalia is a case of very clever packaging and thanks to its front wheel drive configuration that allows for a very cab forward design and a flat floor all the way through from the front to the back (due to the lack of a transmission tunnel, since the Evalia is front wheel driven) which really is one big advantage the Evalia will have over anything else it aims to outsell. The cab-forward approach compounded by the fuel tank under the driver’s seat means that much more room to play around with for the occupants. So what you’ve got is this vast expanse of space on the inside not only on the front and middle rows, but also in the third row of fold-away seats. Even the gear stalk has been moved forward to just below the centre console on the dash – again a very van-like feature, as is the angle of the steering wheel itself. But the biggest revelation we had was the luggage space.

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Almost every other vehicle vying for the ‘people mover for the up-and-coming’ accolade (read as Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo)has next to no storage space with the third row in use, so much so that you can barely squeeze in a decently sized backpack in there. The Evalia though, has enough left in it to fit two suitcases and a little bit more courtesy that very vertical, cliff of a rear. With the third row folded the Evalia will free up a massive 2100 litres of space and that further goes up to 2900 litres with the middle row bent over as well!

While that itself is a whopper of a fact courtesy the NV200 Combi’s UK brochure, all of that space is more or less a perfect cube and coupled with a rather low 540mm loading height and a gaping 1235mm opening height it just makes arranging cargo all that easier and neater – definitely one of the most impressive features of this Nissan. That means all your luggage will be extremely happy in transit, but what about you?

Next Page: Interiors and Passenger comfort

Interiors and Passenger comfort

Anyone sitting in the front of the Evalia will be a happy camper with those very comfy bucket seats and enough headroom to seat a giraffe. Move to the middle seat though and things might get a little irritating after a while and that’s our biggest concern because there actually is loads of space here as well – the problem is in overall comfort levels. Firstly, the 60:40 split bench is near devoid of any contouring leaving it very flat and to top that it’s rather thin too.

Then there is the complete lack of arm rests. While you could blame that on the sliding doors, there’s no reason why there couldn’t have been a fold-away one tucked in the centre of the bench’s backrest. And to round things up, the windows are the pop-out ones and that means you have to have the air-conditioning on perpetually.

While all of that isn’t really a big concern on short drives, it may prove to be an awkward situation with three people seated there on a longer run. That said, the air-conditioning itself seemed rather nice and though our drive was in awesome Bengaluru weather, the guys at Nissan said their test cycles involved runs in peak Delhi summers. This is one bit we’d like to really touch upon when we do a complete road test later then. The centre row also gets very usable aircraft style foldable trays with secure cup holders. There's a nice dose of quality fabric all around and plastics seem decent, with good build quality throughout.

Move over to the third row and it is more than enough for two adults with more leg room there than we care to remember on most other MPVs. Surprisingly, the third row also has dedicated air-con vents which actually help cool the middle row as well. One thing you really can’t take away from the Evalia is that it is extremely airy despite the lack of properly openable windows rear of the first row all thanks to those dimensions – like we said, form follows function.

Next Page: Powertrain and performance

Powertrain and performance

All of that cavernous space needs to be backed up by a good powertrain and the Evalia employs the tried and trusted 1.5-litre dCi oil burner codenamed the K9K for the job. This particular mill isn’t a stranger to Indian driving conditions currently also doing duty in the Nissan Sunny as well as the Renault Duster in its 85PS tune. In the Evalia it is mated to a well-sorted 5-speed manual transmission as far as gear ratios are concerned and despite its small capacity, seems adequate for the kind of use it will be put in. While we didn’t get to load it up to its full passenger or cargo capacity, it felt nice and sprightly with five adults strapped in – as long as you keep the revs above the 1700rpm mark.

Performance in its true sense isn’t what the Evalia is all about, but Nissan claims it can hit 60km/h in 12.7 seconds and that has everything to do with the way the Evalia is made. Based on the B-platform, the Evalia is extremely light in weight for a vehicle of this kind. In fact, it weighs in at only 1426kg thanks to its monocoque construction and subtle details such as the ribbed roof which saves weight without sacrificing on rigidity. This makes the Evalia almost 250kg lighter than the Toyota Innova. And then there’s that one physical quantity that truly defines usable performance – torque.

With the 1.5dCi in the Evalia making 200Nm which is exactly the same as what the Innova churns out from its 2.5-litre diesel mill, the Nissan is endowed with great driveability and enough performance to outrun its competition including the 280Nm Mahindra Xylo E9 according to Nissan – of course, we’ll be verifying that ourselves when we get it for a full-blown road test later. If it is any indication though, the Evalia climbed all the way to the top of Nandi Hills in Bengaluru without having to slot it into first gear, except for the very steep final hairpin.

Then there’s the rather huge matter of fuel efficiency too and the 1.5 dCi scores high there too. Thanks to the low weight as well as a very low coefficient of aerodynamic drag, the ARAI figure for the Evalia stands at 19.3kmpl which should put a huge smile across everyone’s face if they’re already thinking about buying themselves one! In case you’re thinking that everything’s all good with the powertrain then there is this one niggling issue of NVH seeping into the cabin. Let’s put it this way – there’s a lot of engine noise making its way in to the point that it does get rather irritating, though saving grace is that vibrations are kept at a bare minimum.

Next Page: Living with it

Another bit that was kind of putting us off was the very rubbery shift action on the gear lever – which seems a little bit of a stretch to reach if you’re slightly short but like sitting as far back in the driver’s seat as your feet will allow! The cabin noise may be an issue with pre-production vehicles though but we will be keeping an eye out for both these issues when we test the Evalia. Ride quality seemed slightly on the rough side with just two people in the car but that should improve with more occupants and/or luggage weighing the suspension down.

Living with it

What the Evalia is about is convenience though and in addition to the superb cargo capability, it offers a lot more in other areas as well. Being a front wheel drive vehicle, the Evalia offers natural progression for someone who has driven such a type of car before which can be safely estimated as almost the entire car-driving population in India! The steering wheel borrowed from the Micra takes a little getting used to owing to its angle which is more van-like than sedan-like and there’s very little feedback coming up from that column, which by the way is adjustable only for tilt. But the Evalia compensates with a very small turning radius at just 5.2 metres making it very maneuverable in city traffic and into tight parking spots.

With the driver seat perched nice and tall, coupled with the awesome visibility through the huge windscreen up front, you get an unmatched view of everything around you. For things behind the Evalia, there’s also a rear view camera that feeds the multi-function display next to the speedometer with a crisp image replete with distance markers. The MFD itself also houses enough information to probably fill up the Evalia itself if it could through multiple screens. One of those screens in fact, even houses a digital tachometer with an on-board computer that constantly calculates your fuel efficiency.

Next Page: Variants, Pricing and Conclusion

Variants, Pricing and Conclusion

Nissan will be selling the Evalia in four variants with the top end XV getting a coloured MFD, 14-inch alloy wheels to house the 165/R14-8PRLT rubber, as well as the intelligent key system above everything else. There will be no captain seats on offer even on the top-end variant though those might be incorporated later. The good thing is that every variant gets a music system and more importantly, ABS, EBD and Brake Assist! The bottom-end XE variant though has to do without both driver and passenger airbags. There are countless bottle holders all around the cabin and a very nifty box between the two front two seats on the top two variants. The glove box though, comes without a lid!

Nissan should be officially launching the Evalia around the end of September or early October and prices will be announced then but expect it to be somewhere in the region of Rs 8-10 lakh overlapping both the Mahindra Xylo and the Toyota Innova. The Japanese are definitely targeting to pull sales away from their compatriots that make the Innova and the Evalia is a worthy machine but the two cater to two very different buyers. It will take some convincing for private sales to pick up as far as the Evalia is concerned thanks to its very van-like presence – and vans haven’t quite picked up much in that market here yet.

One thing is certain though, Nissan is a changing company as far as their Indian operations are concerned and with that change is coming the advent of new dealers and ambitious sales targets. The company plans to have more than 150 dealers on ground by 2013 and they’re already running a 24x7 roadside assistance program in 1681 cities all over the country. That said, as far as the Evalia is concerned, you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it – there’s no middle ground. But you sure as hell won’t be able to ignore it!

Specifications – the stuff that matters!

Engine
Capacity: 1461cc
Fuel type: Diesel
Max Power: 85PS
Max Torque: 200Nm
Transmission: 5-speed manual

Performance (claimed)
0-60 km/h: 12.7seconds
Fuel efficiency: 19.3kmpl

Dimensions
Length: 4400mm
Width: 1695mm
Height: 1880mm
Wheelbase: 2725mm
Ground Clearance: 180mm
Boot floor height: 540mm
Boot opening height: 1235mm