Nissan Sunny: Road Test

The small car segment in India has continuously been explored and re-explored by manufacturers in the pursuit of having the correct ingredients in their car. While some car makers have found them, others haven’t. But it is the entry level sedan segment that is still to be exploited to its full potential. Nissan has now brought its internationally launched Versa under the Sunny tag to India, in an attempt to make a breakthrough in the segment. Although there are only five cars in the segment, each one has a USP of its own, making it very difficult for a buyer to make his choice. While the Suzuki Swift Dzire is the class leader offering great mileage and a peppy drive with great after sales service, Toyota offers refinement and comfort with its Etios. And let’s not forget the sleekly styled Tata Manza and the highly affordable Mahindra Verito. The question is what does the Sunny have to offer? Is it the segment shaker Nissan wishes it to be?

Design
The Sunny is a completely new offering from Nissan and in a segment with cars that don’t quite excite you with their aesthetics or design attributes it takes a very subtle approach in terms of its appearance. A quick glance at the profile of the Sunny and you will note delicate lines all around the car that give it a mild touch of grace for a car that is large visually and physically. While the car has no features that will turn heads, the massive front end hosts equally big headlights – clearly an inspiration from young Japanese girls in Manga strips and that makes up for the aggression that is lost in the faint shoulder line of the car. The design of the car has a good balance between aggression and elegance; but it is the rear that makes the car look slightly disproportionate. The rear of the car has nothing going for it despite carrying on from the design language set by the bigger Teana and looks extremely bland with the triangular tail lamps and the Nissan logo just above the license plate. In effect, the Nissan Sunny has turned out to be a car that is delightful to behold from certain angles and completely loathsome from others, but the overall turnout is still classy rather than common.

 
Interiors
For a car called the Sunny, you’d expect things to be all fun and lively on the inside but unfortunately, the car is a complete contradiction to its name. The interiors are a single shade of grey which give it a dull and monotonous feel to the extent that you start craving for a dash of colour. The door trim is the only part that breaks the monotony on the inside, but it doesn’t do enough. Diverting the attention from the monochrome interior is the round instrument console that is a straight lift from the Micra, which in fact is an extremely smart cost-cutting move from Nissan but reflects poorly on the brand appeal. Speaking of which, the dedicated vents for the passengers on the rear bench are another smart incorporation, especially as they’re not directly connected to the air-conditioning system but simply employ a blower to pull in the cool cabin air from the front to circulate it to the rear! Despite trying to keep costs low, the plastics and the quality of the interiors thankfully seems upmarket.

Get latest updates on
the automobile community

Login Now

 
On the comfort end of things, the Sunny does not take a back seat. Space is in plentiful, at the front as well as the rear – in fact it is more spacious than anything that we have ever seen in the segment and although it is nicely spaced out it still manages to form that quintessential cocoon around the driver’s seat. The rear bench is comfortable and can seat three adults with ease without them having to constantly battle for shoulders and leg room. In fact only after getting into the rear seat you realise the size and the comfort that the car delivers. Even with the front seat pushed right back, there is still ample leg and knee room for the rear passenger, which in itself speaks a lot about the generous cabin and the comfort factor it provides. The good news carries on to the boot as well which is a decently sized one capable of gobbling up 490 litres of luggage – ideal when off on a vacation with the whole family.

Under the hood
The Sunny sports an all-new 1.5-litre gasoline unit putting out 99PS at 6000rpm and producing 134Nm of torque at 4000rpm. The engine is not just exceptionally smooth in delivering power, but also quite peppy and makes the car fun to drive. The initial zest and thrust of the engine however doesn’t continue for long and over 3000rpm it seems to run out of breath. The displacement-power ratio is in accordance with what is expected of a 1.5-litre powerplant but the car fails to be a mile muncher and is not really something that one would call fast, but then again, in this segment it doesn’t even need to be. Although the engine is remarkably refined, it lags behind in terms of performance. Cabin noise has been kept to a bare minimum and you really have to strain your ears to get any kind of audible hint that the motor is running. As much as we enjoyed the well-tuned engine, the five-speed manual gearbox was a major disappointment in our test car. The ‘box was not just notchy, but also imprecise to the extent that we had to work a wee bit harder in order to slot the car in the desired gear.

 
Performance
Performance isn’t really the most important attribute for a car in this segment but as mentioned before this is one place where the Nissan Sunny will mildly disappoint those looking for a little spunk in their drive. In our instrumented tests the Sunny accelerated to 100km/h from standstill in 14.84 seconds which is more or less o par with all its competitors. Keep that right pedal pressed and the Sunny feels stressed as it lumbers on to its 164km/h top speed.  While all that may be decent, where this Nissan lacks is in mid-range grunt – throttle up from 60km/h in fifth gear and you’ll take 26.73 seconds to get up to 100km/h. The Sunny’s front discs and rear drums are top notch but although the car can be brought to a standstill from 100km/h in 3.5 seconds, unfortunately the brakes of the test car felt much less responsive.
 
However, what this segment needs and as is the most important factor punters look out for is fuel efficiency and here Nissan can hold its head high. This is one Sunny spot which can be taken to the hilt with the car dishing out 12.6kmpl in our in-town tests and 14kmpl on the highway. Many petrol hatchbacks deliver this sort of fuel efficiency so while the hotshot leaden-footed drivers need not apply here, the please-all non-intimidating type can always be rewarded with a balanced blend of performance and fuel efficiency from this Nissan.

 
Handling and Ride Quality
The front MacPherson strut and the rear torsion bar suspension set-up works well for the Sunny and is a blessing on the kind of roads found in India. It is very forgiving and can take on any pothole or bump without sending you straight to the first spinal cord clinic en route! This works against the Vettel types who would seem to be all at sea with the car wallowing in the high speed corners but then there is always the 370Z and the GTR for this lot. Excellent ground clearance is another major attribute for our terrain, yes, urban and rural and thanks are also due to the 185/65-R15 tyres (ours was the top-of-the-line offering which has this size rubber while the other two versions make do with 185/70-R14 Bridgestones) for the fine poise and the ride quality.
 
Among the other positive attributes of this big ’un in a very competitive segment poised for take-off is the fine and comfortable driving position with ample all-round visibility coupled to a very light yet precise steering. Both of these make themselves felt and count when gliding through traffic on our city roads despite the obvious girth of the vehicle.

 
Verdict
Even though the Nissan Sunny has its pros and cons, it brings into the segment all that a buyer looks for with unmatchable features like keyless entry, a sporty button start, and steering mounted controls among other features. In a budding segment where space matters the most, Nissan has played its cards to perfection at its first attempt. Although the Rs 7.68 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) price of the top end petrol variant may seem expensive on paper, with the kind of features and superior comfort that the car offers, it is definitely a good option to consider especially keeping in mind the fact that the Yokohama based company is already expanding its dealer and service network in India. Nissan’s growing brand image aside, the Sunny definitely seems like it’s a leading contender for the throne as far as this segment is concerned and with the advent of its diesel-engined version, the Sunny side up story is just unfolding.

Follow the link below for pictures of the new Nissan Sunny