Nissan Sunny 2014 Expert Review

The Indian car market is one of the fastest growing markets across the world and this is one reason why several automotive car manufacturers are focusing on our market, introducing several new products in various segments. This has resulted to an increase in the demands by the customers as they practicality demand everything under the sun, even in the tiniest hatchback at the least possible price. This means now car makers have to ensure introduction of more features in their products to keep the numbers coming.

Nissan had introduced the Sunny in 2011 in its petrol avatar and next year we saw the diesel variant being introduced. The Sunny is based on the Micra platform and was built with space, performance and fuel efficient as the key selling factors for the sedan. The rise in competition has raised the bar by introducing several brownies and increasing the value for money quotient. Nissan has responded to the competition by titivating its existing Sunny sedan. We find out the changes on the Nissan Sunny.

Design:

The current Sunny is the tenth-generation and the design looks a lot different then the initial generations, which were more like muscle car-like styling with bullet mirrors. The Sunny was one of the best sellers in Japan in the 1970’s and it is still continuous to be a favourite in several car markets.

The changes on the facelift Sunny make it a lot more aggressive than the original design. The fascia now features a larger Nissan grille with horizontal slates wearing the Nissan badge at the centre. The headlamps are boomerang shaped, following the company’s new design philosophy. The front bumper has been redesigned and even the fog lamps have chrome surrounds. The new snout of the Sunny bears a lot of chrome to give it a premium feel.  The silhouette remains the same, with side indicators being shifted to the ORVMs.

The rear of the Sunny also gets more chrome treatment, as there is now a chrome lip on the boot. There is also a new rear bumper that is tad wider and the lower part of the bumper also gets a matt black finish area. Nissan is targeting the 35+ old audience with the Sunny and hence the colour options on this C+ segment sedan are extremely subtle. The red and the blue that were previously offered on the Sunny has been discontinued. The North American Sunny (called as the Versa sedan) is offered with a trendy blue colour and sporty alloy wheels, which do not make their way into India, however we wish Nissan at some point considers getting the Sunny Sport to India with a similar colour trim and alloy wheels. Even the long antenna at the front has now been shortened and moved to the rear. 

Interiors:

The biggest USP of the Sunny is its space and as this is a facelift, there is no change in the dimensions of the sedan. The Sunny is still the spacious sedan with sufficient head and leg room for front passengers, while the rear passengers are embellished with ample head room and loads of knee room. The boot too is large with a storage capacity of 490 litres. 

The plastic quality, the fit and finish of the Sunny has always been good and there have been no complaints about it. The Sunny when launched was the first C+ sedan to get features like keyless entry, push start and stop. The features on the Sunny— when it was launched— were sufficient, however with time it needed an upgrade. That is what Nissan has done. The in-dash music system on variants below the XV now get Bluetooth and USB connectivity. The XV however gets a bump in that as well. It has a 5.1-inch infotainment system with reverse parking camera as an extra. Also another major change is the new-generation Nissan steering wheel. The centre console now has a piano black finish like the Micra.

Nissan has paid attention to several minute details on the Sunny. Now, there are two reading lamps instead of the single for the rear passengers, to make it easier to read. The CVT is only offered in XL variant. This variant gets standard music system, however they get leather seats and no rear AC blower. Nissan states this has been done as it found out from the feedback it received from its existing Sunny CVT buyers. The XV variant is also offered with two additional optional packs. First is the Luxury pack, which gets leather seats and the second being the safety pack. This offers two extra airbags. One can even opt for both the packages if needed. At the moment, pricing of these packages isn’t shared as we will have to wait for the launch price of the Sunny.

Driving Dynamics:

The Sunny is still being offered with the same engine options, the 1.5-litre petrol and even diesel. The petrol comes with an option of five-speed manual and CVT, while diesel comes mated to a five-speed stick shift. There are no changes mechanically in the Sunny, however the diesel’s electronically controlled module (ECM) has been recoded for some minor changes to enhance the fuel efficiency. Now, as per the ARAI fuel efficiency cycle, the Sunny diesel returns a economy of 22.7 km/l, a bump by about 1 km/l. There is no difference in the engine characteristics, when it comes to driving. The Sunny still produces the same 83bhp of power and there is no turbo lag either. The petrol engine and transmission remain untouched to any changes.

The ride on the Sunny is pliant and the suspension does a good job of ironing out the bumps from all the road shocks. The handling too is the same, there is some amount of body roll in the sedan, as it has a soft suspension set-up. The steering wheel too is light and easy to maneuver in city traffic. The clutch pedal are light and even the gear shifts are short, making it an easy and stress-free drive.

Verdict:

The Sunny has always a spacious sedan on offering with decent performance and good quality. Now, the upgrade has improved the styling and even given a boost to its features list. Nissan has upped the ante of its C+ segment sedan. Now, all depends on how well does the company price this sedan.