Nissan Sunny Reliability Report

With the Fiat Linea and the Skoda Rapid , a new member gets added to our long termer garage, the Nissan Sunny . After driving the Fiesta , and these two other C+ segment sedans, Sunny is the new member, which will help us get an idea on the best diesel sedan. The Nissan Sunny’s rear seat knee-room has impressed us and is the sole reason the company made the Caaaar TVC. We welcome this new member to our long-termer garage.

Report 1:

Odometer: 8197km
Current reading: 8500km
Kilometres driven: 303km
Mileage: 13.3 kmpl
Fuel cost incurred: Rs 1512
Other expenses:  Rs 0
Total cost:  Rs 1512

After a lot of travel, we have managed to clock some good number of kilometres on the Sunny. We have liked the Sunny, especially its 1.5-litre K9K Renault engine, which despite being 85bhp doesn’t feel lethargic. This oil burner doesn’t have any turbo lag and even the responsiveness from it is good, at most of the engine speeds. This engine has a strong mid range, however it is the low end that is decent, the engine has a wee bit of struggle.

The transmission on the diesel version is a five-speed manual, and it is a tad rubbery. The throws aren’t that short, but it is the shifts that is the only let down in this powertrain. The Sunny will now get an automatic in the coming few days and this will CVT and only for the petrol variant. The diesel Sunny has low levels of VH, however it is the engine that is a bit noisy.

We like the Sunny for its space and practicality, however there are certain bits that didn’t impress us. The quality of music system and the speakers as a combination doesn’t result in that good high-end sound. There are certain quality bits that didn’t impress us. Also, the mirror adjustment and the central locking buttons aren’t backlit, which means difficulty in locating them at night. The good bits of the Sunny are the space that it provides to the front and rear passengers. Even the boot is large and can gobble luggage for 5 people for an entire weekend. We haven’t encountered any major issues with the Sunny except for a tyre puncture.

Today is the first official day of the Sunny with us in our garage and we are delighted to have this spacious Japanese sedan with us. The first thing that has impressed us are its features like entryless key, push start and stop button, and more importantly the space that it offers. The ultra light steering light form Sunny is a breeze to drive, be it in traffic or on the highway, making the entire journey stress-free. The front row seating is supportive with decent thigh support, however we wish the seat had some more adjustments on it for more fine-tuning. The rear seat has acres of knee room, however it is a tad tight on headroom if you are a six-footer.

The rear seat is comfortable and everyone from the team enjoys sitting behind than driving it, though driving the Sunny is a breeze. The other good thing about the Sunny is the ergonomics, not just of the instrument panel but also of the buttons and other controls, that there is no confusion and everything is simple. The AC controls are clearly distinct from that of the music system and the climate control is easy to use.

The plastic quality and fit and finish are decent and they do not seem to have aged, despite the car being about two cars old. The boot of the Sunny is also large enough to gobble up a couple of people into it.This is just the start of our journey with the Nissan Sunny , watch this space from more on this sedan in our upcoming reports.

Report 2:

Initial reading: 8500km

Current reading: 9413km

Kilometers driven: 913km

Fuel expense: Rs 4000

Fuel Mileage: 15.5km/l

After reading our first report of our long termer, you know now that we liked quite a few things in the car and some aspects did let us down. 

After racking up a lot of miles of driving around the city, we really got a feel for this car as an everyday driver. Unfortunately, the oil burner struggles a little bit at low rpms in low gears. It feels like it is putting a lot of effort to move the vast expanse of this car that doesn’t weigh too much. The engine does have quite a bit of diesel clatter and since the car is not insulated that well this engine sound can be heard clearly inside the cabin as a constant drone. 

The transmission is slightly rubbery and the throws are not short in anyway. The delight of the drive train and transmission combination is that with constant shifts around 2000rpm or less, the engine still pulls the car along without any problem and the mileage obtained is great. A late night drive from Goregaon to South-Mumbai along the western express highway at a cruising speed immediately increases fuel efficiency. At one point we were getting an average of 19.0kmpl. It does well in start-stop traffic as well but the efficiency does drop quite a bit.

As for the handling, the Sunny has a lot of body roll. On simple left and right hand corners the car does wallow a lot. Best suggestion is to take these corners at low speeds to prevent or feel any sort of body roll. The braking is mediocre. The bite is felt initially but it seems that you do have to press hard on the brake pedal for an effect to take place. It would have been a better option to have all four disc brakes instead of rear drums and front discs. 

On the interior, the space of the Sunny is something we really do like.  Four passengers can sit comfortably even with me being 6”1’ and taking the drivers seat back all the way. The rear fan makes an obnoxious sound and is not too efficient in transferring the cold A/C air from the front to the rear. At mid-day, if the car has been outside in the sun the rear fan just helps in the recirculation of the hot air which in no way helps cooling the car faster. The consensus got from most passengers was that the rear seats are very comfortable with good thigh support and lumbar support. The legroom was adequate and headroom was more than enough. The plastic quality of the center console is a little bit on the tacky side. Nissan does provide an aux input in the stereo but the speakers don’t seems to be of a higher quality which makes the listening experience vey average. Though the settings and levels can be adjusted, it seems the adjustment doesn’t help much to make the sound quality better. The steering mounted stereo controls are ergonomically well placed and are easy to use.

Overall this car grows on you. Even with all the quirks it may have, it still is a quick car to drive around town and for long distances it is comfortable. Where the Sunny does have a small issue is the size. The “CAAAAAR” does face a few problems with parking in the city. It is not something absurdly big, but it is a comparatively large sedan that doesn’t always fit into the smallest spaces. Apart from that the Sunny has been a reliable companion and a good addition to our garage.

Report 3:

Initial reading: 8500km

Current reading: 10000km

Kilometers driven: 1500km

Fuel expense: Rs 7000

Fuel Mileage: 15.5km/l

Our Nissan Sunny is one car that is enjoyed pretty much everyday. Be it in the small by-lanes of the city or the highways that connect the suburbs to the town, the Sunny is sunny and bright. Considering the car has a temporary registration going out of the city for long road trips was near to impossible, but this allowed us to test the car, as it would normally be driven, as a daily driver in a big metropolis.

Though it may seem big for one person to drive around for routine work, it is extremely comfortable to sit in. The driver’s seat is easily adjustable and the dash and instrument cluster is easy to use with large buttons and a clear display. Passengers in the rear enjoy a good amount of legroom, making for a comfortable and spacious cabin. The air conditioning works like a charm, engulfing you in the cool, dry air in the front. On the rear the story is slightly different.

Though the car interiors as a whole cools well, if the rear passenger needs more focused air Nissan has provided the Sunny with an air-blower. This air blower supposedly sucks in the cool air from the front and pushes it out to the rear. It seems like a great idea but in the end it is just a fan that most unfortunately makes a lot of noise. This drone can get a bit monotonous after a while. Apart from that, the interiors of the Sunny are delightful and have a roominess that is quite unmatched. The sound system is neat, easy to use and simple. One AUX input and the radio is what Nissan has provided and to take that up a notch, steering mounted controls adds a great functionality touch. We miss Bluetooth connectivity on the Sunny, which once again is found on quite a few vehicles these days.

The 1.5L diesel K9K engine from Renault that powers the Sunny is an engine that we love. There is enough power and torque available to get you to move quickly through traffic and being a manual one can get the car moving all the way up to 160kmph. There is barely any turbo lag and being light in the body, it feels like you are moving very quick on the road. Body roll is quite high on the car, but taking corners at low speeds cuts doen on all body roll completely.  Fuel mileage is fantastic. In peak traffic hours you still en up getting about 14.5kmpl, which is in stop go traffic that doesn’t move for hours. On the various highways in the city the car can easily give you a mileage close to 20kmpl. Visits to the gas station are few and even when you do stop by the visits are not very rough on the wallet.

Parking the Sunny can sometimes be a taxing affair only because it is quite long as a sedan. The extra legroom in the back makes it so, but even then the turning radius of the car and the visibility from the mirrors is great.
As a daily driver the Sunny performs well. The drivability is good and relaxed. The car does not push you to eleven at any time. The comfort levels are high and simple. This makes for a car that is simple, subtle and very functional in a city like ours.

LAST REPORT:

It is now time for us to bid adieu to our beloved Nissan Sunny. As you know from the previous reports, we have liked quite a few aspects about this car. There have been some downsides as well.

This car has been extensively used while being part of our CarDekho fleet. Lots of usage means lots of miles which in turn means more wear and tear. The vehicle crossed 10,000kms with us. That meant that it was time for a service. Before the service there oil was a little burnt out. This was affecting our mileage, but not too much. The company was kind enough to service the Sunny at their Kurla service station. Getting to the service station in the monsoons is a herculean task as the roads get flooded, and not just foot high flood but ankle, calf high water. The Sunny having a higher ground clearance had no issue wading through this rainwater and reaching its destination. 

The service was about a day and we got our car back the next day, looking all shiny and new. With all the fluids changed and up to date, the Sunny was ready to take on the next 10,000kms with a bang.The engine was running a tad smoother than before. This means the service was a success. Clocked at 10,005kms from the service station, we put a total of 760kms more on the K9K engine.

Most of the driving was on the Eastern Freeway, from South Mumbai to Chembur. The mileage readings were much more than desired.  A few trips back and forth in early morning, bear minimum traffic times and late at night, at a constant speed of 100kmph gave us mileage readings between 18kmpl and 21kmpl. We have spoken about the comfort levels about this car before and once again to re-iterate the fact, the space in the Nissan Sunny is admirable. Sitting in the rear and getting driven around is a pleasure, even for tall customers.  There is quite a lot of body-roll though. Even at semi-lows speeds the car wallows around corners. The rear blower in the Sunny is more than obnoxious. The noise level from the fan on the high setting is quite unbearable. In the front it’s a completely different story.  The A/C cools extremely well and the fan is not too noisy. 

All in all the Sunny was a car we enjoyed driving. We were capable to get wonderful mileage from the vehicle in heavy traffic as well as on the highways in town. The comfort levels, ease of driving and the boot space were all ranked high in our good books. This is one car worth buying in the C+-Segment, especially when you want to sit behind.