Nissan Sunny - The sunny side of opting for a sedan

It is surprising to see that despite global economic crisis, rising inflation and a hike in fuel price and interest rates has not put brakes on the auto market, in fact there is a steady growth in car launches and the demand for cars in general has also not dipped but auto manufacturers across the world seem to be very positive about their future prospects. And the Japanese car maker Nissan is very much in the demand league with the launch of new 10th generation Sunny. Plus the company is on a high with 1.6 crore units of Sunny sold globally in the span of 45 years through many generations and the present avatar of Sunny was first launched in China. With an impressive global success of Nissan Sunny sedan the company is hoping to continue and reach new heights in the Indian market.

Looks (interiors and exteriors)
The Nissan Sunny sports exteriors that don't instantaneously catch your eye, I won't say it's awful but it's disappointing still. The Nissan logo at the center of the chrome grille looks great but the grille per se doesn't look attractive. More of Nissan Micra based the design looks a bit extra pulled to make the sedan bigger than the new Ford Fiesta. I am also a bit confused to say it overall kind of resembles the Honda City. The large halogen headlights add to the aggressive looks of the sedan. Why did the Japs name it Sunny it kind of puzzles me as I expected to see a sportier looking sedan which it isn't.



Following the sedan tradition the bumper of the new Nissan Sunny with its door handles ORVM's and the mud flaps share the same body color. The round shaped fog lamps occupy a separate slot and the front fascia is adorned with lower single slat spoiler. At the rear the eye catching feature is the tail lamp cluster that includes turn indicator ad reverse light is uniquely shaped, nevertheless they are sporty. The body outline of each and every panel is bold and aggressive that gives a distinct look to the car. Furthermore, the alloy wheels add a touch of class to Sunny.

When you step inside the car, you will know why the car is making news; first thing that has an immediate effect is the huge space (both at front and rear) and the classy features exude élan that will leave a smile on your face. And you will simply love the feature-rich interiors that can turn your journey into a sheer bliss. The twin-toned dashboard includes automatic AC controls and vents, instrument cluster and MP3 player.

The audio system has four speakers that can be operated from the controls fitted on the 3-spoke steering, which also offers comfortable handling. While the ample head, leg, shoulder and hip room will keep the passengers comfortable and the seatbelts for all offer great safety throughout the drive. Besides this, for the comfort of passengers the rear seating has arm rest with cup holders, overhead console box, glove box, headrests and a huge trunk space enhance the interiors of the sedan. That said the seating looks that it's been lifted straight from Micra and then sedanized in the Sunny.

But there are some impressive features you check out which include the keyless operation of the car that can be operated with a start/stop push button and then i-key that ensures one-touch lock and unlock operation. In addition to these, the door has one single button to open and close the doors, power windows and the rear view mirrors are electrically operated.

Talking of the safety features, Nissan Sunny comes equipped with ABS, EBD, child lock, engine immobilizer, front air bags and central locking etc. Well, it seems that Sunny has it all to compensate the unfortunate rear and poor designing.

Engine, power and mileage
Nissan Sunny is armed with 1.5L, 4-cylinder petrol engine that is mated with 5-speed transmission and offers a power deliverance of 100 PS and 134 NM torque. The front tyres get disc brake while the rear is fitted with drum brake, which ensures instant halting. Sunny is fitted with McPherson strut in the front whereas the rear gets torsion beam suspension and stabilizer bar, which helps smooth driving and also the wide wheelbase, tubeless tyres, aerodynamic design of the car and many safety features equipped in the car offer a smooth ride.

With sky rocketing petrol prices speaking of fuel economy seems to be a dampener rather than consolation, nevertheless Nissan Sunny is expected to be leader in the class in fuel economy. The sedan gives a decent mileage of around 15 kmpl in the city and 17 kmpl on the highway, if that could bring some cheer to buyers well then it is good.

Colors, variants and prices
The color range available for Sunny are as follows; urban titanium metallic, red pearl, taffeta white, silver metallic, crystal black pearl and beige metallic.

The mid-sized sedan from Japanese car maker comes with three variants: Nissan Sunny XE, Sunny XL and Sunny XV, respectively pegged at Rs. 5.78 lacs for the XE model, Rs. 6.88 lacs for the mid-level XL and Rs. 7.68 lacs for the Sunny XV.

Final Verdict
Nissan Sunny may appeal to "young upwardly mobile families in their mid to late 30s that are looking for a mid segment sedan which combines upscale design coupled with decent space and quality and trendy features of course coming with Nissan brand. The big take away factor when it comes to Sunny is the unbelievably affordable price (premium hatches cost the same as this sedan from premium car maker). Price combined with good looks (if not the best) and engine performance will be THE encouraging reasons for any buyer to check out the new Sunny. And realizing the aching need of diesel variants in the Indian market the car too quickly announced the arrival of the diesel Sunny, which is likely to happen before December 2011. Until then Maruti SX4, Hyundai Verna, Toyota Etios and other cars in the same segment can breathe a little easy.