Nissan Sunny Facelift - Big-On-Space Sedan Updated With More Kit And Mature Looks

Nissan Sunny - Front Angle, 2012

Nissan launched the Sunny back in 2011, when it enthralled customers with the class-leading space on offer for the price. But it managed to set the cash registers ringing for just a little while and soon, better equipped and more stylish competition edged the Sunny out of the limelight. Nissan's less than satisfactory service set-up didn't help things either. Now, Nissan is looking to revive its big-on-space sedan with a facelift and this time around, will pack in more features and is likely to attach an attractive price tag as well.

The facelifted car looks a lot more grown up. Up front, there's a more prominent Nissan grille along with headlights that go deeper into the bumper and touches of chrome around the fog lights on the chin (not on the tested car). At the rear, there's a black plastic band that splits up the boot mass and new tail-lights. And there are new alloys too.  

When you step inside, the changes over the old car are a lot more evident. Gone are the dull interiors and now, the new leather-wrapped steering, chrome-lined dials, piano-black centre console and silver accents lift the ambience of the cabin considerably. Higher variants get leather seats and leather-covered gear knobs, and a new two-DIN audio system also provides Bluetooth and a display screen for the reversing camera. The steering-mounted audio controls finished in chrome are a nice touch and lend class to the cabin.

Nissan Sunny - Interior, 2012

The car's core strengths are intact and the rear offers acres of space. There's tonnes of leg-, head- and shoulder room and it feels incredibly roomy and airy. Though the rear seat may be a bit short on support, it feels quite comfortable. Even at the front, the space is great.

“Grown-up looks, more upmarket interiors and added kit for just a small premium.”

The other area where the Sunny has been improved in is how it handles broken roads. It sails confidently over bumps and broken patches without much inconvenience to those inside and it's an even better car to be driven around in.

While the easy-to-turn steering and soft controls work well when driving in traffic, this doesn't translate well if you try to drive the car quick. The car moves around too much, the tyres don't grip the tarmac too well and this will fail to inspire confidence at speed.

Under the skin, it's the same old set-up. The 99.6bhp, 1.5-litre petrol motor responds well to throttle inputs and power is supplied smoothly. But it's quite disappointing if you demand more than just cruising abilities from it. The automatic gearbox also takes time to start sending power to the wheels after an upshift. The 1.5-litre diesel, on the other hand, feels better than before and it churns out power quite promptly at lower as well as higher speeds. This motor is also smoother and Nissan seems to have worked on keeping noise out of the cabin. 

Nissan Sunny - Rear Angle, 2012

So, Nissan has made the Sunny look more mature, has added more kit to it and it feels more upmarket on the inside as well. And all this comes at an expected premium of just about $ 501.48 - 668.64 over the outgoing one. If performance is not your mainstay and you'd simply prefer a comfortable, well-equipped, spacious and relatively affordable mid-size sedan, then this could very well be a great option.