Why travel all the way to Bali or the
Maldives when there are equally picturesque locales just off the Indian coast,
I wonder. Staging the 2014 Sunny drive at the Andaman Islands was a novel idea
by Nissan, giving the invited journos a glimpse into the island’s heritage,
with a visit to the Cellular Jail, where Indian freedom fighters were
incarcerated by the British.
Now, more than six decades later, the
Andamans is a thriving tourist destination. Even with mission Sunny, it wasn’t
sunny at this time of the year, and Gaurav’s photo shoot is thwarted by a
sprinkle of rain and dark clouds overhead.
The
Nissan Sunny has adequate power for the city and highway roads
Long after the British exodus, came the
Japanese invasion, of the Indian automotive sphere, which soon amounted to
virtual dominance. And the Andaman Islands were handed over to India,
represented by none other W than Subhash Chandra Bose, by the Japanese as a
token of friendship during World War II. What a coincidence that we are here to
encounter the Nissan Sunny, a household name in Japan. Nissan’s entry-level
family sedan, the Sunny, saw the light of day in the Sixties as a Datsun
product that paid rich dividends for the manufacturer. What was a style icon
with muscle car styling was transformed into a hard-to-resist, value-for- money
proposition when it was launched in India in 2011. But with rival sedans upping
the ante, the Sunny sales soon flagged. Now, in a bid to reverse its fortunes,
Nissan has revamped the Sunny significantly.
We were lodged at the Fortune Resort Bay
Island and the view from the porch depicts the seascape on the Indian 20-rupee
currency note. It’s a setting that calls for a Hawaiian shirt, pina colada and
Calypso music but we had work to do.
Teana-inspired
headlamps look impressive
The 2014 Nissan Sunny’s spruced up styling
includes a host of changes. Its predecessor was rather nondescript, size being
its stand-out aspect. The 2014 car’s front end incorporates a new bumper and
grille reminiscent of the Teana. The angular fascia makes for a far more
cohesive design, spiced up further with a sporty dollop. The lavish splashing
of chrome raises the bling count. The chrome highlights on the grille and fog
lamp housing and the boomerang headlights hark to the 370Z’s design. The
headlights could have been smaller though. The central bulge on the bonnet is
more prominent now adding some character, and the rear gets a new bumper. The
new 12-spoke alloy wheels and turn indicator-integrated ORVMs feature a novel
design. And the antenna is now placed towards the back end of the roof.
The
interiors have been substantially updated with a widescreen audio system, black
centre console and new steering control buttons
In contrast to the older Sunny’s monochrome
interior, the new Sunny is much livelier. The centre console and controls get a
piano black finish. The audio system is dominated by a large 5.5-inch display
flanked by buttons for media and phone connectivity via Bluetooth, while the
passenger side of the dashboard has aux and USB slots. The meter console looks
sportier and houses an MID displaying average and real time fuel consumption
readouts apart from the usual odo, trip, temperature and fuel level displays.
The steering gets contemporary audio controls that include a toggle switch to
scroll through the menus and push buttons for phone and track/channel seek
buttons. The cabin is draped in a light and dark grey combo along with subtle
chrome highlights and dark trims for the door handles. The class-leading space
at the back that is the Sunny’s USP.
Rear
seat is the best in class, there is just acres of legroom and the cabin feels
airy
The Sunny was never intended to be an
enthusiast’s car. The 1.5-litre HR15 petrol engine is mated to a 5-speed manual
producing 98bhp, or a CVT that manages 100bhp. The CVT transmission petrol is a
lazy performer. All that a firm stomp on the throttle does is raise engine
decibels but it fails to blur the scenery any. The K9K dCi 1.5-litre
turbocharged diesel we drove next, develops 85bhp, and is peppier with a
five-speed manual transmission and negligible turbo-lag. Neither engine is a
scorcher but the trade-off is frugality. Nissan has tweaked the ECUs on both
engines for better efficiency. Their refinement is evident though and along
with the slick shifting manual ’box and a fairly light clutch on the diesel, it
makes the Sunny easy-to-drive, ensuring ruffle-free city commuting. The Sunny’s
ride quality is probably a segment best, and the car traverses bad roads with
admirable aplomb. While the long wheelbase aids stability, there is noticeable
body roll.
The claimed efficiency for the CVT-equipped
petrol is an impressive 17.97kmpl, while the diesel delivers 22.71kmpl. The
diesel returned average fuel consumption upwards of 16.5kmpl as displayed on
the MID, despite broken surfaces and erratic traffic necessitating constant
gear shifts and braking. The air-con was used all the time given the seaside
humidity.
New
12-spoke alloy wheels are unique and attractive
The Sunny’s lower-end variants are devoid
of features even as trivial as a wiper speed adjuster, and necessary as rear
air-con vents. The top-end variants are fully loaded with all the bells and
whistles including side airbags, speed-sensing auto door locks, climate control
air-conditioning, leather seats et al.
The Sunny’s USP is space and it’s
unrivalled in the segment. A whole 636mm is available at the rear, and the
update has brought about a host of features and attractive styling. The Sunny
is the size of a luxury sedan, and given the Indian buyers’ penchant for
large-sized cars, its prospects look promising. Prices are yet to be announced
but expect the new Sunny to cost almost the same as the old one. It may lack
the thrill of driving aspect, but it sure has everything to cater to the 32-year-old
plus audience that Nissan is targeting. The new 2014 sporty Sunny is slated for
a July launch.
