Whenever I test drive a car that has a unique name, I would
be really curious to find out the meaning behind the name or why the carmaker
named it as such. For example, some of the more interesting names I remember
include the Volkswagen Eos, which is derived from the Greek goddess of the dawn
called Eos, or the Renault Megane where Megane means pearl in French.
Sometimes, as boring as it is, maybe it would be better to
stick to numbered sequences or lettered sequences – brands like Mercedes-Benz,
Audi and BMW have pretty straightforward names for their models. How wrong can
you go with S6 or SL350 or 650i?
But, if you get the name right, it can lead to strong
salience in customers’ minds and it may lead to a boost in sales in the long
run. For instance, the Carrera in Porsche means ‘race’ in Spanish. True enough,
that German series of sports cars certainly lives up to its name.
The Sylphy has
been transformed from an underdog into a class contender, thanks to
improvements across the board
Then there are the very unimaginative names like smart
for-two which obviously means a car for two, or the new La Ferrari which simply
means The Ferrari. There was even a model called the Volkswagen Thing – a
Thing, really. I didn’t understand the Chevrolet Chevy either – isn’t ‘Chevy’
the nickname for Chevrolet the way ‘Beemer’ is for BMW?
Nissan has some pretty straightforward names for their cars
like Leaf and Note. In the case of the Nissan Sylphy, the word ‘Sylph’ means “a
slender, graceful young woman”. Thus, I would assume that ‘Sylphy’ is meant to
refer to the car as elegant and sophisticated.
Indeed, the latest Nissan Sylphy does represent those
attributes. It has been redesigned for a more upmarket image, complete with a
luxurious interior and premium features. Taking a leaf or two from the Teana,
the Sylphy adopts a more aggressive look. It has the new signature
trapezoid-shaped grille with large wraparound headlights and LED accents, as
well as rear LED taillights.
Inside the Sylphy,
there is a huge leap in quality as compared to its predecessor, putting it on
par with some of the bigger brethrens in the Nissan family
Making its global debut in China last year, the Sylphy comes
in two variants in Singapore – the 116bhp 154Nm 1.6-litre base model and the
1.8-litre 130bhp 174Nm variant we tested here. Both variants have an emission
level below 210g/km – 149g/km for the 1.6-litre and 160g/km for the 1.8-litre –
hence qualifying for a $5,000 rebate under the Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle
Scheme (CEVS) that rewards cars with low emissions.
Both variants run on the new and improved Xtronic CVT
(Continuous Variable Transmission), which contributes to better fuel efficiency
and lower vehicle weight. Having earned about 10 per cent improvement on fuel
economy from before, the 1.8-litre Sylphy has a best-case-scenario fuel
consumption figure of 14.9km/litre.
The new Sylphy boasts a five percent weight reduction with
no compromise on space or performance. Cabin space is generous and the rear
gives legroom of 95cm, which is enough for tall adults to cross their legs. The
boot is also bigger now, with 510 litres from 504 previously.
510 litres of
cargo space ensure that your shopping needs are well seen to
I would describe the steering of the Sylphy to be too light
for my preference, giving it a ‘loose’ kind of feeling. Otherwise, the drive of
the Sylphy is smooth with its peak torque kicking in at 3,600rpm. It’s not the
kind of car that you would floor the accelerator hard often and get your heart
skipping a beat – it takes 11.4 seconds to get from zero to 100km/h – but it
gives a comfortable drive that is important for the horrible traffic conditions
of today.
Enhanced with chrome door handles and side mirrors with
integrated turn signals on the outside, the Sylphy comes with keyless entry and
push start engine ignition for convenience. It also has dual zone automatic
temperature control for the first time.
With all the revisions and the upgrades, the
third-generation Sylphy is now a much better package in its class.
