[AbhiJ]

THE DECISION


It was time to buy a new car, and we wanted to buy it within March 2012 to keep my accountant happy. Requirements :

1. Diesel Engine
2. Comfortable
3. Spacious
4. Reliable
5. Safe (ABS + Airbags a compulsion)

Cars considered:

Nissan Sunny XL 8.8 Lacs on road
Skoda Rapid Top End : 10 Lacs on road
VW Vento Top End: 11 + Lacs on road

Cars not even considered:

1. Hyundai Verna (Please read my i20 thread for details why not)
2. Tata Manza (Tata A.S.S)
3. Fiat Linea ( Tata A.S.S)
4. Maruti DZire (Space + Availability)

Took test drives of all 3 considered cars. Impression of Sunny were as follows:

Pros

1. Most Spacious / Comfortable
2. Most silent of the three
3. Most comfortable ride
4. Decent to Drive.
5. Japanese Brand + Proven Renault Engine = Reliable (I hope!)
6. Feels well built

Cons

1. Not great looking exteriors
2. Horribly designed interiors - Specially the A/C Vents + Controls.

The family loved the Sunny, and I did not mind it. 70% of my time will be spent in the rear seat and that was the best place to be this side of 15 lacs. Also, the price difference in the cars was significant (considering the AIRBAG + ABS versions)

Sunny XL 8.8 Lacs on road
Skoda Rapid Top End : 10 Lacs on road
VW Vento Top End: 11 + Lacs on road

Add to this the A.S.S. worries of Skoda, we decided to finalize the Sunny. The Sunny had its shortcomings, but they were not deal-breakers.


THE DEALERSHIP

We booked the car in First Week of February. The booking experience was smooth and we gave Rs. 100000 as advance. We were assured the delivery of the car within March 31st and the Chandrani Nissan dealership kept their promise. We took the delivery of the car on 4th March 2012.

Everything about the dealership was perfect. The test drive, booking, pre registration inspection, delivery, everything was perfect and on time.

I couldn’t have asked for a better buying experience.

THE COST

My total cost for the car (including accessories) was as follows:

Ex Showroom Price + Registration + Extended Warranty: 851992
Bajaj Allianz Drive Assure Insurance: 24914
4 x 15” Alloys: 15000
5 x Swap to 15” Michelin XM1+ (205 mm): 13500
Garware Filming + Interior Mats + Front Parking Sensor+ Rear Parking Sensor + Mudflaps + Bosch Air Horn : 10200

Total : Rs. 915606

THE CAR

There are a lot of threads on the Sunny, so I ll just mention my observations.

Engine/Gearbox/Clutch: This engine is a workhorse. It has loads of Torque. You will seldom cross 2000 rpm in city driving. Even climbing slopes requires little input from your right foot. However this engine is not as free revving as the Hyundai CRDi engines I am used to. I am sure my i20 CRDi will be much quicker in the 0-100 kmph race, but the Sunny is easier to drive in the city. The clutch is soft and almost petrol car like. The gear change is decent but could be better. The gear ratios are a stark opposite of the i20 CRDi. One has to keep the i20 in the right gear all the time (second gear is too tall), whereas the Sunny requires much less frequent gear-changes. The car can pull cleanly from rest in the second gear, but I am avoiding this practice.

The user manual recommends a max RPM of 2500 for the first 1600 km and I am adhering to the same


Suspension/Ride: Simply Amazing. Seems like the roads of Kolkata have been repaired! The suspension is soft and absorbs most small bumps on the road. Larger "Kolkata Craters" are still transmitted to ones spine but after a huge reduction. Initially the car had significant tyre noise from the JK's it came with. This greatly came down after the swap to Michelin.

The handling is decent and one should be able to push the car hard if required. I haven't driven the car hard, so its too early for me to comment.

Exteriors: The exterior design is average at best. I am not a big fan of the way the car looks. The design is too curvy for my liking. The Rapid/Vento twins are much better looking vehicles. Paint quality is excellent but the car has some large panel gaps. I saw many cars in the showroom and all of them had the same issue.

Interiors:

1. Design is ugly but highly functional / ergonomic. For e.g. The A/c control pod looks ugly but the controls easy to understand and use.
2. All interior panels, instruments have excellent built quality. The plastic mouldings used is of good quality / finishing and feel thick/sturdy.
3. The interiors are ultra spacious. A lot has been said about the same. This car has more leg space than a Civic, and a BMW X1. Only car I know which has more space is the CRV. The seats are comfortable and the seat fabric is of good quality.
4. The grey + beige colour chosen by Nissan is going to be a pain to maintain. The plastic panels can be cleaned easily, but the light colour fabric is a dirt magnet. I would have preferred a black interior option.

The A/C

The air conditioning system is great. The Auto climate control works very intelligently. The front blowers are strong and have enough power to throw cold air to the rear passengers. Add to that the rear recirculation system and it’s a comfortable place to be. Quite a pleasant change for me after the asthmatic i20 A/C

The “Kitna Deti Hai” factor - I taking the car for its first highway trip tomorrow - Will report shortly on both city and highway figures.

The conclusion

The Sunny is a classic example of poor design with great execution / built quality - Both interiors / exteriors. The design of the car is unconventional but sensible. Nissan has not saved money or cut corners on the manufacturing. The interior / exterior quality seems high. I wonder why they saved all their money on the designer?

Imagine the same car, same size, same wheelbase, same space, with looks like that of a Honda Civic - Both interior + exterior. Opportunity lost i'd say.

All in all, the car and its unconventional design grows on you. After a month of ownership, the interior seems pleasant and thoughtful. The car has also started to look better to my eyes. All car choices are a compromise. The Sunny is a sensible one.



I will keep updating this thread as the kilometres tick on.

Thanks for reading.

[DCEite]

Congrats for the caaaaaar. Extremely practical and VFM option, this.

Could you please give a breakup of following ?


"Garware Filming + Interior Mats + Front Parking Sensor+ Rear Parking Sensor + Mudflaps + Bosch Air Horn : 10200"

Thanks !

[Jignesh]

Hello Abhi,

A big Congratulations on your new Diesel Car. Hope now the petrol price hike will not pinch your pockets.

Read that you opted for Bajaj Allianz Drive Assure Insurance for Rs. 24914. Have you sold your previous Car? If yes then you can transfer the No-Claim Bonus of your old car to this new Car. Please follow the below thread for further information on this: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/buying...-premiums.html

Waiting to hear from your side on initial ownership feedback & wish you wonderful drive in your new Car.

Thanks,

[samarjitdhar]

Many congratulations on getting the caaaaaaaaar. This car gives everything to some extent aside for the really laaaaaaaarge rear space. I have been recommending this to a lot of folks I know who are looking for something south of 10 lakhs and still want a good diesel sedan. I think Nissan hit the nail on the head by pricing it just right and giving essential features like ABS+airbags. Wishing you many happy miles.

BTW will you be at the TBHP meet tomorrow? It would be great if you are joining us with your new ride. It will bring a lot of novelty to the meet with a brand new car

[AbhiJ]

Thanks for all the replies.

Originally Posted by DCEite

Could you please give a breakup of following ?

Thanks !

Will dig out the invoice and tell you...

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Have you sold your previous Car?

No not yet... will do so in the coming months

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

BTW will you be at the TBHP meet tomorrow? It would be great if you are joining us with your new ride. It will bring a lot of novelty to the meet with a brand new car

Sorry, leaving for my first highway trip tomorrow morning. Perhaps some other time

[W.A.G.7]

Congrats on the Sunny! It is a sensible choice. The build quality is fantastic and the car is an almost perfect all rounder.

It seems the grey colour is the most popular one and everyone is opting for it. I have seen a lot of grey Sunny's on road. Drive safe.

[drmohitg]

Hey congrats for your new car. I would be getting mine in the same colour in 2-3 days. Hey just wanted to ask you the feedback on the tyre upgrade. Has the shift to Michelin made the tyre noise go away? How much of a decrease did you feel? Did you buy the mudflaps, mats etc from the dealer itself?

[GTO]

Congrats on the Sunny diesel, AbhiJ! After spending ~10 days with the car myself, I kinda agree with most of your comments. It's a wonderful all-rounder sedan that comprehensively beats all of the C1 sedans (Dzire, Manza, Etios) and some from the upper C2 as well. Love the engine, driveability, overall quality, fuel economy and space. On the flip side, I'm not happy with the huge panel gaps, the limited hatchback-like interior width and the brakes under emergency conditions. Will upload my review once some more kms are added to the odo.

Drive safe & keep her well

[wilful]

Nice review AbhiJ. I test drove both the petrol and diesel Sunnys and therefore I completely agree with your observations. The clutch on the diesel is among the smoothest I've experienced in diesel cars. And yes the interior looks drab -the a/c knob is particularly offending.
Hope you have many happy hours of motoring in the new car. Would be interested in the updates.

[MAS]

Congrats on owning the CAAAR AbhiJ. Nicely written crisp review.

Having owned a Fusion earlier, i always thought that the light beige interiors are difficult to maintain, until i got myself the new Fiesta with black interiors. Black is even difficult to maintain as it shows out the tiniest spec of dust. I guess Beige is not going to be difficult to maintain.

Drive Safe...

[bala80]

Well said, how true this statement is.

I have followed your i20 thread earlier and know the ordeals you went through. I wish you a very pleasant and memorable ownership experience with Nissan.

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

All car choices are a compromise. The Sunny is a sensible one.

[Shreyas Aterkar]

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

All car choices are a compromise. The Sunny is a sensible one.

+1 to that. Nice review. Many congratulations for the Caaar. Are you planning for any other accessories - like pampering your caaar with leather?

Some more interior pics please. And how much was the difference between XL and XV?

[C300]

Wow! Another diesel caaaaar on the forum. Congratulations AbhiJ!
Nissan have hit the sweet spot with this offering. The month on month sales numbers will only go up from here. Its a fantastic VFM.

[andromeda]

Well, well, well !! We have another Bronze Grey on the forum. Congrats for the good VFM caaar. Time for Nissan to quickly ramp up the dealer/service networks before the Evalia comes this fall. Other than the formal looks of the Bronze Grey, is there any other specific reason (price, etc..) all of you guys so far have chosen this color ?

[joe1980]

Congrats on your new purchase. I somehow love this car very much right from its launch. I hope this car sells in volumes.

Kindly post some interior pics. Wish you a happy and a safe drive.