[GTO]

Do visit The Detailed Team-BHP Official Reviews:

Sunny Petrol

Sunny Diesel

[GTO]

I broke two of my own rules with the Nissan Sunny.

1. Never sell a car that's only 5 years old (Link to my thread). Unfortunately, I didn't have a choice. Our 5 year ol' Tata Indigo TDI was falling apart at <50,000 kms. The wretched car suffered 6 breakdowns in the final 6 months of ownership. It developed every conceivable type of issue, from the engine to the turbo, suspension to the brakes and the air-conditioner to the electricals. As always, I'd taken the full coverage that Tata's extended warranty plans have to offer (4 years). But what's to say of the inconvenience when the car breaks down, or is missing from the garage? At the time of sale, the Indigo didn't drive like a car...it drove more like a jugaad truck. The only good parts of my Indigo ownership were the initial 18 months (great comfort & economy, minimal problems) and the fact that she sold within 48 hours of listing her on sale (God bless the cabbies that love the damn thing).

2. Always buy pre-worshipped The family workhorse runs at least 2,000 kms each month, going as high as 3,000 in some. It was clear that the car had to be diesel-powered. For 8 lakh rupees, the only used diesels available were the Lauras & previous-gen Jettas. I've never been confident about the Laura's reliability and buying a used European car is a big no-no anyway. The other worthy option was a Sonata Diesel, but finding one in the used market is like looking for a needle in a haystack. The car never sold and thus, supplies are very limited. 8 - 9 lakhs were bringing forth some fantastic Accords & Camrys; their petrol engine being the sole deal breaker.

Reliability was of paramount importance. Hence, the search for a new diesel car began.

[GTO]

The Contenders:

Tata Manza: I'm a huge fan of the Manza's space, comfort & VFM pricing. Plus, I do believe that Fiat's engine & drivetrain will make the car more reliable than the previous-gen Indigo. The minute I brought up the Manza on the dinner table, I almost had my meal taken away from me . After the shoddy Tata Indigo experience, the family wouldn't touch another Tata vehicle with a barge pole. End of story. @ Tata : You better realise that you are killing your brand with unreliable, shoddily built products. If the mass market is dissatisfied with your 6 lakh products, who in their right mind would pay 18 lakhs for that premium offering? Tata is truly cutting the branch it sits on.

Maruti Swift: After testing it for Team-BHP, I fell in love with the Swift. Much improved over the outgoing generation, better quality, great engine and superb ride & handling balance. Maruti reliability, solid after-sales and highly fuel-efficient engine should have been the deal maker, right? WRONG. Mom saw the back-seat space and scampered off in the opposite direction. End of the Swift's innings then.

Hyundai i20: Not as much fun to drive as the Swift (was I buying for the family or myself??!!), yet a lot more practical. The fully-loaded Asta Diesel was the one I had my eyes set on. Superb engine, outstanding quality, top notch safety and more. Mom & Dad weren't keen on the i20 either. Too small, they said.

Toyota Innova: Space they said? Well, here's a football stadium's equivalent of it. As much of a workhorse as the Innova is, the Toyota simply wasn't for us. To start with, there are rarely going to be more than 2 people in the car (chauffeur + 1 family member). To lug around seats for 7 when only 2 will be used 99% of the time didn't make sense. My kid brother wasn't kicked about the "van" image either. It's not as easy to drive as a hatchback or C2 sedan, and paying 14 lakhs for functionality we'd use once a year didn't add up. My theory : For those 2 times a year that you need a 7 seater, rent / borrow one.

Other cars that were considered, but only just : Dzire (same space as the Swift), Rapid (Skoda horror stories) and Etios diesel (too basic compared to the Sunny).

Enter the newest kid on the block, the Nissan Sunny Diesel. I wasn't impressed with the petrol Sunny at all. On the other hand, the Sunny Diesel appeared to be a sensible, practical workhorse. Folks loved the space, my brother the ease of driving, and everyone felt that the Japanese engineering will result in topnotch long-term durability.

[GTO]

Decision?

I hadn't really test-driven the Sunny Diesel before buying it. And I state this proudly : The purchase decision was entirely based on the official Team-BHP reviews .

Why the XL Variant?

Our Sunny Diesel is going to be driven ~90% of the time by the chauffeur. The XL (middle variant) made the most sense as it has all the required goodies including dual airbags, ABS, driver's seat height adjustment, climate control, electrically adjustable mirrors, audio system, steering-mounted audio controls and rear blower. For 90K OTR, the XV variant gets alloy wheels, electrically folding mirrors, keyless entry & go, fog lamps and some other miscellaneous bits. We felt that the middle variant suits the requirements of a workhorse car. The one thing I really miss though is a USB port; just don't get why manufacturers skip the obvious in this era of digital music. Heck, even the 4 lakh rupee Chevrolet Beat has USB support!

Strangely enough, the Sunny brochure states that the XL variant gets auto-locking doors. Doesn’t look like it's been enabled in my car. Guess we’ll have to wait till the 1st service.

Of course, perceived Japanese reliability aside, I paid 8K for a total of 4 years / 80,000 kms warranty coverage.

The importance of a Beater?

I'm a huge believer in having a beater car if your garage has more than 1 vehicle. Basically, the beater car is the one that is driven by the chauffeur, borrowed by friends & family, driven on rough roads and is put through the chores (e.g. parked on suspicious roads or transporting furniture). The advantage of a beater is that other (nicer) cars in the house stay well-maintained and don't go through rough use. Yep, the Sunny Diesel is the beater from my garage.

Automatic?

A petrol Sunny AT has been spotted testing by a BHPian (Link). Nissan should know that petrol ATs are a dying breed, stratospheric fuel prices and all. The only diesel AT sedan in the C segment is the Fluidic Verna. If Nissan offered a diesel AT for Rs. 1 lakh more, we'd have bought it without a second thought. Even when the chauffeur drives an AT car, it results in a smoother drive & zero clutch abuse.

Taxi?

Yes, the Sunny Diesel is soon to debut in the commercial segment with an entry-level variant. Come to think of it, the Sunny D is the ideal taxi. Good space, comfort, durability, fuel efficiency, boot space and pricing. Keep this in mind if the taxi image bothers you.

On the Outside:



For the price, the Sunny has substantial size & presence. Most people are pleasantly surprised when they get to know the actual $$$ of the car, initially thinking it's as expensive as the upper-C2 segment sedans. It's all down to the length that runs more than even the Manza, Vento and Honda City. The compact Dzire isn't even in the picture here. Size aside, the Sunny wears weird clothes that are typical of most Nissan designs. While her Teana-inspired face is very appealing, the car looks awkward when viewed from the side or rear 3-quarter angles. The bulky rear wheel arch & swooping roof line just don't gel with the rest of the car. And yes, the 14" wheels look puny for all that body bulk. While on it, I must say that I really like the OEM wheel cap design. Nissan's Chennai factory missed the "Panel Gap 101" class. Large & ugly panel gaps were witnessed in the Micra and are carried over to the Sunny too. What makes it worse is the unevenness...the panels on the LHS & RHS of the bonnet in my car have varying clearances!! Panel gaps aside, the Sunny does come across as a car that has been built well. The paint job is topnotch and the construction feels good enough to serve a couple of lakh kms in service. No, there is none of the solidity that the Linea, Fiesta or Rapid boast of though. The Sunny is a light sedan and weighs just as much as the previous-gen Dzire @ 1,092 kilos. Remember the flimsy, wafer-light boot lid of the older Dzire? The Sunny's boot lid feels the same. Then, the rear doors feel darn tinny. Overall, the Sunny has decent quality, but isn't what I would call "solid" at all.

In the more sober colours like silver & white, I thought the Sunny looks too serious & boring. Hence, we chose this metallic blue that makes the Sunny look a bit younger. My kid brother, who is only 24, was pleased with the colour choice.

On the Inside

Middle variant also gets steering-mounted audio controls:


Key of the lesser variants. The XV gets a smart-key instead (pure keyless entry & go):


The interiors are identical in design & feel to the Micra hatchback, on which the Sunny is based. The grey & beige isn’t to my taste and makes the interiors look awfully drab. Nissan should have used some dark accents to break the monotony. Right now, the interiors look like they were dipped in a large tub of grey paint. There is no "wow" factor. On the inside, the Sunny wears a very functional look. The user-friendliness is of a very tall order though with no ergonomic faults. All controls fall easily to hand and are placed just where you'd expect them to be. In this sense, the Sunny is practical & friendly much like some Toyotas I know.

The interior quality can blow cars like the Manza & Linea away. Plastics & parts are great for the asking price. Even the switchgear feels nice. For instance, the stalks have a recess to place your finger, say when you’re using the dipper. I never found myself complaining of the interior feeling economy-grade. The cabin is extremely light and airy, helped by the space and light grey colour. Albeit, this interior shade is a huge dirt magnet with my 2-month old car needing a deep cleanup already.

The front seat has enough room to accommodate 6+ footers. And even our middle variant gets the seat height adjustment. Seat cushioning is on the softer side and feels great to use on a daily basis. There is no driver armrest, but you can get away with resting your hand on the rear blower console.



My family loves how the doors open really wide. That said, the seats are placed on the lower side and getting on / off the rear seat might lead to complaints by the elderly. Rear seat passengers also have to watch out when getting in, else their head will hit the swooping roof line. Look at the pictures and see how the roof sharply tapers down at the C-Pillar.

The Sunny is all about chauffeur-driven comfort. Rear seat space & luxury were our primary deal makers. There is enough room here to fit 6-footers back to back (with kneeroom to spare!!). Coupled with the soft suspension, overall comfort levels are easily superior to D1 segment cars like the Civic, Cruze, Jetta & Laura. Its direct competitors (right from the Dzire to the City) are not even in contention. Flip the center armrest down, stretch your legs, switch on the rear blower and you are all set for an über luxurious ride. On a recent outing, Mom sat on the backseat of my brother-in-law's new Mercedes C250. After the 14 kms drive, she jumped into the Sunny and stated that the Nissan is way more spacious & comfortable at 1/4th the price. She found the C-Class cramped & the Merc's air-con less effective. I used to think that the Civic offers a lot of space for the money. Well, that opinion has changed.

After a ride in this C250, Mum couldn't wait to get back to the Sunny:


As generous as legroom is, cabin width is just as much as the Micra (no surprise). I did feel that cars like the Etios & Manza are noticeably wider and can better accommodate a 5th occupant.

The rear seat's under-thigh support is not the best, but the non-experts (my Parents, brother, relatives or friends) have never complained. The Sunny is the family's new favourite when cruising with the chauffeur behind the wheel.

In addition to the drab grey colour, there are some other areas that I dislike on the inside. For one, the glovebox is too small and is placed too low. The inside rear view mirror is tiny and doesn't offer a wide enough field of view. There are some flimsy bits, like the boot-open lever for instance. Then, the seats are on the thinner side. The Dzire, Manza et al offer far thicker seats with superior cushioning.

The Air-conditioner

The Sunny's climate control takes inspiration from the Sony discman:


The air-conditioner is an absolute chiller & is easily on par with the Civic's air-con (if not better). It cools the cabin in no time and, unless you turn the temperature up, it’ll freeze you to the bone. My family still doesn't see the need to fit sun film, despite the car logging major miles in a hot summer. That says a lot!



The rear blower is a smart + cheap gimmick. It actually isn't connected to the air-conditioning system at all. All the rear blower does is suck in air from the front (handbrake area) and throw it out on the rear passengers. It's nice to use when the cabin is cool. However, try using the blower just after parking the car in the sun and your rear passengers will be barbecued. It actually blows out hot air! Also, this blower is annoyingly loud on level II. Overall, while the blower is nice to have, you can't compare it to a proper rear air-conditioning unit. Another irritant is, you have to switch the blower off manually (switching the climate control off keeps the blower still running).

The Stock Audio System



The stock audio has economy-grade speakers. The sound system does the job for casual listening, but crank the volume up and the speakers start crackling.

Boot Space



The boot is simply awesome. While paper specs are impressive @ 490 liters, it’s even more so when you get to using it. The layout is very practical while the loading bay is wide & low. The women from our family aren’t known to pack light. Yet, when we went out for a holiday weekend, the boot was only 60% full. That's with luggage for 5 people, food supplies etc. No, the rear seat doesn't split or fold down for additional flexibility in cargo lugging.

[GTO]

Driving the Sunny within the City

There is significant engine shake on start-up. Thankfully, engine refinement levels are top class otherwise. At most city & highway speeds, you'd be hard-pressed to tell if there is an oil-burner under the hood. The motor just hums along quietly.

To most people, the Sunny's engine will feel like a naturally-aspirated unit. There is absolutely no turbo-lag. As a result, driveability within the city is the best-in-class and superior even to the ol' Fiesta 1.4 TDCi. Depending on the speed, you can use 2nd or 3rd gear as an automatic. The engine seldom demands a downshift. Power delivery is extremely linear and there is none of that sudden turbo whoosh. Due to the absence of lag and the light steering & clutch, the car is effortless to drive within the city. Considering the size, the turning radius is pleasantly small. At 5.3 meters, it's only slightly more than the i20 (5.2m) and lesser than the '09 Punto (5.4m).

The Sunny's 1.5L diesel gets an intercooler (the Micra's 63 BHP version doesn't have one). The additional horses (85 BHP in total) & light body weight give the Sunny a higher power to weight ratio than the Dzire, Manza and the SX4 as well. The peppiness is obvious at all times, while throttle response is impressive too. It'll leave all other C1 segment sedans in the dust in a 0 - 100 run.

This engine is a known workhorse as long as you change the engine oil on time, and I'm confident of its longevity. Just ask the Logan diesel taxi driver who has happily covered 200,000 kms (and counting).

Most people have complained about the gearshift, but I don't have much of a problem with it. It's nowhere as smooth as the Dzire's box, yes, and there is a notchy side to it especially in the initial gears. Yet the gearbox isn't as vague as the Indigos and is acceptably smooth to use (by economy-sedan standards).

On the other hand, the brake pedal has been calibrated by a dimwit. The first 30% of the brake pedal's travel range does nothing. This can lead to plenty of expressions on the driver. The stopping power is actually on par with competing cars, but the response time is horrible. When you press the brake, you expect a reaction like in most other cars. But there is none! For the first 50 kms in the Sunny, it sure takes a lot before you eventually understand the behaviour and adapt your braking style to it. Each & every person who has driven the Sunny complains about the braking. Few people will face a problem when slamming on the ABS-assisted brakes. However, it’s in the less-critical situations where you are more likely to rear-end the car in front. My advice : take your time getting familiar with the pedal's insane behaviour.

The suspension is tuned for comfort and ride quality remains compliant with the city. The Sunny's bump absorption at low speed is excellent. It even handles the broken roads of Mumbai suburbs very well. I sat in my brother's Jetta right after a spin in the Sunny and found the VW to be too stiff on the exact same roads. The Sunny's suspension is very cushiony in nature. Do note that the top variant with its 15" wheels will be slightly stiffer than my car (that is running on 14" wheels).



Driving the Sunny on the Highway

Let's get one thing out of the way : The Sunny's SOHC 8 valve diesel engine is an old-school powerplant. It's nowhere as contemporary as the Fiat 1.3L DOHC 16v MJD that powers most of the competition. Take the engine toward higher revvs and it will start complaining immediately. I redline everything from a moped to a CBR 954, and a City Vtec to an Audi R8. But I have just given up on redlining the Nissan Sunny. This 1.5L is not free-revving at all and gets all gruff at high rpms.

With all that torque way down and zero turbo-lag, the Sunny revels in your upshifting early. As long as you keep the revvs low, the Sunny is a stress-free long distance tourer. The engine is very silent at 120 kph cruising speeds. The Sunny has enough mid-range punch to overtake fast moving traffic on the expressway too. Just like in the city, even on the expressway, you will seldom need to shift down to overtake. I made my way through traffic in 5th gear itself. Road manners are safe & predictable upto 120 kph. The handling is neutral in the hands of a normal driver (99% of the driving population).

As mentioned earlier, the engine gets really coarse nearing the 4,000 rpm mark. Which is just as well, I say. Why? Because the Sunny's high speed manners leave a lot to be desired. It can comfortably cruise at 120 kph all day. However, at 130 - 140 kph, the car simply doesn't imbibe any confidence in the driver. At speed, and especially on typically undulating Indian highways, the Sunny feels very "floaty". Passengers won't enjoy the experience either as the rear end has none of that planted feel that cars like the Linea & previous-gen Fiesta exhibit. In fact, it's no point even comparing the high speed manners to the benchmark sedans. As light & easy as the Sunny's steering is within the city, it remains quite light on the highway. In a bad way, it reminded me of the i20's steering. I felt noticeable body roll on the one-way Igatpuri ghat (one of my favourite stretches) and the car was understeering very easily as well.

The best solution? Back off the accelerator pedal. Keep your speeds anywhere between 100 - 120 kph and the Sunny delivers splendidly. You just have to accept the fact that, with the way that the engine / steering / suspension are, this car is meant to be driven with a light foot. Another reason to drive the Sunny with a light foot is the suspect ability to handle an emergency manouveur at high speed.

My family became a fan of the Sunny after our recent trip to Deolali. 5 of us fit in easily, the boot swallowed up our luggage with space to spare and the air-conditioning worked flawlessly. My folks especially liked the soft ride comfort (my rant about it being too soft had no audience). They insist we take the Sunny out on our post-monsoon drive to Goa.

Engine refinement when cruising at 100 - 120 kph is outstanding. Most passengers can be fooled into believing that they are sitting in a petrol car. On the flip side, tyre noise is noticeably high at 100 kph.

No issues whatsoever with the ground clearance. On our Deolali trip with a full load of passengers & luggage, the car didn’t scrape anywhere. Of course, do note that we don't have the XL-size Bangalore kinda speedbreakers in Mumbai. I'd rather wait for other Sunny owners to comment on the Sunny's GC before passing verdict.

Fuel Efficiency

23 kpl on the highway! We reached Nasik and the fuel gauge hadn't moved:


At 395 kms:


DTE says we still have 596 kms before the tank runs dry:


My car did 3,000 kms in the first month itself. The Sunny has been consistently delivering 16 kpl in congested Mumbai city, sometimes going as high as 17. Over our Deolali trip, the Sunny delivered ~22 kpl...and on the drive back (when I realised there is no point redlining), 23ish kpl. The fuel cost works out to a mere Rs. 2 per km! I expect the efficiency to further improve as the engine crosses the 10 - 20K mark.

This is without doubt the most fuel-efficient car our family has ever owned, and we now understand why cabbies love the engine. In fact, this is a rare car that beats its own ARAI rating of 21.64 kpl.

[GTO]

Dealer Experiences

In one word, AWFUL. A late entrant, Nissan started off with 1 dealership in each major city. The Micra had a decent market response at the time of its launch, and the Sunny Diesel has taken its sales to the 2,000 - 3,000 level. Unfortunately, this has led dealers to develop a monopolistic "I don't give a damn" attitude. They think they're doing Nissan customers a favour by selling cars. Our experience has been one of broken promises & constant reminders. Sometimes, it took as much as 8 days to get a response to a simple query. If any of the dealer staff worked for my company, they would have been fired a long time back. I'm serious. I'm not known to tolerate incompetence.

Search on Team-BHP and you'll see nearly every Sunny owner complaining of a poor dealer experience. If I compare this to my Indigo buying experience, I can confidently state that the local Tata Motors dealership delivered 5-star hotel like service. My kid brother went through a nerve-wracking time getting a test-drive or price quote from Ichibaan Nissan. He stuck with the Nissan Sunny only because I told him to (he was ready to switch to Maruti or Hyundai after seeing their pathetic attitude). Get this, my brother intended to do the PDI at the dealership yard, and drive straight from there to Nasik for the car's registration. The date & time were confirmed, doubly confirmed, and then confirmed again on the evening before. Guess what happens when my brother reaches the yard at 0930 in the morning to collect the car? No one was expecting him there! The dealership "forgot" to send across the necessary paperwork to the yard, due to which my brother couldn't drive out our own car. The extended warranty booklet arrived home after innumerable calls & reminders. In the last 10 years of buying cars, this is the worst dealership that we have encountered.

Nissan is going to ruin its brand equity in India with such dealerships. These guys know nothing about selling a car, customer satisfaction or the importance of goodwill. Unless corrective measures are put into play, I'm afraid Nissan will end up as another Skoda story. My fingers are crossed with the thought of these guys working on my car when it's time for the scheduled services.

Here's what some other BHPians have to say about Nissan Dealers:

Originally Posted by Visaster

My dealer is the worst of Nissan dealers I would need a whole thread to bash the dealership.

Originally Posted by Visaster

The dealer gave me 7 different quotes before I got the car finally delivered

He was a cheat and he is still trying to cheat me.

I am yet to receive my extended warranty document, its been 2 months now.

Originally Posted by Visaster

THE DEALER THE STEALER - JEEVAN NISSAN, MADURAI, TN.

So here I write the booking and delivery experience I had with the dealer.
It was the time when all was set, an advance of Rs1,00,000/- paid, 3 weeks over, the car had arrived on 8/01/2012....12th comes and I have the money to transfer, but I get a strange call from the dealer saying the price has gone up as I am getting the car in the first lot and he sends me a different quote.

....Contacted Nissan who said no raise in price.

....Contacted all showrooms in Chennai who confirmed it.

.....Then called another sales executive of Jeevan Nissan itself and he was totally unaware of any increase

...It was clear that the dealer wanted to make away good 20k as extra profit from me.

Originally Posted by aroonanand

The booking process: Booking 1 – a nightmarish experience, and the re-search for a car
Went ahead and booked the car with Sherif Nissan but had a miserable experience with them – they defaulted thrice when it came to delivery despite making payment and had to call the deal off… They were just not professional and I did not want a long term association with such a group. A detailed review of Sherif Nissan is posted at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...velachery.html

Garage Visits?

The Sunny requires a service every 6 months / 10,000 kms. Strangely enough, the service booklet recommends a visit every 3 months for the diesel. A service advisor told me that the 3 month interval is for export markets only:


Lack of attention to detail. Extended warranty booklet is from the days when Nissan was selling X-Trails & Teanas only:


Summary

The Sunny Diesel is as practical as a Corolla 1.4L D4-D for ½ the price. It's a great family sedan carrying a VFM price tag. The Sunny does have a fair share of flaws though, chief amongst them being the shoddy dealer network, slow-to-react brake pedal and expressway behaviour. An enthusiast should never buy the Sunny as his only car as he'll get too bored driving it.

Some cars try to be too many things to too many people. Nissan was very clear with the objective of the Sunny. That is, a spacious, reliable, efficient & no-fuss mode of transportation that will please all and offend none.

Dad & my kid brother on the first "Sunny" family outing:

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

I spotted your car a few weeks ago near atria mall. You chauffeur has a big handlebar moustache?

We also got ourselves a beater car: the skoda octavia TDI. Perfect word you used for it.

[mayankjha1806]

Finally the ownership thread comes up, congratulations again.

Nissan Dealership experience is surprisingly shoddy all over the country. When we TD the Micra it had happened after many calls and reminders to to the SA. Every time the TD would be booked, it would be cancelled for some weird reasons like "Car went for Service sir" etc etc.

Hoping the service on your Sunny should be fine. Really testing the Japanese reliability here, when such a car is in between a Have-no-clue technicians.

On the softer suspensions, folks who do sedate speeds would love soft suspensions as it gives a very comfortable ride, on the other side drivers do not like it as it seems like car has lost the grip of the road if the pedal is floored.

[octane1002]

Ahh..The most awaited review on tbhp I daresay, is finally up.And a very significant one at that.What with the skyrocketing fuel prices, a diesel sedan has become an absolute necessity for the average middle class family man.

Back to the review, a very comprehensive one indeed.This car has the potential to change Nissan's fortunes in India.If only Nissan can set up a consistent network of dealerships across the country.The engine is a proven workhorse and I surely would'nt be surprised if this one stays on with you post a lakh of kms. troublefree.

On another note, I also think think that the Sunny Dieslel is one of the best packaged products in its segment offering excellent vfm especially when you consider products like the Dzire.Time to end the monopoly I say.And what better product than this to do it with.With all due respect to your views on the dislikes on this car, some of the points you have complained about are to be taken with a pinch of salt if I may say so.Its supposed to be a workhorse and in all seriousness you shouldnt be weighed down by the (comparitively) sedate driving characteristics of the engine on the E-way/gruffy engine note/tyre noise etc.I do agree that the brakes ought to be a little better but then it surely isnt a deal breaker.For a car thats gonna be driven by the chauffeur 90 % of the time, thats called nitpicking man.Expecting Supra levels of corner carving from that Lucida, eh?Don't expect it to be an absolute enthusiasts choice, and Im sure you'll be able to appreciate the truly no-nonsense package that this car is.Just my 2 cents.

Congrats on the most sensible buy in that segment today.Drive safe.

[samarjitdhar]

Many congratulations, finally your ownership thread is in. I would have put the Sunny in my list of probables had it been launched earlier. I am surprised that the Sunny is not doing way better than it should, but then I read about the pre-sales and dealership experiences and that explains it. If Nissan can get that figured out, I always thought it would bury the Manza and give hell to Etios. Nissan must do something about the braking urgently just for safety's sake. I guess I will just be careful when a Sunny is tailing me aside from a Fortuner till they fix the brakes. Wishing you lots of happy miles. Very good to hear that it is actually delivering a better mileage than the ARAI figures. The other one that does that is my Vento when driven sedately which is kind of an oxymoron given that it is a Vento .

[honeybee]

GTO, if you were looking at hatchbacks, the Pulse would have been a worthy contender instead of the Swift.

[kamboj]

Originally Posted by GTO

I broke two of my own rules with the Nissan Sunny.

1. Never sell a car that's only 5 years old
2. Always buy pre-worshipped

Hey GTO, man you broke another of your rules (or should I say recommendation) - "Never buy a car without actually Test Driving it" .

Talking about car selection, I understand your opinion against buying used European cars, but I am wondering if you thought about buying used Verna diesel (both New and Old gen)?

[Driving_Nomad]

Ah!! Finally I get to read the Buying experience and ownership thread from GTO's Sunny. I am running out of words in my vocab to make an expression of how much I loved reading this! A true unbiased ownership thread (expecially when you spoke about panel gaps, interiors and other stuff). I love the critic you have in you!

Just a thought that crossed: Can you let out why Verna, Vento and Linea weren't considered

[sups]

Thanks GTO for the excellent review. Its one of my contenders when I will buy my new diesel car on October this year.

Can you please confirm me one point? Is Nissan's back seat suspension more comfortable in city speeds compared to Etios? I know Sunny has more space at the back, but I want to know more about the suspension comfort when driven sedately.