Best value for money C class car. Review on Nissan Sunny XL

Bought the Sunny XL Petrol a few days ago after looking at the Volkswagen  Vento, Renault Scala & Hyundai Verna. My budget was Rs.8.5 lacs on road with all necessary accessories &  I was keen to go for a bigger C class sedan with max features. Only the Nissan Sunny matched my requirement. The variants offered by  Hyundai & Volkswagen at this price point were stripped down editions & didn't have key features one would expect at this price. Renault on the other hand had priced the Scala around a lac higher for the very same vehicle with cosmetic design changes on the front & rear body.(Nissan & Renault have a strategic alliance globally & their cars in India roll off the same production facility in Chennai)

So, for me, the Sunny XL had no match. I was very satisfied with   the Nissan Dealership in Guwahati( Binod Nissan) during my numerous interactions with them & the buying experience was good & hassle free. Courteous personnel, a very helpful sales manager, well designed & very spacious  showroom & workshop.

For a mid variant, mid range sedan the Sunny XL comes laden with features lacking in the competition. ABS, passenger side air bag, remote controlled ORVM's  & automatic climate controller are standard features. Air blowers located in front of the rear seats add to the comfort level of the rear passengers by improving circulation of the air-conditioned air. The interior fit & finish is good & the interior colour combination of grey & beige gives it a classy look. Power windows both in front & rear.(The driver side power window in my car  hits the top channel with a rather noisy thud which is a bit disconcerting).The power window switches could have been back-lit for convenience. The steering wheel is tilt adjustable.The  rear boot  can be opened by the remote key which is very convenient.

The seats are comfortable & rear seat legroom is best in class!The driver's seat is height adjustable. However, one misses storage pockets on the rear doors, Rajeev_Vermacially for water bottles. Good visibility all around. Rear visibility during  reversing is a little restricted though, possibly due to the stylish sloping design of the cabin & I have found investing in an optional  rear sensor system to have been a good decision.

The four speaker music system is of decent quality, with CD player, AUX IN jack, FM & AM radio.A USB port would however have been appreciated. Controls on the steering wheel as well which is very convenient. There is a clock  in the audio unit's display panel.

The drive computer displays average fuel consumption, current fuel consumption, distance to empty apart from twin odometer readings. There is an additional clock in the drive computer's display panel as well.

The  AC is very effective in hot weather. The automatic climate controller  is of  a  rather unique circular design  & looks more like a video game console! The switches on the audio & AC panels lit up very nicely when the driving lights are switched on at night.

Thanks to the competitive pricing, I was able to go for accessories like good quality colour coordinated art leather seat covers, a rear sensor system & a rear spoiler, all fitted by the Dealer, while comfortably staying within my budget, with the full on road cost coming to Rs.7.8 lacs.

Driving experience so far has been good.  However being a longish car(4425 mm in length/ 2600 mm wheel base), turning in tight space appeared a little complicated at first! I have not driven yet on the highway but within the city the average mileage I am now getting is 10.5 km/l. The position of the horn is such that you have to move your hand off the steering wheel rim to press it which is a bit uncomfortable. The gears are responsive but  a tad "notchy" & you frequently hear a "thuck" sound during gear shift. Gearing is comfortable in stop & start traffic with minimum use of clutch. Acceleration is smooth & linear. Since I have been been driving so far within the city, I have not accelerated above 80 KM & that too only in very short short bursts but so far I have found the ABS enabled braking system working effectively.(I am specifchandru021y mentioning this as  there were complaints about the brakes in a few of the other reviews). The ride quality is good & the suspension feels just right & takes the roughs, bumps & potholes rather well.

The engine size is 1.498 L. Max power 99 PS @ 6000 RPM, max torque 134 Nm @ 4000 RPM. Engine is quiet & smooth enough in city traffic. Only when one revs the engine in 1st gear it emits a prominent whine but I find the rising noise level a very good guide as to when to shift to higher gear.

I will update the review going forward, particularly on it's performance at high speed on the highway.

Update:5/6/13:

I received a telephonic advice yesterday from the Dealer, Binod Nissan, that my vehicle would receive a technical upgrade with regard to the braking system.This exercise is part of the ongoing worldwide voluntary recall of the Sunny & Micra by Nissan to replace the master brake cylinder in cars produced between June 2012 & March 2013. I set up an appointment for 9.30 am this morning & was told the entire process would take 2 hours. I accordingly arrived at the Dealer sharp at 9.25 am. The work was completed smoothly & without any fuss  & I was able to leave by 11.30 am. I was impressed by the professionalism  & courtesy displayed by the sales & service team at Binod Nissan.A voluntary recall & upgrade enhances the customer's trust in the  the manufacturer. Well done, Nissan!

Update 26/6/13:

Traveled 640 km on the highway on a day & night trip. Good driving experience. Maintained top speed at 105 km/h as the car had run less than the 1600 km manufacturer recommended "break in" period.  The speed generally ranged from 70 km/h to 105 km/h, average speed was 90 km/h. At these speeds the engine performed smoothly The mileage received was 16.4 km/l. The car handled well on the road including two hilly stretches.

Update 16/10/13

Traveled on the highway recently on a 490 km trip, of which 50 km were hilly stretches. Speed ranged from 70 km/h up to 120 km/h. Average speed would be between 95 to 100 km/h. Mileage indicated by the drive computer at the end of the trip was 17.1 km/l. However, cross verification through the "top-up" method indicated an actual mileage of only 15.2.