Nissan is expecting to sell half a million of Sylphy’s a year by 2014 and to achieve this target, they have planned to sell it in 120 countries.
Being a truly global product, it’s only a matter of time before the Nissan Sylphy makes its way into India.
If the pricing in China (Rs. 10.4 lakhs – Rs. 14.8 lakhs) and Thailand (Rs. 13.3 lakhs – Rs. 16.6 lakhs) are anything to go by, then we can safely speculate that Nissan will put this entry level luxury sedan smack into the D-segment populated by Corolla, Laura, Jetta, Cruze, and Fluence.
The Sylphy, also called as Sentra in the US, gets a familiar look, thanks to a very Sunny-like, but larger chrome grille. The headlamps are sleek with LED underlining and have a slight kink where they meet the fenders. The side is characterized by a strong shoulder line and chrome treatment for door handles and window outlines.
At the rear, the stretched tail lamps complement the shape of the headlamps. Overall, the design is clean and understated. The interior is all new and feels modern. At 2,700 mm, the wheelbase is one of the longest in the entry D-segment making space its USP.
Setting the car in motion will be a 1.8 litre petrol engine with variable valve timing, generating 130 bhp of power and 174 Nm of torque. The Thailand version also gets a 1.6 litre, 116 bhp petrol.
For India, the 1.5 litre K9K diesel in same state of tune as the Renault Fluence (108 Bhp) could be the weapon of choice. Transmission duty is handled by the efficient X-CVT, just like the recently updated Samsung SM3. India may get a 5-speed manual as well to form the entry model.
The Sylphy is high on space and equipment compared to its rivals and Nissan is capable of putting cat among the pigeons with this car, but only if they get the pricing right.
[Source: PaulTan.org]
