2014 Nissan Sunny Facelift - Sunny Sized Up

By Santosh

Updated: Wednesday, June 18, 2014, 15:57 [IST]

We landed in a muggy Port Blair at noon to a reception of gleaming 2014 Nissan Sunnys, one of which hustled us to the hotel. A quick bite and it was time to do a little driving to the first of the shoot locales; till the light held up at least, since the sun goes to bed much earlier than we're used to in the Andaman.

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The twisty roads of Port Blair are a driver's delight, but this was still India, and safety was first priority. The Sunny XL CVT (which we drove first) didn't complain about this, since its mechanically-unchanged personality still prefers to ferry rather than hurry. We soon reached the calm Manjiri Jetty, a picturesque location that serves refuelling ships and provides access to Rutland Island.

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2014 Nissan Sunny Facelift - Sunny Sized Up

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It was here that we got to see the new features of the facelift up close - the front has become more imposing now, with a larger, recessed, chrome-garnished air dam flanked by thick bumper extensions. The now-trademark chrome-surround grille is larger too and the new headlamps are reminiscent of the Teana. The fog lamp housings too get chrome detailing, lending the car the most chrome in the segment, something Nissan hopes will attract more buyers. The top XV model also gets electric mirrors with integrated turn indicators.

The car features a more attractive rear profile now; the chrome garnish for the license plate looks upmarket and the redesigned bumper works to reduce the exterior mass of the Sunny. While the side body panels remain unchanged, the alloy wheels feature a new design. A small gripe was that the car could have been uprated to 16-inch wheels, since the present 15-inchers still look a tad too tiny for the generously proportioned car. While the car's looks have now evolved for the better since its almost three-year old former avatar, its unoffensive sort of design will still struggle to better the style quotient of competition like the Honda City.

The 2014 Sunny sees changes in the cabin too, with a new steering wheel that houses the music system and Bluetooth controls. The Micra-derived centre console is now in premium-looking piano black, and features a reverse camera display in the top-of-the-line variants. These top models (available only in diesel) also get an engine start-stop button, rear AC vents, rear reading lamps, leather upholstery and leather wrap for the steering wheel and shifter with the Premium Pack 1, and a side airbags upgrade with the Premium Pack 2. The brilliantly spacious sedan will continue to make good friends with six-footers with best-in-segment legroom and oodles of headroom, so beware Honda City and Hyundai Verna!

The sun was now dipping below the horizon, and it was time to return to the hotel. The 1.5-litre CVT petrol rode us smoothly without any drama whatsoever over the undulated island roads - the company claims improved NVH levels in the new Sunny. Unchanged is the engine's ARAI rating of 17.97 kpl. The good ride remains too, but so do the powertrain characteristics of the car that encourage unhurried driving. A couple of cold ones and a meal followed, and we retired for the night to the sound of an Andaman drizzle.

Thirty-two-and-a-half winks later, with the backdrop of a cloudy dawn, we headed to our second destination in the 1.5-litre diesel XL, whose ECU has been tweaked to achieve an ARAI-rated mileage of 22.71 kpl. The gorgeous Chidiya Tapu is located at the south-most tip of the South Andaman Island, and the aquamarine hue of the water and the thick mangroves were absolutely magnificent to behold, but our tight schedule meant that we had to quickly stow away our stuff into the Sunny's cavernous 490-litre boot and make tracks after taking in the sights and the er, shots.

Our time with the refreshed Sunny revealed that the updated car is set to remain an attractive proposition for those requiring a comfortable, easy-to-drive, and uber-spacious sedan. The new tweaks have brought the car up to date, and made it an even better chauffeur-driven option than before so it will be well worth the expected 40-50K hike in price when it is launched next month. It had been a busy 24 hours with the 2014 Sunny. And oh man, beautiful Andaman...