Nissan Sunny Facelift 2014

The Nissan Sunny was launched in India in 2011. As the facelift is mechanically similar to the earlier model, It focus on the cosmetic changes only.

Nissan Sunny looks more aggressive than before with new fog lamps, revised headlights, front bumper, air dam and revamped grille. 

Exterior:

While the new Sunny still maintains the overall silhouette of the outgoing model, Nissan has adopted a far more aggressive design methodology for the latest iteration. The large boomerang style headlights and enlarged grille give the Sunny a bolder presence. Resembling the company’s flagship, the Teana, the new front end adds a touch of class to the car. The chrome lined grille paired with the chrome accented fog lamp enclosures despite building on the car’s aesthetic appeal does seem a bit too much bling.

Along the sides, the new Sunny sports chrome door handles along with ORVM mounted side indicators. However, the redesigned twelve spoke alloys still don’t seem quite right for the car.

The rear has been left largely unchanged save for the redesigned bumper with the Nissan logo sitting atop a subtle ridge over the chrome lined trunk garnish.

Interior:

The most striking bit of the interior is the centre console. The piano black centre console is extremely impressive to look at and makes good use of quality plastics and provides a unique two screen display system.
While both the petrol and diesel variants sport similar music systems, the top end diesel variant is better equipped. A large 5.1 inch primary display is used to control the music system and doubles up as the display for the reverse camera parking system while the smaller, secondary display presents the current air con settings. The new centre console is a huge step up from the outgoing model and adds a touch of flair the old model lacked.
The music system offers the usual Bluetooth, iPod connectivity, FM/AM, USB, CD and AUX input options. Animations and menu transitions are clean and smooth, however the 4 speaker system and car acoustics could have been a tad bit better.
The instrument cluster features an uncluttered design with the tachometer and speedometer being the only analogue gauges. Odometer, tripmeter, fuel and engine temperature readings are all displayed via a single display.
The new Sunny uses an all new three spoke steering wheel that features steering mounted controls for the audio system and controls for your Bluetooth connected phone. The brushed metal finish and new three spoke design improves on the overall cabin quality.


Safety:

Nissan has greatly improved on the safety front with the 2014 Sunny. Offering a wide mix of safety features such as ABS, EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution), Brake Assist and front and side airbags, the new Sunny is packed to the brim with safety equipment. And with the recent showcasing of the poor safety standards adopted by Indian manufacturers at the NCAP tests, it’s good to see the Japanese maker has taken the time to make the new Sunny one of the safest cars in its price range.



    Engine Options:

•     Petrol: 1.5 L 
•     Diesel: 1.5 L
•     Power:
•     Petrol: 99 PS @ 6000 RPM (Manual) and 101 PS @ 5600 RPM (CVT)
•     Diesel: 86 PS @ 3750 RPM
•     Transmission Type:
•     5 Speed Manual
•     CVT Automatic (Petrol only)
•     Turning Radius: 5.3 m
•     Fuel Tank Capacity: 41 L
•     Boot Space: 490 L
•     Fuel Efficiency:
•     Petrol: 16.95 km/l (Manual) and 17.97 km/l (CVT)
•     Diesel: 22.71 km/l

BMTC to test run BYD K9 electric bus

BMTC might create a milestone in mass transportation in India by running all electric bus in Bangalore.

Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will be shortly running an all electric bus in the city for testing purpose. The all electric bus ‘BYD’ K9 is built by Chinese which can run up to 250 Km from a single charge. According to reports, a BYD K9 bus is housed in one of the BMTC depot, waiting for RTO approval for the test run.

 BMTC will run the test vehicle for 3 months before making a decision to purchase. Sources say, the company has already received an additional allocation of 90,000 volts from BESCOM, the city’s electricity controller. The all electric bus will be tested on long and high traffic routes to check its capabilities in tough conditions.

BYD is a Chinese company which builts ‘K9’ electric buses. It uses iron phosphate battery developed in house and the eBus is run in many countries like USA, Spain, Denmark, Netherlands, Columbia and Hong Kong. The eBus weighs 18 tonns and has length, width and height of 12267 mm, 2550 mm and 348 6mm respectively. It takes about 5 hours for one full charge and almost half of the time for a fast charge. BYD company website claims the eBus capacity is 40 persons and it consumes less than 100 Kwh/60 minutes.

Hopefully Bangalore City will be the first city in India to run all electric buses on a regular basis and hence reduce the pollution in the city.