After Renault’s Scala it was Nissan Sunny’s turn to get a CVT gearbox. We drive it in Chennai to see how different it is
Nissan’s mid-size sedan the Sunny is a good product that features a roomy cabin, a fuel efficient diesel engine and a comfortable drive. They also sell the Sunny with a petrol motor and recently the company also launched a special edition Sunny. But I am not going to talk about that, instead here is something about the company’s latest attempt to woo more customers. Nissan recently held a drive in the coastal city of Chennai where the company showcased the latest variant of its mid-size sedan the Sunny which is equipped with a CVT or Continuously Variable Transmission. The drive was short and most of it was through the city because it is in the city where an automatic gearbox makes life much easier for the driver. So how well was this new transmission. Well, read on to find out.
There is absolutely nothing that distinguishes the Sunny CVT from the manual gearbox car. In fact it looks identical. Nissan is offering the CVT in the Sunny XL which is the the top-of-the-line variant. It also uses the same 1.5 litre 99PS petrol engine that serves rest of the Sunny petrol range. Nissan is calling this new variant the Sunny X-Tronic and claims that the CVT gearbox is smoother and more efficient than conventional CVT boxes. Nissan also claims that the X-Tronic transmission is more compact than other conventional CVT boxes because of its pulley arrangement. The setup utilizes a steel belt that works in co-ordination with the pulleys and the gearbox is also equipped with an auxiliary planetary gear set that widens the number of gear ratios available. This setup gives the car a much smoother drive while eliminating any shift shocks and also improves the fuel efficiency.
The best way to see how good an automatic transmission is, in a family sedan, is to take it out for a drive in the city and that is exactly the point that Nissan kept in mind while chalking out the route for this drive. The 120 odd kilometre drive from the Chennai to Mahabalipuram and back started off in the streets of Chennai. The moment we set out of the hotel and on to streets of Chennai the smoothness of the X-Tronic box was evident. Nissan has got the setup correct as the CVT box adjusts the gear ratios in accordance to the speed and engine rpm quite efficiently. This gives the Sunny CVT a comfortable and smooth drive. The gradual power build-up and the linear delivery ensured a smooth and effortless drive. Most of the time the engine stayed in the 1500 – 2000 rpm range which is good to extract maximum fuel efficiency. Nissan claims that the Sunny X-Tronic delivers 17.97 kmpl which is a bit overambitious however, a complete road test would reveal the true figure.
On the highway the Sunny automatic performs quite well however, the engine feels a bit strained when you push it hard. Ride quality and handling of the Sunny X-Tronic is identical to the manual car however, the addition of the CVT box in the X-Tronic makes the Sunny a hassle-free car to drive. Performance wise the car is pretty decent however, I can comment more on that only after a complete road test. Overall the Sunny X-Tronic is a decent family car with the ease of an autobox that is quite smooth and if the real world fuel efficiency is anywhere close to the claimed figure then it would make the Sunny automatic a brilliant value for money automatic car in its segment. Nissan will be launching the car very soon and the prices would be revealed only during the launch of the car. We hope that Nissan prices this smooth Sunny competitively to gain maximum points in the sales department.
Photography Rommel Albuquerque
