The Nissan Sunny has been a much underrated sedan and has not been getting the due credit and popularity that it deserved. It did succeed in churning out a good business in the Indian market but could never make it to the top sellers’ list. There were no straight reasons why this sedan could not be a volume generator for the company.
There is, however, one straight reason why the Nissan Sunny was reduced to be a marginally underperformed car. It is the Honda City that has continuously doing well, year after year and managed to churn up great numbers for the company. It has been ranking on the number one slot on the number one slot in the best-selling sedans in India. However, in 2016, the City sedan was overhauled to the second spot by the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, another top class vehicle from India’s largest passenger car maker.
The 2017 edition of both, the Honda City as well as the Nissan Sunny, have their own reasons to fulfil. Nissan Sunny has been produced targeting to reclaim the lost ground while the Honda City targets to reclaim the lost dominance. With both the cars being a very purposeful venture in the 2017 edition, it can never be the best time to get them on a comparison scale.
Exteriors
The 2017 Nissan Sunny looks like an absolute beauty. Up at the front, there is a chrome garnished grille and large sweptback headlamps. The fog lamps lower down are dipped in chrome as well. There are no strong lines on the side section, but the body itself is molded into a contoured design. The rear profile is highlighted by tail lights that are stretched almost a long way at the sides.
The Honda City, on the other hand, adopts a bolder path to style. The front section is sculpted and muscular with a sleek headlamps cluster. There is a thick strip of chrome passing through the centre of the front grille. There are two bold character lines doing the duties on the side section, one on the side skirt and the other lower down. The rear section gets split tail lights and chrome embellishment along the boot lid handle.
Interiors
Once you enter the Nissan Sunny, you will wonder why the sedan could not manage to be in the spot that the City or the Ciaz is in. The Sunny sedan is big and extremely spacious. The front centre dashboard is cleanly designed with an infotainment display screen. Down below the screen, there is something you will like – a round shaped climate control cluster and other button bits. The three spoke steering wheel is mounted with controls. There is a lot of headroom and legroom for both the rows.
The interiors of the Honda provide evidence to why this sedan is so highly rated in India. The premium fabric upholstery is more comfortable that it would suggest. There are large AC vents doing the duties on the center console followed by a “DigiPad” infotainment system. The three spoke steering wheel is mounted with controls and provide the best build up to the racy analogue meters that lie behind it. It is equally spacious as the Nissan Sunny and has a rear center armrest with cup holders. It has a large 510-litre boot space apart from being spacious.
Engine
The 2017 Nissan Sunny comes powered by a 1.5-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The petrol engine makes a highest power of 98 bhp which comes at 6,000 revs per minute and the peak torque of 134 Nm comes at 4,000 revs per minute. The diesel engine makes a maximum power of 85 bhp which comes at just 3,750 revs per minute and a maximum torque of 200 Nm at 2,000 revs per minute. The petrol variants come with a 5-speed manual transmission gearbox with an option of 5-speed CVT gearbox for the top end trim. The diesel engine is offered with a 5-speed manual transmission gearbox only.
Honda City, on the other hand, comes powered by a 1.5-litre i-VTEC and 1.5-litre i-DTEC engine for the petrol and diesel engine respectively. The City is much more powerful than the Sunny as the petrol engine makes a maximum power of 117 bhp at 6,600 eves per minute and a peak torque of 145 Nm at 4,600 revs per minute. The diesel engine makes a maximum power of 99 bhp at 3,600 revs per minute and a peak torque of 200 Nm at 1,750 revs per minute. The diesel engine is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission gearbox while the petrol engine is coupled with a 5-speed manual or a CVT gearbox.
Verdict
If you closely look at the Nissan Sunny and evaluate it on the basis of its features and specifications, you will find no reason behind why the car could not hold on to its good days. It is just that the rivalling cars have simply overshadowed it. However, it still has all of the features that could guide it to being popular just like the Ciaz or the City. It is more of a simple and classy designed car with great interior features.
The Honda City, on the contrary, is a young-ish sedan, losing age with every facelift. The exteriors are arguably one of the best in the segment. It is also a very powerful car, much more powerful than the Sunny, which may have caused it to be more popular than the Nissan sedan.
So if you need an executive type car with regular power figures and nothing outright, the Nissan Sunny is what you need. But if you need style with outright power, the Honda City will keep you thrilled for sure.
Also, another important feature that is to be kept in mind is that the Honda City is a good Rs. 1 lakh more expensive for the base variant. The top end trim of the Nissan Sunny is almost Rs. 4 lakhs more affordable than the City, which might work as a big bonus.
