Sylphy spiritual successor to Altima

 

Malaysia is probably only the third right-hand drive market for Sylphy and the only one assembling it locally.

Although it has a two-litre engine, the Sylphy is not a successor to the two-litre Nissan Teana (the latter also comes with 2.4-litre and 3.4-litre engines).

The Teana is sold in limited numbers as it is a fully-imported model.

The Sylphy is also not a replacement of the Sentra, which still attracts a fairly good demand.

Instead, it is regarded as spiritual successor to the Altima of the mid-1990s.

Nissan local distributor Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (ETCM) was originally looking at selling up to 350 units a month and at launch time in June 2008, it was mentioned that there were already 800 orders.

Malaysia is probably only the third right-hand drive market for this particular model and the only one assembling it locally.

The car is assembled at Tan Chong Motor Holding Bhd’s factory in Serendah, Selangor, which also produces the Grand Livina MPV and Latio sedan and hatchback.

The Sylphy was voted Car of the Year 2008 by the Autocar Asean magazine.

Packaging

Styling-wise, the Sylphy looks like a downsized version of the larger Teana.

The Sylphy platform is the largest of the B-platform variants. The platform was jointly developed by the Renault-Nissan Alliance, so it is also used by Renault for some of its models.

The car’s interior is nice and welcoming, almost like the “living room” ambience of the larger Teana.

The longer wheelbase of the Sylphy platform means more space. The materials for the cabin are of high quality.

The cherry wood trim has a classy look and feel.

The seats are generously sized and the standard upholstery has “Masumi” fabric, a soft material said to be resistant to scratches. There are three 3-point seatbelts for the rear passenger bench.

Mechanical

The Nissan Sylphy 2.0 CVTC is one of the cheapest 2.0 litre C-segment sedans one can buy.

But its engine also produces the least power at 133 PS at 5,200rpm and 191Nm of torque at 4,400rpm, hardly the figures to excite aggressive drivers.

What will excite everybody is the engine’s excellent fuel economy.

Japanese tests have resulted in 16km for every litre of petrol.

On the road

Over the past few years, Nissan has been improving a lot in the ride and handling department.

Hence, the Sylphy offers solid drive.

We took the car on twisty and bumpy routes to Pahang via the Karak and East Coast highways.

Although the electric steering wheel felt a bit lifeless, the car tracked well around the corners.

Competitors

The Sylphy competes with Japanese, South Korean and continental brands such as Honda Civic, Toyota Altis, Mitsubishi Lancer, Kia Optima, Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Optra Magnum and recently-launched Ford Ford.

Price and equipment