Long, tall Serena
Nissan has an all-new seven-seater Serena S-Hybrid MPV and CarSifu drove it up north and back again during a media drive recently and discovered what it had to offer.
THE Nissan Serena S-Hybrid is a long and tall people mover which falls below the RM150K bracket and is available in two variants: Highway Star priced at RM127,874 and Premium Highway Star at RM139,195.
It was the former, the Highway Star, which was used by members of the media for the drive from Glenmarie, Shah Alam to Batu Ferringhi, Penang.
It was a straightforward affair where the drive was concerned as we used the highway throughout the north-bound journey. So does the Serena S-Hybrid live up to its Highway Star status on the highway?
First, let’s take a look at what’s new with this iteration of the Serena S-Hybrid.
Exterior
The Serena is an all-new model but shares a lot of features with the previous generation in terms of dimensions: length, width and height (4,770mm x 1,735mm x 1,865mm) among other things.
It is, however, distinctly different with the dual-layer LED projector headlamps and LED signature lamps followed by the V-Motion strut grille in the front.
The pillars are blacked out to give it the floating roof design and it adds contrast to the side profile of the MPV.
Additionally, the side profile of the Serena has a distinct crease which swoops down as it gets to the rear giving it an eye-catching appeal.
And it still retains the dual power sliding doors for easy ingress and egress and now, it can even be operated hands-free by swinging your foot under it.
New is the dual back door design which gives you the option of opening just half the size of the rear or the entire tailgate itself.
A useful feature this.
Interior
Nissan claims the Serena S-Hybrid seven-seater has the largest and most flexible interior in its class.
It has a wheelbase of 2,860mm which does provide a lot of room and a new seating layout enables a comfortable walkthrough access from the first to the third row.
The Highway Star variant is upholstered in fabric seats.
The first and second row seats Captain Seats with dual armrests also have the Zero Gravity Inspired Seats, that provide spinal support to reduce fatigue during long drives.
Having driven it this MPV outstation, the seats do provide the comfort and alertness during long drives.
And for convenience, there are seven USB ports all around the car – including two each for the second and third rows.
The dashboard design has a futuristic flare to it with a large digital instrument cluster which have useful features such as Intelligent Around View Monitor (l-AVM) that uses four cameras to provide a 360-degree bird’s-eye view of the vehicle, Intelligent Moving Object Detection (l-MOD) that detects and alerts the driver of moving objects surrounding the vehicle, and Intelligent Driver Alertness (l-DA) to alert the driver if he or she starts to get drowsy.
It also comes with a 6.75-inch Clarion touchscreen, push-start ignition with Intelligent Key for keyless operation and a Dual-Zone Auto Climate Control System.
And there is a touch of sportiness with the inclusion of the flat-bottomed steering wheel.
Performance
Under the hood is the 2.0L (MR20DD) Twin CVTC (Continuously Variable-valve Timing Control) engine, paired with XTRONIC CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) with Adaptive Shift Control (ASC).
Maximum power output is at 150PS at 6,000rpm with torque of
200Nm at 4,400rpm.
The Serena 2.0L S-Hybrid has an upgraded ECO motor that controls the Idling Stop system, and provides additional torque assist in start-up acceleration.
It also boasts a best-in-class fuel economy of 14.2km per litre (NEDC R101) which is a 13% fuel economy improvement over its predecessor.
Ride & handling
The new Serena was a fun car to drive outstation because it offered comfort, ease and the quiet cabin made it an enjoyable experience.
Driving on the North-South Highway was a breeze as the Serena had enough power to go through the hilly sections and honestly, there wasn’t a time when the MPV was left wanting for more power.
The continuously variable transmission, although it produces the drone noise which is a common thing with such transmissions, was very quiet and did not disturb the driver nor passengers.
Even its start/stop system was not intrusive that you would hardly realise that the engine had switched off and started unless you were paying attention.
While in Penang, we took the Batu Ferringhi hill road which gets windy and narrower the further uphill one goes.
The Serena proved to be an effortless, easy handling MPV and there were no issues driving it on hill roads.
Of course, we did not drive the MPV like a hot hatch as it is obviously not meant to be driven that way.
Its tall windows, windscreen and side mirrors give one a wide view of the surroundings.
It was so much easier to manoeuvre the Serena when there is all this glass you can look out of.
Even though the Serena has a 360-degree bird’s-eye view of the vehicle, the downside is that it’s placed on the instrument cluster which is a smaller screen compared to the floating centre console.
Another minor gripe is having so much glass area gets one tanned a lot easier.
Practicality
A people mover that offers seven-seats and offering comfort and space for all three rows on top of having sliding doors and dual back doors at this price point offers so much value.
It’s ideal for families and even company cars who want to ferry people around.
The dual tailgate is especially useful if you are stuck in a tight space and also, if you have stacked luggage or other things in the back, you don’t have to worry about it falling out because you can just open the top half.
Safety
The new Serena is now better equipped with six airbags, anti-lock braking system (ABS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), brake assist and stability control.
And it also has the added Intelligent Around View Monitor (l-AVM), Intelligent Moving Object Detection (l-MOD), and Intelligent Driver Alertness (l-DA).
Price and Reliability
The Serena 2.0L S-Hybrid (Highway Star) is locally assembled and priced at RM127,874 (on-theroad without insurance) after the roll back of GST to 0%.
It comes with a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty, and three-year or 60,000km maintenance service (whichever comes first).
Summary
The new Serena offers value, comfort, convenience and space in a package which should cost much more and yet for the price offered, is really quite a bargain.
It’s easy to drive, it’s comfortable with Captain Seats in the second row, the cabin is quiet and it can fit seven people.
The only thing left to do is head towards your nearest Nissan dealership and take a look for yourself.
And if you think the MPV is not much to look at, all that won’t matter when you’re inside driving and thinking how nice it is inside.
Also with Edaran Tan Chong Motor’s special Hari Raya promotion for June, the price of the Serena Highway Star is further reduced to RM125,874 (on-the-road without insurance).