Nissan Teana 2.5 V6 VQ25 : Road Test

One look at the Teana and its enough to see where the designers were headed. Like a Lamborghini looks fast even while standing still, similarly the Teana looks luxurious while standing still or moving. What is immediately noticeable is the size of the vehicle. The Teana sports extremely generous dimensions and considering the Indians' affinity towards large family sedans, the proportions are spot on.

With a svelte silhouette, the Teana just drips elegance whichever way one looks at it. Up front, a large, bold yet classy grille, finished in chrome, sits between the pair of vertically elongated headlamps that blend into the front fenders. The front bumper houses three air inlets, the outer two incorporating the front fog lamps and also topped off with chrome embellishments. The all black roof with dual sunroofs only adds to the already grand personality of the car.

The Teana's body side treatment blends richly flared body panels with boldly curved lines. The elegant, six-light windows are designed to emphasize the luxurious space of the interior. The outside mirrors are also optimally shaped to minimize wind noise and the side moldings are executed in a sword motif, imparting a sense of excellent quality. Finally at the back, the sculpted outwards tail lights impart an impressive wide look to the otherwise staid looking bottom of the Teana. 'Shift Hospitality' is how the Teana is marketed elsewhere, and the way it looks, it definitely will manage to shift quite some customers away from its Teutonic competition.

On the inside:

While the Nissan's exteriors got us raving, it's the interiors which will really get the buyers hooked. Once seated on the excellent seats, you realize Nissan's affinity towards beige. In fact the Teana's insides are pretty much an overkill of beige splattered all over. The matt wood and aluminium inserts do try to stand out but all in vain. Other than that the Teana's interiors ooze flawless quality and caress you like you would be in the lap of luxury. Unlike other cars in the segment the dashboard doesn't have buttons popping out all over. The interiors sport everything that one would ask for with everything falling at hand as well.

Both the driver and passengers indulge in soothing features, such as the electrically operated ottoman leg rest on the front passenger seat and the ventilated front seats. The only gripe is the hidden location of the seat heating and ventilation controls, it's housed within the storage bin of the centre arm rest. The information console provides you with complete visual confirmation of air conditioning settings, outside temperature, audio system and time, as well as it allows you to monitor the drive computer. The large speedometer is further enhanced by a silver-coloured ring that cannot escape your notice. A one-of-its-kind rear power sunshade keeps the sunlight and glare away from rear passengers without blocking the driver's rear vision while also maintaining the temperature you set within the cabin of the car.

Leg room is more than adequate for both front and rear, so five adults can travel in the Teana without much issue. And for added luxury, both front seats have full electrical adjustments, with a 2 stage memory function for the driver's seat. Attention to detail is simply meticulous, for example the leather seats are made using a vibration absorption urethane cushion material, and are ergonomically shaped to improve the ride comfort by providing uniform support for the occupants. Nissan also claims that its engineers have put in extra effort to keep the noise level within the cabin to a minimum while the car is on the move by optimally positioning the insulation materials and using paint sealer and foam materials to keep out noise that can creep in through tiny holes and gaps in the bodyshell. However, they haven't succeeded entirely with quite some amount of tyre roar penetrating the cabin.

Under the hood:

Under that vast expanse of a hood is where the major change lies. The previous car codenamed J31, featured a 2.3 L V6 pumping out a 170 PS and 224 nm of torque. The current J32 car also features a V6 but now displaces all of 2496 cc. As a result the power is bumped upto 182 PS and torque is up by 4 Nm bringing the total to an impressive 228 Nm.

Though grunty, this creamy, smooth unit, officially codenamed VQ25DE, is tuned more for smooth delivery rather than outright explosive performance, considering it is mated to the Xtronic CVT, possibly one of the smoothest continuously variable transmissions in the market. Equipped with the newly developed Adaptive Shift Control (ASC), this gearbox adapts to the driver's driving style and driving conditions enhancing performance and fuel economy. The engine revs is always at the optimum point, with the most suitable ratio selected, regardless of throttle position.

On the road:

The built to a purpose factor comes into play on the road as well. The Teana is meant for luxurious cruising and not boy racer antics. However, give this big Jap the stick and she gathers momentum fast enough to surprise you. With sport mode on, and the smiley pedal dug deep into the carpet the Teana hit the ton in a scant 9.4 seconds. That's mighty quick for a car weighing all of 1537 kg and equipped with a CVT transmission. The V6 produces 80 per cent of its maximum torque from a lowly 1,800 rpm, which makes hard revving of the engine unnecessary. In fact, the wide powerband of the VQ25DE makes overtaking of slower traffic a puny affair.

Driving the car itself is a relaxing experience. The steering feels light with hardly any feedback but that shouldn't be a major issue for the target owners of the Teana. Go round a bend too fast and the car immediately lets you know it's not too comfortable. Body roll is also present, but thankfully not excessive. The 215 section Michelins give up way too soon and are considerably noisy as well. A better set of tyres would definitely aide dynamics but not my much.

What definitely stands out is the ride quality. The Teana comes pretty close to the magic carpet ride quality offered by the bigger Mercs. The car simply wafts over minor bumps and irregularities with nary a thump filtering through the cabin. Sharp vertical movements however are not too well received.

The Teana did extremely well in the braking department as well. Equipped with ABS, EBD and brake assist, the car came to a dead halt from 100 km/h in just 3.40 seconds covering a distance of 45.99 m.

Fuel Efficiency:

The high kerb weight combined with the CVT transmission coupled to a massive V6 meant that the Teana wasn't going to be the fuel efficient kind, but the car had a surprise in store for us yet again. Thanks to the widespread power delivery, the Teana did not need to be revved hard to extract the maximum from it. As a result the car returned a very respectable 8.81 kmpl around town and a marginally better 10 kmpl on the highway. An overall figure of 9.11 kmpl speaks volumes about how efficient the engine really is. With a 70 litre fuel tank, the Teana is good for 637 km before you have to visit the petrol station again.

Verdict:

So does the new Teana fulfill its purpose of being? Yes, it does! Aimed at being the best luxobarge in its segment, the Teana not only accomplishes this but also challenges cars from higher segments. Where other cars try to be a jack of all trades and end up being a master of none, the Teana maintains its focus on luxury and delivers by the bucketloads. What remains to be seen is the new Teana's pricing. If priced marginally above the older car, it will end up being exceptional value for money as well. Nissan also needs to increase its service network which at the moment is pretty few and far between. That apart, the new Teana is all set to cause an upset in the otherwise German dominated luxury segment.