New Ve HICLe SUNNY 10th Generation Debuts iN

Nissan Sunny as a brand wouldn’t sound unfamiliar to many, as it has a 45-year-old history and has come a long way from the 1000 it was born as, to the latest 10 th generation Sunny we’ve featured here. The car was originally named by more than eight million Japanese people through a competition run by the carmaker.

48 www.autotechreview.com SucceSSful Brand sensitive segment, which pushes car Another technical highlight of the “V” manufacturers to squeeze everything they platform is its ability to provide light- Over the past four and half decades, the can right from supply chain to logistics. weight manufacturing through usage of Sunny has been one of Nissan’s most suc- Technical innovations and features are plastic instead of steel in many places and cessful brands globally. Sold under differ- a strong USP in this segment and on lending smaller dimensions to parts such ent brand names such as Sentra, Pulsar paper the Sunny seems to have a sound as the fuel tank. In India, Nissan has and Tsuru, the car has been offered to presence in this area. made good use of ’s knowledge consumers across 140 countries in various about local sourcing and the present local- body styles, ranging from a small hatch- isation stands at about 80 %, which leads back to a . Overall, the ear- new “V” Platform to great savings in areas such as logistics lier nine generations of the Sunny has and import duties. accounted for a combined sale of more Nissan’s “V” (Versatile) platform is an This is the first time that the Japanese than 16 million units world over. important link in the chain for Renault- carmaker has moved away from tradi- The Sunny started out as a rear-wheel Nissan towards their future strategy for tional manufacturing in developed mar- drive vehicle before transitioning into developing markets such as India. The kets to growing, yet more challenging a front wheel drive layout in the early platform allows the company to bring out markets, such as India. Nissan expects the 1980s. The brand was one of the few different body styles without the need to “V” platform to go a long way towards success stories during the oil crisis in the invest in areas such as LHD to RHD con- fulfilling its ambitions in such developing with the key USPs being high fuel- version, powertrain options, meeting markets. efficiency and low-buying cost. Over the crash test norms and emission norms of last decade or so the production of Sunny different regions. This flexibility results in stopped in Japan, which led to absence of significant cost-savings for both brands Powertrain the brand name from many large Asian and added room for development of new markets such as China and Japan. technologies, specific to local markets. The Nissan Sunny is powered by a 4-cyl- At the 2010 China International Auto The “V” platform is essentially an evo- inder 1.5 litre DOHC , code- Show, Nissan launched the 10th generation lution of the older and still operational named HR 15, from Nissan’s HR engine Sunny, a global compact- in collabo- “B” platform, which is the base for cars family. The same range of engine also ration with Dongfeng Motor Company of such as Clio, Cube and Twingo. The finds place in other Nissan products such China. The car expectedly found its way strength and potential success of the plat- as the Tiida, Bluebird and Juke. The HR into the Indian market and is presently form stands tall on the foundation of the family of engines, along with MR series, manufactured at the company’s plant in extensive knowledge sharing between are Nissan’s global engines for volume- . The car will be sold in 170 Renault and Nissan. The platform pres- selling models. The key focus for these countries under various names, including ently uses diesel engines and transmis- engines is to reduce energy losses, while “Versa” for the United States. sions from Renault, while the petrol maximising power output and fuel-effi- Nissan didn’t have a desirable run in engines make do with a common ciency. The key to achieving the result the Indian market until it launched its 1st Nissan-Renault engine block. Technical though lay in overcoming several small car based on the “V” platform, the Micra synergies such as these help the technical humps such as friction-reduc- . The Sunny is an attempt to company save millions in the field of tion, improved combustion & cooling expand in a growing yet extremely price- R&D and manufacturing. efficiency and better intake & exhaust

The Sunny’s exterior is easy to the eye without any radical curves and the The HR15 4-cylinder 1.5 l engine produces 99 ps @ 6,000 rpm and a torque of sloping roofline helps improve aerodynamics 134 Nm @ 4,000 rpm with an ARAI certified fuel-efficiency of 16.95 kmpl. autotechreview November 2011 Zero Issue 49 New Ve HICLe NISSAN SUNNY

efficiency. In India, Nissan claims an the piston velocity and allows more meter: 130 µm) in a multi-hole fine ARAI-certified mileage of 16.95 kmpl. efficient usage of combustion energy, spray injector. The new parts help We explain below how each technical while improving thermal efficiency. reduce the particle size by about area within the powertrain was B. imProVing comBuStion efficiency: 40 %, while increasing the range. addressed*: a. PlaStic intake manifold with integrated d. imProVing cooling efficiency: Cooling a. reducing friction: tumBle control ValVe: In order to make efficiency of an engine is directly pro- a. Bore circularity matching: Cylinder the combustion process more effi- portional to its anti-knock capability bores on a conventional engine might cient, Nissan claims that the HR during combustion at higher compres- undergo some deformation due to the engines have an improved tumble sion ratios. In the HR engines, Nissan axial forces, when a cylinder head is control valve capable of generating reduced the water jacket wall thick- bolted to a cylinder block. On the HR optimal longitudinal vortex of the air- ness around the combustion cham- engines though, the bore is exposed to fuel mixture to enhance combustion bers to 4.5 mm, a reduction of about circularity machining, which prevents stability. The cylinder walls and pis- 25 % over the previous design without bore deformation due to axial forces ton crowns too are designed to induce compromising on strength and rigid- acting upon the cylinder head bolts. tumble swirl. The combined result of ity. The increased room for the cool- This leads to reduced friction between these applications is better fuel econ- ant thus results in better cooling. the piston ring and cylinder bore and omy due to optimised air-fuel mixture e. m12 SPark PlugS: The HR engines use hence a significant reduction in power consumption. M12 spark plugs of smaller size allow- losses. b. large caPacity egr SyStem: The EGR ing for added flexibility in the water b. mirror finiShing: The crankshaft and system directs a part of the exhaust jacket and thereby aiding cooling camshaft journals are finished with a gases to the intake manifold and efficiency. polishing-tape to bring out a smoother hence enhances fuel efficiency, while c. oPtimizing intake/exhauSt efficiency: front intake/rear exhauSt layout: and shinier surface, which in turn keeping NOx emissions down. Nissan a. The helps reducing the friction of these claims its enhanced combustion proc- HR family of engines sport a front components. esses such as the tumble control valve intake and rear exhaust layout with c. offSet cylinderS: The HR engines are help the engine use more amounts of long intake runners, which are fitted at an off-set to reduce friction exhaust gases and thus return better claimed to be capable of increasing arising from the angle of the connect- fuel efficiency and power delivery. the torque in the low and mid-range ing rod, when a piston travels down c. fine SPray injectorS: It’s a well-known and achieve smoother exhaust flow. into a cylinder. The smoother func- fact that a finer particle size of the d. engine acouSticS: tioning of pistons enhances power injector’s spray helps achieve better a. equal length manifold BrancheS: The output and fuel-efficiency in-turn. In combustion and reduce hydrocarbons. intake manifold on the HR engine fea- addition, the engine architecture In the HR engines the 4-hole injector tures four branches of equal acoustic allows the piston to have a lengthier nozzle plate (diameter: 250 µm) is length. This design brings out sounds upper movement, which slows down replaced with a 12-hole version (dia- created by lighter and clear sounding

Internals of the C-VTC controls VVT operation and controls valve timing increase torque HR15 engine in the range of 2,000 rpm.

50 www.autotechreview.com components and dampens those cre- the AC compressor, power steering way into achieving the objective. The drag ated by heavier parts. Nissan claims pump, alternator and other engine coefficient for Sunny is 0.318, a very good this application to significantly reduce components. Herein, the pulleys are number since the segment it competes in the rough engine noise during put in a single plane resulting in is very sensitive towards fuel-efficiency. acceleration. shorter engine length while usage of Overall dimensions aren’t too large b. Silent chain driVe: A camshaft drive auto-tensioners lowers the belt load and a short hood aids in manoeuvrability chain creates sound when its pins and enhances part life. in dense traffic. The is visibly come in contact with the sprockets in d. high-adheSion fiP gaSket and chamfer longer than most cars in this segment a conventional engine. In the HR ShaPe: “Form in place” (FIP) gaskets as there’s very less overhang at both the engines the links are designed in order improve the cylinder head and oil pan front and rear. Boot space is fairly large at to engage the sprockets at points in sealing by creating a sealant layer of 490 litre and once again at par with most addition to the pin, thereby resulting uniform thickness. Additionally, cham- of the competition, except the in better distribution of impact and fer process is used to shape mating Etios. lower noise. surfaces based upon fluid dynamics The base and middle variant get steel e. reduction of PartS for lower weight due to which the extra gasket material wheels, whereas the top XV version fea- and increaSed reliaBility: protruding from the mating surfaces tures alloys. Headlight units are decent a. coolant PiPeS Built-in: The coolant dis- fills the chamfer to improve adhesion. and brighten up the path ahead ade- tribution system is redesigned to be f. gearBox: quately regardless of the beam being accommodated in the block and head. a. The Sunny has a 5-speed manual used. The base variant also misses out on Zero usage of pipes eliminates the gearbox focused on providing an easy body-coloured door handles and mirrors. need for external couplings and hence driving experience in traffic. The saves weight. ratios are inclined towards being short b. cracking-ProceSSed connecting rodS: and the gear lever slots accurately into interior Integrally-cast con rods are lighter any gear. The not-so smooth shifting than conventional con rods, which are of the gearbox though leaves some Going by the claims of Nissan, the interior made in two parts and are separated room for improvement. is a USP for the car as it is claimed to be at the eye, where they join the crank- the most spacious cabin in-class. The shaft. The cracking processed con rod extended wheelbase of 2600 mm is at par is manufactured in one piece after exterior with many cars from a segment above which the lower eye is cracked into and the extra space available is clearly two, which are joined together post The Nissan Sunny has been purpose-built evident from the first-look. Trim is availa- the mounting process. Matching the to be a practical, value-for-money and ble in fabric and colour schemes vary for uneven surfaces created by the crack- economical family sedan and the idea is the variants. ing process results in a claimed pre- evident in its design. There are no flaring Apart from getting generous space, cise joint. or radical lines along the body and most backseat passengers also get a separate c. SerPentine auxiliary driVe: Conven- of the elements are quite conventional. vent, which shouldn’t be mistaken for an tional engines run each auxiliary com- The overall design bears a rounded AC vent. The unit simply pulls in air from ponent separately through individual theme, quite similar to the . the front and releases it into the rear aid- belts. HR engines use a single belt ser- The “V” platform focuses significantly ing quicker cooling to some extent. Audio pentine auxiliary drive system to run on efficiency and aerodynamics go a long setup consists of four speakers with the

A small yet easy to use button to manually Rear legroom is best-in-class. The sloping roof though could reduce lock/unlock doors the headroom for taller people autotechreview November 2011 Zero Issue 51 New Ve HICLe NISSAN SUNNY

Driver’s right armrest controls include power window switches, child door/window The dashboard is well laid-out and controls are easy to reach and read lock and main door lock

ability to support Aux-In and MP3 but no cools the cabin even if the car has been are claimed to enhance the comfort levels Bluetooth or USB connectivity. standing in the sun for long durations. of the ride. A torsion beam rear axle with Headrests are adjustable for both rows The instrument console includes a anti-roll bar has been designed to keep and while the rear seats feature a centre- speedometer and tachometer and a digital intrusions in the luggage area to a mini- armrest the front seats miss out on it. MID (multi-information-display), all of mum. The suspension is mounted on sub- Steering mounted controls include a vol- which are brightly-lit. The MID gives out frames, which help lower the road noise ume adjustment and track/source seek information about various things such as and overall NVH levels. The suspension button. Ergonomically, the car’s interiors distance-to-go, immediate and average has additionally been designed to feature turn up well except the handbrake lever fuel-consumption and outside temperature long stroke suspension travel, which offset to the left and the seat backrest apart from the usual information signs. improves the ride quality over bad and adjustment lever’s positioning, which undulating surfaces – a boon for Indian makes it hard to make changes while conditions. driving. Safety & e lectronicS Instrument console is the same as found in the Micra and likewise the top Nissan has equipped all variants with a technical r ound-uP variant features push button ignition. The balanced package of active and passive top and middle variants get an automatic safety features. The base variant features At the outset, the Nissan Sunny seems to climate control system, while the base ABS with EBD and Brake Assist; driver be just another car in the compact-sedan model features a manual AC. Regardless airbag and engine immobiliser. The upper segment in terms of technology. We’re of the temperature control system the AC two variants receive additional front pas- sure though that by now our readers is an effective cooling unit and quickly senger airbags, while the top variant gets would’ve realised that cars today in this fog lamps too. The front ventilated disc & segment too feature a lot of innovative rear drum setup does a good job of bring- technologies, which aren’t visible, yet ing the vehicle to rest from high speeds in exist. The “Powertrain” section shows the panic situations. amount of technical challenges companies The car is fitted with various electronic are faced with in the present times of features to ease the driving experience. stringent norms and the amount of engi- Electric power steering and tilt adjustment neering that goes into overcoming those is standard. Power windows with auto challenges. down & anti-pinch function feature on the middle and top variant. The remote key *Information for the Powertrain section has been houses a boot release button too which sourced from Nissan’s Global website. aids easier access and usability.

text: Arpit Mahendra SuSPenSion Photo: Noshad Ali

The Nissan Sunny is equipped with an

Sunny’s 490 litres boot features a low-loading point independent front suspension featuring More on this article and the layout allows for good utilisation of space McPherson struts with coil springs, which www.autotechreview.com

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