Now that you’ve gotten an idea of what it looks like and how it feels on the inside, just how good is the new Nissan Sunny to drive? In one word – easy. This car has a very smooth engine and light steering, and the other controls, including the clutch and gear lever are light to use. The gearbox though feels very notchy in its shift action, and feels rubbery through the gate, which is disappointing. The gear lever does not like to be hurried through the ‘box, but its saving grace is that it shifts positively, and I didn’t experience any mis-shifts, even while giving it the stick.

The engine is rated at 99 PS @ 6000 rpm, and 134 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm. Despite both these figures registering on the higher side of the Sunny’s rev range, the engine picks up effortlessly even at low rpms. Drivability is very good and the light controls mean the Sunny will be easy to drive in stop and go city traffic. On the highway, the Sunny cruises comfortably with a full complement of passengers, but you do feel a slight lack of urge for quick overtaking, which requires you to downshift if you want to make a quick pass. There’s no point is revving this engine too much either, as it gets thrashy beyond 5000 rpm. Shifting up at around 4500 rpm is the best way to drive this car briskly.
The steering weighs up well as speeds rise, but don’t expect the same level of feedback as you would in say a Ford Fiesta. However, I found the steering better than in many mid-size sedans, the new Hyundai Verna and Toyota Etios included. The East Coast Road we drove on has no corners to talk of, but there are plenty of staggered barricades. These make for convenient slalom courses, and the Sunny was surprisingly competent through them. You can sense the limits of the car easily, and if you get a bit too adventurous, you’ll immediately find the tail getting slightly twitchy, with a hint of chirruping from the tyres. Personally, I like a car which communicates the limits early on, which makes it more fail-safe.

The new Nissan Sunny gets ABS with EBD as standard across all three variants, with a combination of front discs and rear drums. Stopping power is adequate, but I wish the brakes had slightly more feel, which would help in better brake modulation.