The Nissan Versa sedan (Sunny in India) is all set to get a facelift in the USA, which will make its launch at the upcoming New York International Auto Show on 16th April, 2014. The updated Sunny was also showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo in India earlier this year and the company has scheduled to launch the facelifted version by July this year in the country. The 2015 Nissan Sunny gets a refreshed appearance with subtle changes to the styling and the inclusion of new features in the cabin.
The exterior of the Sunny boasts of a refreshed front fascia with the Teana like grille and big and chunky headlight clusters. The bumper design has also been revised and now features a new housing for the fog lamps. Nissan has used generous amounts of chrome across the front on the grille, fog lamps and bumper adding a premium touch. The rear has been worked upon with the lines more convex to reduce the visual weight from the rear; which was a sore point for many. The new bumper has been designed to look like a diffuser finished in black, while the lip spoiler adds to the sportiness of the sedan.
Other changes include newly designed ORVMs with integrated side indicators and suave looking 15-inch alloy wheels finished in gun metal grey that are limited to the SV and SL variants in the US. The Indian model however misses out on those alloy wheels and instead gets the corporate looking (read boring) brushed silver alloy wheels, while the new ORVMs have been retained.
On the inside, the 2015 Nissan Sunny features a new steering wheel unit along with an updated audio system with Bluetooth, USB and AUX-in connectivity as well as a new 6.1-inch touchscreen unit. Nissan has revised the upholstery, gear knob as well as the display unit which now features white LED illumination. The company is also providing features like the NissanConnect with navigation and Mobile Apps as standard on SL Tech Package of the Sunny that are limited to the US market only. Mechanically, nothing has changed under the hood of the 2015 Sunny and it will continue with the 1.6-litre petrol engine producing 109 HP, mated to a 5-speed manual, 4-speed auto and an Xtronic CVT gearbox.
In India though, the 2015 Nissan Sunny will be offered with the same 1.5-litre petrol engine producing 99 HP, while the 1.5-litre k9k diesel unit will produce 89 HP of power. The facelift will surely help Nissan keep the Sunny fresh in a heavily competitive segment for another couple of years. Prices for the 2015 Sunny facelift start at $11,990 (Rs. 7.23 lakhs) in the US, while the Indian launch could see the sedan retailing around Rs. 7 lakhs (ex-showroom) in the country for the base variant.
