Nissan Serena e-Power

On the inside too, the Nissan Serena has been designed with the intent of breaking the norms and boredom people usually associate with the MPVs. 

The dashboard looks outstanding with its multi-layered layout, with a very fine layer at the topmost portion of the dashboard housing a sleek curved panel for the all-digital instrument console in a horizontal manner. Between this layer of the instrument console and the multi-functional three-spoke steering wheel, there is a scooped portion to store some small knick-knacks – quite a unique feature, we must say. 

The entire vertically laid center console is finished in a glossy black theme, which adds a nice contrast to the dual-tone black and beige cabin. While the upper portion of this center console has a nice looking touchscreen infotainment system, the lower portion of the center console, which is slightly tilted towards the driver side, has a small panel for the automatic climate control buttons and a short looking transmission lever.

Apart from the cleverly laid three-rows of seats which offer an immense amount of room, there are a number of other small storage parts, including cubby holes and door pockets, which make the Nissan Serena a hugely practical car. There is no dearth of features here in the cabin too, with the vehicle getting push-button start with keyless entry, Alcantara leather upholstery, captain seats in the second row with personal tables and rear AC vents with independent controls for them.

The Nissan Serena boasts of a very distinctive design language, which despite being boxy, doesn’t have that perception of a boring looking vehicle. However, no matter how unique it looks, the overall design of the Nissan Serena can be polarizing to look at for those who prefer conventional looks in an MPV.

The Nissan Serena has got a very busy looking front end, with the major highlight here being the large and wide trapezoidal grille with fragmented chrome garnish lines in it. The large sweptback trapezoidal headlamps, with their split layouts, look quite eye-catching, with their upper housing getting daytime running LEDs and the lower ones having the main LED headlamp setup. The blue highlights on the grille look cool and denote that it is a hybrid vehicle, whereas the C-shaped housings for the LED fog lamps make the front bumper aggressive as well.

From the side, the Nissan Serena can make you feel as if you are looking at a very large vehicle, courtesy the large window panels and big front quarter glass ahead of the A-pillar. The multi-kinked window waistline, as well as the smooth shoulder line from the front headlamp to the rear tail lamp, does look standout as well. The large rear windshield, as well as kinked design for the vertically laid clear lens, LED tail lamps makes the Nissan Serena look very large from the rear.

The Nissan Serena’s boxy design might not create a first impression of it being a comfortable vehicle. But thanks to the softly sprung suspension setup of Macpherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear, the Nissan Serena offers a very comfortable ride quality. The driving appeal is slightly toned down due to slight body roll at higher speeds.

The Nissan Serena is powered by a fantastic powertrain, which is a combination of a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and a lithium-ion battery, which in combined mode produce 136 PS of power and 320 Nm of torque. Coupled to a CVT gearbox, this engine feels smooth, but a bit underpowered at lower rpms.

The Nissan Serena is equipped with all the essential safety features onboard, like the front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, hill start assist, traction control, front and rear parking sensors and reverse camera.

The Nissan Serena’s unique and extrovert design language is not something which is designed to please everyone, but it definitely commands a second glance. Talk about the comfort and premium appeal it offers on the inside, and the Nissan Serena scores generously on that front.