10/09/2012
The Evalia is Nissan's offering for the MUV segment. The globally acclaimed product will further spice-up the competition in the seven-seater MUV segment that is currently dominated by the Toyota Innova and the Mahindra Xylo. Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is actually a notch below in both price and size, with rear seats mainly for children.
The Nissan Evalia looks more like a typical van with the sliding doors and flat and boxy design. However, the looks are a matter of opinion; but there's no denying that the Evalia offers a lot of space – where it certainly scores over its competition.Fit and finish of the MUV are also of high order, both inside and outside. The Evalia, which is known as the Nissan NV200, is very successful in the international market. It is possibly the highest selling van-platform in the world at the moment, and has been recently nominated as the next generation New York cab and London Black Taxi.
However, Nissan is not looking to launch the car specifically for the fleet-market in India. The Evalia will mainly target the individual car buyers to build the brand, along with the base variants for commercial use. The Japanese car maker’s ultimate aim will be to dethrone the Toyota Innova as the king of MUV segment.
There are some areas where the Evalia outshines its competition comprehensively. It will have exceptionally high fuel efficiency due to the 1.5-litre K9K turbocharged diesel engine and light weight body. We expect this seven-seater to comfortably return mileage of more than 16 kilometers to litre in every day conditions. There is also loads of space inside, even for the passengers of the last row; and still more space in the boot with the third row in place. The car also gets decent features with the top-end XV offering keyless entry and go (although it isn't a button start) and a colour multi-function display that not only displays a wealth of information, but also doubles up as the screen for the video feed from the reverse camera.
However, there are things that Nissan has inexplicably left out of the Evalia. The sliding doors for the second row have only butterfly windows and there are no AC vents for the second row, which means the commute without air-conditioning will be a problem for all but the first row, especially in summer. The third row gets its own set of vents and blower controls as standard. The 14-inch tyres are very skinny and give car-on-castor visual effect (15-inch will be made available as a dealer option). Again, the tail-lamps are nice in isolation but their curvy lenses don’t gel with the straight-edged panels at the rear.
The loading lip is very low on the Evalia, which makes the boot extremely usable. The spare is under the boot floor and can be accessed like a car, by lifting the 'floor' of the boot, something that anyone who has tried to remove the spare of an Innova or Tavera will undoubtedly appreciate.
Nissan’s 1461cc K9K engine does duty under the unusually high bonnet of the Evalia. With 85bhp and 200nm, Nissan claims it offers the best performance in the segment – and claims 19-odd kmpl as per ARAI certification, which is a sight more than the competition, the Mahindra Xylo and Toyota Innova. This is partly due to the Evalia’s weight which being less, automatically contributes to fuel efficiency. The other is the transverse-engined, front-drive layout, which again offers less transmission losses over the front-engined, rear drive layout of the competition. Another place where it scores points is in the chassis department, the monocoque construction placing it firmly in the same corner as the Maruti Ertiga and opposite to the ladder-frame chassis that makes up the Chevrolet Tavera, Mahindra Xylo and Toyota Innova.
The Evalia's ride and handling are remarkably car-like. The steering is a little too horizontal to be a car's, but it is light and accurate. The brakes, throttle and clutch have a light operation, and the gearshift's cable operation gives it an edge over the competition's rod-linkage systems.
At an expected price of Rs 8-10 lakhs, the Evalia makes a good case for itself when compared to its competition, the Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo with its performance, space and excellent fuel economy. However, that is pricing that is merely expected, not confirmed. Nissan India has had bittersweet experiences with the Indian market; the Micra haven’t been well received whereas the Sunny is very popular. Will the Evalia’s looks be accepted by the public at large? Will it get that second-row blower and sliding windows as standard soon enough? Will it be priced right? We’ll know all the answers during its pre-Diwali launch.
