Test drive Nissan Tiida
It is hard to believe that in the modern world there can be Gogolian methods when it comes to developing new cars. In Nissan, for example, Baltazar Baltazarych's swagger was attached to Ivan Pavlovich's stoutness, that is, the Pulsar hatchback body to the Sentra sedan chassis. And it's done ...
It is hard to believe that Gogol's methods can exist in the modern world when it comes to the development of new cars. Nissan, for example, put the swagger of Baltazar Baltazarych to the corpulence of Ivan Pavlovich, that is, the body of the Pulsar hatchback to the chassis of the Sentra sedan. And you're done - the path to a new segment is open.
Nissan's new hatchback with the familiar name has little to do with its predecessor. Tiida is now different in all respects and is positioned differently on the market. Previously, it competed rather with budget foreign cars, but now we have the most real golf class in front of us. Size, price, equipment - everything fits.
In terms of dimensions, the Tiida even surpasses its rivals, and in them Nissan recorded the Ford Focus, Kia cee'd and Mazda3. Compared to the competition, the Tiida has the largest wheelbase and a lot of back row space. And the price of the new item is no longer so modest: for the basic version of the hatchback they ask from $ 10 and the top-end one will cost $ 928.
Solutions in the spirit of the Qashqai and X-Trail corporate identity with a V-shaped radiator grille, complex LED optics, niches for foglights outlined in the same chrome - our Tiida differs from Pulsar in the shape of door handles, the absence of a rubber slider on the front bumper. The Russian model also has other mirrors and rims. And, of course, more ground clearance.
It is in the ground clearance that the main secret of the Tiida lies, which in fact is not a Pulsar at all. They say that it was not possible for Japanese engineers to make a car on a new global platform high enough for Russian roads. Or maybe it just turned out to be more profitable to unify the models assembled in Izhevsk. Technically, the Tiida is the same Sentra sedan. Nissan directly says that Tiida is a combination of two models: the top is from Pulsar, the bottom is from Sentra.
The Japanese did not make the Sentra hatchback in order to interest a younger audience with the new model, which was not satisfied with the design and image of the sedan. The typical Sentra buyer is a 35-55 year old man, not necessarily a city dweller. And Tiida will attract just city dwellers.
The hatchback will be offered to customers with one gasoline engine - a 1,6-liter naturally aspirated engine that produces 117 horsepower. The unit was used on the previous generation Juke and Qashqai. Not new transmissions are combined with this engine. The five-speed manual gearbox in the current C segment is even, probably, less common than the six-band gearboxes. But on the Tiida, the installation of such a transmission is justified - if the gears were shorter, the car, it is likely, would not have gone so fervently.
Slow Tiida still cannot be called. In the city, the power reserve is more than enough, the novelty also succeeds in sharp maneuvers without problems. But on the track, Tiida even surpasses expectations. The hatchback accelerates adequately and predictably, even if the speedometer was already 100 kilometers per hour. Tiida starts to pass on the serpentines. Of course, you will climb up the hill, but the car pulls up the hill mainly only in second gear. You have to switch up and down constantly, and in order not to lose speed, you also have to turn the motor almost to the red zone of the tachometer, sacrificing acoustic comfort.
The Tiida has a good aerodynamic body, the floor and wheel arches are well insulated, so there is no particular noise in the cabin at high speed. Sounds from the engine compartment inside, on the contrary, easily make their way, and the ears get tired precisely from the strained and slow driving.
Oddly enough, driving uphill in a hatchback with a CVT turned out to be more comfortable. This transmission is well tuned, and it selects virtual gears almost flawlessly. Moreover, regardless of driving style. During our test drive, the CVT cleverly adjusted both to the calm driver and to the driving enthusiast, eliminating both the need to manually select the ranges on the serpentine.
The Tiida CVT was also surprised by the complete absence of howls typical for this type of transmission at high speeds. Moreover, Nissan Tiida with CVT turns out to be more economical than the same car with mechanics. The difference declared by the manufacturer is 0,1 liters in favor of CVT. In practice, of course, the consumption of both versions exceeds the official one, but the handicap remains.
Despite the fact that the Tiida and Sentra are technically identical, the difference in size still affects the behavior on the road. The Tiida is 238mm shorter and lacks a massive luggage compartment that loads the rear axle. In management, the hatchback seems a little bit, but more confident. The body of the car has been specially reinforced with panels under the floor and on the C-pillars in order to provide adequate handling without sacrificing comfort. As a result, Tiida does not shake the soul out of passengers on bad roads, and at the same time can quickly go through sharp turns, obediently following a given trajectory. In theory, one would expect unpleasant rolls in corners from a tall body, but there are none at all. The only pity is that this car lacks excitement. She knows how to briskly go through turns, but not feel the pleasure from it: Tiida does not have proper feedback on the steering wheel.
Salon hatchback inherited from Sentra. In appearance, everything is the same, but the configuration is slightly different. For example, the base for Tiida does not offer an air conditioner. You will have to pay extra for the coolness in the cabin, although the Sentra has an air conditioning system even in the simplest version. The situation is the same with heated seats. But buyers of Tiida will definitely not have to save on safety: all versions of the Izhevsk hatchback have ABS and ESP systems, front airbags and Isofix mounts.
In mid-range trim levels, the Nissan Tiida is slightly cheaper than the Sentra. And in the most expensive version of Tekna with a rear view camera, audio system, navigation, rain and light sensors, it is also more profitable to order a hatchback. The top sedan is more expensive because it has leather trim and xenon optics. But in any case, the market has already shown that Izhevsk Nissan cars are a bargain even in times of crisis. More than five thousand customers have ordered Sentra in recent months.
