2015 Nissan Serena S-Hybrid 2.0 MPV

[Swifter78]

Does anyone knows the OMV for this car?

[Tonyking]

Does anyone knows the OMV for this car?

 

Not too sure for the basic variant comforter version. the Highway star version is $26k, no CEVS.

[Wildaltum]

just came back after seeing the car. Price is $135800 after discount for 6 bids non guaranteed COE. Rebate is at $55k. Freebies included are the GPS radio, reverse camera and front recording camera, solar films, leather seats, sports rims.

 

Likes:

Rear aircon is digital and it is located above the 2nd row right passenger. I like it that it is digital control.

Flexible 2nd row seats. Very light and east to manoeuvre. To access the 3rd row by the left side, the left chair must slide a bit more to the front but it is very easy. If just by shifting to the right without moving to the front a bit, cannot access third row because very narrow.

I like the illuminated light at the centre console compartment below the aircon controls.

Nice touch to have food trays for 2nd row and 3rd row passengers.

Soft plastic dashboard..not hard plastics.

Blinds for 2nd row passengers

 

 

Dislikes:

One fan only. meaning aircon and radiator share one fan. May have aircon coldness issue though but I think if the aircon is set to auto, should be cold enough.

Do not have DRL lights as what I have seen on videos and pics. The casing is there but no light bulb. that is an option.

Do not have radio controls on steering wheel. Only have cruise controls.

The third row seats fold up to the sides but its quite low. Which means the width is narrower in the middle part of the car when you need to carry bulky items.

Same as Toyota Triplets, Honda Stepwagon, the whole rear taillights don't get illuminated. A lot of empty casing plastics.

No front handle for passenger to hold onto to climb up and sit, my elderly dad needs to have a handle to hold.

There is another step that you need to step up before you can access the seats. Now new Triplets already removed this additional step. Previous models have this extra step.

 

My overall feel is that this car is good and comparable to Toyota and Honda & Mazda. With this car being so common in Malaysia, no worry about spare parts but worry that it will get stolen in Malaysia.

Edited October 3, 2015 by Wildaltum

[kmttan]

just came back after seeing the car. Price is $135800 after discount for 6 bids non guaranteed COE. Rebate is at $55k. Freebies included are the GPS radio, reverse camera and front recording camera, solar films, leather seats, sports rims.

 

Likes:

Rear aircon is digital and it is located above the 2nd row right passenger. I like it that it is digital control.

Flexible 2nd row seats. Very light and east to manoeuvre. To access the 3rd row by the left side, the left chair must slide a bit more to the front but it is very easy. If just by shifting to the right without moving to the front a bit, cannot access third row because very narrow.

I like the illuminated light at the centre console compartment below the aircon controls.

Nice touch to have food trays for 2nd row and 3rd row passengers.

Soft plastic dashboard..not hard plastics.

Blinds for 2nd row passengers

 

 

Dislikes:

One fan only. meaning aircon and radiator share one fan. May have aircon coldness issue though but I think if the aircon is set to auto, should be cold enough.

Do not have DRL lights as what I have seen on videos and pics. The casing is there but no light bulb. that is an option.

Do not have radio controls on steering wheel. Only have cruise controls.

The third row seats fold up to the sides but its quite low. Which means the width is narrower in the middle part of the car when you need to carry bulky items.

Same as Toyota Triplets, Honda Stepwagon, the whole rear taillights don't get illuminated. A lot of empty casing plastics.

No front handle for passenger to hold onto to climb up and sit, my elderly dad needs to have a handle to hold.

There is another step that you need to step up before you can access the seats. Now new Triplets already removed this additional step. Previous models have this extra step.

 

My overall feel is that this car is good and comparable to Toyota and Honda & Mazda. With this car being so common in Malaysia, no worry about spare parts but worry that it will get stolen in Malaysia.

 

I test drive the comfort model today. The price for the comfort model is $126,800. OMV is $22K. The noticeable differences between comfort and star are: (1) Comfort has no power doors. (2) Comfort has no bodykit and fog lights. (3) Star's gear stick has a nicer looking piano black finish. (4) Star's 2nd row has head nap support, like those found on planes where passengers can lean their head to nap.

 

I also noticed the extra step. The floor based of Serena seems to be higher than the stepWGN and triplets. The advantage is that everyone in the car has elevated view, However, elders may find it harder to get in. My four years-old has no problem getting in.

 

During test drive, I found the engine to be very responsive and the steering is very light. Very easy to drive. This is in comparison with Biante. Engine was quiet. Abit of engine noise when I try to floor the accelerator. Note that there is only 6 speed.

 

The spaciousness is similar to triplets, stepwgn and biante. However, the flexibility in seating configuration is what impressed me the most. It can transform between 7-seaters and 8-seaters. The second row can be configured to be a bench of 3 seats, a bench of 2 seat or 2 x single seats. In most other MPV, for passengers to get into the 3rd row, one of the second row seat must be empty, to fold over and glide to the front. This problem is avoided by the "a bench of 2 seat" configuration because the 3rd row passengers can go in and out by the side of the bench without affecting the 2nd row 2 passengers.

 

Serena has many storage compartments. As a result, the front passenger has fewer leg space. When my Pri 3 kid got into the seat, her first reaction was: "there is no space in front for her school bag in the front seat". This can be overcome by sliding the seat backward. Nevertheless, the front passenger storage will get scratches very easily. Most other cars have a deeper leg room for the front passenger.

 

The third row is harder to fold up as compared to triplets and stepWGN. Serana requires both hand to fold up the seats in a 3-step process. The boot space also seems smaller than triplets and stepWGN.

 

The above points can be overcome easily. However, the thing i don't like is that, such a big car has only one power outlet. Almost all other MPVs have extra outlets at the 2nd or 3rd row. Any idea how to install extra power outlet or USB port in the cabin?

 

Also, the SE refused to give me window visor. She said she cannot find in sg and ask me to look for them in Malaysia.

 

The manual doors are what I thought to be a bonus rather than a limitation. I used to own a MPV with auto doors. One of the doors broke down once every six months and each repair cost me around $100 and time wasted to bring the car to workshop. Hence, I have phobia with auto doors. So, the comfort model was love at first sight.

 

Furthermore, the price of $126800 is lower than Toyota Wish and similar to Mazda 5. The financial penalty with no loan is only $1500, the lowest among the PI and AD. Also, to save this $1500, min loan is $30K over one year, which carry a total interest of just $684. This PI is actually Tan Chong. However, must buy insurance from AIG, about $1K with 50% NCD.

 

Almost sign on the spot but rational mind took over and give me some time to cool off before making this $127K decision.

[Streamium70]

BM's wish is going at 125k for Elegance after all the discount...but the Nissan is a different class - full size MPV vs mid side MPV.

[Wildaltum]

Hi kmttan. What do you mean by 6 speed gear? I tot the gear box is cvt for Serena?

 

Power outlets for third row can be easily fix by car accessories shops. I fixed it before in my old Toyota Sienta. Cost abt $70 last time.

[kmttan]

BM's wish is going at 125k for Elegance after all the discount...but the Nissan is a different class - full size MPV vs mid side MPV.

Elegance only $125k? I thought that is the base model. Wish and Serena are different class. But Serena is a bigger MPV that cost lesser. So, Serena is very cost effective.

[TVT]

 

kmttan, re the auto door, mind telling us which MPV model it is? Cos I'm curious how it can broke down every 6 months...

[kmttan]

Hi kmttan. What do you mean by 6 speed gear? I tot the gear box is cvt for Serena?

 

Power outlets for third row can be easily fix by car accessories shops. I fixed it before in my old Toyota Sienta. Cost abt $70 last time.

Thanks for the note. Glad that there is a $70 solution.

 

From SE regarding transmission: "Xtronic CVT has no physical gear speed .. My knowledge to it is "equivalent" to 6 gear n maybe up to 7 gear speed..".

[kmttan]

kmttan, re the auto door, mind telling us which MPV model it is? Cos I'm curious how it can broke down every 6 months...

It was a 2005 Chrysler Grand Vovage. The safety sensor also broke down once and refused to close. Neverthelss, it feels good to have auto doors. auto doors are fun to play with, and can subject to abuse. SE said can install auto doors ourselves in Malaysia. But not sure how much it will cost.

[Heartlander]

It was a 2005 Chrysler Grand Vovage. The safety sensor also broke down once and refused to close. Neverthelss, it feels good to have auto doors. auto doors are fun to play with, and can subject to abuse. SE said can install auto doors ourselves in Malaysia. But not sure how much it will cost.

I am sold that auto doors should be an integral part of mpv experience, especially if you have kids in lower primary. Jap technology is very reliable, no need to worry about faulty auto doors, else we would be hearing a lot of horror stories on them in the forum already.

 

Auto doors are designed not to be opened when the car is moving. If you move the car while a door is opened, it would chirped to remind you. You could open a door remotely to air the ride after parking it under hot sun when approaching it, provided you can have line of sight to make sure nobody around to steal your precious things inside lah. Very useful.

 

To install in Malaysia, better make sure it will not void warranty.

[Tonyking]

Thanks for the note. Glad that there is a $70 solution.

 

From SE regarding transmission: "Xtronic CVT has no physical gear speed .. My knowledge to it is "equivalent" to 6 gear n maybe up to 7 gear speed..".

Hi,

 

Glad that you went for a test drive. My current sienta serve me well for close to 8 years and my automatic sliding door has not once failed me. I think maybe it's a case of Heng Suay.

 

The 12V is a simple solution to overcome. I will be installing that too when I get my ride. If you decide to get yours I can help you with that.

 

As for visors, Singapore really don't have . I have ordered mine from Malaysia. In fact there are a lot of things you can order from Malaysia and Indonesia. If not you want cheaper alternatives there is always taobao.

 

Take your time to consider. After all it's a big ticket item.

Edited October 4, 2015 by Tonyking

[Simpleonly]

Did Jxxlexx tell u on installing the auto door in Malaysia..? Cos that was what I mention to her on cost saving lol...since Malaysia have a lot of Serena.. cos 9k more for the auto door n bodykit like not worth it lol. But I'm myself is not sure if we can find a WS that is able/willing to do that in JB. :-)

 

Btw not sure if we can get better price if we do a group buy .. haha..

 

It was a 2005 Chrysler Grand Vovage. The safety sensor also broke down once and refused to close. Neverthelss, it feels good to have auto doors. auto doors are fun to play with, and can subject to abuse. SE said can install auto doors ourselves in Malaysia. But not sure how much it will cost.

Edited October 4, 2015 by Simpleonly

[Tonyking]

Did Jxxlexx tell u on installing the auto door in Malaysia..? Cos that was what I mention to her on cost saving lol...since Malaysia have a lot of Serena.. cos 9k more for the auto door n bodykit like not worth it lol. But I'm myself is not sure if we can find a WS that is able/willing to do that in JB. :-)

 

Btw not sure if we can get better price if we do a group buy .. haha..

 

 

As my sienta comes only with one automatic sliding door, we did enquirer about getting our own parts to make the other side automatic as well. According to a few mechanics and installers that we have asked, it's impossible to add in the sliding module besides changing the whole door. Meaning indent the whole door from Japan.

 

As for Malaysia, I think their CKD version all comes with automatic sliding door. Will check with my supplier and get back to you.

[Tonyking]

Hi all,

 

So far in Malaysia there is a version with only one automatic sliding door. It maybe possible to install the module. The module and cabling and the front switch will have to be indented from Japan. And most importantly you need a very experienced installer. So far there is a installer in puchong KL that a lot of Singapore vellfire and alphard have done their modification on doors. He might be able to do it.

Cost: estimated everything in : 2 thousand SGD per door. Really not cheap.

 

Anyone maybe can get better option do share here pls. By the way it's a rough estimation from my installer, he himself say this job is beyond him. Haha...

Edited October 4, 2015 by Tonyking

[Streamium70]

Elegance only $125k? I thought that is the base model. Wish and Serena are different class. But Serena is a bigger MPV that cost lesser. So, Serena is very cost effective.

Now BM giving free upgrade to Elegance at Standard price. As I have mentioned, Serena is a different class compared to Wish.

[Zavi]

The difference between Serena Comfort vs Serena Highway Star is the dual auto sliding doors, fog lamps, body kit, sports rim and leather seats.

 

On surface it appears that the additions in Highway Star is not worth the S$9k. However, this is because of our government taxation structure.

 

The OMV for Comfort Serena is 22k vs Highway Star OMV of 26k.

 

Based on our current tax structure, the 4k OMV difference translates to an additional cost of S$10,736 for end consumers for the Highway Star Serena.

 

The Malaysia Serena is made in Malaysia, while Singapore Serena is made in Japan. Not sure if there's any difference in terms of reliability and quality control.

Edited October 4, 2015 by Zavi

[Tonyking]

The difference between Serena Comfort vs Serena Highway Star is the dual auto sliding doors, fog lamps, body kit and leather seats.

 

On surface it appears that the additions in Highway Star is not worth the S$9k. However, this is because of our government taxation structure.

 

The OMV for Comfort Serena is 22k vs Highway Star OMV of 26k.

 

Based on our current tax structure, the 4k OMV difference translates to an additional cost of S$10,736 for end consumers for the Highway Star Serena.

 

The Malaysia Serena is made in Malaysia, while Singapore Serena is made in Japan. Not sure if there's any difference in terms of reliability and quality control.

Well explained in terms of the OMV aspect.

 

Before the CKD version, Malaysia also have the JDM version. Owners did comment on the difference in quality control.