2018 Nissan Serena e-POWER

[Yeshe]

On 9/29/2019 at 7:57 PM, BengGaBoy said:

 

Based on the youtube video explaining e-power, the engine is connected to the generator which in turn charge the battery. In the event of low battery, the generator can supply both electric motor and battery. So if that's true, theoretically, even with battery dead, still can move with just engine running alone.

I meant battery dies, not low power. Gg? 

[Lplater]

i took interest this Serena when it was a Hybrid under the S-power version, pretty rare to find and was under the TC subsidaries selling as an PI car..

Then came this e-Power version and after some check and some youtube from users of the hybrid Note/Leaf/Serena testing e-Power Serena, the youtuber mention the e-power system is better for city driving more than long distance., due to the regenerative braking system that charges the battery when off accelerator.  on cruising long distance the petrol engine kicks in to charge the battery and hences taking more fuel for long distance.
if used in start stop traffic only with minimum aircon, the system can run few hundred KM without switching on the petrol engine.

like some of the forumer mentioned above, the car more suited for city driving then long distance touring if you looking at saving fuel.  the other Hybrid are better for long distance when the EV mode comes in when cruising.

[Mkl22]

for an MPV, i rather go for tried and tested. its the family bus and cannot afford to break down and wait for parts etc. I wont be a guinea pig here for this. better to drink a bit more than worry when will break.

[Dilemma]

Anyone knows whats the battery size / capacity of the Car?

[Cklasse]

On 10/1/2019 at 10:59 AM, Mkl22 said:

for an MPV, i rather go for tried and tested. its the family bus and cannot afford to break down and wait for parts etc. I wont be a guinea pig here for this. better to drink a bit more than worry when will break.

This ePower has been running in the Note in Japan since 2016. It’s tested and proven concept that works for city driving. Your’s sincerely bought it and waiting for the mini van to come. It’s an electric car and this is the way to go in Singapore traffic. This fridge on wheels never felt unwilling to move from the traffic light. This is one of the good part. 
I shall update when my van comes. 

[Atrecord]

17 hours ago, Dilemma said:

Anyone knows whats the battery size / capacity of the Car?

 

1.8kWh battery.

1.2-litre three-cylinder Atkinson cycle petrol engine

[ferrytales]

Dont even this car will sell well, in fact nissan went downhill since qashqai.  

Took a look at sylphy signature edition and it looks pathetically plain. 

[RogerNg_185295]

58 minutes ago, ferrytales said:

Dont even this car will sell well, in fact nissan went downhill since qashqai.  

Took a look at sylphy signature edition and it looks pathetically plain. 

That price is the killer factor.  Yep...This model will be killed by TC ridiculous pricing. 

[Fitmugen]

On 10/3/2019 at 11:19 AM, RogerNg_185295 said:

That price is the killer factor.  Yep...This model will be killed by TC ridiculous pricing. 

Now $133,800. VES banding revised to A2

[iceraider]

I saw one on e road last weekend.

[BengGaBoy]

On 10/3/2019 at 10:19 AM, ferrytales said:

Dont even this car will sell well, in fact nissan went downhill since qashqai.  

Took a look at sylphy signature edition and it looks pathetically plain. 

Just went yesterday, not sure how much truth in it. With less than 1 month of arrival, more than 100 orders have been placed as shared by sales.

When I was there, there were a few group of people waiting to test drive Serena.

What I find strange is that, seems like nobody ever mentioned the "humming noise" when it charges the battery? Difficult to explain the noise in words but sounds something like an old aircon compressor. Can be quite irritating at times. In fact, during test drive, the sales will try to increase the volume of the radio on multiple attempt to mask the noise. And for the last/3rd row, seems bouncy and on long distance driving, maybe uncomfortable. This is probably due to the seats @ 3rd row designed to fold sideway /upwards instead of folding forward.

[Atrecord]

12 hours ago, BengGaBoy said:

Just went yesterday, not sure how much truth in it. With less than 1 month of arrival, more than 100 orders have been placed as shared by sales.

When I was there, there were a few group of people waiting to test drive Serena.

What I find strange is that, seems like nobody ever mentioned the "humming noise" when it charges the battery? Difficult to explain the noise in words but sounds something like an old aircon compressor. Can be quite irritating at times. In fact, during test drive, the sales will try to increase the volume of the radio on multiple attempt to mask the noise. And for the last/3rd row, seems bouncy and on long distance driving, maybe uncomfortable. This is probably due to the seats @ 3rd row designed to fold sideway /upwards instead of folding forward.

 

Can see that Singaporeans are now taking a liking to the boxy MPVs - of which Serena is one - lately.

These boxy MPVs are not stylish, but are practical. My wife commented that the first-gen Noah looked like a hearse, so i diam diam didn't say anything further, years ago when we were exploring options to replace our ageing Wish...

I'm sure she wasn't alone in thinking that way.

But lately, can see almost one of the Toyota Triplets every 5 min on the road, at the maximum. Sometimes even see them side by side, which was unimaginable 5 yr ago... This reminded me of the early days of Wish's dominance in the compact-MPV market around 2003-06, when many sedan owners started to have kids (and maids, plus cater to parents/in-laws), so upgraded to the affordable and flexible Wish.

With the boxy MPVs priced not extremely higher than the popular 5-seaters, it's not surprising that the take-up rate of the triplets has soared. My kids are now >1.7 m, and one is still growing. So these spacious MPVs are worth exploring.

Serena's advantage is that it's sold by AD, unlike the triplets. With Biante no longer sold, the other option would be Stepwagon, which is also by PI.

So Serena has a unique foothold here, if potential buyers want the space, and are worried about PIs.

Plus this new tech of e-power, which promises high torque and fast pick-up, better FC, etc., are good selling points. Before Tan Chong discovered the boo boo, the claimed low road tax for the 1.2L car, was also easily one major attraction.

In this sense, i'm not surprised that there are buyers for this vehicle. Probably snatched biz away from Ody, Previa, and some of the triplets, not to mention some of the compact MPVs.

Given the re-classification of VES to A2 band, if TC reduces the price, it'll sell even better. And if they up the specs a bit more from the current offering, will be even better.

[Didu]

15 hours ago, BengGaBoy said:

What I find strange is that, seems like nobody ever mentioned the "humming noise" when it charges the battery? Difficult to explain the noise in words but sounds something like an old aircon compressor. Can be quite irritating at times. In fact, during test drive, the sales will try to increase the volume of the radio on multiple attempt to mask the noise.

I can hear humming in the background in this clip when the car is moving. The sound goes away when the car is stationary. 

 

[Columbian78]

15 hours ago, BengGaBoy said:

Just went yesterday, not sure how much truth in it. With less than 1 month of arrival, more than 100 orders have been placed as shared by sales.

When I was there, there were a few group of people waiting to test drive Serena.

What I find strange is that, seems like nobody ever mentioned the "humming noise" when it charges the battery? Difficult to explain the noise in words but sounds something like an old aircon compressor. Can be quite irritating at times. In fact, during test drive, the sales will try to increase the volume of the radio on multiple attempt to mask the noise. And for the last/3rd row, seems bouncy and on long distance driving, maybe uncomfortable. This is probably due to the seats @ 3rd row designed to fold sideway /upwards instead of folding forward.

Pls do not believe what car sales people say about sales volume, especially tan chong. I bought a nissan car from tan chong. It was just launched at that time and the salesman told me  bookings already many. Even an online review website said sales was good at that time. 5 years on, i can count with my 5 fingers the number of unique units i had seen here. Yes, unique to the car plate number.

Btw, i saw serena this morning. Immediate feeling is the word BOXY. In a good way.

Edited October 10, 2019 by Columbian78

[Dilemma]

17 hours ago, BengGaBoy said:

Just went yesterday, not sure how much truth in it. With less than 1 month of arrival, more than 100 orders have been placed as shared by sales.

When I was there, there were a few group of people waiting to test drive Serena.

What I find strange is that, seems like nobody ever mentioned the "humming noise" when it charges the battery? Difficult to explain the noise in words but sounds something like an old aircon compressor. Can be quite irritating at times. In fact, during test drive, the sales will try to increase the volume of the radio on multiple attempt to mask the noise. And for the last/3rd row, seems bouncy and on long distance driving, maybe uncomfortable. This is probably due to the seats @ 3rd row designed to fold sideway /upwards instead of folding forward.

 

Test drove the serena and i would say the noise is negligible. I floored the accelerator and there isn't any engine noise and the pickup was really good. I would say the charging sound is very very small compared to normal engine revs. 

 

And yes, i've booked the serena last weekend at the car show. Pretty good price i would say and since they revised the banding, they have given some rebates which makes the price even better.

[Celicar]

Any owner/soon-to-be owner concerned about servicing/repairs after warranty expires? Will workshops outside know how to do it, or will be at the mercy of TC pricing/queue? 

[Atrecord]

2 hours ago, Dilemma said:

 

Test drove the serena and i would say the noise is negligible. I floored the accelerator and there isn't any engine noise and the pickup was really good. I would say the charging sound is very very small compared to normal engine revs. 

 

And yes, i've booked the serena last weekend at the car show. Pretty good price i would say and since they revised the banding, they have given some rebates which makes the price even better.

Sorry to pour cold water, Govt gave $10K rebate, how much was given to the customers?

[Cyan76]

2 hours ago, Dilemma said:

 

Test drove the serena and i would say the noise is negligible. I floored the accelerator and there isn't any engine noise and the pickup was really good. I would say the charging sound is very very small compared to normal engine revs. 

 

And yes, i've booked the serena last weekend at the car show. Pretty good price i would say and since they revised the banding, they have given some rebates which makes the price even better.

Is it possible to share what’s the price you got from the car show? Thanks!