Elvin HowInterestingly enough, the Nissan Serena has no direct competitors in Malaysia. The closest seven-seater that competes against the Serena is the Toyota Innova, though it would be unfair to pit the two together – the Serena offers a better ride comfort, while the truck-based Innova copes with poorer roads with ease.
However, by taking new cars out of the equation, the Nissan Serena does compete with reconditioned Toyota Voxy units. We’ve detailed that in this article.
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ETCM introduced the C27-generation Nissan Serena back in mid-2018, which puts the model right in time for its mid-life update in 2021.
In Japan, the updated Nissan Serena is available with two very distinctive front-ends – the bolder-looking Highway Star variant and its tamer-looking siblings.
Updated Highway Star variants get a new, prominent V-Motion front grille and a redesigned front bumper, giving it a very aggressive appeal.
As for the non-Highway Star variants, they get a mildly-revised front-end that features a new bumper and grille, which sees the front fog lights positioned a tad bit lower than the outgoing model. The grille pattern is also new, as the chrome strips cutting across the grille is now thinner.
Round the back, the updated Serena gains new graphics for the LED tail lights and a new rear bumper. New wheel design completes the exterior of the updated Serena.
It is worth noting that e-Power variants of the updated Serena feature a blue stripe around the front grille.
e-Power is essentially one of Nissan’s hybrid solutions, slotting above the S-Hybrid we’re used to, but below the full-hybrid system found in the X-Trail.
In the case of the Nissan Serena e-Power, it utilizes a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. While this may seem tiny for a car as large as the Serena, that is the whole point of this system.
While the regular Serena S-Hybrid is powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine aided by a 2.6 PS electric motor, the Serena e-Power does the complete opposite, relying on a more powerful 136 PS electric motor, while the 1.2-litre engine only serves as a generator to keep the high-voltage battery charged. The petrol engine in the Serena e-Power does not drive the wheels.
The Nissan Serena is perhaps one of the most overlooked MPVs on the market today, but that does not necessarily mean that it is a bad car.
Far from it, really, as the Nissan Serena is quite possibly one of the most practical and well-equipped MPVs you can get in Malaysia.
Never mind the individual air-conditioning vents for each row, every seat in the Nissan Serena except for the middle one in the last row gets its own USB charging port – a godsend in this day and age when digital devices need to be constantly charged.
Putting aside the seven USB ports, the Nissan Serena also offers numerous storage spaces throughout the interior, including a two-tier glove box, cup holders behind the front seats, and a decent-sized boot space.
Further adding on to the practicality aspect of the Nissan Serena is its power-sliding doors. Compared to conventional hinged doors, sliding doors allow you to strap in your child, as well as load and unload items with greater ease, especially when parked between other cars.
The Nissan Serena is also the only MPV in its class to offer a split-opening tailgate – useful when you need to load and unload items when reverse parked against a wall, as it is impossible to open the entire tailgate without damaging it.
