Road Test - Nissan Teana 250XV

Choosing between the common Japanese range of executive-class sedans may not be easy. But now, there's a newcomer. And it is pretty impressive.

Just the other day in the middle of the afternoon, I was seated comfortably and watching the world go by. As I sipped my coffee, I noticed for the third time this middle-aged, bespectacled man squinting curiously in my direction and every time I turned, he’d pretend to look away. For some reason, he didn’t look very pleased either and I was wondering what on earth he was looking at.

And then it struck me. You see, here I was looking relaxed and absolutely nonchalant, considering the fact that I was driving the new Nissan Teana 250XV and not a Nissan GT-R. He was in a Cefiro. And apart from the fact that a newer model would draw attention, it’s also supposed to be an “uncle’s car” and most other males around my age wouldn’t want to be caught dead in any car that’s associated with “uncles”. So it was only natural for him to look slightly befuddled; maybe he was wondering why the new Teana wasn’t being driven by a guy like him. But I really couldn’t be arsed.

Speaking of which, that lower bit of my body had cool air blowing at it. And, further up along my seat, my back was being chilled as well. There was plenty of legroom in the foot well and visibility from the driving position was good. The layout on the centre console was neat and pretty intuitive, and on the whole, I couldn’t really think of anything to complain about.

A 2.5-litre VQ25DE V6 resides under its bonnet, producing up to 182 hp at 6,000 rpm and a decent 228 Nm of torque. Despite those figures, it isn’t what we would call “quick” and a zero-to-hundred sprint is finished in a slightly disappointing 9.6 seconds. Well, at least it revs smoothly.

But who cares about the acceleration? It’s not Golf GTI fast, but 9.6 seconds is still better than most normal cars on the road, and it isn’t as if it’s crucial for anyone to always get from standstill to 100 km/h in a short time, the Teana really doesn’t give a crap about that sort of thing.

Comfort first

What it is concerned about is whether the passengers are comfortable and always happy to coast around in it. And we’re pleased to say, it has definitely nailed it, spot on. Nissan combined their newly-developed “D” platform (also found in the Renault Laguna) and suspension system with the aim of providing a higher class of comfort. The front shock absorbers have built-in rebound springs while its rear gets a newly-developed multi-link suspension and with its dampers placed closer to the tyres, all with the aim of improving driving stability.

On a highway, the Teana rides with a planted feel and with barely a hint of floating sensation. It’s one of those cars you could drive up to Kuala Lumpur in, with your kids fast asleep in the back instead of driving you nuts with “are we there yet?”

Its handling, however, won’t meet the expectations of any Fairlady driver. The steering is rather numb and, while it functions perfectly well to turn the car, it won’t evoke thoughts of pin-sharp precision handling and charging into corners with super-late braking. But again, you see, that really isn’t what the Teana is for.