In 1990 Nissan introduced a new generation of the Sunny. A car with which Nissan promised quite a lot for the European market. We investigated extensively in Techzle 8 of 1991 whether he could make that happen.
The Nissan Sunny was a huge sales success for Nissan in the 1980s, especially at the end of the decade. Here in the Netherlands, no fewer than 17,341 Sunny’s left the showroom in the peak year of 1987. With this Nissan alone had a market share of more than 3 percent with the Sunny. It was clear that a completely new generation had big shoes to fill.
For the Sunny, which was shown to the general public in 1990, Nissan worked meticulously. The idea was that the car should focus even more on that market because of its enormous success in Europe. ‘Our’ Sunny was placed in the showroom at the beginning of 1991 and when the plastic was barely off the seats, we went with it through Europe to put it past its direct competitors.
At that time, the range of European brands was also not for the cat. The Sunny had to prove itself in this ‘Eurotrip’ against the Volkswagen Golf, the Renault 19 and the Fiat Tipo. With the Golf II, which was already well on its way back at the time, Volkswagen still threw high eyes in the sales figures and still kept the reputation that ‘German cars do not rattle’. Renault also proved with the 19 still an interesting compact middle class to offer, which also steered well. The Fiat Tipo especially excelled in terms of space. So formidable opponents.
A ride through Europe with the Sunny took it past the home bases of the three chosen opponents. Although the Sunny was by far the newest of the bunch, the test editor on duty became clear along the way that he wouldn’t immediately cause many jealous looks. “Nobody gave the Sunny an extra look. It looks modern, but an appearance dictated by the wind tunnel is usually anything but characteristic. At the German-Swiss border, a security officer asked if we were on the road with the new Golf.”
The Sunny next to the Tipo, at the Fiat factory in Turin.
Fiat Tipo
However, the Sunny mainly convinced the person behind the wheel. Especially its sleek and typical Japanese gearbox pleased the test editor very well. The finish and the modern dashboard were also fine. Something that also struck Fiat’s factory employees, who were allowed to compare the Sunny with their own Tipo. In terms of space, they did not like the Sunny much, but the workmanship, quality and – especially among the younger employees – also the low seating position were appreciated. Despite their pride, the Italians appreciated Nissan’s attempt.
Renault 19
Then it was time for a ride to France. From Turin via Lyon we drove back up towards Paris, where at the Monthlery circuit a Renault 19 was ready for a tough game of steering. A lap around the circuit as well as a number of slaloms were part of the driving test. The Renault 19 already a few years older made a better impression here. It had a firmer suspension and also had less problems with understeer. The handling of the Sunny was ‘problem-free and neutral’ compared to the Renault, but less convincing. More focused on comfort, although steering at low speeds was a bit on the heavy side to make things like parking out really effortless.
Volkswagen Golf
Finally, we drove back home with the Sunny, at least, with a detour along our eastern neighbors. The last destination was Wolfsburg, home of Volkswagen. There was a Golf ready to prove its added value compared to the Sunny. Although the Sunny was clearly more modern and refined than the now quite old Golf II, in this case it was the Golf’s strongest point: its build quality. On a cobbled road, the two were chased to speed to discover any beeps, creaks and rattles. The Sunny was not inferior to the Golf, both cars were quiet. Everything in the Sunny was neat and solid, clearly better than the previous one.
All in all, we returned home with a good impression of the Sunny. It was better than its predecessor, perhaps a little uncharacteristic in appearance and driving, but all in all a very good car. “It is not as outspoken as its European rivals, but it is perfectly tailored to our European market.” It was therefore said to have a successful future. In the Netherlands this turned out to be quite correct in the years that followed. In 1991, 12,286 were sold, followed by 11,118 in 1992. In 1993, 1994 and the last year, 1995, sales fell somewhat, however, with 5,000 units in 1995, the Sunny had an excellent goodbye year. Then the Almera took over.