I must say. If the age-old adage of “Size Does Matter” is applied here, this is the one to have! And should TCM get its CKD pricing right for this 2.3 V6 variant, “big bang for small bucks” also holds true as well.Waiting list was somehow longer for this new-Cefiro-to-be test car. As such, I have had the luxury to check out the display car. First impression: it was a very different looking car from both predecessors. It is actually a good thing because the previous 2 generations look pretty similar in overall profile, especially the front visage.A refreshing departure in design was the vertically slanted headlamps. No projector lenses here, just the simple C.S. However, it was interesting to note that the side portion of the headlamp assembly that houses the turn-signal repeater looks kind of cheesy and cheap. In between these headlamps is an all-new radiator grille, opting back to the horizontal slates design, looking solid and business-class like with a chromed “Nissan” emblem in the middle.
The hood still cradles the front grille (a trend abandoned by the Beemers and Audis). Nevertheless, the lines are still clean, with hardly any gross or gaping shut lines noticeable, the bonnet shutting nicely onto an equally neat-looking one-piece bumper. Overall, it is a very imposing front with a fresh design. Check out the web pictures of the Taiwan’s Nissan Sentra and you’d see this genetic resemblance. Popping this hood, you see an equally imposing black plastic engine-cover with a contrasting chrome logo and tell-all V6 badge. It actually looked convincing and not at all plasticky or toy-like. Engine bay layout is neat and clean, but there is an empty space fore of the radiator until the bumper’s border. Maybe a feature of crumple zone, that in event of a frontal collision, to improve its NCAP safety ratings? Side profile draws of a lengthy saloon with a smooth but arched roof profile.
In fact, the side windows plus the rear quarter glass looks like a carbon copy of the previous Audi A6’s roofline. Fortunately, an oblique slant at the final part of this very quarter glass clawed back this Nissan’s own ‘identity’. Exterior lines are clean and non-emotive, disrupted only by the usual wheel arches. The standard alloys looks deceptively bigger than 16 inches, probably due to the limo-like wheels design and does a good job filling up those arches too. After 3 generations of Cefiros, the door handles have finally bucked the current trend of grip-pull type (ergonomic!) handles, embellished in chrome for a saloon of this stature. A mirror image of these pull-type handles can be found on the inside, albeit diagonally placed, solidly built with "wooden" highlights instead. Doors felt heavy to handle and closed with a solid “thud”, thereby reassuring to a pretty solid feel and built of this new Cefiro. A very sloping rear screen completes the coupe-wannabe profile of the Teana, ended by a bulky rear, reminiscent of the facelifted Sentra but much bigger!
What lies beneath is a super-capacious boot that can easily swallow 3 golf bags, made even more luggage-friendly with the use of scissor-type hinges plus gas-struts. Bravo to Carlos Ghosn who did not opt to cost cutting here! Getting into the driver’s seat makes you feel you have stepped into a luxurious cockpit, with lots of wood-like bits and strips. These wood-like trimmings looked and felt like a cross between rubber wood and parquet flooring tiles. They are NOT the usual shiny, glossy plastic pieces made to look like wood. Think of the Kah-Motor era’ Hondas, and you’d get a gory chill down your spine! The most notable "wooden" part must be the sloping forward gear console, with the top layer in "wood" embracing a beautiful stepladder type automatic shift-gate. There is no parking brake lever intrusion here since it has been relegated to a foot-operated pedal. The dashboard looked and felt solid too with a flat-horizon theme. The sore thumb here must be the small instruments meter cluster that resulted.
