This is probably the most anticipated replacement for a Japanese car here in the Philippines. After a nearly seven year stint, the outgoing Nissan Sentra Series III will be replaced by the Nissan Exalta. Before actually looking at this new gem from Nissan, let’s take a short trip back memory lane to look at how Nissan repeatedly tried to gain the upper hand in the 1.6-liter segment with their Sentra.
Launched in 1995, the Nissan Sentra Series III was originally meant to be just another ordinary challenger to the likes of the Toyota Corolla and Mitsubishi Lancer. However, it soon lost out as the Sentra’s lack of rear space made it a less practical buy than either of its two main competitors. When the Honda Civic came into the Philippines, the Sentra ended up as a road kill. A face-lift two years later failed to lift its image, especially when the safety minded SE Saloon disappeared from their line-up.
Things turned around when the company launched the Sentra Exalta in 1998. Badged as a mini-Cefiro (or coining a worse term, the poor-man’s Cefiro), the car soon became another huge success. Think about it, for a price similar to the Honda Civic, the Exalta just had everything: leather seats, sun roof, speaker-phone system, a 10-disc CD changer, ABS, driver’s airbag and more. Dynamically, however, the original faults of the Sentra Series III couldn’t be eradicated, but it seemed that Filipinos didn’t care.
Now, the all-new Exalta is here to carry the mantle handed out by the Sentra. Much like its predecessor, it has everything but the kitchen sink. For the standard 1.6-liter Grandeur model, I’ll probably have to dedicate one whole paragraph just for its features: wood grain interior panels, chrome instrument surrounds (ala BMW), all-leather interior, rear sun shade, a heads-up digital speed display, 6-disc CD / VCD changer with 6-speaker system and 6-inch LCD pop-up monitor, automatic climate control, steering-wheel mounted audio / video controls, rear back-up sensor, four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock braking system, electronic brake distribution and brake assist system, speed-sensing door locks and driver’s airbag.
An asking price of 875,000 may seem a lot to get all of this stuff, but then again, the comparatively Spartan Honda Civic VTi-S is already 823,000—and this doesn’t even have four-wheel disc brakes and a CD changer, much less a VCD player. So, in terms of value for money, it seems that the Nissan Exalta ranks as a good buy. If you find the top-of-the-line Grandeur too much, you can always opt for the 1.6-liter GS swapping the VCD player for a stereo cassette and a sun roof for only 835,000.
Underneath, the Exalta shares the same chassis as the outgoing Sentra Series III. A fact made more obvious when the car doesn’t increase in terms of wheelbase: it retains the familiar and rather short 2535 mm measurement. Though on paper the McPherson Strut and Multi-Link Beam suspension may seem a bit crude, it actually translates to a relatively good ride on highway roads. In fact, the Exalta is probably as refined as its bigger brother Cefiro when it comes to highway cruising. However, unlike say the Honda Civic, the Exalta feels a bit more wobbly and doesn’t have the point-and-steering accuracy of the Civic. Normal everyday driving won’t produce the faults of the Exalta. The Exalta works as fine and dandy as your toothbrush on the normal commute to work.
When pushed to the limit, the Exalta exhibits a generous amount of understeer that requires more work on the steering wheel to keep the car on the correct path. What makes it worse is that there is absolutely no steering feedback, which makes it harder to gauge its limit. If the Cefiro’s steering already felt like the column is submerged through porridge, then the Exalta feels as if its connected to absolutely nothing—an arcade machine has more feedback than this.
If the handling isn’t that good on the Exalta, I could say that it’s saving grace (in terms of driving) has to be its engine and transmission. The 1.6-liter engine is an all-new unit from Nissan. Although it shares the same engine block as the Series III, everything else is new. In fact, it’s designation has already changed. Now known as the QG series engine, the 1.6-liter 16-valve inline-4 is as smooth as the famed VQ V6 engine from its Cefiro bigger brother. Much more, the 1.6-liter engine features two new innovations from Nissan: a gasoline direct-injection engine and their version of VTEC, simply called Valve Timing Control or VTC. The horsepower rating has bumped up by 6 bhp and the torque rating is up 0.9 Nm because of these changes.
On the road, the combination of the QG engine and the 4-speed ECT transmission is simply sublime. Smooth and efficient all the way to the engine’s 6,500 rpm redline. Though there’s a bit of hesitation during a hurried acceleration attempt, the Nissan transmission adapts more quickly and more effectively than Honda’s automatic unit.
During highway cruising, the passenger is subject to what feels like the best leather to fit a Japanese car here in the Philippines. Though the piping is a bit on the cheesy side, the seats feel very good both in feel and driving comfort. Lateral support is great, beating out the outgoing Toyota Corolla and probably pips the the Civic’s front seats. Ergonomically, all the controls fall into place with the exception of the ventilation control which is placed too low and is usually blocked by the automatic shift gate. What’s more is that the vent controls are too small and too cluttered to be used effectively—the Cefiro’s is a lot better with chunky and easy to understand controls.
As a tool, the Exalta’s interior is very effective with a good driving position. What’s more the four-spoke wheel is easy to hold and feels very comfortable. Kudos to the designers of the Exalta’s interior.
Aside from high-quality leather, the Exalta’s interior plastics are high-quality soft feel plastics, which are leagues ahead than that of the Honda Civic or even the upscale Accord. However, the power window switches and the overhead map lights feel as though they came from the Kia Sephia. At first, we thought the worst with the wood paneling of the Exalta, but it came out pretty darn good. If you didn’t know they were fake, you’d be fooled to think that it came from a Jaguar S-Type.
The heads-up display is a nice touch, especially as the chrome surrounded speedometer and tachometer are relatively hard to read with its small print. Ironically, the practically of having the heads-up display is somewhat offset by the presence of a 6-inch LCD display, showing not GPS information but your favorite clips from Gone In Sixty Seconds. Nissan should have put the VCD elsewhere, such as upgrading the Exalta’s wheels to 15-inchers.
Complimenting the engine’s acceleration and gusto for speed are the equally excellent brakes. The four-wheel disc brakes are very effecting in stopping the car to a dead halt—much more than the supposedly sportier Honda Civic. No doubt, the combination of the disc brakes with the brake distribution and brake assist system does the work effectively. A side note on the brake assist system: this system first appeared with the likes of Mercedes-Benzes. What is does is that when the car detects a panic braking attempt, the computer will apply a full brake force even when the pedal isn’t fully depressed—smart especially for those junior level drivers.
Besides the steering feel and the generous amount of understeer, the Exalta also suffers from the lack of interior space compared to its rivals. In fact, because the wheelbase of the car didn’t grow from its previous iteration, the rear seating is a squeeze for four, and a sardine can for five. Worth mentioning is that the trunk is big. In fact, too big to the point that it makes me wonder if Nissan designers were copying the style of the people from Ingostat (Audi A4), where the trunk seemed to have won over the rear-seat space.
More than just the space, the overall appearance of the Exalta looks as if the car is already two years old. Overall proportions don’t show any sort of radical concepts like the much improved Toyota Corolla Altis with its flowing nose and Lexus IS200 side profile. What’s more, the car’s front and rear ends look too much like the Mazda 323 (sans the grille), which make look too much like the Nissan Cefiro (a design that’s at least five years old).
The rear combination lamps look as if it were lifted straight off the Daewoo Chairman. Plus the headlamp unit isn’t a flushed one-piece unit, rather it still has a two-piece design, with the one containing the turn-signal indicator prone to fogging.
Positively, the side profile shows cuts and angles that echo the new Cefiro that debuted in Japan two years ago.
More than that, the my ownership experience with Nissan is less than enjoyable—in fact, its awful. Both our Maxima and Cefiro had big service nightmares, and this could once again tip the scales in favor of Honda and Toyota. Remember, the more parts and toys it has, the greater the chances that something will break down—especially if the reliability record of Nissan holds true. Nonetheless, it seems that Nissan is very confident with their new quality as the new Exalta’s servicing interval is every 10,000 kilometers—similar to the Honda Civic. However, the warranty is still the 50,000 kilometers / 2-year deal that all the Japanese dealers sans Honda is currently offering (the Civic has a 100,000 kilometer / 3-year warranty).
Overall, the Nissan Exalta is one refined package—with a great interior and specifications. Personally, I would have wanted a simpler spec-ed car with less wood, but with more sporty appeal (e.g. bigger alloys, brushed aluminum or faux carbon fiber trim). For buyers out there, if interior space and handling is the main reason for buying a car, then go for the Honda Civic VTi-S.
The VTEC may have won the battle on sheer performance, but the Exalta engine proves that Nissan can make a great engine much as it did with its wonderful VQ V6 engine. For quick sprints around town, the Honda Civic is the one to get, but I’d rather be sitting inside the Nissan Exalta for long trips (as long as its not in the backseat). Ownership? Because of the security of a longer warranty, the Honda Civic is the better choice.
For people who like luxury features, then one has to look inside the Nissan showroom. The Exalta is surprisingly good as a whole package so far as to say that its interior is far more convincing and consistent than its main price rival, the Toyota Corolla Altis.
As the subjective ratings go, the Exalta is equal in overall terms to the Civic. The Nissan offers a huge amount of kit and is great value for money. It may not be gunned for young people such as myself, but looking at the way the original Exalta sold, then it will be the definite choice of every Filipino family who’d like the luxury of a Mercedes-Benz or BMW at half-price.
Other critics have gunned down the Exalta as the poor man’s Cefiro, and to the untrained it may be so. However, beneath, it is one great alternative in the 1.6-liter sedan segment.
Editor’s Note: we would like to thank Nissan Gallery Ortigas for accommodating us during our Road Test.
(Figures of the Honda Civic VTi-S from our previous road test has been added to the subjective ratings for comparison. The Toyota Corolla Altis was not yet tested during this time, and so we cannot fully compare the driving characteristics of the Nissan Exalta versus the Toyota Corolla Altis).
Contact Information:
Monnet Jardinel
Sales Representative
Nissan Gallery Ortigas
Telephone Number: 635-5888, 633-2545, 438-4539-40
Direct Lines: 634-8751, 634-8754
By Ulysses Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang
Originally Published August 2001 Issue
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