Hold your horses if you are picturing Brazilian Samba dancers lighting up the pit lane of the Buddh International Circuit (BIC). The Nissan Carnival was all about cars and it was off the track too. Although we'd love to tear up the racetrack at every chance we get, the day was about celebrating Nissan's existence in India and the completion of 10 years in our country.
So sports cars weren't on the menu then, but Nissan had two surprises in store, one was the Leaf electric hatchback and at the other end of the spectrum was the petrol guzzling Nissan Patrol V8, both brought in from Dubai specifically to showcase Nissan's global capabilities. First up, we drove the Patrol on a purpose built smallish off-road track to get us up to speed of the Patrol's capabilities as an offroader. This gave us a fair idea of the angles the Patrol can easily negotiate, the level of suspension travel, its size, which is as big as a Land Cruiser LC 200, and the power available on demand.
The Patrol has a 5.6-litre V8 petrol engine under its hood developing 406PS of power and a colossal 560Nm of torque. It weighs about 2.7 tonnes so the power is used well to hurl the behemoth around without much fuss. We did get a chance to sample the SUV on the peripheral roads at the BIC and in the short drive, we found it unhurried despite all that power. Luxury levels were impressive nonetheless, from the quality of leather to the materials used on the dashboard. We will bring you an extensive review when the SUV is launched in India.
After some basic off-roading, a longer interesting course with a mix of dips, crests, loose sand and ruts gave us the chance to put the Patrol through its paces. All the onboard computers and ample reserve torque helped the SUV negotiate the course without a sweat. Done with chugging gallons of petrol off the road, it was time to save some fuel.
So we were ready to hop right into a Leaf for a quick sample. But the car was out of juice and off for charging. After refueling ourselves and a long wait, the Leaf could do a few kilometers on a quick charge. And first impressions were of a very interesting car. Sure the Leaf isn't logical by any means in India right now with its limited range and lack of charging facilities unless you have an independent house, but it gives you a glimpse into the future. Nissan has announced in the recent past that they have the technology to give electric cars a range of about 400km now and newer generation models will address that issue of range anxiety. The Leaf needs these high capacity batteries sooner than ever for a better future.
The day however wasn't all about these two cars. The Micra and the Sunny were there to play around with in a controlled environment. The usual slalom courses, handbrake turns to drift a front wheel driven car and all the hooliganism one can afford to do without violating traffic rules, made it a fun day at the BIC parking lot.
Now that the celebration is done, Nissan is entering a new phase in India where brand development and network presence has already been addressed. It's time for the Japanese carmaker to introduce a car that captures the imagination of the common car buyer to make the brand a household name. We wish Nissan the best. And we wish for a car that makes an impact.
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