Nissan finally introduces the Teana sedan! (well, sort of)

**mbt** · December 13th, 2006 01:15 AM

Nissan finally unveils its long-awaited - not to mention long overdue - Teana midsize sedan to the Philippines through a press introduction tonight at its Christmas party for 2006.

Definitely designed as a luxurious cruiser in the mould of the Toyota Camry and Mitsubishi Galant (and for that matter, Nissan's own Cefiro) rather than as a sporting steed like the Mazda 6 or Honda Accord, the Teana sedan offers loads of features to pamper the tired corporate potentate after a long day of adding zeros to the net worth. The big car offers as standard equipment such gee-whiz gizmos as a trip computer with a huge screen, a sunroof, retracting power side mirrors, power seats with memory, a 6-CD changer neatly stowed in the glovebox plus a single CD slot in the console, the requisite automatic HID headlamps and LED tail lights, electronic stability control, rear airconditioning vents, dual-zone climate control, fog lights, a reverse camera to assist when its time to moor this boat, and front and side airbags.

Unlike its twin, the US-market Nissan Maxima, the Teana gets the luxury treatment rather than the body-building. In place of the 265-hp 3.5-liter V6 in the Max, the Teana gets a 2.3-liter version of that V6, which hails from Nissan's famed and bemedalled VQ series of engines. It makes 170 hp and 225 Nm (166 lb-ft) of torque, which is competitive with the base engines in the class, although it will obviously eat its pistons against the Accord's and Camry's V6 stormers. The interior is trimmed with exceptionally soft leather and low-gloss wood trim, and the dashboard design is a tacit admission of the car's limousine destiny. The seats are not so much buckets as they are leather-clad thrones; the rear bench is shaped to seat two persons in maximum comfort. There is abundant space for legs, arms, shoulders, feet, and other important body parts. Taller drivers may find headroom tight though. The quality of the pieces and the assembly is faultless. It's a limo through and through, and Nissan would like customers to think of the car as a mobile living room. So that's clear. Sporty drivers will be directed by Nissan salesmen to the Murano and 350Z. If you need any more hints of the Teana's mission, the tires are 205/65R-16 Bridgestones; they're comparatively puny when the class standard is 17 inches but they promise a soft and serene ride. And there's a powered sunshade on the rear window.

It's apparent that the Teana was designed with an almost obsessive level of attention to detail. The map pockets on the doors and seatbacks are retractable bins rather than the typical crevice... come to think of it, that's almost like the difference between a Western toilet and a john you'll find in a Beijing suburb. There are rubber inserts on the [i]inside[i] of the door handles, where your fingertips push. Well thought out indeed.

All it lacks is a telescoping steering wheel, audio controls on the steering wheel, a reclining rear seat, and a folding rear seat (there is a small pass-through in the middle though).

The Teana is not exactly new, however. First introduced elsewhere in 2003, it's already a generation behind the market leader, so Nissan is late to the party and squares off against the Manny Pacquiao of the midsize segment, the all-new Toyota Camry. Still, it's a big step forward for Nissan even if they're playing catch-up.

The price? P1,880,000 for the fully loaded version, P1,680,000 for the lesser variant that ditches the sunroof and some of the more frivolous amenities. Only 2.3-liter power for both, however... which could prove difficult considering that the superb 240-hp Accord V6 is at the same price as the base Teana. And of course, the top-shelf Camry with the big V6 isn't too far off the price of the top Teana. But hey, the Teana sure beats a Chevy Lumina!

For the "sort of" part of this thread's title, it's not actually for sale at the moment. The car will be shown to the public in Nissan showrooms and Nissan will be glad to take pre-orders, but availability will be in March 2007.

The Cefiro is an eternity past its use-by date. That makes its successor, the Teana, a milestone vehicle at the bottom line for believers and non-believers alike.

**carlocaraddict** · December 13th, 2006 01:31 AM

The wait is finally over. After a few days of guessing game on which new Nissan model will be introduced, the Nissan Teana is finally here. It has that great build and quality and those wood trims are better in the Teana (thats me).

Aside from the HID's, sunroof, power adjustable leather seats and rear sunshade, the Teana is equipped with a rear camera that aids in backing up.

Like the Cefiro, the legroom is generous and the seats are supportive and comfortable. The dash layout is neat and organized.

The Teana is imported CBU from the land of the rising sun and as what Marvin said, the prices are at P1,880,000 for the fully loaded 230 JM variant, P1,680,000 for the lower end variant.

Oh, by the way, the side profile reminds me of the previous generation Audi A6.

Ok, I'm happy that the Teana is finally in our shores. I just realized that after ten years, the Cefiro finally bowes down here in the Philippines and welcomes the Teana.

Lets wait and see if they will bring in the 3.0 V6

**theveed** · December 13th, 2006 01:32 AM

Geez, a "launch" that only non-automotive enthusiast will be surprised about... How in the world will they convince buyers to buy a 3-4 year old model at the same price as the newer competition grrr.

Not like as if it's cheap as well.

Oh, please don't tell me they're not changing the Taena name... It's doomed to fail MISERABLY if your car sounds like a local curse and feces term.

**mbt** · December 13th, 2006 01:41 AM

veed, don't forget the Nissan Fuga as well, hahaha. Nissan must be angry :bwahaha:

**swimstroke** · December 13th, 2006 01:43 AM

Mahal masyado...

**carlocaraddict** · December 13th, 2006 01:44 AM

rear camera

dash lay out

huge trunk

speedo

**carlocaraddict** · December 13th, 2006 01:47 AM

Originally Posted by theveed

Geez, a "launch" that only non-automotive enthusiast will be surprised about... How in the world will they convince buyers to buy a 3-4 year old model at the same price as the newer competition grrr.

Not like as if it's cheap as well.

Oh, please don't tell me they're not changing the Taena name... It's doomed to fail MISERABLY if your car sounds like a local curse and feces term.

Badging it as "Cefiro" again would be better I gues hehehe. But I just love the Nissan Fuga