It's a new day. And it's a beautiful one. Bob Rupani gets comfy INSIDE Nissan's 'New One' for India.

There are times when I feel like taking a car into my bedroom and sometimes I want to take the living room into my car. Though I have yet to get around to doing the latter, Nissan have beaten me in taking the living room into a car. At least that's what they claim, and after checking out the Teana in Japan, their latest product for India, I have no reason to doubt them.

The Teana was launched globally in 2003 and also sells in some markets as the Cefiro. It's been quite a success and has also won several awards. The Teana is yet another example of Nissan's amazing turnaround. It takes a lot to go from billions in losses to billions in profits – of course, Renault's 44.4 per cent stake helped and so did the inspired leadership of the charismatic CEO Carlos Ghosn. The new management, closing of inefficient plants, fresh
engineering and innovative designs, have all done wonders for Nissan and now its set its sights on India. So what's their latest for India like?

Something like a ‘living room’. Really! The designers set out with the aim of creating a prestigious and advanced luxury sedan for sophisticated moneybags. They then looked at modern industrial and home design and also things like relaxation, hospitality and ingenuity, which apparently represent the values that are typical of present day Japanese lifestyles. Brilliant! So what do we have? A living room in a car that is inspired by modern day furniture and full of rich materials like polished straight-grained wood, leather, and metal with satin-like finish. To free up space for all this they designed a body with short overhangs and a long wheelbase and gave the roofline a long continuous arch to make the passenger compartment that much longer and larger. Once they had the space they ensured the floor was as flat as possible and set about adorning the insides with a sofa-like lounging rear seat with ample leg, knee and headroom. They put in lots of adjustments and features for front seat users, and an instrument panel and dash that resemble a furnished piece of high-class furniture. The centre console connecting the front and rear seat areas has a gentle arch and Nissan designers say it is “like a side table that facilitates lively conversation among those around it”. The armrest at the rear is as wide as the console and a clear indicator of the fact that the Teana is designed to carry four, not five, in extreme comfort. The dash, door trim and rear parcel tray are all structured to appear like part of the walls of a room and additional leg and shoulder space has been gained by the inverse design of the trims. What all this means is that the Teana has one of the most stylish, spacious and comfortable interiors in the business, like a living room.

On the outside it's long, with the Indian version being even longer due the bigger rear bumper. Two chrome-plated exhaust tips peek out from below it, an India specific addition, like the raised suspension. The exterior styling is a bit of a fusion between Oriental and European tastes and though understated it looks quite elegant. The lines flow cleanly and all the jewelry in the form of lights, grille and trims are neat. What's nice is the shape of the rear quarter glass and door, which compliment the shape of the headlight.

A 2349cc V6 engine resides under the bonnet to give the ‘living room’ mobility, and to distribute the power it's mated to a smooth four-speed auto. It develops 173bhp and the torque delivery is widespread making the driveability very good. You have to just caress the accelerator gently and the engine builds up speed very smoothly and with the minimum amount of sound. In fact it is obvious that Nissan have paid a lot of attention to suppressing and controlling NVH in this car.

The auto box shifts gears discreetly and without drawing attention. To insulate occupants from all that is happening outside and move around without actually seeming to do so. The McPherson struts at the front and multi-links at the back also do an excellent job of ironing out irregularities in the road and suppressing most bumps and dips. But some sound does come through and this is mainly because of the increase in ride height for Indian driving conditions.

The steering is light but does not offer much feedback, and while high-speed stability is quite good, the Teana does tend to float and wallow a bit in turns because of the soft suspension set-up. But it's meant to be luxurious and not sporty and in all likelihood most of them will be chauffeur driven, so this is not an issue.

The four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, etc, do a very good job of hauling it to a halt and when you park, there is no need to pull out the ignition key, because amongst the optional features is a card-type intelligent key system that enables users to lock/unlock the doors, open the boot or start/stop the engine at the touch of a button. The key card incorporates an emergency button that includes an engine immobiliser function as well. Typical of hi-tech Japanese lifestyles of today, which let me repeat, was the inspiration for the Teana’s design.

Incidentally, the name comes from a Native American word meaning 'dawn', and by the time you read this, Nissan will be ready to dawn in India. We expect the price to be around Rs 20 lakh and take on the likes of the Camry, Superb and maybe even the C-Class.