Nissan first unveiled the 7-seater MPV Evalia at the 2012 Auto Expo with a commitment to triple its dealership network in the Indian auto market over the next three years. It must be noted that the auto major has developed Evalia in collaboration with Ashok Leyland. Notably, Evalia happens to be the third car that has been rolled out from the Chennai plant after Micra and Sunny. Evalia, Nissan's offering in the MUV (Multi Utility Vehicle) section is competing with the likes of Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo. Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is left out in the competition as it seems to be a notch below.
This vehicle, more or less, looks to be a typical van with features like sliding doors and flat design. However, not going to the typical look, one must note that the vehicle offers a lot of space and scores high in the competition. The styling of exteriors and interiors looks to be refined with a distinctive front fascia and rear portion. Notably, this vehicle, also named as Nissan NV200, is pretty successful abroad and due to an amazing response in the international market, it has grabbed the rewarding tags of being next generation New York cab and London Black Taxi. However, in the Indian market, the model basically targets individual customers and all those who intent to use it mainly for commercial use. With the introduction of Evalia, the auto maker aims to dethrone Innova in the MUV segment.
Evalia is a highly fuel efficient vehicle that uses a 1.5-litre K9K turbocharged diesel engine. Being light weight is one of the major reasons behind its exceptionally high fuel efficiency among its peers in the market. This seven seater model is able to return a mileage of around 16 kmpl. On highways, the mileage is even better with value hovering around 19.33 kmpl. The engine is able to deliver a maximum power of 85 bhp at the rate of 3750 rpm and a peak torque of 200 Nm at the rate of 1900 rpm. This engine is mated with five-speed manual transmission for a high on-road performance. Acceleration and pick-up of this vehicle are pretty decent under pressing local conditions.
Exteriors of this MPV have been refined for a refreshing look. The front fascia looks elegant with a striking front radiator grille and underlining chrome finish. The large head lamps come fitted with high intensity halogen lamps for superior visibility. Styling quotient is further enhanced by a body coloured front bumper with an air dam in the centre for cooling the engine. The side profile of this vehicle is marked by sliding doors for easy exit and entry. Stylish electrically adjusted rear view mirrors further enhance the appeal of this utility vehicle. Furthermore, Evalia has been endowed with superior tubeless radial tyres that have a size of 165 R14 – 8PRLT to tread tough Indian roads.
Interiors of the vehicle are inspiring too and come with well cushioned seats for that extra comfort. The stereo system fitted in the vehicle comes with Bluetooth and USB interfaces. An HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) unit controls the climate inside the vehicle to make up for a comfortable city and highway drive. For safeguard of driver and passengers, Evalia comes with a number of safety features like driver airbags, passenger airbags, brake assist, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), immobiliser (with Intelligent Key) and door ajar warning.
