Nissan Serena C26

2011 Nissan Serena Highway Star

The Nissan Serena, as far as I know, was a family-safe minivan built by Nissan since its debut as the Vanette Serena in 1991, then the Serena followed a full change in 1999 as the Serena C24 (currently sold in Taiwan and in the Philippines). In 2005, the Nissan Serena underwent to a full model change, dubbed the Serena C25 (never forget that Suzuki has one of these as the Landy). I cannot believe why we did not have this model. Now, things are going to change differently as 2010 marks the change of Japan's best-selling minivan. Ladies and gentlemen, here's your 2011 Nissan Serena C26.

2011 Nissan Serena

The new Nissan Serena C26 is now even eco-friendlier than its predecessor, which means it's better than the best. The only oddity is, the exterior of the Nissan Serena C26 is much more of an upgraded C25 with the front view similar to the Ford Fusion. Anyway, the Nissan Serena comes in three various forms; the base variant (20G, 20S, 20X), the high-end Highway Star, and the Autech-modified Serena Rider (now in C26 basis).

2011 Nissan Serena Rider

Most Serena C26 variants are equipped with the new MR20DD direct injection engine (much like Hyundai's GDi 1.6L engine, even better) that produces 147PS of power output and the fuel economy of 15.4km/L! The Serena C26's fuel efficiency toppled the fuel efficiency of rival minivans such as the Toyota Noah and Voxy, or even the Honda StepWGN and StepWGN Spada, but its fuel efficiency was not enough to topple the likes of the third-generation Mazda Premacy. To achieve its true eco status, the Nissan Serena comes equipped with the idling stop system and XTRONIC CVT. A new eco meter is added to ensure the C26's status as well as its driving condition and fuel economy. As far as I can see, the Nissan Serena is the fourth kind of the Nissan Pure Drive range consisting of the new Nissan March K13, Nissan X-Trail Clean Diesel, and the recently launched Fuga (Infiniti M) Hybrid.

2011 Nissan Serena interior

A major change in the interior can be an intriguing fact, but the Serena C26's family-safe status is a sure thing to keep a Japanese family entertained for more. By the way, the Serena C26 is just like the new Premacy, it's a 6+1 seater thanks to the middle seat on the 2nd row that can be folded as a armrest, a multi-table, or as a tissue box. There are 14 seating arrangements offered for the new Serena, finding which suits your situation is a good fit for this minivan. Good to know that some features found in the Nissan Elgrand E52 are passed on the Serena C26 such as the one-touch auto slide door, panoramic roof, 11-inch rear-view monitor, a sunshade roll, and an extra compartment at the rear. It seems friendly that this one is cheaper than the behemoth Elgrand E52.

My thoughts about the Serena:

This new Serena is even more better than the Yulon-built C24 Serena we have in the Philippines because not only the Serena has the sense of style, or even it had some of the features from the Alphard-killing Elgrand, but also it has the same idling stop technology derived from the latest Nissan March. It's like the Elgrand and March all fused into one. It comes in eight colors; Solid White, Brilliant White Pearl, Brilliant Silver Metallic, Blade Silver Metallic (available in base variants), Super Black, Natural Herb Metallic (new color, only available in base variants), Steel Blue Metallic (found in Juke 16GT) and Aurora Mauve Multiflex (available in Highway Star). It seems the high-end Highway Star variant will be put customers under its spell, but the Serena Autech Rider can be a fitting choice for hardcore minivan enthusiasts. The best-seller has got even more...better!

Photo: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.