Nissan Serena C27

The Nissan Serena has been with every Japanese families for over twenty-five years and to commemorate the minivan's 25 years of stamping out memories on every Japanese families everywhere, a new, technologically-advanced, fifth-generation Nissan Serena was launched and contrary by many, it will be the first semi-autonomous Nissan ever made courtesy of its brand new ProPILOT semi-autonomous tech that will make driving a lot easy for the dads and moms.

2017 Nissan Serena

Time to clue the new Serena in right now, but first, let's look at the new Serena's design. Although it still looks the same as the previous Serena, you'll see a hint of modern nostalgia sprinkled on the new design. Take the front, for instance, it looks like a quirky blend of the old C23 Serena and the old Toyota Vellfire, judging from the headlights. Although the design looks a bit stale, if I'm honest, it's still as fresh as the morning dew. One things for sure, though, with foreign Nissan cars getting the V-Motion look, seems that the Nissan Serena C27 is has a much toned down look of the V-motion grille that foreign Nissans had and for Nissan, this whole V-motion look just isn't look right on Japanese roads, presumably.

2017 Nissan Serena interior

On the inside, everything's new from the dashboard, the instrumental cluster, even the steering wheel inspired by the GT-R as well. There's more conveniences in store for the passengers, including an optional stand where they can put stuff on it and hold cups with its own cupholders made on it. That's fit enough on their next road trip from their grandparents' home to a faraway prefecture they've never been before. Because it's made to be a family car full-stop, spacing is top-notch for the new Serena C27 and with all seats present, there's enough room for your grocery shoppings. Once more, the new Serena comes with the world's first Hands Free Auto Slide Door, which works like the fancy liftgate most Ford crossovers had but this time, at the lift of your foot, the door automatically slides, which is useful when you're carrying a child or something.

The sat-nav now comes with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility and speaking of which, the Nissan Serena is the first Japanese car offered in Japan to come with Android Auto for the first time so if you have your Android phone handy, now's your chance to take advantage of it. Because the Nissan Serena C27 is the first to have Android Auto on the Japanese market, expect more Japanese cars to follow shortly.

2017 Nissan Serena

Okay, now it's the ideal time to investigate the new Serena C27's brand new tech called ProPILOT so what's it all about this semi-autonomous tech? With Nissan's ambition of launching cars with autonomous tech for the safety of drivers in mind, the new Serena's just the start of it with this specially-made variant to accommodate this new feature. By the time this new generation Serena was launch, the ProPILOT is set for single-lane traffic use in the meantime. Made for highway use at that time, the ProPILOT tech is made to hold the vehicle in the middle of a lane by reading markers and control steering. It can ever follow curves, and it automatically controls the distance between the next car ahead. Because this is just the start, the ProPILOT is on a self-propagating phase as when it features it on future Nissan vehicles, its tech gets evolved even further. Sounds like witchcraft for us but skeptics and believers can't wait to see what's in store for the new ProPILOT gizmo. Couple that with Nissan's Safety Shield technology, and you got yourself a safe minivan that cares about its occupants more than the car itself.

2017 Nissan Serena

So, that's one safety masterpiece mentioned in the new Serena C27. Now, what about its performance? As you may aware, the new model comes with the improved S-HYBRID powertrain with total energy management that takes charge to the sub-battery unit, eco motor, idling stop, the MR20DD 2.0L petrol engine, and the CVT, capable of delivering a class-leading 17.2km/L, 1.2km/L more than the previous Serena S-HYBRID as well as a normal petrol-powered Toyota Noah/Voxy vans. As for dynamics, it feels like what all Asian vans behave on a daily basis with courtesy of its Rack and Pinion Steering, Strut and Torsion Beam suspension setup, and ventilated disc brakes.

2017 Nissan Serena Rider

The all-new Nissan Serena C27 starts at 2,435,400 Japanese Yen for the base S model while the Highway Star version starts at 2,678,400 Yen, 2,916,000 Yen if you go for the one with the ProPILOT tech. For something stylish, you can go for the Autech Rider version for 2,949,480 Yen or for something special, a special Autech Rider 30th anniversary model, commemorating Autech Japan's 30th anniversary, was offered for 3,480,840 Yen. Of course, that pricing does not come with the optional ProPILOT feature, unless if you want to add one for a limited time only.

With its new design, fuel-efficient performance, advanced safety tech, and a family-friendly packaging, the new Serena C27 is a key turning point for Nissan in their ambition for a safe driving for all drivers everywhere and when the ProPILOT Serena is successful, it will soon feature it in future Nissan models in their portfolio.

Available colors: Maroon Red/Diamond Black 2 Tone, Brilliant White Pearl/Diamond Black 2 Tone, Diamond Black/Brilliant Silver 2 Tone, Cashmere Greige/Imperial Amber 2 Tone, Azurite Blue, Maroon Red, Cashmere Greige, Imperial Amber, Diamond Black, Brilliant Silver, Brilliant White Pearl, and Shining Blue.

Photo: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.