There are actually two Sylphys currently on sale, one is called Sylphy Classic, which is essentially the second generation of Sylphy launched in 2006, and the other is the third generation of Sylphy launched in 2013. After the launch of the third-generation Sylphy, the old model gradually faded out of the market, until 2016, when it was sold again under the name of the classic Sylphy and the third generation.
Although the classic Sylphy replaced the previous 4AT transmission with a CVT transmission, and the powertrain is not much different from the third generation, the whole model is already a product of the last decade and cannot meet the current safety needs, so we do not recommend buying it. However, it is precisely because the model is relatively old and the price is tens of thousands lower than that of the third-generation Sylphy, so the sales volume is still very considerable.
The third generation of Sylphy uses HR16DE engine, this engine from 2006 to the present, has been more than ten years, for a long time there has been a phenomenon of burning oil, but now the oil burning is not as serious as the second generation, and this engine is actually durable and worry-free, except for occasionally adding some oil, basically 250,000 kilometers will not have any problems.
In terms of gearbox, Sylphy is divided into early and late stages, the same is a CVT gearbox, the gearing ratio of the early model is 7.3, and the mid-term facelift is 8.7, after increasing the gearing ratio, the Sylphy has more lightness than before when driving in the city, and it will no longer make people feel soft power, which will be more obvious on the 1.8L version, but the 1.8L version is now out of sale. Nissan CVT transmissions are slightly weaker than Toyota and Honda in terms of reliability, and there is a small probability of transmission stuttering and abnormal noises, and the problem is concentrated in the 2016 model.
In addition to the fuel version, the third-generation Sylphy also launched a pure electric version, the technical solution comes from the Nissan Leaf, the maximum power of the motor is 80kW, the maximum torque is 254Nm, and the official maximum cruising range is 338km. After the oil is changed to electricity, the front row will be different from the fuel version, including the gear lever, steering wheel, etc. The battery doesn't encroach on the trunk space, but it does raise the rear seats a little and compress some headroom. Nissan has a complete set of after-sales solutions for the pure electric Sylphy, the most valuable of which is the three-year hedging repurchase of the whole vehicle, that is, the agreed repurchase price within three years is 55% of the final transaction price after the subsidy.
Both the sofa and suspension are very soft, which is the main reason for the Sylphy's ride comfort, but it also causes the Sylphy to roll easily and unstable when changing lanes at high speeds and cornering. After the mid-term facelift, Nissan increased the suspension hardness of the Sylphy by 10%, which seems to deviate from the original intention of home comfort, but it is actually to correct the problem of overly soft suspension, and the 10% value is not so much of a change for the Sylphy, it is essentially a family car with soft suspension.
After the mid-term facelift, the interior configuration of the Sylphy has also been upgraded, and the comfort configuration has been relatively complete in the automatic gear low configuration, leather steering wheel, leather seats, 8-inch touch screen, keyless entry are all equipped, and the rear exhaust air vent will not appear until the second top configuration. Sylphy has always taken the home route in terms of interior workmanship and materials, it may not be very luxurious, but it looks very warm, and most of the places are soft materials to the touch, and it is also good enough in terms of durability.
Other brands of seats are called seats, Nissan's seats can already be called sofas in the compact level, the rear seats are not much worse than the front row in terms of softness, the space is also very abundant, and the ride comfort is very good in the same class, but because the body width is only 1760mm, it is more crowded to sit three adults, and the models equipped with sunroofs will also occupy part of the roof space, resulting in obstruction of the rear line of sight, which is slightly depressing.
For safety reasons, the third-generation Sylphy is more recommended than the classic Sylphy, and since its launch in 2013, the results have been very stable in the IIHS crash test, with three TSPs and one TSP.