Impul-sively Brilliant

When the Nissan Sylphy was launched last year, it received a lot of accolades from the motoring press, as well as bagging the New Straits Times-Maybank Car of the Year award for best family car.

With its class leading cabin space, frugal consumption and good driving dynamics, it surpassed much of our expectations.

Edaran Tan Chong Motors Sdn Bhd, local distributors of Nissan cars, saw that the Sylphy could do with some fettling from Impul, a renowned Japanese motorsports and Nissan dedicated tuning company.

This led to the third car in the current Nissan range to receive the Impul treatment.

The Nissan Sylphy tuned by Impul (its official name) comes fitted with more than RM15,000 worth of kit.

The list includes Impul complete aero kit (RM4,400), sports suspension (RM2,800), Blast II exhaust muffler (RM1,800) and 17-inch 10-spoke rims (RM4,600) with Dunlop Formula D 01 tyres (RM1,400) on the outside and Impul mats on the inside.

With the Impul tune-up, the price is bumped up by just RM11,100 to RM123,900 for the Comfort specification and RM127,900 for the Luxury specification over the standard Sylphy.

Existing Sylphy owners can purchase each Impul part for the Sylphy separately from Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd.

The Impul tune-up provides more visual aggression to the Sylphy's soft looks.

In place of the chrome grille is Impul's clean no-nonsense front grille while the smooth rear end receives Impul's trademark wing spoiler.

The skirting all round, coupled with the huge 17-inch rims and low profile tyres, gives the car a low ground-hugging stance.

Inside, the Luxury specification receives charcoal coloured seats with tasteful white stitching (Comfort specification will retain its beige Masumi seats). However, the interior door trim and dashboard inserts still retain their beige colour and wood trim.

The Impul transformation really showed on the road.

The 4.6-metre long sedan took corners with minimal body roll and displayed agility normally found on vehicles half its size. As a result, ride quality was somewhat compromised. There was noticeable firmness in the ride as well as an absence of proper dampening.

The brakes, ventilated discs in the front and rear drums, provided surprisingly good stopping power, thanks to the assistance of ABS, EBD (electronic brake distribution) and BA (brake assist). 

Sadly, while the steering was responsive and accurate, it felt numb and over assisted. Even with the electric power steering providing speed variable assistance, you got the impression that the steering was over assisted. Nissan should have turned down the steering assistance to add a little more weight to complement the car's newfound agility.

In its own right, the Sylphy's Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission) gearbox worked brilliantly, and the Blast 2 exhaust muffler added a nice sporty exhaust note reminiscent of Japanese performance cars. However, mixing the two together was an acoustic disaster.

Unlike the normal torque converter or manual transmission where there is a change in revs as the gearbox shifts cogs, the CVT gearbox was designed to propel you forward smoothly without any progression in the revs.

Couple a CVT gearbox with an exhaust muffler and you were made aware that the engine tone wasn't going anywhere even while you were accelerating.

Of the Impul additions for the Sylphy, the sports muffler is the only thorn among the roses. While occupants could lounge and stretch their legs in the rear in comfort, they would find the noticeable drone a little intrusive.

Having said that, the Impul sports suspension package and tyres provided a riveting drive while the bodykit draped the Sylphy with masculine looks.

The Impul kit injects the Sylphy with a sports-oriented identity and will appeal to those who found the Sylphy a little soft and wanted it to be more of a hooligan rather than a butler.

That said, some may find the Impul additions to be out of character with the car's limousine proportions and conspicuous demeanour, but then again, that is what the normal Sylphy is around for.

In the end, the Nissan Sylphy tuned by Impul will appeal to those who want a sports executive sedan.

It gives a refreshing breeze of individuality and imagination on an otherwise bread-and-butter car.

By Daniel Wong

Specifications

Nissan Sylphy tuned by Impul (Luxury specification)

Engine: L4-cylinder, 1,997cc

Max power: 131hp @ 5,200rpm

Max torque: 191Nm @ 4,400rpm

Transmission: Xtronic CVT

Features: 2 airbags, ABS, EBD, BA, Auto headlamps.

Price: RM 127,900 OTR with insurance