Essential Motoring 101

What a weekend I had! Didn’t expect to have my hands on the new Nissan Latio (pronounced as LA-shee-OH). An unforgettable experience with the Latio (known as Tiida in Japan) when it was, coincidently, the same day I collected the car, I had a planned evening with some girls. Actually it was an outing with the girlfriends of my other half on a dinner get-together. Hey, I’m no casanova, okay??

Looks like the lowered Murano, the Latio.

Well, naturally, who wouldn’t want to show off to some girls that I have a new car, right? Not that I wanted to do it on purpose but it was coincidently that they didn’t have the transport to go to the place we had dinner, somewhere in Salak South. Being the gentleman, I decided to round them up and headed to the restaurant. My girlfriend had no qualms as they were (and still are) her bosom buddies.

A sexyback this Sport has.

Imagine this, loading 4 and a half girls (a daughter of one of the girl) at the back seat of the Latio! The car was a 1.6l engine with auto transmission, carrying 6 and a half persons from Sri Petaling to Salak South. One would figure that with this load and the engine that size would be a strain on the car but it has proven to be a myth.

The Latio effortlessly managed to travel the shortcut routes to Salak South. Mind you, the roads were not gentle on the absorbers as there were ongoing construction along the journey. It was a comfortable yet noiseless ride though despite all the humps and bumps on the road surface.

Noise will be the last thing you get when you rev this baby up.

The Latio I’ve driven was the Sport version. The Sport only comes with a 1.6l powerplant with auto transmission. I wonder how sporty can it be compared to it’s sibling, the Latio sedan, which is available in 1.8l. With the standard ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) with EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution) , braking the Latio was easy and responsive.

Bridgestone wrapped 15 inchers - sticks to the road like no other.

 

Navigating the vehicle was peanuts with the existence of EPS (Electrical Power Steering) - the steering system that does not require power steering oil pump and hydraulic pipings therefore it eliminates the load on the engine’s power. The car steered gracefully while doing the zig-zag on the roads. Thanks to the wheels fitted with Bridgestone tires, negotiating sharp turns was a no-sweat effort.

A spaceship, you think? But where’s E.T.?

The dashboard on the Latio Sport boasts a black theme with strips of grey to enhance the sporty look. As for the 1.8l sedan, you will be expecting lots of luxury meant to appeal the matured segment - wooden-like trimmings with a creamy feel and appearance. Apparently, the glove compartment is able to swallow a whopping 12.8 litre of load, deep enough to store a woman’s handbag! There are even more space on the door panels to conveniently fit 2 cups on each side, pockets large enough for stow-aways, tissues, magazines, etc.

Just one turn of the knob to ignite the excitement.

The Sport comes with keyless entry and keyless start - the same technology that the Suzuki Swift uses. Personally, I don’t think this feature is recommended for absent-minded people. Over time, one would get used to not having the keys to lock/unlock the car or starting the engine, simultaneously makes the person forget about the keys altogether. On the other hand, I would think it would be cool to impress the girls. Just have to make sure the keys are with me at all times!

It could swallow any load with one bite!

The Latio looks small on the outside but it could do wonders inside. Fitting a large CRT or an LCD TV into the cabin would be effortless as the back seats can be slided towards the front seats, converting from 289 litres to 463 litres of space for the rear trunk. Whats more, the seats can be reclined 10 steps backwards - ideal for long distance driving!

I presume Nissan sure did their homework in terms of spatial capabilities. Comments based on the owners of the renowned Sentras, there were too many thick paddings that squandered the interior space. But the Latio was unbelievably roomy, both horizontally and vertically.

Now, anybody can be a VIP!

The Latio’s back seats did a great job in offering the passengers some luxury treatment. The seats comes with a fold-down arm rest with nifty built-in cupholders (see pic above) The door panels were shaped to contain a fairly-spaced arm rest as well. The luxury-ness comes when you place both your arms on each side of the arm rests. All seats are wrapped with plush fabric adding to the peace and comfortable ambiance in the cabin.

We’re at your service!

If I wasn’t ‘poisoned’ on the pickup trucks, I would certainly get the Latio. It’s relatively high seats gave me the feeling as if I’m driving a mini MPV, but not as high as a pickup truck. Being a six footer myself, I still can’t see the bonnet in front despite the height of the seats. Seeing the traffic ahead seem effortless as well.

Latio actually spells C.O.M.F.O.R.T, to me.

At the price range of between RM92,000 - RM100,000, the Latio is quite a worthy purchase. The ‘big’ but small car has proven itself in terms of safety, style and performance; a marvel to many would-be owners, especially to my other half, at least. The Latio encompasses a fusion of the roominess of an MPV, the height of an SUV and the handling of a compact car. Truly a car worth shouting about.

Fancy a ride with me on the Latio?