One of the most contested sectors in the Malaysian automotive market is the C segment car category. Now those of you who haven't a clue on what a C segment car is let Yours Truly try to enlighten you. A C segment car is what the European Union calls the British standard sized small family cars or what the Americans call as Compact cars. By 'compact' and 'small', these cars are actually those between 4100mm to about 4700mm depending on whether they are a hatchback or a sedan.
What this means is that this category includes cars like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Altis, VW Golf/Jetta, Subaru Impreza, Kia Forte, Hyundai Elantra and more. Amazing isn't it? What most of us Malaysians think as an average sized family car is actually a tiny tot in America. Of course, the land of burgers and fries is huge and so are its inhabitants.
In good ol' Malaysia, a C segment car may cost you from around RM80,000 to RM160,000. The lower end of the pricing is usually where you'd find Proton and the Korean car manufacturers. The mid-tier RM100,000 to RM130,000 is the realm of the Japanese cars and above that we usually find the Germans. There are exceptions, like the Mazda 3 MPS or the Golf GTIs. But these are niche cars. What usually happens is that every one looking for an upgrade from their Proton or Perodua, or to an extent, their Hyundai or Kia would end up looking at a Toyota, Honda or a Nissan. The these three brands are coveted as somehow everyone talks about resale value and reliability. If resale value were not taken into account, everyone would be buying the Ford Focus with its good looks and hi-tech gizmos and all wouldn't they.
So they end up buying a Toyota Corolla Altis, which is so uncle-mobile like in dullness that everytime I sit inside one I'd use it as time to fall asleep (and my friend W.T.O did buy one recently. You uncle you). Or the Honda Civic, which is a isn't built like the Honda Civic prior to this and a disappointment to me. Or they end up buying a Nissan Sylphy. This car is what I reckon is the worst C-segment 2.0liter you can buy in Malaysia today and I shall state why.
Now aside from the silly venereal disease-like name, which is also a good enough reason not to buy the car, the car is old. It has been around since the end of 2005 and it is now March 2013. In 2012 Nissan launched the new Bluebird Sylphy. Singapore has this new model (pictured above) and we Malaysians have to get this older car (pictured below). It is basically like the Nissan Sentra that was sold here. I believe they were still selling in prior to the launch of the Almera and was selling right beside the Latio sedan and hatchback which were similarly priced as the very ancient Sentra. There was even an Impul version that they tried to flog to people. And the worse this was that some people bought them even though it was old.
And so the Nissan Sifilis, Syphilis, Simpliciti, Slyphy, Siti Nurhaliza...no, Sylphy is now soldering on in its seventh year in Malaysia. And the new model looks a whole lot better than they one we're getting. It may cost a bomb over in Singapore, but they do get the latest models.
But I don't really mind cars that are slightly old. I mean they're not Ford Model T old and the Nissan Stwoply is actually a very, very comfortable and quiet car to be in. Or drive. The 2.0liter engine is understressed and coupled to a CVT gearbox, quite efficient (slightly droney if you push it as it is a CVT gearbox in the first place). The biggest problem is that the brakes. I have perused through most of the car listings in Malaysia and I cannot find another 2.0liter car with over 130bhp/195Nm of torque with rear drum brakes.
I know that car technology has come a long way and if you couple any sort of disc/drum brake combination with anti lock brakes as well as electronic brake distribution it will work fairly well. Technology allows drum brakes to work decent well but hello, you want to pay a minimum or RM115,000 for a car with drum brakes? If you put your money down for a 1.8liter Honda Civic you'd get all round disc brakes. If you paid a whole lot less for a Kia Forte you'd still get all round disc brakes. Same if you paid for a Chevrolet, or a Toyota or whatever 2.0liter car out there. Nissan Malaysia is doing what they do best - skimping on the specs. And I still see people spending their hard earned money or a Sylphynopolous. Why?
So this is the public service announcement I'd like you readers to make - If you have any friends, relatives or associates who would want to purchase a C segment car. Do not buy this the Sylphlegm. It has a silly name, it is actually an older model (you wouldn't want to buy an Apple Iphone 4S since the 5 is already out would you?) and it still comes with drum brakes like it's a 2.0liter car from the 1980s. If you want a Slyphy so badly. Wait until Nissan decides to bring the new one in (which has all round disc brakes over in Singapore). Hopefully it's soon.
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