Nissan Serena S-Hybrid

The facelifted 2022 Nissan Serena S-Hybrid is finally available in Malaysia almost 3 years after it first went on sale in Japan, and this new refresh brings with it many welcome updates, particularly in the safety department. All the features and conveniences that are loved and lauded make a return on this 7-seater, and some are even further improved upon as well.

Nissan Serena S-Hybrid Highway Star – RM149,888
Nissan Serena S-Hybrid Premium Highway Star – RM162,888

The most obvious change to the exterior is up front, with the new full-height V-motion grille that spans across all the way to centre air intake, while L-shaped inserts on the corners of the front bumper widens the car visually and adds a touch of aggression, a design that is replicated at the rear as well. The headlights have been redesigned to be homogenous with the new grille, and are now bi-LEDs with new reflector and projector units. Similarly, at the rear are LED tail lights, and the brake lights are LEDs too, where before they were not.

The Nissan Serena S-Hybrid Highway Star comes with plain silver 15-inch alloys, while the higher variant Nissan Serena S-Hybrid Premium Highway Star has 16-inch rims that are finished in glossy black. The lower variant has 3 colour options, while the higher one gets 1 extra colour option and its roof is always finished in black for a dual-tone finish.

Inside, most of the updates are in minor trim changes, and there are new graphics for the 7-inch instrument display for the driver. All seats are upholstered in black fabric in the Nissan Serena S-Hybrid Highway Star, but on the Nissan Serena S-Hybrid Premium Highway Star, a quilted Nappa leather upholstery is standard, and can be finished in black or brown. 

Features that make a welcome return are the keyless entry and push-start, manually-adjustable Zero Gravity front and second-row seats, 360⁰ camera system with Moving Object Detection, hand-free powered sliding doors on both sides, and a manually opening tailgate with an openable windscreen section. New to this facelift is are auto-folding door mirrors.

Specially only for the Nissan Serena S-Hybrid Premium Highway Star, just as before, are door visors, LED interior lighting, ‘Tech On’ mats on the tray tables for the second-row seats, and additionally for the facelift the MPV gets V-Kool window tinting, as well as front and rear dash cameras. These kit can be had as optional extras for the lower variant, except for the black roof, Nappa leather upholstery, and the larger 9-inch infotainment screen and 11.6-inch roof-mounted entertainment screen, which is only 6.75 inches and 10.1 inches on the lower variant, respectively.

The significant upgrade that comes with this facelifted Nissan Serena S-Hybrid is actually in the safety department that comes in the form of ADAS. Both variants receive autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a driver attention warning, although the ADAS suite loses out on ProPilot semi-autonomous driving system that is an option in Japan.

Just as before, only 1 powertrain option is available, which is the MR20DD 2.0-litre direct-injection 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 150 PS (148 hp) at 6,000 rpm and 200 Nm at 4,400 rpm. The unit is paired to a Xtronic CVT and a 1.8 kW (2.6 PS) electric motor that can provide 48 Nm of boost when needed, and drive is sent only to the front wheels.

The Nissan Serena S-Hybrid is a tall vehicle… and it handles like one, so don’t drive it like you stole it.

Where the Nissan Serena S-Hybrid truly shines is in occupant comfort and overall ergonomics. Sliding doors make a world of difference to parents with toddlers, as well as to maintain the dignity of working executives who are clambering into the seats. Add to this the excellent hands-free function – simply ‘wave’ your leg and the door will slide open – and parents can maintain their hold on an active child and a bag of groceries and open the door without much issue.

Certainly, other features also help cement the seemingly ruthless utilitarian character of the car, like the boot with its split opening, numerous interior cubby holes, the two-tiered boot floor, and even the low ride height, which makes entry easy for children and the elderly.

Official fuel consumption figure for the 2022 facelifted Nissan Serena S-Hybrid is 14.2 km/l on the NEDC R101, or 7 l/100km.

There are not many other MPVs in Malaysia that is so talented in moving many people about in comfort and practicality at this price. Yes, one would not buy the Nissan Serena S-Hybrid for its bewitching styling, but we argue that the beauty of this MPV is not in its exterior lines, but rather, in its pragmatism and relaxed-nature that seemingly just puts its drivers and passengers at ease from the moment they get in the car.