• Revised front and rear bumpers
• Updated Nissan Serena range now gains ADAS features
• Larger 9-inch infotainment system

Edaran Tan Chong Motors (ETCM), the official distributor of Nissan vehicles in Malaysia, has officially launched the new 2022 Nissan Serena S-Hybrid facelift here. As before, the MPV is locally-assembled (CKD) at ETCM’s facility in Serendah.

Prices of the 2022 Nissan Serena facelift have crept up a bit, with the Highway Star starting from RM 149,888, while the Premium Highway Star is priced from RM 162,888.

So what’s new?

There are several updates done to the new Serena and chief amongst which is the new looks. The facelifted Serena has dropped the predecessor model’s three-piece front grille with a more intricate-looking piece. The grille is flanked by a pair of redesigned LED headlights, as before.

Like the front, the rear of the updated Nissan Serena has also been revised with new LED tail lights and a reprofiled bumper, mirroring its Japanese counterpart. The key difference between the Malaysian- and Japanese-spec Serena are its wheels; the Japanese models get a new set of dual-tone 16-inch alloy wheels, ours get the pre-facelift's wheels, albeit finished in gloss black.

Stepping into the cabin and the biggest improvement is the new 9-inch infotainment system, though this is limited to the Premium Highway Star variant. The Highway Star makes do with a smaller 6.75-inch screen instead.

As expected from a modern-day vehicle, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity is supported out of the box. Audio is piped through a 6-speaker sound system.

The Premium Highway Star variant further adds on Premium Quilted Nappa leather seats, trunk tray, “Tech-On” tray mats, 11.6-inch roof-mounted monitor, dual-channel digital video recorder (DVR), and LED room light.

Another factor for the price bump of the 2022 Nissan Serena facelift is the improved ADAS kit, or as Nissan calls it, Nissan Intelligent Mobility. New to the updated Serena range is Intelligent Predictive Forward Collision Warning and Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Warning, Lane Departure Warning, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. Airbag count remains at 6, for both variants.

As before, the Nissan Serena is motivated by a naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine that does 150 PS and 200 Nm. The S-Hybrid part from with its Eco Motor that replaces the MPV’s starter motor, providing 48 Nm of torque assistance to the crankshaft via a belt pulley for about 1 second during standing starts. Power is routed to the front wheels via a CVT transmission.

Under the NEDC R101 test cycle, ETCM said that the 2022 Nissan Serena is able to return 7.04-litre/100 km (14.2 km/L). 

ETCM has also revised the colour palette of the 2022 Nissan Serena. Cashmere Gold is no more, now replaced with Dark Metal Grey. It joins Brilliant White, Radiant Red, and Diamond Black as colour options for the Premium Highway Star. All Premium Highway Star variants are offered with a Diamond Black roof. The base Highway Star can be had with Brilliant White, Tungsten Silver, or Diamond Black.

The 2022 Nissan Serena is backed by a 5-year, unlimited mileage warranty. The new MPV is also backed  by a free 5 times alternate maintenance package, inclusive of parts and labour.