The fully imported Sunny was introduced in early 1979
as a successor to the outgoing
Datsun B210 model, and to supplement
the locally built Stanza which had failed to produce
the expected sales figures for Nissan.
But following
in the B210’s footsteps would certainly be a
hard act to follow, particularly when the B210’s
two major attributes were that it was both low priced
an inexpensive to run. In contrast, the Sunny was more
expensive to purchase and marginally less economical
to run – so the formula for success was certainly
not adhered to.
Nevertheless the Sunny was in many
respects an improvement over the B210, offering improved
suspension, handling, appearance, and finish, and it
being a distinctly more attractive proposition in the
small-car market to many of it’s competitors. All
models (except the manual-only wagon which came with
the more powerful 1400cc engine), retained the 1200cc
overhead valve four-cylinder engine which powered the
B210.
Performance was about what could be expected from
a conventional 1.2 liter engine developing a rather
insipid 51 kW at 6000 rpm – although the Sunny
demonstrated a willingness to rev hard, reaching 43,
74, and 114 km/h in first, second, and third gears
respectively.
Top speed was around 140 km/h, for those
brave enough to give the Sunny a good flogging on the
open road, traveling slightly downhill and with a tail-wind. This relatively modest performance required the driver
to work hard to keep up with normal traffic flow, and
punish it hard if wanting to extract anything nearing
spirited performance. By contrast, the wagon, with
its larger power-plant, was a more competitive starter
in its class than the sedan or coupe.
The rear suspension
and ride were improved by replacing the semi-elliptic
leaf springs with coils, however unfortunately this
did little in removing the rather choppy under-steer
common to Datsun’s. The standard
recirculating-ball steering was not really direct and
offered very little road feel, although the tight turning
circle was well suited to city parking. In fact, normal
use in city conditions did not expose any real handling
deficiencies, and after all, that is where the Sunny’s
were expected to spend most of their time.
The Sunny
range was not unattractive, especially the neat functional
coupe, though the sedan looked rather like its main
rival, the Toyota Corolla. There were no obvious flaws
in the finish outside or inside, and in typical Japanese
tradition the standard equipment was generous, it including
steel-belted radial tires, reclining front bucket seats,
cloth upholstery, trip meter, quartz clock, rear wash/wipe
on coupe and wagon, hazard warning lights, and rear
window demister.
The instrumentation was also comprehensive;
oil and pressure gauges, all warning lights for the
handbrake, brake-fluid level, battery charge, choke,
and high beam, however a tachometer was standard on
the coupe only. For those looking for cheap, reliable
and somewhat stylish motoring, and who didn’t
care about unexciting performance, poor rear leg room,
and vague on-centre steering, the Sunny represented
a good choice at the time. They are rarely seen on
the road today.
