A Nissan carnival made perfect with Leaf and Patrol

In order to mark its 10^th year of production in India, Nissan is celebrating by hosting a Nissan Carnival at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida from March 20 to 23, 2015. The company has flown down two Nissan Patrol full blown SUVs and the globally popular Nissan Leaf EV from Dubai just for the occasion. The company also has their current Indian product line including the newly launched AMT Sunny and Micra.

At the carnival, Nissan has set up a couple of slalom courses to demonstrate the abilities of the Sunny and Micra Manual and Automatic both in different zones where Hari Singh, an Indian rally legend mentored the drivers through the course.

At the Nissan Leaf Zone, Armaan Ibrahim, a highly successful international racing driver from India demonstrated and then guided the drivers through the tight tarmac course set up by Nissan to demonstrate the technology and the drivability of the world’s most popular electric vehicle.

Upon driving the Leaf around the track, the car felt like just any other petrol or diesel powered car would. Mind you, the Leaf is the best selling electric car in the world. Since the Leaf and the Patrol were imported from the Emirates, the cars were left hand drive. The Leaf was exceptionally silent, more silent than a deserted music studio. Thanks to the electric direct drive, the torque delivery is instant as soon as you touch the throttle but it’s not alarming, it’s linear.  The Leaf’s suspension is just so soft and comfortable, the track let us test all of the car’s dynamics instantly and it coped immensely well.

The Nissan Leaf is probably the way to the future of mobility. The car is powered by an 80KW AC electric motor which produces 245Nm of torque @ 0rms. With features like ABS, EBD, six airbags, Vehicle Dynamic Control and Traction Control System the Leaf is the most successful Electric Vehicle of all time with over 160,000 units sold globally.

Then the chaps from Nissan shoved us in the Nissan Evalia and took us around the Buddh International Circuit township compound where they had the massive 4X4 Patrol SUV waiting for us. A proper off-road course was set up to experience the Patrol drive. The off-road track looked intimidating and then we had our doubts on whether the car would be able to handle it at all, and whether it would get beached.

A little later I found myself at the wheel of a 5.8 litre V8 engine producing 400bhp and 560Nm of torque. The vehicle was spacious, almost like an an Indian 1BHK apartment. With a slight nudge of the throttle, we set off and the first obstacle was a hill descent which was so steep that all we could see out of the massive windscreen was more and more loose soil. The ABS worked brilliantly to keep the car from locking up and sliding down as we were leveling out. Following that was a small climb with a sharp and tight left turn with no room for error, despite its massive girth, the car managed to glide through despite my limited driving abilities. Then came a narrow track with more loose sand, trees and a dog that refused to move. Going off the track, we were sure we would get beached but surprisingly, the Patrol just kept going like it can do it all day.  Then we got back on the marked track and met with an almost 90degree steep climb uphill and we thought sure it can’t do that. But when the guide just asked us to keep going we trusted him and followed his instructions carefully, slowly but surely we made it to the top. It was able to complete the task because the Patrol comes equipped with an All-Mode 4x4 drivetrain with Multi Surface Selection and Hydraulic Body Motion Control Suspension System that gives it’s 'go anywhere' capability.  There is a reason why most of the cars in the Middle East use Nissan Patrols for their Desert Safari’s.

Guillaume Sicard, President, Nissan India Operations said, “At the Carnival we want everyone to experience this first-hand through revolutionary products like Leaf and the technological innovation that we are known for around the world. The event also marks and celebrates our arrival in India a decade ago. Within this relatively short period Nissan has become one of the fastest growing automobile manufacturers in the country with a strong portfolio of seven locally manufactured products across seven different market segments. The Nissan Carnival highlights our growing presence within the market and underlines our long-term commitment to India".