Nissan Sunny
The Nissan Sunny is a small car manufactured by Nissan of Japan. It was launched in 1966 as the Datsun 1000 and although production in Japan ended in 2004, it remains in production today for the African and American markets. In the US, the later models were known as the Nissan Sentra; in Mexico, the Sunny is known as the Nissan Tsuru.
The Sunny fitted neatly into Nissan model line. It was larger than the supermini Nissan March (Micra) models, but not as big as the compact Bluebird or Stanza models. The latest versions of the Sunny were larger than the early models, and may be considered compact cars. Earlier versions (through at least the B11 series) were subcompact cars. All Sunnys through the 1982 model year (except as noted below) used Nissan A engine motors.
The name has been used on some European export versions of the Nissan Pulsar between 1986 and 1995, and is still used on some Asian export versions of the same car. In countries such as New Zealand, the Sunny and Pulsar ranges were combined into a single model range, the Nissan Sentra—which differed (apart from the station wagon) from the models sold under the same name in the United States. In South Africa it was sold as the Nissan Sabre.
B10 series - Ushering in the "My Car" Era of Japan
The first Nissan Sunny, exported as the Datsun 1000, was launched in 1966, with two body styles, a two-door sedan [B10] & a van/ station wagon.[VB10] These were available in both a Standard & Deluxe version & featured drum brakes, conventional leaf springs at the rear with a wishbone type independent front end that used a single transverse leaf spring for support.
The 1968 model, introduced in October 1967 added to the lineup the four door sedan [B10] in both DeLuxe & Standard form. October 1968 saw the new '69 models released & a snappy new coupe [KB10] was added to the lineup. Marketed as a 'Sunny Coupe' in Japan it was available in a wide variety of levels from Standard, right up to the GL [Grande Luxe, when De-Luxe is simply not enough] The range of factory options & accessories was bewildering & clearly marked the coupe as the factory's darling of the B10 series. All of the other models got new grilles & larger tail lights, which now included reversing lights in the Van.
The only other country that seems to have received the coupe looks to be Australia, where it was marketed as the 'Datsun 1000 Coupe'. It was well equipped & was available only in the Deluxe level of trim & came standard with many inclusions that were available only as options in the Japanese Sunny Coupe. The engine in the coupe had more compression, a diferent model of Hitachi carburettor, & a dual outlet exhaust manifold which allowed it to produce a willing 66hp, which was a 4 hp increase over all of the other B10 models Unlike the other models, the coupe was only ever made in right drive, & for this reason, was not marketed in Okinawa, which is part of the Japanese nation, as the island of Okinawa was left drive at this time.
July 1969 saw the release of the [very] slightly facelifted 1970 models which left the '69 model run a little short at only nine months. No additional models were added & production ended in December 1969 giving the 1970 model an even shorter production run of only six months.
B20 series - The Sunny Truck
The Sunny Truck debuted in October 1968 and was the light commercial truck variation of the VB10 Nissan Sunny Van (wagon). It was based on the VB10 Van chassis, & is a body style which is correctly known as a Coupe Utility. This is known as a "Ute" in Australia and "Sunny Truck" in Japan.
Being a commercial model, these were only ever available in Standard trim. Everything you ever wanted in a car, it didn't have it, but this kept the price so low that just about every Butcher, Baker & Candlestick maker could afford one. The B20 used the same wheelbase and running gear of the Datsun 1000 VB10 Van.
B110 series - New Larger Model Takes On the World
The second-generation Sunny launched in 1970 and was also known as the Datsun 1200. This new model was slightly larger in all dimensions to match its archrival, the equally popular Toyota Corolla.
The Datsun 1200 featured Macpherson strut front suspension with optional disc brakes and a very economical 1.2-liter A12 series engine. A coupé was added to the range, while the station wagon came in two variants (3-door wagon and 5-door wagon).
In Australia, the Datsun 1200 was highly regarded for conversion to a 2WD rally car. The 1600 generally rated highest among entry-level Datsuns, and the 1200 a close second.
The Datsun 1200 was the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the United States in 1973, as rated by the government at 28.7 miles per gallon (mpg) in overall driving pattern. It achieved 37.9 mpg in highway driving
PB110 series - A Most Excellent Upscale Small Car
Late in the 1971 model year, the Sunny Excellent (PB110 series) debuted. It was based on the B110, but with new hood, fenders and grille, and featured a Single Overhead Cam 1.4-litre Nissan L engine.
B120 series - Hardworking Compact Truck
The B120 commercial truck debuted in 1970, based on the B110 passenger car chassis. The B120 used the same wheelbase and running gear of the Datsun 1200 sedans, coupe and wagon models.
The B120 "ute" was sold in Australia until 1985. It was marketed in New Zealand in two trims: RoadStar and SportStar. This model was known as a bakkie in South Africa. Updated B122 and GB122 (longbed) models were sold in Japan until 1994. The B140 variation, now with 1.4-liter A14 engine, continues to be manufactured and sold in 2006 by Nissan South Africa as the Nissan LDV 1400..
B210 series - Seventies Style
Exported as the Datsun 120Y and Datsun B-210 (in North America), the third generation (1973–77) Sunny was extremely popular as it debuted during the gas crisis of the 1970s. It continued to be the fuel-economy leader in North America and one of the least expensive cars available. Though it appears dated now, at the time buyers loved the sporty coke-bottle body styling.
The 120Y was sharply criticized by magazines such as Wheels of Australia, which felt that it offered no true improvement on its predecessor, not surprising given that the B110 platform were carried over, but used a slightly revised A12 engine. Like some Nissans of this period, it tended to be overstyled.
The related Sunny Excellents continued as PB210 models, fitted with a 1.4-litre L14 engine. In 1976 Nissan changed the Sunny Excellent from a distinct vehicle model (PB210) to simply a trim-level option for the regular B210, now fitted with 1.6-liter L16 engine.
Six bodystyles were offered: 4-door sedan (saloon), 2-door sedan, 3-door coupe, 3-door wagon, 5-door wagon and 3-door van. The coupe still retained fastback styling, but now featured a full hatchback door rather than the small boot lid of the previous generation Sunny. In Australia these same bodies were known simply as, the Four Door Sedan, the Two Door Sedan & the Coupe. In North America, the wagon was not offered.
Road & Track was somewhat critical of the B-210 in their 1975 test. They criticized the "modest performance" of the "peppy" engine, but were impressed with its 27mpg fuel economy. B210 pricing started at US$2849 that year.
US-market models were fitted with these A-series engines:
- 1974 - (A12) 1.2L (1171cc) OHV I4
- 1974 - (A13) 1.3L (1288cc) OHV I4
- 1975 - (A14) 1.4L (1397cc) OHV I4, 70hp (52kW)/75ft.lbf (102Nm)
B310 series - Back To Basics
The final rear-wheel-drive Sunny from model year 1978 to 1982 featured numerous variants, including a fastback station wagon as well as more squared-off, utilitarian models with three and five doors, a coupé, and two- and four-door sedans. These models appeared with Datsun 120Y and 140Y badges in some markets though Sunny was increasingly used for export, too. The North American version was marketed as the Datsun 210. The B310 was known for its high equipment levels and build quality at the time. It was available with the same A-series engines as its predecessor although the B210's optional 63 series 5-speed transmission was replaced with the smaller 60 series unit. The leaf spring rear suspension was updated and the live axle was now suspended using a coil spring/Panhard Rod configuration. In 1980, the B310 was given a mild facelift, with a smoothed off front end, a grille with square headlamps, and a redesigned dashboard.
B11 series - The First Front-Wheel-Drive Sunny
The B11s were the first front-wheel-drive Sunnys—predating the same shift to front-wheel drive by their main Toyota Corolla rival—and were exported to the United States as the Nissan Sentra from the 1982 model year onwards. The B11 series was regarded as one of Nissan's most modern ranges at the time, and was the first to abandon the Datsun name formally (though a small 'Datsun' still appeared on boot lids for the first two years). The wagon was known in its home market as the Nissan Sunny California. It was launched in late 1981 and continued into 1985.
A completely unrelated vehicle, the Sunny-Vanette, was introduced in 1981. This was exported to most markets as the Datsun C20 van. It later became the Nissan Vanette.
A further spin-off from the Sunny line was the Nissan Laurel Spirit, which was essentially a rebadged Sunny sedan designed to capitalize on the premium image of the larger Laurel line.
B12 series
From 1985, the B12 was not as widely exported, apart from the station wagon model. This line is characterized by its squared-off styling, which was very unfashionable in the 1980s. The angular styling was insisted upon by Nissan's design chief at the time and contributed to the automaker's increasingly poor sales of the period. A four-wheel-drive variant was introduced during this generation. Known as Sentra in some markets.
B13 and N13 series
The B13 was introduced in 1989 and retained many of the B12's ideas but in a more rounded, up-to-date body. It was particularly successful in the United States where the two-door was marketed by Nissan of America as a latter-day BMW 2002. The Sunny name was used on the N13 series (Pulsar) in Europe from 1987 and was a successful model, immensely popular with the elderly looking for a cheap and good looking vehicle, but also young outstanding individuals looking for safety and cheap maintenance. This car is still being made in Mexico, where is it sold as Tsuru, for domestic and export markets (sold in Chile as V16), and is quite popular among cab drivers for its reliability and low maintenance costs. It was also part of the image of the former Mexico City mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who drives a white Tsuru.
B14 and N14 series
The B14 Sunny and Sentra appeared in 1994 and were produced till 1998, and featured four-wheel-drive variants. The N14 Pulsar was introduced in 1991 for Europe and was badged as the Sunny. It introduced the GTI-R variant which by many is thought to be the little brother of the Nissan Skyline. The N14 came in five engine variants; 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0 L petrol (GTI), Diesel 2.0 L and turbo 4WD 2.0 L. It was replaced by the Nissan Almera in 1996.
In this generation, the station wagon was supplied to Mazda under an OEM deal, as the Familia Van. The Nissan Wingroad range appeared as a spin-off of the Sunny line in Japan, denoting a highly specified station wagon, replacing the Nissan Sunny California. Both the Mazda Familia and the Nissan Wingroad had different front and rear ends compared to the wagon that was exported.
Since most of its purchasers when it was released were elderly, this car has become popular amongst young people as cheap vehicles that have had little time on the road. The GTI-R variant has become a rarity and is greatly respected and highly regarded by some as one of the best vehicles from Nissan.
B15 series
The Sunny was produced until the B15 series, from 1998 to 2002. Afterwards, the Nissan Pulsar took over this market in Japan, along with the Nissan Bluebird Sylphy. In the United States, the Sentra continues with 1.8 and 2.5 litre engines, and carries on the Sunny lineage. It is highly favoured by some American tuners. In Japan, the Nissan Tiida Latio (from September 2004) is considered to have replaced the Sunny.
In Japan, the Sunny was offered with 1·3, 1·5 and 1·8L petrol or 2·2L diesel engines.
The Wingroad station wagon and the Mazda Familia Van (1.3, 1.5 and 1.8 L) continue to be spun off from the main Sunny range, and have not been replaced by the Tiida as of December 2004. A facelift for the Wingroad in 2002 gave it a sleek new front end, though the boxy rear was retained.
N16 series
Although the N16 did not spawn a Sunny range in Japan, the N16 Nissan Bluebird Sylphy was sold as the Sunny Neo in Thailand and Sunny in Hong Kong, Kenya, Singapore and the People's Republic of China. The Sunny is produced for the Chinese market by the Dongfeng Motor Company, a joint venture with Nissan.
A new Sunny will replace the Almera in 2007.
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