Nissan Pino - Casanova Cars

Nissan Pino

Nissan has launched its new mini car called the Pino, which for now is available only in Japan. However, the Pino may roll out in other counties as well, which include India. This new mini car is based on the lines of Nissan Otti, Nissan Moco, and Nissan Clipper. However, the mini car does not fair well when it comes to the exterior design, which includes the overdone front dumper with a odd looking mesh design. The exterior lacks imagination and is not very inspiring, giving the car a very rigid geometric feel as whole.

As for under the hood, the 650cc car comes in a number of variants with both manual and automatic transmissions, as well as two-wheel-drive and a four-wheel-drive version. It gives an average fuel efficiency of 21 kmpl of petrol for the two-wheel drive, 3-speed version. There is no diesel Pino yet. An inline three-cylinder DOHC 12-valve K6A engine powers it. The other models of the Pino include the E and E4 that have electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission, sporting optimized gear ratios and S and S-4 models, which have five-speed manual transmission.

It comes equipped with 155/65R13 73S tires and is available in nine colors, including the popular Lime Green Metallic color. As for the interior, it comes with what Nissan calls a "green interior". The company says that the interior has anti-bacterial surfaces. It also has an interior air filter to ensure the cleanest air inside the Pino.

The new Nissan car even though lacking in the looks department does improve on other features like the engine ad exterior color options. The car is also comes with various safety features like advanced brake system of Electronic Braking Force Distribution (EBD), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Brake Assist (BA). Overall, it is an impressive car, which still in my opinion could use a bit of work on the exterior. Nissan is planning to sell at least 2,500 units of Pino every month. In Japan, the price will range from 861,000 yen to 1,151,850 yen, including consumption tax. In Indian rupees, this will be equal to Rs 312,427 - Rs 417,967.