Nissan’s Sylphy isn’t exactly renowned for its thrills, but can the turbo SSS version bring a smile to the keen driver’s face?

SINGAPORE — AROUND THE CARBUYER office I am considered ancient flatulence, which is why I was asked to drive the Sylphy SSS. Not because it’s a car for old farts (presumably, anyway) but because I was sentient at the time when ‘SSS’ meant something. Anyone else remember the Bluebird SSS?

Assuming you’re too young for any of this to ring a bell, this ‘Super Sports Sedan’ stuff is Nissan’s moniker for lightly hotted-up examples of its mainstream models.

Accordingly, the car you see here is a marriage between the relatively sedate Sylphy, and the more hell-raising 1.6-litre turbo engine from the Juke R (or the Renault Clio RS, a car we love to bits).

It’s a promising marriage, too. The turbo engine gives the Sylphy 190bhp to play with, and a nice slug of peak torque worth 240Nm. Basically, you get as much power as you might expect from a decently tuned 2.5-litre, which in a car this size is a recipe for jollies.

But is it possible have fun in a Sylphy to begin with? Actually, yes. The basic car isn’t a ball of fire but it’s pleasingly well-mannered around corners. It’s stable when you barrell hard through bends and the steering’s relatively precise, so going quickly in a Sylphy is never a test of your confidence.

With that sort of poise as a baseline, the car finally has enough raw oomph to make use of it. It’s now possible to hustle a Sylphy around at the sort of pace that makes senior citizens click their tongues and wag a finger at you.

That said, while the SSS model gives the Sylphy the hot stuff under the bonnet that it has always deserved, the transmission pours a bit of ice on things.

It’s a CVT (or Continuously Variable Transmission), which means it lets the revs climb and stay high while the drive ratio changes and the car catches up.

Now, a CVT is efficient, which is why scooters use them, but it isn’t sporty. And it’s also why, like a scooter, the Sylphy stays at high revs when you accelerate hard, obliging you to listen to the engine droning away at full volume while you steadily pick up speed.

Thankfully, there is a mode that emulates a six-speed transmission, so you can enjoy the music of engine revs rising and falling if you want, but you have to tip the gearlever back and forth to do it.

What keen drivers want is a pair of paddles behind the steering wheel. Everyone knows it, including Nissan, so it’s a surprising omission.

Yet, perhaps that should tell you that, for all the connotations of the SSS badge, this is meant to be a fast Sylphy instead of a sporty one.

Sure, there are bits of bodykitting, like the subtle tail spoiler and the modest side skirts, and the 17-inch wheels quietly hint at the turbo power, but ultimately you don’t get the sense that this car was made to extract drool from boy racers.

If anything it’s quite exec inside. There’s a touchscreen satnav system, cruise control, sound system buttons on the steering wheel and so on. When you surf along with traffic it’s quiet, the CVT is smooth and though the ride quality takes a dip because of the bigger wheels, it’s never uncomfortable over bumps.

And this is worth mentioning because we live in the tropics: the air-con is good and strong.

What you have, then, is a Sylphy that stays true to its basic virtues, but one that’s capable of delivering a turbo-boosted grin whenever you’re in the mood.

I suspect it’ll be a niche seller, but there’s room in the market for a sensible car with a slightly naughty streak like the Sylphy SSS. And whomever buys it, he’s highly unlikely to be an old fart.

NEED TO KNOW
Engine             1,618cc, 16V, turbocharged in-line 4
Power              190bhp at 5600rpm
Torque             240Nm at 2400-5200rpm
Gearbox           CVT
Top Speed        205km/h
0-100km/h      8.4 seconds                                  
Fuel efficiency 7.8L/100km
CO₂                  187g/km
Price                $137,800 with COE
Availability       Now

Also consider:
Kia Cerato Forte Koup — OK, it’s only got two doors, but it’s pretty spacious inside
Suzuki Kizashi K-Sport — As long as you’re thinking out of the mainstream, try this underrated machine