Most car buyers would be familiar with hybrid cars by now, which has both an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric motor. Most hybrids can be driven solely by the ICE, or the electric motor, or both at the same time, and these are called parallel hybrids.

A less common type of hybrid setup though is called the series hybrid. These are driven primarily by the electric motor, with an ICE that serves only as a power generator to charge the battery, which in turns powers the motor that drives the car.

Nissan are one of the few car manufacturers that have opted to make series hybrids a cornerstone of their brand with their e-Power technology. And their latest Serena e-Power MPV shows how it has refined the tech for a more pleasant driving experience.

What is e-Power?

As explained earlier, e-Power is Nissan's series hybrid drivetrain system, consisting of an electric motor that drives the wheels, and an ICE that charges the battery for the motor.

In effect, you're essentially driving an electric vehicle (EV), except that there is no need to plug in to charge it. Instead, you refuel the engine with petrol as you would with any other regular ICE car.

There are several benefits to this setup. Because the engine does not need to drive the wheels, there is less stress demanded of it, so it can run at its most optimum speed at all times. Another bonus is that it requires only the most basic and affordable type of petrol, thereby potentially saving you money.

In the latest Serena, the engine is a 1.4-litre three-cylinder unit, which Nissan claims is now quieter and more efficient than the previous Serena's 1.2-litre engine. In any case, power comes from the electric motor, and it produces 161hp and 315Nm of torque.

How does it drive?

Very smoothly actually. Because it is primarily electric driven, the power is delivered in a linear and progressive fashion. It's not fast of course, but it's not meant to be, given its nature as an MPV.

Instead, what the Serena offers plenty of is refinement. At regular speeds, the car is as quiet as any EV you care to name. Even when the ICE unit kicks in to top up the battery, you'll hardly hear it in operation.

An interesting feature of the e-Power system is its regenerative braking. Nissan calls it the e-Pedal, and essentially the car will brake by itself when you release the accelerator pedal. It feels quite strange, because the braking force is pretty strong, and you don't get the sense of being able to modulate the braking power.

In the previous generation e-Power system, this regen braking was the standard setting, which made for a very surreal and unnatural driving experience. Thankfully however this time round, the e-Pedal mode is switched off by default, and can be activated by pressing a button on the dashboard.

The rest of the car drives like how you would expect a typical family MPV to be like. The ride is comfortable, while the handling is neutral and unexciting. This is a car that encourages you to take it easy and not stress too much after a long and busy day.

What about space and practicality?

Like most MPVs, the Serena offers seating for seven. But it's how those seats are packaged that truly impresses.

You enter the cabin via the twin sliding doors, but the Serena features a novelty trick where you can open them simply by waving your foot under the door. One can imagine how useful this would be for busy parents with their hands full with kids and groceries.

Those in the second row get their own individual seats which can be moved not just forward and backwards, but also sideways, to create a path in the middle for access to the third row. There are also fold-out tables with built-in cupholders at the back of the seats, much like you would find on an airplane.

Those at the back get a more traditional bench, but the space and versatility of the Serena means that there's plenty of room to accommodate adults comfortably. Nissan claims that there's 1.4 metres worth of headroom, so younger kids can actually stand up fully to walk around the cabin (when it's safe to do so of course).

With all the seats up, there's not a whole lot of room for luggage in the boot. But the seats can of course be folded away if you need more space to accommodate larger items like bicycles or big bags.

The Serena's party piece though is its split-opening tailgate, where the glass can be opened separately. This comes in useful in tight parking lots where you're backed up against the wall, and there is not enough space to open the tailgate fully.

Up front, the Serena further expands on that sense of roominess, with a dashboard design that leave the floor clear, such that one can easily slide over from the driver's seat to the passenger's, and vice versa. There is a useful tray in between the seats to hold your loose items, while the wireless smartphone charger sits just beneath the controls for the air con.

What if I want to fit one more person?

There is actually an eight-seater version of the Serena, called the Premium, but unless you absolutely need to ferry that many people, it's not really a worthy buy as it comes with a number of features missing from the seven-seater model, which is called the Highway Star Prestige.

Other than the fact that the two individual seats in the middle will now be converted into a bench seat, the eight-seater Premium model comes without the wireless charging pad up front, as well as downsized screens for the instrument cluster and infotainment system. The hands-free automatic sliding door is also limited to the left side for the Premium model too.

As a result, the eight-seater version is some $5,000 cheaper than the seven-seater Highway Star Prestige, which is going for $212,800 with COE (as of Sept 2024). But we feel that it's worth forking out the extra cash simply because of what you're getting for the money.

Regardless of which variant you opt for though, you'll be getting a spacious family MPV that's comfortable and relaxing to drive. And with the e-Power drivetrain, you'll get to enjoy the benefits and efficiencies of EV motoring without the drawbacks of worrying about charging.

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benjamin.chia@asiaone.com

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