UPDATE: High-res official gallery added
I spotted something unusual at the Clio Renault Sport 200 Cup launch last week. The hot Clio’s unveiling at the upscale Bangsar Shopping Centre was part of a Tan Chong roadshow starring the Renault range and upmarket models from Nissan. Sitting quietly in a corner was this, the Nissan Elgrand MPV.
If memory serves me right, Nissan’s big MPV was shown at KLIMS 2010, but I don’t remember a launch event or any press release about the model from ETCM. It’s also not listed on Nissan’s local website, so this should be one of the upcoming CBU models ETCM is bringing in for 2012. So, while all attention was on the hot hatch in front, I slipped away for a walk around and a few shots of the big black bus.
The Elgrand is Nissan’s answer to the Alphard, so it’s a luxurious box with sharp edges. It’s not as ubiquitous as the Toyota, but there are a few units around, usually black in colour with a massive chrome grille. This one sold by ETCM is the latest E52 third-generation Elgrand, one gen newer than those on the road.
The mask-like grille is still massive, but more effort has gone into the front design. Same goes for the rest of the car, which is less slab sided than before. The Elgrand is powered by Nissan’s VQ35DE 3.5-litre V6 engine making 280 PS and 344 Nm of torque. The gearbox is of course paired to the firm’s Xtronic CVT, with manual mode.
The Elgrand comes in as a Highway Star model and is quite well equipped. Standard kit includes six airbags (front, side, curtain), Vehicle Dynamic Control, ABS, EBD, BA, adaptive xenons, keyless entry/start (intelligent key), two powered sliding doors, auto tailgate, double sunroof, Around View Monitor, 18-inch alloys and a rear entertainment system with wireless headphones and 11-inch display.
But the highlight for chauffeured bosses will be the Elgrand’s three ottoman seats – front passenger plus two second row captain chairs – enabling business-class style seating on the road.
The Elgrand is imported CBU from Japan. The selling price we saw at the roadshow is RM398,342 on the road, including insurance.
Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.
Vellfire kopikat., in an ugly sense.
Vellfire wannabe ~ plus 400k is overpriced !
can get 1 of the half VW Sharan but half stuffs !
There’s no such thing as copycat. Grow up! That’s how japanese marques operates – support each other and beat the rest. Not like us or you!
Why is it a Vellfire copycat??if u’re talking abt the twin headlights,Nissan did it with the second gen Elgrand first.
Yup… Act, Vellfire is the copycat..
Bro, Vellfire is the one that copy Elgrand! Please check the Elgrand what they did to the headlamps during the previous generation!
http://www.cars-directory.net/specs/nissan/elgrand/2002_5/20079/
http://www.cars-directory.net/gallery/nissan/elgrand/2002/nissan_elgrand_a1217305803b1919481_p.html
Already have it since 2002… Check the pictures itself!
Oh good.. at least the copycat did a better a job.. Hahahahhaa…
In whatever ways, the design of the Vellfire is significantly better than this elgrando ugly.
Every time I see a Vellfire I have to chuckle. That is one ugly mofo, it looks ridiculous with that bodykit, and I imagine it touches the ground whenever the surface is not perfectly flat. Not even the TH2RS VW Multivan T5 is this low, and that is a 800 hp monster that does 100 in 4.4s, 200 in 12s and tops out at 310,7 km/h. It doesn’t even look nearly aggressive as the Vellfire (apart from the paintjob and stickers), even though the Vellfire is a much slower car. What a poser.
http://www.speedfanshop.com/blog/automobile/th2rs-vw-multivan-t5-mit-porschemotor-im-heck-details-zum-schnellsten-vw-bus-der-welt/
The Alphard is better looking. And so is the Elgrand. I’d be driving a Sharan though. Half the price, nicer looking (Vellfire, Alphard and Elgrand look like pimped and tricked out commercial vans), more practical, not so big, better equipped. Otherwise I’d do it like Guy Ritchie. Buy a commercial van and have it modified inside, with a big plasma TV, a nice leather sofa, massage chair, …
U sure sound dumb. It’s a business. They sell cars. U can’t copy others if that means profit?? Yeah so what if Vellfire looks better than the ONE it copied? It’s called IMPROVEMENT. But its design still doesn’t suit my taste. So what? That’s just my opinion. it’s subjective. But U seem like U can’t accept the truth that Nissan did it first and U don’t care. Toyota fanboy much?? LOL.
In which point did I said I can’t accept the truth that Nissan did it first?
Face it, it’s an ugly car. I m not really fond of Toyota either but their version is better than this, imo.
What I do like to express is, JAPS sucks in car exterior design 90% of the time. This elgrand proves it.
Bro..at this price..i rather get the T.Vellfire or VW sharan…
Bro, do you even have any idea how much a brand new Velfire cost if UMW even decide to bring it here? Even type J Vios is already overpriced. Go figure. Don’t compare 2nd hand proteinaceous contaminated interior recon Vellfire with new out of factory vehicle please.
Loco on the road.
with this price tag, will others still complain that VW Sharan @ RM250k is expensive? don’t tell me they are from different class bla bla bla….
THEY are of same type but different class, moron
ha ha ha ha…agreed with you..he said something like mini bus is same class with double decker executive coach..double moron
This thing and the VW r the same class so this thing is overpriced !
To be honest the Sharan is meant as a family car, while this is meant as a limo for VIPs. Still, that means the Sharan is more practical. It is safer, better equipped, probably more fun to drive too. And it costs half as much.
nope. not same class. pls do some homework before commenting. its embarrassing.
Yes, they were from a different class.
I love VW Sharan and Vellfire .
1 is worth and good looking and 1 is luxury and cool looking.
There is always class difference. One class is called “Can afford”. The other class is called “Cannot afford”. Regardless whether there is a decision to buy or not to buy the car, each person falls into one of those classes first.
I belong to the “Cannot afford”.
What a good price..
/s
looks cheep plastiky dashbord.. not worth for RM400K.. crappp
OMG…i agreed, The interior r ugly…..not worth for RM400K…..
I dont want to drive a TANK!,,,,move on.
Is more expensive than Alphard , right ?
Whoa…. my kind of ride…
Big and comfy, fake wood trim, leather seats, chrome everywhere… and long red reflector at the back….
But not my kind of price
You like fake wood trim? I prefer real wood…
suggest you to buy old timber tipper or we call it lorry balak. so, you can have a “real wood”, very fresh some more..
credit to u bro, those chinese coffins are real timber as well. LMAO
can whoever tell, is this 3.5 litre a guzzler? and my gosh its so expensive considering it has nothing but acres of fake wood and cheapo plastics
interior design is a let down, but the front is wellfire alike. why don’t they give LED head lamp instead of Xenon with this price tag.
grey interior..boring~
Wahh RM 400k. Can get 1 sharan and 1 jetta. Interior worst than exora….. Come on NIssan you should do much better if want to charge RM400k for the s…
be realistic larr…you dont like so much is fine but dont say the interior is WORST than exora, you insulting the furture owner. anyway, with 400k, it is still cheaper than ferrari
For Umno cronies.
It is about HKD$500,000. Converting from Hong Kong dollars gets you about RM195k, less than half price! Who let this happen?
Hentikan membeli kereta pada harga yang melampau lebih dari nilai kereta. Anda mampu mengubahnya.
which car had the ‘real global price’ in Malaysia?
Ford Fiesta, almost. If you take the European price as a benchmark. It’s impossible to beat the low American prices, but that’s to be expected. They are very poor, so they need things to be affordable.
if i not mistaken, you have to pay between 30 to 50% of downpayment, not more than 5 years loan and higher interest compare to malaysia. as a layman rakyat, still cant afford to own car..
wow bang for bucks!! my company need one!!
seriously the instrument panel.??? they must be joke… it just like local car made
Question: Does it really have the 11-inch rear monitor on it? Does it have a BOSE 5.1 Surround Sound System? I’m very curious though because if it does, this would be better and I hope they will turn away from the Toyota Alphard and Vellfire.
buy starex , it’s more affordable and same design as this boxy van , though come with 2 airbags and no esp .
Again, mindless posts by ill-informed people. Do you know how much a used, re-con Vellfire 3.5L V6 costs? Please go check Motor Trader…
this is due to tax structure (decided by BN) & AP king permit.
It is super expensive, indeed the tax structure is largely to blame but I think these car companies are to blame as well. They got greedy!!
As far as tax is concerned for recon cars brought in by grey importers, it’s really up to how much profit margin they really want to make, and I’m telling you these shops are smiling all the way to the bank.
Good alternative to the Alphard but I still prefer the looks of an Alphard. Good thing is u get Nissan’s official support for service and warranty – something no Aphard or Vellfire will ever get from UMWT.
I’m guessing it comes with rear LCD and nav as Danny took pics of the screens so entertainment is guaranteed especially with the captain row chairs!
Have you seen the top spec Vellfire price? Close to 500k but has similar stuff including auto park like the Sharan.
wow, a van having the same features as a van that costs half as much! What a bargain!
king of MPV..i like elgrand more than alphard..it look bigger..
The King would probably be the TH2RS VW Multivan T5, at least in terms of performance and looks. So unflashy, if you change the color and remove the stickers.
Also this isn’t a MPV, is it? I’d consider it to be a van.
kindly define what is mpv and what is a van…
To me the smaller ones are MPVs (also called minivan), while the big ones are considered vans. However Wikipedia also lists cars like the Sharan as a minivan, which makes me question what a van is then… it seems those are commercial vans/really big ones (more than 7 seats).
why everyone call MPV that have a sliding door as a van??? altough Juara only have 2+2 seater call a van? only because it have a sliding door?? are you crazy maahh! Exora bigger than Juara why dind’t you call it as van? your answer must be ” cause the exora dind’t have sliding door ”
what a brainless
PII LAA LUUU….
This is a good car…..for those bashers…u dont have money keep quiet… wanna buy affordable car, u go buy your plastic starex, wanna buy recon crap go buy your alphard. U think this elgrand copied velfire?? elgrand came out 1st…just not in our road in malaysia…. read more…talk crap less….
It’s a van and always a van! Multiple Passenger Van!
MPV means Multi Purpose Vehicle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Purpose_Vehicle
harga yg mengarut. better beli juara convert g alphard.
Nak lagi selesa beli Scania Bus la..
this is one big HEARSE AKA kereta mayat.
Is that a gen 1 Myvi Meter gauge cluster?
This baby’s hot and all that… but 400k and not even steering wheel audio control?? damn…
I’d prefer VW sharan and vellfire to this crappy expensive nissan which is not worth buying..the design is kindda old fashin,so lame and no multfunction button steering that’s most people will look into
a motorbile hit my friends elgrand hiting the side mirror…..replace it rm4500 which has to be imported from japan….
yeah, all these fancy car mirrors with self dipping and stuff cost about that much
I asked for Serena but they gave me this. ETCM really look good on Malaysian can afford this mammoth.
They should bring in the Kangoo II, Grand Scenic and Espace instead. But of course financially the Elgrand will make more sense, it should sell better. What a shame.
bro..at this price..i rather get the t.Vellfire or vw sharan..
i remember seeing an ad around 2 yrs ago selling a brand new alphard 3.5L for 600k. So i think for 400k, this elgrand is a good deal. not to mention that its more exclusive than the common alphards n vellfire which you see everywhere n get sick n tired of it.
those that say this is overpriced better go get your brain scanned. it is brand new with warranty from tan chong. a stupid recon 2010 3.5 vellfire/alphard is asking around 400k and ppl still buy it like its free of charge.
Looking at so many people reacting badly the pricing for this car, no wonder Toyota is not bringing in new Alphard, Vellfire, Land Cruiser, Estima to here. Many people in Malaysia won’t spend a large sum of money on japanese car because many have the mentality that high pricing is usually reserved for European cars especially German cars. This is why so many are buying grey imports or recon models because they are cheaper. There is not much demand for Japanese new cars with this kind of pricing at here. Hope the mentality of Malaysians will change. Japanese can produce good cars too, not just Germans.
Well, they brought in Lexus didn’t they?
Yes, they do brought in Lexus and recently, Infiniti too. But do you notice their sales are still far inferior compared to the sales of Mercedes Benz and BMW which both are Lexus and Infiniti’s rivals? In other countries especially in America, the sales of Lexus are actually able to compete with those German luxury car makers. In here, not really. People at here still prefers Mercedes or BMW over Lexus and Infiniti.
Why do people then buy a Vios instead of a Fiesta? Price the same, one Japanese, the other one conti (developed in Germany, AFAIK). Better spec’ed too. But people buy Japanese.
With the Sharan they complain it’s too expensive, yet they buy ancient recons for the same price or more… Alphard and Vellfire aren’t cheap, seems like you can pay 400k for a recon one, and people do. Elgrand for 400k compared to that is a bargain, however the real bargain is the Sharan.
The Japanese can produce good cars (also good cars that are relatively affordable), that is true, but then they should bring them here too. Even if they do it, they strip them down so much that it hardly resembles the original car anymore. Why is there no Aygo here? A cheap, cheerful, not too rubbish, safe and economic small car that is meant to be affordable. But nope, not in Malaysia. Vitz/Yaris is turned into the Vios, and into a joke (0-2 instead of 6+ airbags, no ESP, rubbish auto gearbox, outdated engines, etc.) (coincidentally Vitz in German is very close to Witz, which means joke).
And then there is the pretty nice Nissan Qashqai.
what an ugly car. interior is crappy. my vellfire is 100X better.
what an ugly car. the interior sucks as well. my vellfire is 100X better.
your vellfire sucks big time like a hiace!
RM400k is not cheap… sigh…
the price….well its either this or an e-class
yeah if im not mistaken, Merc E250 CGI also can dapat at this price
Well, then it’s obvious, isn’t it? Unless you have a driver or a too big family the Merc should be much more fun to drive, better spec’ed, has a nicer interior, lower fuel consumption and better performance, …
Lebih baik import Serena JDM dari Elgrand, boleh timbang nak beli
WHY SO EXPENSIVE? it’s just a van with few technology in it,,,so why this price??? don’t make sense at all,,,400 k doesn’t make sense
Yeah. Get a NV400, 2 OSIM massage chairs and a 50-60″ plasma screen + surround system. Maybe modify the suspension to air suspension for better comfort, a bit of sound dampening here and there (there is enough space in there). That should be one hell of a comfortable ride, and who would steal a NV400?
true that
cars in this country s very expensive,,,from myvi to imported cars,,,,,fed up with this,plus high fuel price for a oil producing countries n high road tax for third world quality roads
Jap car still on huge displacement and not friendly to tax structure in most countries…
Hey ah Chong, you still don’t get it. We don’t need your mafia van.
We want our GT-R !!
ANOTHER GANGSTER MPV FOR THE MAFIAS…
speed meter just 180 kmh je. aiyooo mahal gila kot. better Volkswagen Sharan atau Ford
Is it SIGNIFICANTLY larger than Mazda 8 ?
yup. think of an alphard then you will know the rough size.
At this price range,I better get a range rover evoque.a lot more stylish, a lot more cool looking Interior, and definitely more head turning exterior.no offense to Nissan coz I myself are using a teana and latio, but dat price range is too expensive
At this price range,I better get a range rover evoque.a lot more stylish, a lot more cool looking Interior, and definitely more head turning exterior.no offense to Nissan
At this price range,I better get a range rover evoque.a lot more stylish, a lot more cooler looking Interior, and definitely more head turning exterior. And just rm30k more and you can get a brand new Mercedes r-class
At this price range,I better get a range rover evoque. And just add rm30k more and you can get a brand new Mercedes r-class
This is a souped up North American Nissan Quest, with price range from $25K – $40K. Apasal kat Malaysia jual sampai $400K…? Hampeh la.
Thank you to the gomen u guys voted mah!! BN=Barang Naik. Even no need naik already banyak tinggi the harga. lol
some of those driving this big machines have small brains. encountered 2 drivers turned left without signal!
Nice big luxo barge!