Review: 2015 Nissan Sylphy 1.8V

Photos by Ulysses Ang

What’s in a name? This is perhaps the question that faced the marketing gurus at Nissan Philippines when they raised their compact car from the grave with an all-new nameplate. Like the builders of the Tower of Babel, there was shock and then utter confusion: Syl-what? How do you spell that? Like “selfie”? Whatever happened to Sentra? From an outsider looking in, it didn’t make sense. ‘Sentra’ had such a strong recall, so why kill the name? You don’t have to look far to realize that Nissan themselves or more specifically the former distributors who handed the brand caused the Sentra’s demise. Ask anyone below the age of thirty what they think of ‘Sentra’ and only two things come to mind: taxi cabs and cold air conditioning. These aren’t exactly the best adjectives to hear when you’re trying to resurrect the brand, but the reality must be faced: the era of the B13 is over. And Nissan Philippines knows that entirely.
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