Global debut of 2019 Nissan Livina MPV in Indonesia

KUALA LUMPUR: The budget MPV segment is a hard-fought battle, and Nissan needed some new skin to be competitive in the game. Enters the 2019 Livina to give Nissan a fighting chance. This new model is something we have seen before, it is essentially a rebadged Mitsubishi Xpander. Nissan made some modifications to the Xpander, and thus the new Livina was born.

On the exterior of the 2019 Livina, most of the sheet metal has been carried forward from the Xpander. Nissan did make some changes though. This includes the 3-tier lighting arrangement, where the main beams are situated lower in the bumper with a thin DRL lighting strip above it. Gone are the Mitsubishi chrome strip ‘cheeks’ making way for the Nissan ‘V-Motion’ nose. The lower end of the bumper is slightly different, comprising a full-width silver lip and angular fog lamps (Xpander has round fog lamps). Differences are also seen in the front wheel arch design, which is round instead of the squared-off like Mitsubishi uses. Minor design changes to the DRLs can also be observed.

From the side, the 2019 Livina gives the illusion of a ‘floating roof’ design. This look was made possible thanks to a small strip which joins the side and rear glass areas. Adding character to the side profile is a single deep wedge running the length of the body. Moving to the rear, Nissan has changed the signature graphics for the LED. They feature an outward pointing boomerang design. The tailgate is also simpler than on the Xpander, and the silver diffuser on the Livina is a 2-piece element, like on the Nissan X-Trail.

With these exterior changes the Livina and Xpander are distinguishable, but under the hood, they house the same mill. Both are powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine which makes 104 PS and 141 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic. The car rides on 16-inch alloy wheels and sits 205 mm off the ground.

The 2019 Nissan Livina specs list is generous with a 7-inch touchscreen unit featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, tilt and telescopic steering, 12V outlet for each row, keyless entry with push start, LED DRLs, multi-info color display with an eco indicator, and reverse camera. These features may not be available in all variants though.

On the safety front, dual airbags and ABS/EBD are standard across the new Livina variants. Some higher models will get Brake Assist and Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC).

Competition for the new Livina is seen in the form of the Toyota Avanza, Honda Mobilio, Daihatsu Xenia, and Proton Ertiga.