Nissan Teana: A sedan built to provide passenger comfort

If you’ve been following the local car market for some time now, then you’ll know that the only Japanese brands that are selling a V6-powered midsize sedan locally are Toyota and Honda. 

The first version of the Nissan Teana that was brought into the Philippine market in 2007

For Toyota Philippines, they have the Camry. Honda Philippines in turn has the Accord. But did you know that Nissan Philippines also had a V6 midsize luxury sedan? It was called the Teana and it was released globally back in 2003.

The Nissan Teana: The Bluebird and Cefiro’s replacement 

Based on the FF-L platform, the Nissan Teana was designed to replace the aging Bluebird sedan. In Japan meanwhile, it was set to take over the spot of the Cefiro. For the Philippine market, the Teana was brought-in in 2007. That said, its two main rivals were earlier in the game.  

Moving on to its mechanical specs, let’s start with its engine. The two available Philippine-spec versions of this Nissan model used the 2.3-liter VQ23DE V6. It was capable of making up to 171 horsepower and 225 Nm of torque. Power is then sent to the front wheels using a four-speed automatic transmission.  

The Teana's 2.3-liter VQ23DE V6 engine

Of note, the 2.3-liter VQ23DE is also used in the 2006 Renault Samsung SM7 sedan. The VQ-series itself is also a well-utilized engine series that is found on numerous other models like the 2001 Stagea, and the Japanese market Gloria, Cedric, and Cima sedan models. 

In comparison to the Philippine versions of the Camry V6 and Accord V6 though, the Teana was the weaker of the three in terms of engine output. The Camry V6 made 212 horsepower, and the Accord V6 was the most powerful at the time as it can produce up to 240 horsepower. 

This is then compounded by the fact that the Teana had a curb weight of 1,450 kg. That’s pretty hefty for a four-door sedan. Then for suspensions, the Nissan-made model used independent MacPherson struts for the front, and an independent multi-link suspension for the rear. 

Later in 2010 though, the Teana received a significant power bump with the introduction of the 3.5-liter VQ35DE V6 engine. At that time, it can produce up to 249 horsepower and 335 Nm of torque. The torque converter tranny however was replaced with the Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). 

The beige-tastic interior of the 2007 Nissan Teana

When it comes to on-board features, the Teana was more than a plus for those two aforementioned cars in terms of features. In particular, the top-spec Teana 230JM came standard with Xenon headlamps, a sunroof, a seven-inch display monitor, leather seats, and rear window shades.  

Those were further improved in the 2006 version with the addition of power-adjustable seats. The 2010 version also received more improvements like auto-leveling for the Xenon headlamps, dual-zone automatic climate control system, and an Ottoman front passenger seat. 

The newer 2010 version looked like this. 

And lastly, it was also well-kitted out in terms of safety with its six airbags, anti-lock braking with electronic brake-force distribution, stability and traction control, as well as a rear-view parking camera.  

So, what happened to the Teana? 

As far as specs go, the Teana was designed to provide a lot of comfort to its occupants. It wasn’t that fast, but its 2.3-liter V6 mill made enough for cruising. So, what happened to the Teana? Well, it might have something to do with poor sales, and the growing popularity of SUVs and crossovers in the local market. 

Even in Thailand where they made the Teana, sales were slumping back in the 2010s. As such, its production was halted in 2020. In the Philippines though, Nissan had decided to stop selling Teana sometime in 2014 before replacing it with the Altima. 

The seventh-gen Teana that's currently sold and produced in China in cooperation with Dongfend Motors

In select markets, the new third-generation Teana has been sold since 2013. This however is a rebadged version of the Nissan Altima that was sold in North America. Even Nissan Japan has dropped the Teana name, though it has kept other similarly-sized sedans like the Skyline, Fugue, and Cima.  

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