Vehicle: 2007 Nissan Elgrand Highway Star
Price as tested: HK$486800

Performance: With Highway Star as flagship trim level for this upscale ppl mover, its expected to have Nissan’s legendary VQ engine performance. Even though this application of VQ35DE only has 240hp, its the torque figure that is more important given its minivan status. That’s 244 lb/ft of torque at a reasonable 3200rpm. Although its not breathtaking with barely over 240 lb/ft of torque, the seat-of-the-pants feel speaks more than the numbers. Throttle response is quick. With the good ratios set by 5-speed manumatic transmission, which is the similar gearbox as find in Altima and Maxima V6. This tranny is a willing companion to the excellent powertrain. Yes, the 2010kg curb weight does take a toll to its overall performance. By the time Nissan upgrades Elgrand with the VQ35DE High Response or HR, this vehicle will continue to raise the bar regarding performance.

Handling: A luxury ppl mover is never known for driving dynamics, so does this Elgrand. However, its center-of-gravity and roll stiffness are delightful surprise. Coming with over 2000kg and soft suspension, you would expect it to have mashmellow handling as in many domestic luxury vans. Not so with the Elgrand. It all begins with a stiff chassis, a front-engined/rear-wheel-drive layout configurates with the right engine choice. The result is a heavy beast that feels quite capable in corners. What I meant as capable equals confidence-inspiring instead of sweating. Although the steering is lack of any feedback, its precision and weight are better than average. Ride quality is simply awesome. With Highway Star’s firmer suspension and rebound damping, Elgrand actually rides confidently without losing the inherent softness typically associated with this kind of vehicle.

Brakes: Another pleasant surprise to Elgrand’s dynamic quality is its braking prowess. Its stopping distance and pedal feel are much better than expected. The pedal feel is quite impressive, once again, given its overall weight.

Interior: In terms of materials and design, Elgrand is the best effort by Nissan to date. One actually feels more luxurious in this uplevel Highway Star trim than any so-called premium Infiniti models. There are enough soft-touch plastic materials around the dashboard and door panels. The sports cloth, which covered the seats in our tester, has a high-quality feel to the touch. It feels soft and rough, what I meant rough meant its a very durable material.

The coolest feature has to be the back-up camera. Driver can adjust the angle while backing up, as well as looking at how close to the curb while cruising on the highway.

Both the 2nd and 3rd row of seats have more leg and headrooms than many of our domestic luxury minivans.

Conclusion: During the time of our writing, Nissan Canada is still considering bringing the Elgrand as a flagship minivan above the unremarkable Quest. It got everything else to be a great alternative to Ford Econoline. Its more efficient, more comfotable, easier to drive and, best of all, it looks cool with Highway Star body kit.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2007 NISSAN ELGRAND
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Performance: 4/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 3/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 4/5