Here’s a close-up look at the fifth-generation Nissan Serena, which was spotted recently by paultan.org reader Sashitahran Nadarajah. The MPV you see here is wearing quite a bit more camouflage than before, although many details are still pretty apparent.

The new front face features a V-motion two-slat grille that blends into the sculpted hood, and there are now two-tier headlights. A distinctive character line originates from between the lighting units, which then progresses below the door handles and towards the rails of the sliding doors.


In Japan, the Serena is available in a Highway Star variant, which comes with bodykit that includes a more aggressive-looking front bumper with sleeker fog enclosures, side skirts and new rear bumper. These items are present on the test mule seen here, albeit under wraps of course. One thing to note is the rear bumper of this Serena is fitted with a reflector/rear fog lamp, something not seen in press photos – likely done to comply with local regulatory requirements.

Other covered areas hide the Serena’s redesigned tailgate that features blacked-out portions to project a seamless integration with the rear window. New black-painted D-pillars also promote a “floating roof” look, accompanied by smaller taillights.


This particular Serena also sports the same wheel design seen on units being transported on a trailer previously, instead of the available two-tone alloys. It is likely more than one trim level will be offered, as those white-bodied units were spotted devoid of a bodykit.

Power should come from the same S-Hybrid powertrain as before, pairing a MR20DD 2.0 litre direct-injected four-cylinder petrol engine – developing 147 PS at 5,600 rpm and 210 Nm at 4,400 rpm – to a 1.8 kW/200 A integrated starter/generator motor that provides up to 50 Nm of accelerative boost for one second, along with an Xtronic CVT.