The sixth-generation Nissan Serena has now finally made its official launch in Malaysia, following its preview last December, and now Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) has officially launched the MPV in five variants; prices are on-the-road, without insurance:
- X – RM154,800
- X Plus – RM159,800
- Highway Star – RM169,800
- Premium Highway Star – RM174,800
- Shiro Premium Highway Star – RM179,800
From launch, ETCM is offering the 2026 Serena e-Power with an introductory rebate of RM5,000, and an accessories package worth RM8,000 for all variants except the base X variant. The early bird offer is valid until further notice, according to ETCM.
Locally assembled (CKD) in Serendah, Selangor, the C28 Serena is the first e-Power model to be assembled in Malaysia; the Nissan Kicks crossover that also gets the e-Power hybrid powertrain is fully imported from Thailand.
The powertrain of the C28 Serena is the most significant change from its predecessor, the C27-generation model; the model just launched in Malaysia is powered by a HR14DDe 1.4 litre naturally-aspirated inline-three petrol engine that outputs 98 PS and 123 Nm, which operates solely as a generator for the 1.77 kWh lithium-ion battery located under the floor between the front seats.
This 1.77 kWh battery feeds a 163 PS/315 Nm electric motor that drives the front wheels; its predecessor the C27 Serena was offered with an MR20DD 2.0 litre naturally aspirated inline-four petrol engine producing 150 PS and 200 Nm, driving the front wheels through a CVT. This is aided by a mild-hybrid configuration that brought a 2.6 PS/48 Nm motor serving as a starter-alternator, and for energy recuperation.
Drive modes offered in the C28 Serena include Eco, Standard and Sport, each differentiated by the level of regenerating braking on offer. This can be further augmented by engaging B mode on the transmission selector, or use the e-Pedal mode for the strongest brake energy regeneration, with one-pedal driving.
In terms of the chassis, the C28 Serena gets redeveloped, SUV-based front suspension, and includes a stabiliser that is 20% more rigid to better suppress body roll and lateral movements, and the 50% increased suspension member rigidity along with improved friction control and rigidity of the electric power steering system means drivers enjoy a 23% reduction in steering corrections compared to the C27 Serena.
Movements under braking have also been optimised to reduce pitch in the initial stage of deceleration when the driver is off-throttle, and the brake booster has also been tuned to offer gentle deceleration in the initial phase of brake operation. Together, these chassis refinements aim to reduce motion sickness, according to ETCM.
From launch, the C28 Serena brings the aforementioned specification, as well as tri-beam LED projector headlamps and LED daytime running lights, LED combination tail lamps, power-folding mirrors with integrated LED indicators, and 16-inch wheels with 205/65 profile tyres.
Accommodation in the C28 features zero gravity-inspired seats, and the units in the front row in particular have longer seat cushions to offer increased contact area for better support, which in turn maintains the occupants’ body posture for reduced unwanted movement, and thus lower fatigue.
This is also aided by improved sound insulation, with the use of acoustic front windshield glass on the Highway Star, Premium Highway Star and Shiro Premium Highway Star.
For ease of access, the powered rear sliding doors have hands-free operation on both doors on the top three variants, and hands-free operation on the left sliding door on the X and X Plus. Powered tailgate operation is reserved for the top Shiro Premium Highway Star variant.
Inside, the C28 Serena for Malaysia gets a 2-2-3 seating configuration, with the aforementioned zero gravity-inspired seats located in the first two rows; the second row gets ISOFIX child seat anchors. This gets a middle pass-through to the third row with 50:50 split-folding and without ISOFIX, and these can be unlatched, folded and hooked to the sides to yield more cargo space.
There are up to 13 seating configurations in the C28 Serena; the top three variants get six USB ports (one Type A, five Type C) and one wireless charger, while the X and X Plus get one Type A and one Type C for a total of two.
For upholstery, the C28 Serena starts with black, water-repellent fabric on the X, stepping up to leatherette on the X Plus. The Highway Star reverts to the black water-repellent fabric, before the Premium Highway Star that gets Nappa Leather in black, while the Shiro Premium Highway Star gets Nappa leather in white.
The C28 Serena cabin is refreshed with a dashboard featuring a pair of 12.3-inch displays in the three highest trim levels; one for driver instrumentation, and the other for the Nissan Connect touchscreen infotainment system. This supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and rear-seat passengers get access to a 14-inch entertainment monitor; audio is a six-speaker setup in these variants. In the X and X Plus, displays are seven- and nine-inch units, and audio is a four-speaker setup.
Revised dashboard architecture brings a volume knob that is level with the air-conditioning vents, which are above the controls for the dual-zone climate system and push-button-style electronic gear selector. This has been re-oriented from the C27 cabin where the gearlever partly obstructed the storage cubby behind it, and the storage has now been relocated lower, and enlarged to house a wireless charging pad.
The open storage cubby is carried over from the C27 Serena, while the upper storage compartment on the top dash in the C27 is now more neatly integrated. Cupholders (15 in the Shiro, Premium and Highway Star; 11 in the X and X Plus) are located in front of the corner air-conditioning vents, in addition to other compartments located throughout the occupant cabin of the C28.
For driving assistance systems, the C28 Serena gets a suite of driving assistance systems comprised of forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, and driver attention monitoring.
The Nissan ProPILOT semi-autonomous driving suite is offered on the Highway Star, Premium Highway Star and Shiro Premium Highway Star variants, to which it brings intelligent cruise control (adaptive cruise control), intelligent lane intervention, and blind spot intervention. Also on are moving object detection and around view monitor. The X Plus and X variants substitute the moving object detection and around view monitor (360-degree camera) with a sole reverse camera.
Four exterior colours are offered for the C28 Serena in varying combinations, depending on variant, and these are Diamond Black, Turquoise Blue, Brilliant White and Dark Metal Grey, where the latter three are two-tone colour schemes paired with a black roof on the top two variants.
To recap, pricing for the 2026 C28 Nissan Serena e-Power is from RM154,800 for the X, up to RM179,800 for the top Shiro Premium Highway Star. Vehicle warranty coverage is five years or 100,000 km, while warranty coverage for the e-Power components (motor, battery, energy management) is eight years or 160,000 km.
2026 C28 Nissan Serena e-Power Highway Star in Malaysia
2026 C28 Nissan Serena e-Power Premium Highway Star in Malaysia
2026 C28 Nissan Serena e-Power Shiro Premium Highway Star in Malaysia
2026 C28 Nissan Serena e-Power X in Malaysia
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Basically 2 core variants (X and Highway Star) with other variants being seat upholstery differences mainly?
If not mistaken the 2 basic variants only got one power sliding door, the other one is manual sliding door, so can forget about the base model. Meaning for proper variant the starting price is RM169,800.
White leather? :D
mind you…this car was introduced to the world back in *checks notes* Nov 2022…
Tan Chong does what Tan Chong always does, launches car models just as their about to be model replaced hoping potential customers still unaware their buying obsoleted car.
Where does the difference in length and width between variants come from (as seen in the brochure)?
White seat….LOL. Please sack the PIC. I hope this isnt some stupid motor journalist idea influencing them to be bold.
Airbags?
this should sell well considering its the cheapest 7 seat MPV with sliding doors.
Cheapest Adaptive Cruise MPV
only the RM180k variant is the one that is worth it. the rest are rubbish. however for RM180k, no electric seats is a big let down.
why would you want electric seats without memory? The ones in my Camry I don’t even move them often. So hard to use hand to adjust?
Finally decent Torque for an Minivan that carry up to 7-8 ppl at 315nm, since its through electric drive, will be instant….not those lethargic 2.5 NA powering most of toyota vans.
innova only has 2.0 engine not 2.5
Exactly. Better acceleration is important. This one 3cylinder driving 9.5s is faster han traditional 2.5L larger MPV.
But this one lost the plushiness and having a very low 125mm ground clearance only suitable for Japan Domestic while its still relevant?
Still using the outdated highly degradable and highly flammable Lithium Ion in 2026? Patutlah Nissan tak ramai beli. Lithium Iron is the best Lithium today that lovves getting charged. Lithium ion degrades every time you charge and degrades faster if charge to 100%
This model dah keluar kat Japan or SG and so far ok je???? Ada 8 years e-POWER components warranty kot .
Launch too late, people waiting for car cny. This after cny only launch
Good acceleration thanks to the new powertrain and upgrades to the dashboard and handling. May have some competition from toyota zenix but this tall skinny Serena model still wins hands down in terms of overall value proposition.