Nissan Pulsar 2013 News

Earlier this month, Audi unveiled a retro-inspired small electric vehicle that is a homage to a car that failed a quarter of a century ago. Spectacularly. Chances are the timely and handsome new A2 will succeed where the overpriced and oddly styled original from 2001 could not, but referencing a flop seems risky. It’s like Ford reviving the AU Falcon (though to be fair it is having a moment), or General Motors exhuming Holden with an ode to the ZB Commodore. Or Epica. Which has us thinking: this isn’t the first time that nostalgia, perhaps served with a side plate of delusion, has led to some confounding decisions. Whether they sold or were received poorly, we outline five resurrections that flopped. And if you disagree, let us know why in the comments below. How the millennial Monaro came about requires context. Holden enjoyed two golden eras: the early years, and for half a decade from 1997, after the then-new VT Commodore became a runaway smash hit. And the next year’s Australian International Motor Show in Sydney was pivotal. Codenamed Monica, the 1998 Holden Coupe Concept – essentially a VT with two doors, a slightly more-rakish windscreen and four (lower) seats – stole the show like no other car ever had before or since. At the time, Holden wasn’t even planning to build it. After all, coupe shelf lives are notoriously short. The original HK Monaro of 1968 proved popular initially, but its HQ-HX successors from 1971 struggled. The Coupe Concept utterly overshadowed Ford’s debuting AU Falcon at the Sydney show, made national news and created a buzz that helped bolster the brand. It was nothing short of sensational. Journalists immediately dubbed it Monaro, something Holden was understandably wary of. Despite what some articles today state, the resulting V2 Monaro failed to meet internal sales expectations when it arrived far later than scheduled, in November, 2001. Priced beyond most buyers’ reach from nearly $95,000 adjusted for inflation today, it went on to account for only a fraction of Commodore volume, at 4274 versus 88,478 units, putting it at 47 spot. From there, sales never improved, and the US-market Pontiac GTO export version of 2004 also failed to find a large-enough audience. By then, GM was floundering as the world moved away from sedans and coupes, in favour of SUVs, with the planned next-generation VE Monaro promptly canned, save for the 2008 Coupe 60 Concept to celebrate Holden’s 60 Anniversary. The Datsun 1600 is regarded as one of Japan’s earliest greats. Launched in 1967, it combined elegant styling with European-style chassis sophistication, to create a brilliant little sedan that dominated world rallying as effortlessly as it won over owners’ hearts. However, the larger and heavier 180B and 200B replacements of 1972 and 1976 respectively completely lacked the 1600’s sporty charm. Stung by widespread criticism, Datsun attempted to recreate the magic with the Stanza in 1978. But, built down to a price, it sorely lacked the fun and finesse that endeared so many owners to the old 1600. Critics were ruthless in their reviews. And though relatively popular and successful in motorsport, the Stanza couldn’t replicate the old 1600’s greatness and lasted only a single generation in Australia. By all objective means, any NSX is a masterpiece. Be it the exquisite 1990 NA1 original that became the first mid-engined supercar in history to love you back, or the NC1 tri-electric motor petrol/hybrid AWD successor of 2016 that was a breathtaking technological showcase, the name signifies engineering mastery. However, while neither generation achieved the sales volumes Honda required, the original has enjoyed a glorious afterlife as one of the all-time sports car greats. But the latter? Sadly, the second – or American – NSX remains misunderstood as being too advanced, and not “analogue” enough for drivers to truly connect with. That Honda cancelled it early (except in Japan) has not helped. Maybe the NC1 was just a decade before its time. Still an amazing achievement. One of Japan’s earliest Volkswagen Golf clones, the Pulsar became a beloved small-car staple in Australia over 25 years and six generations from 1980. That was until Nissan was forced to switch to a smaller replacement with awkward styling, ambitious pricing and a silly name. Inevitably, the 2006 Tiida tanked, even as Australians were clamouring towards smaller cars in the wake of soaring fuel prices. This was the era where the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla were king, but Nissan missed the party completely. The reason why the Pulsar ended was that it never properly challenged the Golf, so instead Nissan devised the Qashqai crossover, which immediately became a sales phenomenon. Somehow, Nissan Australia convinced a reluctant Japan to allow the redesigned Tiida hatch of 2012 to be rebadged Pulsar, along with the Thai market Sylphy sedan. Hopes were high of a sales revival but neither interloper possessed the required sophistication or appeal to lure local consumers back. Both Pulsar iterations never saw out their model cycle. The rear-engined air-cooled Beetle, which changed comparatively little between 1937 and 2003, remains the world’s best-selling vehicle of all time, at 21.5 million units. In contrast, the Toyota Corolla regenerated 12 times to date for it to find 50 million buyers. The re-imagined New Beetle, released globally in 1997 and 2000 in Australia, based on the versatile Golf IV architecture and built inexpensively in Mexico, sold strongly at first. But demand tapered off markedly as per most fashion statements, especially when BMW’s Mini reset the bar for retro remakes from 2001. However, after nearly 1.2 million units, VW’s third attempt, officially known as the “The Beetle”, struggled from the outset in 2012, despite featuring significantly more sophisticated drivetrains. Gone by 2019, barely 550,000 units were produced worldwide.

Aussie car fans and nostalgia buffs will tell you that local motoring reached its peak in the 1970s.

Nissan's performance division Nismo is putting effort into rolling out a wave of variants that put some heat under their cooking brand models. And they've injected a 'big, bad shot of adrenaline' into the mild-mannered  Nissan Pulsar (Sentra in the US market) Pulsar, unveiling it at Los Angeles motor show as a hi-po Nismo version. It's dressed to thrill far better than its Pulsar seed -- even the SSS -- with aggressive race-inspired body kit, track-tuned suspension with custom springs and shock absorbers, muscled-up arches housing 19-inch wheels behind which are the Brembo brake calipers swiped from the 370Z, and some show cues such as smoked headlight glass. Nissan says the  interior gets Recaro sports seats, chunky little steering wheel, Alcantara suede and carbon 'fibber' accents. But it's not a case of style without substance. Under the bonnet is a turbocharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine developing 179kW of power and 325Nm of torque -- trumping the Pulsar SSS by about 40kW and 85Nm -- delivered to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential. Nissan hasn't announced that they'll put the car into production, but have given some strong hints in the statement that they are "revisiting the small car performance genre and teasing the future with ... the Nissan Sentra Nismo Concept". "Fans have asked that we bring back a high-performance Sentra straight from the factory, just like in generations past," Nissan vice-president of product planning Pierre Loing said in the press statement. "With Nismo, our in-house motorsports arm already producing versions of the 370Z Nismo, Juke Nismo, Juke Nismo RS and upcoming GT-R Nismo, we wanted to demonstrate where we could go in the future."   Watch the desktop version of the Nissan Sentra Nismo unveiling here.    This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott _______________________________________  

The next time you go into a new-car showroom there is a key word you can use to get the bargaining started.

You know you're getting old when car comfort is more important than a stoplight sprint. Either that or, like me, you've recently spent too much time with doctors and comfort suddenly becomes the single most important thing in your driving day. I love the Ferrari 458, but right now I would hobble straight past the rip-snorter Italian thoroughbred on the way to a cushy Jaguar XJ limo. It would be the same situation for my first-choice funster, the Porsche Cayman. I've recently driven a race-prepared Fiat 500 Abarth and the pain was almost - almost - worse than the pleasure of romping the pocket rocket around the high-speed swoops and curves of Phillip Island. I was more than happy to slide back into the cushiness of a Chrysler 300 for the drive home, even if the seats in the motown monster don't give as much support as I normally like. The ride back to the airport got me thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of a number of vehicles that have recently passed through the Carsguide garage, focusing on how they make you feel in the body instead of in the head. Every week there are emails to CarsGuide from people of age, asking about upgrading - from a conventional passenger car into something in the SUV style that's easier on the hips and legs at mounting and dismounting time. An SUV can look like a good idea on the comfort front, but lots have bench-flat seats, crappy ergonomics and nowhere near enough suspension compliance. The Subaru Forester has a nice ride, but I prefer the seats in the Toyota RAV4. On the car front, the new Nissan Pulsar has seats that do nothing for me, but the Renault Clio is surprisingly comfy for a little, affordable car. My top favourite seat is a Recaro racing bucket that is almost shrink-wrapped to my shape, like a bathtub full of jelly that provides perfect support. But it's just about the toughest seat to get into or away from. So, right now, the first-choice comfort car is a Range Rover. It's stupidly expensive, but everything works for me, from a body that drops down on its air springs for easy access to beautifully-shaped front buckets finished in lovely leather and even a user-friendly automatic gearbox that means my left leg never has to move out of its comfort zone. This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover  

The two Nissan safety recalls are for defects in the satellite sensor for the side curtain airbag on Pulsar and Almera, and for the stop light switch on the Pulsar hatch. The recall affects a total of 15,900 cars: 14,300 Pulsars and 1600 Almeras. The first of the recalls, for the Nissan Almera and Pulsar sedan and hatch, is to rectify faulty installation of sensor for the side curtain airbag in the B-Pillar, which can result in the airbag not deploying properly in a crash.  The second recall is due to an incorrect stop light switch being installed in some Nissan Pulsar hatches fitted with CVT automatic transmissions. This could lead to the switch failing, preventing the stop light from working -- although braking is not affected.  "There have been no incidents reported related to the safety recalls, with the fault being picked up internally by our engineers," Nissan Australia spokesperson Chris Jordan says. "Each of the fixes will take just an estimated 30 minutes to inspect the car and rectify the problem. Letters are being sent to affected owners, who can contact a local Nissan dealer to arrange for inspection and, where necessary, rectification of the front passenger airbag inflator and replacement of the stop light switch.    

Hyundai invented drive-away pricing in Australia and today it's bigger than ever. The Korean company knew it needed something special to get shoppers to sign on the dotted line back in the mid-1990s, and that something was a $990 bottom line across its models with an all-in selling price that removed the fear and uncertainty from buying a new car. Driveaway dealing started as showroom bait for the baby Excel and a new generation of first-time shoppers looking for a bargain at $13,990, in an inspired move by firebrand Hyundai executive Simon Pinnock, and has spread like a virus throughout the Australian motoring landscape since then. Lots of companies now use a driveaway deal to clear their superseded stocks, or re-ignite interest in a fading favourite, or just put some punch into their showroom push. It works, and it usually works well. Right now, Kia is heavily into driveaway dealing as its shifts from 2013 to 2014 models and is even applying the all-in effort - which can save up to $2000 in on-road costs and dealer delivery at a non-luxury brand - to its new-year arrivals. You can get a Rio manual hatch for $15,990 driveaway, compared with a recommended retail sticker at $16,290 before on-roads, and the latest deals even run up to the Carnival people mover and top-end Sorento SUV. Over at Hyundai there is a similar push, not just because of the competition from Kia but because Korea's biggest carmaker intends to be a top-three success in Australia within five years. It knows that driveaway dealing gets people into showrooms and starts its efforts at the very bottom - the i20 is now $13,990 on the road - to try and create loyal buyers who gradually move up through the range. Hyundai and Kia could be accused of racing to the bottom on the price line, but Nissan is doing even sharper deals at $18,990 on-the-road as it looks to turn its all-new Pulsar models into the biggest showroom success of the year. The cars are already locked and loaded, and being rolled onto ships in Japan every month, with the driveaway deals in Australia planned to ensure they go straight to homes without spending any wasted time parked in a dealership. We're also seeing deals with the 'drive away, no more to pay' kicker line being pushed by everyone from Holden and Ford to Subaru and Toyota, even if they are short-lived or wrapped in a different package. But that's not the end of the dollar deals, as cheap finance - down to zero at some brands - is making a bigger impact. Finance deals are partly about winning customers, but also to do it in a way that does not influence the vital resale value on a car. That's because the second hand price is determined by the 'transaction price' - the dollar number as the car is actually retailed, not the showroom sticker - and that can be badly affected by heavy discounting and even driveaway pricing.   Price: from $13,990 driveaway Engine: 1.4L four-cylinder, 73.5kW/136Nm Transmission: 6-speed manual or 4 speed auto, FWD Thirst: 5.3L/100km       Price: from $18,990 driveaway Engine: 1.8L four-cylinder, 110kW/178Nm Transmission: 6-speed manual/auto, FWD Thirst: 6.6L/100km       Price: from $18,990 driveaway Engine: 1.8L four-cylinder, 96kW/174Nm Transmission: 6-speed manual/CVT auto, FWD Thirst: 6.7L/100km      

Cue cat, assemble the pigeons - the ultra-competitive small car segment is about to get even busier. Nissan is literally hatching a plan to shake up the segment with an $18,990 kick-off price when it throws the Pulsar hatch into an already-crowded marketplace from June 1. The prodigal SSS son will also re-appear in hatch form, slotting into the Nissan pricelist at $29,240, completing the nameplate's return. Nissan is banking on a volume boost from the Pulsar's resurrection - last month they sold 1644 sedans but the segment is dominated by hatchbacks - and has priced the five-door $1000 below the equivalent sedan. The Pulsar ST manual hatch features mirrors the four-door - a 96kW/174Nm 1.8-litre four-cylinder, six-speed manual (with the option of a continuously-variable transmission model for $21,240), 16 inch alloys, cruise control, Bluetooth, power windows, cloth trim, stability control, anti-lock brakes and air conditioning among the features. Stepping up to the $22,490 ST-L puts front fog lights, an upgrade to the cloth trim, six speakers and USB/auxiliary inputs for the sound system, a rear spoiler and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Ti model has been left out of the hatch range, with the ST-S added as part of a sports-model duo, priced from $24,990 utilising the 140kW/240Nm double-overhead cam turbocharged direct-injection drivetrain from the SSS but sitting on 17in alloy wheels. The SSS squeaks in under $30,000 - $29,240 for the six-speed manual - and has the obligatory sports body kit, a touchscreen infotainment and satnav system, leather trim, Bluetooth phone and audio link, automatic xenon headlights, rear camera, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and ignition. The CVT transmission - $2250 on the mainstream 1.8-litre models - is a $2500 option on the two 1.6-litre models. Introduced into Australia in 1991, Nissan last had the Pulsar SSS on its Australian pricelist in 2000, when it offered a 105kW/179Nm two-litre engine for just under $25,000. But the SSS nameplate has history with Datsun dating back to the 1960s, including the legendary 1600, as well as 180B and 200B models and appearances on the rumps of Bluebird and Stanza sedans. Nissan Australia managing director and CEO Bill Peffer is confident the return of the Pulsar hatch will be seen as a value for money. "My team and I are confident Australian small car buyers will find the all-new Pulsar hatch to be exceptional value, each grade in the model range has a compelling mix of price and standard equipment," he says.  

The Pulsar ST hatchback is $18,990, or $1000 under both the recently released sedan and even its 1996 equivalent. It also undercuts by $500 Holden's base model Cruze. The four-model hatchback line-up includes the return of the SSS Pulsar, a local hero of the days before turbocharged champions such as Subaru's Impreza and the Golf GTI. The range-topping SSS is priced from $29,240 manual and $31,740 automatic. “It's a compelling balance of price and equipment in what is easily the most hotly contested new vehicle segment,” Nissan's Peter Fadeyev says. “We've worked very hard at providing the best value. The Pulsar has undergone extensive tuning for Australian conditions.” The ST and ST-L models are powered by the sedan's modest 96kW 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. The ST-S and SSS share a 140kW/240Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged direct-injection petrol engine. Standard fitment on all grades is a six-speed manual transmission. A constantly variable automatic is a $2500 option. The basic ST is more than decently equipped - better value than the Spartan entry level Toyota Corolla ($19,900) but a little less lustrous than the $19,490 Cruze Equipe. Its package includes 16-inch alloys, four-speaker audio, Bluetooth, cruise control and steering wheel-mounted audio controls. Starting from $22,490, the ST-L adds front fog lights, rear spoiler, two more speakers, 4.3-inch display and leather-accented steering wheel. The ST-S is a new grade, one that competes roughly with the turbocharged Cruze SRi, matching its 17-inch alloys. That puts the SSS in Cruze SRi-V and Opel Astra GTC terrain -- and it's equipped to that standard with xenon lights, body kit, 5.8-inch colour touchscreen with satnav, rear-view camera, leather-like trim and starter button.  

The all-new Pulsar sedan is available from just $19,990 drive-away. But you had better be quick because the deal is runs only to the end of April.