Nissan Pulsar News

There are exciting new releases planned across the board; from budget hatches to practical SUVs, to exotic supercars. We’ve broken them down into segments and likely price categories to help you. We've based our price estimations on the current market, but some estimations could change in the future, and some model ranges span across price categories, so be sure to check our other stories...New cars for 2014 | less than $20,000New cars for 2014 | $40,000-$59,000New cars for 2014 | $59,000-$100,000New cars for 2014 | over $100,000 LIGHT CARSAlfa-Romeo MiTo: The Mini Cooper-rivalling MiTo hatch is due for a refresh in January. Tweaked styling is expected, along with updated features and sharpened pricing in line with other recent Fiat Chrysler Australia pricetag shuffles. (Approximately 25,000-30,000)Honda City and Jazz: Honda’s slow-selling City compact sedan is due to be replaced by an all-new model in the second quarter of 2014, leading the also-new third-generation Jazz compact hatch which is expected in around June. The new Jazz will benefit from a new dual-clutch auto transmission, and a new hybrid variant is expected to dip well below the current petrol-electric model’s 4.5L/100km combined figure. (Approximately $16,000-23,000)Kia Rio: Also due for a refresh in the third quarter is the Kia Rio light hatch and sedan range, with the stylish model likely to score visual tweaks and value gains to keep up with more recent competition. (Approximately $15,000-22,000)Mini Cooper: Mini will bring the all-new third-generation ‘new Mini’ Cooper to our shores from May, with the entry models using a new 1.5-litre three cylinder turbo petrol or diesel engine, and the hot Cooper S to step up to a new 2.0-litre turbo petrol from the same family The three-door hatch will be the only bodystyle to lob in 2014, with convertible and a new five-door hatch (at least) to follow later. (Approximately $31,000-$46,000)Volkswagen Polo: Volkswagen’s Polo light hatch range is also due for a mid-cycle refresh in the second half of the year, with revised styling, plus efficiency and technology trickle-down from the Mk7 Golf likely. Approximately $17,000-29,000)SMALL CARSAlfa Romeo Giulietta: Following on from its pricing shuffle in 2013, the small Giulietta hatch range also due for a mid-cycle refresh later in 2014. Approximately 24,000-40,000)Hyundai Elantra: Hyundai will revise its Elantra sedan in January, with freshened styling and a new local suspension tune expected to be the main changes. (Approximately $20,990-$30,190)Kia Pro_cee'd GT: Kia will bring the Pro_cee’d GT down under in March, with the new hot hatch set to go head to head with its mechanical sibling the Hyundai Veloster SR Turbo. (Approximately $30,000)Kia Soul: Also expected in March is a heavily revised version of the trendy Soul small hatch, with rejigged styling, upgraded underpinnings and petrol and diesel drivetrains. (Approximately $21,000-$30,000)Mazda3: Mazda will renew its assault on the Australian sales charts in January, with the arrival of the new third-generation 3 sedan and hatch models. The new 3 will be available with 2.0-litre and 2.5-litre versions of Mazda’s SkyActiv petrol engine from launch, with diesel versions set to follow later. (Approximately $20,000-35,000)Nissan Pulsar SSS sedan: In the third quarter, Nissan will break with Pulsar SSS tradition by adding a sedan version of the hot turbocharged model, with Mazda’s SP25 sedan its only logical rival. (Approximately $31,000)Peugeot 308: Peugeot’s headline act for 2014 will be the new 308 small hatch, with the lighter and more efficient model arriving before the end of the year to target Volkswagen’s Golf head-on. (Approximately $25,000-$40,000)Proton Suprima S: Proton will launch the Preve sedan-based Suprima S small hatch in January, in $21,790 (drive away) GX and $26,590 (drive away) GXR spec levels. Available with a CVT auto initially, both versions will use a 103kW/250Nm 1.6 litre petrol turbo. Cheaper $19,790 (GX) and $24,590 (GXR) six –speed manual versions will arrive later in the year. (Approximately $19,790-$24,590)Proton Preve: In the second quarter, ther Malaysian brand will add a five-speed manual version of the Preve GXR sedan, which is expected to undercut the existing CVT auto version by $2000 with a $20,990 drive away pricetag. A more upmarket Preve LE is expected at around the same time, and likely to be priced around the $25,000 mark.Renault Megane: Also due around June is a mid-cycle refresh for the Megane coupe, cabriolet, and wagon models. (Approximately $20,000-$50,000)Skoda Rapid Spaceback: Skoda will introduce the much anticipated Rapid Spaceback in the second quarter, with the new hatch to sit beneath the recently launched Octavia Liftback and wagon. (Approximately from $20,000)Toyota Corolla sedan: Toyota’s grasp on the Australian market is set to be strengthened by the arrival of a sedan version of the new Corolla in February. Both European and US versions of the new sedan have been unveiled, and the Australian model will most closely resemble the European model. (Approximately $20,000-$32,000)Volkswagen Golf wagon: Volkswagen will add a wagon bodystyle to its Mk7 Golf lineup early in 2014, mirroring the hatch with its range of petrol and diesel engines. (Approximately $27,000-37,000)FAMILY CARSFord Falcon: The once-mighty Falcon range is set to undergo its final facelift in the fourth quarter of 2014, ahead of it’s now certain doom in 2016. Minor styling revisions are expected, but the addition of Ford’s SYNC multimedia system and the return of the XR8 V8 model (as FPV is wound up) are likely to be the biggest changes. (Approximately 37,000-56,000)Kia Optima: Kia’s Optima will score a mid-cycle update in January, with revised styling inside and out, along with added features. (Approximately $30,990-$40,490)PEOPLE MOVERSCitroen C4 Grand Picasso: Citroen will replace the long-serving C4 Grand Picasso with an all-new version in the second quarter of 2014. The new model promises to continue as a stylish alternative to other seven-seat people movers with a choice of petrol or diesel drivetrains and will hopefully retain the current model’s sub-$40,000 pricing. (Approximately $37,000-$40,000)Honda Odyssey: An all-new Odyssey eight-seat people mover will follow in February, with fresh styling, improved features and safety and a more efficient drivetrain. (Approximately $35,000-$43,000)Kia Grand Carnival: Later in the year, Kia will replace the segment-champion but ageing Grand Carnival model. Improvements to safety, features, and efficiency are expected, and should be a winner if the smaller new Rondo is anything to go by. (Approximately $39,000-56,000)SUV/4WDFord EcoSport: The Blue Oval’s new EcoSport baby will complete its lineup in February, with the cheaper Trend and Ambiente spec levels joining the top-line Titanium that launched the model in December. (Approximately $20,790-27,790)Honda CR-V diesel: Honda will kick off 2014 by adding the first-ever diesel variant to the local CR-V SUV lineup in January. The 2.2 litre unit produces 110kW/350Nm, and will be available in six-speed manual or five-speed auto with all-wheel drive only. Official fuel consumption is as low as 5.8L/100km. (Approximately $35,000-$45,000)Jeep Cherokee: Jeep’s new more-civilised Cherokee SUV will arrive in the first half of 2014, with a choice of 2.4-litre petrol, 3.2-litre petrol V6, or 2.0-litre turbodiesel engines. (Approximately $28,000-$37,000)Kia Sportage: During the second quarter, Kia will grace its Sportage medium SUV with a more significant update than the minor revisions made in mid-2013 with the shift to European production. Like Optima, expect fresh interior and exterior styling and new features. (Approximately $25,000-$40,000)Kia Sorento: The final Kia model for 2014 is likely to be a significantly revamped Sorento seven-seat SUV, with a comprehensive design update inside and out to bring it in line with the fresher styling of its Hyundai Santa Fe mechanical twin. (Approximately $38,000-$51,000)Nissan X-Trail: Nissan will replace its hugely successful X-Trail medium SUV in about July, with the bigger design offering seating for seven for the first time, and improved refinement to go with its softened exterior design. (Approximately $30,000-$47,000)Nissan Qashqai: Nissan’s other significant SUV arrival for 2014 will be the Dualis-replacing Qashqai compact SUV, which will arrive in five-seat only guise in the third quarter. (Approximately $26,000-$36,000)Renault Captur: The Renault Captur will arrive mid-year, representing the French brand in the rapidly expanding compact SUV segement. The Clio-based crossover should start in the low $20,000s, and challenge the Trax, Juke, 2008, and EcoSport. (Approximately from $20,000)Skoda Yeti: Skoda’s best-selling Yeti compact SUV is also in line for a mid-cycle refresh in around June, with revised styling and features to bring it in line with the brand’s newer models. (Approximately $26,000-$38,000)Suzuki S-Cross: Suzuki’s SX4-replacing S-Cross will arrive in January, with reduced fuel consumption an increased interior space over the model it supercedes. Like the SX4, the S-Cross will continue with 2WD and AWD options, and will be priced between $22,990 and $34,990.COMMERCIAL VEHICLESFord Transit: Ford’s commercial lineup will receive a boost in January with the arrival of an all-new Transit van model, with the light-duty Transit Custom touching down ahead of the heavy-duty Transit Cargo range in April. (Approximately $36,000-$52,000)Renault Kangoo Maxi crew van: A passenger-carrying Kangoo Maxi crew van is also expected in the second quarter. (Approximately $27,000)

Nissan is putting some heat into several of its passenger models courtesy of its Nismo performance arm, and the US-market Sentra is the latest to score the Nismo treatment. Revealed at this week's Los Angeles motor show, the Sentra Nismo is a tweaked version of what Australia knows as the Pulsar sedan, with more than 179kW and 325Nm screwed from a turbocharged version of the regular Pulsar's 1.8-litre engine. This represents a boost of about 40kW and 85Nm over the 1.6-litre Pulsar SSS we see here, and is complemented by comprehensive chassis and brake upgrades, and a Nismo body treatment that transforms the Pulsar sedan's subtle styling.     Watch the desktop version of the Nissan Sentra Nismo's unveiling video here.     _______________________________________  

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 driveawayEngine: 1.4L four-cylinder, 73.5kW/136NmTransmission: 6-speed manual or 4 speed auto, FWDThirst: 5.3L/100km   Price: from $18,990 driveawayEngine: 1.8L four-cylinder, 110kW/178NmTransmission: 6-speed manual/auto, FWDThirst: 6.6L/100km   Price: from $18,990 driveawayEngine: 1.8L four-cylinder, 96kW/174NmTransmission: 6-speed manual/CVT auto, FWDThirst: 6.7L/100km   

More than 9000 brand-new Nissan Pulsars are being discreetly repaired because their engines can conk out without warning -- but, inexplicably, Australian safety authorities are yet to issue a recall.The latest engine stalling drama is eerily similar to the problems plaguing Volkswagen cars but Nissan has not been forced to issue an official safety bulletin. Instead, Nissan is contacting customers by mail rather than advertising a public notice about the known fault.Under the headlines “defect” and “hazard” the Nissan letter to customers says in part: “It has been established that the current engine control module (ECM) software version may cause the vehicle’s engine to stall under certain conditions. There is a possibility of the vehicle’s engine stalling when driven between 10km/h and 60km/h where there is no accelerator input.”Nissan says customers can fix the problem by switching the ignition off and on again. But it has requested customers to bring their cars in for repair.Nissan says 9272 Pulsars are affected, adding that “this fault does not warrant a safety recall”. The Nissan Pulsar stalling issue has once again shone a spotlight on the lack of action from Federal authorities that oversee vehicle safety recalls.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission facilitates recalls but only after the Department of Transport and Infrastructure deems it necessary.News Limited has asked the DoT why a known engine stalling fault should not be viewed as a safety hazard and is awaiting a reply.Concerned Nissan Pulsar owners can contact the company’s customer service division on 1800 035 035.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling

Nissan says it will bounce back from a sudden sales slide and the new Pulsar hatch that goes on sale today with a 20-year-old price -- $18,990 -- is the start of its next growth spurt. Nissan knocked off the iconic Holden brand in February and March for the first time in Australian automotive history but sales fell off a cliff in April and May. The sales slowdown sparked speculation Nissan had choked its dealer network with too many cars in the rush to the end of the Japanese financial year (March 31), and that they now had a backlog of vehicles and a shortage of customers. “May was a tough month … but one month doesn’t make a trend,” says the boss of Nissan Australia Bill Peffer. “The market was fairly ballistic. It was the beginning of for the end of the financial year for many of our competitors. We were down on our internal sales targets but I’m not worried. We have a lot of new models coming.” The arrival of the hatch will open Nissan to the majority of the small-car market, he said. “The small car segment is 25 per cent of the new-car market. And in some parts of Australia hatches are 80 per cent of the small-car segment. So we’re very excited with how the Pulsar is going to perform. The hatch will allow us to get to a new level.” However Peffer stopped short of saying the Pulsar would overtake the small-car mainstays, the Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 -- a forecast made when he took the top job at Nissan Australia a year ago. “The leaders in the class do 2000 to 2500 a month. That’s difficult but let’s see how we go.” Nissan’s motivation to grow sales in Australia will likely translate to sharp deals on its cars -- and those of its competitors. The Pulsar hatch which went on sale today at $18,990 (plus on-road costs) is $1000 cheaper than the sedan. Peffer said the recent currency shift and drop in the value of the Australian dollar was unlikely to prompt a price rise in the near term. Meanwhile the Pulsar SSS -- with a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine -- starts at $29,240, but the turbo engine can be had in a cut-price version called the ST-S which starts at $24,990. By the end of this year Nissan will introduce the oddball Juke hatchback SUV, the new Pathfinder seven-seat SUV (although not available with a diesel engine) and the Altima V6 sedan (the replacement to the Maxima and the car Nissan is campaigning in the V8 Supercar series). Nissan is expected to have even stronger sales next year. In 2014 it will introduce three models in the two of the biggest vehicle segments: the new generation Nissan Dualis and X-Trail compact SUVs are due in local showrooms as is the long-awaited new generation Nissan Navara utility range. This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling    

Nissan has fired the latest salvo with a record low $18,990 sticker on its Pulsar hatch. In showrooms next month, the five-door is $1000 under not only the sedan but its counterpart of 20 years ago. The razor-sharp price is a response to Holden's $19,490 entry to its revised Cruze range, the lowest price of any Australian-made car since the late 1980s. Most main players in the small car segment, which is expected to tally some 250,000 sales this year, now have a sub-$20,000 starting point, though this is inevitably for the low-volume manual variant. The automatic option adds up to $3000, then there are on-road charges. Even so, most contenders are otherwise fully equipped. Mitsubishi has sharpened its Lancer pricing with $19,990 drive-away on its Special Action Model edition. Based on the entry 2.0-litre ES, it comes with metallic paint in a choice of four colours, 16-inch five-spoke alloys, Ralliart front bumper and grille, VRX high-rise boot spoiler and extra bling. Mitsubishi says its “compact sedan” concept will become the next Lancer but it could be three years away. That's bad news for the Japanese maker as almost every other player has brought in, or is on the verge of, new models. The reintroduction of an old name has boosted Nissan toward the promised it once enjoyed in the small car market. It has not looked back since ditching the derided Tiida name for the old faithful Pulsar earlier this year. The Pulsar hatch range kicks off at less than $19K for the ST but for not much extra the ST-L looks to be the better package. The meat of the range, however begins, with the $24,990 ST-S which runs the same 1.6-turbo four as the long-awaited SSS ($29,240). Opel has not bothered the statisticians to any great extent but its Astra range (excluding the hot GTC and OPC) gets free on-road costs, dealer delivery and three years' scheduled servicing if you buy before the end of June. Its smaller Corsa sibling is $16,990 and the medium Insignia is $39,990, both drive-away and with free on-roads and dealer delivery but not the servicing offer. Suzuki has added the capped price service program and a five-year warranty to its arsenal. The guarantee is for fixed service prices from $199 for the Alto and Swift, although Queensland and northern NSW have different arrangements due to a separate distribution deal. Even Volkswagen has introduced capped-price service on its passenger and commercial vehicles. The Germans brought the program in on the Up late last year. It covers six years or 90,000km on all VW passenger vehicles sold from January 1, 2013. For the Up, maintenance starts from $280, the Polo service prices kick off from $347 and the new Golf 7 service costs start from $272, down from the previous-gen Golf that starts from $357. The small-car sector is virtually static in sales, up 0.9 per cent year-to-date, but the buyer demand for compact, fuel-efficient cars means there are no signs of the sector weakening. It remains the largest individual segment in terms of volume -- more than 22 per cent of the total market with 62,034 sales so far this year, almost twice that of light cars, 4WD utes and large and medium SUVs, the next biggest segments. Small-car prices