1985 Nissan Pulsar Reviews

The name ‘Pulsar’ is back in the Nissan fold, replacing the much-unloved ‘Tiida’ tag to the delight of just about everyone in any way connected with Nissan in Australia - be they owners, buyers or sellers.The subject of this road test is a top-of-the-line 1.8-litre Pulsar Ti sedan. Four doors are the only body type on offer at this time. Pulsar hatch, including the sporty SSS, powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged, direct injection engine is due downunder mid year.The five new Pulsar sedans range from just $19,990 to the $28,990 Ti we drove, and there is plenty to choose from both in features and price. The new Pulsar comes in three specification levels: ST, ST-L and Ti.The Pulsar Ti has all the advantages of hands-free Bluetooth and MP3/iPod connectivity, six-speaker audio, touch-screen colour display, reversing camera with guide lines and satellite navigation.Pulsar’s 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine develops peak power of 96 kW and maximum torque of 174 Nm. It’s mated with a CVT, resulting in a quiet, continuous delivery of power. They can be ordered with either a six-speed manual gearbox or Nissan’s new Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission) offering smoother acceleration and broader gear ratios than a conventional automatic. The Ti we tested comes only with the CVT.Smart Revolution Control keeps engine speed constant even if a driver operates the accelerator pedal roughly under gentle acceleration, while it also smoothes irregularities of vehicle speed on undulating roads. Without the driver noticing, it all adds up to minimising fuel consumption and enhancing drivability.During extended open road cruising ‘our’ Nissan Pulsar Ti used five to six litres per 100 kilometres. In town it recorded nine to ten litres per hundred. While most of the automotive world measures fuel consumption in litres per hundred kilometres, the Japanese do so in kilometres per litre, which is shown in Australian import’s dash displays of current Pulsars. Hopefully, Nissan Australia will have this corrected on future models.The Pulsar has Nissan's new style trapezoidal radiator grille and large wraparound headlights. Riding on 17-inch alloy wheels, the Pulsar Ti’s low stance and belt line add to its appearance of length.Interior space is impressive. New Pulsar has a longer cabin than its main rivals, making for extensive rear-seat legroom than can carry two adults in comfort.Pulsar has a co-efficient of drag of just 0.30, this is partly due to the attention paid to the vehicle’s underbody, with air flow funneled by a large front spoiler past the front and rear wheels via strategically-placed deflectors.A stiff body structure is designed to maximise occupant protection and minimise vibration, while mechanical and road noise have been isolated by sound absorbing materials.Soft-touch segments – dashboard and driver’s door armrest - plus leather seat accents imbue the cabin with a feeling of quality, while the Ti must have close to the most comfortable seats in class. Not nodding off comfy, but long-distance comfy.Gauges, set out on an instrument panel that curves outwards to the doors, are backlit, even in daylight, making them easy to read.Safety systems include front, side and curtain airbags; ABS brakes with electronic brake distribution and brake assist; traction control and vehicle dynamic control.The CVT transmission has what Nissan calls Smooth Start Assist control. This irons out any accelerator pressure imperfections, which makes the car accelerate in a smooth and fuel-efficient manner.During extended open road cruising ‘our’ Nissan Pulsar Ti used five to six litres per 100 kilometres. In town it recorded nine to ten litres per hundred. While most of the automotive world measures fuel consumption in litres per hundred kilometres, the Japanese do so in kilometres per litre, which is shown in Australian import’s dash displays of current Pulsars. Hopefully, Nissan Australia will have this corrected on future models.It’s still early days, but it’s already looking as though dumping the Tiida and reintroducing the Pulsar is paying big dividends in sales. It’s not just the name change that’s doing the work, our week in the Pulsar has impressed us with its competence in many fields.

It’s the car Nissan buyers have been waiting a long time for after the Japanese maker's failed experiment with the odd French-Japanese Tiida sedan and hatch.Nissan took a huge risk to drop the widely known and respected Pulsar tag for the quirky Tiida. But buyers stayed away in droves with sales last year down to 3059 from a high of 13,756 in 2007. In its hey day the last Pulsar sold about 20,000 a year.However, Nissan is expecting much better from the new Pulsar with sales in its first full month in February of 1275 placing it sixth on the sales chart and ahead of Volkswagen's Golf and the Ford Focus . . . and that's just the sedan, with the bigger selling hatch to come later this year.Interestingly, Westco Nissan sales manager Pete Dodds said half of their sales so far had been previous Pulsar owners, and not Tiida drivers, with the last Pulsar selling here eight years ago. He said Pulsar owners were loyal and patient.VALUEThe ST-L CVT auto is $28,990 drive away and is packed full of gear, including 16-inch alloy wheels with a full size steep spare, a single CD player with MP3 capability, auxiliary input jack, AM/FM radio and USB/iPod connectivity, a 4.3 inch colour display, six speakers, air conditioning, cruise control with steering wheel controls, remote keyless entry, power windows, leather steering wheel with audio controls and a Bluetooth handsfree phone system.It also comes with height adjustable driver's seat and tilt and telescopic adjustable steering column, LED daytime running lights (not automatic), trip computer, stability and traction control, engine immobiliser, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA), six airbags, front fog lights and a rear spoiler.TECHNOLOGYIt gets a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine, producing 96 kilowatts and 174 Newton metres of torque. Drive comes through the front wheels and owners have the added addition of a CVT transmission in this particular model.DESIGNFirst impressions of the Pulsar four door are the mini-Maxima looks and a roomy interior and boot.The Pulsar's dashboard is simple and well presented with the speedo and rev counter and other dials refreshingly clear and easy to read.The multi-function display between the dials is frustrating because it does not show more than one type of information at a time, nor the selected cruise control speed and has an old-style digital clock display.A height and reach adjustable steering wheel makes finding a comfortable driving position easy, although the back angle adjuster is a fiddly lever instead of a better rotary knob. All the main switchgear falls naturally to hand and there is a solid feel to the ventilation controls.A nice soft-touch surface atop the dashboard and, while some cabin plastics feel and look a bit cheap, there is an ambience of quality and robustness about the Pulsar's interior. The kevlar-like metallic plastic on the ST-L's centre console and door trims is a pleasant contrast to the smatterings of black.As well as a bin beneath the front armrest there are a couple of cup holders and an ashtray-like covered recess. The glove box has a deep storage area.There's stacks of room in the rear with lots of knee room, a large central arm-rest, a pair of air vents and a quarter-light window improving the outside view.The enormous 510-litre boot is class-leading, better than some bigger cars such as the Holden Commodore but there's no folding rear seats for larger objects and a lump in the floor by the full-size spare wheel. Old-style goose-neck hinges will impinge on a tightly-packed boot.DRIVINGThe Pulsar is easy to drive and park. I'm not a fan of CVT automatics but this new generation is much better and only becomes annoying when you give it full force acceleration. Otherwise in moderate driving it is quiet and unobtrusive. There's a lack of manual changes with just a low ratio and the Sports mode giving the driver a say on proceedings.It feels reasonably nippy round town and solid on the open road. The Pulsar is built for comfort, not speed, and is a bit soft when pitched into corners, gets a bit floaty and ultimately runs wide or understeers. There was no point pushing its limits on the Rex and Kuranda mountain range roads.It is safe and competent enough, with well-weighted, direct and accurate steering, but does not inspire enthusiastic driving. The hatch, especially the SSS hot hatch, should appeal to press-on steerers.The Pulsar proves that automatic continuously variable transmissions or CVT are getting better and the unit in the Nissan ($2250 extra on the ST and ST-L, standard on the Ti) features innovations that give it a good spread of ratios and make it one of the best operators in its class.The Pulsar's brake pedal has a light, progressive action that results in a smooth everyday driving experience. Despite producing a below-average 96kW from its 1.8-litre engine, the CVT Pulsar delivers adequate performance and never felt struggling up hills.The trip computer of the test cars on the launch showed fuel consumption in kilometres per litre instead of litres per 100 kilometres, which apparently can be changed in the settings.Astonishingly, the ST-L test car on a drive which included around Cairns, to the Northern Beaches, up the Kuranda Range to Mareeba, Mt Molloy, Julatten and down the Rex Range to Port Douglas and Cairns displayed a figure that translated to 6.8L/100km, just .1L less than the official figure. Incredible.How much the CVT contributes to the Pulsar's efficiency can be compared to the manual's official combined consumption figure of 7.2L/100km, a 7.5 per cent increase.The return of the nameplate brings value for money, reliability, roominess, comfort and economy. If you want a sporty drive, look elsewhere or wait until the hatch and the SSS arrives mid-year. The Pulsar sedan is a practical, fuss-free daily drive. Pluses are a spacious and well-presented interior, value for money, a good CVT auto, economy, clear instruments, quietness and smooth cruising.VERDICTPulsar owners will love the new Pulsar and Tiida drivers will wonder what they have been missing out on.Nissan Pulsar ST-LPrice: from $25,900 (plus onroads)Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmSafety: not testedEngine:1.8-litre 4-cylinder, 96kW/174NmTransmission: CVT auto; FWDThirst: 6.71/100km, on test 9.2; tank 52 litres, 91RON ULP; 160g/km CO2Dimensions: 4.6m (L); 1.8m (w); 1.5m (h)Weight: 1265kg

It might only be seven years since the small car market had a Pulsar among its contenders, but it feels like longer. The little-Nissan-that-could slid out of the local range after almost 30 years here, in favour of the oddly-named Tiida, which was supposed to replace it but never pulled it off - not even with the cougar-esque Kim Cattrall salaciously spruiking the new breed.At its peak it sold 13,756 (in 2007), but by 2009 it had dropped to 10,059 - less than a quarter of the Corolla's sales. It nearly halved the following year to 5491 (in 2010) but last year managed only 3059 sales - even the Patrol outsold it.The Pulsar name recognition was strong enough to warrant its return and we're back in its mid-spec ST-L sedan.The mid-spec ST-L ask $23,650 for the manual or ups the ask to $25,900 for the CVT model.For that you get room for five rumps in decent comfort, bootspace for the associated cargo, air conditioning (but not climate control), a USB/auxiliary-equipped six-speaker sound system, Bluetooth (for the phone only), a leather-wrapped tilt-and-reach adjustable steering wheel with phone, cruise and audio controls, 16in alloy wheels, power windows, what Nissan calls "premium" cloth trim, LED maplights and a trip computer.The 1.8-litre engine is nothing spectacular when it comes to new technology, sporting variable valve timing on both sides of the spark.The continuously-variable transmission offers some clever bits to smooth out the take-off and engine rev changes to help keep the journey serene, but the fundamentals aren't new.It promises better fuel economy over the manual - 6.7 versus 7.2 for the six-speed manual - but it still feels like driving a manual car with a slipping clutch that puts some off.There's more than a bit of the bigger Altima as well as the old Maxima in the Pulsar so pundits will pick the Nissan heritage and with nameplate recognition that tops 70 per cent, the Pulsar has much in its favour.It's inoffensive to look at - after the Tiida's tilt at the worst-dressed title it would want to be - and the styling hides its roomy interior, just don't let the rear lip spoiler goad you into believing the S of ST-L stands for sport.Even at 190cm I can get into a comfortable driving position and venture to the backseat without fear of crushed lower limbs, with only limited headroom a concern in the back. Cabin width on the Thai-built machine would limit it to four full-sized adults but it would be of no concern for space.Performing the duties of a family hack, the Pulsar performs well enough, with more than enough bootspace to swallow the school and sports bags easily as well as accommodate the rugrats in the back seat.Cargo capacity is good despite the presence of a full-size spare - 510 litres is considerable in the large car class where Commodore sedan makes do with 496 litres and no standard spare, but neither the Pulsar or the Commodore can do splitfold rear seats? There's only a ski-hatch but no more, why?While ANCAP are yet to smack the new Pulsar into anything - or vice versa - it has the staple amount of safety gear. Dual front, side and curtain airbags, four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock, brakeforce distribution and emergency brake assistance systems, stability and traction control.All occupants get lap-sash belts and there are LED running lights on the front and LED tail lights, but you'll have to ante up for the top-spec Ti sedan to get a rear camera or reversing sensors - gear that would be worthwhile given the high rump.Having just driven the new Corolla in CVT form, the Nissan's similar transmission felt like it hooked up quicker and flared a little less under load than the Toyota, however there was odd small jerk or shudder - not enough to be bothersome but something perhaps that needed attention.The drivetrain is no neck-snapper - again, they've left plenty of room for the SSS to wow crowds when it arrives - but it does the job at a reasonable pace without too much (normal CVT flaring aside) fuss until well up the rev range.The CVT gets a Sport mode as well as the lower-gear L option via the selector, but no more choices for the driver beyond that. The engineering boffins have left plenty of scope for the SSS - the steering in the ST-L is feather light and an easy twirl around town, with a useful turning circle too, but anyone wanting details from the front wheels is going to have to wait for the sports hatch.Ride quality is something of a selling point - there's not masses of body roll in corners when pressing on either - but the seat comfort and suspension are admirable. So is the refinement when it comes to cabin and engine noise, or the absence of it, at least until the revs are heading towards the redline; but the new sedan feels solid and has a quality feel to the interior.To quote the Eagles, there's a peaceful, easy feeling to the new Pulsar and that's just what many want in this segment - fuss-free from A to B.

Someone has been teaching Nissan about mean, mode and median. No matter the chosen values, the new Pulsar sedan occupies the middle ground in the small car class. That’s a major lift on the Tiida that came before it and the Pulsar’s mix of comfort and space makes it a small car worth considering.At $28,990 the top-line Ti is competing with the likes of the Mazda3 SP20, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus and Holden Cruze.Nissan’s approach has been to craft a plush, accommodating vehicle. It compensates for a lack of sporty looks or handling - that role will be filled by the SSS hatch later this year - by taking four adults and major urban road obstacles in its stride.On top of that, it is packed with gear including dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth with audio streaming, a touchscreen with satnav and a reversing camera.The Pulsar may be a new car, but there’s not much new in the way of features. The CVT is calibrated for fuel economy and, unless the accelerator is on the floor, is far less prone to emit the booming drone that blights similar transmissions.It’s a fairly refined ride at 100km/h, where tyre noise is the biggest intrusion in the cabin. Click the sport button on the gearshift, though, and the perceptible lift in engine response brings a matching rise in noise.A refined look with clean lines and LED running lights on the outside is matched by an easy-to-operate interior. The instrument panel uses a traditional two-dial approach for tacho and speedo - there is no digital speed display - and the audio controls are mounted on the steering wheel, along with the cruise controls.Chrome highlights add upmarket bling and there are smart touches like the well-padded front door armrests. The centre bin is set too far back to be easily accessed by front-seat occupants, though. And the default setting on the fuel consumption is in km/litre, not litres/km.ANCAP hasn’t deformed the Pulsar’s panels yet, so there’s no official verdict on how the small sedan will perform. It has a regulation six airbags and safety software and, with a bigger, stiffer body than the Tiida, should rate as a four or five-star car.The Pulsar excels as an upmarket shopping trolley. It is competent in just about department without being a standout in any of them.The sedan is well-mannered at urban speeds, uses just on seven litres/100km of petrol in real-world driving and the steering is lightweight without being vague. Load a pair of adults in the back and they won’t complain about leg space or headroom.The boot is huge at 510 litres and you’d really have to be packing a load to be limited by the gooseneck hinges. The absence of a port or folding rear seats is a drawback to carrying long items, though.On twisty roads the lack of power and outright handling starts to show as the CVT tries to hold peak torque and the soft suspension induces a touch of cabin-wobble through the left-right turns. Trivial stuff, given most owners won’t be aspiring to chase 370Zs through the hills.The Pulsar is a genuine rival to the Toyota Corolla as a utilitarian vehicle designed to do everything well. It may be “whitegoods on wheels” but the Nissan gives the impression you’ve bought one of those European labels.

It took Nissan more than six years to redress a brainsnap it had when discarding the Pulsar name in favour of Tiida....eeuuw! Good sense has prevailed and Pulsar is back for 2013, initially in sedan form with a hatch following in three months.Keenly priced from a starting point of $19,990 - the same price as the Pulsar 16 years ago. New Pulsar is styled like a scaled-down Maxima and is actually quite a large car for the class.Three grades are available; ST, ST-L and Ti. All three get alloy wheels, air conditioning multiple wheel controls, cruise, six air bags, Bluetooth phone, power ancillaries and a full size spare.Audio streaming is only on Ti which also gains satnav, leather, 17-inch alloys and other goodies - in CVT only. CVT adds $2250 in the two lower spec' models and metallic paint is an extra $500. Competitors are Corolla, Cruze, Lancer, Civic, i30, Focus and numerous others in the "small car" segment.Components from Tiida have carried over into the Pulsar - tweaked or refined to suit the new car. But there's not a lot of new technology in the engine, transmission or chassis or any driver assist features for a tech-savvy customer. It's all pretty straight forward, tried and true stuff.The 96kW/174Nm engine is a heavily revised 1.8-litre petrol twin cam from Tiida with a longer piston stroke and other changes to improve drive feel and possibly fuel efficiency.There's variable valve timing on inlet and exhaust sides and friction reduction inside the engine for incremental gains to performance and efficiency. Two transmissions are offered; a six-speed manual and CVT "auto".The latter has no sequential shift mode at all but is modified for better overall performance and cruising. Best fuel economy for Pulsar is 6.7-litres/100km for the CVT and 7.2 for the manual.It rides on a strut front and torsion beam rear suspension - same as Tiida but the stiffer chassis features a longer wheelbase and wider stance that yields benefits in terms of ride comfort and interior room.Though the rear seats don't fold in the Pulsar sedan, it has a large boot - possibly the largest in class. The critical rear seat legroom measurement is generous - once again, possibly best in class.We drove the ST-L manual and Ti and found the car to be pretty much as expected - the new order family sedan. It has little sporty pretence and is calibrated for comfort above all else. That's a plus for everyday driving on our rough roads.The 140kW Pulsar SSS hatch coming will take care of the sporty angle. Pulsar sedan makes a bit of engine noise under acceleration but is quiet cruising. The longer stroke engine feels slightly breathless once revs exceed 5000rpm. But there's plenty of punch lower down for driving in traffic or everyday conditions. The interior looks good with multiple materials and textures and a modern attractive design. We feel the lack of folding rear seats is a major oversight even though the boot is large. Wait for the hatch perhaps. We like the styling that's accentuated by clever use of LED lighting front and rear.New Pulsar should have wide appeal and the name has currency even after seven years. It's a bit nondescript but that's how many buyers want their car. Go for the CVT every time.

It seems to be the season for the return of old automotive friends. In the last few weeks we have attended the relaunches of Infiniti, Mirage, Astra, Barina (now called Corsa) and Beetle – and now the subject of this review, the all-new Nissan Pulsar.It’s likely that over a million Australians have owned Pulsars – 250,000 as proud new car buyers and the balance buying them as used cars as they changed hands several times over the past four decades.Nissan Pulsar has had a mixed history in Australia; though Japanese sourced it was once built in Melbourne and shared parts with Holden’s Astra. Most were fully imported from Japan. Some were called the Nissan Tiida instead of Pulsar – much to the disgust of those charged with the task of selling the car with the bizarre name with the double ii.Now called the Pulsar again, and this time around made in Thailand, the all-new Nissan looks set for the long haul in Australia and even stands a chance of becoming the number one selling vehicle in this country.Don’t believe us on that latter statement? Consider this, the biggest selling car in Australia for the last two years has been the Mazda3, one of the Pulsar’s closest competitors. The Mazda3 is getting on in years and the all-new Pulsar and its arch-rival Toyota Corolla wouldn't mind nudging it aside.The biggest selling point of the new Nissan Pulsar is that it’s priced at $19,990 – the same price as listed way back in 1996. Since then the Pulsar has grown in size and now comes with far more in the way of luxury and safety equipment than it did 17 years ago. The high value of the Australian dollar comes into the equation but the aforementioned tough tussle at the front of the sales race certainly comes into play as Nissan chases buyers.Even the lowest cost model, the $19,990 Pulsar ST manual, has 16-inch alloy wheels; cruise control; a six-speaker stereo with MP3, and Aux jack; keyless entry; and power windows and mirrors. This is far from being a stripped-down model and may have all the fruit that many buyers need.Paying an extra $3660 puts you into a Pulsar ST-L which has front foglights: a rear spoiler; different 16-inch alloy wheels; and daytime running lights. Inside, there’s a higher level of cloth trim; leather details on the steering wheel; USB connectivity; a colour screen for the infotainment system; and fancier facings on the dashboard;The topline $28,990 Nissan Pulsar Ti adds 17-inch alloys; leather trimmed interior; satellite navigation; and dual-zone air conditioning. The Ti comes as standard with a CVT automatic transmission, whereas you have to pay $2250 extra to get that unit over and above the price of the six-speed manual in the lower grades.On-road costs have to be factored into all these prices.Probably the biggest feature of the all-new Nissan Pulsar is its interior space. There’s excellent legroom in the rear and my six-foot frame was quite comfortable when sitting behind itself – if that doesn’t sound too Irish. Most cars in the next segment up from the Pulsar don’t have that much rear space and this Nissan could easily act as a full-size family car even if the kids have hit the huge-teen stage.The boot is very large at 510 litres, again making the Pulsar more than suitable for use as a family sedan.Power comes from a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine developing up to 96 kilowatts of power. Peak torque comes in at a sky-high 4800 rpm where it’s an impressive 174 Newton metres.The high revs required to get the maximum grunt out of the engine are somewhat misleading and during our introductory road testing out of Melbourne we found the engine pulled strongly from 2500 rpm and even worked smoothly at just 1500 rpm if you didn’t want it to accelerate hard. It’s happy to hold onto gears when climbing all but the steepest of hills.Primary safety gear in all Pulsars includes VSC and ABS with brake assist and electronic distribution. Secondary safety sees the fitment of six airbags.Ride comfort is pretty good, though the Pulsar did get bumped around by some poor quality Aussie back roads. Tyre noise on all but coarse-chip surfaces was minimal, with the Nissan being particularly smooth and quiet on good quality motorways.Handling is competent enough, without actually having any pretensions to sportiness. Those wanting the latter will have to join the queue of keen drivers waiting for the return of the Pulsar SSS late in 2013. This will have a turbocharged 1.8-litre engine developing 140 kW, as well as sports tuned suspension and steering.At this stage all new generations Nissan Pulsars have a four-door sedan body, five-door hatches will begin importation in May or June. Prices and specs on these haven’t yet been made public.A car with a full-sized interior, reasonable performance and good build quality for only $19,900? We can see the new Nissan Pulsar selling up a storm.

The Nissan Pulsar is back after a six-year absence – with a 16-year-old $19,990 price. The company has wound back the clock and pumped up the level of equipment in its biggest effort yet to reclaim the small-car crown.It may seem a distant memory but the Pulsar was Australia’s favourite small car in 1996; now the company wants a chance at the top spot as the biggest selling car in the country.The Mazda3 knocked the Holden Commodore off the podium two years ago, but the Toyota Corolla is favourite to win this year’s new-car sales race given that a new model has just been released and the Mazda3 is in runout.Enter from stage left the new Nissan Pulsar and we have a small-car scrap on our hands. The Pulsar made a welcome return to showrooms this week after the boring box-shaped Tiida hatch that failed to meet sales expectations – despite a steamy TV ad by Sex In the City’s Kim Kattrall.Nissan dealers were so furious the Pulsar name was dropped that it pleaded with Japan to reverse the decision. But the Tiida name stayed and sales tanked, so it became a rental car fleet favourite, generally known as the last resort for car sales.By Nissan’s own admission, 71 per cent of small car buyers still remember the Pulsar name. Why it was ever dropped in the first place will remain a mystery.In the meantime, Nissan has high hopes for the Pulsar. The company wants to quadruple sales – but in fact it will need to sell 15 times as many small Pulsars as it sold Tiidas last year if it is to overtake the Mazda3 or Toyota Corolla. Good luck with that.The last time Nissan sold a Pulsar for $19,990 it was considered a luxury to have one airbag, a CD player, air-conditioning and central locking (although no remote control button).As a sign of the times – and how much buyers get for their money these days – the new Pulsar comes loaded with six airbags, stability control, cruise control, Bluetooth phone connectivity, remote central locking – and alloy wheels instead of plastic hubcaps.“Australia is the most competitive market in the free world,” the boss of Nissan Australia, William Peffer, says. “At this price, the only inflation is in the tyres.”But the Nissan Pulsar is not perfect in its most basic “ST” guise. It inexplicably misses out on a couple of key features. On the $19,990 headline act there is no USB connection, no Bluetooth audio streaming, and no rear parking sensors. Metallic paint is a $495 option.The back seats don’t fold and the exposed “goose neck” hinges impinge on boot space. At least there is 510 litres of cargo capacity, and Nissan deserves kudos for retaining a full-size spare tyre in an era of space-savers. Oh, and it’s an alloy wheel.The mid-grade model adds larger alloy wheels, rear sensors, a colour audio display, a USB socket and a few other touches. But you have to climb to the range-topping model to get Bluetooth streaming, a rear camera, leather upholstery and sensor-key start.Meanwhile, Nissan still has one of the dearest fixed-price servicing campaigns; each service is dearer than the industry average and requires a visit to the dealer every six months.The Nissan Pulsar isn’t a technology showcase. Its engine lacks direct injection, and idle stop-start. There is no digital speed display. Instead, Nissan has spent money on some bright-work and soft-touches to give the Pulsar a slightly upmarket feel.The big chrome grille on all models is bordered by LED daytime running lights; there are LEDs in the tail-lights as well. At least the CVT auto is a highlight, with a wider ratio than others of this type for better acceleration at low speeds and fuel economy at high speeds. It adds $2250 to the price.The Pulsar is roomy, especially in the back seat which has plenty of kneeroom and a flat floor. The fabrics have a plush feel but seem hard wearing. Most materials have a quality feel, even though they look plain compared to the Toyota Corolla and Hyundai i30.For example, the elbow pad on the door handle is fabric, there is also soft padding on the centre console. Oddment storage is minimal, however, and the Pulsar could do with bigger door pockets, a bigger centre console and more storage forward of the gear lever.Visibility all around is good thanks to large windows and convex mirrors on both sides of the car. Unfortunately, access to the boot is only a ski port, the back seats don’t fold flat for a larger load space.Independent authority ANCAP is yet to publish a crash safety rating for the Pulsar, and it would be unwise to assume five stars because Nissan has disappointed before (the current generation Nissan X-Trail was four stars when its twin under the skin Dualis was five).But all the early signs are good: six airbags, stability control and a big body should equate to relatively strong crash protection. Check the ANCAP website in a couple of months for an updated score. In a word: good. The steering is light and smooth, with a relatively tight turning circle. The engine is responsive, especially when matched to the CVT auto. The suspension soaks up bumps and thumps from the daily grind with ease. The steering feels predictable and secure in corners – whether on the open road in the suburban sprawl.In general terms, the Nissan Pulsar is not astounding – but it’s more than competent. Call it above average. Based on a brief preview drive I would rank the Nissan Pulsar ahead of the Toyota Corolla and the Hyundai i30 – but not ahead of the Mazda3. Check back later for a back-to-back test.The new Pulsar is a welcome return to form for a familiar name, but Nissan needs to address some of the missing necessities in the standard car – their absence takes some of the shine off the sharp $19,990 headline price.

Hooray. The dismal days of the Nissan Tiida are finally over and the Pulsar is back. Even the SSS is returning to local roads, although not from the start of the Pulsar's return.For now, the Pulsar program is all about a compact four-door sedan that is very Corolla-ish in the way it feels and drives, and also carries Toyota-style value pricing starting at $19,990.The born-again Pulsar is slightly more conservative than the new Corolla, and definitely the Hyundai i30 which topped the small-car contenders in our 2012 Car of the Year run-off, but feels solid and sensible.Nissan has big plans for its comeback car and knows there are plenty of Pulsar people - more than 300,000 cars are still on the road and the name rings a bell with 70 per cent of showroom shoppers - who never bought into the failed Tiida experiment."They said this day wouldn't come...," says Bill Peffer, the livewire new boss of Nissan Australia, introducing the car. "We're replacing the Tiida with this car and it's the right decision. The Pulsar is back and it will spearhead our product renaissance. This is the key to our future growth."The Pulsar sedan is being closely followed by the overdue and very welcome Patrol heavyweight and the funky little Juke, as well as a Pulsar hatchback including the SSS. The rollout means something new every two months, with a total of 12 arrivals, over the next couple of years.The $19,990 sticker is the right start in showrooms, particularly as the Tiida was overpriced from the beginning and $20,000 is a serious barrier for value contenders in the small-car class. How good is that bottom line? "It's the same price the car was, 16 years ago," says Peffer proudly.Not just that, but Nissan has built a purchase plan that includes a $299-a-month deal on the Pulsar ST that guarantees the car's future value. At the end of the deal, buyers can leave the key and walk away, pay an agreed balance and own the car, or trade into a new Pulsar."We really think this is the way of the future," says Peffer. There are three Pulsar grades ST, ST-L and Ti, with a predictable walk-up through the standard equipment. Even the ST gets lots of stuff, with alloys, cruise control, led tail lights, a full-sized spare and three years of roadside assistance."This is no entry level car," says Peffer, although the Bluetooth system is only for a phone and not audio streaming. Moving up to the ST-L - from $23,650 - brings a leather wheel, colour for the audio system, front fog lights, LEDs in the headlamps and more.Going all the way to the CVT-only Ti - think $28,990 - means a reverse camera, satnav with eco routing, leather seats, 17-inch alloys, Xenon lamps, and Bluetooth audio.The Pulsar is nothing special by small-car standards, and definitely not by the all-new Volkswagen Golf that lands in Australia this year, but it ticks the right boxes. "The concept of this car was to go, bang, right back into the mainstream," says Grahame Cornforth, chief engineer of the car.He says that - surprisingly - the new Pulsar has a lot of the old Tiida beneath its skin. But there has been lots of tweaking. "We've got wider and lower proportions. We've enhanced the comfort and perceived quality," he says, never referring to the Tiida but instead calling it the "predecessor car"."We're going to a class-up approach with this car. There is a theme of comfort coming through." So there is a lot of attention to detail on the tyres, suspension and sound proofing to make it more like a new Corolla than a Tiida.The engine is a 1.8-litre four cylinder with a longer stroke than previously, as well as things like diamond coating on some parts and variable valve timing. And the car gets electric power steering, as well as a lightweight constantly-variable transmission - the standard choice now for carmakers chasing efficiency - to make 6.7 litre/100km economy.There is a six-speed manual, but probably only for genuine bargain buyers who want to avoid the extra cost of the auto. To zipper the technology, the 6.7 is way better than the 7.8 of the Tiida. "Our concept is to provide a car that's comfortable and competent. We want it to be stress-free yet deliver smooth handling," says Cornforth.The Pulsar looks like a Pulsar, which is a good thing. It's more rounded than many of its rivals, but has a bigger-car look and feel. Inside, it's conservative - it reminds me a bit of some 1980s Nissans in the shapes and styles - but the good thing is that the layout works.Nissan says there is measurably more space for rear-seat passengers, with more leg and shoulder room, and the big boot is claimed to trump a Camry with 510 litres. There is also plenty of soft-touch plastic inside and good attention to detail on the controls and final finishing.Everything points to a five-star ANCAP result across the Pulsar line, thanks to six airbags, front-belt reminders and ESP. The car also feels solid and substantial and, pushing hard through corners, it feels safe and secure.The new Pulsar is bang on target. It's going to be bought by people who want relaxed and predictable motoring, and they will get a big bonus in the cabin and boot space. The original Pulsars were compact funsters, which is what we expect in the upcoming hatch and particularly the SSS, but the sedan is a compact family car. I come to the Pulsar after time with the new Corolla and i30 - as well as the Golf 7 in Europe - so it is facing a bar set pretty high. The preview drive is also short and limited to the artificial roads of a proving ground at Anglesea in Victoria.But several things make an immediate impact. The Pulsar is very, very quiet and it also steps away much more smartly than a Corolla. The first proves that Nissan has done a lot of work on refinement and the second shows that its engine is strong and well matched to the CVT.I find the cabin a bit old-fashioned in design, but there is nothing wrong with the way it all fits and works. And the back seat is nicely roomy. The Pulsar cruises easily at 110km/h, sits firmly on the road, and is predictable and solid - without much enjoyment - through corners. It also brakes well and there is good feedback through the steering.In short, the return of the Pulsar is good news. It's not a landmark car, but it ticks the right boxes and it definitely buries the Tiida. Job done. Now we're looking forward to getting back into a SSS. A car that promises an easy life, affordable motoring, and solid family values. Not the best in the bunch, but definitely worth a look.

The new Holden Commodore is the most important new car of 2013. The upcoming VF, and the VF alone, points to the future of motoring in Australia.

You have to wonder about car companies that dump a name that has become popular and replace it with a name that no one knows. Ford did it with the Laser, a top selling small car, and then had to watch as its small car sales dropped dramatically, and Nissan did it when it replaced the popular Pulsar with the oddly named Tiida.The Pulsar nameplate dates back to 1980 and over the years earned a reputation for solid reliability, good value for money and economy of operation. By the time the N16, the last of the line, was released in 2000 it was a well-equipped, good-sized small car that performed well, was economical and gave little trouble.If it had a problem perhaps it was that it had become tired. It was a car for those of us with grey, or no, hair, and not hip enough to appeal to younger buyers.MODEL WATCH The N16 Pulsar sedans were built in Japan and were the first launched in 2000, while the five-door hatchbacks came from England and arrived in the middle of 2001. It was no beacon of contemporary style, admittedly, but it was good looking with pleasant proportions and clean lines. Perhaps it was too ‘nice’ and didn’t have the sort of edge young buyers wanted.There were four versions of the sedan at launch, starting with the LX and working up through the ST, sporty Q and luxury Ti. When the hatchback came a year later it added ST and Q versions to the range.Like all cars the Pulsar grew larger over time and the N16 was quite a bit bigger than the models that went before it, but that extra size translated into decent interior room. Rear passengers may have suffered a little for space, but those in the front seats enjoyed generous room. Like the exterior there was nothing flashy about the Pulsar’s interior. It had everything you wanted, was laid out logically, and was comfortable.Mechanically the Pulsar was quite a conventional front-wheel drive model. There were two engines on offer. The LX entry-level model had a 1.6-litre double overhead camshaft four with fuel injection, which gave 83 kW and 140 Nm.It was an economical engine, but the 1.8-litre engine that powered the rest of the range had a little more zip and made the best buying. With more performance, thanks to its 92 kW and 161 Nm, the 1.8-litre enabled the Pulsar to stay on the pace in the heavy going around town. Both engines were available with either a five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed auto.On the road the Pulsar was light and nimble making it a breeze around town and easy to park. Out on the road it was quite composed with a supple suspension that was able to soak up most of what was thrown at it without being upset. The ride was compliant and comfortable for a small car, and its handling was well balanced and secure. It was a good all-rounder.IN THE SHOP The Pulsar has a good reputation for build quality and reliability. Nothing serious seems to go wrong with them, which makes them a good used car buy. When checking look for a service record to make sure of a regular maintenance routine. The Pulsar engines have a chain taking care of the cam timing so there’s no servicing needed.Many Pulsars were used by the rental industry, which usually means they accumulated kilometres quickly and were sometimes driven by uncaring drivers. Bear it in mind that any Pulsar with a higher than normal odometer reading could well have been a renter. Negotiate hard to lower the asking price on a car that appears to have a rental background.IN A CRASH All models have a driver’s airbag, but some also have an airbag for the front passenger, and ABS anti-skid brakes.AT THE PUMP The N16 is generally an economical little car, and well worth considering if you want to cut your fuel bills. On average it should do around 7.5-8.5 L/100 km in general use.LOOK FOR • Pleasant looks• good performing 1.8-litre• low fuel consumption• well built• little goes wrong• good all-rounderTHE BOTTOM LINE Well-built and reliable small car that will cut your fuel bills.RATING 78/100