1985 Nissan Pulsar Reviews

The SSS badge is a proud one that dates back to the 1960s when Datsun, as it was then known, applied it to its sporty sedans.Cars like the Bluebird SSS were standout tearaways back then, and the most recent SSS, the N15 Pulsar, was a similar standout in its time. The Pulsar SSS was the performance leader in its class.The N14 model that preceded the 1995 N15 was popular with young buyers who wanted the day-to-day practicality of a hatch without giving away anything in the way of performance and handling. The SSS was the answer to their prayers.The N15 Pulsar was an all-new, fifth-generation, model released in 1995. It was longer and wider than its popular predecessor, with a longer wheelbase, which resulted in more leg and shoulder room from front and rear seat passengers.Bigger, and better, the Pulsar was yet another Japanese car that could best be described as bland when it came to its looks.Round, and a little dumpy, the N15 sedan was pleasant if not overly attractive, but the SSS wagon-styled five-door hatch took some time to get used to.It was hard to know whether it should be called a hatch or a wagon, because it more closely resembled a wagon than anything else. One of the more cynical motor noters of the time described it as a “transvestite bread van”.Quirky looks aside the SSS was a serious small sporting hatch with a handy power-to-weight ratio of 10.87 kg/kW in its base form, which was the key to its zippy performance.Power came from Nissan’s SR20DE 2.0-litre double overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine that boasted four valves per cylinder and fuel injection. At its peak it put out 105 kW at 6400 revs and 179 Nm at 4000 revs.That was enough to have the SSS racing to 100 km/h in a little over eight seconds. It would account for the standing 400-metre sprint in about 16.5 seconds, and reach a top speed in excess of 180 km/h. It was indeed a hot hatch.All of that power was transmitted to the front wheels through a slick shifting five-speed manual gearbox. There was also the option of a four-speed auto, but quite why anyone would want one in a hot hatch like the SSS escapes me.The Pulsar’s suspension was a mix of MacPherson Strut at the front and a multilink beam at the back. There were coil springs and anti-roll bars at both ends. Handling was sharp and precise.The steering was rack and pinion with power assistance, and the brakes were discs all round with ABS standard.The sporty picture was finished off with attractive alloy wheels, which came standard with the SSS.Inside there were vibrant new colours for the cloth trim, along with a raft of neat standard features, including a premium four-speaker sound system with CD player, air-conditioning, sports seats, and power windows.A minor Series II update freshened it in 1998 and that can be identified by a revised mesh grille with the Nissan badge fitted to a centre vertical bar.There’s not much that goes wrong with the N15 SSS. The body remains tight with the result that there are few squeaks and rattles, the interior trim wears well, and the plastics are good quality that don’t fall apart.Mechanically the 2.0-litre motor is a gem and gives little trouble. Jerry Newman of Nissan specialists, the Cheltenham Service Centre, says the cam timing chain can rattle if the car hasn’t been serviced regularly and according to Nissan’s recommendations. Timing chain rattle can also develop at high mileage, but the noise is more a nuisance than a sign of impending doom.Newman also says it’s important to use the Nissan recommended 7.5/50W oil or an equivalent, as heavier oils can tend to clog the engine internals and lead to damage.The drivelines are generally trouble free, but be sure to check the CV joint boots that can crack and split. Let go they can lead to more expensive failure of the drive shafts.Dominic Sequeira owns a 1998 N15 Series 2 Pulsar SSS with 75,000 km on the odometer. It’s comfortable for daily driving, has plenty of grunt and is just the right size to weave in between gaps in traffic. He has had no problems with it, but says it can be thirsty if driven hard and it prefers premium unleaded.Glen (surname withheld) owns a 1999 SSS manual 2.0-litre Pulsar hatch, which he says has been totally reliable. It is economical and has excellent performance around town and responds well to mild revving to give a nice ‘kick in the back’ for an engine of its size and age.Kay Hamer-Finn’s 1999 SSS has done 90,000 km without the need for any major work. As president of the Nissan Datsun Sports Owners Club, Kay regularly competes in club events, and says her SSS has stood up well, it still has the original clutch, and there have been no engine problems to date.David Sporle says the N15 was a good car, but not great. It was where the cost cutting measures started to show, with Nissan deleting things like fully adjustable seats, leather around the gear stick, and other small touches that made the previous Pulsar feel like a $30,000-plus car.Ian Bock bought his Nissan Pulsar SSS new in 1999. It now has done 113,000 km and has been very reliable, although he was disappointed that the front discs needed replacing at 63,000 km. It returns an average of 9.73 L/100 km.• quirky wagon like styling• larger size means roomier interior• sizzling performance• safe handling• impeccable reliability• timing chain rattle

The proud SSS badge dates from the 1960s when Datsun, as it was then known, put it on its sporty sedans. Cars such as the Bluebird SSS were tearaways then, and the most recent SSS, the N15 Pulsar, also was a standout.The Pulsar SSS was the performance leader in its class. The N14 model that preceded the 1995 N15 was popular with young buyers who wanted the day-to-day practicality of a hatch without losing performance or handling.Model watchTHE N15 Pulsar was an all-new, fifth-generation model released in 1995.  It was longer and wider than its popular predecessor, meaning more leg and shoulder room for passengers.But it was bland-looking, round and dumpy.  The SSS wagon-styled five-door hatch took getting used to.  It was hard to know whether it should be called a hatch or a wagon, because it more closely resembled a wagon.Quirky looks aside, it was a serious small sporting hatch with a handy power-to-weight ratio of 10.87kg/kW.  Power came from Nissan's SR20DE 2.0-litre, double overhead camshaft, four-cylinder engine, which had four valves a cylinder and fuel injection.  At its peak it put out 105kW at 6400rpm and 179Nm at 4000rpm.  It could reach 100 km/h in little more than eight seconds and had a top speed of more than 180 km/h.All that power went to the front wheels through a slick-shifting, five-speed manual gearbox.  There was also the option of a four-speed auto, but quite why you would want one in a hot hatch escapes me.The Pulsar's suspension was a mix of MacPherson strut at the front and a multilink beam at the back.  There were coil springs and anti-roll bars at both ends. Handling was sharp and precise.  The steering was rack and pinion with power assistance, and the brakes were discs all round.The sporty picture was finished off with attractive alloy wheels, standard with the SSS.  Inside were a premium four-speaker sound system with CD player, air-conditioning, sports seats and power windows.A minor Series II update in 1998 can be identified by a revised mesh grille with the Nissan badge fitted to a centre vertical bar.In the shopNot much goes wrong with the N15 SSS. The body remains tight, so there are few squeaks or rattles, the interior trim wears well and the plastics don't fall apart.  Mechanically the 2.0-litre motor is a gem.Jerry Newman of Nissan specialists the Cheltenham Service Centre says the cam timing chain can rattle if the car hasn't been serviced regularly to Nissan's recommendations.  Timing-chain rattle can also develop at high mileage, but the noise is more a nuisance than a sign of impending doom.Newman also says it's important to use the Nissan recommended 7.5/50W oil or an equivalent, because heavier oils can tend to clog the engine internals and lead to damage.  The drivelines are generally trouble-free, but check the CV joint boots, which can crack and split.Owner's viewDominic Sequeira owns a 1998 N15 Series 2 Pulsar SSS with 75,000km on the odometer.  It's comfortable for daily driving, has plenty of grunt and is the right size for heavy traffic. He has had no problems with it, but says it can be thirsty if driven hard and it prefers premium unleaded."Glen" owns a 1999 SSS manual 2.0-litre Pulsar hatch which he says has been totally reliable.  It is economical, has excellent performance around town and responds well to mild revving to give a nice kick in the back.Kay Hamer-Finn's 1999 SSS has done 90,000km without the need for major work.  As president of the Nissan Datsun Sports Owners Club, she regularly competes in club events. Her SSS has the original clutch, and has had no engine problems.David Sporle says the N15 was a good car, but not great.  It was where the cost-cutting measures started to show, Nissan deleting such things as fully adjustable seats and leather around the gear stick.Ian Bock bought his Nissan Pulsar SSS new in 1999.  It has done 113,000km and has been very reliable, though he was disappointed that the front discs needed replacing at 63,000 km. It returns an average of 9.73L/100km.The bottom lineBland exterior camouflages a pocket rocket, which offers great handling, plenty of get up and go, and impeccable reliability.Look forQUIRKY wagon-like stylingLARGER size means roomier interiorSIZZLING performanceSAFE handlingIMPECCABLE reliabilityTIMING chain rattle

Whoever said cars don't ever get cheaper, apart from effect of GST, hasn't been keeping tabs on the small car class over the past several years.Not so long ago, the starting price for a small car was well over $20,000 and anything with all the extras was well into the high twenties.Today, larger, more sophisticated and better equipped versions of the same package still start at under $20,000, but only just, thanks to the weak Australian dollar.This class includes the Corolla, Pulsar, Astra, Laser and 323 and is not to be confused with the light car class of Accent, Festiva, Barina, 121 and others.Nissan has long set the pace for value and has done it again with its latest Pulsar.Larger inside and out and more refined, the new model comes with air conditioning, a driver's airbag, CD player, remote locking, power mirrors, an engine immobiliser and cup holders.Entry level is the manual-only LX sedan at $19,990, up $600 on October 9, but still the same price as its predecessor.The LX is powered by a 1.6-litre engine, which develops 83kW at 6000rpm and 140Nm of torque at 4400rpm.These outputs are down a little on the previous 1.6, but the engine is more responsive, thanks to variable valve timing and direct injection.The manual ST, at $20,790 (up from $19,990 on October 9), has the same equipment as the LX, but gets the 1.8-litre engine, which develops 92kW at 5600rpm and 161Nm at 4400rpm.Next is the sporty Q manual at $22,590, complete with a rear spoiler, side skirts, alloy wheels and brighter trim.The top of the range Ti manual at $24,590 comes with a passenger airbag, ABS brakes and seatbelt pre-tensioners. Automatic adds $1800 to all but the LX.The first of the new Pulsars into the showrooms, wearing mini-Maxima styling, is the conservative looking Japanese-built sedan. The more attractive British-built, five-door hatch arrives early next year.The new sedan is 150mm longer, 5mm wider and 50mm taller and the body is 30 per cent stiffer to reduce noise and improve crash resistance.Styling is subtly different – smoother and beefier around the flanks and boot and easily identified front-on by the bold chrome grille.There are no new technological tricks, but everything about the new model feels bigger, stronger, more secure and well proven.The interior is longer, wider and taller with the seats set a little higher for better vision.There is still no split-fold rear seats to expand the luggage space – just a ski port.Instruments have a fresher look and there is now a push-button electric boot release on the dash and new cup holders on the centre console.Performance is brisk enough in the 1.6 manual, with enough go to hold its own around town and maintain a relatively relaxed cruising speed on the highway.Naturally, the 1.8 is stronger and the best and only mate for the optional automatic.The well-developed suspension has been upgraded with a slightly wider footprint. It feels strong and sure-footed and predictable in all conditions, including potholes and corrugations.Ride is smooth and comfortable and well insulated from road noise on smooth surfaces, but there is some body rumble on rough surfaces and tyre roar on coarse bitumen.Steering is light and accurate and the disc-drum brakes more than up to the job. Fuel consumption on test averaged 8.2l/100km in a 1.8 manual Q.The $19,990 small car will soon be a thing of the past. Prices went up earlier this month and are certain to jump another 2 per cent early in the new year. Importers of Japanese cars say prices should be at least 10 per cent higher than they are.