Finger on the Pulsar

Nissan's Pulsar sedan is a top seller in New Zealand's small-car market, but its newly launched hatchback is tipped to be even more popular, writes motoring editor ALASTAIR SLOANE.

There was no fanfare this time. No staged shows with actors in cowboy hats. No previews of television advertisements. No pre-launch drive programme. No free lunch. Just a brochure and a few words and pictures in an envelope introducing the new Nissan Pulsar hatchback.

Nissan didn't want it that way. But its launch date for the Pulsar clashed with other launches on the motoring calendar. So it cancelled the planned party and went it alone, telling motoring writers to check their mail.

Not that the launch of the hatchback was going to be as elaborate as that of the Pulsar sedan last July.

Back then Nissan hired actors for a live show at Auckland's Force Entertainment Centre.

The theme of the launch was that the mid-sized, four-door Pulsar broke all the rules about car design - that bigger wasn't necessarily better, or safer, or roomier, or more powerful.

A make-believe American with a make-believe Texas drawl said the Pulsar sedan wasn't at all powerful; American cars invented power, buddy.

A pretend German said it wasn't safe or strong, unlike German cars. A woman with a New Zilund accent said it wasn't big enough for children and shopping bags.

Nissan marketing executive Peter Merrie - the straight man in all of this - said they were talking nonsense. Drive it, you'll like it, he told motoring writers. Then he and the actors passed around snacks and talked in parables.

Looking back, Merrie was right. The Pulsar sedan doesn't scream out to be noticed. But it is highly functional in a highly functional Japanese sort of way, and rides and handles well.

Buyers must have thought so, too, because it is now the bestselling four-door in the small/medium segment in New Zealand, in front of the Ford Laser, Mazda 323, Honda Civic and Mitsubishi Lancer.

The new Pulsar hatchback breaks a few further rules for Nissan, too.

One, it is made in Britain, at the Sunderland plant, voted the most efficient factory in Europe. Every other Nissan over the years has either been built here or imported from Australia or Japan.

Two, the optional 1.8-litre engine makes it the most powerful mainstream Nissan hatchback. The Triple S of a few years ago came with a 2-litre four-cylinder engine, but it was hardly mainstream.

Three, it is the first Nissan New Zealand model to offer European-style ride and handling.

"The hatchback is quite different from the sedan," says Merrie. "It feels European.

"There is more feedback through the steering wheel, and the engine delivers more power lower down in the rev range, unlike many Japanese engines.

"This gives the hatchback more flexible on-road performance, with better throttle response and driveability."

Merrie says Nissan's engineers in Britain tuned the suspension system to provide a better handling/ride compromise.

The Pulsar hatchback uses MacPherson struts up front and Nissan's multi-link beam setup at the rear. The car rides on 15-inch 185/65 tyres.

Nissan expects the hatchback to outsell the sedan by two to one, a result which will strengthen its place in the small-car market.

Worldwide trends show the market for smaller cars is gaining strength. It has much to do with population drifts into cities where the smaller cars are ideally suited.

So far this year, Nissan lies fourth in the overall market, behind Toyota, Ford and Holden and clearly in front of fifth-placed Mitsubishi.

"We've not had a Pulsar hatchback available for the last six months," says John Manley, Nissan sales and marketing director. "This new model addresses that situation."

Three hatchback Pulsars are available - the entry-level 1.5-litre LX manual costing $29,495, and two 1.8-litre LS models, the five-speed manual at $32,195 and four-speed automatic at $33,395.

The new car is bigger overall than existing Pulsar or Sentra hatchbacks. It is 64mm longer (4184mm against 4120mm), 16mm wider (1706mm against 1690mm) and 53mm higher (1448mm against 1395mm).

Both the 1.5- and 1.8-litre engines are four-cylinder, 16-valve fuel-injected units. Peak torque in both is produced at 2800 rpm - the 1.5-litre developing 128Nm, the 1.8-litre 158Nm.

Standard equipment on the LX Pulsar includes driver airbag, air-conditioning, power windows, tilt-adjustable steering column, a 60/40 split folding rear seat and adjustable head restraints front and rear.

It also has body-coloured bumpers, mudflaps all round, a vehicle immobiliser and remote-control central locking.

There are also electric door mirrors, intermittent windscreen wipers, courtesy and map lights, luggage nets, CD player and an outside temperature gauge.

All doors have anti-intrusion beams and the body has front- and rear-impact crush zones. A cutout valve is in the fuel tank and there are anchor points in the rear for child safety seats.

The more expensive LS adds anti-lock ABS braking, incorporating electronic aids to distribute braking force, a passenger airbag and front seatbelt load limiters, another safety aid.

Nissan says the halogen headlamps have been designed to more accurately focus light output and provide up to 50 per cent better illumination than conventional headlights.