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First drive: Nissan Pulsar. Image by Nissan.

First drive: Nissan Pulsar
Nissan returns to the C-segment, and hopes its new Pulsar hatch can take on the mighty Volkswagen Golf.

   



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| First Drive | Barcelona, Spain | Nissan Pulsar |

Overall rating: 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5

Having made the brave and bold decision in 2006 to kill off its traditional hatchback offering, the Almera, and replace it with the phenomenally successful Qashqai just a year later, Nissan has already 'shaken up the C-segment marketplace' - you only have to look at all the crossovers that have emerged from rivals in the wake of the trailblazing Japanese machine. So going back to making what is in essence a worthy but dull hatchback - and taking into account the fact the new Qashqai is better than ever before - is a bizarre move by Nissan.

Key Facts

Model tested: Nissan Pulsar 1.5 dCi Tekna
Pricing: range starts from £15,995; Tekna models from £20,345
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body style: five-door hatchback
Rivals: Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, Volkswagen Golf
CO2 emissions: 94g/km
Combined economy: 78.5mpg
Top speed: 118mph
0-62mph: 11.5 seconds
Power: 110hp at 4,000rpm
Torque: 260Nm at 1,750- to 2,500rpm

In the Metal: 3 3 3 3 3

Wearing the new corporate front and rear ends of Nissan that have already seen service on the Qashqai and X-Trail models, the Pulsar is the least well-resolved creation of the lot. It has two awkward creases that meet uncomfortably underneath the A-pillar and the car looks vaguely MPV-ish from dead-on rear, coming across as tall and a touch bulbous. It's not exactly ugly, but then neither is it crisp and attractive in a way the current Vauxhall Astra, SEAT Leon or Peugeot 308 all are. It also looks curiously under-wheeled, even on the largest 17-inch alloys of the Tekna model, and it's a largely forgettable design.

Inside is better, because there is a huge amount of room in the rear. Indeed, this is a point Nissan is keen to play up. It is thanks to a long wheelbase that the Pulsar has such vast reserves of cabin space, meaning four six-footers could easily lounge around within. It also has a good-sized boot that rises from 385 litres to a massive 1,395-litre load space with the rear seats folded. It's nicely tactile up front, although some of the plastics on the lower dashboard are hard and unyielding to the touch, and as a driver you feel as if you are perched a little too high up when behind the wheel. Overall, it is perfectly acceptable within but there's nothing really to shout about.

Driving it: 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5

This is so very middle-of-the-road in every respect. It has a decent ride and it is reasonably quiet in terms of tyre roar and wind noise. The diesel engine is smooth enough and good on fuel, although the Pulsar is not quick by any reasonable comparison. The gearbox has a tidy action, the brakes do what are asked of them and like so many run-of-the-mill cars nowadays, the chassis is set up to have lots and lots of grip but not much steering feel.

Yet absolutely nothing about its dynamics shines out as being excellent. It will get you from point A to point B with the minimum of fuss and in adequate comfort, but at no point whatsoever will you find something to smile about. It's like stepping back in time to 2007 and discovering this is the direct follow-up to the Almera; it doesn't appear to have moved Nissan's hatchback game on one iota. We keep on harking back to the Qashqai, but surely if you're insistent on bringing back a hatch to go alongside it, you build on the car's lower centre-of-gravity compared to the crossover to make it more entertaining to drive? Nissan has failed to do this, at least in regular diesel format.

What you get for your Money: 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5

The Pulsar range starts at £15,995 for a Visia model, but in reality anyone who wants to buy one will probably go for an Acenta (£17,645), which has a little more spec. The n-tec (£18,995) and top-ranking Tekna (£20,345) models do bring more of the infotainment, connectivity and driver assist technologies we've all come to demand in 2014, but if it were us in the Nissan showroom, we'd stump up the extra £2,000 and buy a Qashqai.

Nissan expects 60 per cent of the 10,000 Pulsars it sells a year in the UK to go to fleet, with the rest to private buyers. The company says there is a gap between the Juke and Qashqai that it needs to fill to cater for conservative, older buyers who want to upscale from a Note but who don't want anything resembling an SUV.

Worth Noting

Equipped as it is with stop-start and a lower, lighter and more aerodynamic body than the Nissan Qashqai, one of the Pulsar's few saving graces is a set of highly commendable economy and emissions figures. The 1.5 dCi version emits just 94g/km and is supposedly capable of a lofty 78.5mpg on the combined cycle, although we'd guess mid-60s would be more realistic. It could therefore conceivably appeal to the frugal punter.

Summary

Nissan's new Pulsar does absolutely nothing wrong... but then it does nothing particularly right, either, save for having a huge amount of rear legroom and low emissions in 1.5 dCi guise. It is perfectly safe, smooth and practical, but then so is the Qashqai and that's much more likeable thanks to the pseudo-SUV advantages it brings to the party. That there are also so many rival C-segment machines that can all do at least one thing markedly better than the Pulsar leaves us wondering how we can possibly recommend it, either to private buyers or as a fleet purchase. Nissan killed off its prosaic hatchbacks eight years ago, to great success; so resurrecting the formula once more, in an age when there's so much excellent choice out there for customers, has left us completely perplexed. The Pulsar is simply surplus to requirements.


Matt Robinson - 11 Sep 2014



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2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.

2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Shane O' Donoghue.



2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Nissan.
 

2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Nissan.
 

2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Nissan.
 

2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Nissan.
 

2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Nissan.
 

2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Nissan.
 

2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Nissan.
 

2014 Nissan Pulsar. Image by Nissan.
 






 

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