Tuesday 30th September 2014

Nissan hot hatch planned

NISMO version of new Pulsar hatchback takes shape, PH remembers the old GTI-R

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Nissan looks to be readying a NISMO version of its new Pulsar hatchback in time for the Paris show this week, judging from a spy shot of the car posted by Autocar.

Not exactly inspiring origins...

We don't know yet whether this is a concept or the real thing, but Nissan has dropped big hints it's going to apply its performance brand treatment to the newly launched five-door Focus rival.

"This segment has got NISMO written all over it," Nissan's special projects guru Jerry Hardcastle told PH at the launch of the Pulsar last month. "The halo will come later as the Pulsar brand develops."

As the car stands right now it's not exactly a pulse-raiser. There's no three-door version and the huge amount of rear-seat space by necessity makes the design a bit too bulky to create a slippery looking fast hatch in a way that the Ford Focus ST manages, for example.

But then you wouldn't have bet on a Juke NISMO either and now Nissan has now shown a NISMO RS version of that. The engine in the Pulsar NISMO is likely to be the same 218hp version of the 1.6-litre turbo unit that's coming to the Pulsar anyway in milder form.

But then that hasn't stopped them before!

And talking of incongruous, you wouldn't have expected the original Japan-only 1990s Pulsar to morph into the fearsome GTI-R with its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and four wheel-drive either. Plenty arrived here via the grey channels and gained a loyal following - many are still going.

This won't be as focused, at least to start with. But judging from the snatched picture, Nissan has worked on the front end styling with its lip spoiler, minimalist wheels and large brake discs.

Likely targets for the car are the Kia Cee'd GT rather than more mainstream models like the Golf GTI, but don't discount Nissan's ability to transform an unpromising-looking car. It's got form.

[Source: Autocar]

[3ananaPie]

Hot Pulsar would be pretty neat, but they should really have a new 200SX/Silvia similarly to the GT86.

[joscyn47]

It's simple really, just bring back the old Gtir.

Why o why do car companies manufacture something special and then try an replecate in name only.

If the old "Sunny" name was seen to be a problem then just change the name.

How about Nissan "Banzai" Gtir and that ones for nuthin.

We can all name some fantastic cars, alas, gone forever.

We can vote against this new breed of soft and velvety cars, JUST DON'T BUY THEM.

[anonymous-user]

joscyn47 said:

It's simple really, just bring back the old Gtir.

Why o why do car companies manufacture something special and then try an replecate in name only.

If the old "Sunny" name was seen to be a problem then just change the name.

How about Nissan "Banzai" Gtir and that ones for nuthin.

We can all name some fantastic cars, alas, gone forever.

We can vote against this new breed of soft and velvety cars, JUST DON'T BUY THEM.

Ive read that over a couple of times and I still do not get it!

[SmartVenom]

MonkeyMatt said:

joscyn47 said:

It's simple really, just bring back the old Gtir.

Why o why do car companies manufacture something special and then try an replecate in name only.

If the old "Sunny" name was seen to be a problem then just change the name.

How about Nissan "Banzai" Gtir and that ones for nuthin.

We can all name some fantastic cars, alas, gone forever.

We can vote against this new breed of soft and velvety cars, JUST DON'T BUY THEM.

Ive read that over a couple of times and I still do not get it!

+1!

[Leins]

Will the new one have 14" wheels?

[Alapeno]

SmartVenom said:

MonkeyMatt said:

joscyn47 said:

It's simple really, just bring back the old Gtir.

Why o why do car companies manufacture something special and then try an replecate in name only.

If the old "Sunny" name was seen to be a problem then just change the name.

How about Nissan "Banzai" Gtir and that ones for nuthin.

We can all name some fantastic cars, alas, gone forever.

We can vote against this new breed of soft and velvety cars, JUST DON'T BUY THEM.

Ive read that over a couple of times and I still do not get it!

+1!

I imagine it being read like Shakespeare

[soad]

We can thank the WRC for the all-wheel drive Nissan Pulsar GTi-R...aka the Pulsating Hatch.

[Guvernator]

soad said:

We can thank the WRC for the all-wheel drive Nissan Pulsar GTi-R...aka the Pulsating Hatch.

Exactly, the problem with manufacturers trying to resurrect old successful brands is that they often forget that it was rallying\racing and the homologation rules that made them so special in the first place. No racing\homologation and all you end up with is a car trying to live on the name only. I THINK that is what joscyn the poster above was alluding to but in a much more eloquent fashion than I

[joscyn47]

Thanks to the Guvernator for that one.

[Cupradan]

Guvernator said:

Exactly, the problem with manufacturers trying to resurrect old successful brands is that they often forget that it was rallying\racing and the homologation rules that made them so special in the first place. No racing\homologation and all you end up with is a car trying to live on the name only. I THINK that is what joscyn the poster above was alluding to but in a much more eloquent fashion than I

Nissan aren't trying to resurrect the pulsar brand, it's been on sale in japan and oz since the "pulsar" you remember.....

[cerb4.5lee]

3ananaPie said:

but they should really have a new 200SX/Silvia similarly to the GT86.

When I had my S14a 200sx I was always disappointed that the S15 was only available as an import so I like the idea you have come up with very much.

[itz_baseline]

Such a waste of the Nismo name. Agree they should just re-release the Pulsar GTiR. With modern internals it would be stronger and even by todays standards it produced some pretty impressive stats.

Why don't companies re-release old school cars. Imagine how well a 205 gti would sell if they made an identical model to the 80s in some kind of 30 year anniversay addition?

[Speed_Demon]

I can't help but feel this will be like the Almera GTI, a great car, but a little underpowered compared to the competition and no street cred.

[Speed_Demon]

itz_baseline said:

Such a waste of the Nismo name. Agree they should just re-release the Pulsar GTiR. With modern internals it would be stronger and even by todays standards it produced some pretty impressive stats.

Why don't companies re-release old school cars. Imagine how well a 205 gti would sell if they made an identical model to the 80s in some kind of 30 year anniversay addition?

Because the progression of legislation means it would require somewhat drastic redesign, and extra crumple zones and air bags and guess what? End up as heavy and likely as dull as modern "hot" Peugeot offerings.

[ItsaTVR]

Leins said:

Will the new one have 14" wheels?

Oh, we can hope. They're so more affordable than 16 or 17s...
That's important if you're putting tires on a car that looks like a seven year old Impreza.

[epom]

Always loved the GTI-R. Not too many good ones about anymore, and certainly not for sale.

[Antj]

itz_baseline said:

Such a waste of the Nismo name. Agree they should just re-release the Pulsar GTiR. With modern internals it would be stronger and even by todays standards it produced some pretty impressive stats.

Why don't companies re-release old school cars. Imagine how well a 205 gti would sell if they made an identical model to the 80s in some kind of 30 year anniversay addition?

quite simply because by modern car standards they are ste, so many people remember the old 205's , renault 5 turbo's and cars from that era with rose tinted spectacles, the truth is most modern cars are that much better and they would never sell.

even some of the early noughties cars make the old early 90's greats look rubbish.

oh and then theres the whole thing of crashing one, no thanks, there was a reason why they were light and you'd realise that in a front end crash about .5 of a second after impact.

[FD3Si]

To those complaining about the name: A Pulsar has, for a long time, been the equivalent of the Almera in a lot of markets - i.e. Oz/NZ etc.

In the same way that a 'Skyline' gets a reverent intake of breath in the UK, when in Japan a lot of them are 4 door Mondeo type family wagons.

[vz-r_dave]

Cupradan said:

Guvernator said:

Exactly, the problem with manufacturers trying to resurrect old successful brands is that they often forget that it was rallying\racing and the homologation rules that made them so special in the first place. No racing\homologation and all you end up with is a car trying to live on the name only. I THINK that is what joscyn the poster above was alluding to but in a much more eloquent fashion than I

Nissan aren't trying to resurrect the pulsar brand, it's been on sale in japan and oz since the "pulsar" you remember.....

I was lucky enough to have the Pulsar VZ-R, 175PS from a measly 1600 . Makes me laugh how people are so ignorant on PH. It's like only the UK market exists haha.

[garypotter]

My sister has a Nissan pulsar in new zealand, owned for 18 months and very reliable but I cannot say what she calls it as this is before the watershed...