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Nissan steps back into hatchback market with Pulsar brand

Nissan Pulsar Nissan Pulsar
Adam Schoeman

Nissan is set to do battle with the Golf and Focus when it launches its own family hatchback, wearing the revived Pulsar nameplate.

This particular C-segment market is extremely competitive, especially when you consider how adept Volkswagen and Ford have become at designing their contenders in that sector.  Nissan is surely hoping to challenge them, and it would seem that it is focusing its efforts on size.

The Pulsar will sit on an extended version of the Juke platform, which gains an additional 69 mm of wheelbase, making it 115mm longer than the five-door Golf. This, according to Nissan, will translate into the Pulsar offering class-leading legroom and shoulder room.

Three engines will be on offer, and for a change they will all be turbocharged. A 1,2-litre DIG-T unit, producing 84 kW, will serve as the entry-level model and should offer enough shove due to the additional torque produced by a force-induction engine to not feel pokey.

The familiar 1,5-litre dCi diesel engine, in an 80 kW tuning state, will be available to the more frugal-minded buyer, while the range-topping Pulsar will be fitted with a 140 kW 1,6-litre DIG-T engine.

All models will be offered with a choice of either a CVT automatic gearbox or a six-speed manual.

The inclusion of the 140 kW DIG-T engine and the presence of a premium model in the range suggest that Nissan is not just trying to fill a gap in its line-up. Furthermore, Nissan has promised that the Pulsar’s interior will feature high-quality materials and will enjoy comprehensive equipment levels.

Apparently, standard spec under consideration will be lane departure warning, blind spot warning and moving object detection systems, all under the Nissan Safety Shield label.

European buyers can expect to pick up a Pulsar from September, but there is no confirmation local release. Nissan Pulsar

Nissan Pulsar

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