Nissan unveils the new Pulsar; its D-segment challenger

The Pulsar, Nissan’s latest four door hatchback, is a car meant for the European markets. It will take on the likes of the Volkswagen Golf and the Ford Focus. The Pulsar nameplate however isn’t new to Nissan; it has used this name on its cars in the late 1970s and then in 2013 it introduced the Pulsar name again in Australia for both a new hatchback and a sedan. The Australian Pulsar is essentially a rebadged Tiida which is based on the BO platform or the extended version of the Nissan Micra platform sold in India.

The new for 2014 Pulsar which gets completely revised styling continues to share its platform with the likes of the Tiida and the Nissan Juke. But, Nissan has added a lot more technology to the new car.  Among the systems offered in the new Pulsar are Forward Emergency Braking, Moving Object Detection, Lane Departure Warning and Blind Spot Warning. It also gets Nissan's second-generation NissanConnect system that comes with smartphone integration, Google® Send-to-Car and access to a wide variety of useful and informative apps, says Nissan. Another advanced technology integrated into the Pulsar's design is LED headlamps. According to Nissan, first introduced to the Nissan range on the Qashqai and X-Trail, the Pulsar's distinctive LED front lights produce a crisp, white light and have the added advantage of using 50 per cent less power than conventional bulbs.

The new Nissan Pulsar will come with three engine options – a 1.2-litre DIG-T petrol unit with 115PS, the tried and tested 1.5-litre dCi diesel which generates 110PS and 260Nm of torque and a 190PS 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Continuing Nissan's successful downsizing philosophy, the new Pulsar's engines are high on performance and low on emissions, with CO2 outputs below 95g/km, says Nissan. The Pulsar will also be offered with Nissan's advanced XTronic or CVT automatic transmission. As for its dimensions, the new Pulsar hatchback is 4385mm long and it sits on a 2700mm wheelbase. This, according to Nissan, gives the Pulsar class leading interior room along with compact outside dimensions making it easy to drive and park in tight confines one finds in cities. 

The new Pulsar four door hatchback, clearly, has no future in a market like India; a market obsessed with either sedans or SUV when the asking price is over Rs 10 lakh. But, the new Pulsar is still an important car for India, for like the version in Australia, this, the new Pulsar, too could spawn a sedan version, which naturally will be of great interest to Indian buyers. More on that in a later report.