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Nissan has announced pricing for its new Pulsar, a car that will enable dealers to take on Ford’s Focus, Vauxhall’s Astra and the VW Golf for the first time in eight years.
In UK showrooms in the autumn and costing from £15,995, the Pulsar will be the first Nissan family hatch in the C-segment – the second largest in the European market – since the Almera ceased production in 2006.
The five-door car is 115mm longer than a Golf, with a 63mm longer wheelbase, and Nissan claims interior space, particularly in the back, will be class leading.
Visually the Pulsar has been designed to be a sister to the highly successful Qashqai crossover.
The initial two-way engine choice – either a 1.2-litre 113bhp petrol or 1.5-litre 109bhp diesel unit – is also carried over from the Qashqai, and available with either manual or Xtronic automatic transmissions.
A more powerful 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine of 187bhp will be available early in 2015.
Pulsar buyers will be offered four trim grades and according to Nissan leading equipment levels, with entry-level Visia models including as standard a five-inch colour touch screen, 16-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth/iPod connectivity, steering wheel-mounted audio controls and cruise control.
Acenta versions, costing from £17,645, add Forward Emergency Braking, automatic lights and wipers and Nissan’s i-Key entry system.
N-tec trim, from £18,995, extends the alloy wheels to 17 inches and adds privacy glass, LED lights, a colour reversing camera and the NissanConnect 2 infotainment system.
Topping the range is the Tekna, priced from £20,345 and with additional features from Nissan’s Safety Shield technologies, including Forward Emergency Braking, Moving Object Detection, Lane Departure Warning and Blind Spot Warning.
Andrew Charman
