Skip to main content

Road Test: Nissan Pulsar SSS


Being offered the keys, or should I say key fob, to the Nissan Pulsar SSS for a whole weekend by the boss is a big deal for me. Normally I'm given the keys on a very limited basis for the express use of giving the photographer Ted a moving car to shoot for Driven.
So when I was offered a car for a whole weekend I couldn't refuse no matter what the car was.
The car in question, Nissan's new Pulsar SSS doesn't look like the most exciting vehicle on offer in the Nissan fleet, but don't be put off, the hatch has a lot to offer.
Starting with getting in the car for the first time, I was immediately confused by the keyless start. Only one other car I've driven, the Ford Fiesta ST, has been keyless and it took a lot of getting used to over the weekend.
The rest of the interior is a faux-leather trim and for a brand new car, is quite understated/classic Japanese unlike many of this years European hatchback offerings. The Steering wheel and dash are quite intuitive - and that means that even someone as simple as I am could figure out what everything was and how it worked, though I will admit it took until the trip back to Auckland from Whangamata to find the USB and Aux in points inside the center console, through which you can connect your smartphone/iPod directly into the stereo without having to play around with Bluetooth.
The rest of the infotainment system has everything you would want in a modern vehicle, a stupidly easy to use GPS navigation, CD player, cruise control, and reversing camera.
There is enough leg room in the rear to comfortably fit two adults for extended periods of time and enough boot space for a weekend trip away.

Driving the Pulsar SSS is what really altered my initial impressions, the CVT gearbox, the only option in the New Zealand market, is smooth as all CVT boxes are, yet fun and quick to upshift in manual mode. The power delivery is up with modern expectations for turbo vehicles with very little torque surge from the 1.6L turbo engine. The best way to have fun in the SSS however is to flick off the traction control and shift manually, which gives you a more engaging driving experience and puts that silly grin that only unleashing your inner hoon can. The only thing that I felt the driving experience was lacking was a bit of noise. Driving the SSS you could forget that you are driving the top of the range sporty Pulsar quiet easily, that is until you put your foot down and look at the speedo climb at a healthy rate.
Cornering is great for a front wheel drive car, not once giving me a feeling that I was not in full control or going anywhere I didn't point it myself.

Outwardly the SSS is quite the sleeper. It has 17 inch rims with big 50 profile tyres, which make the 17inch wheels appear smaller than they actually are. There is a positive outcome in this as the ride is superb. I'm talking fill the car with small sleeping children and then barrel along a gravel road good here. It does come with a big front lip, side skirts and spoiler in the SSS package but still is understated enough to potentially lose in a shopping center carpark.

I will admit I was quite amazed at the fuel economy figures I was managing while simultaneously wringing its neck. With a cruising fuel consumption of 12.2km/L and dropping to 11.2km/L while enjoying the joys of the great drivers roads the Coromandel Peninsula has to offer. I imagine even better figures can be achieved with a little self control but even then, putting $50 of BP's 98 octane had the fuel gauge raising by half a tank. That means that on regular premium a full tank would cost roughly $100. In today's world of unstable oil prices that's got to be a plus!

Would I buy it?
I personally wouldn't buy it, but that stems from it not being a car suited to my personal needs rather than the car being bad. I imagine that the Nissan Pulsar SSS would be ideal for the young professional family, where Mum needs a comfortable car to do the shopping, take the kids to school and pot around town,  while Dad likes to take the car on weekends for a fun road trip, to sporting commitments or just generally drive the pants off it.




**PLEASE NOTE: This review does not reflect the views of my employers and is my own opinion from my four days with the Nissan Pulsar SSS**

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DODGE TOMAHAWK: THE MONSTER THAT NEVER WAS

  It’s 2003, and crazy uncle  Chrysler had what seemed like a fantastic idea, but it really wasn’t…   By Mat Fiat and Chrysler were made for each other.  Fiat possessed oodles of Italian heritage and passion, while Chrysler was the Gerry Brownlee of American automotive companies.     The combination of the two was always going to create a noisy company that isn’t afraid to throw its weight around and let you know about it.  These days it seems a month doesn’t go by with out  some kooky new idea from  “out-there” FCA  CEO  Sergio Marchionne  making the rounds. But wind back the clock to the turn of the century  and we can see Chrysler was already pretty out-there . And here’s why; they thought the Dodge Tomahawk was a good idea.   For those who aren’t in the know, the Dodge Tomahawk was what turn of the century Americans , well ,  Americans in general ,  have always thoug ht was e...
Post a Comment
Read more

Maxxis Bravo AT 771 Review

Watch the 3-year ownership review on Youtube! I've owned a set of Maxxis' Bravo AT771 tyres for 3 years now, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on them. Firstly, I didn't buy these tyres after doing any research on them. Truth be told, I'd never even heard of Maxxis before buying these! But with the stipulation that I wanted a set of All Terrain tyres for my Forester in 215/65R16, and that I didn't want to pay over $1500 for them. I ended up paying $1000 fitted and balanced. I took a punt on the 'Mackies' as I've started to call them, and I've got to be honest, I've been pretty happy with them. Sure, they don't look as cool as other All Terrain models out there, but they've worn well and haven't given me any headaches in the 3 years I've had them. The Good Stuff The AT771s have proven to be a really good match for the Subaru in the sand, which is primarily where they've been used apart from highw...
Post a Comment
Read more

Aprilia SR125 Review

  Aprilia’s motto is “ desined  for racers, built for riders” – but does that translate to their scooter range?   I’ll admit that even with my  usual  level of enthusiasm  at collecting a shiny new bike , I wasn’t expecting a heck of a lot from Aprilia’s SR125  “ Motard ” scooter  out of the box.    After grabbing it from  Bayride  Motorcycles in Tauranga – straight off the showroom floor no less – with just 1km reading on the digital display,  I was expecting  my 80km ride home along the state highway  network  to take  much longer than the norm.   However, to my surprise, the little Aprilia not only made the trip in easy fashion, it hit the legal highway  speed  limit straight out of the box! An impressive feat, considering it was still – technically –   running in when I handed it back and was pushing a top speed which, at times, would  get a ...
Post a Comment
Read more