Meet the Nissan Pulsar

Japanese car giant Nissan returns to the family hatchback sector with the Pulsar.

Nissan will take on the combined might of the Ford Focus, VW Golf and Vauxhall Astra (and the rest) when it launches it’s all new five-door hatchback this autumn.

Featuring Nissan’s V-motion grille and boomerang-shaped lighting, the Pulsar is Nissan’s re-entry into a market it left in 2006 when the lacklustre Almera ceased production.

As you’d expect, the Pulsar is a good looking car and Nissan claims it has the longest wheelbase in its class resulting in “considerably more rear legroom and shoulder room than its sector rivals”.

Built at Nissan’s Barcelona plant, but designed in Britain, the Pulsar features a “powerful yet frugal all-turbocharged engine range” which will include three units – two petrol and one diesel. From launch there will be a base 113bhp 1.2 DIG-T petrol and a 108bhp 1.5 dCi diesel, with CO2 emissions estimated to be 95g/km. A range-topping 187bhp 1.6-litre petrol unit will be added in early 2015.

Nissan’s advanced Safety Shield – a suite of systems and technologies that combine to offer a fully comprehensive ‘safety net’ for drivers – is also fully integrated into the Pulsar’s design. Among the systems offered are Forward Emergency Braking, Moving Object Detection, Lane Departure Warning and Blind Spot Warning.

The Pulsar also features Nissan’s second-generation NissanConnect system, featuring full smartphone integration, Google® Send-to-Car and access to a wide variety of apps.

The Pulsar will also boast LED headlamps. First introduced to the Nissan range on the Qashqai and X-Trail, the new lights produce a crisp, white light and have the added advantage of using 50% less power than conventional bulbs.