The Nissan Pulsar five-door hatchback has been launched in Thailand. The Pulsar, which we first saw as the new Nissan Tiida from Auto Shanghai 2011, is essentially a hatchback version of the new Nissan Sylphy. We covered the Thai launch of the new Sylphy last August.
The C-segment hatchback is 320 mm shorter than its sedan sibling, but retains the long 2,700 mm wheelbase for lots of rear legroom. The Pulsar’s wheelbase length is 100 mm longer than the roomy old Latio hatch’s, and this should translate to superior cabin space over European hatchbacks like the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus.
The Pulsar may look sportier than the Sylphy, but there’s no added firepower under the hood, no 1.6L turbo for the Thai market. Like the sedan, it can be had with either an improved HR16DE or the new MRA8DE.
The Twin C-VTC 1.6 litre unit makes 116 PS and 154 Nm of torque, while the 1.8 litre (with Twin C-VTC and a “diamond-like” carbon coating) pushes out 131 PS and 174 Nm of torque from a low 3,600 rpm. No basic manual option as per Sylphy – the Pulsar is CVT-only.
Billed as “the premium sports hatchback” in the Land of Smiles, the Pulsar is priced from 776,000 baht to 976,000 baht for the range topping 1.8V Sunroof Navi. Besides sunroof and sat-nav, the costliest Pulsar also comes with goodies like bi-xenon projector headlamps, 17-inch wheels, cruise control, Bluetooth, keyless entry and reverse camera.
Like what you see? How do you think the Nissan Pulsar will fare if it comes to Malaysia?
