Business Car Manager Verdict on the Nissan Pulsar 1.5 dCi 110 Tekna

Nissan has a lot of ground to make up in this market, abandoning the unloved and outclassed Almera eight years ago. The Pulsar is a pretty strong effort on paper though, combining the requirements of a business traveller with those of a family car to create something that’s very competitive.

The 1.5-litre diesel powered model tested here has been cleverly revised, making it smoother and more refined than in previous installations across the Nissan/Renault range, with particular attention paid to start up shakes and rattles. Those revisions also make the stop/start system less intrusive.

The same can’t be said about the gearbox, which was reluctant to engage third gear on both cars tested.

The ride is as smooth as the engine though, gliding along the motorway with not even a quiver over undulations, cracks and expansion gaps. Find some twisty bits and it’s found left wanting, rolling from one corner the the next, such is the penalty you pay for being able to waft along isolated from the road.

Economy is quite reasonable, with an official combined figure of 78.5mpg. Around the roads of the launch event it managed to return 57.2mpg, although the car was driven perhaps a little more enthusiastically than might ordinarily happen.

All of which adds up to a perfectly capable car that does nothing poorly. The box marked ‘acceptable’ is ticked across the board, which will be enough for some buyers.

Nissan hopes to sell 10,000 or so Pulsar’s in the first year, and they may well achieve that. But in creating something that’s comfortable, quiet and spacious, they’ve forgotten to tick the box marked ‘interesting’.

Adequately capable rather than remarkable just doesn’t cut it in this segment, so there’s every chance that the Pulsar could go the way of the Almera all over again.

Click here to read the Editor’s review on the new Nissan Pulsar.

The Low Down on the Nissan Pulsar…..

…..and what it costs