Nissan Pulsar SSS Sedan Review : Test Drive on Web Wombat Motoring

Nissan Pulsar SSS Sedan : Review & Road Test
Review by MichaelTancredi - 17 December 2015
With the Series II upgrade to the Pulsar range coming onto the market earlier thisyear, Nissan have dropped the Ti model from the Pulsar line-up and replaced it with, what is now their top of the range for the Pulsar, the SSS. While maintaining many of the current features of the Ti thisnew SSS has been upgradedwith the inclusionof a 1.6L DIG Turbo engine, a distinctive range of body add-ons to distinguishit from the two other models in the range, and rear park assist. Nissan have enhanced the model while are the same time reducing the price by over 10% for what was the outgoingTi.
The Pulsar range sits in the small passenger car segment and comprises the base model ST, ST-L and now the sporty performing SSS.
We had the pleasure of recently puttinga manual SSS throughthe hoopsand under the microscope over a week and found it to be a very quiet, comfortable and smooth car to drive with a bit of oomph under the bonnet.
Make: Nissan
Model: Pulsar SSS Sedan Series II
Price: $26,990*
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
Engine: 1.6-litre DIG-T (Petrol)
Max Power: 140kW
Max Torque: 240Nm
Fuel consumption: 7.7L/100kms
CO2 Emissions: 185g/km
Safety: 5 Star ANCAP rated
Car Supplier: Nissan Australia
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Drive Engine Exterior Interior Safety
Drive: 4.0/5
The Nissan Pulsar SSS Sedan is an extremely comfortable car and provided a very quiet and smooth driving experience. Steering was light to the touch yet with enoughfeel to give a positive sense of the road surface and to provide responsive handlingperformance. The leather bound steering wheel was well shaped, a good size and comfortable to hold. The vehicle maintained an excellent line and held the road firmly throughcorners, bends, chicanes and roundabouts.
We tookthe SSS over all types of road surfaces: freeways, suburban streets and throughwinding country roads. We tackled sealed and unsealed roads under different conditions.The suspension system (comprised of front McPherson strutsand rear Torsion beam, both with stabiliser bar) evened outthose bounces and bumps you find over rough corrugated unsealed roads and made it a very smooth driving experience.
Acceleration was excellent when pulling away from a standingpositionand when applying the pedal at all speeds. Even at higher speed, acceleration response times were excellent just drop it back a gear or two and feel yourself pushed back into the seat.
The vehicle performed extremely well under hard brakingat various speeds. When brakinghard, under all road conditionsand regardless of road surface, the all arounddiscs pulled the vehicle up beautifully. The 205/50 R17 tyres gripped the road well and the vehicle held a straight line.
Vision ahead throughthe large windscreen was clear and unobstructedby the bonnet.
Cabin noise was minimal at suburban speeds. One could easily conduct a conversation, listen to relaxing music or talk back radio without either raising your voice or needing to turn up the volume too high.
At nightthe auto levelling Xenon headlights headlamps emit a clear, white, broad angle spread of light thatgave an excellent, clean view of the road ahead.
We experienced no difficulty getting in and outof tight parkingspots.
Engine/ Transmission: 4.0/5
The Pulsar SSS Sedan comes 1.6-litre DIG-T (Direct Injection Gasoline Turbo-charged) engine petrol engine. It has a power outputof 140kW @ 5600rpm and generates torque of 230Nm @ 1600-5200rpm. This turbocharged four cylinder engine has been aroundsince 2010 and currently also powers the Juke Ti-S CVT AWD. We found it provided smooth, quiet and pretty rapid acceleration. Light weight in design it is claimed to reduce friction and also lower fuel consumptionand CO2 output.
Transmission across the range is available in either 6 speed manual or Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The Xtronic CVT basically doesn’tuse traditional fixed gear ratios butmoves up and downthe gear range seamlessly by means of a pulley/belt system. This eliminates the gear change jolt and hence lossof power and improves fuel economy. We drove a 6 speed manual version and found it to provide clean and smooth gears changes.
The stated average fuel consumption for the SSS manual under controlled conditions is 7.7 L/100km and CO2 claimed emission under a variety of driving conditions for the SSS is 185g/km. As a guide, the Australian national average carbon emissions from new passenger and light commercial vehicles was 199g/km [Carbon Dioxide Emissions from New Australian Vehicles 2012 : Information Paper March 2013]. For a small car with engine and transmission claimed to minimise CO2 output, the result is a tad disappointing.
Recommended fuel is 98 RON.
Exterior: 3.5/5
The Pulsar SSS Sedan is a neat lookingsmall car with a sleek aerodynmically shaped body. It's a look thathas been aroundfor a few years for Nissan butstill stands the test of time. When it comes to external looks, what distinguishesthe SSS from the ST amd ST-L is the rear spoiler and the side skirt,and that's aboutit. Although,it can be argued thatwith these additional features add a sporty flavour, it's really a mute point.
The front and rear of the vehicle are distinguished by the large wrap aroundlight arrays (Xenon headlightswith auto levelling and washers in front), LED running lights,both front and rear and fog lights.
The SSS sits on 17” Sports Alloy Wheels wrapped 205/50 R17 tyres. It measures 4,615mm long, is 1,495mm high and is 1,760mm wide (excluding mirrors). It has a wheel base of 2,700mm and a tight turningcircle of 10.7 metres. The SSS comes with a full sized spare wheel.
The body is comprised of one solid colour (excluding the door handles). The pillars are black as is the underside of the mirrors. The window surrounds,door handles, grill boarder and a strip on the boot are chrome. There are seven colours in the range, five of which are Metallic and incur and extra charge. All colours are available for all models. Our test vehicle was non Ebony (non-metallic).
Safety: 4.0/5
The Nissan Pulsar Sedan has been awarded a 5-star ANCAP safety rating with an overall score of 32.67 outof 37.
Standard with the Sedan are: driver and front passenger airbags and side impact airbags and front and rear curtain airbags.
Other standardsafety features for both models include:
anti-lock brakingsystem (ABS) with;
electronic brakeforce distribution(EBD); which applies varying brakingpressure to each wheel so thatthe maximum stoppingpower can be achieved while maintaining control of the vehicle;
electronic stability control (ESC); which improves a vehicle's stability by detecting and reducing loss of traction; and,
brake assist(BA); which automatically applies extra force to the brakes when emergency brakingis applied.
The Pulsar Sedan SSS comes standardwith rear (x3) acoustic parkingsensorsand rear view camera.
Interior: 4.0/5
The Pulsar SSS Sedan has a spaciousinterior, offering more than enoughroom to easily seat five adult passengers. Seating offers good supportwhile being comfortable, although for the middle rear passenger, longer drives would probably prove a tad uncomfortable on the posterior. Rear seat passengers have a goodview forward. The ST & ST-L are upholstered in black cloth and the SSS in black leather.
The driver is in easy reach of all controlsand had goodline of sight to all instrumentation.The dash instrumentationwas an analogue/digitalmix comprising two goodsized circular dials, one housingthe speedometer the other the tachometer. Two small circular dials house the petrol and temperature gauges. These analogue dials surround the small rectangular on-board computer screen. The dials were easy to read at nightbutwith their grey background and black numbers and needles I found there was insufficient contrast to readily read the dials in bright sunlight.
Set into the centre console is a 5.8" integrated colour display with touch screen from which you can manage the soundand satellite navigation systems. The Navigation system well laid out, easy to read and relatively easy to program. The voice outputwas clear, concise and easy to follow. The 5.8-inch Touch Screen is standardin the ST-L and SSS.
The entertainment system powered the AM/FM radio and could handle inputfrom a single CD (with MP3 capability), USB, Aux and Bluetooth®. Output is via a six speaker system located throughoutthe cabin. The soundwas crisp and clear with goodbass,mid-range and high tones. An excellent and clear outputacross all volumes settings.
The steering wheel housesaudio source and volume controls,telephone controlsand cruise controls. All were easy to use and intuitive to use and was a combination of buttonand toggle.
The duel electronic climate control system provided excellent volumes of air, ran quietly (typically, it was very quiet with the dial turned up to ½ way and became increasingly louder above thatmark). It also had a goodrange between cold and hot. Heating or cooling kicked in quickly.
There is more than ample storage nooks and crannies for anythingfrom maps, papers, books, bottle and all other paraphernalia thatcollects in a vehicle over the years. Interestingly, there are two cup holders for rear passengers in the fold forward arm rest.
Additional, features available to the SSS to make driving thatlittle more convenient are: rear view camera, key-less entry and startand electric side mirrors.
The boot capacity is extremely good. I was able to carry four sets of golf clubs with room to spare.
Overall: 4.0/5
Apartfor the additional power available from the 1.6-litre DIG-T engine, which you wouldn'tbe aware of until on the road, there is nota lot to differentiate the SSS from the other two Pulsars in the range or the Ti model which it replaces. Having said that, we found the Nissan Pulsar Sedan to be a goodlookingvehicle with lotsof passenger room, brimming with features, and the SSS to have enoughpower in reserve to make for an interesting drive.
Worth takingoutfor a spin if you need a small vehicle with a bit of zip and lotsof passenger room.
* Prices are manufacturer list prices only, for the drive away price please contact your local authorised Nissan dealer.