NISSAN HAS UNVEILED EARLY INFO ON THE 400Z PROTO

Nissan unveiled the 400Z Proto, a new generation of the legendary Z sportscar, at a virtual event beamed around the world from the Nissan Pavilion in Yokohama. Visually it pays respect to 50 years of Z heritage. At the same time, it’s a thoroughly modern sportscar. The link to the original Z is most striking when viewing the Z Proto from the side. The 19-inch alloy wheels and dual exhausts complete the Z Proto’s road presence. Yellow accents are found throughout the cabin, including stitching on the instrument panel. The… Read more

NISSAN PATHFINDER 2013 – 2019

The fourth generation Nissan Pathfinder, introduced in November 2013 is a very large seven-seat SUV with reasonable off-road capability in some models. It’s not a body-on-chassis vehicle as in some of its earlier iterations, it’s now a monocoque, with all that means in the way of increased comfort and a quieter interior. Pathfinder gen-four offers two-wheel drive, though all-wheel-drives have been the more popular sellers. All have a 190 kW 3.5-litre petrol V6 and continuously variable transmission (CVT). The interior of this biggest ever Pathfinder is spacious and practical. The… Read more

LEAF SHAKES UP TASTY HATCHBACK COCKTAIL

Turning over a new Leaf. Is there an end to the number of times Nissan can add to its all-electric compact vehicle? First it was the ability to run household electrical goods from the car’s battery. In July the company’s pioneering vehicle-to-grid technology arrived in Australia with a government trial set to deliver power back to the grid through the car’s bi-directional charging capability. Now in a world first, drivers can pay for parking while visiting Nissan Pavilion exhibition space in Yokohama with power from their Leaf battery. However, I… Read more

NISSAN ARIYA: AN ELECTRIC CROSSOVER SUV

Nissan has long been one of the major players in full-electric vehicles and has just introduced the Nissan Ariya, a crossover SUV. With a 100 per cent electric powertrain, Ariya has an estimated range of up to 610 kilometres based on Japan WLTC cycle (subject to homologation). That puts it well in advance of most others in this class. CEO Makoto Uchida and Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta unveiled the Ariya to a global audience during a live streamed event at the new Nissan Pavilion in Yokohama. “The Nissan Ariya… Read more

ALL-NEW NISSAN JUKE: BIGGER AND BETTER

The all-new Nissan Juke is longer, wider and taller than its predecessor which has been on sale Downunder since 2010 Nissan Juke is all about funky styling and the new model takes that to even more extremes. Naturally it has the latest iteration of Nissan’s V-Motion grille. It features broad shoulder lines, raked windscreen and huge wheel arches. The sculpted flanks and tapered glasshouse give it a semi sporty look. Technology is by way of a 8.0-inch touchscreen that gives access to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. If they choose… Read more

IT’S PATHFINDER’S TURN TO TAKE ‘TREK’

Something tells me I’m into something good – Herman’s Hermits These lines from the ‘60s hit song could well parallel Nissan’s move to scatter its N-TREK tech-and-trimmings package over a range of product from Navara to X-Trail, Patrol and Pathfinder. Shared by the SUV / ute quartet above, Nissan recently added a Special Edition to the Pathfinder N-TREK line-up. Does the titular seven-seat large SUV live up to the ‘something good’ approbation? There are four variants of the Special Edition – two-wheel and four-wheel drive versions of the ST+ and… Read more

NISSAN NAVARA ST GETS A BLACK STYLING PACKAGE

The Nissan Navara Dual Cab range has been given a tougher look courtesy of a Black Styling Package. Featuring a V-Motion grille in black, black front foglight surrounds, a black alloy sport bar and black mirror caps it’s aimed at giving it a tougher on-road presence. Black-on-silver 18-inch alloys, not only complete the style, but also unlock provide added off-road ability thanks to increased ground clearance, now 228mm. Approach, departure and ramp-over angles are 32.3, 27.5 and 23.6 degrees respectively. All Nissan Navara Dual Cab variants have received significant NVH… Read more

NISSAN WARRIOR WAGES WAR ON SPECIAL FORCES

Nissan recently stepped into the hairy-chested premium ute ring, up against the likes of the Ford Ranger Wildtrak, HSV SportsCat, Mazda Boss and Toyota Rogue, Dodge Ram and HSV Silverado – with the Navara N-Trek Warrior. Unlike these pickup prize fighters, the Nissan truck is offering something different – input from Aussie automotive product development and engineering consultancy Premcar – to take on the toughest conditions demanded by owners in the premium dual cab 4×4 ute market. Enhancements in wheel, tyre and suspension come up with better ground clearance and… Read more

NISSAN QASHQAI N-SPORT

Nissan Australia has announced it will bring a tough looking Nissan Qashqai N-SPORT to SUV lovers downunder. Nissan Qashqai ST-L-based N-SPORT is limited to 600 units. It has 19-inch wheels; body-coloured bumpers front and rear that incorporate matt silver trim highlights. Bodyside mouldings with matt silver trim and wheel arches are also body-colour coded. Further exterior flourishes include silver-painted caps for the auto folding and heated door mirrors, while inside the headlining is finished in black. As well as that limited edition Nissan Australia has updated others Qashqai models, adding… Read more

SMALL CHANGE FOR BIG-MONEY PEOPLE MOVER

It’s been a long journey for the Nissan Patrol since its inception, almost 70 years ago, taking it up to the big boys of the 4×4 market, especially the Toyota Land Cruiser. Now the rugged Nissan continues along the slip road to a quieter life with its MY20 model. In 2013, the Patrol took on the role of a flagship with a big brother in the shape of ST-L, Ti and Ti-L variants. Last year, the ST-L was retired, leaving the two petrol-only options carrying the load. For 2020, the… Read more