The Empire Strikes Back!

Let’s face it though-in the Philippines when you hear the name Nissan, it evokes little emotion. Your soul isn’t inspired, and even your taste for good aesthetics would just keep repeating the words ‘bland, bland, bland’. Well, blame it their local image. Ever since Nissan Motors came here to the Philippines, they have dished out rather decent automobiles but ones, which also don’t spark much emotion. The Nissan name is now attributed to boring Sentras, very capable but aging Cefiros and the awful Patrol and Terrano.

This is of course, not at all bad, as once in a while car manufacturers must attune the design of their cars to the general public, and what better way to satisfy them than to create an inoffensive car, which will suit everyone’s liking. However, this becomes a problem when the manufacturer decides to dish out something unique or extraordinary. Nissan has tried and succeeded in launching eye-watering, heart-warming sports cars and coupes. Their long list of successful cars include the Porsche-eating Datsun 240Z, which now has attained cult status; the spiritual Z successor, the 300ZX Turbo which can give Ferraris a run for their money; and of course, the famous Japanese-market Skyline GTR which has competed in several Japanese touring car championships as well as the 24 hours of Le Mans. These cars have contributed a lot to the design and manufacturer of more sedate sedans by providing the information needed to create wonderfully-handling and responsive cars.

Nonetheless, Nissan and its sister sports arm, Nismo have failed to produce enthusiastic cars, which could once again set the standards in the sports car world. The 1 million-dollar, carbon fiber Nissan R390 for example though can go 200 mph and offer a great handling experience cannot match the passion associated with other similarly market cars such as the Ferrari F50, McLaren F1 or even the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR. Motoring journalists ridiculed it, branding the R390 as merely the ‘most expensive Nissan’, nothing more, no talk about the engineering, nor the superiority of design. On the production side, several of Nissan’s so-called ‘pocket-rocket’ cars found themselves stockpiled at their yards, unsold.

In the United States alone, Nissan lost three of its wonderful sports-inclined cars in a period of less than four years. The first to go was the 300ZX line-up. People thought that this Z was overly expensive and well, not practical for everyday use. Nissan couldn’t do anything to save their precious Z. Next, to go was the 200SE-R. A Sentra in a 2-door coupe body, the 200SE-R had four-wheel disc brakes and a 140-bhp 2.0-liter inline-4 engine. On the middle end, the 240SX bade goodbye. The 240SX, enthusiasts said, had wonderfully entertaining chassis, but the 2.4-liter inline-4 engine lacked the power for a true sports coupe.

In the Philippines as well, where Nissan Motors Philippines enjoyed recent success with the launch of the Cefiro found their 200SX (a turbo-charged version of the 240SX), was left behind its rival the Mitsubishi Eclipse, despite trouncing it in every aspect of the driving experience. The culprit once again: lackluster styling.

A stone throw away at Nissan Motors headquarters in Japan, the operations board had to downgrade the number of platforms shared by their passenger cars from a modest 12 to a minimalist of 6. This is because of the worst economic crisis that hit Japan since the 1950’s. The good news is that in these 6 chassis, Nissan retains one of the most unique and the most revered of all current sports cars that Nissan has ever built: The 4-wheel drive Skyline GT-R.

Nissan Skyline GT-R

Please understand that the Skyline isn’t just a model in Nissan Motors Japan. The Skyline is an entire line-up of sports-inclined cars that include everything from a sedate 2-door 2.0-liter coupe to a 4-door family mad wagon to of course, the best known, the GT-R.

The previous Skyline GT-R had its publicity because of its experience with the Japanese Touring Car Championship. After dominating this series, it even went on to compete in the LeMans 24 hours in both GT1 and GT2 categories. Though it didn’t win in both, Nissan should be proud of their GT2 cars, which were stock road versions with minor upgrades. Because of its competitive pedigree, the GT-R was considered one of the most desirable sports cars in Japan.

The GT-R was different in two ways: first its looks and second the way it interacts with the driver. The GT-R doesn’t look like a sports car. Rather, it looks like a sports coupe with an aggressive looking aerokit. All in all, it was made to look as civilian as possible if you are to compare it to the likes of a Ferrari 355 or a Porsche 911 or even Honda’s NSX. However, be surprised that it can trample these three so-called sports cars, and this is where its performance kicks in. Powered by a 2.5-liter inline-6 with twin ceramic turbo chargers, the GT-R has 280 horsepower. Moreover, it has computer controlled steering and suspension system, which compensates for a driver’s ‘stupidity’ while driving this car on the road. In effect, there is no wheel spin, no slips, and no slides. The GT-R always ends up in the right side of the road every time. However, having the Skyline GT-R still rear-biased all the time means that there’s no barrier from you having fun.

The new Skyline GT-R is no different either. Using the same formula as before, Nissan Motors Japan changed the looks to sometime more aesthetically sound, the engine was retained but minor suspension tweaks and the addition of a 6-speed gearbox made sure that the Skyline GT-R is still the safest, friendliest and smartest sports car around.

Nissan Cefiro

The 1999 Cefiro being sold here model is actually four to five years old in Japan, and it comes to no surprise that Nissan is ready to change this with an all-new car. In May of 1998, Nissan Motors Japan gave the world a first glimpse of the new Nissan Cefiro, which will debut late this year.

From the outside, the new Cefiro borrows heavily from traditional looks. The way the rear window curves down the door is a Cefiro trademark since the first one in 1988. However, beyond the curves of the windows is an obvious change of lamp appearance. Borrowing the new look from Mercedes Benz’s S-Class, the headlights of the new Nissan Cefiro looks more elegant, more stylish than before. Overall, the shape and the details still say that the Cefiro is still a car of class, a car of executives. The rear however is another story. Like the Merc E-class, the Cefiro loses steam in the rear where it is given conventional treatment without anything spectacular. Then again, the hardest part to create a unique design for a modern car is really the rear. Inside, the cabin is still luxuriously appointed but with addition of a new sporty 4-spoke steering wheel and well, re-designed cabin to assure ergonomics. However like the old Cefiro, it still looks rather bland.

The biggest change however comes from under the bonnet. The new Nissan Cefiro boasts of 2 improved power plants still derived from the Best Engine in the World winner, the VQ series. The new 2.0-liter VQ V6 for example, generates 160 bhp at 6,400 rpm (that’s a boost of 5 bhp) and torque of 200 Nm at 4,400 rpm compared to the previous’ 190 Nm at 4400 rpm. The 2.5-liter version gets the biggest change. First of all, its output is now 210 bhp, compared to the previous’ 190 bhp. Torque jumps from 250 Nm to 270 Nm. The new 2.5-liter engine is also marked as LEV (low emission vehicle) which makes this new engine environmental friendly.

And what happens to the old (the current one in the Philippines) one? Well, both the chassis and the old engine were sold to the Koreans and the Cefiros get branded as Samsung SQ5 and the SE5. The difference? Well, buyers can choose the old 2.5-liter V6 engine from the old Cefiro or the 2.0-liter inline-4 from the Altima.

Nissan Sylvia (200 SX)

The Nissan 200SX or the Sylvia in Japan had the one of the most entertaining rear-wheel drive chassis in the world. In fact, some people argued that the 200SX is part of the ‘nearly icon’ cars of the 1990’s. Having a 200 bhp engine from a 2.0-liter turbo-charged inline-4, meant that the modestly lightweight 200SX can accelerate from 0-60 in less than 8 seconds. It was a serious contender with the likes of the Mercedes Benz CLK, BMW 3-series Coupe and even the Alfa Romeo GTV. It’s only weakness? Looks. Any of the 200SX’s rivals mentioned above evokes a sort of emotion whether you sit inside the car or admiring the outside. The 200SX didn’t have that sort of shape. Yes, it did resemble the Skyline GTR in some way, but even the Skyline itself is boring to look at compared to similar sports cars of the same caliber like the Ferrari 355 for example.

To make sure that Nissan wouldn’t alienate buyers of the new Nissan Sylvia, they didn’t change the formula that much. Still having a sort of resemblance with the new Skyline GTR, the 200SX’s front side has become aggressive with those bulging lights and small center grill. Huge brake ducts and striking sidelines further accent its shape, making this new 200SX a far cry from the old guard. The only let down of the new 200SX is the rear side. Like the old one, the new Sylvia lacks the originally of design in its rear, and still looks too much like a sedate sedan, if not the old 200SX.

The interior has been given a lively treatment with the introduction of aluminum inserts on the center console, air vents, side panels and steering wheel. This makes the sporty nature of the car even more evident. Three center aircon vents looks reminiscent of a modern day Ferrari, while the new instrumentation face has introduced a new feature which is new to the 200SX: changing instrumentation. What we meant about changing instrumentation is that when it’s daytime and the lights are off, the face is black on white, much like other sports cars. However, they reverse and become white on black when the lights are turned on for better visibility at night…pretty clever huh?

Lastly, the engine is still based on the old 200SX’s. That’s a base engine of a 2.0-liter normally aspirated 16-valve inline-4 with an output of 165 bhp (up 5 bhp from the previous). The top of the line Sylvia has a turbocharged version of the same engine with a maximum output of 250 bhp (up 50 bhp from the previous version). What made the difference? Well the new 200SX is available with a 6-speed manual transmission.

Nissan Xterra

Like the Nissan Maxima, the Xterra’s details are still sketchy as well. However, this will be one of the first so-called Sport Utility Pick-ups or SUP. A 4 x 4 with a load bed equal to that of a pick-up…an interesting idea of you ask me. The good news is that because of its pick-up like qualities, the Xterra will be sold at relatively cheap prices because it’s suspension geometry is based on the Frontier pick-up. Engine choices are ample as well with a base 2.0-liter engine with a lowly 143 bhp of output to a powerful 3.3-liter V6 with a maximum output of 170 bhp.

The only bad thing is that the Xterra is based on a pick-up. This means that ride quality will not be at par with other 4 x 4 which have independent front and rear suspension unlike a pick-up which doesn’t have.

Nissan Z-Concept

Nissan USA had to pull out the 240SX from the market due to the lack of interest by the public market. However, Nissan USA vowed one thing though: the return of a new Z-car. This of course, let people wondering on how it looks or performs. Imagine…Nissan is going to reincarnate the car that destroyed the Porsche 911s years ago by being half the price and yet going as fast. People were finally, enthusiastic about it once again. Now, the wait is over. Nissan has launched the Z-Concept, which the new 240Z would be based on.

The exterior looks similarly from the original 240Z from the 1960s. This is of course, a retro thing. Nissan probably thought that it worked for Volkswagen with the Beetle, it could work for us. They are probably right. The new 240Z looks good from every angle, and the essence of the original Z-car is never lost in the new car. The Nissan design team in the US should be given credit to this one. With the addition of ‘airy’ 18-inch mags to expose the racing type brake calibers (as used by the Skyline GTR), as standard, the new Z-concept should be taken seriously by other competitors in the same market.

However, when the enthusiast tries to see on what’s under the hood, they may be in for a shock. The Z-Concept uses the same 2.4-liter normally aspirated inline-4 as the old 240SX. This means that Nissan USA failed to correct the predecessor’s mistake of providing to little power to be called a sports car.

Then again, all of this can change, as the engine specifications haven’t been finalized yet for production. But if Nissan will be using the 2.4-liter engine, then nothing has changed and they will be relying on looks rather than anything else.

Nissan Maxima

The philosophy of the Nissan Maxima was fairly simple: to be a ‘family sports sedan’ which is both capable of holding 5 while being fast. True to form, the Maxima did achieve this feat. The Nissan Maxima has already garnered awards for both its wonderful 3.0-liter VQ engine and its build quality. The Maxima has so great a potential that tuners even tune the Maxima to put out horsepower ratings to equal those of a Corvette, which can only seat 2.

Badly needing a hit after the US arm of Nissan failed to clinch the market with the new Altima, they redesigned the Maxima for the specific US market. In sort, this new Maxima was designed and will be built and sold with the US market planted solely in their minds. Though details about the new Maxima are sketchy at the moment as Nissan USA doesn’t want any details to go out, the Maxima will still be powered by an upgraded version of its award winning VQ engine. The difference is that from 190 bhp, the output increases to a whooping 222 bhp! That’s even more powerful than the 3.0-liter VTEC engine for the Accord Coupe! Way to go Nissan!

So whoever said Nissan was going down the drain? Six good reasons to show the world that Nissan is still alive and kicking.

Text By Tamago and Redline | Photos courtesy of Nissan Japan and Nissan USA