Nissan Pulsar review (2014-2018)
The Nissan Pulsar is a family hatchback that offers tremendous value for money as a used buy. It comes with useful safety equipment, a refined character and a spacious, practical cabin - perfect for the school run or a weekday commuter trip to the tip after a spring clean. All this and more in our Nissan Pulsar review below.
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Pros
- Smooth ride
- Strong standard equipment
- Spacious inside
Cons
- Rivals are more frugal
- Lack of driving engagement
Interior
Our rating: 6/10
As with the exterior, the Nissan Pulsar’s interior puts function before form, with a straightforward dashboard layout that features a few soft-touch plastics and employs a design that ‘sweeps’ into the front doors.
Tech and features
You have to opt for N-TEC and Tekna trims to get a 5.8-inch touchscreen on the dash – otherwise, you have a more old-school audio interface with a small display, buttons and dials.
Touchscreen-equipped trims get a DAB radio and sat-nav, as well as a reversing camera and Nissan’s Connect system, which works with several types of smartphone operating system.
As standard, all Pulsars get Bluetooth, four speakers, air-con and cruise control buttons on the steering wheel.
Higher trims add another pair of speakers, dual-zone climate control, auto lights and wipers and a ‘surround view’ system which uses cameras to create a bird’s-eye view of the car on the touchscreen.
Interior space is another Pulsar strength, with lots of room for those in the front and rear seats to stretch out.
There’s also no hump in the floor and a decent amount of shoulder room to satisfy a centre rear passenger.
The rear doors are particularly wide opening, which helps less mobile passengers to get in and out, and large windows all around give the interior an airy feeling.
Performance
Our rating: 6/10
Engines and power
The Nissan Pulsar came with a choice of engines when new – a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol, a 1.6-turbo petrol and a 1.5-turbo diesel.
All have their strengths, but the 1.2 petrol is arguably the best, with decent performance and reasonable economy.
The diesel engine is economical but needs to be worked harder on the motorway.
Handling and ride comfort
The Pulsar’s soft suspension helps it to soak up bumps and ruts with minimum fuss.
The body leans a bit more on roundabouts and on country roads than, say, a Ford Focus, but the car grips well and its light steering makes parking easy.
Practicality
Our rating: 6/10
Storage solutions
Front-seat occupants get a pair of cup holders, bins in the doors, a storage cubby and a good-sized glovebox, while those in the rear get cup holders and an armrest with the Acenta trim grade and above.
Rear seats
Those outer rear seats also come with Isofix mounting points for child seats.
Boot space
The boot holds more luggage than that of a VW Golf or Ford Focus and the rear seat backs are split 60/40 – with them folded there’s a bit of a step in the floor.
It’s still a large, well-shaped space that’s perfect for long loads.
Even with the rear seats in place, there’s enough room for three suitcases in the Nissan Pulsar’s boot.
Running costs
Our rating: 5/10
Fuel economy
All of the Nissan Pulsar engines’ official economy figures were measured using the older NEDC method.
Expect real-world miles-per-gallon for the 1.2 petrol engine to be somewhere in the low-40s, the 1.6 petrol to be in the 30s and the 1.5 turbodiesel to be in the high-50s.
The verdict
Interior
6/10
Performance
6/10
Practicality
6/10
Running costs
5/10
The family car market is chock-full of rivals that put performance and handling before everything else.
The Nissan Pulsar opts for comfort and space – if you’re not too fussed about how a car hangs on in the bends and prefer something that relaxes, this hatchback could be a great fit.
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