LOOKING FOR A car that looks and drives like a Qashqai but in five-door hatchback guise? Then look no further than the Nissan Pulsar, which is built on the same CMF platform as the Qashqai and is powered by some of the same engines.
The box-shaped Pulsar is very well designed and offers more rear legroom than you’ll find in the Ford Focus, SEAT Leon or Volkswagen Golf. Three adults will fit fine in the back and there is great headroom all round.
On the road, the Pulsar offers a very comfortable ride. It is great for motorway cruising; easy to manoeuvre; and the steering is accurate. It has plenty of grip and feels confident on the backroads… but it isn’t exactly a hoot to drive.
In fact, it’s a little dull.
It does, however, feel nice and smooth. I found the diesel engine a little noisy, especially on start up, but the cabin is well insulated and does a good job of blocking out the engine din as well as wind and road noise.
The cabin is well thought out and has good storage compartments, decent sized front door bins (the rear ones are tiny) and a good glovebox.
The boot is a fine size too and can hold 385 litres with the rear seats up, which expands to 1,395 litres with the rear seats tumbled. (As a comparison, the Focus holds 316 to 1,215 litres, the Astra holds 370 to 1,210 litres and the Golf holds 380 to 1,270 litres.)
There is a good mix of materials used in the cabin and it feels durable and well put together, if a little bland. The 5.8-inch Advance Drive-Assist Display touchscreen is a bit on the small size compared to its rivals but it is intuitive to use and very responsive.
The seats are supportive and comfortable and there is plenty of seat and steering wheel adjustment so it is very easy to find a suitable driving position. Visibility is quite good too.
The Pulsar is offered with two engines; an 115hp 1.2-litre petrol with six-speed manual gearbox or CVT and an 110hp 1.5-litre diesel unit with a six-speed manual gearbox. It comes in four trim level; XE, SV, SV Executive and SVE. SVE models get the Safety Shield pack which includes Blind Spot Warning, Lane Departure Warning and Moving Object Detection.
Prices start at a competitive €20,995 for the 1.2-litre petrol with the manual transmission in XE trim and even the entry-level models come with a decent amount of kit.
The test car was the top-of-the-range SVE 1.5-litre diesel version, priced from €27,595.
Overall, I found the Pulsar to be a well-built, no-nonsense, spacious car that offers a comfortable if a little boring driving experience. But it gets the job done and is very keenly priced.
If you have a bit more budget and want something with more style and a more engaging drive then check out the Mazda3 hatchback priced from €23,295.
Looking for another family five-door hatchback that also comes well specced as standard and is as great looking as it is to drive? Then check out the Opel Astra, priced from €20,750.
There’s also the five-door SEAT Leon, which is a handsome looking car, offers decent handling and has a low starting price of €19,645.
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