Nissan Pulsar 1.6 DIG-T: First drive with the top gasoline engine

190 PS in the Golf class - up to ten years ago that was enough to get the GTI and co to get involved. Today, the sporty spearheads in the compact class are moving more towards 300 than 200 hp, they know that at Nissan too. That is why the new P ulsar 1.6 DIG-T both on the nickname Nismo, with which Nissan ennobles its sport variants, and on aggressive spoilers or rocker panels. Instead, it looks like any other pulsar - at least almost. Only a few details distinguish the 1.6 DIG-T from the weaker motorized representatives of the series.

Nissan Pulsar 1.6 DIG-T with a very discreet appearance

But you have to look carefully. In the cockpit, the wide trim element that extends across the dashboard has a carbon look. The seats, leather steering wheel and gear lever bag have decorative stitching highlighted in white. The same restraint on the outside: 17-inch aluminum wheels in a unique design, black bezels for the LED headlights and a chrome trim for the tailpipe - that's it. The charged direct-injection gasoline engine, which is already used in the Juke and recently also in the Qashqai (there with 163 hp), sounds correspondingly subtle after pressing the start button.

But leave the turbo four-cylinder off on the leash, he pushes the passengers into their seats with a vehemence that was previously unknown to the pulsar. No wonder, after all, the other two engines on offer are satisfied with significantly less power (petrol: 115 hp, diesel: 110 hp). If you use the 1.6 DIG-T clutch and six-speed gearshift, you should reach 100 km /h after 7.7 seconds - three seconds earlier than with the 115 PS basic petrol engine. That sounds just as believable as the top speed - according to Nissan 217 km /h.

Good equipment, but no sports seats

The chassis and steering are not very impressed by the extra power. Nissan has changed springs and dampers and increased the rigidity, which means that the Pulsar 1.6 DIG-T reacts tightly to bumps without being too hard. This sometimes leads to short pitching oscillations on fast stretches of the motorway, but otherwise there arethe comfort offered on the first exit hardly cause for complaint. Naturally, stronger forces now apply to the drive wheels, but even when accelerating jaggedly out of tight bends, annoying tugging in the steering is barely noticeable.

Here, the driver would rather want more support for their own body. Sports seats with more lateral support are not included in the scope of equipment, although the one with LED headlights, seat heating, keyless entry, city emergency brake assistant and a lot more is by no means sparse. In addition to the Acenta (from 24,190 euros), the 1.6 DIG-T, like any other pulsar, is also available in the top Tekna version (from 26,990 euros), which, in addition to other amenities such as leather seats, a navigation system and the Safety Shield assistance package, is also available exclusively -Inch aluminum wheels with 215/45 tires.

Nismo in the hindquarters

Nissan is calculating with the 1.6 DIG-T with ten percent share of pulsar sales in Germany, although the jump from the next weaker pulsar with 75 additional horsepower for over 3,000 euros is quite large. The price-performance ratio for the inconspicuous compact dynamic is quite okay. Nevertheless, the question arises whether it is not too expensive for those for whom half the additional performance would have been enough. Or too weak for those who want a real Nismo athlete - preferably with twice the performance.