Nissan Pulsar SSS 2013 Review

What we liked:?
>> Well-matched gear ratios in manual form
?>> Punchy, refined, flexible turbo engine
?>> Supple ride?

Not so much:?
>> Evident body roll when cornering
?>> Interior lacks sporty feel
?>> Vague steering

After a seven year absence, Nissan has brought the Pulsar nameplate back to the Australian market. Perhaps even more significantly, the revered SSS hero model has also made a comeback. Last seen in 2000, the previous Pulsar SSS was a value-for money performance legend, regularly embarrassing more exotic vehicles with its mix of punch and cornering prowess.

It’s this essence that Nissan hopes to recapture with the new SSS. Available only as a five-door hatchback (for now, Nissan wouldn’t be drawn on if a sedan variant was forthcoming) Pulsar SSS packs a 140kW punch for under $30,000.

Starting at $29,240 (plus on-road costs) for the six-speed manual, the SSS comes very well equipped. Standard features include satellite-navigation, a reversing camera, Bluetooth telephony and audio streaming, and dual-zone climate control. An X-TRONIC CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) is a $2500 option and offers a stepped manual mode via the gearshifter (not steering wheel paddles).

Our time was spent with the six-speed manual version. On first impression, the SSS cut a fine figure, the exterior bodykit and 17-inch alloy wheels lifting the hot hatch above other Pulsar variants.

Slipping behind the wheel revealed a high driving position, but with the steering wheel able to be adjusted for reach and rake, a suitable enough driving position could be obtained. Pulsar SSS receives ‘leather accented’ seats which were comfortable without being overtly ‘sporting’ in support. Indeed, this lack of sporting pretence was felt throughout the cabin, the only sign of this being the top-line hot hatch being the ‘SSS’ insignias on the front floor mats, complete with retro-styled red fabric highlights.

Moving off revealed an easy to modulate clutch, the pleasantly chunky gear-knob topping off what was to prove an enjoyable shift, striking a nice balance between being short-throw yet still properly ‘mechanical’. Even the pedal placement was great for heel-and-toe downshifting, although the narrowness of the footwell could prove a problem for those with large feet.

From the clutch bite-point onwards, it was immediately apparent that in SSS, the engine’s the star. Truly flexible, the direct-injected turbo ‘four’ produces its 140kW at 5600rpm with a stout 240Nm on tap from only 2000rpm. On-road, it was eager from 1000rpm with real strength from only 2500rpm. You could then choose to drive it one of two ways; search for the redline and linear urge was accompanied with a pleasantly sporting engine note and willingness to rev out, or alternatively change-up at 3500rpm and drop back into the climbing torque curve.

Matching the engine’s all-rev eagerness was a set of six short-stacked ratios. Changing from fourth to fifth at 60 kilometres per hour, then onto sixth at 80 had the engine right around that 2500rpm sweet-spot, with plenty of punch for safe overtaking. Running in sixth at 100 saw 2600rpm on the tachometer, which felt on the high-side in these economy-minded times.

Throughout the drive Pulsar SSS exhibited a supple pliancy to its ride that was almost as apologetic as its interior. This actually assisted on the sometimes bumpy, high-speed road sections, but when it came to the sharper corners the SSS should excel in, it became part of its dynamic undoing. From the braking zone -- the brakes had good pedal progression and worked well without being outstanding -- to turn-in, the speed-sensitive electric steering felt vague, finally catching up with the car’s movement just as body-roll built up. With lock applied, there was also little in the way of feedback, the weighting changing constantly. The helm was accurate enough with familiarity, but it needed more road detail.

The aforementioned body roll demanded more lock to reach the apex of tighter corners, where throttle would then need to be re-applied with caution, especially on the sometimes damp roads we encountered. Ask for too much too soon, and the inside-front would spin its 205/50/R17 Continental up, bleeding power away for a second until the traction control system triggered.

From this brief encounter it’s obvious that the Pulsar SSS has a lot of potential, and presents exceptional value for the price with its impressive driveline and equipment levels. It just needs that final dynamic polish to become a truly great hot-hatch.

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