Nissan spread its wings
Among the middle class cars, a very serious competitor has appeared, which can take away buyers not only from the Opel Vectra or Peugeot 406, but even from the traditional leader – Volkswagen Passat. Moreover, many people say that even the BMW 3-series and the Mercedes C-class will lose some of their customers, especially those for which the “social status” of the car plays a minor role. This is a new Nissan Primera. Yes, it was the Japanese, who was always considered a modest middling, decided to spread his wings and challenge the legislators of the genre. Nissan Primera is not just a new car, but a real futuristic concept, put into mass production.
Nissan Primera, introduced in 1990, was one of the first Japanese cars designed specifically for the requirements of European buyers. Moreover, this car even produced only in Europe at a factory in the city of Sunderland in the UK. The inhabitants of the Old World appreciated such concern for them and rather willingly bought this car, which was distinguished by moderate conservatism and low price.
The second generation Primera appeared in 1996 and was the evolution of the first (in 1999 a deep restyling took place). But the third generation, introduced in September in Frankfurt, was a real revolution. It feels like the designers of Nissan seemed to have forgotten about the image of Primera, as a calm family car for the middle class. Nissan Primera as if trying to turn all the ideas about the automotive industry. And, above all, we are talking about the design, which was created by the Munich studio Nissan.
It is quite difficult to describe it. According to the designers themselves, this is a new philosophy of Nissan cars, which will also be developed in other models of the company. Its meaning is that the cars in the future will become more like monocabs than usual sedans and hatchbacks. This will make the inside of the machine more practical and adapted to various transformations. Well, if you approach the design of Primera more critically, it can be noted that it is a bit like the new Renault Laguna, which in principle is not surprising (Renault owns a significant stake in Nissan). In addition, it is not yet known how the buyers will react to the new appearance. Many of the traditional Nissan fans targeted these cars precisely for a modern, beautiful, but “calm” design. And now Primera has become painfully avant-garde, that not everyone will like it, because car buyers of this class are more conservative than those who acquire “babies”.
Yet the appearance is not the main thing, which can boast Nissan Primera. Salon – this is the main highlight of this model. It was he who allows Primera to be called a real serial concept. The main element of the entire cabin is the center console, at the top of which is the instrument panel, and below them a large color LCD screen and some semblance of a table with buttons. This table provides control of almost all car systems, ranging from the radio and ending with Internet access and navigation system. Thanks to the miniature joystick and keys, you can select one or another function on the screen and adjust it. Thanks to the use of this interface, the total number of buttons in the car was reduced by half. It could even be stated that Nissan was the first to suggest using a similar principle on production cars, but … the Japanese company was only a couple of months ahead of BMW with a similar idea on the G7. True, it should be noted that the BMW 7-series will cost about 100 thousand dollars, and the Nissan Primera – 20-30 thousand.
Another innovation that will appear on cars of this class for the first time will be a rear-view camera. It will transfer the image to the central screen automatically, you only need to turn on the reverse. But that’s not all. Nissan Primera will receive an ICC (Intelligent Cruise Control) system. It will not be just a regular cruise control that supports a given speed. With the help of a laser radar built into the front bumper, the electronics will constantly scan the space and determine the distance to the vehicle in front. If it turns out to be too small, the car will signal the driver and reduce the speed to the optimum.
From a technical point of view, the Nissan Primera will keep all the best traditions of previous generations – here the engineers did not experiment too much. Still, the car will receive a wide range of engines and transmissions. By the way, a stepless CVT will appear. Among the new engines can be noted 2.0-liter engine producing 140 hp, which, apparently, will be used in Russia a good demand. There will be more modest in displacement power units of 1.6 and 1.8 liters. Well, fans of powerful engines should wait until mid-2002, then the V6 engine will appear. Nissan Primera will go on sale at the end of this – the beginning of next year.
