Nissan March New Car Future

a Japanese manufacturer with head offices in Tokyo, that also runs factories across the world and has one in the UK based in Sunderland, that has the reputation as the most efficient car factory in Europe. Formerly known as Datsun, Nissan produces a wide range of cars and commercial vehicles, and also has recently introduced the Infiniti luxury brand into the UK - their own luxury brand to rival Lexus, BMW etc. Nissan has ties with French producer Renault and shares some platforms and engines.

Nissan Micra

The Nissan Micra is a Ford Fiesta sized supermini that is built at the Sunderland plant. It is the smallest of the UK Nissan offerings and is a popular choice, known for its reliability. It is known in some other markets as the Nissan March and is currently in its 3rd generation model. Prices start from £7995, and the car is available in either 3 or 5 door hatchback versions.



Nissan Micra C+C

The Nissan Micra C+C is a coupe-convertible version of the Micra hatchback with a folding hardtop that has been becoming increasingly popular in recent times. It is very definitely seen as having a "girls car" image, reinforced by TV coverage at launch on the Top Gear TV show where a fluorescent pink one was road tested. the Micra C+C competes with rivals such as the Peugeot 207 CC for sales.




Nissan Note

The Nissan Note was jointly developed with Renault and shares a lot of engines and the chassis with the Renault Modus. It is a compact people carrier with an overall length similar to a supermini, but with individual seats and a high roof line, designed for family transportation. It is available with a choice of a 1.4 or 1.6 petrol engine or a 1.5 turbo diesel unit, and costs from £9990.



Nissan 350Z

The Nissan 350Z is a 2 seater sports car available as either a coupe or convertible that builds on the heritage of the Datsun and Nissan Z cars that have been popular since the 240Z was introduced in 1969. It is shortly to be replaced by the new 370Z model that builds on the same chassis. The 350Z uses a 3.5 litre V6 normally aspirated petrol engine and the car is said to have excellent sports handling and performance and being a Nissan it is considerably cheaper than rivals such as the BMW Z4 and Porsche Cayman.




Nissan GT-R

The Nissan GT-R is Nissan's flagship model that proves just how technologically capable the brand is. It is the latest in a line of cars that came from the Japanese market Skyline model, and originally was known as the Skyline GT-R. It has always been fitted with an advanced 4 wheel drive system controlled by sophisticated electronics, and a medium capacity engine with a powerful turbocharger strapped to it, enabling easy tuning with some previous models being taken to over 1000 horsepower by their owners. The current model has 480 horsepower as standard, and competed head on with the Porsche 911 Turbo for ability, despite being nearly 40 thousand pounds cheaper.




Nissan Qashqai

The Nissan Qashqai is a crossover vehicle designed to sit between somewhere between a family hatchback, a people carrier and an off road 4x4. It has the looks of a 4x4 and an elevated driving position but in a somewhat smaller package, meaning that parking, fuel consumption etc. are all more comparable to a mid sized hatchback, and acknowledges the fact that owners are unlikely to ever take the car off road, so is based around urban capabilities.




Nissan Qashqai+2

The Nissan Qashqai+2 is a slightly larger extended Qashqai model that has as the name suggests, room for an extra 2 seats in the back making it a full 7 seat family car rather than a 5 seater like the original. In most other respects it is virtually identical to its smaller brother - engines, chassis etc, and costs a small premium over the basic model for the extra space.




Nissan Murano

The Nissan Murano is a full sized 4 wheel drive that competes with the likes of the BMW X5 and Mercedes M-Class, yet avoids the traditional chunky squared off big off-road styling which is backed up by the cars firm on-road focus. It shares the same engine as the 350Z with a big 3.5 litre V6 motor, which does hamper the sales in the diesel orientated UK market.




Nissan X-Trail

The Nissan X-Trail is a compact 4x4 that sells against the Land Rover Freelander, Honda CR-V etc. It is only currently available with a 2.0 litre diesel engine with 173 horsepower, and costs from £22340 in the UK. The current version has been enlarged over the previous model to give space for the smaller Qashqai in the range.



Nissan Pathfinder

The Nissan Pathfinder is based on the Nissan Navara double cab commercial vehicle but with a full working boot. It has the same styling, chassis interior and engines as the Navara.




Nissan Patrol

The Nissan Patrol is much more of a traditional 4x4 with full off road ability to compete with other four wheel drives such as the Mitsubishi Shogun and the Toyota Hi-Lux. It uses a separate ladder chassis to its body and several electrical and mechanical off road systems.