First drive: new Nissan Pulsar

A new Nissan hatch, eh? What does it replace?

Nothing. It's a new model. Or, if you have a long memory, you could say it's a successor to the Almera.

That'll be the Almera that they killed when they launched the Qashqai?

Indeed. It was a regular-format C-sector hatchback, a vanilla competitor to the Ford Focus. They killed it because they said you needed to be a big name to have the brand and marketing shove to get anywhere in that market. Nissan, they admitted, wasn't that big a name, and so Nissan went for the alternative market. Hence the Qashqai (which back then really was quite alternative even if it seems normal now, simply because it was so influential).

But now they've reversed their strategy?

Exactly. The Pulsar is, er, a vanilla competitor to the Focus.

Why?

Well, there are obviously some people who just won't have a crossover. All those Focus, Astra or Hyundai i30 buyers for a start. But since the Qashqai and Juke saved Nissan's financial bacon, the company now the money to invest in covering more of the market. It wants some of that Focus action.

So - any chance of success with this one?

Well Nissan fights shy when you say the Pulsar is a Focus rival. A Focus is, even they admit, more dynamic. The Pulsar is supposed to be better value.

And is it?

Prices look low, but then again these are cars without much power. There's a 1.5-litre diesel with 110bhp, and a 1.2-litre turbo petrol with 115bhp. The petrol is a quiet and sweet engine, but the gearing is long for economy, so it feels like a constant struggle. The little engine is game in town, but runs out of puff at main road speeds. With the petrol engine, the Pulsar is £15,995.

That hardly sounds like bargain basement.

Indeed not. An Ecoboost Focus Edge lists at only £800 more. The gap to a 308 with its new turbo engine is even more slight.

And is it as good?

Frankly, a Top Gear reader will have a Focus or 308 or Leon any day of the week. They're more fun. The Pulsar isn't an inept handler, it's just set up for reassurance rather than fun, which is aiming at someone else that probably isn't you.

Any more drawbacks?

Yup, the cabin feels cheap - notably cheaper than a Qashqai's. But then it is a notably cheaper car than the all-conquering crossover. Unfortunately, as I've said, just not cheaper than some very good five-door hatches.

But Nissan aren't fools. Explain why they're doing it.

It's quiet and comfortable and stable: very easy and predictable and relaxing to drive. The ride is smooth. It's a quiet car too. And most of all, it has absolutely loads of rear legroom. Bigger even than an Octavia. It's the size of something like a Mondeo back there. Good news for tall people with friends/children to transport.

Also, many of the models get elements of Nissan's safety and comms suite: radar-triggered city braking in most (good for insurance premiums), a connected sat nav system in many, and a bird's eye view monitor and blind-spot warning in the top model. The blind-spot system cleverly uses the same little camera in the rear. Same for a lane-departure warning, which uses the front camera. Though it emits such a timid little beep I can't see it jolting you into action if you're dozing off. Although, at more than £20k, the range-topper is a bit of an irrelevance.

Pity. Would have been good for sleepy late-light minicabbies.

Well, thanks to such a huge back seat and Nissan's reputation for reliability, no doubt the cheaper trim levels will be very popular in in the hire and reward trade. We bet you'll be dozing off in the back of a Pulsar in the not too distant future..