It’s not often that any automaker rolls out everything they build in one place at the same time – from standard consumer vehicles and hybrids, to plugins and concepts, to experimentals and racers. But, Nissan did exactly that recently at the former El Toro Marine Base in Orange County, Calif.
The auto journalist world was out in force, with many tuning into new green technology and electric vehicles Nissan is working on to aid the environment. But, I took it as a chance to test out a handful of Nissan rides I might not get a crack at under standard circumstances.
Nissan divided the day into press conferences, track drives (for elite performance vehicles), street drives (for more affordable consumer models) and a basic off-road, towing course to test Nissan’s truck series.
I headed first to try out the 2014 Nissan 370Z and the 370Z Nismo. The 370Z is a popular roadster made famous by wide wheel base (for a small vehicle), perfect balance and special flare for drifting.
The Nismo version sits one notch below the elite halo Nissan GTR in the automaker’s product line – tuned for special performance by Nissan Motorsport International Limited division – the automaker’s racing division.
For a taste of the 370Z, journalist could try the standard, the convertible version and the Nismo. All three provided thrills on the the event’s tiny rally run, with the Nismo proving itself the best overall track car. However, the standard 370Z is easily the friendlier street car as the Nismo’s ratcheted up, racing suspension can create a rough ride for anyone but the most dedicated drivers.
Sadly, Nissan did not have its GTR on hand for track testing, but I did have a few laps in Nissan’s experimental, Leaf-inspired electric racer. Kitted out with a roll cage, racing seat, harness and racing steering wheel, the harsh interior is worthy of any NASCAR ride or rally car.
It accelerates and corners like said rally car, too. It ate up the short test track faster than the Nismo, but it did so without even a whisper of engine noise. Essentially a cray fast golf cart stuffed with Nissan’s top shelf electric engine technology, the adapted leaf offers up a glimpse of performance cars from the future.
Away from the track, Nissan 360 offered a complete fleet of its 2014 vehicles with a short street drive to give them a little shakedown.
Since there’s a chance I’ll get a hold of many of those models during weeklong test drives, I rushed right to something I might not see again soon. The 2014 Juke Diesel is set up for European specs with a 1.5 liter dCi diesel, fuel injected engine that performs as well as the gas model.
Of course, I know that the mention of the word “diesel” in any form intimidates many American buyers – and that gives me yet another opportunity to preach the “D Word” gospel.
Diesel engines of ages past were noisy and were difficult to start in cold weather. But, the advantages of diesel engines are numerous, and most American drivers have no clue about the upsides. Such power plants are more efficient than standard engines, improving mileage and overall energy output. They’re more reliable because they don’t need a high powered electrical ignition system. They run cooler, cleaner and longer – all while being easier to supercharge.
I could go into some of the details of why all that’s true, but you’d be bored. Just trust me. Diesel is your friend.
And, between its new 2014 models, electric technology and performance models, it’s obvious Nissan wants to be your friend, too.
