Euro Mag drives Nissan Fuga
01-19-06, 10:09 PM
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Euro Mag drives Nissan Fuga
Driving Impression: Nissan Fuga (2005)
by: Gavin Conway
Nissan Fuga
The Nissan Fuga
IN THIS FEATURE
Nissan's posh brand
Handsome, though not distinctive
Brand-building
Nissan recently invited 4Car to Japan to drive, among others, the Fuga luxury saloon. It's a BMW 5-Series challenger and it's already gone on sale in the US as the Infiniti M35/45 (Infiniti is Nissan's posh brand, much in the way that Lexus is Toyota's premium label).
So far, so mildly engaging, but why should we care?
Because this car could come to Europe as part of Nissan's roll-out of the Infiniti brand over here. That's unlikely to happen before the end of the decade, though, with the absence of a competitive diesel engine being one of the major hold-ups. Nissan also has to decide whether to set up a separate dealer network for the brand, so it's still early days.
Nissan Fuga
The Fuga equipment list is huge
In the US, the Infiniti M35/45 is offered with a 280bhp 3.5-litre V6 or a 335bhp 4.5-litre V8. The M rides on a rear-wheel drive platform, although four-wheel drive is an option.
And the equipment list is huge - something that'll be true for any Infinitis that come our way. This includes rear-view cameras, lane departure warning systems, intelligent cruise control, surround sound stereo, adaptive front lighting, DVD sat nav and TV and Bluetooth/phone compatibility. The lot, in other words.
We tried the rear-drive Fuga on some very challenging roads outside Tokyo. Visually, first impressions were of a car with a very American look, with oversized tail lights and fussy headlight details. It's got a very "Infiniti family" look to the grille, which also won't mean much to a European audience. Overall, this is a handsome car, albeit not very distinctive.
Climb aboard and you'll find very accommodating front chairs with loads of room. The dash layout is simple and intuitive, and quite good to look at. And the quality of fit and finish really is Lexus grade. Space in the back is superb, too, feeling at least one class up. It swallowed my 6'2" frame with loads of room to spare.
The driving experience is right up there, too. The ride quality is absorbent and the steering accurate with good feel. Double wishbones up front and a multilink setup at the rear helps deliver tied-down body control. During quick left/right transitions, though, you do notice the car's weight, which is substantial at around 1,730kgs.
Nissan Fuga
350GT likely to be priced at Lexus GS300
We reckon this chassis, tuned for Europe, would be competitive with the likes of the Lexus GS300. We'd also guess that that's where Nissan would aim the Fuga's price tag (thankfully, it won't be called Fuga in Europe). Whether this will be a car to worry BMW and Mercedes remains to be seen, but Lexus has certainly put the wind up the Germans.
by: Gavin Conway
Nissan Fuga
The Nissan Fuga
IN THIS FEATURE
Nissan's posh brand
Handsome, though not distinctive
Brand-building
Nissan recently invited 4Car to Japan to drive, among others, the Fuga luxury saloon. It's a BMW 5-Series challenger and it's already gone on sale in the US as the Infiniti M35/45 (Infiniti is Nissan's posh brand, much in the way that Lexus is Toyota's premium label).
So far, so mildly engaging, but why should we care?
Because this car could come to Europe as part of Nissan's roll-out of the Infiniti brand over here. That's unlikely to happen before the end of the decade, though, with the absence of a competitive diesel engine being one of the major hold-ups. Nissan also has to decide whether to set up a separate dealer network for the brand, so it's still early days.
Nissan Fuga
The Fuga equipment list is huge
In the US, the Infiniti M35/45 is offered with a 280bhp 3.5-litre V6 or a 335bhp 4.5-litre V8. The M rides on a rear-wheel drive platform, although four-wheel drive is an option.
And the equipment list is huge - something that'll be true for any Infinitis that come our way. This includes rear-view cameras, lane departure warning systems, intelligent cruise control, surround sound stereo, adaptive front lighting, DVD sat nav and TV and Bluetooth/phone compatibility. The lot, in other words.
We tried the rear-drive Fuga on some very challenging roads outside Tokyo. Visually, first impressions were of a car with a very American look, with oversized tail lights and fussy headlight details. It's got a very "Infiniti family" look to the grille, which also won't mean much to a European audience. Overall, this is a handsome car, albeit not very distinctive.
Climb aboard and you'll find very accommodating front chairs with loads of room. The dash layout is simple and intuitive, and quite good to look at. And the quality of fit and finish really is Lexus grade. Space in the back is superb, too, feeling at least one class up. It swallowed my 6'2" frame with loads of room to spare.
The driving experience is right up there, too. The ride quality is absorbent and the steering accurate with good feel. Double wishbones up front and a multilink setup at the rear helps deliver tied-down body control. During quick left/right transitions, though, you do notice the car's weight, which is substantial at around 1,730kgs.
Nissan Fuga
350GT likely to be priced at Lexus GS300
We reckon this chassis, tuned for Europe, would be competitive with the likes of the Lexus GS300. We'd also guess that that's where Nissan would aim the Fuga's price tag (thankfully, it won't be called Fuga in Europe). Whether this will be a car to worry BMW and Mercedes remains to be seen, but Lexus has certainly put the wind up the Germans.
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