New Nissan hatch will prioritise premium levels of refinement ahead of handling, says Nissan boss Andy Palmer

The new Nissan Pulsar hatchback will have superior refinement to its premium German competitors, according to Nissan’s Vice President, Andy Palmer. Speaking to Auto Express at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Palmer qualified a Tweet he posted on 27 June, which read “Nissan Pulsar dynamic sign-off today – superb NVH!”

“I’m not looking for a car that is ultimately very very sporty”, he said “I’m looking for something that can transition a customer from a Qashqai to a hatchback. It needs the same DNA, but we want to keep ex-Qahsqai buyers in the Nissan family. It has to have a familiar design and handling.

“It’s very smooth, and doesn’t transmit impulses back into the car”, according to Palmer. “[The Pulsar] is very solid, and very neutral. Yesterday I knocked the VDC [stability control] off and starting sliding it through a few roundabouts! It’s very balanced, but we haven’t given it particularly fast steering. The steering is quite light, so it’s good for urban use and normal customers. The NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) is better than our competitors. Wind noise is excellent, and structural noise is very good.”

We also asked Palmer what he’d identify as a particularly revolutionary or standout feature, given the Pulsar is heading into the furiously competitive family hatchback market after a decade-long absence for Nissan.

“The side view of the car [marks it out]. Most competitors have a nice front and nice rear but are pretty slab sided. So, we’ve tried to get a bit more design emotion into the side of the car. It’s also more techy than a Qashqai inside.”

Nissan’s new Pulsar goes on sale in the UK in autumn 2014, priced from around £16,000.