Nissan has revealed a new generation of its Pulsar compact hatch that is designed to go up against the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf. The vehicle  has been designed primarily for the European market, with production to take place at Nissan’s plant in Barcelona, Spain, and that means we won’t be seeing it on local shores. Buyers here after a compact Nissan will have to stick to the Sentra or Leaf electric car.

Nissan’s latest Pulsar doesn’t break any new ground in terms of design, but it does pack a number of features not normally found in its segment. These include the automaker’s Around View Monitor and Safety Shield camera- and radar-based monitoring systems, and there are also plenty of connectivity features thanks to the inclusion of the NissanConnect system. Owners will have full smartphone integration, the Google Send-to-Car function and access to a wide variety of other useful apps.

Three engines have been announced for the new Pulsar, all of them turbocharged four-cylinder units. They include 1.2- and 1.6-liter gasoline units and a 1.5-liter diesel. The most powerful is the 1.6-liter mill, which delivers 187 horsepower. Nissan’s Xtronic CVT is fitted as standard across the range.

We can’t say we’re all that excited about the new Pulsar, but previous generations of the nameplate have included a high-performance variant known as the GTI-R. As the cars came with turbocharged engines and all-wheel drive, they were often referred to as baby GT-Rs. Hopefully the new Pulsar will offer something similar.

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