If You Could Design The Next Nissan

[nissangirl74]

..what would be your criteria? Based on this list, tell me what you would want if it was Christmastime and the powers that be at Nissan said you had the power to make it happen.

Rules:
- Must cost $30,000 or less
- Must be a 4 cylinder

Options:

1) Would you pick RWD, FWD, or AWD?
2) Automatic transmission, CVT, or 6 speed Manual?
3) Body Style: Coupe / 4 DR / Wagon / Hatch?
4) Chassis requirements?
5) Creature comforts: Seat quality, Navi, Sunroof, Back-up Assist, Premium Audio, Bluetooth, Aux Jack,
A/C, Dual Zone Climate Control, Heated / Cooled Seats
6) Cost to own and maintain? Regular fuel, not expensive to insure, $30K cap on the purchase price
7) Appearance: specific body lines you want / don't want, light designs, A/B/C pillar design, ride height, etc.
8) Warranty: duration and what should it cover?
9) Easily Modified: can it be easily boosted or super charged?

- and last but not least -

10) Tell me what is NOT attractive to you. What is a deal breaker? What would you absolutely NOT want on your car under any circumstances?

[Kr5Kouki]

1. RWD, compete ioth Geneisis and B5.RZ/FR-S
2. 6sp standard, cvt without turbo option
3. Coupe/rx8 style.doors
4. Must have back deck seats, and 50/50 weight distribution, side to side and front to back
5. Baseline, nothing but coilovers/tuned suspenion, sunroof and lsd
5. SE, lip kit wing(lowkey) foglights indash nav
9. Comes stock 2.0L turbocharged

Nissan Silvia S16
take out competition

[Jesda]

A Q45 that offers the Audi A8L's luxury, style, and comfort with the bonus of Nissan reliability.

[Bubba1]

Transmission choices other than CVT!

[orangeNblue]

1) RWD
2) manual
3) Coupe
4) no special requirements
5) Fully loaded (dual climate, heated seats, bluetooth, etc.)
6) Normal cost to maintain. 93 gas isn't so bad if the car performs well on it. Insurance on any new sports car is going to be kinda pricey.
7) I love the looks of the 97-2002 s14's and s15's. I'd love something that kinda paid hommage to those while keeping the same style that some of us love with the silvias.
8) 30k/60k
9) I'd like for it to come from the factory 4cyl turbo. All nissans's seem pretty easy to modify.
10) An ugly interior.too many colors, too flashy, too many random unnecessary body lines. Also, no big wings.

I would by a s16 in a heartbeat as long as it was done right. Nissan should compete with the brz/fr-s/genesis crowd. It's a market that they owned for years and shouldn't expect the z to keep them afloat, nor should they degrade the z to market it to the same crowd.

[Rex]

Start with the Juke
Remove some (not all) of the "urban utility vehicle" ride height
Add 8-10 inches in overall length (some int he rear seat, but mainly the hatch/storage
Leave all engine/trans/drive options
Add the typical family rear seat infotainment options
Target mid-20's families that can't afford Toyota Venza, Audi Q5/allroad, BMW X3, MB GLK350 and don't want GMC Terrain, Kia Sorento/Sportage or Hyundia Tucson/Santa Fe.

In short, compete head on with the new Ford Escape, but with better quality and fun factor.

[TurboSauce]

1) awd
2) NO Cvt, manual and auto are the options
3)hatch
4) body on frame.
5) Base model, through to a luxury sport model with all creature comforts
6) cost to own about $1000 a yr in gas AND maintenence
7) invisible B pillar
8) 2 year warranty and drive train and engine problems
9)factory supercharged
10) heavy a** weight anything upwards of 3k lbs

[krash]

..what would be your criteria? Based on this list, tell me what you would want if it was Christmastime and the powers that be at Nissan said you had the power to make it happen.

Rules:
- Must cost $30,000 or less
- Must be a 4 cylinder

Options:

1) Would you pick RWD, FWD, or AWD?
2) Automatic transmission, CVT, or 6 speed Manual?
3) Body Style: Coupe / 4 DR / Wagon / Hatch?
4) Chassis requirements?
5) Creature comforts: Seat quality, Navi, Sunroof, Back-up Assist, Premium Audio, Bluetooth, Aux Jack,
A/C, Dual Zone Climate Control, Heated / Cooled Seats
6) Cost to own and maintain? Regular fuel, not expensive to insure, $30K cap on the purchase price
7) Appearance: specific body lines you want / don't want, light designs, A/B/C pillar design, ride height, etc.
8) Warranty: duration and what should it cover?
9) Easily Modified: can it be easily boosted or super charged?

- and last but not least -

10) Tell me what is NOT attractive to you. What is a deal breaker? What would you absolutely NOT want on your car under any circumstances?

1) Rear Wheel Drive

2) 6-speed Manual (standard option), CVT available (I GUESS...)

3) Coupe or hatch. Needs back seats, just like the 240sx has "back seats"

4) Lightweight, agile chassis, obviously as close to 50/50 as possible. Double wishbone suspension would be cool, but if it drives the cost up too much, McPherson is okay.

5) Bucket seats (standard), with available alcantra option and available heated seats. A/C (standard), AUX (standard). Premium options: Nav, Bluetooth, backup assist, dual zone climate control.

6) Shouldn't be a high maintenance vehicle. Stay true to the Nissan and general Japanese way of making things simple and easy to maintain. It would be nice if it could run well on regular and optimally on premium (like most engines). Should be under $30k

7)It should be sleek, sharp, and slightly aggressive. Take some cues from the Essence maybe? NO swoosh tail lights. the swoosh headlights can look okay (370z) but I'm not a fan of the tails. Ride height shouldn't be too low, since it needs to be a road car. BMW wheel fitment would be nice here.

8) Any standard drivetrain warranty would be fine here

9) It would be nice if it could handle some boost. But cost might go up to make the engine boost ready. It should have a tuned up MR20DE (looking for a number closer to the 200hp range), with an option for an MR16DDT, or if they can do it an MR20DET (I know this doesn't exist). Numbers should be in the 200hp range to compete with the BRZ. I'm also tempted to say VQ25DE with a VQ25DET option, but I don't know what that would do to the weight. If they can make it happen, then the VQ is ideal.

10) I hate tall doors. just doors that are tall, I think you'll know what I'm talking about:



And no chromey for my homey tail lights.

[mmkeller]

Mid engine, turbo, direct injection


RWD
auto, or 6sp manual - no CVT
coupe
coilovers /tuned suspension 50/50 weight
seating should be comfortable but with option on racing type, all power amenities, sunroof
body lines, Porsche-like front end with Aston Martin DBS rear end.
5years/60,000 miles

No spoilers or wings, no edgy or to rounded body lines

[PapaSmurf2k3]

1) RWD
2) 6 speed manual only. Screw the Nancies (think S2000 ) Give it a tall 6th gear so you don't turn 4k rpm going down the highway (think Corvette).
3) Coupe/hatch
4) Double wishbone would be nice. Independent rear is a must. E-coat/rust proof like it's your job. Then do it again. Throw in a nice limited slip diff.
5) Aux input, seats that have some bolsters to hold you. Nissan navigation sucks, so leave that off the list. AC would be nice, sunroof option.
6) Build it right and build it fun enough and no one will care as long as it is within reason. Don't screw your customers like you did with the 2.5 QR time bomb when it launched.
7) I'd love A-pillars that get swallowed by the fenders. Current designs have fenders that run up and butt-up against A-pillars. I hate it. Such a horrible body line. Bangle Butt should be dealt with by walking the plank into shark infested waters. I'd prefer headlights that don't have a body colored backing to them (like Corvette does). Give it enough ground clearance to be used on a daily basis, but keep the wheel gap to a minimum. My Prelude seems to do fairly well with this. Nissan seems to suck pretty bad with convertibles (the G withstanding), so don't try.
8) 3 year 36,000 on basic stuff. Again, don't be a jackass if the engine consumes oil and grenades itself by at 40k. Fix it. Squeaks and rattles should be 36k.
9) This would be awesome. Direct injection with a pump and injectors that can support triple the factory rated horsepower. Pistons/rods that can support triple the factory rated horsepower. Re-useable head studs from the factory. Factory re-programmable ECUs. A transmission and rear diff that can hold big power, however I don't realistically expect a factory clutch to be able to do so. Optional restraint harnesses and mounting points would be great too (to be used in conjunction with standard seat belt when desired).

10) Deal breaker would be CVT only. Not being able to turn off traction control completely. Hideous looks.

[Razi]

A Q45 that offers the Audi A8L's luxury, style, and comfort with the bonus of Nissan reliability.

New Q45 would be rad.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Rules:
- Must cost $30,000 or less
- Must be a 4 cylinder

Bzzzt.

This is not acceptable. No way in Hell I'm paying $30k for anything with four cylinders. YES CADILLAC I AM TALKING TO YOU.

But if I were to play by your depressing rules:

1: RWD. AWD is a waste of weight, power, and cost with little or no real return. FWD only works with the best of chassis, and even then RWD would work better. Anyone afraid of snow should just ride the damn bus. With a good mechanical LSD. And no ABS or TCS or VDC or any of that nonsense. I can stop just fine without the car second-guessing me, and I can speed up and turn just fine on my own, too.

2: 6 speed manual. With a clutch. And reverse on the left.

3: 4 doors. But If it's small enough to be fun with 4 cylinders, it's not going to support the proportions to make 4 doors look good. So hatchback, if we're being realistic.

4: Double wishbones at all four corners. Very lightweight (curb weight under 2500lb). LOTS OF ALUMINUM. 50:50 weight distribution. Neutral balance with a SLIGHT tendency to oversteer. Fast-ratio steering that talks back and loads up progressively.

5: Comfortable seats with good side bolsters and GOOD lumbar support are a must. I don't care about A/C, Nav, satellite radio, or any electronic crap. Heat for the winter. Cooled seats to keep the back sweat at bay in the summer. That's all I need. Heated steering wheel is nice in the winter, too.

6: Certainly, not paying for premium fuel would be nice, but if we're boosting that's not going to happen. Basic dependability. Cost is one thing, but what I really care about is not having to crawl underneath it every weekend just to keep it on the road. My time is far more important than money. Wasting BOTH is definitely not acceptable.
As an additional to part 6, I want a car that I can DRIVE without breaking it. I'm not some Avalon driving granny. I want brakes that stop repeatedly, I want a transmission that takes abuse, and I want supporting systems that don't quit.

7: 3 boxes. None of this pansy-a** my-pen15-is-small-so-I-need-a-car-that's-as-confused-as-I-am "coupelike" s***. I want a long nose, a low beltline, a FLAT rear deck, and wheels at the corners. No overhangs you could house a small country under. No effing fender vents or chrome nonsense. And I want wheel arches that look nice and fill out with wheels smaller than 20 inches and actual SIDEWALL on the tires. And no gorram clear tail light lenses. Also no @#$% mirror-mounted turn signal repeaters. I had better stop before the vein in my temple bursts.

8: Nothing less than 10/100 for everything is acceptable anymore. If your car can't live up to that, you shouldn't be in business. Fully transferrable. With loaner included AND I DON'T MEAN A VERSA 1.6.

9: Since we're limiting ourselves in the powerplant area, I'd say it'd damn well better be boost friendly. If we could just put a proper engine in it in the first place, this wouldn't be an issue. I'm not paying anywhere NEAR $30k for anything that makes less than 300 ft-lb with room to grow.

10: Four cylinder engines. Coarse, peaky, unpleasant-sounding, and dependent on boost. Yes, yes, Chevy's 2.0 makes 270hp. That's not good enough for $30k. For $@#% sake, Camrys make 270hp. A small (3.5-4.5 liter) V8 would make more power, more torque, more of the time with better mixed fuel economy while sounding better and running smoother. And since it's not boosted you could do it on regular octane.

So basically I can't play this game. It's like asking me to play hockey without skates and a stick.

[krash]

I'm not some Avalon driving granny.

Right, you're a Lincoln-driving granpa

[asoomal]

Make it outta stainless and make it a RWD/4WD, NOT AWD.

3 pedals as well.

That's all. Don't care if it only has 40HP or gets 1 MPG.

Coupe, truck, sedan, HB, don't care, as long as the body doesn't fall apart in 50+ years of winter driving in eastern North America, then it'll be f*** awesome.

1) If that's too much then a RWD or a mechanical 4WD not electronic...(not AWD either)

2) Decent 6 Speed manual with an available 6-7 speed automatic with no flappy paddles. For the manual, the shifter should feel like an older Ferrari and the clutch should be pretty close to a semi truck with no air assist. A 300mm diameter clutch should be standard, there is no such thing as overkill. For the auto, torque converter only, none of that dual clutch crap, no one likes to bog from a light. Also, the automatic transmission models must have a way to change line pressure, none of that "sport, comfort, race" mode crap, must have a dial that will increase or decrease line pressure.

Neither transmission has to be "built", I'd prefer a cheaper one that won't handle much torque, why? Keep reading.

3) Station wagon.

4) For the chassis....if possible, body on frame, makes repairing and performing body alignments much easier.
If BOF is not possible, then a space frame aluminum chassis, if that's still too much, then a unibody WITH NO f*** BOXES. Either flat bar or solid steel, none of that boxed frame BS where moisture loves to chill and start to rust the chassis. Also, the chassis must be the top priority when designing the vehicle....as in, cheap out on engine internals, interior design and interior pieces, don't think twice about panel gaps, if the panels stay on without someone holding it, then it's good. The chassis needs to be able to resist rust for at least 35 years of being driven in eastern North America during the winter. What's the point of buying a car and not be able to drive it in the snow? Hell what's the point of buying a new car knowing that you're gonna have to replace it at least once in your lifetime...The frame needs to be designed so that there is NO way for the salt or any moisture to be able to be kicked up into any boxed section and also have proper drainage for rain water and snow...designed it so it doesn't even go inside the frame, keep all the rain outside. Another thing, have proper jacking spots, using pinch welds to jack up a car is a joke. No one wants to f*** spend 10 minutes trying to figure out where the reinforced pinch welds are, I want a solid chunk of metal underneath it where I can just stick a jack in and not worry about bending anything...think BOF. If there's a design that allows it to resist for pretty much ever but looks f*** ugly, DO IT, WHO CARES.

Suspension: Almost dangerously cheap control arms with cheap s*** rubber bushings, these can always be upgraded by the owner, so who gives a fack. Just make sure they're not noisy and that they don't rust before they wear out. Would prefer double wishbone on all four corners, but if not possible due to the large budget spent on rust proofing, then MacPherson front with double wishbone rear.

Also, P/S should be an option, and so should HICAS. I love HICAS. HICAS FTW. High Capacity Active Steering. Hickus, High Kaas.

5) Cheap cheap cheap cheappppppppppply built interior. All that money has to go chassis design, interior bits can easily be replaced....but body parts can't. However, interior does need to have soft touch surfaces. Cheap seats as well, ever sat in a mid 90's Neon? Those kind of seats with manual adjustments. Seats can always be replaced with nicer aftermarket ones.

A/C must be optional, and if equipped, make it cold, so very very cold. There should also be an option to delete the heater for those who don't wanna risk having a leaky heater core in 15 years and causing the interior to....rust... The car should come standard with a CD deck/Radio. However, there must be an option to fully delete it, including all wiring. There should also be an option for a tape deck, bluetooth and Navi. No back up cameras. It's a f*** station wagon.

Four speakers, that is all, nothing more, nothing less, maybe a couple of tweeters and that's it. Gotta keep it light. Speakers should be easily accessible, must have 6.5" on all for corners.

Instrument cluster bulbs must be really cheap and extremely easy to remove and replace.

6) Low maintenance cost, which means, oil filter should be right there in front of your face. Nothing else to say here...

7) Halogen lamps in projector housings. Also, provisions for projector driving AND projector fog lamps. None of that LED strip. Gotta keep it cheap, but allow for easy modifications, therefore no HID's. Make it extremely easy to change the light bulb. Tail lamps, turn signals, parking lamps gotta use 194/1156/1157 bulbs cause they're so f*** cheap. No one wants to go to a dealer to get expensive 4057 bulbs.

Also, a rather high ride height would be nice for the 4WD model, gotta keep it as a daily driver. People who want a low car will obviously lower it..., but for those who want a high car won't really increase the ride height...

8) Warranty....if the parts are cheap enough, reliable, and the car is easy to work on...eh to warranty? I guess a 5 year should do for the power train and the drive train.
For frame, at least 40 years for heavy salt driving.

9) Stock wise:
2.6L+ with a tallllllllllllllllllllllllllll deck and cam in bucket head with variable timing. Also, long a** rods and a big f*** bore, which means big a** valves. Need to make peak torque at around 2500 RPM and continue till 5000. Limiter should be set to 6000.
No boost.
CHEAP and lightweight pistons and rods, but a fully counterweight crankshaft.
Piston oil squirters, or at least provisions for them
Provisions on the block for turbo oil lines.
As for ignition, make it as cheap as you can, reliable though, however just enough power to ignite the mixture, that's it, make it misfire crazy under 1 pound of boost, that kind of cheap.
Another thing, 10 rib belt and pulleys, cause someone WILL want to throw a fat supercharger on it.
Cheap cheap cheap cast exhaust manifolds, just make sure they don't crack that's all. No f*** given about horsepower gains from the manifold, which connects to a cheap crush bent exhaust.

Also, for models that have ABS and TC, there should be a switch to turn it all off.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I'm not some Avalon driving granny.

Right, you're a Lincoln-driving granpa

I thought I told you damn kids to get off my lawn.

[krash]

[nissangirl74]

..what would be your criteria? Based on this list, tell me what you would want if it was Christmastime and the powers that be at Nissan said you had the power to make it happen.

Rules:
- Must cost $30,000 or less
- Must be a 4 cylinder

Options:

1) Would you pick RWD, FWD, or AWD?
2) Automatic transmission, CVT, or 6 speed Manual?
3) Body Style: Coupe / 4 DR / Wagon / Hatch?
4) Chassis requirements?
5) Creature comforts: Seat quality, Navi, Sunroof, Back-up Assist, Premium Audio, Bluetooth, Aux Jack,
A/C, Dual Zone Climate Control, Heated / Cooled Seats
6) Cost to own and maintain? Regular fuel, not expensive to insure, $30K cap on the purchase price
7) Appearance: specific body lines you want / don't want, light designs, A/B/C pillar design, ride height, etc.
8) Warranty: duration and what should it cover?
9) Easily Modified: can it be easily boosted or super charged?

- and last but not least -

10) Tell me what is NOT attractive to you. What is a deal breaker? What would you absolutely NOT want on your car under any circumstances?

I guess I should answer my own question

1) RWD
2) Manual
3) Hatch
4) Unibody
5) Seat quality has to be really. I spend a lot of time on my butt in the car. Also, premium Audio, Aux Jack, A/C, Cooled Seats
6) Has to be something I can maintain (at a reasonable cost) after the warranty runs out
7) To me, the less "busy" cars are, the better. I like clean, sleek, simple lines.
8) Full coverage to 100,000 miles. Cover everything, including tires!! Never hurts to ask, right?
9) Need. Moar. Boost. Always
10) The Cross Cabriolet. It's horrible. Halt production. Burn the ones you have built and chalk it up to a learning experience. "

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Seriously why did the tsunami take out a bunch of G37s, 370zs, and GTRs when it could have gone after the Cross Cabrioabortion?

[simmode1]

Basically, give me the 2013 Genesis Coupe 2.0T minus 400 lbs of weight at the same price point with signature Nissan styling.

Thanks in advance.