YOU know a car manufacturer is struggling to summon up enthusiasm for a new model when it trumpets the front door armrest as a great new design feature.
According to Nissan, the new Pulsar hatchback has "the widest armrests in the sector" . Not only that but the Pulsar's 95mm full-depth ledge rivals cars from the luxury sector - perfect for propping up your nodding head.
Nissan did very well building cars like the Pulsar 40 years ago. They had names like Sunny, Cherry and, much later, Almera.
They were well-built, cheap to own and insure and totally trustworthy. My dad had one and the only way he finally got rid of it was to set it on fire (in the interests of full disclosure and accuracy, the grease monkey who was welding the rusting chassis actually set it ablaze).
Time has moved on and C-segment cars like the Sunny are no more - with good reason. Drivers demand more these days.
Nissan abandoned the market seven years ago, when the second generation Almera was replaced by the Qashqai. Everyone though Carlos Ghosn had taken leave of his senses but the canny Brazilian was bang on the money: more Qashqais are built in Britain than any other car and most of them are exported (the Russians can't get enough, apparently).
So why bother going back?
ON THE ROAD: First impressions are rather good. It looks like an Almera that's had a Qashqai make-over. Nissan's 'V-motion' grille lends a purposeful edge to the Pulsar's face while the exaggerated wheel arches and flowing curves, which work so well on the new Qashqai, lend the body a sophisticated, contemporary appearance. The BTCC-style rear splitter is a bit over-the-top on a car like this, though.
Both engines are familiar - the 1.2 turbo petrol unit first seen in the Micra and the Renault-sourced 1.5 dCI diesel. The petrol is the sportier choice but the diesel makes more sense.
The sixth generation dCI is smoother and quieter than ever. The difference between the Pulsar's installation and the same engine in my wife's Renault Laguna was stark and left me wondering if I couldn't 'borrow' some of the Nissan's sound deadening material for our family tank.
The diesel engine's torque ensures the Pulsar isn't embarrassed away from the lights and doesn't require constant gear-changing cruising up hill and down dale. But it isn't very exciting.
The Pulsar starts, goes and stops in a perfectly efficient manner - but I never found myself taking the long way home. It's never more than the sum of its well-screwed-together parts.
ON THE INSIDE: The Pulsar's interior is more of the same. Well made, easy on the eye and very practical, but a roving eye will soon spot the hard plastics and cost-cutting.
Thanks to a 2,700mm wheelbase that's longer than a Focus, a Golf or an Astra the Pulsar enjoys class-leading rear legroom. Rear seat passengers enjoy levels of comfort better than some cars in the larger family car D-segment.
The instruments are clear and intelligently laid out, but the piano black glossy trim is fashioned from hard brittle plastic, and the 'sandwich' dashboard offers no benefits other than questionable aesthetics.
And don't forget that super-wide armrest - my right elbow has never been so well treated.
WHAT DO YOU GET: Pulsar buyers won't be interested in raspy exhaust notes, multi-mode engine maps or high revs.
So Nissan has piled on the safety kit instead. The Around View Monitor is a useful parking aid and the colour reversing camera can clean the lens with a blast of air or a squirt of water (handy when the roads are covered with salt).
However, the Moving Object Detection systems tuts at you like a disapproving mother-in-law if it thinks you are driving too close to the car in front or haven't seen that cyclist wobbling around in the side of the road. I suspect Nissan knows this already. That's why it calls the system a 'digital co-pilot'.
Forward emergency braking scans the road ahead with radar and applies the brakes if it thinks a collision is imminent. Anyone who needs this in anything other than a dire emergency should be ordered to re-take the driving test.
It's good to see a DAB digital tuner fitted to the in-car entertainment, which gives the Pulsar a degree of future-proofing as the day looms when the Government switches off the FM signal for the final time.
HOW PRACTICAL IS IT?
The Pulsar wins back some important Brownie points in the practicality stakes. The driving position is comfortable and easy to adjust and, as we've already pointed out, there's a lot of room for a driver and four adult passengers.
The boot is a good size and has a wide loading aperture. The rear seats fold flat to create a 1,395-litre loadspace.
RUNNING COSTS: Nissan makes some pretty bold fuel consumption claims for the 1.5 dCI Pulsar. I couldn't achieve the combined fuel economy return of 78.5mpg but I didn't have to try too hard to stretch a gallon 60 miles which is still an excellent achievement. Driven gently the Pulsar should be capable of covering more than 400 miles on a full tank.
And the parsimonious 94g/km CO2 output means you won't be needing to pay for your road tax.
VERDICT: Is there still a market for cars like the Pulsar? Actually I think there is.
Hatchbacks like this aren't designed to tickle the tastebuds of journalists. Their good points - turn-key dependability, comfort and ease of ownership - usually emerge over months and years whereas the average road test is all done in a couple of days.
Yes, there are better cars to drive (Focus) and cars that feel posher (Golf) but the Pulsar offers as near-as-dammit pain-free motoring and, in these days of financial austerity, there's got to be a market for that.
SPEC: Engine: 1461cc/4 cylinders/ turbodiesel Max power: 110PS @ 4000rpm Max torque: 260Nm @ 17650-2500rpm Max speed: 118mph 0-62mph: 11.5 seconds CO2 (g/km): 94 Fuel consumption on test: 59mpg o/all Service intervals: 18,000 miles or 12 months.
Equipment: Forward emergency braking, six airbags, active trace control, NissanConnect 5.8-inch touch-screen navigation and entertainment system, DAB tuner, colour reversing camera, CD with six speakers, Bluetooth, USB/iPod/iPhone connectivity, aux socket, 17-inch diamond-cut alloys, privacy glass, front fogs, leather steering wheel, Nissan intelligent key wi starter button, cruise control wi speed limiter, electric windows, adj exterior mirrors.
On the road price as tested: £20,595
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