[PTA SC] Nissan Urge @ 1089 kg

De OP



The Urge is a small, minimalist, aluminium-based sports car put together to test whether there's demand for a model smaller than the 350Z. Designed by Nissan Design America, based out of La Jolla, California, the two-seater Urge is officially a design exercise "to test reaction."

But if feedback is good, Nissan may well decide to go with it, although any production version will certainly not look exactly like this, will be largely aimed at a US audience and could still be several years away. Target price in the US is $20,000 (or £11,400 in today's money). Interested? Thought so.

As Nissan's answer, of sorts, to the Lotus 340R, the Urge is an uncompromising pure sports concept that melds performance with technology and is aimed at today's young, console-wielding videogame generation. With few creature comforts, it's designed to offer the raw, open-air feel of a motorcycle.

The team who created Urge started out by tapping into the wants and needs of America's so-called Echo Boomer generation (born roughly 1976-1996). Through an online survey, Nissan found out that many of these "gamers" wanted a car compatible with the cellphones, MP3 players and videogames they use in everyday life. They also wanted a cool-looking car that's quick, affordable, exciting and flexible enough to take along a couple of friends.

So the Urge has been designed to hit all those markers. Small, it certainly, is at just 3.98m in length and 1.82m wide. Putting that into perspective, it's nearly a foot and half shorter than a 350Z and while there's virtually no difference in width, the Urge, at just 50" tall, sits 2" lower. Of course, it also looks way smaller.

The Urge is front-engined, rear-drive, with the longitudinally-mounted engine sexily visible under a slim Perspex canopy. Exactly what that engine is, Nissan currently won't say (because this is purely a "show concept"). What we are told is that it's a quick, high-revving, small displacement engine. Whispers from inside Nissan say it's a four-cylinder unit, somewhere between 1.8 and 2-litre, but that and other specs could and may yet change. Nissan is also talking about a target weight of 1,089kg. In round figures, that's new MX-5 territory and a good 500kg lighter than the 350Z.

Like the MX-5, the Urge's performance is being expressed more in terms of quickness, agility and grin factor as opposed to 0-60 mph times, top speed and raw power. It runs with a six-speed, motorcycle-type transmission and boasts serious 350Z-style Brembo discs.

The Urge rolls on lightweight nine-spoke alloys: 19" at the front, 20" at the rear. Michelin-supplied tyres are 195/45 R19s and 225/35 R20s, pointing to plenty of grip and road-holding.

Many, though, will focus straight away on that stark, exposed, Urge body style, with its cycle wings and slimline doors featuring see-through door cut-outs. While Nissan is specifically chasing that exhilarating open-air effect, the Urge doesn't leave occupants totally to the mercy of the elements. You do get a collapsible, manually-operated canvas top that can be stored away.

Urge is built up around a central aluminium backbone frame but the body also features techy aluminium/composite construction. Quite a few bits that are normally out of sight (passenger air bag, aluminium door foam, engine etc) have deliberately been left out on view.

You get nifty scissor doors and, while the Urge is fundamentally a two-seater complete with groovy set of lightweight mesh-and-leather bucket seats, rather ingeniously it can also be converted to carry one extra person. A small alpha seat in the back (normally hidden under a cover) just about makes it an (occasional) three-seater.

The driver gets an F1-style steering wheel and small three-unit LCD display. You can scroll through the various menus covering satellite navigation, suspension, audio and climate control using steering wheel paddles. The digital wizardry continues with docking stations for cellphone and mp3 player. The cellphone also acts as an Intelligent Key to start the Urge.

Cool as they are, the looks and dynamics of the Urge are maybe only part of the experience. The killer application is the way the car can be turned into a real-life game machine. In the boot is an Xbox 360. Park the car, disengage the controls and flip the Urge into game mode. A screen folds down from the rear-view mirror and the pedals and steering wheel then become game controls. Sounds from the game are played through the Urge's audio.

Getting in the mood, Nissan says the Urge features an exclusive demo version of Project Gotham Racing 3. In the distant past, Nissan has done a couple of similar stark, Lotus-style concepts (the Saurus from the 1987 Tokyo Show and Duad, from Tokyo 1991, for those with long memories) but the US-designed Urge is a lot more real-world and many inside Nissan would love to do it. It could also dovetail neatly with Nissan's move to offer more small cars in the US, such as the 2007 Versa hatch and saloon.

Ultimately, what will swing Nissan's decision on the Urge is whether there is a viable business case to build it. All new Nissans are now devised and designed around a perceived target customer and, under chief Carlos Ghosn, turning a profit on a new car is not an optional exercise, but essential. Ergo, if Nissan's number crunchers can't make a business case for the Urge, then it won't get made in the future. For now, though, it absolutely rocks.

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