Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Nissan March NISMO (K13)

The major problem about having a Nissan March K13 is that it's a bit tad boring, it's too vanilla-ish, and it's only for someone who lives by eating a galunggong. There's also one big problem about the Nissan March K13 and that is...why this car hadn't been featured in the world of Gran Turismo? Sure, ranging from GT4 to GT5, only the K11 March and the K12 March were featured, and sadly, no K13 March on sight. Seems that the Gran Turismo staff kinda forgot the memo that there was a K13 March out there but its too late. The Nissan March K13 showed up in Forza Motorsport 4 as one of the starter cars so what went wrong for a Japanese eco car not featured in the world of Gran Turismo? Now though, there is a hot version that will tempt the Gran Turismo committee to feature it just for you to drive it.

2014 Nissan March NISMO

Yep, it's the Nissan March NISMO and this is just another one of the everyday Nissan cars getting the NISMO treatment since the Juke Nismo a few months ago I had my fingers crossed that this could be the one thing the upcoming Gran Turismo 6 would going to feature it if they had the manpower to feature it. So, what do you think about this potential GT6 candidate?

For starters, it was based on the recently facelifted Nissan March K13 which was built by the Thais but now, it's added some NISMO genes on it, employing every single bit of motorsports DNA in this nippy little car, serving as the target to the Toyota Vitz RS and the Suzuki Swift Sport.

Starting on the outside view, the once bland Nissan March K13 look is starting to look even meaner and sportier thanks to some NISMO-prepped modifications including a special body kit, special front grille, daytime running lamps, and the red side mirrors which seem to be idiotic like a clown at a birthday party, except he was not here to give a birthday boy some laughs but instead traumatizing the birthday boy. Ouch...

2014 Nissan March NISMO interior

Also new for the NISMO-fied version of the Nissan March K13 was the interior and because NISMO has the genes of motorsports, the interior needs to be more of a track day-ish and built for the clubmen who are starting their track days in let's just say Tsukuba, Fuji Speedway, Twin Ring Motegi, or in Suzuka. So, the NISMO March's interior is themed with the name of track days in mind and you can expect some sports seats, a leather/Alcantara wrapped steering wheel that looks like it came from the Juke but with a red center mark on it, and joy of joys...the speedo now reads up to 220kph, although it is not necessary to take a video of your speedo while driving the Nismo March because five seconds later, you'll end up crashing and when cops trying to find the source of the crash, the main evidence is your smartphone set in Camera mode, serving this a lesson.

For the first time, there are two kinds of NISMO March models to choose from ranging from different tastes and demographics suitable for each model. First is the entry-level model which comes with the HR12DE engine mated with the XTRONIC CVT, which is a bit of nonsense for performance-oriented enthusiasts but good enough to be flashy in the streets of Shibuya and get this, the driver-focused March NISMO S model which comes with a HR15DE engine specially tuned for this model, producing 116PS of power and 156Nm of torque, while mated with a (!) 5-speed manual gearbox.

So what we have here are two different March NISMO models that suit your desires. The base March NISMO model is made to be a flashy fashion item to the crowd while the March NISMO S model which comes with unique stuff, the 1.5L engine, and the manual gearbox, is suitable for the clubmen who are trying to enjoy their track day duties for the first time. Although it may not quite be called a hot hatch, this March NISMO is definitely a beginner car for the track-day boys who want to start honing their skills on the track.

Well, when I said honing their skills, perhaps some of the beginner cars can do better than that because even though the NISMO tuned suspension for the March NISMO was made to be somewhat smooth enough to eat a corner or two, on normal roads, it feels a bit too fidgety, which goes the same for those common hot hatchbacks tuned enough to be track-focused instead for everyday uses. Maybe.

For pricing, the CVT-rigged March NISMO costs 1,540,350 Yen while the March NISMO S with the 5-speed gearbox and the 1.5L engine costs 1,770,300 Yen. Whoa hang on...a March NISMO with the 5-speed gearbox costs more than the Toyota Vitz RS and the Suzuki Swift Sport? Oh well, if this is a price worth paying, it's the price worth paying for the hot March model but still, I really want the committee to consider the new March NISMO to be part of the GT6 lineup. I had my fingers crossed!

Oh yeah, this hot model will be available in Japan this December 2013, in time for the holidays.

Available colors: Pure Black, Brilliant Silver, and Brilliant White Pearl

Photo: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd

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