The new 240SX emphasizes pretty shapes and friendly manners. Brilliant handling is off the menu.
1995 nissan 240sx seView Photos
David Dewhurst|Car and Driver
From the May 1994 issue of Car and Driver.
“A great car in need of a great engine.” That was our bottom-line assessment of the last 240SX SE we tested, in a comparison of hot sporty coupes in April 1992. And because Nissan had the opportunity of a clean-sheet remake for model-year 1995, you figure the company would respond by simply installing a smooth, lusty powerplant in what is already a fine-handling car, right?
Clearly, you overestimate this magazine’s influence.
The second-generation 240SX has been rethought, reworked, and retargeted—and driving enthusiasts were not in the crosshairs. Elegant new sheetmetal wraps around the boomy old four-cylinder engine, and the formerly lively rear-drive platform gives a softer, more isolated ride. “Sedan avoiders” are the new clientele: aging, empty-nest baby boomers who want to look youthful…as long as it doesn’t compromise their comfort and convenience. In Nissan’s research, these target buyers put styling and handling at the top of their automotive priorities.
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David Dewhurst|Car and Driver
What they meant by “handling” is not exactly clear, but a third of these research respondents did not know how front-wheel drive differs from rear-drive. So you can bet they’re not talking yaw rates or polar moments of inertia.
In any case, Nissan, the same development house that brought you the brilliant-handling 300ZX, Maxima SE, and Sentra SE-R, has produced a 240SX that runs little risk of igniting passions. It tiptoes around the fringe of excellence, doing nothing wrong, but taking care not to offend—or overstimulate—the softening sensitivities of middle age.
HIGHS: Clean, handsome lines on the outside and tidy, comfy accommodations on the inside.
The chassis rework is the most telling change. Structural rigidity is increased, as are the wheelbase, front and rear track, and suspension travel—all potentially beneficial to both control and comfort. But spring and damping rates, bushing compliance, and the choice of all-season tires were aimed squarely at reducing road rumble and ride harshness. Stability, responsiveness, and the flow of signals to the seat of the driver’s Dockers didn’t make the agenda. Super HICAS, the rear-wheel-steering option that helped make the previous 240 a lively, neutral-handling backroad dancer, has no place in the new scheme, and it is gone.
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David Dewhurst|Car and Driver
That leaves the SE model with only a rear anti-roll bar, slightly stiffer damping, and 16-inch tires and wheels (up from 15s) to distinguish its chassis from that of the base 240 coupe. The strut front suspension and independent multilink rear work well enough, and in an overwhelmingly front-drive world, the stern-drive 240 is a promising alternative for anyone who enjoys a little opposite lock at the odd corner exit.
But the new chassis is not as sharp as it could be, and not even as sharp as it used to be. Nor as neutral. Do we really need more understeer, like dietary fiber, after age 40? It takes a determined effort to get the new 240’s tail leaning out, and then the transition is sudden and hard to read. The soft suspension allows too much motion (laterally, as well as in pitch and roll) and not enough communication about what’s happening. And still, the ride on segmented concrete freeways is only fair. The steering has excellent on-center accuracy but tells your fingertips little, especially as you crank in a lot of input and those front all-season Dunlops roll over on their sidewalls.
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David Dewhurst|Car and Driver
Racket and roughness from the 2389cc twin-cam four have been slightly reduced. This engine still will strike no one as a model of silky revvability, but neither will your right hand constantly itch for an upshift. A more rigid cylinder head and revised engine mounts reduce noise. Increased compression (from 8.6: 1 to 9.5: 1) and new cam timing boost low- and midrange torque, even though peak output ratings remain 155 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 160 pound-feet of torque at 4400 rpm.
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David Dewhurst|Car and Driver
Reasonable thrust is available above 3000 rpm, and the engine can lean on its 6500-rpm redline without seriously blurring your vision. That reshaped torque curve is accompanied by an 80-pound decrease in curb weight, so the 0-to-60-mph time shows a net 0.4-second decrease, from 7.9 seconds to 7.5, compared with the 240SX SE we tested in 1992.
LOWS: Comfort-biased chassis tuning; it’s no longer a backroad dancer.
We always liked the clean lines of the previous car, and the new 240 looks similarly clean but softer and rounder. The elegance and class Nissan was after seem to be there, if only because the profile is so suggestive of a Lexus SC coupe. And the coupe profile is the only profile; there is no 240SX fastback anymore.
Some nice, contemporary details characterize the 240’s new upscale look, including slender roof pillars, well-integrated headlamps, a thin bead line high on the body side, and (on the SE) a tasteful spoiler out back and fog lamps flanking a large grille mouth. The overall effect is more handsome than striking or innovative, but no one in that “aging youthfully” target audience is going to be embarrassed to be seen in this car.
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And they won’t be uncomfortable inside either. Smooth fascia and doorpanel forms echo the flow of the exterior styling. The layout of the controls is flawless, and the seats are simple, supportive, and comfy. The SE’s panel gets the chameleon-like instrument faces from the Maxima: they have black markings on a white background during the day, luminous light markings on dark faces at night.
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David Dewhurst|Car and Driver
We do wonder why the five-speed’s shift linkage has so much flex and free play when the gearbox lives right there at the base of the lever. But we find nothing else to complain about in the cabin. (And anyway, most 240s will have an automatic-transmission selector sticking up out of the console.)
Both the base coupe and the SE come nicely equipped, with dual airbags, power windows, a tilt wheel, and fold-down rear seatbacks. The SE also gets cruise control, power locks, and a more powerful stereo (all available as a “convenience package” option on the base car), plus keyless remote entry, adjustable driver’s lumbar support, and the chassis upgrades. A leather package can be ordered on either car, as can anti-lock brakes bundled with a viscous limited-slip differential. (Our test SE had both these option groups; we consider the ABS/LSD package mandatory.) Prices were not finalized as of this writing, but expect them to start at about $17,000 for the base coupe and $19,500 for the SE. A loaded SE like our test car might reach $23,000.
VERDICT: A coupe for those who value sporty appearance more than sporty driving.
The 20,000 buyers a year Nissan aims to snag will probably feel they’re getting a lot of car. And in fact, the new 240SX is a damn nice piece. But as enthusiasts, how are we supposed to feel after being expressly uninvited to the 240 party? Okay, sedan avoiders aren’t moved by delicate balance, lively reflexes, and communicative controls. But would they dislike such qualities in a coupe that pleased them in every other way? Nissan thought so, and turned a car we found easy to like into one that’s hard to love.