Nissan Bluebird U 1800SSS-E and 1800SSS-L Hardtops (1971)
Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Road Impression
Date: November 1971
Author: Shotaro Kobayashi
Road testing the Bluebird U 1800SSS-E and 1800SSS-L Hardtops
The Bluebird U (610 series), which was announced and released on August 10th, is positioned as a premium model above the existing 510 series (the coupe has been discontinued; only the sedan remains). In other words, its relationship to the 510 is similar to that of the Mark II and the Corona. The powertrain and other mechanical components are largely carried over from the 510 series, with minor improvements; it is the 610’s body that has been completely redesigned.
The lineup consists of a four-door sedan, two-door hardtop, wagon, and van, and even just the hardtop can be divided into six different variations depending on engine, interior, and exterior trim choices. Mechanically, the most noteworthy addition is the 1800 SSS-E, which features Bosch-built electronically controlled fuel injection for the first time. This 1800 SSS-E model is paired exclusively with the most luxurious trim package. For this test, we evaluated two models: the fuel-injected 1800 SSS-E hardtop (944,000 yen) and the carbureted 1800 SSS equipped with an automatic transmission (951,000 yen).
The U-series hardtop has grown compared to the 510, with its wheelbase stretched 80mm, overall length increased by 95mm, and width increased by 40mm, and it follows the current trend of long-nose, short-tail styling. In both dimensions and appearance, it gives off an impression very similar to the Laurel and Mark II hardtops. This impression remains unchanged when you sit in the driver’s seat. Traditionally, Nissan’s design philosophy has prioritized engineering, and it has been well-known that interior finish and equipment were inferior to those of Toyota models in the same class. Recently, however, Nissan has adopted a new approach and has begun placing as much emphasis on interior fittings as on mechanical components. The results of this policy first appeared in the Sunny 1400 Excellent and Cedric Hardtop, and it can be said that the new Bluebird U has taken it a step further.
The interior of the 1800 SSS-E is extremely luxurious, reaching the highest standards in its price class. The seats are generously sized, comparable to those in the Corona Mark II, with well-shaped, foam-padded leather cushions that offer excellent comfort. The front seats not only provide ample fore-and-aft adjustment but also allow easy adjustment of cushion height, allowing drivers of any build to find a natural driving position. The steering wheel, which was previously too large in diameter, is now an appropriate size; in the SSS, it is a leather-wrapped, three-spoke type.
The rear seats, which were somewhat cramped in the previous coupe, now approach sedan-like comfort in the U series. The front and rear quarter windows on the top-trim SSS-E and SSS-L are power-operated.
The center console neatly houses the standard FM radio (automatic tuning is optional) and a cassette stereo player. Behind the gear lever are two storage areas: a small tray (convenient for coins) and a covered compartment large enough to hold an SLR camera.
The instruments, lined up within a deep anti-glare hood, are designed to be easy to read both day and night. A large, circular tachometer, speedometer, and three-hand clock are placed directly in front of the driver, with smaller gauges for fuel, water temperature, and oil pressure off to the left. There is also an overhead console mounted on the ceiling behind the interior mirror, housing a seatbelt warning light that encourages use of the belts (it turns off about 15 seconds after closing the door using a timer), a red lamp that illuminates when a door is only partially closed, and even a magnetic compass (which is gratuitous enough to be almost annoying).
There is a large lockable glovebox and a shelf that spans the entire underside of the dashboard, so there’s no shortage of space for personal items. The switches and cigarette lighter on the dash are illuminated in pale green at night (using a fiberscope). The dash-mounted light switch simply turns the lights on and off, while the other functions—flashing, switching between parking lights, high beams and low beams, and operating the turn signals—are all controlled with a single lever on the right side of the steering column, which is very convenient.
Now, let’s get into what it’s like on the road. The fuel-injected 1800 SSS-E’s output is 10ps higher than the twin-SU version, delivering 125ps at 6000rpm, and its peak torque is 0.5kgm higher, at 16.0kgm, and occurs 400rpm lower, at 3600rpm. The engine always started on the first turn of the key during the test, and ran smoothly under all driving conditions. Previous SSS engines were never particularly smooth or quiet, but while the engine itself remains essentially the same in the U series, detail improvements have been made to the engine mounts. The results are so striking that it’s hard to believe this is the same engine. Barely any engine vibration is transmitted to the body up to the practical rev limit of 6000rpm. The entire drivetrain also feels far smoother throughout the rev range, right up to maximum speed, a major improvement over the old SSS.
Unfortunately, however, the exhaust system suddenly becomes noisy around 4000rpm, peaking at 4500rpm, especially when the throttle is released. The sharp, harsh resonance seems to emanate from the connection between the manifold and the exhaust pipe. Because of this, the Bluebird is by no means quiet at high speed; it remains relatively quiet up to 100km/h (approximately 3000rpm). However, aside from noise, the Bluebird U produces far less vibration than the previous SSS, allowing it to maintain much higher cruising speeds without psychological stress. The speedometer easily reaches 180 km/h, and 140–150 km/h is a natural cruising speed. While this is unrealistic and even illegal in Japan, it will be able to compete comfortably with other cars in its class on foreign highways. Even in third gear, it easily reaches about 140km/h at 6000rpm, the practical maximum. The tachometer optimistically marks 6500–7000rpm as the yellow zone and 7000–8000 rpm as the red, but realistically, anything above 6000rpm should be considered yellow.
This engine has very good torque characteristics, with ample torque at low and medium speeds, and both the clutch and gearshift are light, so driving at low speeds in the city is no chore. However, on a high-speed hill climb through Hakone, we discovered one limitation: when climbing in a low gear, if you ease your foot off the throttle just before a hairpin turn, and then apply power again, the “punch” you expect is somewhat muted. In this regard, a carbureted engine with an accelerator pump (the old SSS used twin SUs without an accelerator pump, but had a damper that enriched the mixture during sudden acceleration offers better throttle response. The Bosch fuel-injection system’s electronic “brain” is perhaps too clever: it always provides an optimal air-fuel mixture, so the tailpipe never emits black smoke from an overly rich mixture.
Of course, this is a very good thing from the perspective of preventing air pollution, and it also good for fuel economy. Even with our fast driving, fuel consumption on our round trip from Tokyo to Hakone plus city driving was not excessive, averaging 8.24km/l over the roughly 100km trip. Since the fuel-injected version has a compression ratio of 9.5 (there is no low-compression variant), it requires high-octane fuel. The fuel tank holds 55 liters, so in normal touring conditions you can expect a long cruising range of 500km. It is also nice to see that the fuel gauge includes a red warning lamp that comes on when the fuel level drops to 8.5 liters.
The suspension is basically the same as that of the 510 series, but the wheelbase is 80 mm longer, the track is slightly wider, and the front end now has a stabilizer separate from the tension rods. The ride is quite soft, with generous suspension travel, and is extremely comfortable over any road surface. The biggest difference from the previous model is that, despite being a hardtop with no center pillar, the body has considerably higher rigidity and now feels solid, with a sense of weight. The test car had radial tires, but road noise was also fairly well suppressed. As a result, the somewhat cheap, tinny feel of the old Bluebird’s body has completely disappeared, giving the new model a much more luxurious feel with a sense of composure and substance.
In terms of handling, the basic characteristic is strong understeer, which is the most manageable and familiar behavior for the average driver. Steering rigidity is higher than before, and the smaller steering-wheel diameter also helps make the steering feel more responsive and precise when making lane changes and other small inputs. Directional stability at high speeds is also excellent. However, the understeer is too strong for fast drivers, and because the suspension is soft and has a long travel, if you lift off the throttle in mid-corner at high speeds, the resulting weight transfer causes the front wheels to cut towards the inside of the corner surprisingly strongly. In this sense, its behavior is almost like that of a front-wheel-drive car, and an experienced driver will instinctively make use of this trait in high-speed cornering.
The test car was fitted with 165SR-13 Bridgestone Radial 20 tires, on 4.5J rims. Among domestic radials, these are some of the best, with good grip even on wet pavement. On a broad test area with pooled water that we used as a skid pad, both front and rear tires showed well-balanced cornering power. The rear tires in particular held on strongly, and although the front end eventually began to wash out gradually, the limit speed was high. In other words, the chassis is stronger than the engine, making it a safe design.
Later in the day, we were caught in the rain and had to drive with all the windows closed, giving us an opportunity to appreciate the excellent ventilation system. At speeds above 50km/h, a strong breeze blows from both ends of the dash, and of course, the three-speed fan allows for forced ventilation when the car is stopped. There is also an air-mix door ahead of the heater core, allowing fine adjustment of the outlet temperature, and it can direct warm air to the footwell while sending cooler air at face level, creating the ideal condition of a cool face and warm feet.
Until now, heaters on domestic cars tended to be difficult to use because they had extreme on/off behavior or produced heat only in certain areas, but the Bluebird U’s heater and ventilation system compare well with the best foreign designs. The 1800 SSS-E also comes standard with a rear-window defroster, which we were able to confirm is effective, and the high-speed type wipers with fins functioned perfectly even at 120km/h. One unfortunate point, however, is that at speeds above 100km/h, there is an extremely annoying whistling noise from around the front pillars. This is where the cabin air inlets are located, strangely (it is said to be the most efficient placement), and it seems that this is the source of the whistling.
Next, let’s talk about the 1800 SSS-L with automatic transmission. The body is identical to that of the 1800 SSS-E, so we’ll focus on its driving performance. This torque converter is the 3N71B model built by Nippon Automatic Transmission, and the gear ratios of the 3-speed planetary gearbox are 2.458, 1.458, and 1.000. The final drive ratio is 3.90, slightly shorter than the 3.70 used with the manual gearbox. The engine is the twin-SU version producing 115ps at 6000rpm (the regular-fuel version is rated at 110ps at 6000rpm).
This automatic is extremely efficient. Even when accelerating quickly from low speeds in a higher gear, there is very little slippage, and it reaches the coupling point (lock-up) quickly. In first and second gears, the response is almost comparable to that of a standard clutch. When you press the accelerator gently, upshifts occur at around 2500rpm. Full-throttle acceleration pulls the engine up to about 5000rpm before upshifting, and in first and second gears, the car will reach about 60 and 90km/h, respectively. In all cases, the shifts are extremely smooth.
Kickdown response is quite sensitive, with virtually no time lag, and second gear can be held to about 120km/h at the engine’s practical maximum of 6000rpm. Engine noise is slightly better than in the 1800 SSS-E, but there is still a sharp, resonant peak in the exhaust sound just above 4000 rpm. The natural highway cruising speed is only slightly lower than in the SSS-E, and if you don’t mind the noise, you can easily maintain 135-140km/h. This goes to show that, with a highly efficient torque converter and a good power-to weight ratio, as in the 1800 SSS, even an automatic-transmission car designed for easy, foolproof driving can be safe and enjoyable at high speeds.
On the other hand, mountain driving in places like Hakone is where automatics generally tend to show their weaknesses, but in the case of this 1800 SSS it is not much of a handicap. By using the second-gear hold feature on both ascents and descents, you can utilize the adequate driving force and engine braking to keep up with the manual-gearbox models. The second-gear hold is also extremely convenient in heavy city traffic. When you take your foot off the brake, the car creeps forward slowly; when you step on the throttle it accelerates fairly quickly, and when you release it again, strong engine braking comes into play.
The test car was equipped with optional radial tires, 165SR-13 Yokohama GT Specials. These have a softer tread compared with the Bridgestone Radial 20s on the 1800 SSS-E, soaking up minor surface irregularities better and producing less noise. This makes them better-suited to the driving patterns typical of someone likely to buy the automatic SSS. But in terms of handling, they are vastly inferior to the Bridgestone Radial 20. Understeer is much stronger, and the front tires squeal even at moderate cornering speeds. Comparing the handling of both cars on the same skid-pad under identical conditions, the difference between the tires was unmistakably clear. The Yokohama GT Specials caused the front end to break away earlier, sliding with a large steering angle and sending the car off straight ahead. Of course, this is something that occurs only in extreme situations, and under normal conditions on public roads there is no problem.
Finally, when driven under nearly the same conditions as the SSS-E, the SSS-L’s fuel economy was slightly better, returning an average of 8.64km/l. For a 1.8-liter car with an automatic transmission, this can be considered quite economical.
Postscript: Story Photos
