AS MILLIONS of students set off for University this month, it seems packing light is a thing of the past.
Whether it’s a student travelling alone, with friends, or being nervously dropped off by relieved or tearful parents, there will be thousands of packed cars and millions of pounds worth of belongings travelling the region’s roads over the coming weeks, as the latest academic year gets underway.
With 37% of students owning their own flat screen television, 34% a games console and 29% a bicycle that they intend to take to University, the transporting of goods in the family car is set to get harder and harder, and the journey more and more uncomfortable.
In addition, many parents take the opportunity of children ‘flying the nest’ to downsize to a smaller car. With class-leading rear legroom and boot capacity, the Nissan Pulsar could be the perfect choice for transporting young people and their possessions – yet it has the running costs of a smaller hatchback.
Quality touches such as built-in luggage dividers and additional hidden rear boot space ensure the safety and security of loads, too – a very important factor when you consider that the average student in the UK now owns over £4,350 worth of possessions – around £2,900 of which consists of desirable, high-value gadgets, such as smartphones, laptops and tablets.
The five-door family hatchback – available with Nissan’s popular 1.2DIG-T 115PS petrol engine or 1.5 dCi 110PS diesel engine – offers 385 litres boot space, well above the average for a car in its sector. If that isn’t enough, the rear seats fold completely flat, expanding the boot space to a massive 1,395 litres.
Despite this, the Pulsar retains a compact footprint (4,385mm) making it easier to park in tight spaces when parents are helping to unload their children’s belongings on arrival at University.
Parents who are in a hurry to get their kids away from home might want to choose the new turbocharged 1.6-litre DIG-T 190 version of the Pulsar which provides performance, as well as space, to the big farewell.
“Loading the car for University can be almost as stressful as your son or daughter leaving the family home in the first place,” said Bastien Schupp, Marketing Vice President, Nissan Europe.
“But with the Pulsar, we aim to lighten some of the load. With students having more possessions than ever before, boot and passenger space is becoming ever more important to our customers.”