1999 Nissan 200SX Touring review from UK and Ireland

Nothing so far apart from the usual wear and tear (wiper blades etc).

2 litre turbo and rear wheel drive, it's on every boy racers shopping list, but it is mainly driven by the older generations, why!

When you want to talk about smooth power delivery the 200sx is a good place to start, Nissan have done a fantastic job on this engine and the power delivery is smooth as silk, constantly building from 2500rpm until the red line at 7000rpm. But the best part about this car is that it is still usable round town despite its long gearing, just keep the revs down and it is fine.

As for handling, this car is well balanced in the dry, has a positive turn in, provides plenty of grip and is fun to drive. However the 200sx has a dark side and becomes very tail happy in any condition other than dry, given a bit of enthusiasm on the loud pedal. While the tail can sometimes be caught easily, when it goes, it really goes and you are then just a passenger. I must admit that I am amazed that traction control still is not even an option on this.

The interior is a bit of a hit and miss affair. On appearances it looks nice and in some ways it reminds me of an Aston Martin with the colour coded door inserts. The driving position is very positive and all the controls are on hand. The pedal layout is also good and the heal-toe gear change is easy to achieve. However the seats are not as supportive as you would wish for a sports car and the dash is a bit plain (a boost gauge would be nice). Accommodation is also a mixed affair, while the front seats have plenty of room the rear seat leg room is almost non-existent, especially behind the driver.

The boot space is probably about the same as a medium hatchback although tall objects could be a problem. The rear seats also fold down which is a bonus and I have used this for carrying snow-boards (ski's would probably fit too).

Fuel consumption appears to be a driver dependant affair. Drive it economically and you can get an average 30 mpg, Thrash it about and you will find that fall towards 20mpg.

To summarise: The 200sx has fine handling and one of the best engines in its class. It's fun to drive and has the Japanese reliability to lay back on. To top it off the 200sx is a good 2 person tourer which will give you a rewarding drive as long as you respect it.