A beautiful black Nissan Cima sedan, seen in Beijing, capital of China, in 2017. The big Nissan was parked near a crappy-stuff mall I visited a lot and it looked somewhat out of place amidst the many small and cheaper cars. Note the special 7-reflector units inside the headlights, seen on the top-left of the unit, a feature the Cima was famous for.
The fourth generation (F50) Nissan Cima was made from 2001 until 2010. It was based on Nissan’s rear-wheel drive LL-platform. The Cima was available with a 3.0 liter V6 turbo or with a 4.5 liter V8. It was officially imported into China but only in V8 form, and it sold only in very small numbers, so seeing one of these on the road is a rare pleasure.
The interior was typical period-Nissan, with a center stack loaded with buttons, lots of luxurious leather, and a big steering wheel. There is a Cima badge on the left-side of the center stack, above the air vent. The tray for the CD player sits on a hard-to-reach location below the stack, in front of the gear lever.
The Nissan Cima was just under 5 meters long with a 2.87 wheelbase, so there is a lot of space in the back.
The 4.5 liter V8 had an output of 340 hp and 446 Nm, which was impressive for the time. The motor was mated to a 5-speed automatic. Top speed was 260 km/h (!!!) and 0-100 was gone in 7 seconds.
All very good stuff. Why didn’t sell Nissan more fourth-generation Cima’s in China? Well… Price. The Nissan Cima 4.5 cost an incredible 660.000 yuan in 2004, which was fairly wayt too much, no matter that powerful V8.
But rarity has its advantages too: it makes you look cool, and nobody knows what you are driving. The owner of this Cima even removed the badges.
A very subtle looking car, bar for those manic reflector lights and the oddly large mirrors. It deserved a better faith! Nissan never produced the Cima in China, which would have made it a lot cheaper. Nissan’s locally made top-end offering has always been the Dongfeng-Nissan Teana. That’s not a bad car at all, especially with the smooth V6, but it ain’t as classy as the Cima.
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