While Toyota recently announced that they’d be discontinuing their Mark X, Nissan will be soldiering on with their six-cylinder premium sedan, the Skyline. For 2019, Japan will see a facelift to the Skyline, but not a complete model change.
It’s still based on the ‘V37’ chassis, which is shared with the INFINITI Q50, but brings a redesign and new technology. While we’re pretty sure you won’t find this Skyline in an official ETCM showroom, here’s what you might expect if it comes through the grey market.
Performance
Four options in terms of powertrain
- 3.5L V6 Hybrid 2WD
- 3.5L V6 Hybrid AWD
- 3.0L V6 2WD (300hp)
- 3.0L V6 2WD (400hp)
Four trim levels will be available with these powertrain options. Here’s how they’re packaged.
Engines
The 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine (VR30DDTT) features the following:
- electric motor fitted to the valve timing system
- electronic variable valve timing control
- optimised twin-turbo system
- redesigned fins and faster turbine revolution speed
- water-cooled intercooler system
- new mirror bore coating technology
- integrated exhaust manifold
In the new 400R trim level, the Skyline gets 400hp and 475Nm of torque. Making this the highest output 4-door Skyline to roll out the factory.
The Hybrid cars come with the VQ35HR engine paired to the HM34 electric motor system.
VQ35HR is a high-revving 3.5-litre V6 designed for use in a hybrid setup in 2010. A HM34 electric motor and lithium-ion batteries complete this 359hp Hybrid setup.
It’s not clear if Nissan has further updated the VQ35HR-HM34 for this new Skyline.
Suspension and Steering have been updated too.
Intelligent Dynamic Suspension adapts to driving situations for optimal comfort and dynamics. Direct Adaptive Steering reacts to the car’s speed for the most optimal response.
Design
A new exterior design features Nissan’s signature V-Motion grille, a radar sensor and a reintroduction of the Skyline’s iconic 4 circle tail lamps. They’re now completely LED-lit.
Inside, the Hybrid versions get a full colour heads up display. There’s also a 7″ Advanced Drive Assist Display.
The 400R version gets aluminium trim finishing and red stitching on the steering wheel and passenger touchpoints as well as quilted trim on the bucket seats.
Here’s the profile of the new Skyline in its colour options.
Technology
The biggest talking point of this new Skyline is the inclusion of ProPilot 2.0 standard on all Hybrid versions of the car. This system enables hands-off driving while cruising in a single lane. If the driver sets things up on the navigation system, the car can assist the driver while on the highway, taking over passing, lane diversions and lane exiting until it’s time to exit the highway. This feels like it falls between levels 2 and 4 of autonomous driving.
If the driver fails to respond to an alert while driving, the system turns on the hazard lights and reduces the vehicle’s speed until coming to a stop. An SOS call service automatically establishes an audio connection to a dedicated call centre operator for emergency assistance.
