Nissan Skyline V37 - 2018 minor change

2017 marks the 60th anniversary of the Nissan Skyline and the Japanese car company decided to blow the candle on one of Japan's well-respected cars in history by releasing a new model, well, what I say new, what they mean was they are giving the current V37 Skyline, the one with Infiniti badges on it for no reason, a minor change which features almost none of the bits as seen on the Infiniti Q50.

2018 Nissan Skyline

Once again, the Japanese car company continue to disappoint the Japanese public by not selling stuff that was made in Japan but sold in other countries except Japan and this latest 2018 minor change Nissan Skyline is the latest example of Japan's blatant trend. First off, with the advent of the Infiniti Q60, which is the two-door version of the Q50, which is the international name for the Skyline V37, Nissan refused to sell the two-door version despite the fact that it's made in Japan, another blatant example of Japanese cars that don't want to be Tomicanized since the Toyota Hilux, Honda Civic, Honda CR-V, the Toyota RAV4, and the one that was used to be called the Nissan Dualis. What's next? The one used to be called the Skyline Crossover? The one that is now the all-new Infiniti QX50 with the world's first variable compression turbo? The engine the Japanese too afraid to show it?

Another blasphemy is the engine because in America and Europe, the latest version of the Q50 has the new, fire-breather 3.0L V6 Twin Turbo engine that produces more power than the old 3.7L V6 engine it replaces. Sadly, Nissan also declined the engine as well, which is another act of cowardice for Japanese car makers these days, which involves afraid to sell global automotive stuff in their home market even though they made it there. Anyway, let's not get bogged down on Nissan's latest act of cowardice because while Nissan's too afraid to show what's new worldwide for the Japanese public, let's observe what's new on the 2018 minor change.

Of course, the 2018MY Skyline still bears Infiniti emblems but what's new in the exterior is the bumper design, set of wheels, and new rear lamps. In addition, there is now an Infiniti badge at the back of the car. Something they should have done a very long time ago.

2018 Nissan Skyline interior

On the inside, there are small changes occurred such as the steering wheel, the gear level now donning the Infiniti logo on the top, and the instrumental panel. Despite some subtle changes, it's still surprisingly as posh as its European rivals and the added wood trim adds a nice touch to the Skyline's well-proportioned interior.

Like I mentioned, Nissan declined to offer the firebreathing V6 turbo engine that the Q50 had in the world market and instead, they've retained the choice of a 3.5L V6 Hybrid and a Mercedes-Benz-sourced 2.0L four-cylinder turbo engine. This “Intelligent Dual Clutch Control” Hybrid System has been around since the Fuga and it still works as it promised, balancing performance and efficiency at the same pace. It produces a total output of 364PS of power and for honest reasons, the fuel efficiency based on JC08 mode standards is 17.8km/L.

The Mercedes-Benz-sourced 2.0L Turbo engine for the 200GT-t variant, meanwhile, produces 211PS of power and 350Nm of torque while delivering a fuel efficiency of 13km/L by JC08 mode standards. Most of the variants are mated to a 7-speed AT.

Also, the Skyline still retains the breakthrough Direct Adaptive Steering which breaks away from mechanical components and uses technology to steer with precision, delivering precise handling and quickly communicates road surface feedback to the driver, but it has been recalibrated for better adaptability.

For safety, the 2018MY Skyline now features a wide array of safety features such as Active Lane Control, Intelligent Cruise Control, Distance Control Assist, Backup Collision Intervention, Blind Spot Warning and Intervention, Lane Departure Warning and Prevention, Forward Emergency Braking, and Predictive Forward Collision Warning. Couple these with an array of tech in store and the result is a much safer Skyline that you can really drive with confidence.

The 2018MY Nissan Skyline starts at 4,164,480 to 5,840,640 Japanese Yen, which sounds quite a lot but competitively priced between the European opposition. So, while Nissan set another example of their cowardly acts not to sell the Infiniti Q60 as the Skyline Coupe as well as the 3.0L V6 Twin Turbo engine along with it, the V37 Skyline has been upgraded to make sure it still wants to be accepted by the public even though 2017 is already the year of the Skyline. It maybe a somber way to blow sixty candles but this is just enough to cater this occassion, unless Nissan learns to break the mold and become one with the world market to sell other Skyline versions such as the coupe based on the Infiniti Q60 and the crossover based on the new Infiniti QX50. The more you know.

Photo: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.