The Nissan Avenir is a line of

station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...

s beginning production in May 1990 by

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

of Japan, with the budget oriented delivery van starting out as the Avenir Cargo, then being renamed the Nissan Expert ( ja) in 1999. The Avenir replaced the long-serving

Nissan Bluebird The is a compact car with a model name introduced in 1957. It has been Nissan's most internationally recognized sedan, in multiple body styles, and is known for its dependability and durability. The Bluebird originated from Nissan's first vehic ...

wagon/delivery van. It was a larger companion to the Nissan Wingroad/Nissan AD van. The Avenir Cargo also assumed load carrying duties of the discontinued

Nissan Cedric The is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family. In later years, the Nissan Skyline was posi ...

and

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

delivery vans. The Avenir appeared after the Subaru Legacy wagon, but before the Toyota Caldina wagon. The Avenir's appearance was not shared with another Nissan sedan, although it was sold as the estate version of the Primera in European markets. The name Avenir is French for "future", and it was exclusive to ''

Nissan Bluebird Store , trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun brands, ...

'' Japanese dealerships, as it was a replacement for the Bluebird wagon.

W10 (First generation)

Introduced to the Japanese market in May 1990 (a small number of units were exported to Nissan New Zealand to replace the locally assembled U11 Bluebird wagon), the W10 Avenir was initially available with either the 1.8 L SR18Di in FWD or a 2.0 L SR20DE engine. The Nissan Expert/Avenir Cargo van light commercials came only with the 1.6 L GA16DS. The FWD was available with either a four-speed automatic transmission or a five-speed manual, the

4WD Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

(introduced in November 1990) only available coupled to the automatic. There was also the ATTESA configuration. A 2.0 L CD20T Turbo-Diesel was added to the range along with a light facelift in January 1993. At the same time, the 1.8 L SR18Di models were given the improved 1.8 L SR18DE with electronic gasoline injection. In December 1993 a special edition called "Avenir Salut" appeared, French for "hello!", a name which eventually made its way onto the entire passenger car part of the Avenir range. This was a lower cost version of the Attesa-equipped, SR20DE-engined 2.0 Si, forgoing some of that car's standard equipment such as the front spoiler and alloy wheels. High sales of the second generation Subaru Legacy Wagon prompted Nissan to redesign the Avenir's rear end in a similar style. This only applied to passenger car versions (the Avenir Cargo retained the original rear design), all of which were now badged Salut. These were introduced in August 1995, along with a

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

model called GT turbo; this came with a version of the 2.0-litre SR20DET and was available only in 4WD with the automatic transmission. File:Nissan Avenir.JPG, 1st gen Nissan Avenir Blastar File:Nissan avenir pnw10 salutx 1 r.jpg, The Avenir Salut's redesigned rear end File:Nissan Avenir Cargo 001.JPG, 1st gen Nissan Avenir Cargo

W11 (Second generation)

The W11 model was introduced early in 1998. Initially available with the 1.8 L QG18DE, 2.0 L SR20DE, 2.0 L SR20DET or the 2.0 L CD20ET Turbo-diesel. The QG18DE models were FWD only and available with either a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission, the SR20DE models were an FWD 4-speed automatic or CVT transmission with 6-speed tiptronic function, the 4WD continued to be conventional 4-speed automatic only. The diesel CD20ET was only available with a 4-speed automatic. Once more the turbocharged 2.0 L SR20DET variants were available only in 4WD with the conventional 4-speed automatic. The power output of the turbo version increased to . From May 2000 the turbocharged Salut was renamed the GT4 along with interior and exterior changes. The output of the SR20DE engine was improved. From the August 2000 facelift, the CVT transmission was fitted to some non-turbo 4WD models. Autech offered a customized version called the "Rider" trim level. The Avenir Cargo delivery van was renamed the Nissan Expert starting in June 1999. October 2000 saw the introduction of the Avenir Blastar, with an increased ground clearance and larger wheels, equipped with ATTESA and the SR20DE engine as an alternative to the Subaru Outback. Nissan shared the appearance with the smaller Nissan Wingroad JS. In August 2002 the SR20DE and the SR20DET engines were replaced with the new QR20DE. Due to lack of demand for the Avenir, the entire line was cancelled in September 2005; the Expert delivery van lasted until December 2006. File:NISSAN Avenir Blastar Version S.jpg, 2001 Nissan Avenir Blastar File:Nissan-Expept-vw11 2002-front.jpg, 2002 Nissan Expert (Japan) File:NISSAN Avenir.jpg, Nissan Avenir File:Nissan-avenir w11-rear.jpg, Avenir rear

References

External links

Nissan Avenir official website

Avenir Lineup including Blastar

Safety Recalls for Nissan AvenirSafety Recalls for Nissan Expert
{{nissan Avenir All-wheel-drive vehicles Vehicles with CVT transmission 1990s cars 2000s cars