The Day With Nissan Silvia - Day 5

Damn, the week is over already. We're beyond sad; we are heartbroken. For a week the JDM EvolutionSilvia has been our car. Yeah, we've tested the vehicle and we've taken lotsa notes, but more than anything this has been like driving and temporarily owning our contemporary dream car. Oh well, we take satisfaction in knowing that there is a company that legally imports the lovely Silvia. That means, someday in the not-so-distant future, we'll, too, will own our own RHD Silvia.

Styling
The Silvia is a looker, period. If you missed our first day, we cited that, "Subtle design makes for a car that has an extremely pleasing exterior. From a front three-quarter view we can see the Silvia's downward-sloping character line that also wraps around the rear window. A secondary character line might not work on other cars, creating a busy profile, but seems to work well here. " We still stand by that statement and think the last generation Silvia is a billion times better looking than the previous generations.

An excellent exterior design is only complimented by the equally impressive interior design. It's fairly simplistic within the confines, but what there is, we like a whole lot. Nissan has done much to change the otherwise pedestrian looks of the Silvia into a car that has tons of appeal, inside and out.

Performance
Like some of the new cars on the market, the Silvia gets its power from a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine. In comparison to the Evo VIII and (Japanese) WRX STi, the Silvia doesn't see as much power; it outputs 247 horsepower @ 6,600 rpm. Then again, the Silvia doesn't boost nearly as much as the AWD duo. The factory setting is barely past 7 lbs and a simple intake, downpipe, exhaust and boost controller could leave the Silvia pumping out easily over 300 horsies.

On the handling side of things this Nissan doesn't benefit from the fancy all-wheel drive like the Skyline GT-R, a Getrag tranny or even traction control (like the Z). But the Silvia does manage to hold its on when in road holding. Since this is a front-engine, rear-wheel drive vehicle it can get a little crazy under hard turning acceleration. But with that said, it's also the ideal car for anyone interested in the art of drift.

Comfort
It's no less or no more comfy than the WRX or 350Z. And that's pretty damn good for a car that has the above mentioned performance. Front passenger legroom is fine, but headroom could use a few more inches, especially if you're a taller guy or girl. Getting in and out of the Nissan is a bit of work as it's a really low-slung vehicle. Another price we pay for a vehicle of this type.

Trunk space is also suspect as we really couldn't shove much back there. But, aside from the '89-94 240SX, the Silvia has always suffered from a smaller-than-normal caboose. For all intents and purposes, the Silvia is really a two-seater. Those small back seats work for insurance purposes and as a place to put your crap.

The Competition
Once again the competition for the Silvia is fairly sparse. We can say 350Z, RX-8, Evolution VIII and WRX STi. But the real competition is none other than the Skyline GT-R. Pricing is likely to be in the same realm--maybe a tad cheaper than the famous GT-R. But for right now part of the appeal of the Silvia isn't just its deadly good looks, it's also the fact that the car, at this point in time, is rarer than the GT-R and is the perfect drift-mobile.

The Day With Nissan Silvia - Day 4

Double takes, lots of doubles takes--that's the reaction from about just anyone who notices that there isn't a person sitting on the left side of the JDM Evolution Silvia. Stopped at a light, we caught the biker in front of us looking back, nothing unusual. But a quick double take on his part was really funny. It must've taken his brain a split second to "see" what his eyes saw.

Weird, though, most people first stop us and ask, "What is it?" We reply, "A Silvia." The expected follow-up to that is, "It's European, huh?" We continue, "Japanese, actually." As beautiful as the Silvia is, and she is beautiful, we're sure part of the allure is the right-hand drive portion of the equation; same goes for the Skyline GT-R.

We're fond of cars that are as quick and as fun to drive as the Silvia. Like its Fair Lady bigger sister, the Silvia maintains a good balance of driving dynamics and everyday creature comforts. An entirely digital climate control system is not unlike what we'd see on a fancy Infiniti vehicle or higher end Nissan.

Black-on-white lighting from the climate control matches the face on the in-dash, single-disc, CD-Player and the digital read-outs within the gauge cluster. The CD-player could use a few more watts, however, as it just barely passes the window-down test. We can't fault Nissan too much for keeping the sound system simple, most people will ditch the stock stuff for some better aftermarket goods, anyway.

Some weekend racers will also likely swap out the stock Silvia seats for some Brides, Nismos or Recaros. We can see why someone would do this, partly for show and some for go, but the stock seats are very supportive and totally comfortable. The seats match the dark interior, but various colors and materials are available as well as leather, too. A/C can only do so much to keep you cool and for the Silvia we'll gladly take clothe over dead cow.

Until further notice JDM Evolution will only import Spec-S and Spec-R trim models. This has to do with federalization issues, but also logistical issues. Who would want to import a rare car with a 2.0L naturally aspirated engine that only puts out about 160 ponies. That's not worth it in our book.

Actually, we take that back. For us Silvia freaks the car is awesome in any trim level and, to us, the engine isn't as important as the sleek lines and highly unique look of this pre-Renault Nissan. For larger market appeal, JDM Evolution has made the wise choice in bringing over truly stout 2.0L turbocharged examples.

The Day With Nissan Silvia - Day 3

Driving Impressions
It's really amazing how something as simple as driving on the right side of the car can really throw people off. Then again, the fact that we're on the "wrong side" might not be the only reason people stare, point and stop us on the street. The Silvia is a dead sexy two-door and there hasn't been a single person whom we've spoken to that didn't like the JDM Evolution-legalized Nissan.

We were stopped by a bus driver off Market today, "It's a damn shame. Why don't Nissan release that car here? It's beautiful." We nodded in agreement and shot off looking for the 101 south, but his words are shared by many people.

The Figures
Fuel economy numbers on the 2.0L powerplant are comparable to the Lancer Evolution VIII and WRX STi. The Evo gets about 18 miles to the gallon on street and 26 on the highway; the Sub sees two more on the street and two less on the highway. Based on the numbers thus far, our JDM Evolution Silvia seems to hit about 19 on the street and roughly 28 miles to the gallon on the highway.

We did take it fairly easy on the way up to the bay area; we almost made it to the city without having to re-fuel. The 2.0L turbocharged engine seems to have a good balance of everyday drivability and go-fast power when you need it. With gas being as much as it is now, the Silvia will run a pretty penny at the pump. The fuel tank seems slightly smaller than the 240SX's 17.2 gallon one, but ran us over $30 for 91 octane.

If you insist on being a speed demon the Silvia will gladly go from 0-60 in about the same time as a Nissan 350Z. That's about 5.5 seconds if you haven't been paying attention to the performance numbers.

Comfort
Ride comfort in the Silvia is not much different than the 350Z. Actually, we take that back, the ride is a bit softer and it shows in the turns when the four-seater's body displays a bit of roll. For a vehicle with so much power we're wondering why the suspension is so soft. We can't say it doesn't help ride comfort. Even the awful streets of San Francisco don't do much to detract from the ride.

Legroom up front is almost identical to that of the previous generation Silvia/240SX. That also means that rear passengers won't be too happy with the accommodations--not if they're any taller than, say, 5'2''. In the name of design, we'll deal with some cramped interior dimensions. Ditto goes for the tiny trunk that is barely large enough to shove a bag with a week's-worth of clothing.

The Day With Nissan Silvia - Day 2

The Competition
It's a wee bit difficult comparing the JDM Evolution Silvia to anything on the market. Most buyers looking into a U.S.-legal Silvia won't be looking at just any vehicle. Sure, we can compare it to the Acura RSX (just in price), Honda S2000, Mazda RX-8, Nissan 350Z and even the Motorex-legalized R32 Skyline GT-R (also based on price).

The Silvia is a front-engine, rear-wheel drive platform just like the S2000, Mazda RX-8 and Nissan 350Z--even though Mazda and Nissan consider the latter both mid-engine, whatever.

There's going to be a learning curve for any U.S. driver who has never tried the world of right-hand drive. Aside from simple things we take for granted like shifting gears and turn signals, driving a RHD car in a LHD world has some downsides to it.

We're introduced into a world of blind spots and logistical issues we never thought of. Think about going through your local drive-thru with the Silvia, let alone trying to everyday left turns.

But driving on the "wrong side" of the car also has its benefits. First, it's the never-ending setup for jokes ending with the punchline, "Actually, I'm driving on the right side." Second, it's a very easy way to get attention. Just in our second day with the beautiful silver Silvia we've been asked to roll down the window over a dozen times and counting.

Aside from the novelty factor, the last reason might be the best one, being on the right side of the car makes it easy to hit on women driving left-hand drive cars. Oh yeah, there's some definite pimp factor here.

Performance
Nissan rates its retired yet mighty 2.0L turbocharged powerplant 250 metric horsepower. To Americans that translates to 247 hp @ 6,600 rpm and 246 lb-ft torque @ 4,800 rpm. To the body that translates to a whole lotta fun. And to think that this power is achieved from an engine that has a maximum boost of about 8lbs. In contrast, the previous generation Silvia only made roughly 217 horsepower using a similar turbocharger and less free-flowing injectors.

Twist on the Silvia is almost a perfect 1:1 match to the horsepower making the car as fun from the get-go as it is on high speed runs. While other higher revving cars like the Toyota Celica GT-S and Honda S2000 need to hit about 5,000 rpm to really wake up the low-boosting Nissan engine feels strong as early as 2,500 rpm.

All that tasty power in the last generation Silvia wouldn't be any good if it was mated to a lackluster drivetrain. Good thing that Nissan decided not to cut any corners add mated the four-cylinder to a close-ratio, six-speed manual transmission versus the five-speed used in the preceding generation.

In a way, first gear is fairly useless for everyday street driving. Top speed on this gear is no more than about 20 mph, but what we give up in that gear we gain in devilishly quick standstill acceleration. The remaining gears all feel just right and each consecutive throw is accompanying with that "I'm sinking into my seat" sensation.

No traction control is offered on the Silvia and we wouldn't have it any other way. Yeah, the car can definitely get squirrely, but this is, after all, the car of choice for Japanese drifters. A slight front weight-bias makes kicking out the ass end under heavy lateral acceleration easy, very easy.

Precise steering makes it almost as easy to bring it all back, smoothly. Of course, the Helical-type limited slip differential does its part to give a helping hand.

The Day With Nissan Silvia - Day 1

In 1998 Motorex began the grueling process of legalizing the now-legendary Skyline GT-R. Now, anyone can order a Skyline GT-R and legally drive it on public streets. Five years later, JDM Evolution has repeated history.

The Orange County, California-based registered importer plans to legalize the Skyline's sexier little sister, theNissan Silvia. Some readers make recognize the name, not only is most of the IGN staff in love with the damn car, we've done our best to turn our U.S.-spec 240SX into a Silvia or, in our case, a Sxilvia.

A little history lesson for the uninitiated. The 240SX started life in Japan as the Silvia back in the late '80s. It appeared shortly thereafter as the highly-detuned American 240SX.

Save for the 2.4L truck engine underneath the hood it was the same as its Japanese counterpart with multi-link rear suspension, 50:50 weight distribution (in some models) and a rear-wheel drivetrain. In short, we were assed out in power and potential. That's why so many enthusiasts have spent tons making their cars less SX and far more Silvia.

Nissan produced and sold in the 240SX until 1998; that was the last year this front-engine, rear-wheel drive two-door was available to U.S. buyers. In Japan it lived on with a new body and increased performance.

The last generation Nissan Silvia appeared in January of 1999. It was produced and sold until August of 2002. You may recall our tribute story, Good Bye Skyline, Silvia and RX-7 detailing info about the three sports cars.

Styling
Out with it, the styling on this last gen Silvia represents the ultimate in pre-Ghosn Nissan design. Forget the heavy-duty, ultra-wide Skyline GT-R, the Silvia's sleek looks and stylish, wedge-shaped design have a sort of finesse the Skyline never attained. In comparison to the previous chassis, this revised design is worlds apart and looks like a far more expensive ride.

Subtle design makes for a car that has an extremely pleasing exterior. From a front three-quarter view we can see the Silvia's downward-sloping character line that also wraps around the rear window. A secondary character line might not work on other cars, creating a busy profile, but seems to work well here.

Revised headlight design is similar in some ways to the model it replaces, but looks so much better as a single-piece deal and has the Silvia logo emblazed within the housing, nice touch. Some readers have related the Silvia's corner-centric taillights akin to a Grand Am. We disagree with this generalization. That's like saying 350Z headlights look like Celica GT-S headlights simply because they're both project-based, triangular, pulled-back designs.

On the inside the new S15 Silvia really kicks the crap out of the 1995-1998 Nissan 240SX. This looks like 40K+ car, not a $20K me-too, two-door like the 240SX. It's not just the classier, cooler-looking dash either; the new Silvia uses higher-quality materials and just simply better design overall.

Fact about Nissan Silvia S15 Spec-R

The 1999 Silvia Spec-R has 6 generations that came before it. In 1964 with the CSP311 the first one was the Silvia range, a twin passenger coupe hand-built upon a modified Fairlady 240Z chassis. From this generation was sold only 500 cars. Starting with the third generation , known as the S10 the company started to make a progress and this S10 was sold well in Japan and abroad.

From generation three forward, the Silvia evolved with engine and styling updates: by 1983, the S12 Silvia set the standard for sports coupes in Japan by having the FJ20DET 190 horsepower engine. The following S13 generation came equipped with Nissan's HICAS four wheel steering which greatly increased the level of technology for all Silvia’s thereafter.

The final edition of the Silvia, the S15 was, for most parts of the world, a styling upgrade. However, in Japan, the Silvia was offered in two distinct packages: the performance orientated Spec-R and the slightly more subdued Spec-S which is similar to what shipped for export.

Among the Spec-R cars, Nissan offered several packages including the V-package, Class-B, Style-A and an Autech-produced Varietta folding hard top convertible based on the Spec-S. With the amount of versions available, S15 owners were motivated to modify their cars.

Nissan wanted to increase the performance for competition in the Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) when developed the S15. Lessons learnt with the Skyline GT-R were carried over into all models of the S15 Silvia. For instance, both cars share some aluminum suspension components and differentials. Additionally, the body and particularly the underbody were strengthened for rigidity in much the same manner as the Skyline GT-R: Front crossbar, rear floor stays, a trunk bar and a rear crossbar were added.

Alongside the Skyline, the NISMO S15s competed in the GT300 Class of the JGTC. With several key victories attained in their class, Takeshi Tsuchiya and Yuji Ide proved the Silvia as a successful racecar. After Nissan boosted the image of their S15 Silvia in JGTC, it became one of the most sought after of all the evolutions.