1980 Datsun 510 Tested: Utility Alone Is Not Enough

From the May 1980 issue of Car and Driver.It’s hell out there in the automotive business, but you wouldn’t know it by watching Datsun. While most other manufacturers are leaning out their model lines, furiously downsizing and switching to front-drive, Nissan is stamping out conservative, convention­al little sedans pretty much the way it always has—and is selling them as fast as it can shovel them off the boat.This state of affairs exists, of course, because Datsun already offers a bevy of models that make magic numbers on the EPA’s dynamometer. And it hasn’t hurt any that a whole generation of sat­isfied owners have spread the word that Datsuns are about as bulletproof as your average Timex and as easy to get parts for as a Chevy. Life in Fat City hasn’t exactly provid­ed Nissan with the incentive needed to rush into the brave new world of front­-drive machinery. But the nation’s number-two importer isn’t about to get caught sitting on its sales laurels, either. So Datsun is working on both fronts. It’s quietly learning important front­-drive lessons with the 310 line, while pushing full-ahead to make the rest of its bread-and-butter sedans first in the hearts of small-car buyers. And that’s precisely where the 510 fits into the cur­rent program. The 510, you’ll remember, reap­peared in 1978 after a five-year hiatus. And though enthusiasts everywhere hoped that the second incarnation of the 510 would be cast in the same dis­count-BMW mold as the original, what Datsun delivered was a sanitized, homogenized front-engine, rear-drive small car for people who wanted some­thing a little bigger than a 210. Stylisti­cally, it was light-years ahead of the cu­riously shaped and scalloped 610s and 710s that preceded it. But in most other respects, it was simply competent. It of­fered a fair amount of room for four adults, went easy at the gas pumps, was decently appointed, and had no hideous personality traits—in all, a humble, obe­dient servant of the first order. It was generally regarded as mild progress. There are no great changes in that formula this year, but there is nonethe­less some important news. Datsun has put the 510 through a fitness program in hopes of shaping it up for life in the first half of the Eighties. The result is that the latest rendition goes about the task of transporting people and cargo a lot more efficiently than ever before—­up to 35 percent more economically, to be more exact. And it benefits from some newfound utility as well.Although the old 510 was never what you’d call fuelish, a slew of penny­-pinching sedans have sprung up in the last few seasons to relegate its 24-mpg mileage rating to second-class status. But thanks to some fancy underhood engineering, the most egregiously thirsty 510 you can now buy—an auto­matic-equipped California model—will transport you 27 miles on every gallon. And 49-state five-speed versions deliver an impressive 31 mpg, according to the EPA—enough to make the 510 one of the ten most economical model lines in America. What’s more, Datsun achieved this efficiency boost despite the delete­rious effects of this year’s tighter emis­sions standards, and without downsiz­ing or lightening the 510. Rather than go to the trouble and ex­pense of building a more efficient car, Nissan’s hard-working engineers found a way to build a more efficient engine­ the NAPS-Z. That acronym stands for Nissan Anti-Pollution System, and if it sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve heard of it in connection with Datsun’s slick 200SX. The 510 uses a carbureted version of the 200SX’s fuel-injected 2.0-liter four, and benefits from all the same new technology. Truth be known, the NAPS-Z is really only half a new engine. From the block down it’s essentially the tried-and-true-­blue Nissan L20B that powered the 510 last year. To that foundation Nissan adds an expensive-to-manufacture SOHC cylinder head with hemispherical combustion chambers, the design that engineers agree provides the most effi­cient combustion. Datsun’s first twist on the standard design theme is the way it controls NOx: by pumping larger than normal amounts of recycled exhaust gas back into the combustion chamber. The EGR mix reaches up to 17 percent in California cars, about three times the usual amount. Normally, such EGR lev­els would be due cause for coughing and surging, but exceptionally careful tuning of the engine variables keeps drivability acceptable in 49-state cars. In California sedans, Datsun pulls out all the stops, ensuring consistent combus­tion with two spark plugs per cylinder. By all accounts, the new design has been a success. For one thing, 510s now meet the strictest emissions standards in the land without an expensive three-way catalyst or a costly fuel-injection system. The NAPS-Z technology also allowed Datsun to maintain the 510’s power; this year’s 92-hp rating is exactly the same as last year’s. And Datsun also managed to tune first-rate drivability into the new powerplant. Our test car was completely civilized, free of surging or stumbling when warm, and better be­haved than a host of 1980 cars when icy cold. All this would be good enough news in the face of the tightest ever government-mandated emissions regs. That the NAPS-Z also pulls out an ex­ceptional mileage gain makes it a com­mendable achievement, and puts Dat­sun one step ahead of the competition in engine development.With the 510’s gas mileage bumped to leading-edge small-car standards, Nissan finished the updating job by in­jecting the lineup with a dose of versa­tility: a new five-door hatchback. The new body style, which was fashioned from the four-door notchback it replaces, joins the three-door hatchback and the five-door wagon—both of which remain virtually unchanged. And while it was reworking sheetmetal, Nissan threw in a face lift for good measure­—sprucing up the grille with a set of quad rectangular headlights and cleaning up the taillight treatment. Aaron Kiley|Car and DriverThe addition of the five-door means that all 510s now offer the utility as well as the fuel efficiency of the newer, more advanced small cars in the Rabbit class. Of course, the 510 is at least a few inches longer and a few hundred pounds heavier than most of them. But in terms of usable interior space, cargo room, versatility, and economy, the 510 is now solidly competitive. Datsun has done a good job of squeezing every cu­bic inch of interior room out of the 94.5-inch wheelbase platform, despite the intrusion of the driveshaft tunnel and the room required to clear the solid rear axle. Four full-sized people can travel relatively comfortably if all co­operate. And thanks to its rear hatch and standard split-back, fold-down rear seat, the 510 provides a full measure of cargo-handling ability. More Datsun Reviews From the ArchiveThe 510 also offers almost all of the standard features we’ve come to expect in Japanese cars. The $5889 asking price includes such niceties as full in­strumentation, reclining front buckets with lumbar support for the driver’s seat, carpeting, cloth upholstery, a digi­tal clock, the split-back rear seat, side­-window defrosters, remote releases for the fuel-filler door and rear hatch, a five-speed manual gearbox, and so many storage bins that the 510 could double as a small-town post office.
So on paper, at least, it seems that the 510 has all the necessary ingredients for happiness in the little-car leagues. But in the harsh light of day, the 510 falls behind the first-rank small cars in desir­ability, and not because of any serious flaws in its basic design. Rather, Nissan has missed the mark in its execution of some important details. Take the interior. Though the front buckets are quite comfortable, the driv­ing position good, and the control lay­out convenient, the cabin is still not a very pleasant place to be. Our red test car’s black interior had that made-in-Japan look, thanks to flat, featureless door panels, dull gray pleated cloth uphol­stery, and tacky, gunmetal-gray plastic surrounding the instruments and on the console. The net effect was dreary. Nor does the 510 serve up any of the verve or nimbleness that makes the best little cars so engaging to drive. When the pavement gets rough, the 510 loses its composure, and it goes all mushy in seri­ous cornering. The steering, with 5.3 turns lock-to-lock, is riverboat-lethargic, and is cursed with a dead spot on center big enough to run the 9:13 through. The 510’s highway tracking is unsure as well. And though the engine provides adequate pep and good vibration con­trol, it drones at almost all speeds and throttle settings. All of which leaves us with mixed emotions about the revitalized 510. On the one hand, we can’t deny that it has a certain basic appeal. It’s screwed to­gether tightly. It’s certainly versatile and adequately roomy, and satisfyingly eco­nomical. And if experience is anything to go by, it should be just about un­breakable. But unfortunately, man does not live by utility alone. Datsun may have brought some very advanced tech­nology to bear on an otherwise ordinary small car, but it neglected to factor in such important attributes as driving fun and aesthetic appeal. In today’s seller’s market, such drawbacks won’t stop the 510 from being a sellout. But if Datsun is looking for a happy tomorrow, it will simply have to work even harder.CounterpointsIf I were 007, Richard Nixon, the Godfather, or any other prominent individual who couldn’t afford to be spotted in public, this is the car I’d hide out in. Park a 510 in the suburbs and it disappears against the backdrop of Shakey’s, Fed-Marts, and Schooner Cove condominiums. The 510 is so innocious you could own one for years and still have trouble explaining to your neighbor what kind of car you’ve got. And driving the 510 has the same sedative effects as bad TV; you’re not really motoring in the usual sense, you just sort of reach your destination after a while. Four fit comfortably, there’s plenty of room in back for the dog, it’s built well, and it hardly ever breaks down—that’s about all that needs to be said about this car. Oh, yes, the 510 does one thing amazingly well. The mystical, magical NAPS-Z motor makes 31 miles to the gallon, and the tank can store enough petroleum to carry you across the biggest state in the union. So if you hate to be recognized, particularly at gas stations, this is your car. —Don ShermanWe’ve told you before about Datsun’s about-faces. How it’s had a complete rethink on styling, and all. Every one of it’s cars has been fiddled with and resculptured. This activity has become to frantic that Datsun has turned itself into a veritable whirling dervish of good looks. The problem with turning too fast , and then faster yet, is that products spinning off this creative turntable may not jell well enough, set well enough, to withstand the velocity change that occurs between drawing board and production line. That’s what’s happened with the 510.The outside of the thing is a picture of rosy-cheeked trimness and modern good looks, but underneath, the mechanical components and comfort quotient have not gotten up to speed. Mechanically, this car is light-years behind its appearance. Its handling imprecision, is a yawning chasm long ago bridged by the lowliest of Datsun’s competition. Its driving pleasure (or lack thereof) is time-warped in the dark ages of motoring accomplishment. Sad. —Larry GriffinThe 510 isn’t a bad car, but it also isn’t a good car. It’s just a car. Ours has only been gone from us a relatively short time, and already I’m having trouble remembering much about it. Its biggest impact on me, I realize, was that it made no impact. I remember a semi-handsome five-door hatchback body, a kind of all-plastic instrument panel and dash in lustrous gray, and there must have been seats because I drove the car, but they were not memorable in comfort of its opposite. We had an automatic 510 for awhile, and I remember the transmission buzzing and vibrating and generally being entirely too noticeable. I know enough about the engine to admire its up-to-date innards, but I don’t remember it being anything particularly noteworthy in operation. I suppose this automotive ennui comes from too much exposure to the various automotive delights to be found elsewhere among the current crop of econoboxes. These meat-and-potatoes blue-plate specials may be Datsun’s idea of neat stuff, but they’re too bland a diet to suit me. —Mike KnepperSpecificationsSpecifications
1980 Datsun 510
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 4-door hatchback
PRICE

Base/As Tested: $5889/$6499
Options: air conditioning, $485; Am/FM-stereo radio, $125
ENGINE
SOHC inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection
Displacement: 120 in3, 1960 cm3
Power: 92 hp @ 5200 rpm
Torque: 112 lb-ft @ 2800 rpm 
TRANSMISSION
5-speed manual
CHASSIS

Suspension, F/R: struts/live axle
Brakes, F/R: 9.7-in disc/9.0-in drum
Tires: Dunlop SP44 Steel
165SR-13
DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 94.5 in
Length: 169.9 in
Width: 63.0 in
Height: 53.9 in
Curb Weight: 2060 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS

60 mph: 13.0 sec
1/4-Mile: 19.0 sec @ 72 mph
80 mph: 25.2 sec
Top Speed: 93 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 214 ft 
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (EST)

Combined: 31 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINEDRich Ceppos has evaluated automobiles and automotive technology during a career that has encompassed 10 years at General Motors, two stints at Car and Driver totaling 20 years, and thousands of miles logged in racing cars. He was in music school when he realized what he really wanted to do in life and, somehow, it’s worked out. In between his two C/D postings he served as executive editor of Automobile Magazine; was an executive vice president at Campbell Marketing & Communications; worked in GM’s product-development area; and became publisher of Autoweek. He has raced continuously since college, held SCCA and IMSA pro racing licenses, and has competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He currently ministers to a 1999 Miata, and he appreciates that none of his younger colleagues have yet uttered “Okay, Boomer” when he tells one of his stories about the crazy old days at C/D.
Source: caranddriver.com