Nissan Stanza - T11 Series (1981–1986)

T11 Series (1981–1986)

A front-wheel drive Stanza was introduced in 1981 — the first compact-class Datsun to be of that configuration.

After 1982, Nissan tried to standardize the Stanza name in its export markets — in addition to phasing out the Datsun marque in favour of Nissan. In the United States, the T11 Stanza with CA20S engine, replaced the 510 for the 1982 model year. The Nissan Prairie was also sold as part of the range, renamed the Stanza Wagon. In 1984, Nissan changed the engine in the Stanza from the carbureted CA20S to the fuel-injected 2.0 L, straight-four CA20E. This car was 1981 Semperit Irish Car of the Year in Ireland.

3-door hatchback, 4-door saloon, and 5-door liftback models were produced. Japanese and some other export models were called "Stanza FX", and were offered with 1.6 and 1.8 L engines. The station wagon/delivery van was replaced by the Nissan AD van.

This version was sold in the United Kingdom and Europe as the Nissan Stanza; the range was "L" 1.6 L, "GL" 1.6 L, "SGL" 1.6 L and "SGL" 1.8 L. Some markets (such as Belgium, where it had SGL equipment) also received a 1.7 litre turbodiesel engine with 73 PS (54 kW), beginning with the 1984 model year.

Nissan-Datsun New Zealand occasionally imported later generation Violets and other models for evaluation, or imported a small production run if additional import licences became available (there was a trading scheme enabling importers to trade unused annual license allocations with each other). One highly specified, five-door, third generation, front-drive model with automatic transmission - and then-rare air conditioning - was imported for an international distributors' conference held in NZ in 1981 and was later used by a company executive's wife before being resold through the company's own dealer network. There was also a small later shipment of cars for public sale (this time without a/c) but, as usual with low-volume imports of this type by Nissan and rivals, most were presold before the ship docked.

In Indonesia, the T11 Stanza 1.6 L was a popular car taxi in the mid-1980s.

The facelifted Japanese models have an upright nose, similar to that of the Bluebird U11 series. The Stanza was available in Japan as the Stanza as well as the Japanese: Violet Liberto sedan and five-door hatchback, sold alongside the Pulsar based Japanese: Liberta Villa three-door hatchback.

The Auster was a higher specification and sportier version of the Stanza, with the emphasis towards a younger demographic. The three-door hatchback Auster GT-ES was equipped with a five-speed manual transmission. Various trim packages were labeled, 1600CS-X, Auster JX, GS-X Extra, and the 1800GS-L Super Saloon.

Derivatives

In Taiwan a car closely based on the T11 Nissan Stanza got the name Yue Loong Feeling 101 and in a more luxury version Yue Loong Feeling 102. Both were available as a sedan and in a hatchback variant. The vehicles later got an aggressive redesign with angled headlights and more sporty rearlamps. These versions were the first indigenously developed Taiwanese cars and were even exported in small numbers.

The Stanza T11 series was the only time in the US market that a Nissan was rated as more reliable than the Toyota Camry, from 1983 to 1986, according to 1983-1986 Consumer Reports magazine. Since 1987, Nissan has lost its ranking to Toyota and Honda.