We don't know who this story is addressed to because nobody who follows a serious stream of car news, like we live to provide, cares about bobsledding. However, that hasn't stopped Nissan from taking the seven people that it can fit inside an X-Trail crossover and putting them in a sled.
You may know the X-Trail under its outlaw name - Rogue - but if you've seen one, you know what the other looks like, even though there are some subtleties. Like the Pathfinder, the European model seats up to seven people in relative comfort. That inspired the company to change winter sports by adding a few folks to the back of a bobsled.
The 7-seater undertook its inaugural run at the historic Olympic track in Igls, piloted by British Olympic medalist Sean Olsson.
Nissan is the same company that fitted a G-meter screen as standard to the GT-R, so we're not surprised that they are a little boastful about the exploits of the world's first bobsled for seven. Apparently, it's capable of reaching 100 km/h and pulling a G-force of 4.5G.
"We wanted to give the opportunity to experience first-hand the adventurous nature of our crossover segment through the thrill and excitement of Olympic bobsleighing," said Darryl Scriven, Design Manager Nissan Design Europe (NDE).
For this project, Nissan called on the experience of one Diego Menardi, who started working on bobsleighs back in 1979 and has built competition sleds for national teams since 1985. He based his design on a 4-seater shell and extended it to fit three more.
When empty, the X-Trail Bobsled weighs only 310 kilograms (683 lbs), but that quickly jumps to 895 kilos (1973 lbs) when seven burly men jump onboard. It's about the same as a smart fortwo. Thankfully, the Nissan crossover can tow twice that much.
According to the manufacturer, the bobsled accelerates from 0-62 mph(100 km/h) in 30 seconds and has a top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h). By comparison, the 1.6-liter turbo diesel engine of the car gives it the capacity to reach 62 in 11 seconds before hitting a top speed of 116 mph (186km/h).
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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