This Nissan Model Attempted To Beat Toyota At Its Own Luxury Game

In the world of luxury cars, there are a few automakers which stand out from the rest as industry leaders, no matter where in the world you hail from. Chief among these is Rolls-Royce, although brands such as Mercedes-Maybach and Bentley are often just as quickly recognized and appreciated. However, if you hail from Japan, there are a couple of other choices on the market, and they offer the same level of understated excellence and impressive opulence as you'll find from any other automaker out there.

Probably the most notable is the Toyota Century. A once V12-powered luxury sedan, brimming with luxurious materials and comfort-oriented options, all designed to provide the most exquisite mode of personal transport for Japan's wealthiest few. The Century has become pretty popular over time, with many generations produced across a few decades. Although the Century was never officially sold in the U.S., some have been imported over the years, although the model is still a pretty rare sight.

Keen not to allow Toyota to have its cake and eat it, at least not without a challenge, Nissan launched its own luxury sedan – the President. Much like the Century, Nissan's President was reserved only for the lucky few, and boasted just about every luxurious amenity the brand could think of. It did prove a success, managing to survive a total of 45 years in production — from 1965 until 2010 — through four separate generations.

While the earlier generations of President were certainly impressive for the time, it wasn't until the late 1980s and early 1990s that the Nissan really began to get into its stride. By this point, the automotive industry had begun to move on from upmarket materials and drop-down picnic tables — technology was finally advanced enough for luxury cars to sport some really cool and innovative, sometimes over-the-top features.

Within examples of the President from this era, everything is geared towards maximum comfort. Rear passengers could adjust the front passenger seat to provide themselves with more legroom, door-mounted cigarette lighters joined a trio of ash trays for rear passengers, and there are buttons, switches, and dials galore up-front. Each one controls a different obscure option, be it an electrically triggered antenna, button-popped trunk lid, or simply another cigarette lighter.

The fourth-gen model, which arrived in 2003, went even further still. The back part of the front passenger seat could drop forward, allowing rear passengers to fully stretch out. Plus, not only was it equipped with the usual smattering of 2000s luxury accessories, such as rear-mounted screens and phones, but it was furnished with a plethora of clever driving aids too, such as intelligent brake assist, and brake-operated pre-crash seatbelts. Inside, the President could walk the walk just as sweetly as the Century, but it's under the hood where these two cars differ the most.

Between the years 1997 to 2017, only around 10,000 Toyota Century models were produced, but these sported a silky smooth V12 engine. This was the ultimate move for Toyota in terms of distinguishing the Century as in a class of its own, as to this day still, the Century is Japan's only domestic V12 production car.

This, of course, means the President had to source motivation from another source, with Nissan opting for a V8 engine. Forget everything you know about V8 engines for a moment though, as this was no muscular lump, but rather a quiet and reserved engine which was designed to enable a smooth ride, instead of outright performance. 

Third-gen models, which co-existed with the V12 Century, sported a 266-horsepower, 4.5-liter V8, which was just 14 horsepower shy of the output from the 5.0-liter Toyota. The Century always had an elevated status, but the President was always just as capable, just as comfortable, and just as well-equipped too, which is how Nissan were able to compete alongside the equally important Toyota for almost five decades.