I came across this Nissan Rasheen in Banff, Alberta, Canada—quite a long way from its home in Japan. The Rasheen is both a retro design and a forward‑looking template for the modern CUV built by Nissan from 1994 to 2000.
Nissan had previously produced the retro “Pike” series of cars: the BE‑1, Figaro, Pao, and S‑Cargo. Introduced in 1994, the Rasheen was built in the same factory but was not considered one of the Pike cars. It was based on the Sunny (N14) rather than the smaller March, with some Pulsar components mixed in.
Here is the N14 Sunny on which the Rasheen is based. Pretty 90s average.
The Rasheen could be had with either front‑wheel drive or four‑wheel drive. The initial models were equipped with a 1.5L GA15DE four‑cylinder engine. In 1997, the 1.8L SR18DE became available for those seeking more power. The ultimate Forza version featured the 2.0L SR20DE, along with various cosmetic and luxury upgrades. Buyers could choose either a five‑speed manual or an automatic transmission. This particular example is wearing a set of Nissan Sentra wheels.
Its small, boxy design—based on a sedan with four‑wheel drive—certainly helped set the template for the CUV craze that would follow. The suspension just needs to be raised a few inches. I was struck by how much smaller the Rasheen appears in person than in photos; it’s about five inches shorter than a North American‑spec B13/B14 Sentra.
The quirky, square styling is said to have been inspired by the Wartburg 353.
Although the Rasheen was sold only in Japan, it could likely have been a contender in other markets.
Higher‑end versions featured wonderful plaid seats, which this example unfortunately lacks, though it does have some wood trim in the interior.
Rasheen production ended in 2000 and the model was replaced by the more conventional‑looking X‑Trail (sold in Canada but not in the United States).
Related Reading:
CC Twofer: 1999 Nissan Rasheen Type II & Rasheen Forza – All-Weird-Drive
1994-2000 Nissan Rasheen – The World’s First Four-Door CUV Was An Homage To The Wartburg 353
It’s a neat car, and similar in shape to a Subaru Forester of a similar era. And I understand the concept of importing “forbidden fruit”, and also that it’s possible to obtain an older vehicle in nicer shape by importing from Japan than by sourcing one local to wherever you are. Having said all that, I truly would not want to live on a daily basis with driving a RHD car in a country with right-hand traffic. But I guess a lot of folks are willing to do it.
It’s not that big a deal once you get used to it. I drove a left-hand-drive Citroen DS in London in the 1990s, and the only times it was an issue were when overtaking on rural roads (which it didn’t really have enough power for anyway), and trying to reach a ticket machine when entering/leaving a car park.
They’re interesting-looking cars, and yes much smaller in real life than they appear in pix. I wasn’t aware of how the upper section of the rear hatch opened until I saw the advertisement you included, quite unconventional.
Yours is missing the spare tire cover, which sometimes sported “inspirational” messages such as this one from a Tokyo based one:
RASHEEN
Listen to the murmuring of a stream.
Run after wild birds.
Rest in the bosom of the woods.
or
RASHEEN
4wd with the feeling of nature and the sense of urban,
having a wide range of activites as daily space.
I’ve been seeing a number of imported JDM station wagons like the Nisssan Stega here lately; seems like the latest trend after the huge wave of 4WD vans. But have not yet seen a Rasheen.
I might actually like one of these quite a bit; it’s sort of right up my alley, although I’d have to see one in the flesh. Is it tall enough? The AWD aspect is compelling, but the RHD is a turnoff.
The roofline is actually lower than you think, It looks more low and wide than tall and narrow, as compared to the xB at least. You probably saw one at the Lane, they had one in their downstairs rotation area. Width and length are actually very similar to the xB but the Rasheen is about 130mm lower than the xB.
That’s what I was afraid of. Anyway, I’m a bit RHD allergic.
Definitely less tall than I would have thought. Taller than say a 90s Ford Escort station wagon but less so than a Scion xB, Nissan Cube, etc.
For me RHD is less desirable but I could do it for the right car (or right price).
Now we know where Skoda stole the idea for the Yeti.
Very interesting – this is a car I knew nothing about. The mid 1990s seems pretty early for a crossover SUVish vehicle, so this seems like kind of a trailblazer, though maybe a bit early to make much of an impact. I like it, and its square styling.
And I was intrigued by the idea of a plaid interior, so I had to look that up. Definitely more distinctive than typical ’90s mouse fur upholstery:
I do enjoy an interesting pattern on seats like this. Brings some character to even less interesting vehicle. Some International Scouts had plaid interior upholstery that is similar.
Plenty made it here used over the years. Most are used up and gone to the big car yard in the sky now, but I still see the odd one around. When new I thought they looked a tad odd, but now I think the styling has aged well, and they don’t look out of place today in the supermarket car park. Much smaller in person than you’d expect though!