The Nissan Moco is a four-seat kei car sold in Japan and supplied by Suzuki under an OEM agreement as a rebadged Suzuki MR Wagon. The MR Wagon debuted in 2001 and has been in its third generation since 2011. The Moco appeared as a concept at the 35th Tokyo Motor Show in October 2001 and went on sale on 10 April 2002.
Nissan Moco at a glance
| Production | since April 2002 |
|---|---|
| Basis | Suzuki MR Wagon, under an OEM agreement |
| Market | Japan only |
| Seats | four |
| Engine | Suzuki K6A kei engine |
| Power | 54 PS normally aspirated, 60 PS turbo |
| Torque | 61 N·m and 84 N·m |
| Drive | front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive |
| Gearbox | four-speed with column shift |
| Nissan difference | “wing” grille resembling the P12 Primera |
based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Suzuki MR Wagon, which describes the Nissan Moco as a rebadged version; no free photographs of the Moco itself were found.
History of the Nissan Moco
The MR Wagon behind it
The Suzuki MR Wagon went on sale in Japan on 4 December 2001 after appearing at the 33rd Tokyo Motor Show in 1999. The name does not mean mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, as it usually would; it stands for “Magical Relax”. The car used Suzuki’s K6A kei engine in naturally aspirated form with 54 PS or turbocharged with 60 PS, with front- or all-wheel drive and a four-speed column-shift transmission. Later turbo versions reached the 64 PS limit allowed for kei cars.
The Nissan version
The Moco was shown as a concept at the 35th Tokyo Motor Show in October 2001 and went on sale on 10 April 2002. Its engine, drive and transmission choices were the same as Suzuki’s. The main difference was Nissan’s “wing” grille, resembling that of the contemporary P12 Primera. Sales settled at about 3,000 to 4,000 a month, actually exceeding those of the MR Wagon.
Other markets
The first-generation MR Wagon was also built and sold in India by Maruti Suzuki as the Zen Estilo from December 2006, renamed the Maruti Suzuki Estilo in 2009 and discontinued in February 2014. In Indonesia the same car was sold as the Suzuki Karimun Estilo from 2007 until late 2012. Nissan’s Moco, however, stayed a Japanese-market model.
Design and features
- Suzuki engineering: the K6A engine, four-speed gearbox and chassis come from Suzuki.
- Nissan grille: the wing-shaped front from the P12 Primera.
- Kei car size: four seats and a small engine for Japanese tax rules.
- Sold better than the original: the Moco outsold the MR Wagon in Japan.
Nissan Moco versions
- Nissan Moco (2002–): the Suzuki-based kei car.
- Suzuki MR Wagon (2001–): the original version.
- Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo / Estilo (2006–2014): the Indian version.
- Suzuki Karimun Estilo (2007–2012): the Indonesian version.
The Moco was Nissan’s smallest car below the Micra, while its other rebadged small model of the period was the Pixo. More cars are in the Nissan collection.
Video: Testujemy kei car’y: Nissan Moco
Video by YouTube on YouTube.
Sources
- Suzuki MR Wagon, English Wikipedia: MR Wagon engineering, Moco launch, grille, other markets
