Nissan Laurel VII (C34) photos

Launched in Japan in January 1993, the seventh-generation Nissan Laurel (C34) marked a major structural departure from its C33 predecessor by abandoning the pillarless hardtop configuration in favor of a stiffer, safer pillared four-door sedan body with a taller roofline and wider track. This dimensional growth pushed the entire C34 lineup beyond the 1,700 mm width threshold into Japan's larger passenger-car classification and significantly improved interior headroom and rear cabin space. Retaining a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout with MacPherson front struts and a multi-link rear axle, the C34 also introduced Nissan's ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system to the Laurel range for the first time, alongside optional Super HICAS rear-wheel steering on select sport grades. Four-cylinder gasoline engines were discontinued, leaving an exclusively inline-six roster comprising the 2.0-liter RB20E and RB20DE, the 2.5-liter naturally aspirated RB25DE and turbocharged RB25DET, and the 2.8-liter RD28 diesel, matched primarily to four- or five-speed automatic transmissions. After early styling received mixed reactions for being overly conservative, a substantial facelift in late 1994 reshaped the front grille, headlamps, hood, and rear fascia to better differentiate the luxury Medalist and sporty Club S models until production ended in 1997.