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Side Stories: Nissan Rasheen


Designed by Naoki Sakai, the retro, boxy Nissan Rasheen (1994–2000) was an urban 4WD crossover built on the trusty Nissan Sunny chassis. The name "Rasheen" comes from the Japanese word "rashimban", meaning "compass". While it arrived just after Nissan's iconic "Pike Factory" era, it carried the exact same nostalgic spirit, as it was based off the Cold War-era 1966 Wartburg 353 Station Wagon


Those original Pike cars pulled heavily from vintage European icons—the Be-1 channels the original Austin Mini, the Pao borrows heavily from rugged classics like the Renault 4 and Citroën 2CV, the S-Cargo van is a direct nod to the Citroën 2CV Fourgonnette, and the sleek Figaro takes cues from 1950s microcars like the Autobianchi Bianchina.


The Rasheen was actually a pioneer for the crossover (CUV) class, which is super popular nowadays. The Rasheen started out with a simple lineup (the base Type I, mid-spec Type II, and top-tier Type III, which later turned into the sporty Type S). 


Nissan constantly refreshed it over the years, introducing the outdoor-ready Type F in 1995, the comfy Type L and J in 1996, and the plush Type A in 1997. 


The real highlight came in 1998 with the Rasheen Forza, which swapped the modest 1.5-liter engine for a punchy 145 hp 2.0-liter SR20DE motor, beefed-up bodywork, and aggressive quad headlights. This made the car resemble that of the old Datsun 510 Rally cars, the VW Golf Cross Country and the likes of the Lancia Delta Integrale!


Nissan finally wrapped up production in 2000 with a send-off Type M limited edition featuring premium two-tone styling and 4WD.


Because of its boxy, upright proportions, the Rasheen became an absolute favorite canvas for Japanese tuner shops doing retro face swaps. Specialized builders like Lummern, Rusit Performance and most notably Rasheen-Kan created aftermarket body kits to transform the Rasheen into mini American icons—giving it front-end swaps, vertical grilles, and faux-wood paneling to clone classic 4x4s like the 1st-Gen Ford Bronco, Jeep Cherokee (XJ) and Hummer H2!


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