The 2001 Mitsuoka Ryoga Royal marks a major generational transition for one of Japan's most eccentric boutique carmakers. Mitsuoka is famous for taking conventional, highly reliable Japanese production cars and completely re-bodying them to look like vintage British luxury automobiles (evoking classic Jaguars and Bentleys)
For the 2001 model year, Mitsuoka shifted the Ryoga from its original Nissan Primera base to the smaller B15-generation Nissan Sunny/Sentra platform. The Royal trim represents the top-tier specification of this second-generation vehicle, offering upscale interior amenities compared to the base Deluxe trim.
The Ryoga's exterior design is intentionally polarizing, blending modern proportions with retro British styling cues:
- Front Fascia: Dominated by a massive, upright chrome grille flanked by distinctive quad round headlights.
- Chrome Accents: Features heavy retro chrome bumpers with integrated over-rider bars, fender-mounted turn signal repeaters, and steel wheels finished with vintage chrome hubcaps.
- The Interior Paradox: While the outside screams 1960s London, the interior is pure 2000s Nissan econobox. Mitsuoka left most of the Sunny dash intact---even placing a Mitsuoka badge right over the factory Nissan steering wheel logo---but elevated the Royal trim with wood-grain trim decoration and premium synthetic leather seating.
Underneath the hand-crafted fiberglass body panels lies standard Nissan running gear, ensuring that the car is exceptionally reliable and simple to service.
- Engine: 1.5-liter QG15DE inline-4 cylinder engine.
- Power Output: 105 horsepower (77 kW) and 135 Nm (13.8 kg-m) of torque.
- Transmissions: Available in a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic transmission. (A rare 1.8-liter QG18DD engine variant with a CVT was briefly available in July 2001 but dropped shortly after due to emissions standards).
- Drivetrain: Offered in both standard Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) and full-time All-Wheel Drive (AWD) layouts.
- Performance: 0--100 km/h (0-62 mph) takes a leisurely 13.1 seconds with a top speed of 177 km/h (110 mph).
75,850 KM
