[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Nissandriver

From what I´ve read the Tsuru weighs 300-400 lbs. less than the similar Sentra sold in the US. The Mexican car didn´t have the beams in the doors to help survive a crash

It's also often said the Tsuru pressed-steel panels were made out of sheets with a smaller gauge. Possibly it has fewer sound-deadening material too.

Tsurus shipped to the Middle East didn´t have a catalytic converter. I don´t know if the cars sold in Mexico had a converter.

Even the Beetle had a catalytic converter in Mexico. Emission regulations for Mexican cars AFAIK follow the same standards as in the United States and Canada, even though bilateral trading agreements between Mexico and other countries allow the sales of vehicles which would never make their way to the north of the border. The last Tsurus even resorted to a 1.6L Renault K-Series engine instead of the previous Nissan engine, as the Renault engine was more up-to-date with emission standards.

It´s also been called the deadliest car in Mexico, but I think that´s due to the large number of them sold over 25 years and the huge number of miles driven. It would be interesting to know the number of injuries and deaths per miles driven to get a better idea of how dangerous they really are. There was an offset head-on collision test done in 2017 with a Versa versus the Tsuru and it´s scary how the Tsuru is destroyed in that test.

Sure being an ancient project with an extended production run in Mexico charges its toll when it comes to safety standards, which are much lower than a newer model also bound for export to countries with stricter safety regulations. However, as you mentioned, the large amount of Tsurus sold in Mexico during its extended production run and total miles driven might also be worth taking a look before saying it's inherently dangerous.

I´d guess the Tsuru was probably one of the lowest priced new cars in the world in 2017. But I would think you could get a cheaper car made and sold in India or China.

Of course you could get something cheaper from India or China, but it would most likely be smaller and less capable to address the needs of someone who effectively needed a small sedan instead of a hatchback.