The Leopard was positioned as a larger coupe and sedan above the top level Nissan Bluebird 810 with the six-cylinder engine.

The coupé featured a "glass-to-glass" rear window sharing the very slim C- and D-pillars from the sedan.

[4] The 1.8 liter fours were also originally available with a four-speed manual transmission, all others received five-speeds as standard (or an optional three-speed automatic).

[2] Available as a GX, SGX, and ZGX, it had the same maximum output 145 PS (143 hp; 107 kW) as did the more expensive and heavier 2.8.

The 2-liter engine gave Japanese buyers the option of paying less annual road tax:[1] After a mild styling update in late 1982, the car was offered in the following variations:

The F31 Leopard was directly competing mainly with the Toyota Soarer, Mazda Cosmo, and the Honda Legend coupé in 1986.

The bodywork was also facelifted in August 1988 and now featured a smoother front appearance, achieving a wind resistance coefficient of 0.32.

The Leopard's more traditional coupé styling was offered as an alternative to the Fairlady ZX's fastback appearance.

They also offered a choice of a cassette tape changer installed in the center armrest compartment, with a separate single-disc CD player in the dashboard.

The RE4R01A four-speed automatic with electronic overdrive was used, as well as a five-speed manual transmission, which was only available in the domestic Japanese market on the lower trim level XJ-II and the XJ 2.0 V6 without a turbo.

A multi-link suspension was installed on the front wheels to accommodate the adjustable ride height shock absorbers.

The Leopard F31's production run lasted seven years, ending in June 1992 due to lagging sales.

The Leopard abandoned the coupe, and changed platforms from the Skyline and Laurel to the longer Cedric and Gloria.

Its appearance at introduction was distinctive, and the small interior resulted from its rounded styling uncharacteristic of the crowded executive car class at the time, which is now considered an early variant of a four-door coupé.

This generation was the first time an engine with a displacement under 2.0 L wasn't offered in Japan, and resulted in Japanese buyers being liable for a higher annual road tax bill which affected sales.

[12] The interior treatment continued to use the contrasting arrangement used in the larger Nissan Infiniti Q45 with a dark color used for the dashboard, and center console, with a lighter shade color used inside for the seats, interior door panels, headliner, carpet, and carpeted floor mats.

One of the numerous reasons the Y32 Leopard did not meet projected sales goals was that its most distinguishing feature was a lack of interior room.

It had the distinction of being a mid-size car with the space of a subcompact (less than a Sunny) due to its sloping roofline and rounded down trunk.

The fourth and last generation of the Leopard, introduced in March 1996, was offered as a hardtop sedan again, using frameless side windows with a "B" pillar.

There were four available trim packages, starting with the XV-G, equipped with rear seat passenger comfort and convenience features, followed by XV, XR, and XJ.

Because this version was essentially a reskinned Cedric and Gloria, the all-new telematics in-car navigation system called Compass Link was installed as an extra cost option in all trim packages beginning with this generation using a 7-inch color LCD screen while continuing the multi-AV functionality of previous generations.

For the 1998 mid-model refresh, the XJ-4 was installed with ATTESA E-TS AWD and the RB25DET turbocharged straight-six engine, borrowed from the Skyline and Laurel.

The straight six was installed because ATTESA-ETS was either mated to the VH41DE V8 from the Cima, or the RB25DET from the Skyline and Laurel, which would've made the Leopard too expensive.

As the economic downturn of the post-"Japanese bubble economy" began to take effect, the Leopard suffered diminished sales.