Auto News & New car review

As far as we know, the 2009 Nissan 370Z is due to be unveiled at the LA Auto Show later this year, so it comes as no surprise that testing is well underway. Our new friend Ryen was able to briefly catch a cloaked mule on highway 60, leading through Phoenix, Arizona yesterday, and although the video after the jump is brief, the VQ37HR-powered coupe does look a bit shorter than its predecessor, lending credence to the rumors we’ve heard since 2007. Read the rest of this entry »

Buying a small car doesn’t have to mean compromising on space – just take a look at the current crop of supermini MPVs. The market has grown in popularity so much that last year we introduced a new award specifically for these smaller multi-purpose vehicles. And it’s 2006’s winner, the Nissan Note, which retains its crown. Read the rest of this entry »

No longer does owning an economy sedan mean you’ll be holding your breath or retracting limbs as you wedge yourself into a pint-size compact. On the contrary, many of these cars are now sized to accommodate 6-foot adults in any of their seats, and the 2008 Nissan Sentra in particular meets the EPA’s “midsize car” classification. If you’re tall but need a car that’s affordable, this is very good news. Read the rest of this entry »

NISSAN Australia managing director Shinya Hannya predicted last week that its all-new Micra “will change the balance of power in the light-car segment”.
The micro-car marks the Japanese brand’s return to a segment it helped restablish with the 1967 Datsun 1000 and then abandoned in 1997 after a half-hearted attempt with the previous-shape K11 Micra. Read the rest of this entry »

Timing is everything. My week with a 2008 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab LE pickup in 4×4 trim coincided with the first serious storms of the season. Heavy rain, strong winds, deep standing water, and streams crossing the road were the order of the day. The Frontier was the perfect vehicle for those less than lovely conditions. Read the rest of this entry »

Since its introduction last year, the Nissan Versa has been grouped with the recent wave of subcompact import cars. The association is only natural considering the Versa’s small exterior size, hatchback body style (a sedan followed later) and entry-level status in the Nissan lineup. However, a closer examination reveals that the 2008 Nissan Versa stands a bit apart from — and perhaps above — its peers. Read the rest of this entry »

Fact: A new episode of The Office aired last night in which Andy sells his Nissan Xterra to Dwight, who then puts it up for sale on eBay Motors. Fact: the guy who owns the Xterra in real life works for the show and has put it up for sale on eBay Motors along with a script signed by the cast and props used during filming. Question: how much is owning Dwight Schrute’s Xterra worth to you? The current bid is $15,300 Read the rest of this entry »

After spending a few days in Nissan’s Cube, I was reminded of Los Angeles’ historic Mar Vista Housing tract. Built in the 1940s by designer Gregory Ain, the development deployed basic shapes (squares and rectangles) to give the suburban spread a high degree of architectural sophistication. Of course, people considered these “flat roof” houses a commie plot; builders only erected 52 of the planned 100 homes. The Nissan Cube sells for $11k in Japan. In the same way as Mar Vista, the Cube offers a whole lot of chic for a little bit of green. Read the rest of this entry »

Nissan has introduced a couple of tempting special editions offering even better value for money on its practical, yet distinctive Micra and Note hatchback models, both of which are on sale now. Read the rest of this entry »

Nissan calls its latest Maxima a four-door sports car, a description that once graced previous generations of the car. I’ll have to wait until I drive one to see if that’s true, but after poking around in the all-new car at the auto show today I can say it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if Nissan simply called the car a full-blown luxury sedan. Cabin quality is palpably better than in the latest Altima — not a quality-lightweight itself — and the leather seats would feel at home in any Infiniti product. Read the rest of this entry »