Auto News & New car review

The Nissan Rogue is a compact SUV in the crossover style, much like the Honda CR-V. Despite the recent trend toward seven-passenger seating, the Rogue seats five. And while other compact SUVs offer V6 power, the Rogue is strictly a four-cylinder, again like the CR-V.
Based on an economy car platform, the Rogue is meant as a daily commuter, not an off-road adventure vehicle. The towing capacity is only 1500 pounds and the available all-wheel drive system is intended more for snow and rain than rocks and mud. The four-cylinder engine works well with the continuously variable transmission to provide decent pickup and frugal fuel economy. Read the rest of this entry »

While we weren’t equipped with the means to record our time on the track with the Nissan GT-R, our friend Ty from Exhaustnote.com had the foresight to bring along a couple of video cameras to Reno/Fernley to show how Godzilla tackles the twisties. Read the rest of this entry »

Euro NCAP today releases results for its assessment of the modified Nissan Navara. The upgraded car has achieved three stars for adult occupant protection. After Euro NCAP’s earlier tests highlighted serious safety concerns, Nissan promptly modified all new production vehicles and initiated a Service Campaign to upgrade the airbag software of all Navaras produced since 2005. Read the rest of this entry »

The Nissan Titan gets two noteworthy additions and a host of detail improvements for 2008, delivering more of the truck capability while taking off just enough of the tough-guy truck image to appeal to a broader range of drivers and occupants.

New long-bed models have been added, and are longer than most competitors, along with more bed space, payload, and fuel capacity. Read the rest of this entry »

Due to the Canadian 15 year or older vehicle exemption rule it is not all too surprising to find a slightly modified R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R on a dealer’s lot. Such was the situation at Heritage Auto Sales in Calgary, Alberta. The dealership had a charcoal grey 1991 GT-R with a Greddy single turbo kit, Zeal coilovers and Panasport wheels on display for interested buyers. The car attracted one apparently serious customer who returned on multiple occasions looking for an opportunity to take a test drive. Read the rest of this entry »

Never the shy one, the Nissan Pathfinder bounds into 2008 with freshened styling, a subtly but substantially revised cabin, and technology upgrades such as a backup camera and hard-drive music storage.

All of which pale in comparison to the real headliner: The Pathfinder gets its first V8 engine option for 2008, a 5.6-liter from the Titan full-size pickup with 310 horsepower and more torque than GM’s 6-liter or Dodge and Jeep’s Hemi. Read the rest of this entry »

Nissan says the Altima Coupe was designed separately from the Altima sedan. It’s a different car, from the ground-up. Roger that. Not since the Chevrolet Lumina Sedan and Minivan have two more disparate vehicles shared the same name. While Chrysler’s auto show folk are talking-up the joys of a “shared genetic pool,” the Altima Coupe 3.5SE isn’t even swimming in the same ocean as the sedan. In fact, the Altima Coupe deserves a sexier name, something distinctive, with more panache. I suggest “Accord-killer,” but it’s unlikely to get approved by any legal department, anywhere. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m piloting a vehicle with a mid-mounted engine coupled to a close ratio transmission. The steering feel transmitted through the chunky helm is sublime, matching Bimmers of yore. Wearing a maniacal grin, I [hypothetically] pitch my whip into a corner at an [allegedly] injudicious speed, listening to the engine, passengers and tires scream. As I clip the apex, I punch the throttle. The powerplant howls as the chassis adopts hooligan-induced oversteer. I saw at the wheel, maintaining a sideways slide. Audi RS4? Chevrolet Corvette? Nope. I’m driving a tall, skinny, eight-passenger Nissan Urvan. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m glad to see Nissan recant the original Murano’s quasi-experimental dashboard for something more old-school. Quality is everywhere: Soft-touch panels overlap each other with nary a gap in between, and the center controls look like the ones in the Infiniti G35. Very impressive. The leather upholstery feels like an Infiniti’s, too, which will probably irk your neighbor who spent thousands more on his EX35.

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