Nissan
Driven: 2013 Nissan Sentra
The upshot of the Sentra’s cabin is mainly one of space. There’s an absolute surplus of room. With 37.4 inches of rear legroom, the compact Sentra actually bests the mid-size Altima sedan. It also packs more space for backseat passengers than a host of competitors (Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Mazda3, Chevy Cruze, Ford Focus, and Hyundai Elantra). The Sentra isn’t just extra legroom, but space in general. With 95.9 cubic feet of interior volume and 15.1 cubic feet of cargo volume, the Sentra crams a huge amount of interior space onto a compact platform.
Driven: 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
Being late to the party has its advantages. This was as true in college as it is in adult life. It’s especially true in the auto industry, where the buying public can be quite merciless in its criticism of outlandish or groundbreaking ideas (anyone remember BMW’s original iDrive?). Nissan has been quite late to the party with its Pathfinder SUV.
Driven: 2012 Kia Soul !
Since its inception, Kia’s Soul has been near the forefront of a movement toward what might be called “hip, utility vehicles” (HUVs). Other examples would include Nissan’s Cube or Scion’s xB, to name just two. Not surprisingly, hipness is an essential ingredient in any HUV, meaning they’ve got to have plenty of attitude and style, tempered by underlying practicality.
Nissan To Revive Datsun Brand
According to the Wall Street Journal Nissan is bringing back the Datsun brand in an attempt to provide affordable car ownership—very affordable, hoping to offer a car for just $3000 to $5000. Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan, has committed to offering six Datsun models, beginning in 2014.
Driven: 2013 Honda Accord Sedan
The 2013 Honda Accord marks the 30th anniversary of the well-known nameplate. With an opportunity to commemorate this milestone with the best version of the car to date, well, we’ll go ahead and spoil it for you and say that Honda has succeeded. If you’re looking for a mid-sized family sedan that is high in quality, very comfortable, efficient, and (dare we say it?) actually fun to drive, this is the Accord you’ve been waiting for.
Paris 2012: Nissan TeRRA SUV Concept
The Paris Motor Show is approaching quickly, and while we’ve gotten a mere trickle of information regarding this year’s show, we suspect the deluge is on the way. For a start, we have this funky concept from Nissan. Called the TeRRA (yeah, we have no clue why the last three letters are capitalized either), it’s a zero-emissions fuel-cell-powered SUV. Utilizing a three-motor electric all-wheel-drive system, it’s meant to deliver a dose of green to greenlaning.
Rumors: Spy Shots—2014 Nissan GT-R Scooped
The Nissan GT-R in its current form has been with us for six years now and with every refresh, Nissan bestows ever more performance and power on its flagship car. Recent rumors had Nissan potentially cancelling the GT-R, but fortunately, those turned out to be untrue. Now, we know that 2018 will bring a major update to the GT-R, and the 2014 model seen here—courtesy of the spy shooters at GMotors—should quell our lust for a more powerful Godzilla nicely.
Driven: 2012 Ford Focus Electric
What Ford has done with the interior and exterior design of the Focus Electric is to strip away the intimidation factor and make this the first truly approachable electric vehicle. It doesn’t look like the bleeding-edge piece of technology that the Leaf is or the EV1 was. It’s just a Focus that happens to have a seriously advanced drivetrain.
First Look: 2013 Nissan Pathfinder
A huge focus for this new Pathfinder was fuel economy. As such, it’s cut over 500 pounds off of the 2012 Pathfinder, with base front-wheel-drive models tipping the scales at 4149 pounds, while the four-wheel-drive Pathfinder is a mere 4290 pounds. The resulting boost to fuel economy is impressive, with 20 miles per gallon in the city, and 26 mpg on the highway.
Driven: 2012 Infiniti IPL G Coupe
While we grant you that “Infiniti Performance Line” is not the most inspired moniker imaginable for the hottest models from the Infiniti family, the initial product, in the form of the Infiniti IPL G Coupe, actually acquits itself rather well on the road. And while the uninspired nature of the naming scheme, probably intended to evoke thoughts of AMG’s remolding of many Mercedes-Benz products, continues on the IPL G’s spec sheet, this car repeats the story we’ve told before about the devil being in the details.
Quick Drive: 2012 Nissan Cube 1.8S
The Nissan Cube isn’t a car one buys for flogging down your favorite back roads. It’s not very involving, nor very fast. Instead, it offers a unique physical space that is at once useful and interesting. Its distinctive boxy shape and asymmetrical exterior design might turn some customers off, but others are drawn to its useful shape and modern styling. This is definitely a car that feels (and looks) more at home on busy city streets than on a rural highway or canyon road. It resembles a small building given its unique structure, and it looks at home among the architecture of a cosmopolitan downtown.
Driven: 2013 Nissan Altima
Over the next 15 months, Nissan will be rolling out 5 all-new models. As the brand strives to take over 10 percent of the total market share in the next few years, it has got a lot riding on these new cars, which will make up the bulk of Nissan’s sales. First up is the new 2013 Altima, which we were invited to drive in Nashville, where the company’s North American headquarters are located. For us, this opportunity to drive the new sedan is like a small glimpse into the future, so we headed down to Music City to try out this automotive crystal ball.
Secondhand Gems: $33,000 Roadsters
Look closer at the segment, however, and one finds a roadster sweet spot just about in the middle, in the vicinity of $33,000. At that price point there exist three roadsters in the secondhand market that have the ability to deliver everything an enthusiast could ever want. Each machine has a different personality. All share a front-engine/rear-drive configuration with a manual gearbox, and the ability to properly carve corners. At $33,000 you can probably guess the two Japanese makes on the list, but the American entry just might surprise you.
Rumors: Industry Report—Audi Working On A Nissan Juke Fighting SUV
Audi is reportedly hard at work on a baby brother to the popular Q5 mid-size SUV and recently unveiled Q3, and is currently testing prototypes of the new vehicle—called the Q2—according to a new report on AutoExpress.
First Look: 2013 Nissan Sylphy
Earlier today, we showed you a teaser on the upcoming Nissan Sentra. Now, we can show you the vehicle that it is very likely going to be based on. This is the 2013 Nissan Sylphy.
Beijing 2012: Nissan Teases 2013 Sentra
In Beijing, Nissan previewed the 2013 Sentra when it showed its new global sedan, which it later announced would be the basis for the North American version.
Secondhand Gems: $30,000 Truckin’
We’ll consider style, toughness, guts, and since many trucks now serve as primary family vehicles, we’ll look at interior appointments as well. That means everything on the list will be a full-blown four-door pickup. Everything will have four-wheel drive, and though flat-out performance isn’t a key point in this contest, we’ll still be aware of machines that make us grin. We’ll stick with half- and three-quarter ton trucks since they represent the majority of truck sales, and we’ll showcase both gasoline and diesel options.
Rumors: Industry Report—Nissan Creating An FR-S Fighter And A Smaller Z?
A new report from the Sydney Morning Herald reveals that Nissan is interested in creating a new lightweight sportscar in the same vein as the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S, as well as downsizing its upcoming Z cars.
New York 2012: Infiniti LE Concept
Unlike pure concept wizardry like Geneva’s Infiniti Emerg-E, what you are looking at here is likely to make production. This is the Infiniti LE Concept, and all of it, including a fair chunk of the styling should arrive in your local Infiniti showroom by 2014.
First Look: 2013 Nissan Altima
Nissan has debuted the redesigned 2013 Altima at the New York International Auto Show.
List: Ten Great 12 Hours Of Sebring Winners
Last weekend was the 62nd running of the 12 Hours Of Sebring, one America’s most famous endurance race. Traditionally looked at as a tune-up for the 24 Hours Of Le Mans that takes place in June, Sebring has played host to some of the world’s greatest drivers, cars, and teams over the course of six decades of racing. It’s been a major race in three distinct championship series (World Sportscar Championship, IMSA, and the American Le Mans Series).
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