2013 Nissan Pathfinder Concept - news and review photo

Nissan is using the 2012 Detroit auto show to display a version of its next-generation Pathfinder that the company refers to as a “concept”—but what you see here is largely what you’ll see when the production version arrives this fall as a 2013 model. As we noted when we ran spy shots last month, the first Pathfinder was a body-on-frame SUV, the second a unibody crossover, and the third once more a frame-totin’ SUV. The fourth Pathfinder will again ditch the frame, as it shares its D architecture with the Infiniti JX35.

Like the boxy, trucky, third-gen Pathfinder, the concept is able to seat seven passengers in three rows, but the similarities appear to end there. This new model, for one, appears as if it actually will be aerodynamic. That’s right: Goodbye, rugged boulder-basher. Hello, slippery soft-roader. We can’t say we mind much, since the flared fenders, angled front fascia, and overall contours are handsome if a touch conservative.

But if you think the exterior is cautious, steel yourself for what’s inside—it’s even more nondescript. The company isn’t releasing any specific information about the Pathfinder’s seating configurations or its comfort, entertainment, and convenience features, but it does go way out on a limb and promise plenty of space within the Pathfinder’s manageably sized exterior dimensions. (We’d love to read just onepress release that said, “Yeah, this thing is large, but it’s going to have, like, nointerior room. Sorry.”) There is one more thing: The concept has a dual-pane panoramic sunroof. This probably will show up on the final options list.

The Pathfinder concept features a “refined” V-6 under its hood, and the engine is paired with a continuously variable transmission. The JX likely points the way to more specifics: It features Nissan’s VQ35DE 3.5-liter six making 265 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque. Expect the same displacement and similar—if not slightly lower—output in the Pathfinder. Nissan claims the setup achieves a 25 percent increase in fuel economy versus the previous-gen V-6 model, which was rated at 15 mpg city and 22 highway in rear-drive form and 14/20 with all-wheel drive. The concept features all-wheel drive, but that will be an extra-cost upgrade from the standard front-wheel drive when the production Pathfinder arrives. Towing capacity, Nissan says, will be comparable to the leaders in the segment.

While it’s unusual to see a model switch from a frame-type construction to unibody and back again—much less going back again—it makes perfect sense here. Nissan’s U.S. offerings lack a large, relatively fuel-efficient family hauler that doesn’t look like Geordi La Forge in a samurai helmet (looking at you, Quest), and the company says that Pathfinder is the brand’s most recognizable nameplate in the U.S. Applying that sort of brand equity to an unfilled—and generally profitable—hole in your lineup ought to equal success, but, as always, the proof will be in the production pudding. Expect full details on the less conceptual fourth-gen Pathfinder soon. View Photo Gallery

carmax coopy by caranddriver.com

2012 Nissan Versa Sedan - Auto Shows

 
Nissan’s biggest news at the New York auto show is small in scale, but important in terms of a market segment that’s likely to expand in direct proportion to escalating fuel prices. Meet the 2012 Versa sedan, the second generation of Nissan’s four-door subcompact. While it will again have a five-door hatchback sibling, Nissan is spreading the auto-show love and brought only the sedan to New York. Riding on a new architecture with new sheetmetal and a revised engine, the 2012 Versa is about as new as new gets in the car biz.
Forgettable Good Looks
Describing the new Versa’s shape as forgettable might sound like a backhanded compliment, but let us explain. The front-end styling of the original Versa drew catcalls and Bronx cheers from just about everyone everywhere it went. So the good news with the redesign is that the first gen’s jack-o-lantern visage is gone, replaced by a much more conventional design similar to other contemporary Nissans. It suffers from a certain degree of inconspicuousness, but, on the other hand, it can’t be called ugly—and it manages to look like a bigger car.
That’s a tribute to the design, because at 175.4 inches overall, the 2012 car is actually 0.6 inch shorter than its predecessor. The illusion is probably rooted in the proportions. Nissan has reduced the front overhang, added 2.7 inches to the rear overhang (which pays off in trunk space), and reduced the Versa’s height by 1.2 inches, bringing it down to 59.6. Inside, Nissan claims the new sedan’s rear seat provides more legroom than a BMW 5-series’, a Lexus LS460’s, or a Mercedes E-class’s. Nissan lists total interior volume at 90 cubic feet. And speaking of volumes, the new car’s trunk expands to 14.8 cubic feet, versus 13.8 for the current sedan.
New Bones, Decreased Thirst
That’s all thanks to the Versa’s new foundations. Although its wheelbase, width, and track are unchanged, Nissan insists that the architecture is new—specifically, that it is a new global platform, V (replacing B). The V platform is simpler than the structure it replaces, using 20 percent fewer components, with a corresponding reduction in curb weight of 150 pounds, a laudable achievement in an age of steadily escalating mass (in response to steadily escalating safety mandates from NHTSA).
Reduced mass makes it easier to achieve fuel-economy improvements, easier still when the weight loss is accompanied by an engine conceived to reduce thirst. Distinguished by dual injectors snug up against each intake port and continuously variable timing on the exhaust and intake cams, the Versa’s new HR1LDE—sexy name, we know—1.6-liter four is rated for 109 hp at 6000 rpm and 107 lb-ft of torque at 4400—2 more hp and 4 fewer lb-ft than the previous Versa’s 1.6-liter but down 13 hp and 20 lb-ft compared to last year’s discontinued 1.8.
Mated with a new continuously variable transmission (friction is reduced by 30 percent, weight by about 13 percent, and overall size by 10 percent, according to Nissan), that all adds up to substantial efficiency gains: 30 mpg city/37 highway, compared to a best of 26/34 for last year’s 1.6—when paired with a five-speed manual. (Last year’s most fuel-efficient combo, the 1.8-liter with the CVT, managed 28/34.) For 2012, the five-speed manual is the slacker when it comes to fuel economy, managing 27/36 mpg.
The Bottom Line
Nissan wasn’t forthcoming with a detailed pricing ladder at the Versa’s New York introduction, but did say that the basic S sedan will start at $10,990 when the car goes on sale this summer. Standard equipment will include halogen headlights, side airbags for front-seat passengers, curtain airbags, stability control, traction control, ABS, electronic brake-force distribution, and body-color fascias. It may not look like much, but that’s better than being unsightly, and with gas prices back at panic levels, 37 mpg highway looks mighty good.

 by .caranddriver.com

2012 Nissan Versa Sedan

2011 Nissan Quest Official Photos and Info - Gallery

When Nissan desperately craved a minivan to sell in the 1990s, it partnered with Ford to rebadge the Mercury Villager as the original Quest, an arrangement that lasted for another generation. The Villager was killed in the early 2000s, so Nissan then struck out on its own to create the funky third-gen Quest on the bones of the Altima sedan, but sales were terrible, generating rumors that the company would pull out of the segment altogether. A fourth Quest was in the cards, though, and to bring the van to life, Nissan found another partner: itself—specifically, the Japanese mother ship.
Indeed, the 2011 Nissan Quest is twinned with the Japanese-market Elgrand, a strategy that allows the automaker to hedge its bets against picky U.S. shoppers; if we don’t buy the thing, production ostensibly can be re-allotted to Japan. (That’s where this new Quest will be built, unlike the previous model, which was assembled in Canton, Mississippi.) It’s a strategy that makes sense, but might need to be enacted sooner rather than later: Innovative styling isn’t typically among minivan buyers’ highest priorities, and this new Quest is as bizarre-looking as its slow-selling predecessor. That said, we like this van’s samurai-helmet-meets-the-suburbs look, and its wraparound glass and slabby body sides create some visual drama—at least as much as you can expect from a minivan, anyway. The new model’s styling is based on that of the Forum concept, which was penned in the U.S.
Give Me More of Those Hot, Hot Features
Bold looks tend to turn off minivanites, but features and ease-of-use get them hot and bothered. As you’d expect, the Quest’s second and third rows fold to accommodate all the flat-pack furniture you can buy, but the chairs aren’t removable and don’t fold into the floor; instead, they fold forward to make a flat load surface, which Nissan notes allows constant access to the deep cargo well behind the third row. That well gets its own 60/40-split cover, too. Dodge, of course, offers the Stow ‘n Go second row, where the seats fold into the floor. In the Odyssey, the third row folds forward like the Quest’s, and must then be flipped back into the cargo well to create a flat load floor, which Nissan’s press materials imply is a terrible inconvenience.
But the Quest comes with its own inconveniences. Total passenger volume is about what you’d expect for the segment—all range from 160 to 170 cubic feet or so, depending on equipment—but the Quest’s non-removable seats eat up a fair chunk of cargo room when they’re flattened. At a maximum of 63.6 cubic feet behind the second row, it lags 20 to 30 cubes behind the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, and Dodge Grand Caravan. And its 108.4 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded trails the Odyssey by more than 40 cubic feet. (Admittedly, that Honda figure is with the seats pulled out, and only Toyota gives a figure for a folded, but installed, second row: 117.8 cubes.) The Quest is in line with its peers behind the third row, with 35.1 cubic feet available, though, and Nissan says that the step-in height through the sliding side doors is lower than on other minivans, which is a nice touch for both small kids and older folks.
Trims and Equipment Rundown—Take a Deep Breath
The Quest comes decently equipped to battle the segment leaders, but doesn’t appear to offer many innovations of the type that sway shoppers. The lineup starts with the $28,550 S, works through intermediate SV and SL trims, and is topped by the LE. (Pricing for the other trims is unavailable as of this writing, but we expect it to hew as close to the Japanese competition as the base price does.) The S could stand for “stripper” here, with the highlights of the features list being 16-inch steelies, cloth seats, cruise control, manual front seats, a four-speaker stereo, and keyless entry and starting. Move up a rung, and you add a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power-sliding side doors, 16-inch aluminum wheels, a six-speaker stereo with 4.3-inch color display, iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, a backup camera, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.
The SL opens up the ability to add option packages, including a rear DVD entertainment system with 11-inch screen (the Honda and Toyota both offer much larger screens that feature split-display capability for multiple inputs), a set of two opening sunroofs, and a Bose package that adds to the DVD player a bunch of speakers and satellite radio. It also nabs roof rails, a power liftgate, heated and powered front seats, leather upholstery, and an easier-to-operate third-row folding mechanism. The full-boat LE includes all of the above save the optional dual sunroofs, and it’s the only way to get a built-in nav system, Nissan’s fancy air-purifying climate control, and a blind-spot warning system, which are all standard. It also has a power function for raising the third row.
One neat feature: The tire-pressure-monitoring system on all Quests has a feature first seen on the Infiniti QX56, whereby the hazard lights flash when air begins flowing into the tire, and the horn softly beeps when the desired pressure is reached.
Familiar Powertrain
The Quest powertrain consists of Nissan’s VQ35DE V-6 mated exclusively to a CVT; the engine is the same as the one in the Altima and Murano with which this van shares its platform, so we expect lively acceleration. The 253 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque found here are pretty much in line with the Odyssey (248 hp/250 lb-ft) and Sienna (265 hp/245 lb-ft) V-6s, but pale a bit in comparison to the Grand Caravan’s 283 hp and 260 lb-ft from its Pentastar V-6. The Quest, like nearly all of its competitors, routes its power only to its front wheels; the Sienna is the only one that can be ordered with all-wheel drive. Size-wise, the Quest pretty much falls in line with those three segment leaders, although it’s a bit narrower and taller than those offerings.
With engine output similar to its peers’, no huge advancements in minivan flexibility or fabulousness, and somewhat compromised cargo room, it’s going to be tough for the Quest to stand out. It seems Nissan is again depending on styling to separate its minivan—a dangerous path, as the company should well know—and it’s not as though the segment leaders have made any recent missteps. The new-for-2011 Odyssey and Sienna drive well and offer at least one standout feature this Quest doesn’t, and the 2011 Grand Caravan has taken big leaps forward in powertrain and interior refinement. We’re looking forward to gathering all these vans and seeing if the quirky Nissan can improve on the third-gen’s fourth-of-five showing in our last minivan comparo, but it seems this Quest—on paper—may end up where the old one left off when it goes on sale early next year. At least it looks pretty rad.

 by caranddriver.com

2011 Nissan Quest

2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet Convertible Official Photos and Info - Auto Shows

Nissan seems to be honing in on exactly the kind of weirdness it wants to brand its own. Following the funky Cube and the Juke—which appears to be a castoff design for a manned Mars rover—the company is using the Los Angeles auto show to debut not only the strangest-looking minivan ever seen in the U.S., but perhaps the strangest vehicle type ever seen in the U.S.: an all-wheel-drive crossover convertible.
The Murano CrossCabriolet convertible is exactly what it sounds like it is: a Murano that is missing its lid. You may remember the name and the general idea from Audi’s 2007 Cross Cabriolet Quattro concept. The difference is that Nissan’s actually putting its crossover convertible into production. (There also was the 1980s AMC Eagle Sundancer, a nice example of which is coveted by one of our editors. E-mail backfires@caranddriver.com if you've got a cherry example for sale.)
Top Goes Down, Cargo Gets Left Behind
The CrossCabriolet’s cloth top is power-operated and includes a rear skylight-like glass panel, yet Nissan claims it takes up barely the space of a roadster’s cloth top when stowed. From the specs, it looks more like it takes up the same amount of space as other four-place convertible tops, as the cargo volume of 12.3 cubic feet with the roof up decreases to 7.6 cubes with it stowed, numbers right in the middle of the four-place droptop category.
The CrossCabrio’s platform is the same as the non-mutant crossover’s—although the structure is reinforced to offset the loss of rigidity that comes with lopping off the roof. There are MacPherson struts up front, a multilink rear suspension, and anti-roll bars at both ends. The convertible’s wheelbase is identical to the normal Murano’s, at 111.2 inches. The only powertrain will be the Murano’s 265-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission.
Have You Seen My Back Doors?
Sharp-eyed observers will note that the CrossCabriolet has only two doors, instead of four. For easier access to the rear seat, the remaining doors have been stretched 7.9 inches. In the absence of a giant basket-handle roll hoop, a pair of pop-up roll bars behind the rear seats provides protection should the CrossCabrio go topsy-turvy.
In order to lure buyers to this most bizarre vehicle, Nissan will load up every example with all the usual extras. Standard equipment includes navigation, 9.3 gigs of music storage, a Bose stereo, XM satellite radio, keyless entry and starting, leather-trimmed seats, a heated steering wheel with power tilt and telescope, and 20-inch wheels.
Priced Competitively Against 87 40-Inch TVs
Nissan hasn’t released pricing yet, but figure on a premium of about $5000 over a loaded Murano, or about $45,000, when the CrossCabrio goes on sale in early 2011. Among the few options will be quilted leather seats, perhaps the only thing that could make this vehicle more bizarre. Well, maybe a clockwork baboon that deployed from the tonneau and opened the fuel-filler door would be weirder.

  by caranddriver.com

2011 Nissan Murano

2011 Nissan Micra / March - Car News

The Nissan Micra/March line of microcars has never been sold in the U.S., but it has been a cornerstone of Nissan's global product strategy since the early 1980s. Now, Nissan is launching the fourth generation of its microcar at this year’s Geneva auto show.
The new Micra, which is known as the March in Japan, will be an even more important product than the previous model, and this explains why the styling looks more conservative than the chic if somewhat effeminate third-gen model. Slightly longer and lower than before, with a mildly stretched wheelbase, the new Micra’s wheels appear to be pushed out to its corners. This feature allows for a slightly roomier interior, which Nissan describes as a “connected cocoon” design, with a “twin-bubble” theme that incorporates a circular instrument binnacle and similarly round-ish glovebox compartment.
While the Micra was developed primarily with Europe and Japan in mind, the new model will mostly target developing countries and the fast-growing Chinese market. In fact, it is launching in Thailand this month. Europe gets the car in the fall of 2010.
The new model rides on the company’s completely new V platform, which has been developed for a family of cars that is expected to deliver at least one million sales annually. The 2011 Micra, the first model on the architecture, will be powered by a naturally aspirated 1.2-liter three-cylinder gas engine as standard in Europe. Output is rated at 79 hp and 80 lb-ft of torque, with carbon-dioxide emissions claimed to be 115 grams per kilometer. Both a five-speed manual gearbox and Nissan’s latest continuously variable transmission will be offered.
While an eventual turbo-diesel version is likely, especially for Europe, the only optional powertrain currently cited is a supercharged and direct-injected variant of the 1.2-liter. Rated at 97 hp and 105 lb-ft of torque, with a start/stop system that can be deactivated by a dash-mounted button, the boosted engine is said to be cleaner and more efficient than the base mill with only 95 grams of CO2 emitted per kilometer.
Lending to the upscale feel that is becoming ever-more common in the small-car segment, the Micra is well equipped with safety technologies and modern electronics. In addition to a reinforced body shell, European-market cars will feature six airbags, ABS, stability control, and seatbelt pretensioners as standard equipment. Backup sensors and a system for measuring the size of parking spaces—with Amateur, Normal, and Expert settings—are optional, as are keyless access and ignition, a touch-screen infotainment/navigation system, rain-sensing wipers, and a panoramic roof.
The Micra/March was never the most exciting of minicars, but there was the occasional interesting variation, including a quirky coupe-convertible. With the new model, the focus clearly is on practicality instead of fun. Do we want it here? That depends on how expensive gas gets again in the near future.

 by caranddriver.com

2011 Nissan Micra

2011 Nissan Juke - Official Photos and Info

Come this fall, Nissan will add the Versa-based Juke compact crossover to its lineup. Previewed in Paris and having made its in-the-metal debut at the Geneva auto show, the Juke is quite, uh, flavorful in the styling department. It evokes both the lumpy Nissan Leaf and the heinous Pontiac Aztek while managing to look better than both. We’re not so sure about the busy front fascia and the lighting elements on the tops of the front fenders, but we do like the ready-to-pounce stance, muscular fender arches, and swoopy taillamps. More subtle but also as cool are the cantilevered roof and angular A-pillars borrowed from the GT-R and 370Z.
The interior is likewise heavily styled, and seems to feature plenty of technology in spite of the car’s plebeian platform, including separate screens for the available navigation and automatic-climate functions. We dig the two-tone, multi-textured seat fabrics and painted center console, the latter said to be inspired by motorcycle gas tanks.
It would be nice if the Juke’s performance could also be motorcycle-like. To that end, the available all-wheel-drive system will incorporate an electronic torque-vectoring function to help curb understeer, and it was stressed to us that the Juke is intended to be “more of an urban vehicle than an off-roader." At the New York show, Nissan shared information regarding U.S. powertrains, confirming that the optional turbocharged engine from the European model will be the sole engine offering here. Score. The force-fed engine is a direct-injection, 1.6-liter four-cylinder and Nissan promises 180-plus hp and 170-plus lb-ft of torque in U.S. spec—the Euro version is advertised as making 188 hp and 177 lb-ft. All Jukes will come equipped with Nissan’s Xtronic CVT as standard, while a six-speed manual will be optional on front-wheel-drive models.
That engine should have plenty of power to hustle the Juke, considering that this thing is small. With a 99.6-inch wheelbase, and at 162.4 inches long, 69.5 inches wide, and 61.8 inches tall, the Juke will actually be about the same size as the wee Versa five-door, which gets by okay with just 122 hp. The Versa's wheelbase measures 102.4 inches, while its length, width, and height come in at 169.1 inches, 66.7 inches, and 60.4 inches, respectively. All Jukes will have MacPherson struts up front, while the tiny ute's rear suspension will vary between front- and all-wheel-drive models; the former will use a torsion-beam, while the latter will have a multilink setup.
Standard equipment will include 17-inch wheels, an iPod interface, Bluetooth, and a 60/40 folding rear seat, while leather seats, heated front chairs, navigation, a rearview camera, and keyless ignition will be among the options. Pricing is still unknown, but we’re told to expect a sticker just under $20K; the grand total should rise to the mid-twenties for a loaded, all-wheel-drive example. The Juke will arrive at U.S. dealers this fall.

2011 Nissan Juke