Nissan

2012 Nissan 370Z Touring Sport Roadster Review – Top-Down Sports Car Thrills

When it comes to having affordable fun in the sun with the top down, Nissan aims to fulfill such desires of the true enthusiast with the new 2012 370Z Roadster. The new 370Z convertible carries over its design from last year once again offering excellent handling, sufficient power and sexy styling.

The Nissan 370Z, in its latest iteration, provides the driver and passenger with a thrilling ride that does not break the bank. In terms of a top-down sports coupe with some muscle under the hood, there are not many choices if you are not rich enough to opt for an Italian stallion or American sports-car icon. However, there are a few choices within the 370Z segment that push the envelope for affordable top-down hot rods.

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2011 Nissan GT-R Launched In Australia

Nissan announced this week the availability of an updated 2011 Nissan GT-R, following the international unveiling in October of last year.

Most interesting for the fans and buyers of the power of the GT-R’s are encouraging, from 357 to 390 kW. Torque is also a leap, jumping from 588 to 612nm (available 3200-6000 rpm). Read more…

2011 Nissan Juke Review

Infiniti described the design of its original FX-series crossover as a “Bionic Cheetah.” We can only imagine Nissan’s design dictum for the 2011 Nissan Juke was “Bionic Frog.” Though certainly distinctive, the result has drawn its share of comments. But like many controversial designs including the Kia Soul, Nissan Cube and Scion xB, the new Juke has its fans, and they are quick to point out the Nissan’s muscular, coupelike profile and its sporty driving dynamics.

One may rightly wonder what in the world the Juke would compete against. In this small pond of a segment, we’d see its chief rival being the even shorter but similarly sporty Mini Cooper Clubman S that also offers an enjoyable drive and some measure of practicality within a very small footprint. There’s also the Clubman’s upcoming rugged brother, the Mini Countryman, which features all-wheel drive (also available on the Juke). But at an estimated $30,000, the Countryman is a lot more money than the 2011 Nissan Juke, which carries a price tag that ranges from between $20,000 and $25,000, depending on equipment. Read more…

What’s Faster: A Nissan GT-R Or A Station Wagon?

That sounds like a simple enough question to answer, right? Especially when you factor in that the station wagon has a slushbox, and is going head to head against the AWD supercar commonly known as “Godzilla”. Let me throw out a warning here: things arem’t always as simple as they first appear, and in this case the station wagon in question is a Cadillac CTS-V, equipped with a Hennessey V650 upgrade. That means it makes 650 horsepower at the crank, instead of the stock 556 horsepower. It’s also wearing drag radials, since it sends power to the rear wheels only. Still think this is an easy kill for the guy in the GT-R? Watch the video to see what happens.

As races go, it doesn’t get much closer than that. Both cars were dead equal to 60 miles per hour (3.5 seconds), but the Caddy tripped the wire in 11.7 seconds at 122 miles per hour. Godzilla managed 11.8 seconds, and a trap speed of 120 miles per hour. As Autoblog points out, the test may have ended differently if Hennessey had run against a 2012 GT-R, which puts out an additional 45 horsepower and is quicker both to 60 miles per hour and in the quarter mile. I say that misses the point entirely, since it’s easy to throw numbers down on paper. Whether you like station wagons or hate them, you’ve got to be impressed with a wagon that goes as fast in a straight line as a Nissan GT-R.

Source: You Tube, via Autoblog

Video: Nissan Takes You Through the 2012 GT-R

When the new Nissan GT-R was unveiled in 2007, chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno promised that the car would never rest on past achievements, and that the GT-R would constantly be improved. His team set the benchmark by lapping the Nürburgring in 7:38.54, besting the previous record for fastest production car held by Porsche. Mizuno was a man of his word, and each production change to the GT-R resulted in subtle improvements to Nürburgring lap times. By 2009, the GT-R was lapping the ‘Ring in 7:26.70, an improvement of nearly twelve seconds in just two years. Read more…

Nissan 2011 Murano CrossCabriolet

Being invited towards the seaside capital of scotland – Del Mar in California for your presentation in the new Murano CrossCabriolet, i had been intrigued within the chance to take Nissan’s polarizing convertible out for just about any spin. Yes it’s true, the Murano convertible. How did things attend in California? Interesting, understandably. With the Murano CC, Nissan went away from box to create its own niche. Looks aside, the Murano CC is doing what it tried to do: garner interest, spur conversation, expand the model range, and alter (certainly not raise) the bar for mid-size crossovers. For that ups and downs, keep reading.Under all the new fuss is Nissan’s familiar 3.5-liter V6 – with a rating of 265 horsepower and 248 lb-ft – plus an Xtronic CVT, both of which do operator to scuttle the all-wheel drive CC around with relative ease. It’s not rocket, however it isn’t said to be.

Nissan’s 2011 Murano CrossCabriolet picture Read more…

Nissan Esflow: An EV For Enthusiasts?

As of this writing, there is one electric car in the world of note to enthusiasts, and that’s the Tesla Roadster. The price of admission starts at $109,000, but if you want the best power and handling you need to step up to the $128,500 Tesla Roadster Sport 2.5. The difference really is academic, since very few consumers can afford to drop either amount on a topless sports roadster, even one that potentially saves the planet. The Nissan Leaf is quite a bit more affordable, but that’s not exactly a sporting ride. Why can’t a manufacturer build an EV that appeals to both Greens and Gear Heads of more modest means? Read more…

2012 Nissan Juke

The 2012 Nissan Juke will look like a cross between an SUV and a sports car. The car will have wide tires and a high ground clearance like an SUV, but the roofline resembles a coupe; the handles for the rear doors will be located in the door’s frame. The higher ground clearance will make visibility easier for people who are used to driving SUVs. The available all-wheel drive won’t be enough to take this vehicle off-roading, but it will give the vehicle better traction. For 2012, a high-end “Krom” edition of the Juke could be made available, but no official word has been announced on that possibility. Read more…

2011 Nissan Maxima SV Review & Test Drive

‘MAXIMIZING THE SPORT IN SEDANS’

The 2011 Nissan Maxima SV puts more fun and excitement when driving a midsize family sedan.  The Maxima SV still has plenty of comfort, room and luxury for families but when the time and place is right, an exciting and exhilarating vehicle to let the daily stress’s of life melt away.

At first glance I see similar features to the Nissan 370Z sports car up front with the boomerang HID headlamp clusters which are set deeper into the front fenders of the Maxima, and the blacked-out horizontal slats of the grille and lower air intake.  The lower front bumper holds the round foglamps and air-intakes to cool down the front disc brakes.  The bulging ‘catamaran-styled’ aluminum hood, similar to the Infiniti M Series, gives Maxima SV a formidable expression, setting the tone for the rest of the car. Read more…

2011 Nissan Leaf Review

The 2011 Nissan Leaf is an all-electric four-door hatchback available in SV and SL trim levels.
Standard equipment on the SV includes 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlamps, keyless ignition/entry, full power accessories, cruise control, automatic climate control, height-adjustable driver seat, tilt-only steering wheel and 60/40-split-folding rear seats. Also included are cloth upholstery made from recycled materials, auto-dimming rearview mirror, Bluetooth, an advanced trip computer, a navigation system and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player, satellite radio, an auxiliary audio jack and an iPod/USB audio interface. Read more…