Nissan

What Would Santa Drive?

I began this annual ditty around the turn of the century and I find that I enjoy revisiting it each year as the world is buried neck-deep in the (commercial) spirit of the season. Looks like Santa’s load will be a bit heavier this year as early numbers indicate a bit more cheer in the air online and at the register. And the big guy will need to remember to bring along much needed accessories as wish lists are undoubtedly a bit tech-heavy this season. Right of the top I am going to disappoint a certain segment. Santa will NOT…


Volt, Leaf, the EPA and the Future

It is almost time to pack a bag to head down to Austin, Texas for a full evaluation of the new Chevy Volt (recently named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year) and in doing a little prep work online I notice EPA fuel economy ratings for it and the Nissan Leaf EV have been released along with new stickers and classifications by the governing body. The two vehicles are similar in size but vary in styling and technology. Leaf will only run on electric power ¬ once the battery pack is done, you’re done until you can get to a…


G Coupe or M Sedan, Infiniti’s Class of 37s Offer Driving Nirvana

Most of you have probably seen the Nissan commercial where a new father-to-be laments his ownership of a Z sports coupe after hearing the news his family is growing. He is suddenly struck with the brilliant idea to stretch the Z to a four-door sports car in the form of the Maxima. Flip this same scenario to an Infiniti family and that is exactly the case as we went from G37 coupe to M37 sport sedan recently. No, the rabbit did not die over here at our household but I was treated to the bookends of the 37 series of…


2010 Nissan Titan in Heavy Metal Chrome

The more things change, the more some things seem to stay the same. Take Nissan’s Titan fullsize pickup. When first introduced it bowed with the highest power in the half-ton segment nearly eight years ago and was one of the first to offer more than four gears in an automatic. As we approach the arrival of the 2011 model vehicles on the lot, Titan has fallen nearly to the back of the pack. It is still a robust truck but Nissan has been putting most of its attention of late into the smaller spectrum of the lineup leaving the fullsize…


2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster

For some strange reason (dumb luck I suppose), my time behind the wheel of the new 370Z from Nissan has been met with frustrating limitations. When first released in coupe form last year, I found myself only getting to spend an afternoon with the vehicle and most of that during rush hour. More recently, Nissan sent me the roadster version of their little sports car, and this occurred during the freak snowstorm around Valentine’s Day. Needless to say it was stuck in my driveway for several days, and I only got to drop the top once (OK, twice, but the…



Essence of Infiniti

True, I may be just a “Gaijin” from Texas, but I do know a work of art when I see one. The new Infiniti Essence concept car is just that. Staring at it in adoration, I think I also broke a few commandments.



2009 Nissan 370Z

(Click on image to see video) We got to spend a little time behind the wheel of the all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z on its Dallas stop during the national Follow the Nissan Z Tour making its way across country since the car’s debut at the LA Auto Show. While having the larger 3.7-liter V-6 engine first used in the Infiniti G37 Coupe last year, we really liked the new styling and the new SynchroRev Match technology that automatically serves up throttle blips during downshifts with the six-speed manual gearbox, a first for the industry. We did not have any time…


2008 Nissan Rogue

There are vehicles that are easy to drive and there are vehicles that are fun to drive, but so many times we see these two concepts fail to come together in one particular model. And then there is the Nissan Rogue.