Nissan’s all-new 2011 Nissan Juke has the subtlety of an atom bomb. Even cast against the increasingly avant-garde crossover segment, the Juke looks downright alien. Its styling is said to evoke rally cars and motorcycles (the center console resembles a fuel tank), but from our staff the face elicited comparisons begrudgingly accepting (Isuzu Vehicross) […]
Mercedes-Benz struck styling gold with the first-generation CLS-Class, creating a new segment that sent rival automakers scrambling back to their design tables. Things are different the second time around, as the new 2012 CLS steps into a market suddenly littered with so-called ‘four-door coupes’, with more on the way from Stuttgart’s German rivals Audi […]
Chas Murphy, until recently the U.S. product manager for Audi’s TT, Audi R8 and RS sports cars, said of the R8 V10 Spyder: “You have to drive the car. It can’t be put into words.” Well, we drove it over the hills and through the woods of the Cleveland (Cali, not Ohio) National Forest, and […]
We’ve tested the top-rung SE and Limited trims out in California. We’ve even had the chance to sample the upcoming Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Turbo versions in the automaker’s homeland. But when you get down to brass tacks, the majority of dealership transactions will be made up of the volume GLS model. Sure, a […]
The 2010 Nissan Xterra Off Road isn’t an absolutely pure SUV by the strictest of definitions. Fans of old-school Internationals and Jeep CJs may scoff at the Xterra’s modern frivolities like Bluetooth and satellite radio, but they’re a small price to pay for one of last real factory off-roaders. An inspection of the Xterra’s more […]
Whether we like it or not, even niche automakers are expanding their lineups to appeal to a broader range of shoppers. This may seem like automotive blasphemy, but think back a few years ago when Porsche introduced the Cayenne. We all threw temper tantrums and hugged our 911s, but now we begrudgingly accept that, as […]
Seven minutes. That’s all the time we’ve been allotted behind the wheel of the 2012 Infiniti M35 Hybrid at Nissan’s Oppama proving ground just outside of Yokosuka City, Japan. The near-production spec car we’ve come all this way to spend a paltry 420 seconds driving is a hugely significant vehicle for Nissan’s luxury arm, as […]
