Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Nissan Murano

It just so happens that the all-new 2009 Nissan Murano is one of those nondescript mid-size crossover utility vehicles that may blend into the crowd. Its styling is certainly modern, if not overly exciting. The cabin is accommodating, if not excessively spacious. The handling is inspiring, if not unduly sporty. The engine is strong, and even reasonably efficient. How would this perfectly acceptable, yet hardly over-achieving CUV handle five passengers and full luggage on a 1,000-plus mile road trip across the Southwestern desert? Read on to find out.

All photos Copyright ©2008 Michael C. Harley/ Weblogs, Inc.

Sensing the ripe market opportunity, Nissan will start producing various light-commercial and medium-duty trucks in 2010. The targeted segment is currently dominated by Ford and GM, where the miscellaneous cabs and frames are used to produce such vehicles as dump trucks, tow trucks, and school buses. Now, Nissan wants a piece of the pie. Larry Dominique, Nissan's VP of product planning, wouldn't disclose details right now, but he did say that a handful of new products will be needed to satisfy the new commercial truck dealers – and Nissan is more than willing to oblige. Joe Castelli, the former director of Ford's commercial trucks (and now a VP of commercial trucks at Nissan), said the Japanese automaker will be pulling from their global stable of commercial components (branded Atlas and Atleon in other markets) to quickly adapt them for the U.S. market. Nissan's official commercial truck plans will be announced in January at the Detroit Auto Show, and we'll be there to judge reactions.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

Cobb Tuning has re-engineered its AccessPort control unit for the new R35 Nissan GT-R. For those of you lucky enough to own a GT-R and not content with its performance out of the box, the $995 AccessPort will reflash the ECU to any one of six different tuning levels.

There are three levels each for Stage 1 and Stage 2. Stage 1 can get you up to 63 additional ponies and 70 lb.-ft. of additional twist, while Stage 2 can boost the numbers by 70 and 90 respectively. The AccessPort can also save your stock ECU data and reflash it when you decide you're finished with all that extra gumption. According to a GT-R owner who tried it out, you can be blowing past all those regular GT-Rs in less than an hour.

And that's not all: you can store multiple engine mapping programs, remove trouble codes, install reduced-power valet and economy modes, and update maps over the Internet. It seems like a ridiculously easy proposition for making your supercar that much more super. So if you got one of those GT-Rs that are a little low on horses, this could be just the ticket.

[Source: Bespoke Ventures]

From the beginning, the Nissan GT-R's performance figures seemed too good to be true. Weighing in at over 3,800 pounds and packing a claimed 480 hp, the 3.5-second sprint to 60 and 11.8-second quarter-mile time just didn't add up. And then the tests began...

Buff books and online outlets began publishing 0-60 runs between 3.2 and 3.4 seconds, and quarter-mile times began dropping quicker than a co-ed's IQ on a nitrous binge. CARandDRIVER.com discovered a similar discrepancy between five different GT-Rs and finally decided to get some time on the dyno to get some real-world numbers.

Click above for a high-res gallery.

Nissan's plans for an affordable, rear-wheel-drive coupe to slot in below the current Z have been rumored for years and we've been informed that internal politics have killed off at least one revival of an iconic Datsun. If work ever gets underway on another budget coupe, Nissan should seriously pursue Polish designer Iacoski and his interpretation of a 240Z/Fairlady revival.

Aft of the a-pillar, Iacoski's inspiration is clearly apparent, blending the old 240's slopping roofline and short rear overhangs with the muscular haunches and angled fender flares of the current 350Z. Up front, the Photoshop wizard retained the old Fairlady's elongated hood and power bulge, and matched them with a front air dam, bumper and headlamp arrangement influenced by the second GTR Proto concept.

We're totally smitten and think you'll be equally entertained when you check out the gallery of images below.


[Source: Digimods via NihonCar]

If the Nissan GT-R isn't high tech enough for you, you might want to consider waiting around for the middle of the next decade. According to Autocar, Nissan is considering producing a sports car with a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain. The rationale behind the consideration is to commercialize the advanced drive system by offering in it a premium vehicle. With the hydrogen fuel cell powertrain fitted to either a sports or luxury car, it could also be packaged either with high-end features or high performance that would entice buyers to pay high prices.

Nissan recently became the first acknowledged automaker to run a fuel cell vehicle at the Nurburgring with its X-Trail FCV. While its time was nothing to get excited about, its worth remembering that fuel cell vehicles are electrically driven with the fuel cell converting hydrogen to electricity. The Tesla Roadster has clearly demonstrated that electric drive and high performance are not incompatible, so a fuel cell vehicle with a suitably size battery providing bursts of energy for accelerating as well as storing energy from regenerative braking could certainly be tuned for performance. Last year, Ford took a fuel cell-powered Fusion to over 200 mph at Bonneville so top speed is hardly an issue. If Nissan does go forward with such a vehicle, a decision would happen in early 2009, production beginning approximately five years later.

[Source: AutoCar]

A forum member at VWVortex caught a mildly disguised Nissan 370Z on the freeway, and the two shots give us clearer glimpse of what to expect when the new Z debuts in Los Angeles this November.

It's been widely reported that the 2010 370Z will be shortened by four inches and will ride on a slightly widened track, but without a profile shot, it's hard to tell. The rear three-quarter view shows reworked rear windows that are slightly smaller, with the bottom edge angling steeply towards the roofline. The rear glass of the hatch is sunken in, and incorporates a small spoiler into the trunk lid, while the fenders appear wider than the outgoing model and the tail lamps are equipped with LEDs.

Up front, the restyled headlamps are obscured by the camouflage, but the redesigned front fascia is easily identifiable, as is the tweaked hood, which features a slight power bulge flanked by two accent lines stretching from the windshield to the bumper.

It's nothing radical, but it should be interesting to see how Nissan implements some of its new styling cues from the Maxima and GT-R into new Z.

Thanks for the tip Ross!

[Source: VWVortex]

Try as we might, we could not find the punchline to this bit of news, so we're going to run with it. Nissan is creating a Murano convertible, supposedly for empty nesters who want a side dish of top down to go with space for the kids and grandkids. Should such a thing occur, it will be searing your retinas as of 2010.

Nothing is slated to change on the car except the use of a soft-top convertible, even less trunk space, and most likely, the price. To see the rendering, if Nissan simply took the top off, the car might be a little bulbous but acceptable. If Nissan were to use a rollhoop, however... that means they're making a PT Cruiser with a higher seating position. And, as far as we're concerned, that just ain't cool... Thanks for the tip, Cory!

[Source: Inside Line]

Lending further credence to earlier rumors of platform sharing between Chrysler and Nissan, The Wall Street Journal reports that Chrysler is in talks to base its next mid-size sedan on the next-gen Altima platform. Chrysler's "Project D" focuses on finding or designing a suitable replacement for the current Sebring and Dodge Avenger, models which have fallen on their faces with consumers. Other rumors point to Fiat being the chosen platform-supplier. After all is said and done, Chrysler could have a line-up which consists of a small car from Chinese automaker Chery, another small car from Nissan, a mid-size sedan from Nissan and a line of full-size sedans, pickups and SUVs of its own design. While Chrysler's main goal is to become profitable once again, there is certainly some danger in becoming a re-brander of cars from other companies, especially in the hotly-contested mid-size sedan market.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Click above to watch the video

Saudis may be known for a lot of things, but let's face it – comedy is not one of them. Israelis on the other hand... have you seen The Zohan? In any event, it's not surprising that people in Saudi Arabia are outraged at something from Israel, but this time it has nothing to do with military actions or residential construction, and to be fair, while talk of boycotts is filling the air once again, they're not actually blaming Israel itself for anything. Instead, Nissan is the boycott target.

The spate was started by a commercial Israeli TV that depicts Arabian oil sheikhs getting medieval on a Nissan Tiida. The implication is that the car's fuel efficiency is harming the sheikhs' business interests. The Saudi regime, along with other oil-producing Gulf states, is threatening to boycott Nissan – which itself is collaborating on the development of the Project Better Place electric car system in Israel – if the automaker doesn't apologize.

Follow the jump to watch the commercial – which, strangely, we could only find in Arabic with Russian subtitles – and leave your thoughts in the comments section below (just please keep it tasteful).

[Source: Haaretz]