Ah, the Nissan GT-R, much beloved by the … well, pretty much everybody but cops and insurance agents I’d guess. To hear some guys tell it, the Nissan GT-R is about as perfect as a car can get; fast, techy and with a road presence just this side of a honest-to-God Transformer, the Nissan GT-R pushes all the buttons that a young man has to be pushed that can’t be accessed by cute girls.

What’s not to love? Well, according to Nissan, there are a few things here and there that could stand to be tweaked on the GT-R. So, being the conscious Japanese car company that they are, Nissan went ahead and did some tweaking.

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The folks at EA just sent us some more info on Need for Speed Shift, including a few pictures of the Nissan GT-R SpecV and a new high-res video of Laguna Seca, one of the featured tracks in the new game.

First of all, the long-awaited Nissan GT-R SpecV, as you know, is the mega version of the already insane GT-R supercar. Nissan will be removing the rear seats, lightening up the whole car with carbon fiber, giving it a special paint job, and changing the wheels out for lightweight Nismo racers. Any power increase will be minimal, which makes me wonder where the $100K price difference comes in. Regardless, the Spec-V will be a beast, and it will be fun to drive it in the game. Continue Reading…

The Nissan Murano crossover, first released in 2003, was a big hit for Nissan. Practical looks, a great powertrain, and a high level of utility made it a winner that competes with the Ford Edge, Toyota Highlander, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Chevy Traverse. In 2007 as sales started to decline, Nissan pulled the Murano off the lots for 2008 and began working on an updated model for 2009 without straying too far from the winning Murano formula.

Much of the design was kept the same, but they modernized it up a bit. More curves for a muscular appearance, bigger wheels, taillights flipped on their side, and the front grille and fascia have been redesigned. As long as you’re looking at it from the rear, it’s still attractive, but turn it around and the weird grill-over-headlight awkward design makes me gag. If you like that design, great, but it’s a deal-breaker for me. Despite the strange appearance in the front, the 2009 Murano is greatly improved over the last generation. Continue Reading…

100% electric, 100 mile range, 100% torque, 0 emissions.

That’s the headlines from Nissan’s advertisement for their upcoming Leaf electric vehicle. This is, essentially, what greenies, the eco conscious and the like have been waiting for since the Chevy Impact disappeared lo those many years ago. This, if you believe the PR, is not some afternoon toy, or a plaything for the rich. This is a car, made by one of the world’s leading manufacturers, intended for every day use.

This better work, as advertised, or it will be a huge setback to acceptance of EVs.

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German tuning company Cobra has created a range of aftermarket products for the Nissan 370Z and rolled them up into their Cobra N+ 370Z sport concept to showcase the parts.

They started with aerodynamic improvements made from fake carbon fiber, which would include a front spoiler and rear diffuser. They added on lightweight 19-inch alloys, lowered the car a bit, and gave it a sport suspension for better handling. Along with a few other minor improvements and aesthetic changes, they added sport mufflers whose sound can be changed with a remote. Ok, that’s pretty cool… Continue Reading…

I currently own a 1991 Nissan 300ZX. My next “weekend fun” car: I’m looking at a 93 300ZX Twin-Turbo, and I’d like to pick up a 1983 280ZX Turbo some day. What I’m trying to say is that if you own a Nissan Z-car, you’ve probably owned 2 or 3. They were a true enthusiast car, ever since the 240-Z was introduced 40 years ago. Unfortunately, this also means that there is a limited audience for such a car. Sadly, Nissan stopped production of the Z car in 1996 (2000 in Japan) with the second generation 300ZX due to waning sales. The Z car instantly became a collector.

In 2003, Nissan revived the Z by releasing the 350Z - an everyday sports car aimed at a much larger market than previous Zs. Fortunately for Nissan, they sold gobs of them. Unfortunately for Z-car lovers, the 350Z lacked much of what the Z was about. It was good at being a sports car, but something was missing. The styling inside and out was bland, even boring in some parts; a properly tuned 300ZX TT could still blow the doors off of it, and it was missing the personality of the old Zs. The 350Z was meant for the regular Joe who said “I want a sports car” - not the enthusiast.

For 2009, this has all changed… Continue Reading…