Nissan Xterra to stay Body on Frame

The Pathfinder is going soft for the 2013 model year – it will be a crossover. Instead of truck underpinnings, it will be built on a car frame. While that may give the Pathfinder name less credibility, it’s the right decision for Nissan.

But what about the Xterra? Rumors of its demise have been floating around for a few years. After all, sales are down, and the market for rugged, off-road capable body on frame SUV’s is a mere shadow of its former self. Should Nissan scrap the Xterra altogether, or just make it a unibody poseur?

Neither.

Nissan engineers have told Car & Driver that the Xterra will live on as a body on frame vehicle. That’s actually the first time I’ve heard even a hint of a new generation of Xterra. Good to see that Nissan isn’t going to put yet another crossover on the market. Crossovers have their place (and they’re certainly the right choice for most people haulers,) but vehicles like the Xterra need to be built on top of a truck frame, period.

Published on January 13, 2012 in Nissan

2013 Ford Fusion

 

I have never before been wowed by a midsize volume production sedan. Never.

Until now.

The all new Aston Marton, sorry, 2013 Ford Fusion. The Aston inspired grille and sleek front end make this car. That’s not to say that the rest of the car isn’t good, because it most certainly is. Front front to back, side to side, top to bottom, the 2013 Fusion is gorgeous. Not “gorgeous for a family sedan” – gorgeous, period. This is a great, great looking car.

2013 Ford Fusion Gallery

Looks aren’t everything, of course. What’s under the hood matters, especially in a car that Ford hopes to sell a ton of. So, how does the new Fusion stack up? Well, there are more choices than ever. What there isn’t, though, is an option with more than four cylinders. The V6 is gone, and I don’t think you’ll miss it. Here are the powertrain options:

2013 Ford Fusion Engine Choices
Engine Type HP / Torque MPG
2.5 liter I4 170 / 170 22 / 33
1.6 liter turbo I4 179 / 172 26 / 371
2.0 liter turbo I4 237 / 250 22 / 33
2.0 liter Hybrid 185 / 130 47 / 442
2.0 Plug In Hybrid 185 / 130 100 mpge3

 

The base engine is boring – it’s the only holdover from 2012. The two turbo engines are EcoBoosts, of course, and both are interesting in their own way. The 1.6 liter should get some pretty great fuel economy numbers that are more typical of a compact car than a midsize.

The hybrid, wow. Fucking wow. The EPA doesn’t have final numbers yet, but Ford is expected 47 MPG city and 44 MPG highway. Are you kidding me? Assuming it’s not priced outrageously, this could put a serious damper on Prius sales. Why deal with the ugly Prius styling when you can drive a gorgeous Fusion Hybrid and get nearly the same fuel economy?

2013 Ford Fusion Energi

This car is in a class all by itself. It’s based on the Fusion Hybrid, but adds a much larger battery pack, and the ability to plug in for a full charge. There aren’t a lot of details on this model – size of the battery, electric driving range, etc etc… but it’s also going to debut nearly a year after the other Fusion models. That said, I’m really looking forward to this. Please understand – this car will be expensive, but if Ford can get great numbers out of it while keeping the price somewhat reasonable… the Volt should be scared.

Final Notes
I didn’t even touch on the interior, which is as nice as anything in its class. I don’t think this next statement is even the slightest bit hyperbolic: Every midsize sedan on the market should be scared of the 2013 Fusion. This car looks amazing, both in terms of looks and specs. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of one.

  1. EcoBoost fuel economy figures are estimates. ↩
  2. Hybrid fuel economy figures are estimates. ↩
  3. Miles per gallon equivalent. The EPA’s way to estimate the efficiency of electric type vehicles. For comparison, the Chevy Volt is rated at 94 mpge. ↩

Published on January 10, 2012 in Ford

2013 Nissan Pathfinder

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And just like that, Nissan has unveiled the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. Officially this is a concept… but let’s be honest folks – there’s nothing conceptual about this. The production 2013 Pathfinder will be 99% like this “concept.” What’s it all about, you ask? Well, let’s take a look. For starters, they’re going back to a [...]

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2013 Toyota Land Cruiser

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Dodge Dart and 40 MPG

Maybe you heard Chrysler drop the bomb that the 2013 Dodge Dart will get a combined 40 MPG rating? Don’t worry, they’re full of crap. Autoblog explains why. The short version is that Chrysler is basing this outlandish claim on the bloated CAFE numbers. Numbers which have no bearing on the real world performance, which is [...]

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Hyundai Veloster Design Award Winner?

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I found this one on Motor Trend: The funky-looking Hyundai Veloster has an unusual name to help sear it into consumers’ memories. It’s also left quite an impression on the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, winning a Good Design Award. Just to be clear, this is the Hyundai Veloster we’re talking about. Different? [...]

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2012 Mazda 3 SKYACTIV Review – TTAC

TTAC takes the shiny new fuel-sipping SKYACTIV 2012 Mazda3 for a very tough spin, and comes away with this: It’s nice to have a company like Mazda around, and I’m happy to report that their SKYACTIV technologies seem to indicate that they’ll be able to compete on both fronts: not only as the enthusiast choice, [...]

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Kia Ray EV

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Kia is joining the electric car game, at least in Korea. Kia will build 2500 of the all-electric Ray EV for the Korean government. As of now, there aren’t any plans to sell the Ray EV to the public. My guess would be that this is a test run to get their feet wet. Using [...]

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