2013 Nissan Sentra SE-R Nismo

Nissan is about to introduce a redesign of one of the bread and butter cars for the company. The 2013 Nissan Sentra is to be a versatile vehicle that offers everything from inexpensive means of transportation to spirited drivers car. In this article we look at the performance based rice rocket and determine if Nissan will deliver the goods.

Since Renault owns a 43.4% stake in Nissan and Nissan owns a 15% or Renault means that the two companies are close, like Siamese-Frenchy twins. So therefore they share a lot of the same platforms and what have you. So we might get to see the Renaultsport engines making their way into the 2013 Sentra SE-R. There are two that is the turbo and direct injected 2.0L that both companies have access to. This engine easily produces 265hp like nothing is there so it would certainly make for a tuner friendly vehicle plus you probably could get 300hp easily if Nissan decides not to do it themselves. We would see around a 6 sec 0-60 time that would be on par with the redesigned 240hp VW Golf GTi coming out.

Nissan needs to revitalize the Nismo name for cars other than the GT-R and 370Z by letting those engineers tackle the 2013 Sentra, Altima, and upcoming Maxima would certainly put a smile on my face as well as the rest of the Nissan fan boys and girls. With an updated chassis and focus on lighter weight we should see an all around better 2013 Nissan Sentra SE-R Nismo. So look for some stiff competition in this compact performance class. So therefore this would put Nissan in the race for hot hatchbacks around $25k dollars. Expect some stiffer suspension and a nice 6-speed manual or automatic to go along with this ride.

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The 2013 Nissan Xterra

Over 5 years ago big massive dinosaur SUV’s roamed the land and had quite an ability to go anywhere although they usually roamed around on smooth surfaces. As more and more SUV’s started roaming the land, their food was becoming scarcer and although they were surviving, they were stressed. Then in 2007 a comet of financial burden would crash down and caused many SUV’s to become extinct as their owners could not afford them anymore. Owners wanted a dinosaur that were less destructive and hungry and that’s when all the auto manufacturers started euthanizing the SUV. Today we see that auto manufacturers with the exception of Jeep are executing their SUV’s with extreme prejudice. On the plus side Jeep sales are great and they are thanking all the other manufactures for scrapping their programs.

So what is Nissan to do, they have already turned the Nissan Pathfinder 2013 Model into a nose coned minivan and have Xterra fan boys and girls such as myself that are asking for a continuation of this inexpensive means to outdoor freedom. The problem is that market trends don’t look to hot as everyone either wants a fat-ass 7-passenger minivan crossover thingy or they want a cute little crossover that can’t go off more than a dirt road. So hopefully we will see that there is some life still in the 2013 Nissan Xterra. The Nissan Xterra has been a large seller for Nissan in the past but is not really producing any wow figures. What may save the Xterra is the Frontier. As these two vehicles share everything but a bed (get it) they are pretty much like one vehicle that is just optioned heavily. But Frontier sales have been good to Nissan as it is only second to the Rogue in Nissan truck sales.

So hopefully Nissan will go back to the roots of the Xterra and give us a capable off-road vehicle for cheap and startit off with no frills in the interior because we are just going to mount GPS’s, Tilt Gauges, Mag-Light holders and GoPros on the dash anyways. We just need the beefy powertrain and maybe some MPG’s can be squeezed out as well. But look for the Direct Injected 3.7 L to go into this baby and a starting price tag of around $25K.

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2013 Nissan Altima Offers Competive Mileage To Former Altima Hybrid

Nissan may have canceled its Altima Hybrid after having only limited commitment to it, and in light of its enthusiasm for all-electric vehicles, but it also now says its new gasoline-only Altima earns better highway mileage than the hybrid, and just two mpg less combined.

Having received EPA certification and reporting its 2013 Altimas are shipping for deliveries later this month, Nissan says the Altima with 2.5-liter four cylinder engine and new Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission will offer 27 mpg city, 38 mpg highway, and 31 overall. This contrasts with the outgoing 2011 hybrid that was EPA rated at 33 mpg in all three categories.

"This is a huge day for the Nissan brand as we ramp up production and begin shipping the new, fuel-efficient Altimas to our dealers," said Bill Krueger, vice chairman, Nissan Americas. "The new Altima is a game-changer for the mid-size market and our dealers can't wait to share it with our customers."

The new Altimas are being built at Nissan’s Smyrna, Tenn. plant, and production also just began at its second assembly plant in Canton. Miss. Nissan is aiming squarely at the Toyota Camry lineup and has said by year's end, both its plants will be operating three shifts “to maximize production of the country's second best-selling car.”

Nissan is gauging interest from a few indicators including 1.5 million visitors to a dedicated pre-order Web site from which 30,000 have said they are fully interested in the new Altima.

Customers who pre-order through this online venue are being offered free three-year scheduled maintenance which Nissan says is a $700 value.

 

Features beyond competitive mileage Nissan also promises include:

• Ride comfort, control and fun-to-drive demeanor, including better 0 - 60 mph acceleration than other top-selling mid-size sedans as demonstrated in independent third party testing

• Available Next-generation Safety Shield Technologies, including Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Moving Object Detection (MOD) systems using an innovative single rear camera

• Easy-Fill Tire Alert, which sounds the car horn to notify a person filling a tire with air when the tire reaches recommended tire pressure - no gauge needed

• Headlights that automatically switch on when the windshield wipers are in use

• Windshield wipers that park themselves off the windshield when the vehicle is turned off with the wipers on and in mid-cycle

• Premium exterior styling with a powerful presence and improved aerodynamics

• Upscale interior rivaling premium luxury sedans, including NASA-inspired "zero-gravity" seats, an Advanced Drive-Assist™ Display and BOSE® Premium Audio System

• Standard Bluetooth® Hands-Free Phone system and Streaming Audio via Bluetooth®

• Available NissanConnectSM and NissanConnectSM Navigation with a suite of Bluetooth® phone connectivity features, including hands-free text message integration, Pandora® playback, real-time Google® POI search and more

• Advanced Drive-Assist™ Display with 4-inch color screen standard on every model, which is customizable, easy-to-use and integrates key information right in front of the driver

• World-first multi-link rear suspension with connect bushings and Sachs damper to deliver outstanding handling

• Active Understeer Control, which uses advanced electronic stability control algorithms to improve cornering and provide a more confident driving experience

The 2013 Altima will be available for delivery later this month and will start at $21,500.

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