Model News & Info

If you’re unfamiliar with the Tata Nano, here’s your crash course:

• The Nano is made by Tata Motors, Indian conglomerate and newest owner of Land Rover and Jaguar
• The car is soon to be released as the self-proclaimed “people’s car” of the 21st century
• The sticker price should run about $2,500… the cheapest car ever produced
• It will utilize a two-cylinder engine. Just like your lawn mower.
• I think that’s all that needs to be said.

So, are you foaming at the mouth yet? Well if so, head on over to Tata’s Nano Microsite to personalize your Nano. It’s actually a fairly unimpressive build-your-own tool; no prices for upgrades (I assume there are upgrade costs), a weird interior view… but the site’s there nonetheless, along with a ton of marketing fodder to convince you that we’ll all have one of these in our driveways soon.

I used the BYO tool to jazz one up myself, complete with racing stripe paint that probably dries faster than the Nano’s 0-60 time. Check it out… by the by, it’s worth noting that this is the rear view. It’s easy to mistake one end for the other.

Great, I built it on the site and I’m all set to go. Now it’s just a matter of buying it…

…nuts to this, I’m getting a Honda.

The New York stop on the International Auto Show circuit has already showcased a bevvy of new debuts and concept vehicles, causing wide eyes and puddles of drool all around. Let’s take a peek at some of the notables thus far.

Nissan announced the official return of 4DSC, and you know what that means… well, maybe you don’t. 4DSC was the Nissan Maxima’s alias in the early 90’s, with Nissan touting it as the first true “4 Door Sports Car”, with fancy 4DSC decals and all. Well, they’ve brought the decals back, and wisely, also pumped up the horses from 265 to 290. That’s some serious go for a $30k sedan.

The 2009 Acura TSX reared its ugly head for the first time at the NYC show. The new TSX is bigger and less powerful than its predecessor, which is a pathetic combination indeed. Acura’s obviously done trying to convince anyone that the TSX is a performance vehicle… it’s a business move over an image move. We’ll see how that works out.

Now here’s a tale of two companies… Kia debuted the top vehicle, the KOUP, at NY after Hyundai’s Genesis Coupe(the latter photo) made a big splash in LA. The difference is that Hyundai’s car will be in showrooms shortly, while Kia’s awesome concept - as is their trend - doesn’t appear to have a plan to see the light of day. Kia whets the public’s appetite every year with their great concept cars… let’s hope they’re spurred on by Hyundai’s effort to turn the KOUP into a production vehicle.

This is the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck, thought it’s not really called a Sport Truck yet. It’s a hard car to name, an even harder car to describe, and even harder than that to make a profit on. But hey, at least Pontiac is going for the gusto, and with their other debut models (The G8 in sedan form is the most powerful sub-$30k car on the road) looking so good, let’s see where the cards fall for this El Camino reincarnate.

And now for a car we can all enjoy… at least, from a distance, while some rich CEO breezes past in it. The near-$200,000 Saleen Raptor has the look and the performance (650 horses should cover pretty much anything you’d want to do on four wheels) of cars in and above its price range. Plus, it runs on E85 (a.k.a. fancy corn) exclusively. Good stuff.

If the 2009 Nissan Murano looks a bit like a space-age time travel machine to you, you’re not going crazy.

With the redesign of this crossover SUV icon, Nissan actually skipped the 2008 model entirely and fast-forwarded to next year. If you show up to a Nissan dealership today and ask to test drive a new Murano, you’ll have the option of the all-new ‘09 iteration and, possibly, some leftover ’07s. Wrap your head around that one.

Well, don’t stress over it too long, because the new 2009 Murano is, in every aspect, an improvement on the original that captured the hearts of many a fashionista soccer mom when it debuted in 2003. Hop in as we take this sexy hunk of metal for a spin around the block.

Unlike many Nissan products that have recently undergone significant design changes (see: Sentra, Pathfinder, Altima), the distinctive Murano shape has remained very much the same, with the most notable exterior differences being the headlights (now quad-projection) and taillights (now a stacked LED setup), which seem like they were changed primarily to impart a family resemblance between the Murano and its little brother, the Nissan Rogue, which debuted last year with similar light housing designs.

You do get some sassy upgrades on the surface though, like optional 20″ wheels (which are beautiful by the way), and a dual-panel moonroof, which was pretty much the only card the Ford Edge was holding over the Murano until now.

Now that we’ve got all the eye candy aside, it’s time to turn the key… although it actually has Nissan’s Intelligent Key and push-button ignition setup; as long as the key is on your person, you can leave it in your pocket(book) when opening doors or starting the car. A luxurious touch indeed.

Under the hood, we’re looking at 20 more horsepower than the previous model’s 245, being churned out of the same Nissan V6 that has been on Ward’s Ten Best Engines list for an astounding 13 consecutive years. Combining that with all-wheel drive capability and Nissan’s Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) gives the Murano a truly awesome powertrain setup.

It’s not a cliche to say that the new Murano drives like an extension of yourself. Like most crossovers, you don’t squat down or jump up to get in the car; the seat is at a perfect height to simply slide into. Push the start button (remember, no key), get on the road, and you’ve got a comfortable and plush drive ahead of you. It’s a nimble SUV based on the Altima car platform, so maneuvering is a snap and the feedback is very confident. But if you need the power, for whatever reason, it is definitely there, and gets delivered seamlessly through the CVT while the dual exhaust note lets the people outside know you’ve got something going on under the bonnet. Just seems like a perfectly balanced vehicle to drive.

What I found most intriguing was that, after seeing all the new features, feeling the power increase, and enjoying the upgraded interior (which was chock full of gadgets like BlueTooth® and rear-view camera), I recalled that the 2009 Murano is actually coming in $1,500 lighter than the previous base model. There’s no doubt that Nissan is going for the jugular by skipping to the next model year and cutting the sticker price, which is all the better for Mr. Consumer. Taking all that into account, it’s fair to say the 2009 Nissan Murano should be on your short list if you’re in the market for a crossover SUV. See more at NissanUSA.com.