Nissan Quest SL

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Specifications

Model as tested	2011 Nissan Quest 3.5 SL
Base Price	$34,350
Price as Tested	$37,490
Engine Type	3.5L V6
Engine Size	3.5 liters
Horsepower @ RPM	260 @ 5200 RPM
Torque (lb-ft) @ RPM	240 @ 4800 RPM
Transmission	Continuously Variable Speed Automatic
Wheelbase / Overall Length	118.1 inches / 200.8 inches
Ground Clearance	6.6 inches
Curb Weight	4,480 lbs.
Fuel Capacity	20.0 gallons
Fuel Type / System	Gas Engine / Sequential Electronic Fuel Injected, Sequential Port Fuel Injected Sequential, Multi-Port Fuel Injected
Tires	18-Inch Aluminum Alloys Wheels with 235/55R18 Tires
Brakes	Front/Rear Disc Brakes, ABS Brakes, Electronic Brake Assistance
Passenger Volume	167.10 cubic feet
Cargo Volume	35.10 cubic feet

Performance / Safety / Warranty

EPA Fuel Economy – miles per gallon city / highway / observed	19 / 24 / 21 mpg
Air Bags	Driver, Passenger, Front Side, Side Head Curtain Air Bags
Basic Warranty	36 months / 36,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty	60 months / 60,000 miles

Options and Charges

Destination Charge (delivery, processing, and handling fee)	$800
DVD Entertainment System (DVD Entertainment System with 7″ Color In-Dash Monitor (Replaces 4.3″ Color Display), Second-Row 11″ WVGA Screen with Auto Brightness Function, Rear Auxiliary Audio/Video Input Jacks (Deletes Front Auxiliary Audio Input), Remote Control, Two Wireless Headsets, Driver Concentration Switch, 120-Volt AC Power Outlet)	$2,100
Carpeted First, Second, and Third Row Floor Mats	$180
Cargo Net	$60

Let’s play word association- I say sexy, you say…soccer moms? If that was the first thought that entered your mind, then do I have a vehicle for you. Nissan has introduced the new 2011 Quest with bold styling that sets it apart from the rest of the box-on-wheels crowd. I can’t tell you how many looks I got in the local high school parking lot last weekend. When one speaks of minivans these days, the Honda Odyssey, the Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Grand Caravan and the Toyota Sienna come to mind. Rarely does the Nissan Quest enter the fray. That’s probably due to the fact that the previous Quests were less than popular with American buyers.


The first- and second-generation Nissan Quest/Mercury Villager were actually distinctively styled and featured innovative features like sliding rear seats, but they were not in the same league as the competition of the time. The third generation (2004-2009) was actually a big improvement, growing in size and was styled in Nissan’s San Diego-based Nissan Design America (NDA) studio to go after an upscale female audience. That minivan gave the 1996 Ford Taurus a run for its money for having the most oval central stack console ever found in an automobile.

The 2011 Nissan Quest, however, represents a departure from the past. Instead of being designed just for the North American market, this Quest is based on the Japan Domestic Market (JDM) Nissan Elgrand. It’s been Americanized in a few areas, most noticeably in growing in width to suit American tastes. But it retains the tall beltline of JDM minivans.

Driving Impressions

So, I jumped into the Nissan Quest, well actually, slid into the cushy leather 8-way power driver’s seat. I engaged the Sport mode, and floored the gas pedal. Oh wait, who am I kidding here, there is no Sport mode on the Nissan Quest. It has a CVT for god’s sake.

What it does have going for it, though, is that workhorse 3.5-liter V6 found in many other Nissan and Infiniti models. In the Quest the V6 is tuned to produce 260 HP at 6,000 RPM and 240 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,400 RPM. So I floored the accelerator and…to my delight, the Quest actually moved! The CVT is actually really smooth and was good at matching engine rpms to the way I stepped on the accelerator. 0 to 60 was…well, let’s just say that there was no problem getting to 60 MPH.


The Quest felt really smooth and solid on the road, with minimal road noise and acceptable wind noise on the freeway. The suspensions is soft, to say the least, and is very capable of glossing over bumps in the road. That being said, I don’t recommend driving the Quest over speed bumps at over 35 MPH. Just trust me on this one. Overall the Quest drove like a…van.

Just like sedans, minivans have grown in size in America. The new Quest drove like the Chevy Astro van that I used to drive for a job in college, and that Astro was no minivan. Parking the Quest was a bit of a challenge in my garage and I had a hard time with tight parking spots at work. The rear view camera is a must (standard on the SV trim and above), since there’s no way you can see behind you in this machine.

Styling

If you’ve decided to shop for a minivan, styling is obviously an important factor for you. Therefore read this section very, very carefully. The new Quest will definitely set you apart from the crowd of minivans in the Safeway parking lot. Not in the same way the lightning bolt beltline on the new Honda Odyssey sets you apart, but the Quest sure looks distinctive next to the other minivans on the market.


As previously mentioned, the 2011 Nissan Quest is based on a JDM minivan, which as a genre manages to look narrow, tall and from the third moon of Saturn. While that design philosophy may be perfect for those tight alleyways in Tokyo, in the US it may backfire on you. Although Nissan increased the JDM Elgrand’s width when making the Quest, the beltline on the Quest is still extremely high compared to competition like the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey. This means the Quest has a shorter greenhouse and a lot of metal real estate underneath the windows, which makes the Quest look tall.

The rear door and glass of the Quest is almost vertical, another departure from the rest of the minivan crowd. The Quest’s front end also manages to look different from all other minivans out there. I’m not sure how I feel about it, actually. I hope lots of moms and dads will love it, for Nissan’s sake.




Interior Comfort and Ergonomics
The interior of the 2011 Quest is very spacious. There is more head room, leg room, hip room (second row), shoulder room (second row), name-your-own-body-part room than the competition. I had trouble putting my left arm on the door armrest half the time, because there is so much space around me. This is extremely useful when I had to install the child seat and when we had to put our toddler into that child seat.

I also found it quite easy to move between the front row to the second and third row inside the minivan. Not that I had to, it was just a cool thing to do. The seats on the Quest SL are leather and very comfortable. I would totally take this on a road trip to Vegas. Arm rests on the driver and passenger seats as well as the second row captain’s chairs are comfortable and easy to adjust.

  

The second row seats also fold flat, as does the third row 60/40 split seat. The much-touted permanent rear storage under the floor was actually really handy. It was at a good load height and really spacious. Anything you put in there is hidden out of view too. I only wished Nissan had more cargo netting and dividers there, so things don’t just roll around while driving (a $95 option).

The Quest features useful steering wheel controls for the radio, Bluetooth hands free and cruise control, and for the most part the buttons on the center stack are easy to decipher and use. The only complaint I have is the location of the console-mounted gear shifter. It blocks the driver’s view of the climate controls and audio controls just to the right of the shifter. It’s an annoyance that I could not overcome in the 4 days I had the tester.

  

The rear entertainment system on the SL features an 11 inch monitor for DVDs, which was great for watching my favorite movie, Airplane! It does not have the optional dual screen set-up found in the Odyssey (dual input only available in the SL model), however, which would be great if you have more than one child.

The power sliding passenger doors and lift gate are awesome, and you wouldn’t understand how awesome these features are unless you have kids or love going grocery shopping. But this is standard on all minivans these days. The Quest does have the optional keyless entry system, which is not available in the Odyssey or the Sienna. This is a great feature, you can just leave your key in your pocket at all times, push a button to unlock and lock your doors, and push the start/stop button to turn on the van.

Value

At $37,440 MSRP, the 2011 Nissan Quest SL with the optional DVD entertainment system is priced at comparable levels to the Odyssey and a bit under the Sienna. All the specs and features are very similar in all three vans. They even have nearly identical HP, torque, and MPG numbers. The Quest gets 19 MPG city and 24 highway, and I averaged just over 19 MPG in combined driving. As far as family transport goes, there really is no other vehicle that offers as much space and convenience than a minivan. No SUV or crossover even comes close. But you have to be mentally prepared to deal with the fact that you’re marginally cooler than a school bus driver. No cool marketing with viral YouTube videos is going to change that.

Like I was saying, there is no better family vehicle than the minivan as far as space and convenience goes. Any rational adult would have no problems choosing a minivan over a station wagon, crossover vehicle, or a SUV. But you have to be mentally prepared. Once you make the move, there is no turning back until your kids go to college. So if you are ready to make that move, your next decision is whether or not you want to blend in. There will be plenty of Town & Countrys, Grand Caravans, Siennas and Odysseys out there. Do you want to be one of them? Or do you want to be slightly different and unique? If you want to retain the last thread of individuality left somewhere inside of you, choose the Quest.

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Posted in: Car,Nisan,Nissan,Nissan quest SL

2011 Jaguar XJ First Impressions Review – Attitude and Ultra

Hits: 

Interior of the Gods
Pinball quality gear selected display
Silence at cruise speed

Misses:

Too much chrome on air vents and central console
Limited headroom front and rear
No pass-through from trunk to passenger compartment

Let’s say you sell real estate. Upper-end homes. You could not pick a better form of transportation than the new XJ to transport prospective clients. Your choice of car will sell them on you before they even look at that new property. Jaguar has scored a perfect 10 on the cabin of the XJ. Although rated as a 5 passenger sedan, this Jaguar is more amenable with just 4 aboard. The rear seats are as comfortable as the fronts, with plenty of front and rear legroom for those over 6 feet tall. The tailoring of the interior is an alluring sight to behold when you order the $4,000 optional Luxury Package. Heated front and rear seat backs and cushions are resplendent in contrasting stitching and piping. The front buckets add a massage and cooling option to the mix. A dramatic sweep of satin finished Elm veneer embellishes the door panels as well as the entire semi-circle beneath the windshield. The carefully segmented steering wheel is festooned with so many aids and devices that it mimics the helm of a Formula 1 car. One of the most useful buttons activates the heater for the wheel itself. Another operates the convenient radar-regulated cruise control.

Like many luxury sedans with sporting pretensions, the XJ offers sizable paddles to operate its 6-speed automatic transmission. But the Jaguar goes everyone else one step better thanks to better displayed crucial information. When you engage “Manual” shift on the central console gear selector, a large red “S” illuminates on the dash and the left hand instrument face displays an oversize number to inform you which gear you have chosen. This numeral is further emphasized by its inclusion inside a target circle. Jaguar is able to offer this bit of extremely useful wizardry because the XJ does away with conventional gauges in favor of a virtual instrument cluster using LCD illumination on a thin film display panel. Every time you change gear manually, the numerical meatball instantly morphs its display into the next gear selected. It is a bewitchingly effective device that puts to shame all the so-called sports pretenders who bury this crucial information in 5 point type on some obscure spot of the instrument binnacle.

You’ll be using that slick-shifting 6-speed quite often, because the big Jag loves to run like the XK sportscar from which it was derived. Pulsing beneath the long hood is a 5 liter V8 producing 385 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque. When you’re cruising along at 65 mph in top gear, the interior of the XJ is as silent as a liturgical service. But if you decide to drop down a gear or two in order to merge or pass, the growl of the potent V8 reminds you that this is a big game cat indeed. Like the refined drivetrain, the suspension is compliant enough to keep all passengers unflustered, but resilient enough to tackle twisty roads when the need arises. Pirelli P Zero rubber handles cornering duty with aplomb. 19 inch diameter wheels carrying 245/45R19 (front) and 275/40R19 (rear) plant lots of sticky rubber on the asphalt.

2011 JAGUAR XJ

• ENGINE: 5.0 liter DOHC 32-valve V8
• HORSEPOWER: 385 hp
• TORQUE: 380 lb-ft
• TRANSMISSION: Sequential Shift 6-speed Automatic
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 16 City MPG/23 Highway MPG
• PRICE AS TESTED: $80,250

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Posted in: Car,Jaguar,Jaguar XJ

2011 BMW Alpina B7 First Impressions Review

By contributing editor David Colman

Hits

• Exotic but factory warranted
• Limited production
• Stable and comfortable

Misses:

• Still large and heavy
• Taxed as gas guzzler

The beauty of attending the Western Automotive Journalists’ Media Days is that it gives members of the group an opportunity to sample exotic steeds unavailable from press fleets. Case in point: in 27 years of reviewing cars, I have never before had the chance to drive an Alpina tweaked BMW. But here was a splendidly royal metallic blue example of the breed, a 7-Series Bimmer done out in Oyster and Black Nappa Leather to the tune of $127,225. Now the 7 is a brilliant piece of engineering, just the tool for transporting you to a spot of desk thumping at the Bundesministerium. But few would consider this 4,433 pound sedan to be much of a GT runner. The standard V8 engine BMW provides for the 7 makes 400hp that provides adequate, but not scintillating performance. Also available is a monstrous V12, good for 512hp and pitifulfuel miliage. But there is a better compromise in the offing this year. Alpina will massage the twin turbo V8 to produce almost as much output as the V12, but without the big motor’s excessive fuel thirst. In fact, the Alpina B7 produces 500hp and 516 lb.-ft. of torque and still manages to return 14MPG in city driving and 22MPG on the freeway.

Best of all, the Alpina B7 is fully covered by BMW’s 4 year, 50,000 mile warranty, which includes a full maintenance program. So what constitutes an Alpina upgrade? In addition to that rocket booster of a motor, Alpina also revamps the 7’s suspension system with stiffer springs and more dynamic damping control to augment the 7’s effective anti-roll stabilization. The tuner also adds a handsome aerokit which enhances the lines and diminishes the size of the sedan. The Alpina kit is available on the short wheelbase version of the 7 rather than the limousine length stretch 7. The B7 is one of the quickest cars on the road, regardless of size, weight or power. While we had no opportunity to time a 0-60mph run, the Alpina 7 feels every bit as fast as a 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL 550 which packs 518 lb.-ft. of torque. In other words, nothing will run away from this stonking sedan on a freeway or a back road.

But the B7 is very much a velvet hammer, thanks to the extravagant detailing and comfort level of the cabin. Little Alpina niceties abound. The steering wheel hub contains the regal Alpina crest which consists of a vertical crankshaft logo. Matching cloisonné center hubs identify the special Alpina turbine-design road wheels. A discreet plaque located just in front of the power 2-way moonroof alerts you to the fact that this limited edition 7 was specially crafted by Alpina majordomo Burkhard Bovensiepen. No detail is too small to overlook in the transformation of this car. Even the cover of the owner’s manual is redone by Alpina with a delicately pebbled green and purple hide so soft it could double as a lens brush.

Although the hulking B7 looked decidedly out of place in the pits at Laguna Seca Raceway, on track it proved appearances can be misleading. The Alpina was not only one of the fastest cars on the street, but also one of the fastest cars at Laguna Seca’s Media Days. Bear in mind that the car count that day included staunch contenders like the Mercedes Benz gullwing SLS, the Cadillac CTS-V, the Lexus IS-F, the Porsche Spyder Boxster, and the BMW Z4. Normally, you’d think any of these would flat run away from a BMW 7, but not when the 7 has been transformed by Bovensiepen and honed to the kind of bright, sharp edge you need at a knife fight.

2011 BMW ALPINA B7 SWB:

• ENGINE: aluminum 4.4-liter TwinPower Turbo V-8 with High Precision Direct Injection
• HORSEPOWER: 500hp
• TORQUE: 516 lb.-ft.
• TRANSMISSION: 6-speed ALPINA SWITCH-TRONIC Automatic Transmission
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 14 City MPG/22 Highway MPG
• PRICE AS TESTED: $127,225
• 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds

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Posted in: BMW,Car

2011 Mercedes-Benz CL550 4MATIC Coupe Review -The epitome of luxury motoring

Pros:

• Turbine smooth engine
• Quiet cabin
• Clean center stack
• Seats that do everything

Cons:

• High price
• Gear change stumble between 1st and 2^nd
• Annoying squeak in driver’s door

Say you’re a C-level executive at a major company and you wanted to spend around $125,000 for a new luxury car, what would you buy? What features or qualities would you want? V8 – check. All-wheel drive – check. High tech features throughout – check. There are less expensive cars to choose from, but the Mercedes-Benz CL550 4Matic Coupe fits the bill on the spec sheet. However, is the CL550 fulfilling from the driver’s seat?

At this price point, we have high expectations for the driving experience and this Mercedes did not disappoint. Handling is great for this large luxury coupe, and it remains planted and flat in the turns. The Direct-Steer rack-and-pinion steering graces the CL with perfect feedback and weight from the driver’s seat with Sport mode engaged, and the Adaptive Damping suspension nicely balances ride comfort and handling poise.

Mercedes extended “adaptive” technology to its Drive-Dynamic front seats, with side bladders that inflate/deflate automatically while cornering. Unfortunately, the system has a hard time keeping up with the car, especially when tackling a series of turns in rapid succession. Luckily, this feature can be turned off, allowing the driver and front seat passenger to better enjoy the massage function, which actually does work well.

Pop the hood of the CL550, and you’ll find an all-new 4.6-liter, direct-injection twin-turbo V-8. Rev the 429-hp engine while parked, and you’ll see the whole car rock back and forth, reminiscent of a muscle car from the 60’s. Being a luxury car, the exhaust sound is unfortunately muted, hiding its 429 horsepower and 516 lb-ft torque.

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Posted in: Car,Mercedes Benz,Mercedes Benz CL550

Best Time To Buy A Car - Guidelines

Looking for a automobile can be hard & time consuming. People tend to make if even more difficult by reading lots of sites which recommend to look for statistics over statistics, leading to hours & hours of research for that optimal time in which to buy an automobile. Lots of online tutorials will document numerous options & dates like days throughout a year. The most fascinating thing is that each of them starts from the believable or even true factor.

Professionals at Edmunds have revised lots of of these tutorials & came up with their own, in addition to the world wide web systems which will make your search for the optimum time & finest automobile much faster.

To start with you can use the Predictive TMV (True Market Value). This is an robotic voice that lets you calculate the best time for purchasing with proficiency & efficiency a automobile. The Predictive TMV is a multi-level complex process which has the capability to forecast eventual alterations in cost for a automobile, giving you an advantage "in the battle". Because there is a lot of variables to think about, for example incentives or prices before transactions, it will be hard for you to calculate, compare & at last appreciate effectively the current true value of a automobile. So, why not to let the robotic voice do that for you? Go to here Edmunds' site & let Edmunds TMV solve your condition within minutes.

A tutorial said something about rainy days. Since there will be no buyers in the lot & you will walk around, not looking interested, it may provide the hope for that salesman so you may walk out with a pleasant deal. Will it appear believable? Yes, but there is another edge to this. Ought to you slope around for long, the salesperson will think that you need a automobile so he'll push for a bigger cost.

In the work of the holidays, says another tutorial. Given the slow business, you might think you could receive a great, early Christmas present from a dealer with small action & merely dying to make a sale. Yes it might be true. The only issue is the fact that dealers may think the same so they might cut back on stock. times again sides to it.

Another guide that actually is misguiding tells you to go0 minutes before closing time. The that thinks the dealers are worn out & need to return home, clearly don't know them perfectly.Actually they are going to probably put the close sign, & stay along with you until midnight, as long as they ought to must.

The finish of the month or even the finish of the model year are usually excellent tips because at the finish of the month the dealer may need or cars to receive a massive bonus for sales, so to persuade you they will drop the cost dramatically as long as you take the automobile so that they might reach his quota. Same goes for the brand spanking new year models. Because the "new shiny toys" have been brought in, they must get rid of anything elderly, & speedy. times more, for top level feasible deal, head to Edmunds Incentives & Rebates & you will notice the best rates you'll find at the end-of-the-season automobile.

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Posted in: Car

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe

Mercedes-Benz unveiled the all new 2012 C63AMG coupe, set to debut at the New York International Auto Show in April.

Similar to the C63 AMG sedan, the C63 AMG coupe features a 6.2-liter, V8, 451-horsepower engine, 443 lb-feet of torque, a 7-speed MCT (Multi-Clutch Transmission) with Controlled Efficiency mode, a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds, and a limited top speed of 155 mph. An optional AMG Development Package brings the AMG coupe up to 481-horsepower, a 0-60 time of 4.3 seconds and a controlled top speed of 174 mph.

The new coupe variant benefits from all the technology updates that have been adopted on the C63 AMG sedan models. Fuel economy is improved with the AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT (multi-clutch transmission) 7-speed sports transmission with “Controlled Efficiency” mode as standard and a new power steering pump.

Inside, the C63 Coupe gets the same new dash, steering wheel, and seats as the sedan version. The new dash uses a more horizontal design stretching across the car and integrates the navigation screen for a more cohesive appearance. The center panels of the new seats are covered in a synthetic suede-like material Mercedes refers to as DINAMICA.The bolsters are covered in M-B Tex for easier entry and exit, plus better wear resistance. The steering wheel is taken straight from the CLS63 and features flat sections on both the top and bottom.

The new C63 AMG coupe will also include 18-inch AMG light-alloy wheels with 235/40 R18 front tires and 255/35 R18 rear tires, AMG sports exhaust system, AMG high-performance braking system, leather upholstery, a sports steering wheel, aluminum trim, carbon fiber trunk lid spoiler, Mercedes COMAND system with an integrated TFT screen and 3D display, adaptive highbeam assist, attention assist, parktronic parking assistance, lane-keeping assist, and blind spot assist.

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG coupe will hit North American showrooms in September.

MERCEDES-BENZ C63 AMG Coupé SPECS
Displacement	6208 cc
Transmission	7-speed AMG Speedshift
Horsepower	451 hp @ 6800 rpm
Torque	443 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
Acceleration 0 – 60 mph	4.4 seconds
Top Speed (electronically limited)	155 mph

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Posted in: Car,Mercedes Benz