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Infiniti QX70 is fini, for now

We knew it first as the FX, debuting in 2003 as a bulgingly macho SUV/crossover thing with an impossibly long hood. It was quick and powerful, and lower-slung than typical SUVs, more like a tall wagon. Infiniti later dialed the cartoonishness of it back a few notches and started calling it the QX70. Now, the QX70 is going to take a little break, disappearing from the lineup for a few years while QX50 and QX80 redesigns are rolled out. The QX70 is sporty, with a 325-horsepower 3.7-liter V6. But it's an aging model and a bit of a slow seller - last year, Infiniti moved one-seventh as many QX70s as it did its kid-hauling cousin the QX60 - which seats more people (seven, to the QX70's five) and is less expensive. The QX70 was once popular like that, selling 30,964 as the FX in 2004. But that was long, long ago. Last year it sold 6,261. The QX70 nameplate is expected to be back in 2021 or 2022, in a redesign based on the Nissan Murano and built at Nissan's plant in Canton, Miss. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Infiniti QX70 Plants/Manufacturing Infiniti Crossover SUV redesign

Is your new-car warranty good at the race track?

We've all heard the horror stories. Your buddy knows a girl that was dating a guy whose best friend's brother once broke his brand-new, recently purchased performance car while making runs at a drag strip or laps at a track day, and the manufacturer wouldn't cover the repair under warranty. True story? Urban legend? Complete crap? Yes, no, maybe. One thing's for sure: Automotive warranties have always come with caveats. In 1908, an ad in the Trenton Evening Times clearly stated: "All Ford Cars Guaranteed for One Year." Although it changed over time, by 1925 the Ford New Car Guarantee only covered 90 days on material and 30 days on labor, and it clearly stated that that there was "No guarantee whatever on Fan Belts, Glass, Bulbs, Wiring, Transmission, Bands, Hose Connections, Commutator Shells, Rollers, Spark Plugs or Gaskets." Whether or not Ol' Henry would pay to fix your Model T if you broke it shaving a tenth off your lap time at the local board track seems to be lost to history. We're guessing no. But what about today? Do new-car warranties in 2017 cover cars when they are driven on race tracks? We researched the warranties of 14 auto brands to find out, and the answer is yes, no, maybe, depending on the brand, in some cases the model, and whether or not your car is modified from stock. Acura has been out of the high-performance car game for a number of years, but jumps back into the party in 2017 with its hybrid-powered $173,000 NSX supercar. And Acura's warranty, as well as Honda's, clearly states that it does not cover "the use of the vehicle in competition or racing events." View 33 Photos So we asked Sage Marie, Senior Manager of Public Relations for Honda and Acura. "If the car is stock, the warranty covers it on a track just as it does on the street. No question," he told us. "However, if the car is modified, say with slick tires or other components that would put higher stresses on the vehicle's parts and systems, then we would have to investigate the circumstances further." Marie went on to say the same would be true for any Acura model or Honda vehicle, including the new 2017 Honda Civic Si. This became a common theme. Chevrolet actually started this practice with the fifth-generation Camaro on the high-performance ZL1 and Z/28 models.

Nissan built a Skyline that you can almost live in

The Infiniti Q50 is pretty long in the tooth, but parent company Nissan is still trying to keep things interesting. In Japan it's sold as the Nissan Skyline, and a new concept based on the luxury sedan converts it into a space you could actually live in.  The cumbersomely named Nissan Skyline Contemporary Lifestyle Vehicle Concept adds a slew of convenience features that you should never use while driving. When parked, however, they turn your car into a little living room. For example, there's a little smartphone holder that folds out from the steering wheel so you can prop your screen up and watch a movie. If that's too small a viewing surface for you, the center infotainment touchscreen can be removed from its dashboard perch and used as a tablet. And if that's still too small for you, there's a screen mounted in the headliner above the rear seats. How do you watch a screen in that location? Glad you asked. The front seats, headrests, rear bench and passthrough to the trunk all lay flat in one uniform surface sleeping area. When lying down, the screen will be right above your head. And should you get cold, the driver's door panel pops open to reveal a blanket while the cupholder has a heating element to keep a beverage warm. On the flip side, should you get hot, a button on the inside B-pillar activates the air conditioning so you don't even have to sit up to access the climate control. While awake, you can avail yourself of multiple table surfaces located around the cabin. One folds out from the center console like on a business class airplane seat. A detachable sun visor also turns into a table. Then get a little work done by plugging in to either the 100-volt outlet in the passenger side mirror or an on-board portable battery. Obviously you wouldn't want to get your nice jacket wrinkled as you lounge in the car, so the grab handle above the door expands into a hanger wide enough to keep your coat uncreased. Other clever storage options include an umbrella compartment in the door sill, a bin located in the headrest, and a hands-free kick-activated locker below the rear bumper where a diffuser would reside. Perhaps most superfluous of all is a trash receptacle located in the driver's side mirror. You'd still have to empty it when full, but at least smelly garbage would be outside the car. Oh yeah, there's one final viewing surface, the largest of them all.