2011 Nissan Rogue S Awd Factory Warranty on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

Are you the next Nissan Frontier?

A reader of the Phillippine site Autoindustriya.com sent in what appear to be naked spy photos of the pickup that Nissan recently teased first in photo then in video. The shots, one taken from the front and one from the back, have been found on the Nissan Navara Club Thailand forum. The details in the two photos, one from the front and one from the back, match up with the details we can make out from the teaser video, lending credence to the idea that this is indeed the next Nissan Navara, which is essentially the Frontier in overseas markets. Nissan US has reportedly disavowed this as our next Frontier, though; the mysterious photo on Twitter was put there by Nissan Thailand, supposedly the location of these two trucks.
The only other detail submitted with the images is that there's a 2.5-liter turbodiesel under the hood putting out 187 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, running through either a seven-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual. The reveal is scheduled for June 11, which is when we should know a lot more about the Navara and how much it is or isn't indicative of what we'll get with the next Frontier, a vehicle we're still not expecting for some time.

2013 Nissan NV200 hauls itself into McCormick Place

Nissan has already announced that its NV200 will be New York City's Taxi of Tomorrow, but now small businesses can also take advantage of the compact commercial van when it goes on sale this April. Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, the Nissan NV200 bound for North America has been stretched by almost eight inches compared to the same van that has been on sale in other global markets since 2009. The 2013 Nissan NV200 will be built in Cuernavaca, Mexico and sold at select Nissan dealerships with a starting price of $19,990 (*excluding the $845 destination charge).
At that price, the NV200 costs thousands less than lead competitors like the Ford Transit Connect and the Ram C/V Tradesman, although it does deliver less cargo volume than both as well. Despite its longer body, the NV200's 122.7 cubic feet of volume comes in just under the 129.6 cu-ft for the Ford and well under the Ram's 155.5 cu-ft cargo capacity. The split rear doors and dual side sliding side doors will give plenty of access to the NV200's cargo area, however, and Nissan says the van is wide enough to accommodate a standard pallet.
The NV200 was designed as much to be a mobile office as it is a hauler, so Nissan made the cabin as such. The passenger seat back can fold down creating a flat space for a laptop, and the center console has been specifically designed for hanging file folders. The base NV200S includes power windows, a two-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system and a 12-volt power outlet, while the NV200 SV (starting at $20,980) adds features such as cruise control, six floor-mounted cargo tie downs, power mirrors and door locks and remote keyless entry. Options include the $950 Technology Package (available on SV only and adds navigation, backup camera and satellite radio), $250 for Bluetooth and $190 for glass added to the rear cargo doors.