2000 Nissan Xterra 1own Low 60k Miles Pathfinder Frontier Armada on 2040-cars

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Best and worst car brands of 2022 according to Consumer Reports

It's that time again, Consumer Reports this morning lifting the curtain on its 2022 Annual Car Brand rankings and its 10 Top Picks in the car, crossover, and truck category. Drumroll, please: This year, Subaru climbs two spots to claim the winner's circle, having come third the last two years. Last year, Mazda climbed three spots from 2020 to take the crown. This year, Mazda slipped to second, BMW taking the last spot on the podium, also a one-spot drop from 2021. Six automakers in the top 10 hailed from Japan, which is one more than last year, and five luxury makers occupied the top 10, which is two more than last year. And South Korean representation didn't crack the top this year, after Hyundai managed tenth last year. The seven makes after BMW are: Honda, Lexus, Audi, Porsche, Mini, Toyota, and Infiniti.  The magazine and testing concern says its Brand Report Card "[reveals] which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on CR’s independent testing and member surveys," and that "Brands that rise to the top tend to have the most consistent performance across their model lineups." The domestics also took steps back among the 32 OEMs ranked on the 2022 card. Chrysler and Buick were the domestic carmakers who made last year's top 10 in eighth and ninth, respectively. This year, Buick dropped to eleventh, Chrysler to thirteenth. Dodge went from fourteenth to sixteenth. CR continues to ding Tesla's yoke steerer, the not-exactly-natural handhold responsible for the electric carmaker going from sixteenth last year to twenty-third this year.

Nissan Juke Nismo RS reveal confirmed by LA Auto Show

With the LA Auto Show a little more than a month away, we're getting a good idea of which cars we'll be seeing there. Show organizers have issued a press release that names numerous debuts we've heard about already, and one that caught our eye as brand new: the Nissan Juke Nismo RS.
We first heard about the Juke Nismo RS last year, and reported news of track-focused handling upgrades as well as a boost in power to the tune of 270 horsepower - an increase of 73 hp over a standard Juke. There is still no definitive word as to what else the will come with the Nismo RS package.
In addition to the Juke, we hear that the Nismo brand will also help unveil a new concept vehicle for Nissan on the LA stage.

Nissan expands, shrinks Leaf recall for missing weld points

Chalk this one up to the quirks of the English language. The other day, we had a post on the recall of a small number of 2014 Nissan Leaf EVs that were missing weld spots. The official bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that "any vehicle missing welds will be replaced, free of charge." We read that as saying that the welds would be replaced, but in fact it's the cars themselves that will be swapped out. NHTSA said that 211 Leafs were potentially involved in this recall, but we heard from Brian Brockman, Nissan's senior manager of corporate communications, that Nissan is actually looking at, "approximately 276" vehicles. More importantly, Brockman clarified that, "If a vehicle is found to be missing the welds, the entire vehicle will be replaced." NHTSA documents on Inside EVs show that Nissan expects just 0.65 percent of those Leafs will need to be replaced. Brockman wouldn't say exactly how many cars Nissan thinks are affected, but 0.65 percent of 276 is just 1.8 vehicles. Brockman did say that, "you'd be correct to say that we expect the number to be very low." Read Nissan's full statement below. Nissan is conducting a Voluntary Recall Campaign on approximately 276 MY2014 LEAF vehicles to inspect the front member assembly welds. Due to an isolated supplier process error that has been corrected, a small number of vehicles within a subset of MY2014 LEAF vehicles manufactured during a two-week period may have front frame member assembly components that were not welded to proper specification. This can affect crash performance. Within the next few weeks, affected LEAF owners will be asked to bring their vehicle to a certified Nissan LEAF dealer for an inspection. If the vehicle is determined to be affected, Nissan will provide owners with a brand new replacement vehicle at no additional cost. A loaner vehicle will be provided during the vehicle exchange process. It is anticipated that only a handful of retailed vehicles are affected by the weld issue and require vehicle replacement. Nissan is committed to a high level of customer service and satisfaction and is working with its dealers to provide an outstanding ownership experience to Nissan LEAF owners.