The mid-sized sedan market is the most competitive segment in the auto industry with 2 million vehicles sold per year, and Nissan has ridden the popularity of the Altima to second place in the annual sales war. We were invited out to Nashville to test drive the next generation Altima that will go on sale this summer. With a fresh new look and 38 MPG on the highway, the new Altima should do just fine in this segment. This is the first of five all-new models that Nissan will be introducing in the next 15 month, representing 70% of the company’s sales.
Exterior
The new redesign is striking and will definitely grab your attention. Nissan is phasing in a new front grille that began last year with the new Versa, but the grille on the new Altima is much more stylish, with the curved edges that takes some cues from Nissan’s Infiniti line of luxury cars. With the wrap-around headlights and the new grille, the Altima features a more aggressive front end, which is then matched by an equally stylish rear end with its LED taillights. The new Altima looks great from all angles and should compete well with the flood of new vehicles in this segment.
Interior
Nissan’s designers worked on making the interior more comfortable, with more soft padding on the doors and the new NASA-inspired “zero gravity” seats. Research by NASA on a natural, stress-free posture measured in zero-gravity influenced the design of the new seats, with the goal being an increase in blood flow, decreased muscular load and lower fatigue. I can’t speak to those specifics but the seats were certainly comfortable during our drive. The overall feel of the interior was modern and comfortable.
If you choose a leather interior, you’ll find perforated leather and a woven headliner along with a leather steering wheel that feels very comfortable to the touch. It definitely creates the upscale feel Nissan was shooting for. It feels like you’re cruising in a luxury sedan when you try the decked out model with the V6. The new Altima is also very quiet with a significant noise reduction from the previous model.
The technology package offers some nice features including NissanConnect, 7” Touchscreen, Navigation, Google POI, Google Send-to-Car and Blind Spot Warning. It also includes two new firsts for this segment – Lane Departure Warning and Moving Object Detection.
Performance
I had the opportunity to drive both the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder version and 3.5-liter V6. The next generation CVT (continuously variable transmission) worked fine in both models. The CVT has been improved with 70% of its parts redesigned, an expanded gear ratio, 40% friction reduction and improved control logic. The result was seamless acceleration and a more natural feel in CVT mode. Still, I liked how the Sport mode simulated the gear shifting sensation we’re used to from traditional automatic transmissions, and naturally it also provided more acceleration. I also liked how the Sport mode option is conveniently placed right after the “Drive” slot on the center console. You don’t have to search around for it and shifting in and out of that mode is very easy. But acceleration is fine in the standard CVT mode as well and this is where you’ll get the best gas mileage.
The Altima boasts 38 MPG on the highway with the base 4-cylinder which is best in class and should be a big selling point. Weight reduction was an important factor with greater use of ultra high strength steel and aluminum. With a 79 lb weight reduction Altima has the lowest weight in the segment.
The overall driving experience was very impressive. I’m partial to cars with some power so I loved the V6, but the base model also performed well.
Overview
This is an excellent vehicle that should continue to be a hit in this segment. The styling is impressive and should appeal to both men and women, and both the base engine and the V6 offer solid performance. The base model starts at $21,500 with the excellent gas mileage, and 3.5SL with the v6 and all of the options tops out at over $31,500. With the decked out V6, you start to rival the perks of a luxury sedan for a much lower price, particularly with the new technology package.
The crossover market is exploding, and CUVs with three rows are getting more popular as buyers with families look for options that can fit the kids and more adults.
We first saw Infiniti’s planned entry in this segment last year when they unveiled the all-new Infiniti JX concept at the Concours D’Elegance at Pebble Beach. We were impressed then with the look of this all-new vehicle, and last week we had the opportunity to drive it at the Infiniti drive event in picturesque Charleston, South Carolina.
The new JX is targeting buyers with kids who don’t want to sacrifice luxury and style, filling a gap in Infiniti’s crossover and SUV portfolio. The designers also emphasized space and flexibility in the interior along with cutting edge safety features.
Exterior
The exterior of the JX looks sleek and stylish and is consistent with the design language we’ve come to expect from Infiniti, including the distinctive LED tail lamps. It’s a far cry from some of the boxier or bulkier vehicles from competitors that sport three rows. One new feature that we’ll be seeing more of is the crescent shaped rear side window which adds a nice touch to the vehicle. Overall, the look is a real winner that should be a huge hit with the target market.
Interior
Infiniti engineers focused on space and flexibility with the interior, with particular emphasis on easy access to the third row seats. They created a mechanism that lets the second row seat tilt in a manner to provide the most space, and another to allow users to tilt the seat even when a car seat is strapped in (without the baby of course!). Not having to remove the car seat is a significant convenience for many parents, and adults can easily get in and out of the third row, so grandma will happily jump in the back with the kids. Third row air conditioning was also added, along with two DVD monitors for second row passengers. Throw in Bose technology with the speaker system and you have a luxurious experience for the entire family.
The technology packages are impressive, and the My Schedule feature lets you coordinate your Google Calendar with the map and other functions in the vehicle. So you can set an appointment on your PC calendar and then just instruct the vehicle to “map it” once you get inside. Very convenient! This should be even better once they come up with an app to coordinate all of this.
Performance
The new JX was not engineered to be a performance vehicle, but rather was built for the target market with sufficient and competitive horsepower. I had the chance to push the vehicle at higher speeds and it performed just fine with solid acceleration and solid handling. Moms and dads driving the car certainly won’t have any complaints.
It’s in the safety area where Infiniti has come up with some impressive innovations that will certainly please the target customers. The Backup Collision Intervention is something you’ll be seeing in the commercials for this vehicle. Basically, if you’re backing up at low speeds, the sensors will pick up something behind you or an approaching vehicle and stop the car for you even before you notice the hazard on you rear view camera. I had the opportunity to test it and it worked great. The key is that the driver is going no faster than five miles per hour backing up, but this should do if for most backup situation in the driveway or in a parking lot. Another helpful feature lets alerts the driver if someone or something is right next to the vehicle.
Overview
Infiniti has nailed this one and it should do very well in this segment. The JX is an impressive vehicle and it has all the luxuries buyers will want, and some they didn’t realize they need.
Ever since we profiled the new Lamborghini Aventador when it was introduced last year, we’ve been looking forward to the opportunity to photograph this incredible supercar. Thanks to Jose Morazan and Lamborghini Palm Beach, we had the opportunity to shoot a white 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 in an ideal setting in an airplane hangar with a Gulfstream G4 in the background. We were able to produce some amazing photos as you can see in the slideshow above, highlighting the fighter jet styling of Lamborghini’s successor to the Murcielago.
Heralded by the automotive press as the near second coming itself, this uber-exotic from the marquee that invented the term “supercar” once again delivers spot on. The Aventador boasts neck snapping 700 horsepower to all four wheels and hits 0-60 mph in under 3 seconds! It features world class suspension and body design dynamics, with moving carbon fiber air intakes and spoilers, all activated via on-board processors that analyze speed, road conditions and braking parameters within the driver-requested handling/performance program.
As you can see from the photos, the design of the Aventador is another leap forward for Lamborghini while also finding inspiration from the legendary Miura. It’s a stunning achievement for Lamborghini, as the Aventador is beautiful from every angle.
We had the unique opportunity to photograph the Aventador in a private hangar in West Palm Beach courtesy of IGT Enterprises with the charter company’s Gulfstream G4 in the background. IGT Enterprises President Tomas Bueno helped is position the G4 in the perfect spot to capture the best photos and perfectly compliment the Aventador. Lamborghini Palm Beach also supplied a black 2011 Gallardo 550-2 that Paul positioned in the background to compliment the shoot.
Finally, we had our new Featured Model, Katelin Dane, on hand to add the final touch. As you can see from the photo below and many of the photos in the slideshow above, there’s nothing like a beautiful women to compliment a design marvel like the new Aventador.
Special thanks is in order for our friends who helped make this shoot possible. Jose Morazan, General Manager at Lamborghini Palm Beach was kind enough to bring out the Aventador after inviting us to attend the drive event we featured last week. Lamborghini Palm Beach is the ultimate resource for anyone looking for new Lambos or used exotic cars! Contact Jose and he will take care of you.
Tomas Bueno was the ideal host as he opened up his airplane hangar and helped create the perfect setting. IGT Enterprises has the G4 pictured here along with other aircraft for the ultimate luxury experience for anyone looking to charter private jets. IGT Enterprises was formed by aviation professionals for the purpose of providing a higher level of service to the business aviation community, specifically to owner, operators, and users of business class aircraft. They help you identify your particular needs and develop a program suited to those needs.
Finally, we’d like to thank Byron Douglas and Trent Martinez from Exotic Composites for helping us coordinate this shoot. Look for upcoming stories on Bullz-Eye featuring the high-end products they offer for exotic cars like Lamborghini.
When you travel to England, you expect to find some beautiful blondes, and we struck gold when we had the chance to photograph Gemma and Lucy on a trip to England back in 2007. If you follow their links you can see that they both were featured in Girl Next Door features here on Bullz-Eye.com, and they both look amazing in their bikinis, lingerie and other sexy outfits.
As you can see we were able to photograph the two of them together in various outfits and sets, and the beautiful red car is a Ferrari. Naturally we all love girls and cars.
After the holidays it will be a great time to travel to England if you’re fine with the colder weather so check out flights if you want to schedule a trip. If you’re traveling to Great Britain, we can assure you that you will see many lovely ladies like Gemma and Lucy. The women there are very fun and incredibly polite. Just treat them well!
