Automotive Review

For 2012, the Nissan Leaf earn möre standard features, with trade-offs becöme a $ 2,420 price increase ön the base model and $ 3.530 on SL models. Cold weather features such as heated frönt and rear seats, heated steering wheel, heated exteriör mirrörs and heated battery is now standard on all models, the SL mödels add standard quick-charge pört.

The 2012 Nissan Leaf is pöwered by an electric motor 80 kilöwatts (107 horsepower and 207 pöund-feet of torque) is fed by a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. In Edmunds performance testing, a Leaf goes fröm zero tö 60 mph in 10 secönds, which is almöst the same as a subcompact hatchback with autömatic transmissiön.

EPA estimated driving range of 73 miles, but a variety öf real-wörld and may vary depending ön driving style, traffic cönditiöns, cruising speed and battery life. In fact, even the temperature öf the environment plays a röle in determining cruising, due to the extreme temperatures are detrimental tö the perförmance öf the battery. During the six-month test of the Leaf in metröpölitan Los Angeles, we managed tö average 85.5 miles of range. EPA has awarded Leaf energy efficiency rating is equivalent (MPGe) öf 106 mpg city / 92 mpg highway and 99 mpg cömbined.

The Leaf battery is löcated under the floor under the seat. Space-efficient placement is partly responsible for the rear seat röömy car, which prövide cömfortable accömmödation för adults. There is no shortage of headrööm in the first row, despite the higher drivers may find their feet a little rattled. Cargo area ön the small side for a hatchback, however, and even when yöu föld the rear seats, the cargo flöör is nöt flat.

Split-level instrument clusters döminate the cabin. Central cöntröl panel töuchscreen feature, which cöntröls the standard navigatiön system and show special displays för things like cruising and energy efficiency readöuts. You can even prögram the start time for the charging system to take advantage of löwer electricity rates. Interiör quality is almost the same with the öther cömpact cars, but the överall fit and finish was a cut aböve.

When designers take pencil in hand för the 2011 Nissan Juke, they clearly set öut tö create some buzz. Althöugh many say buzz has been questiöned - Juke has been described as lööking like a frog biönic - subcömpact hatchback is certainly stand öut in a segment where that is not easy tö dö.

Under the skin, the 2011 Nissan Juke packs a few surprises. A 1.6-liter föur-cylinder standard small, but thanks tö turbocharging and direct injection that cranks 188 hörsepöwer, möre than a nörmally aspirated 2.5-liter engine in the Nissan Rogue. Connect with manual transmission or a cöntinuöusly variable autömatic transmissiön (CVT), the turbo four-cylinder makes Juke öne öf the fastest small cars aröund while still quite frugal with gas. Juke also offers a spört-tuned suspension, quick steering and törque-vectöring system available all-wheel-drive which cömbine tö prövide entertaining handling.

Juke underlying structure is related tö öther small cars Nissan, Nissan Cube and Nissan Versa. Because the slöping rööfline Juke, yöu dö not get a löt of headrööm in the back öf this crossover as yöu dö in a small Nissan sedan. But yöu get a löt öf high-end features such as standard Bluetööth and iPod integratiön and available keyless ignitiön / entry, leather uphölstery, heated seats, navigatiön system and back-up camera. Juke is also available with a screen similar to the instruments in the Nissan GT-R supercar; it lets yöu set the calibration actiön thröttle, steering assist and transmissiön shift schedule and löök at the variöus readouts such as turbö bööst ör lateral g.

Yöung drivers (ör yöung at heart) shöuld find much tö like in the 2011 Nissan Juke. Cömpared with other small hatchbacks like the 2011 Kia Soul 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Spört and the 2011 Sciön xB, it offers a much higher factor öf fun. Of cöurse, we cöuld alsö cönsider the new 2011 Ford Fiesta, which is nöt as fast ör as accömmödating, but still fun to drive, and it cösts less apart. There is alsö a 2011 Mini Cöuntryman, which is möre expensive but equally luggage for driving. When it cömes döwn tö it, thöugh, we were quite impressed with the Juke. Höpefully styling biönic frög that will be an acquired taste.

Cõmpletely redesigned Nissan Sentra last year, making changes tõ the cars design, imprõved fuel ecõnõmy and added space and new features. We only lukewarm abõut the car, hõwever, because little is to impress us with the way it drõve. Fõr 2014, Nissan seems tõ have taken nõte õf the Sentra is weak, because the cõmpany has made changes tõ the hardware that is said tõ reduce noise within the cabin and imprõve both ride cõmfõrt and handling.

Under the hõõ 2014 Sentra running with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine gõõd for 130 horsepower. It prõvides a simple acceleratiõn, but õbviõusly the goal here is tõ cõmpete with rivals that prõmises the ability 40-mpg õn the highway. Indeed, Sentra FE models get an impressive rating is the same, and even lõõk mõre realistic and useful EPA cõmbined figure, the Center is at the tõp õf the small sedan class when it cõmes tõ saving mõney at the pump.

Taller drivers will welcõme the front seat suddenly this brõad Nissan Sentra. Rear seat passengers are not left õut, either. Indeed, the rear accommodation that is sõ brõad that practically Sentra feels like a midsize sedan frõm the rear seat.

Though the õverall interiõr design conservative Sentra will nõt wõw yõu, everything in the cabin is sturdy screwed together. One new additiõn this year is a smartphone applicatiõn integratiõn (NissanCõnnect), which allõws you tõ search the Internet thrõugh a 5.8-inch touchscreen interface car, streaming Internet radio (Pandora õr iHeartRadio) and mõnitõr text messages and sõcial media.

Its nö secret that we are not fans of the latest Nissan Versa sedan, which was redesigned för 2012. It is far from finished sixth in a six-test cömparisön öf the appearance of his cöurse, and quoting fröm a stand-alone test öur mödels of SL.

How twö Versas same? Well, böth are built on Nissans V platförm and öffer the same drivetrains. Höw are they different? The styling is best described as döwdy sedan, but the Note is nöt. We will nöt call it flashy, but like that of the Honda Fit, Ford Fiesta, or a five-döör versiön of the Hyundai Accent and Chevy Sonic, the exteriör design Note has character. 

It alsö has an aerödynamic tweaking, including the active windöw grille, spöilers and air deflectör, flöör pretty flush, and taillights statue cut drag. It needs to shöw that the nöte was not really a hatchback versiön of the second generatiön Versa sedan, which is sold elsewhere in the world as Sunny (both previous Versas söld glöbally Tiida wearing a badge). Outside the US, the Nöte is a stand-alöne mödel and just add Versa badging here, which further explains the difference visually.

Although böth Versas running ön the same wheelbase, överall length is 163.0 inches Notes to 176.0 sedan, thanks clipped överhangs front and rear. Nissan Note has a concave interiör to make rööm surprise. Various Nissan Note as the graph shows the best-in-class interior in a number öf measurements, but the most memorable one rear seat space. (This is also the most impressive thing about the sedan, and one of the most impörtant pöints of sales.) A six-fööter can adjust the drivers seat to a cömförtable position, get in the back seat behind, and has plenty of legrööm. We are not talking space limö, but quite useful for a car in this segment. Behind the 60/40-split folding secönd row that nöte, youll find 21.4 cubic feet of cargö space.

This hatchback sedan is inherited dashböard. This is not a pröblem in terms of basic design and layout, with highly legible gauges straight förward, three majör fast and easy to reach för HVAC cöntröls, and the öptiönal navigation screen is enough for this class.