2013 Nissan Pathfinder

The new 2013 Pathfinder is not the typical SUV anymore. The Pathfinder will have a VQ-series 3.5 liter V-6 under its hood. It is being built off the same assembly line in Tennessee right next to the higher end vehicles, almost the same as Infiniti JX35.

The Pathfinder has the same 114.2 inch wheelbase as the Infiniti JX35, and also has the same height as the JX35. So really, it almost shares everything the JX35 has except for the badge. Both cars as you can guess also shares the same VQ35DE V-6 which the Nissan says pushes out 260 horsepower on 87 Gas, while the Infiniti says it pushes 265 if running on 91. So just because your car has a Infiniti badge doesn't mean you can't afford that extra 20c a gallon.

But a good thing about Nissan is that you do get a choice of front wheel drive or all four wheels. So when you are feeling crazy and just want to get away from that JX35 tailgating you, just hit that 4x4 and lose him in the trails.

You will have four different Pathfinders to chose from, the bottom of the line S, the a little better SV, the very comfortable SL, and the top of the line Platinum. Platinum is what you would want to aim for because it has all the bells and whistles you can wish for. Some but not all includes an Around view monitor system to view a 360 degree of the outside, eight cup holders, and some nice 20’ in rims with all season tires.


The Pathfinder gets a nice 20 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. It is able to tow a maximum of 5000 pounds. The Pathfinder has come a long way since its first debut in 1986, which was just a pickup with a hard shell. Now it is filled with leather and cameras all around the car. The Base price starts at $29,095 0-60 in 7.7 seconds with a top speed of 120.  

2013 Mercedes GL350 BlueTec 4MATIC

The second generation GL is here with nice facelift. Mercedes also updated the equipment in the inside also. I don't know if I like the big headlights it just looks kind of like a cartoon. One thing I really do like is the black painted roof it now has. I have seen it on some E-Class and it looks good but I can't say who copied who? Did BMW come out with it first or the Benz? But I know for a fact that Audi came out with the LED's then Benz came out with their LED running daylights.

Anyways, the gas version GL has a twin-turbo V-8 with 550 hp! The 2013 BlueTec diesel only has a V-6 with a okay 240 hp but, it has 455 pounds of torque! The diesel is very quick though, you can't even hear it when you are out on the road. With this diesel you can tow up to 7,500 pounds with the optional $550 trailer hitch.

 The GL will get up to 60 in 7.5 sec and finishes the quarter mile in 15.8 sec. Top speed will be governed at 131 mph. At $5 a gallon for gas you wouldn't want to be going that fast anyways but you will get 19/26 which is not bad so 22 mpg averaged. It  has a 26 gallon tank so that is about $130 to fill up, but you will get about 600 miles a fill up.

 All the 2013 GL models will still have a seven speed automatic and standard all wheel drive. It seats a nice comfortable seven people. The back seats do fold down with a one touch power folding which would cost $400. You can keep your passengers happy with the rear seat entertainment package with dual DVD screens.




The GL has a bunch of additions you can add on too, $3,500 Premium package, $2,900 anti roll bars, $2,800 driver assistance package, $1,450 three zone climate control, $1,290 adaptive xenon headlights, $1,290 parking assistance system, $1,100 for multi contour front seats with massage, and $1,090 panoramic moonroof. They still have way more too offer if that wasn't enough for you guys. But the GL350 starts at $63,305, without any packages. Overall a very nice car.
pictures and info credited to www.caranddriver.com 

2014 Tahoe / Yukon

                              What is it? A Ford? Actually this could be either the next generation Chevrolet Tahoe or GMC Yukon. For those who think this might be an Expedition, well it's not. That is because this prototype was spied with a Expedition as well as a Toyota Sequoia.

                            The Tahoe and Yukon will be on a new platform supposedly called GMT1000. Which means that this car might shave off as much as 500 pounds. High strength steel is the overall structure that plays a big role in the lost weight. 

                              There will be a all new V-8 with all aluminum construction, direst injection and, variable valve timing. Mileage should improve a little bit since it is lighter now. The new 2014 Tahoe and Yukon should be debuting around 2013, and will be asking somewhere along the lines of $40,000.

Pictures and Info credited to www.caranddriver.com

What is the cost of ownership for an expensive SUV?

Wouldn't we all love to own a Ranger Rover? We all know in today's society, the car you own represents a sign of status symbol. When you're watching those reality shows on TV, all the Beverly Hill's wives drive a nice blacked out Range Rover. For many upper middle class, they try their best to mimic them. It's not so hard to imagine them going out to the dealership with their wives looking at all the beautiful selections of  high-end luxury vehicles, including Range Rovers. So imagine this; for your beautiful wife you decide to buy her a brand new car of her choice. Soon a nice man walks out in an  astonishing Armani suit greeting you, offering a cold beverage. Before going to take a walk around the lot, the nicely suited sales person will create small talks trying to make you feel comfortable. After several more small talks and couple sips of the cold beverage the sales man offered, the awaited show around the Range Rover begins.
     Of course, what I am about to say about this car is solely my opinion. Anyways, so you take a glance at the price and you see $63,000 as the base price. You are now thinking in your head, "Man, I can't even imagine all the upgrades my wife is going to want. Does she really need the Climate comfort package ($1,500), Luxury package($4,700), Vision assist pack($1,200), wood trim($350)?! At those prices she does not need any of that!" In reality Range Rover does not sell any car without a package. Now your wife is convinced she wants the Range Rover. Great, you just walked out of the dealership $80,000 poorer. 

     You just brought a brand new car, you should  not need to go back to the dealership for a long time until your first oil change right... You are wrong!! Range Rovers are the most notorious for being unreliable. You will be back at the dealership in a heartbeat for issues you have never even heard of. You are going to take your brand new Range Rover to the dealership and they are going to tell you your EAS (electronic air suspension) has gone bad. What is an EAS?! Well that has to do with your ride height, when you are in sport mode you want your car to be lower so the EAS lowers it for you. When its time to climb some mountains you want the most clearance as possible so you put it on its highest setting.

     The funny part about the Range Rovers EAS going out is that Range Rover's best selling point of the car! So how much is that going to cost you if it does go out? $500 each, Hopefully you will have a warranty on this car. Climate Control, I would be so mad if my A/C went out during a hot day. Well guess what? If you own a Range Rover the chances of you sitting in LA traffic without A/C is highly likely.

    Driving on some rocky mountains that might be the place where you break your oil pan, correct? Nope, just with daily driving you can still get oil leaks! I really would not want to take a Range Rover on any mountain runs now. Another common failure is overheating. Paying over $80,000 for a car and running across all this issues is not cool.

So if you are planning on buying a Range Rover, please look at your bank account and make sure in the "Service Car" account you have saved up another $5,000 or so just for the first year. You can roll deep just like the Beverly Hills mom's just make sure your pockets are just as deep though!

Info credited to  http://www.amug.org/~jthomas/for.html
Pictures credited to www.caranddriver.com

2013 Land Rover Range Rover

This December the new 2013 Range Rover will be out and with some improvements. It will be much lighter than the old Range Rover, and also will have much better fuel economy. The Range Rover should be 926 pounds lighter! "How?" you may ask, well this lighter weight has a lot to do with the new all aluminum chassis.

 

For those Ranger Rover owners who want to go 'Green' should be proud: 75% of the aluminum is recycled. The vehicle's bodyside is pressed in a single panel to reduce the amount of joints which means improved body integrity. This new body is so aerodynamic that it improves air flow by 10%.

 

You will get a standard eight speed automatic with your choice of either a 375-hp 5.0 liter V-8 or a 510-hp supercharged unit in the higher trim level. 0-60 time is pretty impressive coming in at 6.5 and 5.1 on the supercharged. So guys you know what that means, you need the supercharged ones just so you can keep up with the other big boys out there.

 

New system adds a Park Assist ability, which means you don't ever have to parallel park the car again! There are other luxury features on this car, like the rear where you get an extra 4.7' compared to the old Range Rover. 29 that is how many speakers you will get in this car, with that you also get a surround camera system so you'll always know what is around you. 

 

 The British still retained the Range Rovers main use; rock climbing. A new redesigned air suspension and an intelligent four wheel drive system will get you around anything. The four wheel drive system with all for a 50/50 torque split.

 

 Some figures for this master piece. The standard HSE around $60,045 and the Supercharged $75,654.

Now that may sound like a lot of money, but compared to other cars which these features this is a really good deal, if you ask me.

Info and Pictures Credited to www.motortrend.com

 

RX 350 F Sport

The RX now has a F Sport package. What does that mean? Well to start off the regular RX is just a crossover right? or is it a SUV? My personal opinion its a crossover, not tall enough to be a SUV. The new RX is actually built on a ES platform. I think it looks not bad for an RX F. The RX has been around for many years now and we know that its one of the best selling crossovers out there. Just look back a few years when the Audi commercial released the new Q5 they were practically saying the RX is the top seller out on the market because every mom has one, so they were trying to tell you to be different and buy the Q5 so you can stand out in the crowd and be a trend setter. Also what we know about this car is the stereotypes that goes along driving it. Like #1 your a woman, #2 your a soccer mom, #3 probably a stay at home mom, #4 your a mom who has kids #5 you just don't see a guy driving it!! That is what Lexus wants to change. That is why Lexus has now made an RX F! It's for all you Husbands and Fathers out there. Now when you want to take your Beloved other to the Lexus dealer ship you wont really have to push her towards the GS or the SC you can be semi happy with driving the RX F around. But what makes it an F? Is it just a badged up RX with cool emblems all over it? It's surprisingly not, they have actually done some mods to it. On a standard RX you only get a six speed automatic, on the F you get an eight speed automatic with paddle shifters! All enthusiasts favorite flappy paddles... You also get all wheel drive instead of the normal front wheel drive. In the F package you get all upgrades on a regular RX like the Premium and Comfort packages as standard package (Moon roof, HID's, heated seats, ect...). Also you get F Sport suspension with rear performance dampers. That is really all the upgrades you get on the F version. How is the drive though... not so well, its a very bumpy ride and not smooth like a Lexus should be. Under the hood you will have a 3.5L V6 pushing 270hp with 248 torque. 0-60 in about 7.7 Seconds with a cap of 112 mph gas is 18 City / 26 HWY and you can get all this for $47,000 (base). (I still wont recommend you taking this on a canyon run or trying to run the ///M X5) Is this the Q5, X5 or, ML killer? Not quite yet.

Pictures credited to www.autoblog.com