The Nissan Pathfinder has been one of the mainstays in the SUV category for many years, so we were looking forward to testing the 2012 Pathfinder LE 4X4. The Brilliant Silver exterior paint looked nice and clean when we first took the test model, but that changed quickly during January while driving in the Midwest.

Exterior
There is no mistaking a Pathfinder on the road with its iconic exterior design and the combination of the unique combination of sophistication and rugged go-anywhere looks. The angled strut-style grille with her large headlamps lets you know the Pathfinder is coming well in advance. Our test model included fog lights, dual-power heated side-view mirrors, chrome-surround mesh grille, roof rails with crossbars, side-running boards and splash guards. We agree with Nissan that “a sweeping hood hints at the power underneath, while Pathfinder’s broad shoulder line, large integrated fender flares covering purposeful wheel and tire combinations and distinctive C-pillar with high-mounted rear door handles reinforce the distinctive Pathfinder appearance.”

Read the full review.

When we added the Viper to our “20 Cars for 2012 List” piece, not much was known about the car. Not much needed to be known. It’s a Viper; that alone is worthy of anticipation. However, to satiate our need for a bit more information, Chrysler has given us a teaser image of the new snake’s face.

As you can tell, not much can be gleaned from this picture either. But, we do know that behind those glaring headlights will, probably, lie a larger V-10 engine. We also know that this Viper will be under the “SRT” brand, not Dodge. Finally, the Viper will have traction control for the first time ever, as mandated by federal law. Traction control aside, the Viper will probably keep its fangs and be just as raw a driving experience as ever. Expect more information and tortured snake puns as the Viper comes closer to being revealed.

This one has its funny moments, though some of the Jerry Seinfeld jokes fall flat. The Soup Nazi appearance was cool and Jay Leno is funny at the end. The Acura NSX looks incredible!

Little was known about the sub-Boxster model Porsche was planning to produce. Some, like myself, saw it as a successor to Porsche’s 550 Spyder and 356. Others pointed to the parts sharing between Porsche, VW, and Audi, and saw the car as a successor to the dreadful 914. We may never know how good it may or may not have been however, since reports out of Germany say that Porsche is stalling its development.

Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller sat down with German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche to discuss the automaker’s future. When pressed about the 550 successor he stated, “Possibly we need to wait until the next generation of customers before the idea of a small roadster will work for Porsche,” and that it would “dilute the brand image.” This reason is complete nonsense. He might have well said, “These are not the droids you are looking for.”

This statement is a smokescreen for Porsche’s true intentions. Porsche does not care about “brand image,” it cares about profits. Their history and brand image is only a means to squeeze out profit, not an inspirational launching point for new products as they would like you to believe. They are leveraging this pedigree in every way possible to reach 200,000 sales by 2014. Their sales numbers are a window to this strategy.

In a report by freelance analyst Timothy Cain, he shows that Cayenne sales alone account for 44.7 percent of total sales volume. The Panamera accounts for 24%. 68.7% of Porsche -a brand that touts its sporting image like a tween on Facebook with a new fake tan picture- makes their money selling SUVs and 4-door sedans to badge snobs. The 911 only sells 20% of their volume and is only around to salvage Porsche’s sporting history. Tellingly, the Boxster and Cayman account for 5% of sales.

As you can see, sports cars don’t sell in volumes for Porsche. This sub-Boxster would therefore not be very profitable, or sell in high volumes. However, they can’t just come out and say, “We are killing this sports car because it won’t make us richer.” No, that would tarnish “the aura” that Porsche has built up to sell products outside their traditional offerings. Instead, they do marketing gymnastics to show that a cheaper sports car will dilute the essence that is Porsche.

Now, Porsche is the pious protector of their own legacy. Look, they are killing off a product that goes against their sporting history. Look again, here’s a sepia toned motorsports video that shows the legacy that this small, sports car will supposedly tarnish. The horror. Thank Ferdinand that Porsche has the determination to stand up for the brand’s purity.

Now, look again, here’s a small SUV that will be made instead of a small sports car. This small SUV is the Cajun, and Muller goes on to state in the same interview that Porsche aims to sell 50,000 of them. The Cajun is a small crossover based off other VW and Audi products, like the Cayenne before it. What? You don’t remember seeing the footage of small SUVs racing in LeMans? You’re memory must be fuzzy, here’s a branded Tag Heuer to remind you how authentic we were back in the ’60s.

Of course, Porsche could not afford to offer only sports cars. Many know that Porsche was in dire financial straits without the Cayenne, and without it, may not be able to produce the crazy 911 variants they do make. However, Porsche has another thing coming if they think they can say they are protecting the brand by offering small SUV’s instead of sports cars. Be honest Porsche, you care about the money. Now if only there was a way to kill off that 911 and offer something that will really showcase Porsche’s brand history. Can the Cayenne be turned into a coupe easily?

In a leak on Twitter by Toyota’s PR rep Scott Brownlee, Dashboard has our first look at Toyota’s re-entry into LeMans competition. Yes, re-entry. Toyota has raced the 24hr long race before in the early 1990′s with modest success, but the program only lasted a few years. Last October, Toyota announced that they are planning to race at LeMans once again, but until now details have been slim.

For their second try at the race, Toyota is bringing a hybrid-equipped race car to fight against Audi’s incredibly successful, diesel powered R18. We can’t tell much from the leak other than that the car looks competition ready, but hard facts on power weight, and engine specs (the stuff that wins races) is yet to be released. The green flag has a whole new meaning now that two environmentally friendly challengers are in the race.

It was a matter of time before Chrysler re-entered the commercial van market in North America and now we know what’s coming. Starting in 2013 Chrysler’s Ram division will produce a version of Fiat’s Ducato Van to square off with Ford and GM’s commercial vans. This could be a real player in that segment but time will tell.

From Auto News.com:

Chrysler Group plans to add a large expansion to its current facilities in Saltillo, Mexico, to assemble a Ram-branded version of the Fiat Ducato commercial van for North America.

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler Group, said this week at the Detroit auto show that the expansion of the Saltillo plant would make it “the center for production of light-commercial vehicles in North America for us.”

A Chrysler spokesman would not confirm the size of the investment, but company sources said it was expected to be about $500 million. Chrysler already operates a truck assembly plant, a stamping plant and two engine plants in Saltillo, about 180 miles southwest of Laredo, Texas.

Marchionne said the front-wheel-drive full-sized commercial van shares a platform with the Peugeot Boxer in Europe.

Read the full article.

Alongside the 911, it was easy to forget that the Porsche Boxster is also due for a refresh. Porsche has not forgotten about its enty-level sports car, though, and has delivered a brand new Boxster that is wider, lighter, and more powerful.

The 2013 Boxster can be distinguished at a glance by its newly refined exterior and interior. The exterior sports some flamboyant side scoops, new lights similar in shape to the 918 supercar concept, and an overall tightening of its appearance. The interior sports q center console inspired by the Panamera and better materials. Also, the car is slightly widened to increase interior volume. This redesign bodes especially well for the new Cayman as well since the Cayman is basically a Boxster with a roof.

On the mechanical side, the non-S Boxster get a horsepower bump to 265hp and the S models get an increase to 315hp. Both models recieve either a 6 speed manual transmission or a 7 speed PDK option. Weight has also been dropped by 77lbs.

Lighter, leaner, and meaner, the new Porsche Boxster sets its sights on driving out from under the 911′s shadow.

Not all luxury cars and SUV’s are built alike, and after spending some quality time in a 2012 Infiniti FX50 AWD S, you know you are driving something special.

Exterior
The revised front grille and fascia design for 2012 is the topper for an already very impressive looking vehicle. Our test model looked sleek and elegant in moonlight white paint and sports car-like 21 inch 6 spoke alloy aluminum wheels. The FX50 S was already loaded before you add in the sport package. Some of the notable exterior features included a new grille design, double wave hood, strong front-to-rear shoulder line, integrated rear spoiler, power sliding moonroof, standard automatic on/off High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-functional xenon headlights and integrated front fog lights, aerodynamically designed rear LED taillights, Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) with auto-leveling headlights, distinctive functional side air vents which reduce front end lift by five percent, lightweight aluminum-alloy hood and doors, standard power rear lift gate, chrome window moldings and door handles, available aluminum roof rails, power folding, heated outside mirrors with courtesy lights and available reverse tilt-down feature, and dual outlet exhaust with chrome tailpipe finishers. The overall look of the 2012 Infiniti FX50 AWD S is basically a blend of high performance design and luxury that can put a smile on many discerning persons.

Read the full review.

One of the big push for carmakers in recent years has been in-vehicle entertainment. Having a video player in the back seat so kids could watch movies has become a critical component of cars and minivans aimed at families.

But now with the explosion of gadgets like smartphones and tablet computers, you wonder whether in-car wi-fi will become even more important in the coming years.

Even younger kids now expect gadgets like the iPod touch, and many families will now have multiple tablet computers. The iPad is still a huge hit, and now you have newer and cheaper entries like the Amazon Kindle. So instead of having the kids fight over which movie to play in the back seat, each kid can entertain themselves with their own movie or TV show. This is particularly true as kids get older.

But it’s not limited to kids. Guys love to play poker and some women love things like bingo. So if you have wi-fi in the car, your son can be playing online chess or poker with friends while your wife is playing online bingo. You daughter meanwhile might be streaming a vampire movie on Netflix. Anything is possible.

Of course this raises safety issues as well, as we need to make sure drivers don’t participate! That’s where Pandora comes in handy . . .

Cadillac is poised to announce the all new ATS which debuts a new 3.6-liter V6, a 2.5-liter four cylinder, and a new-generation 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec four that can reach 270 horsepower. That is really impressive for a 2.0 4 cylinder and I have a feeling that the 2.0T is going to be a popular choice with Cadillac customers.

From AutoGuide.com:

While a relaxed, naturally aspirated V6 and a fuel efficient inline-four comes as no surprise, the new 2.0 turbo caught our attention. The high-performance, direct-injection 2.0 turbo is tuned to produce 270-hp. Translating to 135-hp/liter, GM boasts that its power dense engine has greater horsepower per liter than the BMW M3, Porsche 911 GTS, or Lamborghini Aventador (although these are all lack forced induction). Most importantly, the turbo 4-cylinder ATS packs 30-hp more than the turbo 4-cylinder found in the 2012 BMW 328i.

GM powertrain officials noted that the 2.0T Ecotec found in the ATS is 95 percent brand new compared to the 2.0T found in the Buick Regal GS. The new 2.0T features direct-injection, four-valves/cylinder with continuously variable valve timing, twin-scroll turbocharger with air-to-air intercooler, forged steel crankshaft with modular balance shaft system, and a two-stage variable displacement oil pump with jet-spray piston cooling.

From Media.GM.com:

“This engine is the perfect match for the new ATS, which will be a refined performance luxury sedan,” said Don Butler, Cadillac vice president of Global Marketing. “The 2.0T has an exceptionally smooth and responsive power curve that will make the ATS nimble, quick and fun to drive.”

The new 2.0T highlights a broad engine lineup that will power the ATS which is slated to begin production next summer. Cadillac will also offer a normally aspirated 2.5L four cylinder engine and a 3.6L V-6 engine in the ATS.

The 2.0T builds on the advanced-technology heritage of previous GM turbo engines with features that enhance efficiency, durability and refinement.