Driving Sports

Endura-Tech now shipping 350z coilovers

I recently had the pleasure to drive a Nissan NISMO 350z at Laguna Seca Raceway. What a world of difference a little suspension tuning does for the Z. Now, our good friends at Endura-Tech have a new coilover for Z owners who want a little more than what the factory setup offers.

I've personally run Endura-Tech units on both my track Subaru 2.5RS and my highly-modded Subaru Legacy GT street car and can recommend them very highly. Quality products and an intelligent approach to each and every application. Enough gushing from me, read the short PR after the jump for more details.

Western Automotive Journalists Gather For "Media Days" At Laguna Seca

The Western Automotive Journalists organization gathered this week in beautiful Monterey, Calif. to test drive the 2008 sports and luxury car field from virtually every automaker doing business in North America. Journalists from up and down the west coast arrived to test the full fleet of 2008 cars on the winding mountain roads of Carmel Valley and at speed on the track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Yes, that's the new Nissan GT-R parked next to the NISMO Edition 350Z in the photo to the right. Yes, they're as good as you think they are.

Events such as this serve a number of purposes, including a rare chance for side-by-side tests of comparable cars from different automakers, and also to allow a relaxed atmosphere to talk shop with the manufacturer representatives. But I wouldn't lie to you and tell you it was anything like working - this event is big-time fun.

Supercar Life Expands Options for Hot Rides

Supercar Life, the first adventure lifestyle company to offer drives of exotic cars on racetracks, is expanding its program lineup to appeal to hard core driving enthusiasts as well as to those who prefer to travel first class.

Supercar Life's new Track Package ($4,990) includes a full day piloting $1.5-million worth of supercars on premier tracks around the country. The Luxury Package ($5,690), formerly the only option, adds top-shelf accommodations, gourmet dinner and VIP ground transportation. Details and registration can be found at www.supercarlife.com or by calling 1.877.420.0090.

Versa-tile Nissan Hatchback

Economy cars just aren’t what they used to be. Time was, an economy car - and particularly a hatchback - was a ticket to a miserable driving experience. They were underpowered, uncomfortable, and generally ill-handling. About the only redeeming characteristic of an econo-box was good gas mileage.

But that’s yesterday’s news. Today’s economy cars are peppy, comfortable, and include all the creature comforts that used to define upscale luxury cars. Witness the 2008 Nissan Versa hatchback. For a base price of $13,450, you get a 122 horsepower 127 pound-feet 1.8-liter DOHC engine, air conditioning, a nice CD stereo, 4-way adjustable driver’s seat, tilt wheel, and a complete set of side curtain and forward impact air bags. You have your choice of 6-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions at no extra charge.

2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 V6 Reviewed

Time was when the Altima was just another economy sedan from Nissan. Competing with the Toyota Camry and the Mazda 626, there wasn’t a lot to say about it, except that it was inexpensive and generally OK - a typical Japanese economy car.

But with the Sentra now occupying the economy slot in Nissan’s lineup, the Altima has been able to climb up-market, with a larger footprint and a selection of bigger engines and more interesting configurations.

2008 Nissan XTerra V6 Reviewed

The newest Nissan XTerra SUV is called the OR-V6. The OR stands for Off-Road, not Oregon, but it might as well stand for the perfect SUV if you live up in the mountains this winter. With the worst storms in a decade causing flooding all over the western half of the state, I was happy to have the very capable Nissan for the week! In the worst of it, I used the XTerra to ford a river - running across the freeway in the middle of Metro Portland. Who says these SUVs never get taken off road? Sometimes the off-road experience comes right to your front door!

2007 Nissan Versa Reviewed

The Versa is Nissan’s entry-level economy car, but in the modern age that doesn’t mean what it used to. No one who lived through the ultra-cheap economy cars of the 1970s and 1980s would call the Versa a bottom feeder.