2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 S on 2040-cars

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Detroit 3 to implement delayed unified towing standards for 2015

Car buyers have a responsibility to be well-informed consumers. That's not always a very simple task, but some guidelines are self-evident. If you live in a very snowy climate, you generally know a Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Camaro might not be as viable a vehicle choice as an all-wheel drive Explorer or Traverse, for example. If you want a fuel-efficient car, it's generally a good idea to know the difference between a diesel and a hybrid. But what if it's kind of tough to be an informed consumer? What if the information you need is more difficult to come by, or worse, based on different standards for each vehicle? Well, in that case, you might be a truck shopper.
For years, customers of light-duty pickups have had to suffer through different ratings of towing capacities for each brand. For 2015 model year trucks, though, that will no longer be a problem. According to Automotive News, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler Group have announced that starting with next year's models, a common standard will be used to measure towing capacity. The Detroit Three will join Toyota, which adopted the Society of Automotive Engineers' so-called SAE J2807 standards way back in 2011.
The standard was originally supposed to be in place for MY2013, but concerns that it would lower the overall stated capacity for trucks led Detroit automakers to pass. Ford originally passed, claiming it'd wait until its new F-150 was launched to adopt the new standards, leading GM and Ram to follow suit. Nissan, meanwhile, has said it will adopt the new standards as its vehicles are updated, meaning the company's next-generation Titan should adhere to the same tow ratings as its competitors.

Nissan Xterra exits stage left [UPDATE]

Update: The original story said the 2016 Rogue switches to a camera-based blind spot warning system, rather than radar-based. The opposite is true, and the text is changed to reflect this. Nissan is announcing most its 2016 model-year changes, and you can say farewell to the Xterra after 15 years in the lineup. As previously rumored, the SUV is shuffling off without a replacement to join the similar recent fates of the Nissan Pathfinder hybrid and Volkswagen Touareg hybrid. The decision is easy to understand. The Japanese automaker's volume is up 4.6 percent through July in the US to 792,642 vehicles, but the Xterra moved just 8,114 examples in that time, down 25.1 percent from the same period in 2014. While the Xterra is leaving, Nissan has a lot in store for the 2016 model year. New additions to the lineup include the latest generations of the Maxima and Titan. Plus, the Altima and Sentra are being refreshed with reports suggesting both of them take design inspiration from the latest Murano. Nissan is also keeping the Rogue fresh, even though it was just redesigned for 2014. The SL Premium package gets forward emergency braking. Siri Eyes Free is added to the SV Premium package and SL, and body-colored mirrors with integrated turn signals come on the S appearance package. Finally, the blind spot warning system is now radar-based, rather than using a camera. You can read the full list of changes for each model in the press release below, but some of the highlights include: 370Z Coupe and 370Z Nismo are available with a Bose stereo with active noise cancellation and active sound enhancement. The Frontier gets a moonroof on the Crew Cab SV GT-R wears 20-spoke Rays wheels rather than the previous 10-spoke design Juke has standard Siri Eyes Free NV Cargo has added side-impact airbags NV Passenger gets a standard 5.8-inch infotainments system on the SL trim Pathfinder has an optional cold package on the SV with heated front seats, steering wheel, and side mirrors Versa Note SV now gets convenience package standard, which includes a 5.0-inch infotainment system, RearView Monitor, and Divide-N-Hide rear floor. The 2016 Nissan lineup: Charting the changes Nissan is a brand on the move. And on a roll. The past two years have seen the back-to-back introductions of the segment-busting 2014 Rogue and 2015 Murano, which helped drive Nissan to record 2014 calendar year sales of 1,269,565 (+12.2%) in the United States.

2020 Nissan Maxima and Pathfinder Rock Creek | Autoblog Podcast #602

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Assistant Editor Zac Palmer. This week, they've been driving the Nissan Maxima, Mercedes-Benz Metris Cargo Van, Mazda3 sedan and Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek, and they talk about their experiences with those vehicles. Then, in the Spend My Money segment, they help a viewer from Autoblog's Twitch stream pick a used pickup. Autoblog Podcast #602 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2020 Nissan Maxima 2019 Mercedes-Benz Metris Cargo Van 2019 Mazda3 sedan 2020 Nissan Pathfinder Rock Creek Edition Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.