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Nissan Patrol attempts Guinness record with 170-ton cargo plane tow

Yesterday, Nissan teased us with a video showing a Patrol pulling up to a 170-ton cargo plane at an airport in the Middle East - we could only assume that the not-for-America sports utility vehicle would attempt to tow the jet.
Well, somebody leaked the official Nissan video, which indeed shows the Patrol successfully pulling the plane 30 meters for what reportedly is a Guinness world record. While Guinness hasn't confirmed the record on its website at time of writing, the 170-ton jet would be the heaviest plane ever towed by a production automobile. The video was taken down quickly, but another video shot by an observer at the event was posted for our enjoyment. We figured Nissan would move to repost the official video sooner rather than later, and it did.
The Patrol seems to have no problem towing 340,000 pounds, but let's just say it wasn't a quick ordeal. Check out the official and unofficial video of the tow below, as well as Nissan's teaser video. In a reversal of fortunes, we also threw in another, somewhat smaller but perhaps just as impressive vid, just for fun.

2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee vs. midsize crossovers and SUVs: How they compare on paper

In a world full of SUVs and crossovers all competing for similar buyers in similar segments, there are still some models that find their own little niches that lack such fevered fighting. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of those vehicles. It's an oddball in the sense that it's a midsize crossover SUV with a unibody chassis and independent suspension, but it still uses rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive systems and has some off-road capability. It's also a midsize crossover, but only offers two rows of seats. Despite the Grand Cherokee's odd nature, we did come up with a few crossovers and a classic SUV that seem to match the Jeep in size and pricing. We looked at the numbers to compare them on paper. You can find the raw data in the chart below and deeper analysis after that. As always, this is just a comparison of specifications and you'll want to check out our driving impressions of each car if you're getting serious about one or all of these vehicles. And if you want to compare any of these against other vehicles, be sure to check out our comparison tool. Engines and Drivetrains When comparing base engines, the Jeep Grand Cherokee's 295-horsepower is the clear power winner, beating the next most powerful 4Runner by 25. But in torque, the 4Runner takes the laurels with 278 pound-feet, narrowly edging out the Edge's (no pun intended) turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder's 275. That four-cylinder in the Edge will also be picking up another 5 horsepower for 2019, but it still won't win this power contest. Both Ford and Jeep also have another advantage in the fact that you don't have to settle for the base powertrain. Ford has two other engine options, a naturally aspirated V6 and a twin-turbocharged V6, the latter of which outguns the Grand Cherokee's gasoline V6 in both power and torque. That engine will also be bumped up to an impressive 335 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque. View 20 Photos The Jeep has the most engine options, though, and it's the only to offer V8 and diesel options. On most Grand Cherokees, the options include a 5.7-liter V8, which is only available with 4WD. It makes 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, outperforming even the 2019 Edge's twin-turbo V6. The diesel engine doesn't make much power with just 240, but it makes up for it with torque at 420 pound-feet. And of course there are the SRT and SRT Trackhawk models with even bigger and supercharged V8 engines respectively.

2016 Nissan Maxima First Drive [w/video]

Nissan has called the fullsize Maxima sedan a four-door sports car since 1988, with the debut of the third-generation model. What little truth existed in that moniker has slowly ebbed away in the ensuing years, with recent iterations only incrementally more sporting than the rest of the big-car segment. That doesn't change for 2016, despite Nissan's continued use of the "4DSC" trademark. But while the new Maxima may be less four-door sports car, it's much more full-on luxury car. That fact is best reflected in the eighth-generation Maxima's handsome new cabin. Particularly on the SR and Platinum trims that we drove, the interior is easily the best in its class. We are impressed by the cabin's soft, handsomely stitched leather, genuine Italian-made Alcantara suede, matte wood, and "liquid" metal trim. The seat inserts on our tester features quilted stitching that looks far more suited to Nissan's premium Infiniti brand, while the threads found on the dash and doors look like they're really there to hold things together – a rarity nowadays. While we question the use of the 4DSC moniker, the layout of the cabin is in line with the Maxima's marketing pitch. The center stack is angled seven degrees towards the driver. Along with the high transmission tunnel, this contributes to the cockpit-like feel of the driver's seat. A fat-rimmed, flat-bottomed steering wheel – a first for Nissan – is amply padded, and on the sporty SR, can be had with contrasting Alcantara accents. The small diameter and SR-specific paddles extend the sports car promise. The sculpted, broad-shouldered exterior has the muscle of Nissan's real sports cars, the GT-R and 370Z, but it exceeds both of those in terms of outright attractiveness. Nissan's stylists call the design language "Energetic Flow," but we simply prefer to call the overall look, which borrows heavily from the Sports Sedan Concept, very pretty. If the 2016 Maxima fails to add zest to a staid segment from behind the wheel, at least it brings a serious dose of style to the large sedan clubhouse. Nissan claims class-leading specifics for the latest version of the VQ35 V6, reinforcing the 4DSC promise. There are 86 horsepower per liter, with 300 ponies in total from the 3.5-liter engine. Sixty-one percent of the parts in the latest-generation VQ35 V6 are new, contributing to the 10-hp bump over last year's sedan. The horsepower peaks high in the rev range, at 6,400 rpm, a mere 200 revs below redline.