1991 Toyota Truck Ext Cab 3.0 V6 5 Speed 4x4 Black Loaded New Rebuilt Motor Sr5 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2019 Nissan Altima vs Honda Accord vs Toyota Camry: How they compare

NEW YORK — Midsize family sedans may be losing sales to small SUVs, but hundreds of thousands of the things still left dealerships last year. The 2019 Nissan Altima introduced here at the New York Auto Show replaces one of the segment's best sellers, joining a pair of other best-sellers, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, which were both redesigned last year. The Hyundai Sonata also received a surprisingly thorough refresh for 2018. Therefore, the segment is fresher than ever, providing car shoppers who haven't been evangelized by the mighty SUV an excellent group of choices. To help them, or you, out in that family sedan search, here's how the new 2019 Altima compares to the 2018 Honda Accord, 2018 Toyota Camry, 2018 Hyundai Sonata, and for reference, its 2018 Altima predecessor. Cue the spreadsheet! Engines and Transmissions The Altima once again has a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, but Nissan indicates that 80 percent of it is new. Regardless of its newness, it is more powerful, boasting an extra 9 hp and 3 lb-ft of torque. Frankly, that's not much compared to the Camry's and Accord's gains, which also better the new Altima. Uniquely, though, the Altima's base 2.5-liter is available with all-wheel drive – something only the Subaru Legacy offers (albeit as standard equipment). Oddly, all-wheel drive is NOT available with the Altima's bigger 2.0-liter turbo. Ah yes, that turbo engine. Gone is the familiar 3.5-liter V6, leaving Toyota as the lone V6 hold-out (again, the Legacy is another exception, albeit with a flat-6). As is typical, the Altima's new 2.0-liter turbo inline-4 produces less horsepower than its naturally aspirated predecessor, but it has considerably more torque. Its output essentially matches the Accord's new 2.0-liter. Unlike the Accord, though, every Altima has a CVT standard. The Camry and Sonata have traditional automatics – many would say they are better for it – though the Hyundai's gear count differs by engine selection. Nissan didn't release fuel economy figures for the 2019 Altima. The previous generation trailed the latest Accord and Camry by 2-3 mpg combined, according to EPA estimates. Passenger Space Nissan's surly men in suits were quite cross when we tried to get into the new Altima, so we can only comment on the interior space in spec format. As it is, the new Altima actually has less head- and legroom than before. There's more shoulder room, though, so your local linebacker will be happy.

The UK votes for Brexit and it will impact automakers

It's the first morning after the United Kingdom voted for what's become known as Brexit – that is, to leave the European Union and its tariff-free internal market. Now begins a two-year process in which the UK will have to negotiate with the rest of the EU trading bloc, which is its largest export market, about many things. One of them may be tariffs, and that could severely impact any automaker that builds cars in the UK. This doesn't just mean companies that you think of as British, like Mini and Jaguar. Both of those automakers are owned by foreign companies, incidentally. Mini and Rolls-Royce are owned by BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover by Tata Motors of India, and Bentley by the VW Group. Many other automakers produce cars in the UK for sale within that country and also export to the EU. Tariffs could damage the profits of each of these companies, and perhaps cause them to shift manufacturing out of the UK, significantly damaging the country's resurgent manufacturing industry. Autonews Europe dug up some interesting numbers on that last point. Nissan, the country's second-largest auto producer, builds 475k or so cars in the UK but the vast majority are sent abroad. Toyota built 190k cars last year in Britain, of which 75 percent went to the EU and just 10 percent were sold in the country. Investors are skittish at the news. The value of the pound sterling has plummeted by 8 percent as of this writing, at one point yesterday reaching levels not seen since 1985. Shares at Tata Motors, which counts Jaguar and Land Rover as bright jewels in its portfolio, were off by nearly 12 percent according to Autonews Europe. So what happens next? No one's terribly sure, although the feeling seems to be that the jilted EU will impost tariffs of up to 10 percent on UK exports. It's likely that the UK will reciprocate, and thus it'll be more expensive to buy a European-made car in the UK. Both situations will likely negatively affect the country, as both production of new cars and sales to UK consumers will both fall. Evercore Automotive Research figures the combined damage will be roughly $9b in lost profits to automakers, and an as-of-yet unquantified impact on auto production jobs. Perhaps the EU's leaders in Brussels will be in a better mood in two years, and the process won't devolve into a trade war. In the immediate wake of the Brexit vote, though, the mood is grim, the EU leadership is angry, and investors are spooked.

Toyota Prius owners targeted by tire-slashing VA vandal

Toyota Prius owners aren't bad folks. With a few exceptions, they're just normal people that appreciate the comfortable, high-mileage hybrid. Someone in Arlington, Virginia doesn't see it that way, though, as 14 examples (and one Smart) had at least one tire slashed last Sunday night.
The serial tire-slasher didn't any items from the vehicles, but he or she has left owners with substantial bills and sour dispositions. According to a report from ABC affiliate WJLA, some citizens are considering the matter a hate crime.
Despite the targeting of Toyota hybrids and the acquisition of one fingerprint, police have been unable to make any arrests, as the slasher has targeted vehicles across the county. Take a look at the local news report from WJLA below.