Category: Nissan

Driver satisfaction is a critical measure of vehicle acceptance. Having a satisfied buyer results in better loyalty, better word-of-mouth, stronger image. Satisfaction is a central building block of a brand. AutoPacific has been measuring driver satisfaction since 1993 and it is always instructive to look at the differences between women and men drivers. In AutoPacific's annual 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction research, women drivers score 39 rating points higher than men - 674 over 635 in their overall Vehicle Satisfaction score.

The all new 2013 Honda Accord is Honda's most important vehicle EVER. That's right, EVER! It comes after lackluster reviews of the latest cost-reduced mind-numbing Civic. It enters the mid-size car product segment where the oldest high volume competitor was launched as a 2011 model in early 2010 (Hyundai Sonata) and each new model is more impressive than the one that came before it... Toyota Camry, Kia Optima, Volkswagen Passat, Nissan Altima, the coming-soon Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu and next year's Mazda6. Each new mid-size entry is better, more finessed, more technologically capable and available with a wider range of features than ever before. The question is "Did Honda bring their 'A Game' to the 2013 Accord, or is it another misstep like the Civic?" Bring their "A Game"? Wow, did they! This Accord is a take-no-prisoners attempt by Honda to reclaim leadership in the premium mid-size car class. With this car, Honda appears to have its MOJO back!

Nissan Leaf wins AutoPacific's Ideal Vehicle Award for Most Ideal 2012 Hybrid/Electric Car

The demise of the personal use pickup has been well documented, what with fuel prices making the urban cowboy think twice about driving a gas swilling truck to get himself (and just himself) to and from the office.

Owners of the class-winning 2012 Nissan Frontier give the trucks top ratings in eight of forty-eight characteristics measured in AutoPacific’s 2012 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research.

Traditionally, the mid-size car class has had relatively bland styling. That changed with the launch of the 2011 Sonata in early 2010 where over half of the buyers indicated that exterior styling was extremely important in their selection of the car. Sonata's swoopy styling broke the mid-size car mold. The 2011 Kia Optima that followed the Sonata is strikingly handsome in its own EuroKorean way. Toyota stayed very conservative with its new 2012 entry and Honda is rumored to have continued its very conservative streak with the next generation Accord coming this fall. The 2013 Ford Fusion is another game changer in the mold of Sonata and Optima, but even with Fusion's advanced styling, Altima may have pushed the envelope the farthest.

Without question, one of the most buzzworthy topics surrounding automobiles this year has been plug-in cars. AutoPacific recently got to test three of them.

Two new, completely different high efficiency cars entered the American car market earlier this year, and AutoPacific set out to find out how different the owners of those cars were from owners of hybrids.

The new V-Platform Nissan Versa is poised to be launched for the 2012 model year as the lowest price new car available in the USA. You wonder if a new car priced so low is a bad car? The answer is a resounding no.

The fourth generation Nissan Quest launched for the 2011 model year, marking a dramatic departure from the prior model.  The last Quest was developed and conceived specifically for North America (and built here too), riding on a version of the Altima sedan’s platform.  While a very able minivan, it never truly caught on.  Perhaps its was styling, both inside and out, that was too aggressive or avant garde for traditional minivan customers.

With the latest Quest, Nissan stepped away from the traditional American minivan template and moved production back to Japan, commonizing it with the Japanese-market Elgrand people mover, albeit with revised front and rear styling more in line with American tastes.