2013 Pathfinder will be the re-design

Any topics related to 2013+ R52

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NVSteve
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Postby NVSteve » Tue Dec 06, 2011 9:35 am

From images of long-haul trucking, to nightmares of sitting in the back of a grandparent’s noxious Olds vista cruiser diesel, Americans haven’t shown too much interest in diesel cars in the past. Yet with the economy still in the doldrums, and gas prices rising faster than an express elevator, diesel cars are suddenly getting a lot more attention.

The good news is that many of the world’s manufacturers make great diesel products. The bad news is that lack of domestic demand and tightening budgets mean that few have been certified for sale in the U.S. The EPA has more stringent requirements than Europe does for controlling NOx – Nitric Oxide, the key compound that produces smog. The technology to meet these standards exists, but it’s expensive (to develop, manufacture and certify), which is why many of the diesels you see on the market in the U.S. are at the high end of the price range.

This issue is also the reason why there are so many diesel cars available in other countries that are not available in the United States. Simply put, it’s so expensive to develop a diesel engine that meets US emissions standards that most manufacturers don’t bother. Particularly since diesels have never been a popular engine choice in the US market.


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NVSteve
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Postby NVSteve » Tue Dec 06, 2011 9:45 am

hfrez wrote: In Europe 50% of all vehicles on the road are diesel and the price for diesel fuel has gone up over the last few years over there too. People are now looking at gas engines again because there is no great benefit in having the diesel anymore. In addition, the Europeans have to pay a tax penalty for driving diesel because of the green effect. Diesels are much worse in pollution control then gas engines
Regular fuel has gone up in Europe as well. Diesel is still the cheapest, much like it used to be in the US. I know a number of people (friends of mine there) who have installed LPG conversions. Start the car with petrol, wait a minute or so for it to warm, then it automatically cuts over to LPG. Pretty slick. I know the Aussies have resorted to using LPG quite a bit also.

I'm a fan of the hybrid concept, but not of the execution to date.

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Postby skinny2 » Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:06 am

There's a C&D article on manual transmissions somewhere. I think if you dig you'll find more with automatics exceeding the manuals than you think. Maybe they've turned that around on the latest models but I recall just a few years back there were quite a few manuals with lower EPA than the autos.

The biggest piece though is emissions. The manual takes separate testing and gear to meet the requirements which adds a lot of cost. Then you sell the vehicle for less with mediocre demand....it's not the best business plan.

I used to own a diesel VW. It was a pretty good deal at the time...was only about $1,000 more than the gas model when new, got 20mpg better, diesel was about same price as gas, and when I sold the car it went for about $5,000 more than a similarly used gas model.

The big difference in Europe was taxes. Diesel was taxed much lower than gas. I'm sure once everyone switched to diesel they moved the tax accordingly.

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kelleyo
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Postby kelleyo » Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:56 am

I have always owned at least 1 manual vehicle. I love my 6 speed!

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jrjohn77
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Postby jrjohn77 » Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:27 pm

Image
looks a lot like a
Image

LittleStevie
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Postby LittleStevie » Tue Dec 06, 2011 4:12 pm

Hate it. They need to stick with the muscular edges of the R51 and not sissy it up like they're doing to Infinity. I want something that feels and looks like a truck.

aadadams
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Postby aadadams » Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:40 pm

I connected those dots on first sight of the Nissan... though I actually like the Infiniti... That's probably 'cause I came over from the QX4... Time will tell though...

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kelleyo
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Postby kelleyo » Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:45 am

YUK!!! Why is Nissan making their SUV's look like a stupid KIA Soul?

Image

Also I notice that Range Rover is doing the same
Image

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hfrez
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Postby hfrez » Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:19 am

The Nissan pics look like the next Armada and QX54 and not Pathfinder.
Last edited by hfrez on Wed Dec 07, 2011 10:21 am, edited 1 time in total.

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NVSteve
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Postby NVSteve » Wed Dec 07, 2011 9:45 am

LittleStevie wrote:Hate it. They need to stick with the muscular edges of the R51 and not sissy it up like they're doing to Infinity. I want something that feels and looks like a truck.
And also something, at least in my case, that can actually go off road. I don't want a car dressed up as an SUV with AWD, crap suspension & weak parts. We'll have to see what happens. I'm guessing the Pathfinder might become one of those blase, ugly-ass crossovers that everyone seems to be producing now. I'm still holding out hope that if/when the Xterra is redesigned, that it will continue to meet the needs of the 4x4 "purists" out there.

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kelleyo
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Postby kelleyo » Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:42 pm

Nissan already has a unibody crossover. The Murano. Keep the Pathfinder a true truck.

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volvite
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Postby volvite » Fri Dec 09, 2011 8:58 pm

I think the pathfinder will follow along with the titan. The redesign will be pushed out another year or so due to the horrible Quake that happened earlier this year.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/au ... fc&_blg=11

dared3vil00
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Postby dared3vil00 » Sat Dec 10, 2011 1:11 am

my point of view is that they will leave the BOF and rugged looks alone, and just change the engine options to include a smaller engine(s) with forced induction. At least that is what i hope for. Perhaps a 3.0T V6 with around 280HP, the 5.X V8 for the towing guys, and perhaps a 2.5T I4 with around 200-220HP. I think that might just make everyone happy...

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disallow
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Postby disallow » Mon Dec 12, 2011 7:05 am

I'd take me some of this in a BOF Pathy:

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/05/cu ... titan.html

We have contemplated going full-size for towing purposes. However, I can't justify a 3/4 tonne truck with an almost 7L displacement for 5% of my driving.

The newer diesels are also apparently not great on fuel, what with 2010 EPA emissions requirements which the engine guys have solved by running copious amounts of EGR and scrubbing the exhaust with SCR. The reliability of the system is OK, when its working. But if you think we have issues now with OBDII codes and emissions related systems and sensors... you got another think coming... :)

And to top it all off, diesel is now 20-25% higher in cost than 87 Octane gasoline. $1.04/L for gas, $1.29/L for diesel up here now... Maybe a blip due to the recent 'shortage'.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/s ... rtage.html

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hfrez
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Postby hfrez » Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:36 am

disallow wrote:I'd take me some of this in a BOF Pathy:

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/05/cu ... titan.html

We have contemplated going full-size for towing purposes. However, I can't justify a 3/4 tonne truck with an almost 7L displacement for 5% of my driving.

The newer diesels are also apparently not great on fuel, what with 2010 EPA emissions requirements which the engine guys have solved by running copious amounts of EGR and scrubbing the exhaust with SCR. The reliability of the system is OK, when its working. But if you think we have issues now with OBDII codes and emissions related systems and sensors... you got another think coming... :)

And to top it all off, diesel is now 20-25% higher in cost than 87 Octane gasoline. $1.04/L for gas, $1.29/L for diesel up here now... Maybe a blip due to the recent 'shortage'.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/s ... rtage.html
Man, if that bad boy could find its way into our Pathfinders that would be awsome. But I wonder what the premium for having such a diesel would be?


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