2011 Nissan Quest minivan helps find the strip club after dropping off the kids

The 2011 model year represents an all-new generation of the Nissan Quest. It’s a stylish people hauler that should spice up the competition among industry heavyweights like the Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, andChrysler Town & Country.

It may also be popular with entertainment-seeking grown-ups. We’re not talking about concerts or sporting events, but rather the type of windowless entertainment facilities that require a trip to the ATM beforehand… and then another trip a few songs later. Yes, as you see above, an “Adult Entertainment” category is part of the Quest navigation system’s POI database. This functionality may, in fact, be included in other Nissan and/or Infiniti products – or GPS systems from other automakers – but this is the first time we’ve seen it anywhere.

In any case, this proves that the 2011 Nissan Quest isn’t just a capable kid-hauler – it’s equally qualified for bachelor party duty.

Next Nissan Sentra to look more like a baby Altima?

It’s not that the Nissan Sentra is a ‘bad car,’ so to speak, but it’s about as exciting to anyone with even a modicum of automotive enthusiasm as a haircut. Sadly, that milquetoast feeling even extends to the more powerful SE-R and 200-horsepower SE-R Spec V. Said another way, the current Sentra is a long time gone from the SR20DE-engined B13 Sentra SE-R of the early ’90s.

But there may be light at the end of the tunnel: Nissan knows that its current Sentra is too boring. Al Castignetti, Nissan Division Vice President of Sales recently admitted to AutoWeek that “We miss the heart of the market right now. A lot of people reject the Sentra because of its looks… it is not a natural progression to move down to it from the Altima.”

While you could certainly argue that the Sentra needs more than just a restyling – like, perhaps having more content and sporting potential to properly differentiate itself from the almost-as-large and significantly cheaperVersa – looking more like the handsome Altima sounds like a solid step in the right direction.

One thing’s for certain: Nissan has big hopes for its next-gen compact car, which should hit the market in about two years. Castignetti believes that Nissan has the opportunity to increase sales from 100,000 units per year to 300,000. Lofty goals for sure, but both the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla prove that it can indeed be done.

2011 Nissan Murano unveiled with mild refresh, new SV trim

Nissan has officially confirmed that the new fascia we saw on the European version of the 2011 Murano will find its way to the land of the free. The look carries a reworked bumper, along with similarly sculpted headlights and a new grille. If you were hoping to see the diesel model crop up on dealer lots in your neck of the woods, we’ve got bad news – it ain’t happening. The oil-burning Murano is still only available to our cousins across the pond, leaving us with the capable 3.5-liter VQ V6 with 250 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque as our only powerplant option.

Even so, Nissan has chucked an additional trim line into the mix. Buyers can now choose between a total of eight variants on the Murano theme, including the new SV FWD and SV AWD trims. The Japanese automaker has thrown in 20-inch wheels, a dual-panel moonroof and a bevy of exterior color choices as optional goodies, too. Look for the 2011 Nissan Murano to land on dealer lots by October. Follow the jump for the full press blast.

2012 Nissan GT-R changes appear on web

The thing about a halo car is that it needs that pretty little halo buffed and shined every single year to be sure the machine is kept at the forefront of consumers’ minds. Nissan has been doing a pretty good job with itsGT-R over the last few years in this regard, bumping power here and adding new techno-goodies there – all in an effort to give its giant slayer the tools to continue properly slaying.

That trend looks to continue for the 2012 model year, as the hive mind from GTRBlog.com has managed to score enough information on the upcoming machine to put together a nice little preview. Starting with the exterior, the next GT-R will get a revised front fascia complete with new (and sure to be controversial) LED driving lights frenched into new canards at either corner of the front bumper, lowering the car’s coefficient of drag from 0.272 to 0.268.

There’s also a new rear diffuser that adds 10 percent more downforce at the business end and a set of forged wheels from Rays cut 6.6 pounds of unsprung weight at each corner for a total loss of over 26 pounds. Impressive. There are reportedly two new colors for both the wheels – Hyper Blue Black and Hyper Titanium – and for the car – Aurora Flare Blue Pearl and Nebula Opal Black.

Expect price increases for both the base model, which will now be known as the Pure Edition, and the Premium Edition. Naturally, we’re also told to expect some additional horsepower. We’ll keep our eyes and ears peeled for more.

First Drive: 2011 Nissan Juke

Remember the Nissan NX of the mid-’90s? The tiny, econobox-based sportster was as cute as a bug and spent its brief lifespan mixing it up with other long-gone, sporty front-wheel drive affordables like the Mazda MX-3, Honda Civic CRX, Toyota Paseo and even the Hyundai Scoupe. While there were a lot of inexpensive, racy looking coupes back then, most automakers just don’t see any money in that segment anymore. Instead, when they look to spin something off of their entry-level B-class chassis, most veer toward the white-hot crossover segment.

Consider the latest example, Nissan’s 2011 Juke. Come to think of it, this in-your-face city slicker has some startling similarities to the NX. For one, at 162.8 inches long, it’s deceptively small – just 0.4 inches longer than the ’90s coupe. Further, both the Juke and the NX1600 rely on 1.6-liter four-cylinder power. And like the Sentra-based NX, the more emotional Juke is based on the same humble underpinnings that give structure to Nissan’s workaday offerings, in this case, the Versa and Cube. And while the Juke may not be cute as a bug, there’s something downright insectian about its Predator-like mug.

Rumormill: Nissan GT-R ‘Egotist’ coming soon?

Don’t call it the Spec M. According to Autocar, the suits at Nissan have decided to sail a new luxury version of the mighty GT-R under the Egoist banner. The car will supposedly wear a completely new front fascia, and will debut alongside the facelifted version of the GT-R later this year. Other changes include a pair of special Recaro thrones, massive front brakes and unique 10-spoke wheels. All of that kit will set you back a lofty $166,740 at current conversion rates, but so far, it’s unclear whether the Egoist will make its way to the States or whether it will be a JDM-only (and possibly Euro-only) piece.

Autocar is also serving up a few details on the plain Jane 2011 GT-R. If the report has hit its mark, we can look forward to a significant weight reduction along with a few mechanical tweaks that should up the horsepower. A new oil cooler, exhaust system and slightly larger turbos should help the car churn out a grand total of 506 horsepower and 448 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers are awfully specific without any official word from Nissan, but right now, this estimate is as good as anyone’s.

Nissan Maxima, Sentra receive 2011 prices, minor changes

Nissan has released pricing for its 2011 Maxima and Sentra sedans, complete with specification changes that are more along the lines of ‘running changes’ than they are actual product freshenings. No matter, the Maxima will start at $30,810 in 3.5S CVT guise, while the sportier SV rings up at $33,530. On the more frugal side, the Sentra 2.0 6MT rings in at $15,520, spooling all the way up to $20,080 for the line-topping SE-R Spec V 2.5 model.

On the upgrade front, the 290-horsepower Maxima receives smoked headlights, darkened chrome grill and “shiny gray interior stitching” on sport models, along with a new exhaust pipe finisher. Metallic Slate and Brilliant Silver also join the Max’s paint palate. For 2011, the Sentra doesn’t really get any new features, but a six-speed manual is now available with the base 2.0-liter four-cylinder, giving the range a new entry-level model.

The 2011 model-year Nissans are available in dealers now, and you can check out the full press release after the jump.

2011 Nissan Juke starts at $18,960*

Nissan has just released pricing for the 2011 Juke – the company’s new baby CUV. Buyers looking to scramble into the driver’s seat can look forward to a base MSRP of $18,960 (*plus destination) for the Juke S when equipped with a CVT and front-wheel drive. Prices for the range-topping Juke SL with a CVT and all-wheel drive hit a ceiling of $24,550 before any options are added.

All models will come from the factory with a new direct-injection turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 188 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. Nissan says that when bolted to the company’s efficient CVT, the Juke should return 27 mpg city and 32 mpg highway. Meanwhile, six-speed manual-equipped models start at $20,260.

Buyers wanting to take advantage of the Juke’s torque-vectoring all-wheel drive can hop into the Juke S AWD. That model, which is available only with a CVT, starts at $20,460, landing it squarely in Subaru Forester andMini Countryman territory. With a low price, plenty of onboard tech and quirky, youth-oriented styling, we’re expecting to see plenty of these on the road in short order when it goes on sale this October. Hit the jump for the full press release.

First Drive: 2011 Nissan Leaf doesn’t change the game, just the players

We’ve met the Nissan Leaf before. First at its coming-out party in Japan, followed by an all-too-brief stint behind the wheel of a Versa-based prototype late last year. Now we’ve had a chance to sample Nissan’s first foray into the world of electric vehicles in production form and the automaker picked one of its most important markets – the heart of Silicon Valley – to give us some seat time.

If there’s any area ripe for early-EV adoption, it’s San Jose, CA. And during a quick test loop through the tight confines of Santana Row and a run through the city’s suburban surrounds, it’s obvious that the first mass-produced EV is officially ready for prime-time.