Agree. I've always travelled for work and spend some dead time in airport convenience stores leafing through auto rags and 90% of their coverage is centered around cars I'd never buy as I'd prefer to invest large sums of money elsewhere. They trashed the G for being "coarse", but to be honest, that's a large part of its charm for me. Unforgiving underdog that far exceeds everyone's expectations performance wise, all while hearing the engine roar, exhaust rumble and feeling the tires contact with the ground while the rack transmits every move back to the steering wheel. Even my wife who cares very little about these things, comments when she drives my car, stating that "it feels like the tires seem to know exactly where I want to point them".

As for the Frontier, I'm a long time mini truck fan, so I have a soft spot for the Frontier as several friends owned the older bulletproof models in the 80s-90s. Again, the Frontier doesn't apologize for being a truck, and I like that...

 

Right on cue, this article just dropped: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...rontier-drive/

I don't really like trucks. Big, small, purposeful or luxurious... not my vibe. I got it into my head that I would like the Maverick, until I drove one and didn't anymore.

 

Interesting take on the topic:
Their view: more car companies, some selling vehicles at a loss, and more models. Plus, car technology is changing very fast, so people are waiting it out to see where it all ends up.

 

I know what you mean, but the Frontier is handsome and unapologetic. I owned 3 trucks in my late teens, working for my old man. Mostly Chevies, but I even had an F150 in my 20s with a nice lift kit and a 4 speed manual. I sorta outgrew trucks as well, but I still love the minis because they look nice lowered with a bed full of amps and subs. I've definitely leafed through my share of Minitruckin magazines fantasizing about what could be....

As such, the Maverick attracted my eye until I learned it was a glorified C2 based FWD car people were paying over MSRP to own. Same platform used on the Bronco. Blah.

What did the Maverick drive like? About as exciting as a front loading wash machine I presume.

 

That's a fair analogy. It was the 2.0T Lariat AWD. The cabin was OK, neither nice nor bad, but plenty roomy. The dimensions felt spot on. It was an attractive vehicle. The ride quality was almost car-like. Rather, it should have been car-like, but I believe it was tuned to feel more like a truck. Lastly, the drivetrain was mushy with big time turbo lag. I suspect the Hybrid would be a better drive. Slower, but better. IDK really, because the moment was gone and I lost interest.

 

While admittedly appealing to my confirmation bias, I really enjoyed that piece. My Tesla zealot friends would become really defensive if I sent this to them....just saying. They literally walk around trying to figure out why everyone doesn't drive a Tesla. To them, nothing else makes sense.

 

I also wish that I saw someone other than a Boomer or GenXers driving the Maverick or the Bronco. Those two have replaced Jeep Wranglers (but not yet Corvettes) as the preferred midlife crisis car.

 

I like both! My other "car" is a 2011 Nissan Xterra Pro-4x, which is basically a shortened and enclosed Frontier. Same (shortened) frame, same suspension, same engine 4.0 VQ, same dash, etc. The thing will go just about anywhere. I guess the G37 IS my mid-life crisis car. It might have been a Mustang GT, but the G will blow the doors off any pre 2011 Stang, and outhandle any pre 2015 Stang, neither of which I can afford.

 

Buddy of mine has the Xterra Pro-4x as well. Damn thing is like a tank but rides surprisingly smooth (considering it's lifted). Shame Nissan killed that truck...

 

This piece goes into a little more detail on the technology alignment and how that is affecting costs and profitability for EMEA and US EV makers: Juergen Stackmann on LinkedIn: 5:44 Minutes worth watching! . Ed Conway from Sky News Explains the… | 154 comments

Seems that these issues combined with a new administration which will be less "EV only" friendly may slow growth as companies like Tesla are already starting to see YoY declines in sales.

 

Always had a soft spot for Mustangs and the aftermarket is inexpensive and endless. Handling is a given with the G, but I always thought Mustangs were faster than Gs.

I could never get past the point that the back seat was useless. Essentially, no human of any size can fit in that backseat.

 

2011 was the first year for the 5.0L Coyote engines. 2005-2010 Mustangs had the 4.6L 3 valve engines with 250-300 hp. Mustangs of that era (2009) had 0-60 times of ~5.7 sec. and Ľ mi times of 14.3 sec, compared to 5.2 and 13.9 sec. for the G37. In all fairness though, the back seat in my G37 coupe is pretty useless as well, except maybe for children or groceries. If I were to get a Mustang, I'd want a 2015 or newer with the Coyote engine and IRS. Can't afford those without a car payment.

 

More doom and gloom in Today's News...

 

Wasn't that last week's news, that some Infiniti dealerships were going to have to shack up with their Nissan counterpart?

 

The way I read this particular article, it sounds like Nissan itself is in dire straights.

"Insiders claim Nissan, one of Australia’s best-selling car brands, only has one year to survive as the company scrambles to backfill the gaping hole Renault’s departure will leave in its finances.Nissan is now searching for a new investor to ensure its survival beyond 2025, according to reports.

Two people with knowledge of the talks reportedly said Nissan was seeking a long-term, steady shareholder like a bank or insurance group to replace some of Renault’s equity holding.

“We have 12 or 14 months to survive,” a senior official close to Nissan said."