Car Reviews

No longer will you see the Infiniti logo sponsored on the Red Bull Racing Formula One car. That title sponsorship deal has concluded, but a new one has formed, one that makes complete sense for Infiniti and Formula One's Renault Sport team, both part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

“We talk the same language and can collaborate on many different projects,” said Tommaso Volpe, Global Motorsport Director, Infiniti Motor Company.

That collaboration is mostly found through the global exposure of the brand, as well as the transfer of immediate information between the Formula One car and the road cars throughout the alliance. That feedback is imperative, as the Formula One findings are an extension of Renault-Nissan's research and development team.

All of the above mentioned efforts are essential, but the alliance has gone beyond to work together on a project called the Infiniti Engineering Academy. The academy – soon to enter its third year – execute a global university and college search for the best young, aspirational engineers. Students that are currently enrolled as an engineering student compete to win their spot in one of seven specific regions: China, Europe, United Arab Emirates, Asia and Oceania, Mexico, the United States and Canada – for the first time.

If you win your region after going through technical skill evaluations, practical challenges and a final event, you will be flown to the United Kingdom for a year to split equal internship time with Infiniti for six months and the Renault Sport Formula One team for the other six.

One of the 2015 winners, Daniel Sanham was on hand in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix weekend and spoke about his year with the Renault-Nissan Alliance to a group of engineering students at McGill University.

“The Infiniti Engineering Academy has been a challenging and rewarding experience, and I was delighted to share my story with Canadian students,” said Sanham. “It is my hope everyone who was at the event realizes they have nothing to lose and everything to gain from the Infiniti Engineering Academy – the work placement of a lifetime - they should all go for it!”

The support for Sanham and the Infiniti Engineering Academy was strong as the program was championed by Jerome Stoll, President at Renault Sport racing and Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal.

Both Stoll and Vasseur spoke about the need to attract younger engineers into the Renault Sport fold.

“We have 494 people working for us and we want that to grow that to 650,” said Vasseur. “Technology is moving so fast and we need to attract younger engineers. The combination of experience and new activation and motivation will be a big help.”

Montreal was Sanham's first live Formula One experience and he soaked in the moment to chat with McGill students, journalists, the Infiniti brass and the Renault Sport Formula One team. Since his placement has began, he has been surprised by how close the Infiniti team and the Renault Sport team are with one another and how open everyone is: “You can even bounce ideas and opinions with the veterans.”

And if Sanham was overwhelmed by the Formula One paddock, he's in for another treat as the Renault-Nissan Alliance is setting him up with another once in a lifetime moment to work with the Nissan team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans starting June 18.

Sanham will take off his Formula One hat where he's been working on electrical components to focus on a race that's all about endurance.

Sanham's journey shows that one's dream can truly become reality and he's hoping once this year has concluded he can land a full-time gig somewhere within the alliance. And there's history working in his favour as students coming from the inaugural academy have found jobs from the program: one was hired by Red Bull Racing and another at the Infiniti Tech Centre.

Applications for the Canadian final for the Infiniti Engineering Academy will close on June 30 and you can go to: https://academy.infiniti.com for more information. The winner of the Canadian region will be chosen the last week of July.

Monts-Valin National Park, QC – Since its complete remodel in 2014, the Nissan Rogue crossover has seen a large uptick in sales with a streak of month-over-month record sales. This surge in sales has led to it being the 12th best-selling vehicle in Canada and the No. 1 selling Nissan vehicle.

In order to build on this momentum, Nissan Canada got a little creative by building a rugged Rogue prototype. It wouldn't be just any rugged variation, but a warrior that could conquer real-life conditions. And that's the story of how the Nissan Rogue Warrior was conceived.

A regular Nissan Rogue was taken to the Quebec-based Motorsports In Action (MIA) tuning specialists and after a little consultation with Nissan Canada, a few helpful tips from Nissan France who assisted with the building of the Nissan Juke-R, and a solid 40 hours of work: a snow-tracked Rogue Warrior was built and ready for action.

Nissan Canada was proud to show this prototype off at the Montreal International Auto Show in January and then again in February at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, but now it was time to put this beast to the ultimate test. Nissan Canada sent a few journalists to the Station de Ski Valinouet in Monts-Valin National Park, Quebec, where we would see how well it could perform up some tricky ski slopes and back down.

Before I get started on the actual climb, let's talk about these snow tracks. First off, the height of the Rogue was raised two-inches in order to fit its 30”/76 cm in height, 48”/122 cm in length and a track width of 15”/38 cm snow tracks.  This was the maximum amount it could be raised for the suspension to not be severely altered. In addition, the front bumper, fenders and shocks were modified, while mud flaps were added to prevent snow from being flung in every direction.

Once I learned the basics of the Rogue Warrior – it was time to buckle up and drive. I took a big leap into it (no running boards) and started it up. The engine and transmission have not been altered at all, as it uses the same 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine matched to Nissan's Xtronic CVT. The only thing I couldn't do was make any steering inputs while static. Everything would have to be done in motion in order for no potential problems to occur.

I put the Rogue Warrior in drive and we were off and running. The steering and handling surprised me the most. I thought going in that such a large vehicle would be hard to turn and would need plenty of force, but it was quite the opposite. The Rogue Warrior adjusted to any steering input and turning the beast took little energy – it was exactly how the regular crossover would react.

The CVT played the most fundamental role of this drive by keeping my momentum going. Without it, I'm not sure where I would be, probably stuck in the middle of the climb. The CVT managed to always find the right gear, even when we got bogged down in heavier snow. The transmission accounted for various driving scenarios and adjusted its gear settings instantly.

We managed to get up to 80 km/h on a flatter surface, but took it easy while scaling down the ski course. According to Nissan Canada, it's capable of achieving a top speed of 100 km/h, which is more than enough to navigate some challenging ski slopes.

The Nissan Rogue Warrior was a blast to drive, and we could only hope it resurfaces somewhere down the road. For now, Nissan Canada will be prepping it for the Vancouver International Auto Show that runs from March 23-27, and after that it's anyone's guess.

If you do wish to have one, I'm sure MIA will be happy to help you out. Just keep in mind, it won't come cheap as the price will hover around $25,000-$30,000 on top of the cost of the regular Rogue that starts at $24,948.

It was a big week for engine announcements at Nissan and Infiniti. The Japanese brand wanted to jump the gun ahead of the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and revealed what would be under the hood of not only the Nissan Titan, but the Infiniti Q50 as well.

Let's start with the Nissan group and their long-awaited new Titan that previously only had the 5.0-litre Cummins turbo diesel V8 (310 hp and 555 lb.-ft. of torque). The Cummins will now be paired with a 5.6-litre gasoline V8 producing 390 hp and 401 lb.-ft. of torque that's matched to a seven-speed automatic transmission, a change from the diesel that gets the six-speed. This new engine is a significant improvement on the last generations 5.6-litre V8 due in large part to direct injection and a higher compression ratio. This new engine option becomes available in the spring.

The Nissan Titan sales start this month, and we expect to see pricing for this new engine come out shortly. Just keep in mind, that there will also be a third powertrain option, that has yet to be revealed.

As for Infiniti, they're getting set to bring in three new engine options for their best-selling vehicle, the Q50 sedan.

The biggest change would be the arrival of a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 that will have 300 horses and set the highest standard horsepower in its class to go along with 295 lb.-ft. of torque.

Additionally, consumers will have the choice of a base 208-hp 2.0-litre turbo four or the frisky Red Sport edition that shoots up to 400 hp and 350 lb.-ft. of torque. All three options come standard with rear-wheel drive and a seven-speed automatic transmission.

The 3.5-litre hybrid version V6 with a 50-kWh electric motor will be the one mainstay, and offer a fourth choice for consumers.

According to Infiniti, the Q50 will possess a new Direct Adaptive Steering system, which can adjust instantly. On top of that, it will receive a new Dynamic Digital Suspension that can allow the driver to choose between firm, comfort, or sport mode.

The Q50 and QX60 crossover will have a much improved exterior and interior, but we will have to wait for Detroit to see their new looks, along with the all-new 2017 Q60 sport coupe reveal.

Trois-Rivières, QC – You might have heard of Nissan's new spec-series, the Nissan Micra Cup. It's in its inaugural season with 12 races on the calendar throughout the province of Quebec with stops in historic and popular venues such as the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant and the Circuit Trois-Rivières.

The Nissan Micra Cup features the least-expensive new vehicle in the market, the Micra (starting at $9,998) that has been race-specced for the low price of $19,998. Inside, every racing subcompact gets the exact same set-up: a Nismo suspension kit, roll cage, safety equipment and racing seat. It's marketed as the most affordable racing series, and that's not a word of a lie.

The 26-person field is littered with former and current race car drivers, amateurs and racers from Nissan's own global GT Academy. But a certain driver at the Trois-Rivières race I attended stood out in the paddock. It was Elvis Stojko, the Canadian figure skater that was a former three-time World Champion, two-time Olympic silver medallist and seven-time Canadian champion.

The man, who was the first to land a quadruple jump combination and stun the world was competing in the Nissan Micra Cup? As an auto journalist and racing enthusiast, I needed to find some answers, and talk to the former champion.

It ends up he was piloting one of the four Albi Nissan Micras competing at Trois-Rivières (GP3R) in a deal that his manager Jason Sharpe had set-up with Albi Nissan and Nissan Canada. But this deal only came about after a casual conversation with one of Stojko's friends who manages a Nissan dealership in Stouffville, ON.

Stojko was conversing over his promising rise in the karting world with events at the national and international level when the Nissan Micra Cup was brought up. His friend mentioned that the series has had a big buzz around the office, and thought it could be a good fit. Considering that Stojko has never competed in a race car before, the Micra Cup seemed to be a logical next step, and maybe that opening he's longed for.

It might sound crazy to compete in a race car for the first time with professional racers, but karting provides the perfect experience that can prepare you for it. Sure, it will be different, but if GT Academy drivers can do it straight off simulators, why not kart drivers? And perhaps, Stojko's ace in the hole is his history of mental preparation in figure skating.

“The mental process between racing and figure skating is the same,” said Stojko. “It's all about preparing yourself, breathing techniques and being in the zone. The big difference is that in skating if you make one tiny error, it's all over. In racing, you can make an error and still recoup, which is a nice breath of fresh air. Skating has helped my mindset for this, where I can just train, pound some laps and be consistent.”

Ahead of the Micra Cup double race, Stojko had two days of practice at Saint-Eustache, and one practice session at GP3R to familiarize himself with the race-specced Micra.

“This is a lot faster than Saint-Eustache,” said Stojko ahead of his first race. “I still need to figure out the braking points, and how the brakes and tires will handle. It's a steep learning curve, but I'm pretty confident in my abilities and have so much to learn. I have loved every minute so far.”

After qualifying in the middle-to-bottom of the pack, the race wouldn't go as expected as a collision with driver Kevin King would end both their races and send Stojko to a 25th place finish out of 26. Clearly, there was room for improvement, and Stojko showed what he's capable of with a tenth place finish in Race #2. During the race, Stojko would gain eight positions and place ahead of GT Academy driver Abhinay Bikkani, as well as all other Albi Nissan drivers on route to that top-10 position.

The GP3R Micra Cup race was a one-off for Stojko, but possibly the car racing seed has been planted in him. He might have mentioned a desire for a Porsche Cup race next on his wish list...

Ottawa, ON – Floundering in a diminishing segment, Nissan was at a crossroads with the Maxima, it's full-size sedan. The choice was simple: completely change or pull the plug on the second-longest Nissan nameplate, beginning in 1981.

Now in its eighth-generation, Nissan went ahead and launched the 2016 Nissan Maxima in a very lucrative Super Bowl advertisement back in February. Nissan executives wanted to create a luxurious marvel that seems to be more premium than what we are accustomed to, a similar situation to what Nissan has done with its Murano SUV.

To test out the new refined showpiece of Nissan, they invited a number of journalists to Ottawa for a drive up to the Quebec Laurentians, and back. It was a great opportunity to not only feel the comfort of what Nissan is calling a jet fighter-styled cockpit interior, but also the power behind this so-called “sports sedan.”

Nissan simplified the buying process by only offering up four trim levels with no options. The base SV starts at $35,900, more than $2K less than the previous starting price; the second-tier SL at 38,950; the sports-tuned SR at  $41,100; and finally, the Platinum edition that tops out at $43,300.

It's a system that's less complicated at the dealership level, but customers might have a hard time deciding what's more appropriate for their lifestyle. The two trims on hand for the drive were the SR and Platinum, and after a day with them, I still can't figure out which I prefer.

On one hand, the range-topping Platinum is decked out with a panoramic moonroof, wood-tone finishes, an around-view monitor and power tilt/telescope steering. That all sounds great, but then you go to the SR and its sporting 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, and a sports-tuned suspension with some features that include Active Ride Control, Active Trace Control and Active Engine Brake.

A big drawback for the SR is not being able to have it with that panoramic moonroof – it just couldn't be done for lower body rigidity of the vehicle. So instead, you're left with a decision.

One decision that doesn't have to be made is with the engine. All Maximas come with an updated 3.5-litre V6 that not only improves on power from 290 hp to 300, but betters its fuel economy numbers to beat out other like-minded V6s in the premium large sedan category, as well as some in the mid-size sedan range. On our drive, the Maxima managed both in both trims an 8.5L/100 km with plenty of power surges to see what's really under that hood.

Also new in the Maxima is a refined Xtronic continuously variable transmission (CVT) that's been fine-tuned to have a wider gear ratio range that can get aggressive when pushed. I did find their to be a little lag after acceleration contact, but it's miles beyond what we used to think of CVTs.

The drive through the twisty Laurentians areas was a perfect spot to test out the handling of this large sports sedan. The most notable thing about the drive was how quiet it was. Only when that accelerator got pressed down to pass a few slow moving vehicles and trucks when two-lanes turned to one, the Maxima lit up and loudly CVT'd its way passed them. Otherwise, the journey was consistently relaxed and smooth, aided by the updated version of Nissan's NASA-inspired zero-gravity seats.

The interesting thing about the new Maxima is given its large dimensions, its width is not noticeable while driving. It seems less like a full-size, as in the Hyundai Genesis, and more like its sibling, the Altima. I'm not sure whether it's the sleek silhouette design that makes the Maxima feel smaller or the lightweight feel (the Maxima dropped 82 lbs., giving it an excellent power-to-weight ratio), but it was evident and that's a big check mark for me.

The two drive modes offered are: Normal and Sport, so naturally we tested both out. Normal mode added an extra layer of comfort and smoothness in the Platinum trim, especially over some rough chopped up areas around Quebec; while the SR felt more suitable in Sport mode with quicker response times and better cornering stability. Road feel was always present allowing you to manage the steering with crisp and accurate responses.

As smooth as the drive is, so is the design. Nissan turned this sedan from just another number option in its portfolio into a star. The V-motion grille might seem a bit large and more suitable for a larger vehicle, but the signature boomerang LED headlights supply it with a lot of character. The silhouette gets a sleeked-back cool look with a blacked-out A-Pillar and aggressive lines going across its body into its rear, where it takes on a more muscular backside.

Inside, the all-new Maxima shines with soft comfortable leather that's elevated with authentic contrast stitching on the dash, seats, door panels, you name it. The craftsmanship feels luxurious and more in-line with the Infiniti brand than Nissan.

A Nissan-first is a flat-bottomed leather-wrapped steering wheel that's steals the show. It's thick and handy with plenty of buttons to toggle between the radio stations, making a phone call, or figuring out your fuel economy numbers. If you don't like to use your steering wheel for controls, don't worry, you have a eight-inch colour touchscreen or a display commander rotating dial behind the gearshift. A little redundant, and not necessary, but I gather they're trying to accommodate all preferences.

I had a chance to sit in the back, and there's enough leg room for Dikembe Mutombo to relax in and not have to wag his finger. Headroom can be an issue for the taller individual, mainly due to the sloping silhouette, but if you're under 6'2”, there should be no trouble at all. The trunk is spacious, but it doesn't compare to some of its competitors.

Is the 2016 Nissan Maxima a sports sedan? The quick answer is no, but it's a well-designed full-size sedan that's focused on style and performance. The new iteration is light years ahead of the old, and it comes with many standard luxuries, such as heated seats and steering wheel, navigation, a rear view camera and advanced safety technologies that many other premium offerings don't have.

At $35K, the Maxima seems like a perfect choice, but the sales side can get murky, as we reach the $40K-43K mark. Many consumers in that range want to see a distinguished badge, and I'm not sure the Nissan one is what they want. If you take away the desire for status and take this Maxima out for a test drive, you will be pleasantly surprised not only by its exquisite styling, but also by its opulent cockpit.

The Nissan Maxima is currently on sale at dealerships across Canada.

Recently, Hyundai and the National Football League (NFL) signed a four-year agreement making the Korean-based automotive company the official automotive sponsor of the NFL.

The financial numbers haven't been confirmed, but according to ESPN.com the deal is double the amount of what General Motors paid before it decided not to renew its exclusive agreement after last season. General Motors paid $25-million a year, therefore it appears that Hyundai is forking over $50-million, while not even being an exclusive partner, as the deal can still allow the NFL to sell in the truck category.

Under the terms of the deal, Hyundai will be able to use the NFL trademarks for all of its own marketing and advertising ventures. Furthermore, it allows Hyundai to be a part of all the NFL events that include the Super Bowl, NFL Draft, Scouting Combine and all the rest of the season's games.

“We are huge football fans at Hyundai and feel there is no better venue to reach consumers, increase consideration and tell the Hyundai brand story,” Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski said in the statement. “We can’t wait to show the NFL’s 188 million fans the great design, advanced technologies, dynamic performance and numerous safety features within the Hyundai lineup.”

Between the four major sports leagues, Hyundai's sister company, Kia is the official sponsor of the NBA. Chevrolet remains as the official car of MLB, and Honda is the official sponsor of the NHL.

The four-year NFL deal will start once the regular season kicks off on September 10.
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In other NFL/automotive-related news, Nissan and the Tennessee Titans announced a 20-year partnership agreement. The main focal point of the agreement is the change of the LP Field name to Nissan Stadium.

"For us, this event is extremely important because it not only offers us the opportunity to partner with a great institution, with a great family...but also, as you probably know, we're about to launch a brand new generation 'Titan,'which we call the'AmericanTitan,'" said Jose Muñoz, Executive Vice President at Nissan.

The name of the stadium will take effect before the 2015 NFL season begins.