2009 Nissan Armada Review

The most famous armada of all time was sent by King Phillip II of Spain to invade England and usurp the heretic Queen Elizabeth. This armada was enormous, formidable and a force to be feared. In the end, though, it vanished into the North Atlantic, a victim of smaller British ships, some unfortunate westerly gales and the scraggly Irish coast. Nissan hopes that its enormous, formidable 2009 Armada doesn't suffer a similar fate, although there are a few westerly gales brewing in the automotive marketplace as well.

Based on the Titan pickup, the Nissan Armada full-size SUV was introduced for 2004, a year that seemed to signal the tail end of the "to heck with fuel economy, big trucks for all!" period. It featured (and still does) several avant-garde styling elements, like its curved roof line, designed to set the Armada apart from its competitors. A refresh conducted last year gave the Armada a more pleasant cabin with smarter ergonomics and much nicer materials. In the top-level LE trim, the Nissan Armada is actually none too different from its Infiniti counterpart, the QX56.



Unlike most of its competitors, the 2009 Nissan Armada is only available with one engine, a 5.6-liter 317-horsepower V8. In addition to brisk acceleration around town and prodigious passing power, the 5.6 allows a 9,100-pound tow rating when properly equipped. We've driven the Armada with and without a trailer and were very impressed by its stamina when hitched up.

Of course, that type of power and the Armada's heavy, boxy body translate into poor fuel economy -- which is subpar even by full-size truck standards. In today's climate of high gas prices, an unstable economy and global warming concerns, Nissan's Armada is entering uncharted choppy waters. And like the Spanish Armada, the full-size Nissan has smaller models conquering its sales as buyers move away from thirsty, large SUVs.

Mind you, such vehicles will always be preferred for serious off-road and towing duties. Although a large crossover like GMC's Acadia is superior for simple people-hauling, it just can't handle the rigors of lugging a Bayliner. However, the Armada's newer rivals from Chevrolet/GMC and Toyota have similar heavy-duty capability and are superior offerings to boot, with a wider choice of engines and a more refined ride.
edmunds

2009 Nissan Armada Review

The most famous armada of all time was sent by King Phillip II of Spain to invade England and usurp the heretic Queen Elizabeth. This armada was enormous, formidable and a force to be feared. In the end, though, it vanished into the North Atlantic, a victim of smaller British ships, some unfortunate westerly gales and the scraggly Irish coast. Nissan hopes that its enormous, formidable 2009 Armada doesn't suffer a similar fate, although there are a few westerly gales brewing in the automotive marketplace as well.

Based on the Titan pickup, the Nissan Armada full-size SUV was introduced for 2004, a year that seemed to signal the tail end of the "to heck with fuel economy, big trucks for all!" period. It featured (and still does) several avant-garde styling elements, like its curved roof line, designed to set the Armada apart from its competitors. A refresh conducted last year gave the Armada a more pleasant cabin with smarter ergonomics and much nicer materials. In the top-level LE trim, the Nissan Armada is actually none too different from its Infiniti counterpart, the QX56.



Unlike most of its competitors, the 2009 Nissan Armada is only available with one engine, a 5.6-liter 317-horsepower V8. In addition to brisk acceleration around town and prodigious passing power, the 5.6 allows a 9,100-pound tow rating when properly equipped. We've driven the Armada with and without a trailer and were very impressed by its stamina when hitched up.

Of course, that type of power and the Armada's heavy, boxy body translate into poor fuel economy -- which is subpar even by full-size truck standards. In today's climate of high gas prices, an unstable economy and global warming concerns, Nissan's Armada is entering uncharted choppy waters. And like the Spanish Armada, the full-size Nissan has smaller models conquering its sales as buyers move away from thirsty, large SUVs.

Mind you, such vehicles will always be preferred for serious off-road and towing duties. Although a large crossover like GMC's Acadia is superior for simple people-hauling, it just can't handle the rigors of lugging a Bayliner. However, the Armada's newer rivals from Chevrolet/GMC and Toyota have similar heavy-duty capability and are superior offerings to boot, with a wider choice of engines and a more refined ride.
edmunds

2008 Geneva Motor Show : Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe

ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM COUPÉ

In 2006, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveiled 101EX, an experimental car hand-built to explore an exciting new design direction for a modern coupé. Wrapped in a sleek, rakish body, 101EX was an engineering-led study, showcasing the technical and architectural innovation inherent in the quintessential modern Rolls-Royce car. Both handsome and elegant, it encapsulated the essence of contemporary coupé style.

So positive was the worldwide reaction to 101EX that, in autumn 2007, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced that a series model would go into production in the summer of 2008. This coupé would complete the Phantom family, standing alongside the Phantom, Phantom Extended Wheelbase and Phantom Drophead Coupé.

Revealed at the Salon International de l'Automobile, Geneva in March 2008, the Phantom Coupé is the third new model from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars since BMW Group became custodian of the marque in 1998.

The Coupé is the most driver-orientated model in the Phantom line. A number of subtle but significant modifications have been made that change its character. It is noticeably more dynamic, whilst still offering incredible levels of comfort a balance not easily achieved.

The Coupé marries cutting-edge technology with a beautifully proportioned, muscular body that exudes power and style. Utterly contemporary in appearance, it nonetheless incorporates timeless Rolls-Royce design cues such as the long bonnet, large-diameter wheels, short front and long rear overhangs and the classic dynamic, rising profile.

Pleasing to the touch and to the eye, every material used in the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé has been carefully selected to combine form with function. The cabin's sumptuous leather, rich wood grains and cool chrome accents create a driver environment unparalleled in luxury and comfort.

Designed to cover great distances with the minimum of fuss, the Coupé is a sublime choice for a transcontinental trip, its effortless power provided by the Phantom's 6.75-litre V12, producing a phenomenal 453 bhp and 720 Nm of torque. Agile, fast, long-legged and virtually silent, the Phantom Coupé allows both driver and passengers to emerge unruffled, even after an all-day run.

2008 Geneva Motor Show : Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe

ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM COUPÉ

In 2006, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveiled 101EX, an experimental car hand-built to explore an exciting new design direction for a modern coupé. Wrapped in a sleek, rakish body, 101EX was an engineering-led study, showcasing the technical and architectural innovation inherent in the quintessential modern Rolls-Royce car. Both handsome and elegant, it encapsulated the essence of contemporary coupé style.

So positive was the worldwide reaction to 101EX that, in autumn 2007, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced that a series model would go into production in the summer of 2008. This coupé would complete the Phantom family, standing alongside the Phantom, Phantom Extended Wheelbase and Phantom Drophead Coupé.

Revealed at the Salon International de l'Automobile, Geneva in March 2008, the Phantom Coupé is the third new model from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars since BMW Group became custodian of the marque in 1998.

The Coupé is the most driver-orientated model in the Phantom line. A number of subtle but significant modifications have been made that change its character. It is noticeably more dynamic, whilst still offering incredible levels of comfort a balance not easily achieved.

The Coupé marries cutting-edge technology with a beautifully proportioned, muscular body that exudes power and style. Utterly contemporary in appearance, it nonetheless incorporates timeless Rolls-Royce design cues such as the long bonnet, large-diameter wheels, short front and long rear overhangs and the classic dynamic, rising profile.

Pleasing to the touch and to the eye, every material used in the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé has been carefully selected to combine form with function. The cabin's sumptuous leather, rich wood grains and cool chrome accents create a driver environment unparalleled in luxury and comfort.

Designed to cover great distances with the minimum of fuss, the Coupé is a sublime choice for a transcontinental trip, its effortless power provided by the Phantom's 6.75-litre V12, producing a phenomenal 453 bhp and 720 Nm of torque. Agile, fast, long-legged and virtually silent, the Phantom Coupé allows both driver and passengers to emerge unruffled, even after an all-day run.

2009 Ford F-150 Raptor Inching Closer To Full Monty

New spy pictures of Ford's expected F-150 Raptor factory-built desert runner confirm details that escaped from Ford’s closed-door dealer meeting in Las Vegas in April. At that gathering, Ford marketing chief Jim Farley showed video of the truck racing off-road, plus a picture of the production grille with the word "FORD" prominently stamped across black mesh.

The latest Raptor photos show that Ford's long-travel 4x4 has swapped out a standard 2009-model-year grille (seen in pictures of earlier Raptor mules) for the one Farley previewed. You can see it has a rectangular mesh pattern on the top and bottom of the grille, with "FORD" taped over in the middle.

The Raptor is expected to be powered by Ford's new large-displacement Boss V-8, with Fox Racing running gear and 35-inch all-terrain tires to soak up desert bumps. We're also expecting it to be badged as a Ford Special Vehicle Team product.
Check out AmericanTrucks.com and their large selection of Truck Wheels.

2009 Ford F-150 Raptor Inching Closer To Full Monty

New spy pictures of Ford's expected F-150 Raptor factory-built desert runner confirm details that escaped from Ford’s closed-door dealer meeting in Las Vegas in April. At that gathering, Ford marketing chief Jim Farley showed video of the truck racing off-road, plus a picture of the production grille with the word "FORD" prominently stamped across black mesh.

The latest Raptor photos show that Ford's long-travel 4x4 has swapped out a standard 2009-model-year grille (seen in pictures of earlier Raptor mules) for the one Farley previewed. You can see it has a rectangular mesh pattern on the top and bottom of the grille, with "FORD" taped over in the middle.

The Raptor is expected to be powered by Ford's new large-displacement Boss V-8, with Fox Racing running gear and 35-inch all-terrain tires to soak up desert bumps. We're also expecting it to be badged as a Ford Special Vehicle Team product.
Check out AmericanTrucks.com and their large selection of Truck Wheels.

Toyota Tundra plant in San Antonio to lay off 200 temp workers

Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday told 200 temporary workers at its full-size truck plant here they will be laid off this summer.

The company will also slow production at its Tundra plant, scheduling 14 days between now and October when no trucks will roll off the assembly lines. Those days, workers will be allowed to take vacation, days without pay or work at the plant on non-manufacturing duties as they choose, said Toyota spokesman Mike Goss.

The temporary workers were hired at the plant with hopes of becoming permanent employees as other workers left, but they will instead be returned to the agency that helped hire them, Goss said.

"We have a very long-term view of that factory in Texas. We're trying not to overreact. We're trying not to shut it down," said Goss, who noted record-high gas prices and a slowing economy have badly damaged truck sales.

The layoffs announced Tuesday do not affect the company's permanent work force of 2,000 at the San Antonio plant that opened in November 2006. At full capacity, the plant can produce 200,000 trucks a year.
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