Japanese cars

The 2008 Altima Hybrid is a 4-door, 5-passenger family sedan, available in one trim only, the HEV. Upon introduction, the Altima Hybrid is equipped with a standard 2.5-liter, I4, 158-horsepower, hybrid engine that achieves 35-mpg in the city and 33-mpg on the highway. A variable speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard. The 2008 Altima Hybrid is a carryover from 2007.

As soon as the second-generation Prius arrived on the scene in 2003, the Civic Hybrid was cast in its role as runner-up in the hybrid world. It’s true that the Civic Hybrid is not quite as fuel-efficient, not quite as comfortable and roomy, and not quite as powerful as the Prius. But the gas-electric Civic, like Rodney Dangerfield, deserves more respect than it receives.

The 2004 Nissan 350z is a V6, 287 bhp sports car that can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 6 seconds. The body kit is somewhat radical in looks, yet the longer you look at it the better it becomes. If you love this car, you will also love the remote control version. Powered by a .15 cubic inch, 2-stroke engine, the nitro powered model can reach a top speed of 27 mph. This is more than fast enough especially if you are new to remote control cars. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the real 2004 Nissan 350z versus the 1/10 HPI Super Nitro RS4 RTR (w/ a Nissan 350z Nismo body kit). Also links...

2006 Nissan 350Z Exudes Passion, Performance and Practicality For 2006, the dramatic Nissan 350Z sports car receives its first comprehensive updating since its introduction in the United States market in August 2002. The changes to the Z, which has sold over 100,000 units in its first three years, include a revised front end appearance, enhanced interior, LED taillights, a new vehicle speed-sensitive power steering system, refined optional navigation system and available RAYS super lightweight 18-inch front/19-inch rear 5-spoke forged alloy wheels (Coupe only).

Honda's roller-skate-sized Civic put the company on the map in America during the first gasoline shock back in 1973, and since then, Honda has been cranking out successive--and usually excellent--iterations of its small car, regardless of where a gallon of unleaded was charting at the moment.

The FCX concept is Honda's latest take on fuel cells. Although its ultra-cab-forward body looks dramatically long, low, and wide, at 186 inches (15.5 feet) in overall length, the FCX is actually shorter than the Acura RL. It features a compact, Honda-developed fuel-cell stack in the middle of the car with two hydrogen tanks in the rear. The stack is actually much smaller than is now technologically feasible, but Honda says that it shows "our dream."

While Mazda continues to develop its fascinating gas/hydrogen-powered rotary RX-8 (it should be available in Japan in 2006), it showed something even more advanced at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, a rotary hybrid version of the latest Mazda 5.

When the evolutionary version of the Cosmo Sport was launched, another sensational vehicle was also introduced to the market in July 1968. Mazda developed a brand-new Familia Rotary Coupe based on the design study model, the Mazda RX-85, which was first unveiled in front of the public during the Tokyo Motor Show the previous year. The Familia Rotary Coupe featured an identical rotary unit to that powering the Cosmo and, at the same time, offered cabin comfort comparable to a family vehicle. The company also took this high-performance touring car to the racetrack. In the Grand Prix of Singapore,...

The RX-8 departs far from the sports coupe norm in passenger accommodation. The genre is notorious for rear seats that are better-suited to suitcases than humans over the age of 10. The RX-8 is different. With no central ``B'' pillar, access is easy for all four passengers. If four six-footers aren't quite in the design spec, a five-eight person can fit comfortably behind a six-foot front passenger. All four seats are comfortably-padded and bolstered for support in spirited driving - and check out the Wankel-rotor shaped inserts in the front headrests. A rear-facing child seat can...

General Information Price: $28,987 Miles Per Gallon: 18/26 mpg Curb Weight: 3263 lbs Layout: Front-Engine/AWD Transmission: 5-Speed Manual Engine Type: Turbocharged Inline-4 Displacement: 1997 cc Horsepower: 271 bhp @ 6500 rpm Torque: 273 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm Redline: 7000 rpm Performance 0-60 mph: 4.7 sec 0-100 mph: 12.45 sec Quarter Mile: 13.08 sec @ 105 mph Skidpad: .98g Top Speed: 157 mph Braking, 60-0 mph: 106 ft

Mitsubishi's automotive origins date back as far as 1917, when the Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. introduced the Mitsubishi Model A, Japan's first series-production automobile. An entirely hand-built seven-seater sedan based on the Fiat Tipo 3, it proved expensive compared to its American and European mass-produced rivals, and production was discontinued in 1921 after only 22 had been built. Meanwhile, in 1920, the Mitsubishi Internal Combustion Engine Co., Ltd. was established to manufacture aircraft engines. It was renamed the Mitsubishi Aircraft Co. in 1928, before being merged...

The 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse is a 2-door, 4-passenger family coupe, or sports coupe, available in two trims, the GS and the GT. Upon introduction, the GS is equipped with a standard 2.4-liter, I4, 162-horsepower engine that achieves 23-mpg in the city and 30-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional. The GT is equipped with a standard 3.8-liter, V6, 263-horsepower engine that achieves 18-mpg in the city and 27-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a...