MotherProof.com Car Seat Check Recap

The 2011 Saab 9-5 is a large family sedan that has some trouble fitting child-safety seats despite its girth. The high-back booster seat, convertible and infant-safety seats were tough to install compared with the other large sedan we tested recently, the 2011 Chrysler 300C. Check out the latest Car Seat Checks at MotherProof.com:

2011 Saab 9-5: Car Seat Check 
2011 Chrysler 300 and 300C: Car Seat Check 
2011 Nissan Murano: Car Seat Check 
2012 Mazda5: Car Seat Check

Toyota, Chrysler, Nissan and Chevrolet Make the Least Expensive Vehicles to Insure

Toyota, Chrysler, Nissan and Chevrolet have the least expensive cars, vans, SUVs and or trucks to insure in 2011, according to Insure.com, an insurance research website.

Insure.com arrived at these rankings through a commissioned study by Quadrant Information Services, which calculated premiums for a 40-year-old male driver. The rates come from a compilation of six major insurance carriers’ premiums in 10 ZIP codes in each state.

According to the study, the least expensive cars to insure are the four- and six-cylinder front-wheel-drive variants of the Toyota Highlander, at $1,154 and $1,183 per year, respectively. (We would categorize the Highlander as more of a car-based crossover/SUV, but food for thought anyways.) The Chrysler Town & Country LX is the least expensive minivan to insure at $1,092 per year and is actually the most affordably priced car to insure, period, for 2011. The Nissan Murano SL is the least expensive SUV, at $1,128 per year, and the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with a V-8 and two-wheel drive is the least expensive truck to insure, at $1,174 per year.

What Does This Button Do?

Climate systems seem to be one of the biggest culprits in the production of mysterious buttons. We've seen strange buttons that try to tackle allergies or even remove odors, so conveying that into a tiny button often results in confusing imagery. One of these buttons sits inside the 2011 Nissan Murano, but it doesn’t perform either of the those tasks.
 
Is it the secret to stylizing big wavy hair? Perhaps Donald Trump and former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich are Murano owners.

2012 Nissan Lineup: Ch-Ch-Changes

For the 2012 model year, Nissan will refresh the Maxima, add a Special Edition Package to the Rogue and increase the standard features on the Leaf. The automaker released the planned model-year changes for its lineup this week.

Nissan also plans to continue to sell the old Versa hatchback alongside the completely redesigned Versa sedan, which was first shown at the 2011 New York International Auto Show.

Continue reading below for more detailed information.

2011 Kia Optima Earns Five-Star NHTSA Rating

The 2011 Kia Optima received an overall rating of five stars in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s new crash-test rating system, the agency announced today.

Read Cars.com's Full Review of the 2011 Kia Optima

The Optima’s overall composite score is composed of a five-star frontal, five-star rollover and a five-star rating for the combined side pole and barrier tests. The side barrier test is an area where other vehicles have shown weakness with the safety agency’s new testing format. The side pole test simulates a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side.

Breaking Down Nissan's Year End Sales Event

Nissan has traditionally given bigger discounts than its more frugal Japanese cousins — Toyota and Honda — and for December, that yuletide tradition continues.

Nissan is offering a wide array of hefty cash-back and low-financing options across its entire lineup, barring new entries like the Juke or the GT-R sports car. Relatively inexpensive models like the Versa have up to $2,000 cash back. The relatively new but slow-selling Cube also gets $500 cash back. The Altima Hybrid, which is sold in limited markets, has up to $4,000 cash back on it, depending on the region.

Unlike some brands, which are nearly done with the switch to the 2011 model year, nearly 40% of Nissan’s inventory is from the 2010 model year, so these 2010 deals should be somewhat easy to come by.

All highlighted models have 0% to 3.9% financing for 60 to 72 months, depending on the model. Most of these deals are good until Jan. 3.

If you’re looking for a lease deal, you may be somewhat disappointed. We could find only three models – the Altima, Rouge and Sentra – that have subvented leasing plans, and all three require largish money-down agreements.

For more detailed info, continue reading below.

2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet: Up Close

If you’ve never ridden in a huge convertible, you don’t know what you’re missing. And chances are, that means you don’t know what you’re missing because the era of truly large convertibles ended in the 1970s. (Calm down, Jeep Wrangler fans. We know the top comes off, but we’ll give the Wrangler its very own category.) Nissan hopes to change things with its 2011 Murano CrossCabriolet convertible crossover.

 More L.A. Auto Show Coverage

At first glance, the CrossCabriolet looks bizarre.

2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet: First Look

• Competes with: Ford Mustang convertible, Volvo C70 
• Looks like: A high-riding convertible 
• Drivetrain: 265-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 engine, all-wheel drive, continuously variable automatic transmission 
• Hits dealerships: Early 2011 

Perhaps no car has been so oddly conceived as the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet since the Pontiac Aztek debuted. While the Aztek was aimed at a very specific niche of buyers, the CrossCabriolet looks to capture a larger audience searching for an almost practical luxury-priced convertible.

More L.A. Auto Show Coverage

If that’s you, the Murano CrossCabriolet is quite remarkable. It promises more room than a traditional convertible, so rear passengers can actually enjoy the open-air ride. If the elements don't allow it, the soft-top also features an added piece of glass for an open-air look.

2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet: First Picture

Nissan has released the first official image of the 2011 Murano CrossCabriolet shown above.

We’ve wondered how Nissan would make the crossover into a drop-top and it looks much more natural than we could have expected.

We do question why Nissan — with its U.S. headquarters based in Tennessee — would release the image during the Tennessee Titans game against the Miami Dolphins, but maybe they’re worried about competing with Chrysler’s onslaught of information hitting the web starting at midnight tonight. Personally, we’re building this post watching that very game.

The Murano CrossCabriolet debuts to the media Wednesday at the L.A. Auto Show.

2011 Nissan Murano Priced at $28,500

Despite a fairly significant upgrade for 2011, the Nissan Murano only receives a minor price increase for the model year. The 2011 Murano starts at $28,500, which is a $160 price increase from last year’s base model. Actually, the 2010 Murano starting pricing rose from $28,050 at the beginning of last year to $28,340 today, so the price change for 2011 is actually closer to $500, which is still reasonable given the changes.

The 2011 Murano is available in S, SV, SL and LE trims in both front- and all-wheel drive. The SV trim is new for 2011 and comes with features like a dual-panel moonroof, a rearview camera and satellite radio.

To read more about the different features on each trim, check out our First Look post.

Continue reading below for more detailed pricing information.