Incentives Diet: Buy This, Not That

If you're about to spend the weekend shopping for a new car, we have a couple of choices that might be unexpectedly better deals than others.

In this latest round of "Buy This, Not That," we decided to focus on full-size pickups, midsize coupes and two new compact sedans.

All the trim levels picked for these comparisons needed to include an automatic transmission; air conditioning; power locks, windows and side mirrors; keyless entry; cruise control; Bluetooth connectivity; and a USB port. MSRPs include destination charges.

Niche Cars a Success Despite Lower Volumes

When developing cars that are never intended to appeal to a mass audience, automakers must be careful not to introduce a car so eccentric that it has no audience whatsoever. Even when deemed successful, these niche automobiles remain low-volume, bit players. They form the supporting cast of an automaker's lineup. Think of them as Wallace Shawns (read to the end) of the automotive world and not the Tom Cruises.

One such vehicle that dangerously toed the line when introduced was the Nissan Juke. Thought by many to be too crazy looking on the outside and too cramped inside, Nissan cast the Juke as an alternative crossover that it hoped would pull in buyers bored with the traditional Rogue crossover and Sentra compact sedan.

In 2011, 35,886 Jukes were sold. That's a miserable-sounding total when you consider Nissan sold 124,543 Rogues last year, but it was an unexpectedly fine performance from a car that is so peculiar. The Juke outsold the Mini Countryman and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport combined in 2011.

Recall Alert: 2012 Nissan Versa

Nissan is recalling 36,608 Versa compact cars from the 2012 model year that are equipped with an automatic transmission because they can be shifted out of Park without depressing the brake pedal. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an interference between the shifter rod and the shifter knob is causing the problem.

If the driver shifts out of Park without intending to a crash could result. The affected vehicles were made between June 9, 2011, and January 13, 2012. You can find the vehicle's build date on a label affixed to the driver-side doorjamb.

Nissan will begin notifying owners on Feb. 20. Dealers will inspect and replace the affected parts free of charge. Owners can call Nissan at 800-647-7261 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

2013 Nissan 370Z: Photo Gallery

Nissan's updated 2013 370Z will again be offered in coupe, roadster and high-performance NISMO form when it goes on sale this June. But exterior changes are subtle for Nissan's sport car.

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A restyled front lip spoiler, tweaked front grill and bumper designs, new LED daytime running lights, and different wheel packages combine to give it a cleaner, sleeker look for 2013.

Nissan Shows Off Pathfinder's New Interior

We first saw the Nissan Pathfinder concept at the Detroit auto show last month, but something was missing. Actually, it was the entire interior. Although the concept looked like a thinly disguised production Pathfinder, and we heard about its new interior features, it was empty. Today, Nissan released pictures and details of the large SUV's updated interior.

The automaker is making the Pathfinder more comfortable inside and out, returning it to a unibody platform -- instead of its previous body-on-frame design -- and adding more creature comforts to the cabin. 

2013 Nissan 370Z: Up Close

Mild is a generous way to describe Nissan's changes to the 2013 370Z, but there's still a lot to like if you're a sports car fan. The coupe's compact, athletic proportions haven't changed, and the Z has a great stance.

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The front grille and bumper have been simplified, but the new design works, allowing the arrow-shaped headlights to serve as the distinctive design element. LED daytime running lights, which have quickly become a must-have design feature, accent the front corners.

2013 Nissan NV200 at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show

• Competes with: Ford Transit Connect, Ram C/V 
• Looks like: A snub-nosed minivan from the '80s 
• Drivetrain: 2.0-liter four-cylinder; continuously variable automatic transmission 
• Hits dealerships: Early 2013 

First, there was the Ford Transit Connect and then the Ram C/V, and now the 2013 Nissan NV200 will join the small, light-duty commercial van marketplace.

You may have seen the 2013 Nissan NV200 before, especially if you live in New York City. The compact cargo van was selected to be the Big Apple's next-generation taxi cab late last year. The model was also presented in an electrified version, known as the e-NV200, at the 2012 Detroit auto show.

2013 Nissan 370Z at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show

• Competes with: Hyundai Genesis coupe, Ford Mustang
• Looks like: Nissan is copying Porsche's philosophy regarding the 911: the fewer noticeable changes, the better 
• Drivetrain: 332- or 350-hp, 3.7-liter V-6 with six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission; rear-wheel drive 
• Hits dealerships: June 2012

The Nissan 370Z sports car receives a number of cosmetic changes for the 2013 model year, but the V-6 powertrain carries over unchanged. Available June 2012, the 2013 370Z will again be offered in coupe, roadster and high-performance NISMO form.

More 2012 Chicago Auto Show Coverage

Z fans will readily spot the subtle design tweaks, but they'll likely go unnoticed by the majority of observers. Changes include a restyled front lip spoiler that trades the fangs of its predecessor for a cleaner, sleeker look. There are also new LED daytime running lights at the car’s front corners. The only change to the rear is a new red reflector below the license plate. NISMO versions, which have unique front and rear styling, don't receive these changes, but they do gain high-rigidity brake hoses and performance brake fluid.

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: January 2012

After capping 2011 with four decent months, the auto industry hit 2012 running. Analysts expect auto sales to outpace 2011 figures anywhere from 6% to 10%, which could make 2012 the best sales year since 2007.

January enticed consumers with total incentives — including financing offers, automaker and dealer cash, and trade-in bonuses — amounting to 16% off the average car’s MSRP, CNW Marketing Research reports. That beats January 2011, when shoppers saw only 13.5% off the average MSRP.

Shoppers took advantage. January sales jumped 11%, beating Tuesday’s expectations. This marks the best annualized month since 2009, Automotive News reports. Chrysler, Nissan and Hyundai-Kia saw double-digit sales gains, with GM the only top-seven automaker to post a loss.

Nissan CEO Talks New Cars, Sales Expectations

By any account, Nissan had a good year. Despite challenges in Asia and weakening consumer confidence in debt-ridden Europe, the Japanese automaker outpaced analysts' expectations for profits over the first half of its fiscal year, which ended last September. By year's end, Nissan's U.S. sales, including its Infiniti luxury division, improved 15%. Toyota and Honda ended 2011 with sales down 7% apiece, but they were greatly impacted by last year's tsunami in Japan, leading to far less dealership inventory than Nissan.

Ask CEO Carlos Ghosn to characterize Nissan's smooth sailing, and he tempers expectations: "If people are not upbeat, it's good," he said. "The company is moving into the right direction, even [though] there are a lot of headwinds."

Ghosn, 57, has been Nissan's chief executive since June 2001; he also oversees French automaker Renault, which has been allied with Nissan since 1999. He discussed Nissan's outlook for 2012 during this month's Detroit auto show, as well as at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit the same week.

Major products like the Altima and Sentra — Nissan's first and third best-sellers in 2011, respectively — are set for redesigns this year. Both cars have been in their current guise since late 2006, and both are part of a global barrage that will include a new product every six weeks on average through 2016, Ghosn said.