There has been much speculation about the Nissan Z Proto's engine. We've long suspected that the Z concept was powered by the 400-horsepower twin-turbo V6 from the Infiniti 400 Red Sport series. Now that hunch has been confirmed by photos of the Z Proto's engine bay.

Though it's a fully running concept, Nissan has never opened the hood of the Z Proto for the press. However, a lucky photog happened to be at the Nissan Crossing showroom in the ritzy Ginza shopping district of Tokyo just as workers had the hood popped. The venue is a popular showcase for Nissan's latest and greatest, and displays rotate frequently. This looks like an after-hours change over, but Instagrammer layersworks was able to take a few shots through the large picture window.

With the introduction of the 2022 Nissan Frontier, we're getting the truck's first comprehensive overhaul in a decade and a half. This midsize pickup has a not-so-midsize history here in America, and it's one we thought we'd explore a bit in the wake of the new truck's unveiling. 

To simply say that the small Nissan pickup's history in the United States predates the company's use of the name "Nissan" is, frankly, understating it. Nissan's small pickup isn't just noteworthy for its longevity; it was the first true compact pickup sold in the United States, starting with the 220 chassis in 1959 — 62 years ago — but the generation that really put it on the map was the 520 chassis, which was introduced in the mid-1960s. 

The 2022 Nissan Frontier is arriving into a midsize pickup truck market that's hotter than it has been in years, arguably decades. And it's taking an interesting approach with just one engine option and a platform derived from its ancient predecessor. We won't know exactly how it fares until we get a chance to drive it for ourselves, but Nissan did provide us with quite a few juicy technical specs, and you know what that means: it's time to compare the numbers with the competition.

We've rounded up basically all the small pickup players here. We've got the Frontier's homegrown rival, the Toyota Tacoma, as well as the current crop from America, the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado and Jeep Gladiator. We've got all the raw numbers in the spreadsheet below. Following that you'll find highlights and analysis of each category including powertrains, size and capability, and pricing.

Although it’s five inches longer than the outgoing model, Nissan tells us that it didn’t want its new Frontier to grow too much. The company was focused on finding a just-right size for the mid-size pickup.

The 2022 Nissan Frontier certainly looks all-new both inside and outside with its muscular sheetmetal and modern amenities. However, Nissan surprised us all when it declared the frame to be a massaged version of the frame underneath the previous generation Frontier — the F-Alpha platform. For some historical context, its first use in the Frontier came for the 2005 model year. That was also the last time the Frontier was totally new, until today.

An unchanged wheelbase was the first clue that this new Frontier was on the same platform as before. Nissan isn't just sitting on its hands with this chassis, though. The company shared its decision-making and rationale in a briefing with media. Randy Dale, senior manager of advanced planning at Nissan, explained that while this truck chassis is still around, it hasn't been static all this time.

The new and revamped 2022 Nissan Frontier is here and ready to rock the boat in the midsize pickup segment. It brings eye-catching styling, a new V6 engine (that actually debuted in the old truck) and all the updated tech amenities you'd expect to find in a brand new truck today.

Let's start with design, because this truck sure is a looker. There's no light evolution going on here. This is a full-on revolution, and Nissan killed it. The PRO-4X off-road model you're looking at here has some resemblance to a Tacoma TRD product, but it's still safely Nissan's truck. Designers say they were inspired by the "rough and rugged" Hardbody of the 1980s and 1990s. It's no retro copycat, but the idea is there in its high shouldered fenders, tall face and flat hood. Any indication of friendliness is gone, and that was the intention.

For the second time in the last three months, the Acura NSX has a larger monetary discount than any other vehicle in America. Acura's hybrid super coupe packs 573 horsepower under its sleek bodywork, sufficient to send it sailing off to 60 miles per hour in a scant 2.9 seconds. But it doesn't exactly fly off the showroom floor with the same level of urgency.

Buyers of the NSX are paying an average of $138,078 right now, which is a savings of $22,823 off its window sticker. That represents a 14.2% discount, which is also the largest percentage savings in February. And if the NSX doesn't quite fit into your future plans, Acura is also heavily discounting the ILX, TLX, RLX and MDX, so much so that those five models from the premium Japanese brand all appear in the top 10 biggest discounts this month.

Nissan is about to reveal two totally redesigned vehicles: the 2022 Nissan Frontier and 2022 Nissan Pathfinder. Both will take place in the same event at 1 p.m. ET today. You'll be able to watch the reveal happen in real time at Nissan's live reveal landing page here: NissanUSA.com/live.

The past week has seen teasers for both the Pathfinder and Frontier drop. Both feature quick videos of the respective models and provide a few hints on what they will ultimately look like. Of course, we've also seen both of these vehicles in spy shots out testing. You can check out the Nissan Frontier prototypes here, and the Nissan Pathfinder can be seen here. Both are obviously packing huge visual updates compared to the outgoing models.

Mazda may cut its global production output by 34,000 vehicles in February and March due to the global chip shortage.

Conventional wisdom would have you think cars and trucks that have been updated or are all-new do better in crash tests than their predecessors. That's not the case with the 2021 Nissan Titan, which scored lower in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's passenger-side small overlap test after changes to its underlying structure, the safety advocate says. What was it that the Mopar folks used to say? If you can't Dodge it, Ram it? Well, maybe don't try that in a new Titan. 

According to the announcement, Nissan made changes to the 2020 Titan's frame and several components of the cab, including the A-pillar, roof rail and lower sill. Part-way through the 2021 model year, more changes were made, including the addition of passenger-side knee airbags. This all sounds like good news on paper, but it appears that some of those structural changes had unforeseen consequences.

Go ahead and consider the 2021 Honda CR-V the baseline for any compact SUV search. Objectively speaking, it's tough to beat due to its massive cargo capacity, voluminous back seat, strong-yet-efficient engines, well-balanced driving dynamics, competitive pricing and features, strong safety ratings and well-regarded reliability. It's easy to see why it continues to be such a best-seller: for the vast majority of compact SUV buyers, and especially families, it checks every box.

Of course, people don't make buying decisions based solely on objective criteria. There are subjective preferences for style and driving dynamics that we can easily see the CR-V not satisfying. We'd personally rather drive the Mazda CX-5, for instance. We'd rather look at it, too. Many may also have special requirements that fall outside the "vast majority" norm such as the need for extra ground clearance and a more capable all-wheel-drive system to take them off the beaten path. For them, the Subaru Forester or more rugged versions of the Toyota RAV4 will be better bets. And really, there are so many solid entries in this segment that taking a look around is absolutely a good idea … just make sure to try the CR-V first and use it as that objective baseline.

Lexus has announced a comprehensive retail program pilot aimed at providing consumers with a new shopping experience.

The HGK Racing Team has just unveiled their Toyota Supra drift car that's been in the works for the past 12 months.

Toyota seems to receive all the praise these days as the GR Yaris finds its way to more and more reviewers. This time it's Harry Metcalfes' turn to give his verdict on the Japanese hot hatch everyone loves.