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After only two years in the lineup, the hybrid version of the Nissan Pathfinder and its upscale twin, the Infiniti QX60, have silently motored off into history. Neither is returning for the 2016 model year.

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Combining a supercharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a 20-hp electric motor, the hybrid SUVs didn’t offer a huge increase in fuel economy compared with the standard 3.5-liter V-6 versions. The front-wheel-drive hybrids had an EPA combined rating of 26 mpg, 3 mpg better than the nonhybrid, while the all-wheel-drive hybrids, also at 26 mpg combined, beat the standard AWD model by 4 mpg.

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In our test of an all-wheel-drive Pathfinder Hybrid, we did considerably worse, averaging only 19 mpg versus the 20 mpg we recorded in a long-term test of a Pathfinder V-6. We concluded, “it’s hard to justify the added mass and cost.” Seems that most Pathfinder shoppers agreed.

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• Nissan Rogue Hybrid Might Migrate to the U.S.
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• Instrumented Test: 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid AWD
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• Nissan Pathfinder Full Coverage: Tests, Reviews, Specs, Photos, and More
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It’s not known whether Infiniti will continue with its Q50 and Q70 hybrids—yes, they do sell those—or whether they will exit, as well. For hybrid-loving SUV buyers, Nissan may soon have a new alternative in the form of a Rogue hybrid—its platform-mate, the European-market X-Trail, is offered with one. We’ll have to wait and see whether it comes here.

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Diesel engines are nothing new to the U.S. or to Range Rovers, but never before have Range Rovers been sold in the U.S. equipped with a diesel. As we’ve reported before, a diesel V-6 with 254 horsepower and 440 stump-pulling lb-ft of torque will be offered in both the 2016 Range Rover Sport and the big daddy 2016 Range Rover models, denoted by a “Td6” badge. And now we know how much Land Rover will charge for the upgrade: $1500 over their gasoline V-6 counterparts.

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The cheapest among then is the standard Range Rover Sport Td6, which starts at $67,445, with the Range Rover Sport SE Td6 costing $72,455. Stepping up to the Range Rover line, and the Td6 starts at $87,445 while the HSE Td6 will set you back $94,445, plus whatever options one might want to pile on.

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You don’t have to be a compression-ignition fanboy to find the new oil-burners a rather compelling proposition, considering that the diesels are said to increase fuel efficiency by nearly a third. Land Rover estimates that both models will achieve 22 mpg in the city, 28 on the highway, and 25 mpg combined. Even with diesel being slightly more expensive than regular unleaded, that won’t take long for the diesel to pay off.

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• Diesel SUV Comparo: Jeep Grand Cherokee vs. VW Touareg TDI, M-B ML350, Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5
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• Land Rover Range Rover Research: Pictures, Pricing, Reviews, Tests, and More!
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• Instrumented Test: 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged
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And of course, the oil-burners benefit from all of the upgrades bestowed upon the other Range Rover models, from automatic vehicle lowering for easier entry/exit to Land Rover’s remote vehicle services that include remote door locking and unlocking, remote starting, and emergency roadside services.

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From the July 2015 issue

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Speed limits, emissions regulations, and the always-newsworthy rift between rich and poor make today’s roads an inhospitable climate for supercars. But the pace of technological development means the segment is evolving faster than ever, especially with the advent of anything-goes mega-mutations made exclusively for the track. These monsters free engineers from real-world constraints, allowing them to try new technologies unhampered by regulations.

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Ferrari invented the segment a decade ago with the Enzo-based FXX, but today Maranello is just one of three factories offering ultra-expensive, track-only ordnance. And, as if being personally approved for the purchase isn’t exclusive enough, buyers don’t take these cars “as is.” The fortunate—literally, blessed by great fortune—new owners get the benefit of personalized detailing and factory perks. All three cars include Nomex wearables and a helmet matched to the car’s color scheme, as well as private coaching both on simulators and in the real world. But the extras included with each vary, so we’ve prepared this handy comparison guide. (Not that it matters, because the cars are all sold out.)

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		Aston Martin -Vulcan		Ferrari -FXX K		McLaren -P1 GTR
Cost		$2.3 million		$3.0 million		$3.1 million
Production limited to		24		40		40–45
Horsepower		800-plus		1036		986
Estimated 0–60 time		3.3 seconds		2.4 seconds		2.6 seconds
Duration of program		TBD		2 years		1.5 years
Track sessions		TBD		Up to 7 per year		6 per program
I quit! I’m selling the car		Okay.		Not in the first two years, you’re not. You signed a contract.		That’s fine. But the new owner doesn’t get to play in any remaining track sessions.
Program bonuses		Training sessions chaperoned by Le Mans winner Darren Turner, plus warm-ups in lesser cars such as the V-12 Vantage S, Vantage GT4 race car, and that other limited-edition Aston Martin, the One-77.		Two-day training and car fitment takes place at the historic Fiorano test track. Plus, the XX program also includes the FXX and the 599XX. So even while you’re hobnobbing with Ferrari’s 39 other handpicked favorite customers, there will still be people around for you to look down upon.		Chief designer Frank Stephenson is personally available to discuss your P1 GTR livery. That means an extended period of him saying “No” before finally arriving at “Let’s just do this.” You also get up to four hours of simulator time at McLaren’s headquarters in Woking, England, prior to each event.

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• Photos and Info: 2015 McLaren P1 GTR
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• Watch Sebastian Vettel Hustle a Ferrari FXX K Around Fiorano
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• 2016 Aston Martin Vulcan: Ready to Bomb the World’s Racetracks
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Long-term life support on Mars should be possible someday, study says

When the first two human colonists land on Mars, they could step into their ready-made living quarters, remove their space helmets and inhale deliciously breathable air.

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Vandals cut San Francisco area fiber optic lines for 11th time in a year

Fiber optic Internet cables in the San Francisco Bay area have been cut so often in the last year that the FBI is joining the investigation.

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In the months since Toyota unveiled the Mirai at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, the world’s been abuzz with talk of its homeliness. Toyota would like to take some of the chatter about the fuel-cell-juiced hydrogen car away from its questionable aesthetics and toward its capabilities. With the first cars due for delivery to California customers this fall and numbers from the EPA now in hand, maybe they can.

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The pertinents? An estimated 312-mile range and 67 miles per gallon equivalent city/highway/combined. That bests Hyundai’s fuel-cell variant of the Tucson by 47 miles of range and 18 MPGe city, 16 MPGe highway, and 17 MPGe combined. The Tucson, of course, looks like a normal, everyday, average crossover, while the Mirai, well, the Mirai looks like a mechazoid Dizzy Gillespie whose cheeks just exploded.

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For the first three years of your Mirai stewardship, the hydrogen’s on Toyota, along with three complimentary years of Toyota’s Entune and Safety Connect services. They’re also throwing in scheduled maintenance for three years or 35,000 miles, and an 8-year, 100,000-mile warranty on the fuel-cell stack, fueling ECU, power control unit, fuel-cell air compressor, the hybrid battery pack and its ECU, and the power-management control module.

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• Plug-in and Hydrogen Mazdas Coming, Courtesy of Toyota
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• Toyota: “Hey, Everyone—Have 5680 Fuel-Cell Patents! For Free!”
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• Toyota Mirai Full Coverage: News, Photos, Specs, Reviews, and More
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Will the numbers be convincing enough to get customers to see past the Mirai’s ungainly appearance? Who knows? One might recall that the first-gen Prius wasn’t exactly a looker, either.

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5 Things the Apple App Store Could Do Better

I haven't been thrilled with app discovery on the App Store for years, and while Apple has been tweaking things to make it better, it's pretty easy to enter the iOS App Store, look around, and come to the conclusion that only an infinitesimal fraction of 1.5 million apps must be worthy of showing off -- and unfortunately, Disney's "Palace Pets in Whisker Haven" is one of them. Which raises the question: Are there really great apps that never see the light of day hiding out in the App Store, waiting for their chance to get recognized and shine?

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Faster, Cheaper Fiber Could Rev Up Internet

Researchers have found a way to significantly improve the performance of fiber networks, which could lead to benefits for both consumers and Internet service providers. Information in fiber optic cables degrades with distance. When you try to increase the speed at which the data is traveling by boosting the power in the network, degradation gets worse. "It's like quicksand," said Nikola Alic, a research scientist at the Qualcomm Institute, part of the University of California at San Diego. "The more you struggle, the faster you sink."

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