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Truth be told, yes, I would much rather be writing about the new Nissan Juke or Leaf but the rep for the automaker only sent me a Murano, a crossover that has been in the Nissan lineup for a few years now.

Murano was one of those vehicles that, at first glance, was polarizing – you either loved it or hated it. To be perfectly honest I was not a big fan of the original styling. But Nissan pushed forward and evolved Murano with tweaks and improvements here and there and the latest edition scores significantly higher points with me.

The overall concept is still the same with the 2011 model as it was in the beginning: Offer a midsize car-based utility vehicle quite unlike others in its class while not forgetting Nissan buyers are attracted by performance aspects as well.

It took a bit for folks to get used to the CVT transmission that does not shift gears but now that Nissan uses this technology in many of their offerings it has become quite accepted.

Mate it to the latest sporty VQ-series V-6 engine, tweak styling towards the seductive side and offer interior comforts and components usually reserved for luxury marques and we find ourselves staring at the Nissan Murano.

By the numbers, power rating for the 3.5-liter engine has actually gone down five horsepower to 260 with torque coming in at 240 lb. ft. The Murano comes in front- or all-wheel drive offered across eight models.

“With its contemporary exterior design, ‘mobile suite’ interior, advanced technology and refined, premium driving feel, Murano stands out as a modern crossover SUV like no other,” said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division, Nissan North America, Inc. “With the enhancements for 2011, there are even more reasons for consumers to put Murano on the top of their shopping lists.”

Murano is a solid contender. It is quiet, comfortable, easy (and fun) to drive and features all of the latest in safety and convenience technologies. It lives up to its aspiration of being a “premium crafted crossover.”

Our recent tester was a loaded top-of-the-line LE 2WD model with final sticker pricing over 37 grand (at the other end of the scale, entry S models start at 28 and change) and fuel economy figures of 18 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.

Earlier this week a little news item caught my attention enough to steal me away from checking my Facebook status updates on my mobile device.

It seems a study was released recently that suggested Texas lawmakers could help balance the struggling state budget by adding a tax on sacred cows. I almost dropped my iPhone.

Who in the name of Sam Houston is attempting to impose a gas-guzzler tax on the state vehicle of Texas (pickups)? Who is committing political suicide in the year of twenty bucks and eleven cents?

A little research shows that no one has stepped forward (as of yet) to enter a bill in the state house or senate despite this “study” promising the state untold riches should they tag an extra $100 to the price of every truck and large SUV sold here.

In an effort to quickly reassure voters of the lunacy of such an act, response was swift from the boot- and hat-wearing legislators currently in session in our State capitol.

Texas is the leading market for pickups and one of the top contenders in sales each year for large sport utes. The intention of the proposal is to levy an additional fee upon these vehicles due to their enhanced burden on the environment and infrastructure, I guess something along the “You can pay me now or you can pay me later” line of thinking.

A federal gas-guzzler tax already exists and exudes additional monies from the likes of supercharged Jags and Mercedes while few domestic cars are affected. And trucks and heavy SUVs are exempt, hence the suggestion to impose such a levy at a more local level.

I can also see the argument that owners of these fossil fuel chug-a-luggers already pay a heavier tax as they use more fuel so they are paying higher fuel excise fees each time they fill up the tank. And if state registration fees are based on vehicle class and weight, well, there you go again.

Since the new Survivor series on TV is so heavily laden with “What if” cutaways, let us ponder what would happen should such a tax be added at the state level.

Fewer folks buy new trucks. Fewer folks drive new trucks. Fewer folks “pay at the pump.” Fewer taxes are collected. OK, Mr. Feasibility Study, what now? What about that “Rainy Day Fund?”

In the words or our well-dressed Governor, “It’s raining folks.” I might add it may be a bit late to put the top up on the convertible and it is increasingly difficult to find a newspaper to put over your head because you forgot your umbrella.

No problem. Everybody just carry a copy of this study with you and we may never get wet.

Heavy Duty pickup wars heat up (yet again). At the Chicago Auto Show this week, truckmakers from Ford and Ram (remember, we don’t call them Dodges anymore) have spun press releases announcing segment leadership in power and towing.

Ford fired first with this news on Feb. 7:

“Production begins this week on Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks with upgraded towing capacity. The beefed-up frame and hitch return the industry's best-selling heavy-duty truck to the head of the pack in conventional trailer towing.

Ford F-350 and F-450 Super Duty trucks with the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 diesel engine and dual rear wheels now can tow an industry-best 17,500 pounds. The hardware upgrades to the Super Duty complement software upgrades to the powertrain control system of the new Ford-engineered 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbocharged diesel to make towing even easier. The Power Stroke delivers best-in-class 800 lb.-ft. of torque and 400 horsepower.

This from the Chrysler Group followed on Feb. 9:

Ram Truck today announced a series of upgrades to its Heavy Duty truck line up that will give it outright class supremacy in trailer towing.

Now boasting the ability to pull a segment-leading 22,700-lb. maximum trailer weight, the one-ton Ram 3500 Heavy Duty will get a performance boost to its 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel Engine that will increase its torque by 23 percent to 800 lb.-ft. and be upfitted with a package of components that will increase its gross combined weight rating (GCWR) to 30,000 lbs.

A new powertrain control module with revised performance calibration allows the High-Output 6.7-liter, six-cylinder Cummins Turbo Diesel to reach peak torque at 1,600 rpm and exceed the previous model’s output from 1,200 through 2,800 rpm. While peak horsepower remains unchanged (350 @ 3,000 rpm), the engine’s new calibration delivers more than 40 additional horsepower at typical highway cruising speeds.

Looks like déjà vu all over again.

The Chicago Auto Show brought powertrain announcements from General Motors anchoring each end of the economical scale.

First, Buick.

If we as consumers are not already befuddled by all of the “e” and “i” lower case leading letters for proper names in our world today, GM is going to throw another into the mix. eAssist.

eAssist will arrive on a pair of 2012 Buick sedans ­– LaCrosse and Regal – to up the ante in the fuel economy game. This new technology is a sort of “hybrid lite” if you will as the electric-assist motor and battery pack offer much lower power than in a full hybrid gas-electric vehicle such as the Toyota Prius.

The pair of Buicks are touting highway numbers of 37 mpg, something many other vehicles on the road today are already achieving and even besting. Even sibling Cruze from the Bowtie bunch at GM has an Eco model hitting nearly 42 on the road without any electrification.

We are probably seeing this as a mass-production test scenario heading to mid-decade as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy mandates from the Feds steps up another notch or two and automakers will need to have powertrain technology in place to help boost their numbers close to what DC demands.

The new eAssist powertrains from Buick will pair a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine to a 115V battery pack and an 11kW electric-assist motor sending power through their next-generation six-speed automatic transmission. Across the board fuel economy figures are said to rise by 25 percent with eAssist over comparable gasoline-only configurations.

No pricing information as of yet but we can probably expect these vehicles to be available by fall of this year.

If that news did not get your heart pulsing, you are not alone. Perhaps this news from Chevrolet will have more effect.

Honoring Camaro’s musclecar past, Chevy showed the ZL-1 concept in Chicago. Led by a supercharged 550hp 6.2-liter V-8 the ZL-1 will be the fastest Camaro ever produced by the automaker. Much is borrowed from the Corvette performance division and it appears that basically they may have just changed body skins for the new Camaro, which is set to debut first of 2012. Of course there is no pricing information and I am sure they will auction the first one or two for charity and after that, Camaro aficionados and wealthy mid-life crisis types can duke it out for the remainder of the first build.

And for those of you bound to ask the inevitable “What’s the fuel economy like?” – come on, really?

What a busy start to February it has been. Here in the 972 we have had to deal with ice and then snow, which all came sliding down onto unsuspecting workers prepping for a big game – the game where Aaron Rodgers won one of the first convertible new Camaros. It was also a week where the new Verizon iPhone sold out in record time and it saw the world’s longest Super Bowl commercial featuring a Detroit rap star driving the Chrysler Sebring replacement.

The rest of the month does not look any quieter. NASCAR will soon be taking the green flag and baseball is packing up for spring training.

Around here, more of the same. New cars to test, new product showing up in the mail for review and, yes, the little fat guy that shoots the arrows of love will be making an appearance in less than a week’s time (along with more wintery precip).

The kitchen remodel still is not finished and the greenhouse needs a few repairs thanks to Old Man Winter. Bills from Christmas still need paying if I want to do anything fun for summer I had better get started planning now. Tish will be turning a half-century this year and the first grandbaby will arrive near the end of July, along with all my siblings including a new older sister I have never met and only recently learned of.

And let us not forget April 15 (17^th this year) will be here sooner than we all think.

Whew!