It’s often not enough for a vehicle to just be practical, it also has to be fun and playful. If the Rogue name is any indication, buyers of Nissan’s newest sport-utility wagon will have more fun than they can possibly stand.

The original set the bar for the category. Can the follow-up do it again?

Nissan has finally reshaped its long-running Sentra small car and in so doing has created a featureladen vehicle that has grown up to stay in tune with the times.

I remember last year when Cathy and Silvianne test-drove the 2004 Nissan Maxima. At that time, the ladies bragged about the size of the trunk. Now with the 2005 Nissan Maxima, it’s all about “how it made them feel.” Nissan’s sedans have really stepped up to the plate when it comes to style and affordability. Last year Cathy wanted to stuff Silvianne in the trunk and drive off. Maybe this time she’ll actually do it!

According to Nissan, the 2009 Maxima almost didn’t happen. That would have deprived the world of a sensational looking automobile with performance enhancements to match its seductive shape.

Power Nissan (formerly Brown & Brown Nissan) offers acres of new and used Nissans at the same great location in the autoplex in Tempe near I-10 and Elliot Roads. This past weekend, the Chapman BMW event was held at the Parada Del Sol rodeo in Scottsdale. Also held this past weekend was the Checker Schuck's Kragen Nationals, and this coming weekend marks the beginning of the NHRA Sportsmen's Drag Racing event at Firebird.

A motorcyclist killed in a collision in Scottsdale has been identified as a Paradise Valley man.

A male motorcyclist was killed Saturday morning in a collision with a car driven by a 70-year-old woman at Double Tree Ranch and Scottsdale roads, Scottsdale police said in a news release.

A Mesa teen reported to authorities that he was held at gun point Thursday night and robbed of $1,000 cash at a Gilbert apartment complex parking lot, according to police.

The internal investigation into a police shooting 18 months ago clears a Scottsdale officer of violating policy in the death of a suspected car thief.

A Mesa homeowner shot and wounded two people he said drove by and opened fire at his house late Sunday.

A Mesa homeowner shot and wounded two people he said drove by and opened fire at his house late Sunday.

A 22-year-old man is dead after the car he was riding in Wednesday night veered off the road and crashed into a light pole in Mesa about 9:25 p.m.

The FBI is looking for a ski-masked and armed man who recently robbed two East Valley banks.

One of two motorists who had to be rescued in late August from floodwaters on Indian Bend Road entered a guilty plea Tuesday in Scottsdale City Court.

One of two motorists who had to be rescued in late August from floodwaters on Indian Bend Road entered a guilty plea Tuesday in Scottsdale City Court.

Authorities have released the name of the man who was shot Sunday afternoon by two Mesa policemen after they say he pointed a gun at them.

A police pursuit of a suspected serial bank robber ended today with two dead in a high-speed, head-on collision on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

The hostage negotiator asked Brian Hermes if he was thinking of killing himself.

“Republicans continue to accuse President Obama of throwing Israel under the bus. They should know: They wrote the book on it. Look at all of the veterans they threw under the filibuster bus from wars they started.”

Mesa police are investigating an overnight shooting in downtown Mesa that left one person dead and another in critical condition.

A woman arrested for a series of crimes that ended with victims being dragged by cars told authorities she did it to get money for drugs, police said.

One of two motorists who had to be rescued in late August from floodwaters on Indian Bend Road entered a guilty plea Tuesday in Scottsdale City Court.