New Corvette shines some light on 2005 upgrades
MILFORD, MICH. — Nothing that Chevrolet could have done to the new Corvette had a chance of escaping notice, but when the company made a dramatic styling alteration for the debut of the 2005 C6 Corvette, it took a long time before Chevy shed a little light on the situation.
The new Corvette is entirely new, from platform to wheelbase to six-liter V8 to its fiberglass body panels, and it is five full inches shorter than its predecessor, and with 400 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque, it is faster than the outgoing C5 model. But the most controversial change made in the C6 compared to the eight-year-run of the C5 is its headlights.
Even though the better new car is actually reduced in price, $44,245 for the coupe and $52,245 for the convertible, there has been a little muttering from long-standing Corvette zealots. One, who has owned Corvettes for 30 years, whined to me that he thought he would keep his current ‘Vette rather than consider buying a new one. “This is the first time since 1963 that the Corvette hasn’t had flip-up headlights,†he moaned.
Now, I like flip-up headlights, but I like them best when they are flipped down. In fact, there has never been a car with flip-up headlights that didnÂ’t look better with the lights closed. So when I got my first glance at the new Corvette for 2005, with the clear lenses over the multi-beam headlights, I personally thought it was a major improvement.
But it wasn’t until the national media introductory drive of the Corvette, at the General Motors proving grounds in Milford, Mich., that General Motors illuminated its reasoning for the change. The journalists going to Milford went in what was called “waves,†which has never been more appropriate. An early-morning downpour turned into an all-day downpour, and GM had to close down the road course, which had standing water on numerous low spots. It was either that or announce that the newest GM vehicle would be called the “Ark.†The rain was particularly disappointing to me, because it was only one week after I had driven a Ford GT at 150 miles per hour on the nearby Ford test track, and I was eager to draw some comparisons.
The closing of the track meant that we got our chance to drive the new Corvettes on highways surrounding the proving grounds. We kept the speed down, and got to test the carÂ’s stability and traction a little, and its windshield wipers a lot. It also give us good reason to tune in completely during the pre-driving lectures inside a huge tent, including chief designer Luke Ananian, who was describing the features as he walked us around the car.
He pointed out that the headlights had small, bullet-like, high-intensity xenon gas discharge projector bulbs, two to a side. “All four of them are on when you hit the high beams,†said Ananian. “And when all four are on, you have 80 percent more light than on the C5 Corvette, with a 25 percent greater spread. The foglamps [located low in the bumper] have a complex parabola design. The foglamps have 58 percent of the total light of the current C5 headlights.Ââ€
The tremendous improvement in lighting was impressive, but also surprising, because many other cars from European, Japanese and other U.S. companies all have featured HID xenon lights for a decade or so. I had never noticed the Corvette lights were poor, but it was always noticeable when other cars had the xenon lights.
“ItÂ’s true, weÂ’ve never had them on the Corvette before,†said Ananian. “We couldnÂ’t package projector HID lights in the pop-ups.Ââ€
So there you have it. Chevrolet was caught in a public relations trap. ItÂ’s not proper to point out that your company ever had a problem, and promoting the new lights required divulging a shortcoming of CorvettesÂ…since 1963. On the other hand, by making a big deal of the new, improved lights, Chevrolet could have defused all the consternation and controversy from loyalists about turning away from pop-up headlights. One drive at night will be sufficient evidence.
The Corvette is ChevroletÂ’s halo vehicle, GMÂ’s corporate icon. Chevy folks are quick to point out that 50,000 Corvette fanciers visit the Bowling Green, Ky., assembly plant annually, and how something like 1.4 million Corvettes have been sold as the car enters its 51st year. “Corvettes have always combined three things – passionate design, performance technology and fantastic value,†said chief Corvette spokesman Dave Hill. “And the C6 will offer more of the same.Ââ€
There is no question that the new car is the best Corvette ever built. IÂ’ve always maintained that if the 1963-66 fastback Sting Ray Corvette was never built but came out now as a new car, it would be considered the sleekest and most stunning Corvette of all. But as Corvette designs have evolved, the C5 became the long-standing standard, and the C6 is definitely an improvement.
It is five inches shorter, and while it and the Cadillac XLR sports car share the platform and its stiffness and lightness, as well as its electromagnetic suspension, the Corvette went its own way on the exterior, interior and engine. The engine grows from 5.7 to 6.0 liters, and while its 400 horsepower remain the same, the new engine increases torque up to 400 foot-pounds, and it will rev to 6,500 RPMs. ThatÂ’s a lot of revs for a pushrod engine, but Chevy wanted to maintain the old engine design. Its power is constant, giving the Corvette a top speed of 186 miles per hour, and the stiff body, and the immediate-action shocks that firm up in a microsecond when you swerve, make the car handle as well as it goes.
Chief designer Tom Peters said he wanted to capture the passion of the old Sting-Ray Corvettes (yea!) without going retro. The wheels are pushed out to the corners, meaning an increase of 1.25 inches in wheelbase even with a five-inch reduction in overall length. The front overhang is reduced by 3.1 inches in front and 2 inches in the rear. The wheels are 18-inch in front and 19 at the rear, and contribute to an agile and responsive feel.
The audio system can be upgraded to a 5.1-channel Bose DVD surround unit, with a touch screen and six CD player. The heads-up display readout projected on the windshield can be programmed for three different modes of information. Designers said the Audi TT and the Porsche 911 were the benchmark vehicles they used for the interior. It is refined and understated, although no car interior rises to the class of the Audi TT, in my opinion.
One of the neatest features on the Corvette is the keyless entry system, which takes that term far beyond commonplace remote-fob push buttons. If you have the key fob in hand, or in pocket or purse, you don’t need to use it to unlock the car door, or to use it to activate the ignition. You pull the no-handle vertical edge of the door and it will have unlocked itself, by the mere presence of the key transmitter within six feet. Climb into the improved bucket seat, and it’s the same when you start the car – as if you were using the key, even though it’s still in your pocket.
HereÂ’s the best part. If, for example, youÂ’re driving your wife to the airport, and she takes the key in order to stash her suitcase in the quite-spacious luggage area under the hatch before you came out. With either of you having the key, you both could get in the car, and you could start it and drive. If she mistakenly kept the key while she got onto an airplane and was en route to Seattle, the car would keep running as long as you were in it. And, in ChevroletÂ’s attempt to make such a neat feature idiot-proof, it even would allow you one restart, just to assure you that you could drive home, or to a dealership for backup.
If it happens to be dark, turn on the lights – by all means – and notice how bright everything seems. And how you don’t have those silly flip-up doors sticking up in your line of vision.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews. He can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Miracle makes good movie, but better in real life
The movie “Miracle†has been unanimously acclaimed as the best and most comprehensive attempt to recapture Team USA’s miraculous victory over the Soviet Union during its 1980 gold-medal performance at Lake Placid. The movie takes on eerie extra importance, especially for Minnesotans, because its release followed by only six months the sudden and tragic death of coach Herb Brooks in a rollover freeway accident. Brooks and 12 of his players were from Minnesota.
Everybody who was alive in 1980 remembers where they were on that day in February when Team USA upset the Soviet Union 4-3 in the Winter Olympics. For me, itÂ’s easy; I was in the press box at the arena in Lake Placid. Having chronicled the team since it was put together at the National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs in the summer of 1979, and through its home exhibition base at Met Sports Center in Bloomington, I eagerly anticipated the new movie.
It was ironic that the movie about the greatest sports achievement in U.S. history wound up being recreated in Vancouver, because a huge part of the mystique of what Brooks accomplished was to help extricate the U.S. from the smothering domination Canada has had on American hockey development. It’s Canada’s game, but Canadians long have failed to acknowledge any variations from their style of up-and-down, NHL style of play, whether those variations came from Russia, Sweden, Finland – and especially the U.S. To Canada, the U.S. has mostly been the primary source for monetary support for Canadian professional players and administrators, and certainly not the source of a wellspring of fresh, new hockey ideas.
Still, Canada adopted the magical USA ride in 1980, so there was hope that Miracle would avoid the pitfalls that have plagued whatever movies, television specials and books have been made on the subject. It did overcome most of them, while telling the story with realistic performances and gripping drama.
Kurt Russell is excellent as Brooks. He inserted himself into the only Brooks he came to know, a reflective 66-year-old with glasses, and he captured the mannerisms, facial expressions, the walk, and the speech patterns — except where he says “You OK wid dat?” and slips from Eastside St. Paul into Brooklynese. But the Brooks Russell came to know was 66, not the impulsive, 42-year-old fireball that orchestrated the miracle. Patricia Clarkson plays Patti Brooks as a perky but almost-Stepford-Wife type, which completely misses PattiÂ’s sarcastic wit, which always offset HerbieÂ’s seriousness. In real life, Patti never criticized Herbie’s devotion to hockey, but created her own parallel universe in which to raise son Danny and daughter Kelly.
Real hockey players, some of them Minnesotans, skate and portray the players, which adds considerable realism, although I would have insisted on using real-game footage for some elements. Nobody, for example, comes close to the beautiful long strides of Rochester’s Eric Strobel, to say nothing of Soviet stars like Valery Kharlamov, who was a quicker Wayne Gretzky before Gretzky arrived on the hockey scene. Billy Schneider portrays his dad, Buzzy Schneider, even though he can’t duplicate the hasty, staccato strides of the tough, lanky Babbitt Rabbit,†who played for Brooks at the University of Minnesota as well as on the ’80 team.
The filmÂ’s creators never seem to grasp the circling style Brooks distilled from the Europeans, and the movie demonstrates both the U.S. team and European foes skating in the contemporary up-and-down Canadian/NHL style, universal in Canada. It would have been laudable to insert actual game footage of both the spectacular Soviets against the U.S. college kids, both in their pre-Olympic meeting, and when it mattered — when the U.S. kids proved they could defuse the Soviet style and ultimately improvise better than the masters.
Make no mistake, the Soviet team that Brooks’s Team USA defeated was the most-skilled hockey team ever assembled. One year earlier, virtually the same Soviet team engaged the best NHL all-stars, coached by Scotty Bowman, and crushed the NHLers 6-0 in a spectacular display of hockey brilliance in the deciding game of a three-game series at Madison Square Garden.
Miracle may have lost some realism by failing to capture the skill and style of the Soviets — and the U.S. team — but it definitely didnÂ’t miss the intensity of the teamÂ’s preparation. When Brooks skated the players through repeated “Herbies,†the movie portrays them, except to allow the players to sprint from line to line instead of to each line and all the way back to the end of the rink in flat-out intervals. They also turn in either direction instead of facing the same way, a Brooks-enforced trick so theyÂ’d turn both ways equally over the course of the full drill, instead of to their preferred strong side.
Brooks selected 12 Minnesotans on his final 20-man team – nine of them Gophers – along with two from Wisconsin, two from Michigan and four from Boston University. He diverted attention from the dominant Minnesota concept so successfully that every retelling of the tale has overlooked the Minnesota input to focus on BU teammates Jim Craig, the goalie, and Mike Eruzione, the captain who scored the game-winner in the 4-3 victory over the Soviet powerhouse. Miracle does more of the same, and adds another BU player, Jack O’Callahan, into the third most-prominent role.
Credit it to “Minnesota nice†that the dozen Minnesotans never complain about being slighted, and are satisfied to have been part of the team. They still exchange a few barbs, though, such as when the ’80 team members saw the first screening of Miracle in Los Angeles, and one of the Minnesotans suggested to the group that a sequel could be called “Miracle West,†in order to mention that some non-BU guys played, too. The importance of Mark Pavelich of Eveleth or Mark Johnson of the University of Wisconsin, the clear catalysts of the offense, would be worthy of character development. The Conehead Line, also called the Iron Range Line, with Pavelich centering Schneider and John Harrington of Virginia, was the prominent U.S. line throughout the Olympics, but we learn nothing about any of them. Again.
Pavelich, an improvisational genius who had teamed with Harrington on some great UMD teams through 1979, had a goal and five assists in the seven Olympic games, with almost every point a pivotal one, such as the set-ups on the last-minute tying goal by Billy Baker against Sweden, and to Eruzione for the famous goal to beat the Russians. Wisconsin’s Mark Johnson, who suffered in silence with a heavily taped shoulder injury through most of the Olympics, scored 5-5—10, with two of his goals against the Soviets, plus a goal and an assist in the three-goal, third-period rally of the 4-2 gold-medal-clinching game against Finland.
“The movie ended up three hours long, so they had to cut out nearly an hour of it,†said Harrington, the former UMD star who now coaches St. JohnÂ’s University. “The first time I saw it, I picked at the things that were wrong. But I went back and watched it again, just as a movie, and it does a great job of telling a motivational story about a group of guys accomplishing a seemingly impossible task.Ââ€
It is a well-crafted movie, but it seems curious to alter some nuggets to less-compelling fiction, either for “dramatic effect or because of faulty memories. For example, Brooks closely scrutinized a four-team round-robin tournament at the National Sports Festival, in which everybody played three games, then a semifinal and bronze and gold finals. He pretended to allow input from numerous scouts and coaches that had been assembled, although he kept his own private list for picking the 28-man roster he named at nearly midnight after the “gold medal†game. The movie goes to length to stress that Brooks arrogantly picked his team before the week-long tournament, implying that the fiercely-played games weren’t necessary and maybe didn’t even occur.
Lou Nanne might be miffed that the actor portraying him is a slippery little guy. My theory is it might be a last laugh for Brooks. If he had any influence on the casting, the image remains of Brooks now looking down on the proceedings and chuckling at the final zinger inflicted on his long-time buddy.
The fiery OÂ’Callahan is shown venting left-over hatred for the Gophers who had beaten his Boston University in a brawl-filled NCAA tournament semifinal at Denver in 1976. OÂ’Callahan singles out ex-Gopher Rob McClanahan for having robbed him of the trophy, and blasts McClanahan with a bodycheck followed by an early practice fight. “O-C supposedly hated Robbie, but they never had that fight,†said Strobel. “Think about it: Robbie was a senior at Mounds View High School in 1976.Ââ€
Impromptu football games in the snow are neat, but fiction. In reality, Pavelich frequently led his teammates out to some outdoor Twin Cities ice for pickup games, even after long practices. They were rink-rats, and those pickup games may have been more unifying than any late-night skating drills or phony practice fights. “We always played using a tennis ball,†recalled Strobel. “I remember being at some rink in Hopkins, spending the whole time trying to take that tennis ball away from Pav. It was impossible.Ââ€
The movie extends the common belief that Brooks carefully plotted for his players to hate him in order to create unity. He was tough on them in his quest for total discipline under fire, as well as conditioning, and when the players gritted their teeth in their determination to show Brooks they could rise to his challenges, it might have evolved to something perceived as hatred. But it certainly wasn’t that Brooks wanted the players to hate him. Brooks created similar “us against the world†scenarios on every team he coached, but there was never any doubt Brooks was part of – and the leader of – the “us†faction.
The mind-games and psyche-jobs are valid, as Brooks deployed them to keep his team alert and ready for anything. Brooks always relied on catch-phrases and barked his “Brooksisms†so repetitively that Harrington logged them in a notebook. The movie shows a softer, emotional side of Brooks, but makes him view everything too seriously. In reality, he heckled himself for recycling some of his favorite phrases and tactics, and sympathized during the Olympic games about how players like Schneider, Strobel, Duluth’s Phil Verchota, Billy Baker from Grand Rapids, McClanahan from Mounds View, Richfield’s Steve Christoff, and Steve Janaszak of Hill-Murray, who had played three or four years for his Gopher teams before making the Olympic outfit. “They must be sick of hearing me by now,†he said.
As for the exhausting post-game skating drills in Norway, following a lackluster exhibition tie in Norway, Brooks indeed enforced endless Herbies. “The guys from Boston, Michigan, Wisconsin and UMD must have thought Herbie was nuts,†said Strobel. “But to me, and to the rest of the Gophers who had played for Herbie, it wasnÂ’t anything we werenÂ’t used to.Ââ€
Highlights of the film include Brooks agonizing over cutting Ralph Cox as the 21st player, and pondering whether to keep or replace Eruzione with high-scoring Gopher Tim Harrer right before the Olympics. Those are valid. But the four BU players accosting Brooks about it in the corridor works on the silver screen, when actually the whole team, in the dressing room, made it clear they thought Brooks should stick with the unity he had created.
Brooks kept OÂ’Callahan on the team even after he strained his knee ligaments in a 10-3 drubbing administered by the Soviets in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden right before the Olympics. OÂ’Callahan makes a dramatic and heavy-hitting return in the Soviet medal-round game in the movie; in real life, he reappeared two games earlier. You could look it up: He assisted on a Christoff power-play goal in the game against Romania, but played only a few scarce shifts the rest of the way, including the Soviet game.
In the Olympics, everyone contributed. Schneider and McClanahan joined Johnson as goal-scoring leaders with five goals each, while Verchota matched Eruzione’s three goals. Gophers Neal Broten of Roseau and Steve Christoff, BU’s Dave Silk and Bowling Green’s Mark Wells scored two goals each, and Baker, Strobel and Morrow got one apiece. With O’Callahan virtually on one leg, Brooks primarily went with four defensemen – Ken Morrow and 20-year-old Gopher Mike Ramsey on one unit, Baker and David Christian from Warroad on the other, with Bob Suter of Madison, Wis., swinging in. Their characters were never developed, including the amazing one-year conversion to defense of Christian, who was a center at Warroad and the University of North Dakota before the Olympic year, and for a long NHL career afterward. Plus, his dad, Billy Christian, and uncle Roger Christian were stars on the 1960 U.S. gold medal team.
At the Olympics, Brooks did indeed jump McClanahan as a prima donna from the wealthy Twin Cities suburb of North Oaks when a painful leg bruise knocked him out in the first period of the opening 2-2 tie against Sweden. The obvious effect it had to startle the team to attention didn’t, however, require the movie version to have Brooks boast “That’ll get ’em going!†as he left the dressing room. In reality, the move inspired McLanahan to leap off the training table and chase Brooks into the hallway in a shouting match that made the wide-eyed Swedish team inadvertent witnesses.
The depiction of Brooks offering inane answers at post-game press conferences in a tiny room was also silly when it could have been a dramatic nugget. Actually, after two games, Brooks announced he would boycott the press conferences, which were held in a huge, high school auditorium across an entryway from the arena. New York columnist Mike Lupica had ripped Brooks for not bringing players for interviews because he wanted all the attention for himself. Brooks had never met nor spoken to Lupica, and he called him out from the podium at the next press conference, then announced that to prove his move wasn’t for personal attention, assistant coach Craig Patrick would be coming to subsequent press conferences instead. He also said the media wasnÂ’t allowed to talk to his players on game-day any more. In the movie, that whole flap is altered to a journalist asking Brooks politely if not bringing players was for self-gratification, and he cordially answers, “No, Mike…”
Eruzione has often retold the story that before the final period of the final game, Brooks came into the dressing room and said if the U.S. couldn’t rally to erase a 2-1 deficit and beat Finland, the players would “take it to your grave; to your (bleeping) grave.†Strobel said he remembers that comment being at practice on the day between the Soviet and Finland games. Going back to my notes and the story I wrote in the Minneapolis Tribune after the game against Romania, a quote from Brooks says he used that exact phrase on the players before that game, when a letdown could have precluded the U.S. from reaching the medal round.
Perhaps the most curious movie change is to the elegantly brief and legendary pregame talk that Brooks gave to inspire his players for the Soviet game. He said: “You were born to be a player. You were meant to be here. This moment is yours.†For some reason, the script adds all sorts of embellishing words to all three sentences in RussellÂ’s reenactment, including replacing the priceless “This moment is yours,†with “This is your time.Ââ€
Unfortunately, the film-makers, like a lot of fans, were so drained by the Soviet conquest that the movie misses some incredible drama in the gold medal game against Finland – when no medal was yet certain. “Everything in the movie is geared at the Russian game, as if we spent the whole year building up to it,†said Harrington. “Actually, Herb prepared us for every game, and we had no idea we would even play the Russians.Ââ€
But itÂ’s only a movie. It’s the best thing done so far on that magical two weeks. And maybe itÂ’s best to leave something more for that “Miracle West†sequel.
(All rights: John Gilbert, Tuesday, February 17th, 2004 02:00:57 AM)
PT Cruiser goes topless to add flair for 2005
A PT Cruiser convertible? What’s next – a mini-sized Suburban? A convertible Mini-Cooper?
When Chrysler came out with the PT Cruiser, it was probably the most eye-catching vehicle in the industry, and completed something of a hat trick, following the Plymouth Prowler and Dodge Viper, proving that concept cars could spring to life and make fantasy become reality. The Viper is still around, as DodgeÂ’s halo vehicle, a limited-production car that has overpowered its way to international road-racing prowess, although the Prowler ended its limited production run without ever capturing the popularity anticipated for it.
The PT Cruiser, however, not only lives on, but has broadened its appeal as a vehicle that is more than just interminably cute. Granted, the PT Cruiser is cute, a retro-look wagon that resembles one of those compact little British taxicabs of 50 years ago. It was a brilliant design, with a short exterior length housing a surprisingly roomy interior that featured upright seating for four and surprising trunk space under that station-wagon-like tailgate.
A fellow I know traded in two SUVs and bought two PT Cruisers, one for himself to drive to work and the other for his wife to haul the kids to hockey practice. They did the job that station wagons, minivans and SUVs had done so well.
The only drawback to the PT Cruiser was that while it foretold the popular notion of giving drivers and occupants an up-tall view of the roadway, and had an efficient little four-cylinder engine, it didnÂ’t have the ability to house anything more than that four-cylinder. So when the automotive world swirled upward in an escalation of power, power and more power, the PT Cruiser could have been left behind.
So, a year ago, DaimlerChrysler upgraded the PT CruiserÂ’s 16-valve, dual-overhead-camshaft, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine by strapping a turbocharger on it. The result was that while the PT Turbo didnÂ’t handle much like a sports car, its sudden boost to 215 horsepower gave it sports-car-like acceleration, with 0-60 sprint times of around 7 seconds, and a top speed of up around 130 miles per hour.
For 2005, DaimlerChrysler has done it again, giving the PT Cruiser another surprising upgrade by augmenting its square, four-door wagon-back style with a two-door convertible model. It almost seems like a contradiction in terms, but it works. Flip a switch and lift the leading edge of the top up from its latch, then pull on a console switch and the fabric top whirs back, back and down, coming to rest in a cubicle behind the rear seat, and exposing a wide, substantial-looking roll bar that is a stylish way to enhance safety.
The PT Cruiser Convertible has a stylish flair even with the top up, because the raised top angles forward in a coupe-like slope that separates its silhouette from its square heritage. But naturally, a convertible looks best with its top down, and the PT Cruiser is no exception. While the squareback original still has its appeal, the convertible moves back to the top for eye-catching capacity.
I found the PT Turbo fun to drive and much more appealing because of its ability to zoom away from congestion, rather than suffering behind it all, and a loaded, upscale model with the turbocharged engine and a very slick Getrag five-speed manual transmission, was priced at $27,050.
More recently, I got a PT Cruiser Convertible and was in for a surprise. It had the same turbo 2.4-liter engine, and the identical dark metallic “inferno red†paint, with a four-speed automatic transmission and the drop-top convertible, and yet it came in at a total sticker price of $26,310.
As car pricing goes, it represents an amazing bargain. The key is that the base price of the PT Turbo is $25,460, and adding heated front seats, and a nifty Sirius satellite digital radio, boosted the PT Turbo price to $27,050. The base price of the PT Cruiser Convertible Touring Edition is a mere $22,900, without the turbo engine, and a turbo version of the engine is only a $1,250 option, while the automatic is $825, and supplemental side airbags lift the total to only $26,310.
The PT Cruiser/Turbo/Convertible suffered its biggest problem at birth. It was introduced at the Detroit International Auto Show, where it and the Chrysler Crossfire Convertible were relegated to the back row as DaimlerChrysler rolled out the flashy new Chrysler 300C and Dodge Magnum sedans, and the spectacular ME Four-Twelve concept car. There was only so much room in the spotlight, so it took time for the convertible to catch up.
On the road, the PT Cruiser Convertible has good power, can achieve upper-20s for gas mileage, and increases its fun-to-drive quotient considerably, even if it loses some of its kid-hockey-gear stowage space. It also has all the latest touches, such as power locks with central locking, remote keyless entry, three 12-volt power outlets located front, rear and on the console, foglights, 16-inch alloy wheels with all-season touring tires, and child seat anchors for when the kid is too young for hockey and maybe even too young to appreciate the fun of going for rides in a convertible.
I like the instrument cluster, and the audio system was adequate, with its in-dash CD player. I was less impressed with the PT CruiserÂ’s handling. Granted itÂ’s still an upright-seating vehicle, so itÂ’s going to feel tall, but with the big wheels and tires, and the Touring suspension, I expected firmer cornering characteristics and maybe a little firmer steering from the power rack-and-pinion.
ItÂ’s not that the car handled poorly, but firmer handling could easily achieve the sports-car-like handling that would let the car live up to its sporty flair and turbo motor. Of course, firmer shocks and lower-profile, higher-performance tires might be easy fixes for the handling feel. In fact, the PT Turbo comes stock with 17-inch chrome-finished aluminum wheels and could readily house lower-profile performance tires.
As for continuing to be a trend-setter that inspires the competition to bring concept fantasy cars to life, consider that BMW IS going to bring out a convertible version of the Mini Cooper, as a 2005 model to be introduced in Minneapolis (the Mini in Minny?) inb September. And General Motors IS going to come out with a mini-sized retro Suburban, as a 2006 model, with the look of the original, rounded-back Suburban, but in PT Cruiser-sized form. Both of them might work well. Meanwhile, we already know that the PT Cruiser Convertible works — very well.
Altima gets sporty boost from 2005 SE-R model
BELLINGHAM, WASH. — About a decade ago, Nissan created a surprise high-performer with the Sentra SE-R, which looked like the basic entry-level subcompact, but, thanks to those initials after the name, came equipped with factory upgraded engine, suspension, wheels, tires, and, most importantly, fun quotient. So when I got the chance for a brief weekend with a 2005 Nissan Altima SE-R, I jumped at it.
We were in the midst of the introduction of the all-new Nissan Pathfinder in Seattle, and nearby Bainbridge Island, but everything we were experiencing about the Pathfinder would be embargoed until the end of August. ThatÂ’s a reasonable way to allow monthly magazines a fair chance to drive the same vehicles earlier and describe them at approximately the same time as daily or weekly publications. Of course, I got my September issue of one of those magazines in July, but the automakers overlook that sort of cheating with wink-wink/nudge-nudge acceptance.
My plan was to follow the Seattle trip with a weekend drive to scenic Bellingham, up close to the British Columbia border, where you can choose between ocean, harbor, or Mount Baker and its foothills for your scenery. My son, Jeff, is living in Bellingham, and when I was offered the chance to test a preproduction Altima SE-R, I was off. Nissan has reintroduced the Sentra SE-R, and plans to bring out a new Altima SE-R in mid-September, although it isnÂ’t planning a separate introduction. Chances for an exclusive road-test arenÂ’t often available.
A bright red and shiny black SE-R were both on display In Seattle, where Starbucks or “Seattle’s Best Coffee†stands are everywhere. I savor my gourmet coffee black and straight, and that was the same way I chose my Altima SE-R – black and with a straight, six-speed stick. A couple hours later, up Interstate 5 with the weekend wanderers, I felt united with the Altima SE-R’s capabilities, just as it felt fully responsive to my every urging to maneuver out of the way of SUV speeders and around cell-phone slowpokes.
The Altima itself was changed completely three years ago, growing onto the same platform as the larger Maxima and gaining Nissan’s strong 3.5-liter V6 in the process. For 2005, the front has been restyled to take on the “family†grille, and the SE-R gets a darkened treatment. It also gets unique front and rear fascias, a rear spoiler, high-intensity xenon headlights, tiny foglights set into the lower front, and large chrome tips on the dual exhausts. True to the SE-R heritage, the best stuff comes underneath.
The 3.5 V6 is increased from 250 to 260 horsepower, and from 249 to 251 foot-pounds of torque for the SE-R, and while thatÂ’s not a big improvement, the difference is readily apparent from the husky exhaust note. A modular cylinder-head design with lightweight pistons is topped off by continuously-variable valve timing and a variable fuel-air induction system. The SE-RÂ’s six-speed manual gets slightly revised gear ratios from second gear upward when compared to the five-speed sticks of other Altima models. The five-speed automatic that was on the red display car is also available on the SE-R.
The SE-R sticks to the road with larger18-inch forged alloy wheels that are 8 inches wide, compared to the standard 16-by-6.5 on base, four-cylinder Altimas and 17-by-7 on SL or SE models. The altered aspect ratio means more alloy and less rubber, and the 225/45R18 low-profile tires help provilde superior grip. Just as significant to the handling of the SE-R is an increase in thickness of the stabilizer bars, by 2 millimeters in front and by 4.3mm. in the rear.
It was no surprise that the SE-R Altima held its position with ease on the freeway, but it more eagerly accepted the twisty two-lane roads from Bellingham to Mount Baker, where I my son, Jeff, was tour-guide and co-driver. He was as impressed as I was at the carÂ’s behavior. While it accelerated swiftly, the most fun was putting the right front corner on the outer line and having it hold that line with precision around the tightest turns.
Disc brakes on all four wheels are larger and thicker in front on the SE-R, and antilock brakes are standard, while brake-assist and electronic brake force distribution help assure that when you step on the brake pedal hard, you will get full potential out of those enlarged discs.
Inside, the SE-R package starts out with a unique dash treatment, with sportier textures and a center array of voltage, oil pressure and fuel consumption atop the stack that houses the audio and heat-air controls. That means you canÂ’t get a navigation system in the SE-R. You do get the upgraded Bose audio system with six disc changer in the dash and eight speakers. Power, heated, leather front bucket seats and a 60-40 fold-down rear seat are standard in the SE-R.
At 3,279 pounds, the SE-R is no lightweight, but it carries its nose-heavy distribution well on the front-wheel-drive platform, and torque steer was never a problem during my drive time. Fuel economy is estimated at 20 city and 28 highway for the stick-shift SE-R.
The Altima’s main challenge always has been the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, and it does well in that comparison. Last year, a new challenger emerged with the revised Mazda6 setting new standards for sporty handling among midsize sedans. Maybe that was the inspiration for Nissan to develop the SE-R, which gives the Altima a boost in sporty performance and handling in a potent package that is tastefully styled to be subtle – until you put your foot down.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Toyota Tacoma gets new look, power , size for 2005
DETROIT, MI. – The pickup truck business continues to grow in size as well as popularity. Toyota and Nissan have joined thefull-size pickup competition with Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge, and the compacts seem to have grown restless. The Chevrolet/GMC Colorado/Canyon grew in size for 2004, and the Dodge Dakota has grown several inches for 2005.
Now Toyota, which has been building little pickup trucks for over 30 years, will come out with the eighth generation of its compact Tacoma, and it, too, moves right on up near the larger trucks. It is longer by six inches, wider by four inches, roomier inside, and more potent under the hood with an optional 245-horsepower, 4.0-liter V6 with 282 foot-pounds of torque.
ThatÂ’s an increase of 50 horsepower, which leads to a towing capacity increased by 1,500 pounds.
The humorous aside to all this midsize truck growth is that the Toyota Tundra seemed just right to a lot of people, although big pickup types criticized it for not being fully as large as the F150 Ford, Chev Silverado, Dodge Ram, or the Nissan Titan. When Dodge unveiled its new Dakota, it claimed it was the only compact truck with a V8, but it turns out it is actually longer than the Tundra, which may be larger than the compact segment, but certainly does have a V8.
Now, in its quest to establish superiority among less-than-full-size pickups, the new Tacoma grows right past the Tundra. The longest 2005 Tacoma is now longer, at 221.3 inches, than the shortest Tundra, which means we can assume that the next Tundra, which will be built in an all-new and huge plant in San Antonio, Texas, will grow substantially.
Meanwhile, back at the Tacoma, the all-new 4.0-liter V6’s 245 horsepower not only represents an increase of 55 horsepower over the old Tacoma’s smaller V6, butit also is more power than the Dakota V8. So the competition intensifies.
Three specific Tacoma models are going to come out of the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California, and they will be aimed at three specific segments of the compact-truck market. Market research gave Toyota the idea to focus on enthusiasts who’ll like the Access Cab to haul dirt bikes, ATVs and watercraft; maturing young guys who may go for the Double Cab as a combined SUV with a cargo bed; and the youthful “Gen-Y†guy who wants a tuner-type street hot-rod, and who will find the X-Runner most desirable.
All of them will begin arriving in dealerships in October from the NUMMI plant, and in December, more Tacomas will be built in a new plant in Baja, Mexico, to help Toyota achieve a projected annual output of 170,000 Tacoma trucks.
Toyota is aiming the Tacoma directly at younger men, although it will build three distinctive personalities into the trucks with the regular-cab, extended Access Cab with rear-door access, and Double Cab with a full four-door cab. Among its models will be a very sporty X-Runner.
“We expect 15 percent of those will come from sales of Regular Cabs, 40 percent from Access Cab, and 45 percent from Double Cab models,†said Bob Carter, vice president of sales for Toyota. “We expect 80 percent of Tacoma buyers will be male, with a median age of 42, which is six years younger than the segment average. Sixty percent will be married, 45 percent will be college graduates.
“Twenty-one percent of compact pickup buyers are under 35, and Tacoma gets one out of every four in that segment,†Carter added. “And among buyers who are under 20, 43 percent of them buy Tacomas.Ââ€
Toyota intends to keep the most basic model down to an attractive $12,400 base price, which should maintain the broad base Tacoma has always attracted, but Toyota also knows most buyers will move upscale, and the Double Cab V6 will start at $22,000.
American truck buyers recognized those first Toyota Stout and Hilux pickups – remember the Hilux? – as solid, substantial little trucks that worked tirelessly and with great durability. For many years, before and after being rechristened the Tacoma, the Toyota compact pickup waged a worthy battle with the likes of the Ford Ranger, Chevy S-10, Dodge Dakota, and small pickups from Mazda and Mitsubishi. The new Tacoma moves upscale.
“Every part has been revised,†said Paul Williamsen, project engineer for the new Tacoma. “It has all-new suspension front and rear, an all-new platform, and a new engine.Ââ€
The platform is a revised unit that also serves as the basic underpinning of the Lexus GX470 and the Toyota 4Runner SUVs. While significantly stronger and stiffer, the more powerful engines and roomier interiors also set the stage for a vast array of model configurations. No less than 18 models can be created out of the three cab types.
The Regular Cab and the Access Cab – which now will have dual-access-doors – have a 73.5-inch bed, while the Double Cab four-door offers a choice of either a 60.3-inch bed or a 73.5-inch bed. The are 4×2 and 4×4 models, and a PreRunner set-up which has the 4×2 two-wheel arrangement but with the raised riding stance and styling of the 4×4 models. Wheelbases vary according to model, too, with Regular Cab models on 109.4 or 110 inch length between the axles, while Access Cabs move up to a 127.8-inch wheelbase. The Double Cab has a 127.8 base, except for the long-bed model, which has a 140.9-inch wheelbase.
Four-wheel drive models are equipped with Torsen differentials, which do the job of limited-slip units in four-wheel-drive settings.
The new engines are a strong element in the stylish changeover of the Tacoma. The big news is the 4.0-liter V6, which has dual-overhead camshafts and variable valve-timing, with the 245 horsepower representing a large increase over the 190-horse 3.4 unit it replaces. The 4.0 V6 also will be the base engine in the 2005 Tundra, and continues to be the mainstay of the 4Runner.
The base engine in the Tacoma is a 2.7-liter four-cylinder, also with dual-overhead cams, now producing 164 horsepower and 183 foot-pounds of torque. That engine replaces both the 2.4 and 2.7 four-cylinder engines previously used. The V6 needs 91 octane premium, while the four-cylinder, which Toyota anticipates will account for 30 percent of Tacoma sales, makes its power on 87 octane regular.
In four-cylinder models, buyers can choose between a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. The V6 versions have either a six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic. The V6 with the five-speed automatic can cover 0-60 in 7.5 seconds, a fact that undoubtedly will entice younger buyers, while more buyers will be impressed with the 6,500-pound towing capacity, compared to the 5,000-pound maximum of the 2004 Tacoma.
The raciest Tacoma is the X-Runner, which is a flashy model named after the “X-braced†reinforced frame for maximum torsional rigidity. The X-Runner has full ground effects, with lower fascias set off by integrated foglights in the front, and a large hood scoop, plus three monochromatic color schemes – red, black and “Speedway Blue.†The X-Runner comes lowered by an inch and on high-performance tires on 18-inch alloy wheels, and has firmer springs, with Bilstein gas shocks specially placed on the outboard side of the frame rails, and a firmer rear stabilizer bar and special steering quickness.
In X-Runner form, the Tacoma gets under seven seconds for 0-60 sprints, and its lateral acceleration measures 0.9-g., better than the Nissan 350Z sports car that was used as its benchmark.
That model is different from the normal Toyota Racing Development (TRD) models, which create special off-road packages, and a better-handling on-road package.
Inside, improved room and creature comforts also add storage spaces under the seats, and safety characteristics with door beams and airbags and air curtains that let the Tacoma meet all passenger car safety requirements, which means they are beyond standard truck requirements.
With special features such as bed tie-down cleats that can be moved to an infinite number of settings – very Nissan Titan-like – and high sightlines similar to big trucks, the Tacoma could well be declared big-enough by pickup buyers who want some room but also want some fuel-efficiency and maneuverability.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews. He can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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