Tucson shines despite drizzly Portland weather
PORTLAND, OR. — Korean automaker Hyundai has made impressive strides in the last few years, and its new Tucson compact SUV pretty well assures that it will keep moving – onward and upward, and over all sorts of terrain.
The Tucson is new from the tires up, and is more compact in size, and price, than the Santa Fe, HyundaiÂ’s first venture into anything other than cars. While aimed primarily as a versatile family hauler of five, the Tucson does appear to have some off-road capabilities. It comes in front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, and the 4WD versions have a lockable differential, which is usually the key element to distinguish more serious off-roaders.
Hyundai officials say the Tucson is aimed at that elusive “younger†market, with what sounds like a pretty good motto: “Live more, yawn less, for under $20,000.†If it is a little more vibrant and more sporty, the Tucson would allow Hyundai to move the Santa Fe more upscale, which is another plan, once an all-new $1.1 billion plant opens in Alabama, where the new Sonata sedan and Santa Fe will be built for 2006.
The Tucson is slightly longer, at 170.3 inches, than a Toyota RAV4, and a few inches shorter than the Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute, or the Honda CR-V. The Tucson has a 103.5-inch wheelbase, slightly longer than all of those, and claims interior room that is equal or better. With two front, two side-curtain and two seat-mounted airbags, Hyundai claims the Tucson is the lowest priced vehicle with six airbags and a stability control system.
Price is a major factor in what is sure to be the popularity of the Tucson. The GL, with front-wheel drive and a four-cylinder engine starts at $17,499, with four-wheel drive adding $1,500. The GLS comes with the 2.7-liter V6 only, and comes in at $19,900 and some change – just enough to stay under $20,000. The LX model, with leather interior and an audio upgrade added to all the GLS features, is priced at $21,249, with everything but an optional sunroof standard.
As an inexpensive alternative to minivans, station wagons, or expensive and gas-hungry larger SUVs, the Tucson is a neatly styled vehicle that performed very well on our introductory test runs through the Oregon countryside, and I like the fact that the Tucson is free of the little curves and unnecessary bulges that make the Santa Fe distinctive, but can also grow wearisome.
It seems Hyundai has a fixation on Southwestern U.S. cities for names, but when it was raining hard in Portland, and points due west out to the Pacific Ocean, when Hyundai gathered the nationÂ’s motoring journalists for the introduction of the Tucson, making me wonder why they didnÂ’t they hold the introduction in, sayÂ…Tucson? Of course, the same could be said for the Toyota Tacoma, which was introduced in Detroit; the Dodge Dakota, which was introduced in Nashville (at the Tennessee football stadium, no less, where the background for an on-field intro was a huge sign that said “TitansÂâ€); or the Chrysler Sebring, which was introduced in Seattle.
Hyundai hasnÂ’t misfired very often in recent years. The upwardly mobile company has increased total U.S. vehicle sales from 100,000 to 400,000 since 1998. In U.S. sales by an import manufacturer, Hyundai rose to rank fourth by the end of the 2003 model year with 400,221 sales, behind 1-2 leaders Toyota (1.6 million) and Honda (1.17 million), and Nissan (675,000), and ahead of Volkswagen (302,686). Globally, General Motors ranks first with 8.2 million sales, Toyota second (6.8 million), Ford third (6.7 million), Volkswagen fourth (5.0 million), DaimlerChrysler fifth (4.3 million), Peugeot/Citroen fifth (3.2 million) and Hyundai sixth (3.04 million).
Hyundai also listed JD Power and other market research statistics to show that Hyundai ranks fifth behind only Chevrolet, Toyota, Ford and Honda for brand loyalty among U.S. buyers, and ranks second behind only Suzuki’s super-inexpensive models for conquest sales – those who buy after previously buying another brand. Those, Hyundai claims, include what is called “captive resentfuls†– those who didn’t particularly want a Hyundai but couldn’t afford anything more expensive.
Those days when the 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty were required to lure customers have long since passed. Cars like the Sonata and Accent have ranked first or second in initial quality for their segments, even though Hyundai also has taken over Kia, the struggling Korean manufacturer, and upgrading everything in the Kia line. Hyundai now turns its attention to its own brands, with seven new ones planned in the next two years. The Elantra will be redone in the fall of 2006, a minivan in the spring of Â’06, the Santa Fe in early spring of Â’06, the XG luxury sedan in late 2005, the Accent in the coming summer, and the Sonata in the coming spring.
But for now, the Tucson takes center stage. The Tucson starts out on a modified Elantra platform, with four-wheel independent rear suspension, and front approach-angle clearance of 28.2 degrees, plus 7.8-inches of front axle clearance. The ability to lock the differential means you might venture off-road, although the introductory drive’s off-road excursion was a little-used gravel road with a couple of puddles – nothing worse than a lot of rural driveways you might encounter.
On the road, the Tucson felt quick and agile with the 2.7-liter V6, and the switchgear had a simple and solid-feeling touch to operate. I dislike the gimmicky oval ring around the gauges, looking almost like paying homage to Korean designs from a previous – thankfully – era of Korean cars. But I like the brushed silver outlines of the audio and heat-air controls on the center panel, and the rugged, washable rear stowage floor.
The 2.0-liter four-cylinder is a dual-overhead-camshaft unit with 140 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs and 136 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 RPMs, and it gets gas mileage ratings of 22 city/27 highway for two-wheel drive and 21/26 for four-wheel drive. The 2.7 V6 has 173 horses at 6,000 revs, and 178 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000, with fuel economy of 20/26 for front-drive and 19/24 for four-wheel drive.
Hyundai’s ESC, for electronic stability control, added to the secure feeling on the drizzle-slicked highways we took to the ocean. It works through sensors front and rear and measuring lateral and steering forces. When you head into a sharp curve, the sensors know where you are trying to go, and if the vehicle understeers – tending to continue straight rather than following the projected steering path – it brakes the inside wheel. If the vehicle oversteers – trying to turn more sharply than your steering input calls for – it brakes the outside wheel.
On our drive, out to Tillamook, then northward along the coast to Cannon Beach, the front-wheel-drive Tucson with the 2.7 performed very well. Quick turns, and flat, stable cornering, were a breeze. The four-speed automatic was controlled by a floorshifter, with a manual shift gate. When we switched to the four-wheel-drive version, the slightly heavier Tucson felt even more stable, although the FWD seemed more agile.
Switching back and forth between driver and passenger, I discovered an unusual floor on the passenger side. My size 11s didnÂ’t seem to fit flat on the floor of the passenger side, and while nobody else seemed to notice, it bothered me a bit to have my toe and heel touching without being able to rest my whole foot on the flat surface.
Hyundai has a hybrid fleet of cars currently operating its own technology on an experimental basis in Korea, and it wonÂ’t be long before something like that shows up. With the new Ford Escape Hybrid so impressive, the Tucson seems like a good possibility.
Hyundai officials say they now are setting out to differentiate more between models of Hyundai and Kia, although they may share some engines and platforms. A few weeks later, at the California Auto Show in Anaheim, Kia unveiled a new vehicle that will be the return of the Sportage. The once-tiny but neat SUV has grown more shapely, and – sure enough – it is a Tucson with a few modifications.
When you build a winner, why not make maximum use of it?
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews. He can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
On fairway, or in rough, new Grand Cherokee beats par
SANTA YNEZ MOUNTAINS, CALIF. — Negotiating tight curves and majestic vistas while driving up and over the mountains above the sea-level strip that is Santa Barbara, Calif., left the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee press-launch media unanimously impressed.
While I was impressed, the Grand Cherokee was so smooth that I was also concerned. I mean, dating back to the origin of the Jeep, when Willys introduced the rugged little 4×4 as a military vehicle in 1941, ruggedness has been the key descriptive term for all things Jeep. The Cherokee was a somewhat refined wagon, and the Wagoneer of 1963 attempted to be luxurious in a very weird and plastical way, but pseudo refinements couldnÂ’t conceal the basic ruggedness of the brand.
Since Chrysler, now DaimlerChrysler, has taken over Jeep, the Grand Cherokee has become more refined, but the nameplateÂ’s tradition has continued to mean certain justifiable spinoffs, including a few rattles and assorted nuisance problems. Jeep lovers accepted them, because, after all, itÂ’s a Jeep.
So if the 2005 Grand Cherokee is so smooth, so tight, so refined, in all circumstances on the road, it must have compromised some of its legendary off-road status, right? Furthermore, that might make sense, to modernize the Grand Cherokee for the still-huge SUV segment of mostly on-road users, because Jeep makes the Wrangler and Rubicon for serious off-roaders, has inserted the Liberty as a midpoint between off- and on-roaders, and, in fact, has just added the Wrangler Unlimited, with a longer wheelbase for less-bouncy off-roading.
Turns out, I was wrong. True, the new Grand Cherokee is far better on any road than any predecessor wearing the Jeep name, but our trek over the mountains took us to Camp Jeep California, the latest of several specifically designed off-road challenges built by, and run by and for, Jeep. Once there, we drove in a dusty caravan up a lengthy, sandy incline, along ridges with precipitous drops on either side. We plunged down steep drop-offs, picked our way through obstacles carved into hillsides and valleys, and scrambled like mountain goats to get up and out of all such terrain.
I can’t say the 2005 Grand Cherokee is better off-road than those off-road-only Jeep products, but it is the best Grand Cherokee I’ve ever driven off-road. As well as on-road. So, for sure it is the best combination vehicle Jeep has ever produced – effortlessly covering grueling off-road tests, swift freeway cruising, and curvy switchback cornering. If quality-control and lack of nuisance problems can match the promise of the introductory vehicles, the Grand Cherokee should be a solid winner.
Power is big news for the Grand Cherokee, as it gains the top-line 5.7-liter HEMI V8, with 330 horsepower and 375 foot-pounds of torque, for a 7,200-pound towing capability. The HEMI also has available cylinder deactivation, with two cylinders on each bank of the “V†cutting out while cruising, improving fuel economy and keeping maximum force available to seamlessly re-engage at the tap of your toe.
While the HEMI provides head-turning – and possibly neck-snapping – acceleration, the other engines shouldn’t be overlooked for those not interesting in drag-racing the neighbor’s SUVs. The 4.7-liter V8 is an overhead-camshaft unit with 235 horsepower and a very impressive 310 foot-pounds of torque, and the base engine is a 3.7-liter overhead-cam V6 with 210 horsepower and a very useful 235 foot-pounds of torque. EPA fuel economy estimates are 20 highway/14 city for the 4.7, and 21/16 for the V6, while the cylinder deactivation gives the HEMI impressive 20/14 figures.
At a glance, the new Grand Cherokee doesn’t look that much different from the 2004 model it displaces. The more corners are more harmonious than sharp-edged, encasing a vehicle that is a few inches longer, a bit wider, slightly lower, yet with a shorter turning radius. As one company official said: “It’s still a little boxy, and we’re OK with that.†DaimlerChrysler didn’t want to forego all the equity built up in making “Jeep†the best-recognized automotive icon in the world. Look closely, and you notice a slightly different angle to the front A pillar, and a more roundly fitted rear corner treatment.
The most obvious difference is up front, where new, round headlights appear as if borrowed from the Wrangler. The headlights can be selected with something called SmartBeam, which reads the ambient light and oncoming traffic to automatically adjust the angle of the high or low lights.
Underneath the new skin is a new suspension system. An all-new short and long arm independent front unit has a single-piece iron lower control arm and forged upper control arm with aluminum steering components designed for optimum steering and on-road maneuverability. Unsprung weight was reduced by 100 pounds, and ground clearance was increased by more than an inch. The familiar five-link rear suspension has been refined, and both ends are finely coordinated, and work well with the new rack-and-pinion steering system.
Perhaps the key to the seemingly impossible combination of good posture both on- and off-road is the Dynamic Handling System (DHS), which uses hydraulic, active stabilizer bars. Normally, an SUV that is firm enough off-road is so harsh as to jar your fillings loose on-road, and one that is smooth on-road is too squishy off-road. On the Grand Cherokee, the DHS bars relax by virtually uncoupling when cruising on highways, but a steering-angle sensor and a pair of lateral accelerometers pressurize the bar links to stiffen in hard cornering or on rough terrain, firming up the stability. From our brief exposure, it works to master both extremes.
What makes a Grand Cherokee truly a Jeep is its all-wheel-drive capability, and Jeep has blessed the new one with three distinctly different units. Quadra-Trac I has a single transfer case and Brake Traction Control System for full-time 4×4 without any levers to shift, sending 48 percent of torque to the front and 52 percent to the rear. Quadra-Trac II has an active transfer case that can be shifted to 4-high or 4-low. And Quadra-Drive II has electronic limited-slip front, rear and center, for more and quicker torque transfer and ultimate off-road capability. A 34.1-degree approach angle, 27.1-degree departure angle and 20.6-degree ramp breakover angle should clear most boulders.
The Grand Cherokee interior brings all those physical assets together, with firm and comfortable seats, remote controls on the steering wheel, a navigation system, rear-seat DVD entertainment with wireless headsets and remote control, U-Connect hands-free cell phone operation, and Sirius satellite radio. Well-placed and easily-read gauges and center-stack controls are complemented by nicely textured facings on the dashboard, and even the faux woodgrain surrounding the shift lever, with its gated Autostick manual control, adds a nice touch.
Weight for the new Grand Cherokee ranges from 4,254 pounds for the base 2WD with the 3.7 engine to the 4,735 of the fully-loaded Limited with the HEMI. Prices weigh-in similarly. Base price starts at $26,775 for the Laredo with the 3.7, and $28,860 with the 4.7; the Limited starts at $34,045, and a fully-loaded HEMI-powered Limited with the optional stability program, heated seats, SmartBeam lights, rear video, Sirius radio, beeping back-up system, navigation and all the goodies can run up to $40,415, as seen on a later test-drive vehicle I had for a week.
The new Grand Cherokee will impress anyone who ever has liked the idea of having a Jeep, and will positively dazzle those who have tolerated a few miseries in the past for the satisfaction of owning a Jeep. Just remember – don’t be dismayed at the smooth, refined demeanor on the road, because the new Grand Cherokee will live up to Jeep heritage off the road.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Volvo, Yamaha create XC90 winner for U.S. drivers
PHOENIX, AZ. — The Volvo XC90 is arguably the safest and most secure midsize sport-utility vehicle sold in the U.S., to say nothing of the largest-selling European SUV in the U.S., but the brilliant minds behind the XC90 knew something was missing from the time the vehicle was introduced for the 2003 model year.
The missing ingredient was a V8 engine. Even though the turbocharged engines with five or six cylinders have sold far beyond VolvoÂ’s conservative estimates, the company was aware that in the U.S., where 60 percent of all XC90s are sold, fully 30 percent of premium SUVs are equipped with V8s. VolvoÂ’s market research indicates that a solid percentage of those who considered but didnÂ’t buy an XC90 would have bought one if it had a V8.
And so, we are introduced to the Volvo XC90 V8, wearing the official designation as a 2005.5 model year vehicle. It is not “just†a V8, but a specific, purpose-built, 4.4-liter V8 built by Yamaha. Dating back to 1927 when the company started making cars, the first-ever V8 in any Volvo vehicle is uniquely compact, powerful and light, yet clean-enough burning to meet Volvo’s uncompromising demands for size, safety and environmental rules.
All of that doesn’t mean Volvo doesn’t also appreciate the sheer performance of the V8 – which is startling, with 315 horsepower and 325 foot-pounds of torque. The XC90 V8 will hit showrooms by February, at a base price of $45,395, which will include amenities such as leather seating and a power moonroof as standard. Volvo, always conservative, anticipates a first-year run of about 9,500 U.S. sales of the XC90 V8 for 2005, increasing to 11,500 for 2006, but Volvo officials say they could increase production up to Yamaha’s current maximum capability of 25,000 V8s a year.
The media introduction was held in Phoenix, an early-December treat this past week for those of us who already have felt the sting of sub-freezing – and maybe sub-zero – weather in the Upper Midwest. Ah, Phoenix, that magical land in the colorful desert of Arizona, where we laugh when the natives tell us the frequent 100-degree-plus days are OK because “it’s a dry heat.†But not this time. As if to honor the Swedish car company for its powerful new winter-beating SUV, Mother Nature provided us with 40-degree nights and 50-degree days for this past week.
Not that it mattered. Inside the XC90 V8 was the preferred place to be during the trek up and over the mountains to Apache Lake, and we wished for those snug, heated, leather bucket seats that night, when Volvo arranged an imaginative ranch dinner meeting that included a horse-drawn hayride, where we considered lighting the hay to beat the cold.
I was quick to vote for the XC90 when it won the 2003 International Truck of the Year award, and itÂ’s no surprise it went on to win 30 similar accolades around the world. With strong turbocharged 5-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines, the vehicle expanded the Swedish automakerÂ’s great pride in creating vehicles that refuse to compromise on safety and environmental focus. In only its second year, the XC90 outsells exceptional competitors from BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Porsche to reign as the largest-selling European luxury SUV in the U.S.
“The XC90 has won more international awards in a shorter time than any other Volvo,†said Jorgen Svensson, the youthful chief program engineer on the vehicle. “But thereÂ’s always room for improvement, and from the start, we have planned on putting a V8 into it, and when it was first designed, it was with a V8 in mind. The problem was, we couldnÂ’t find any V8 that met our requirements.Ââ€
Volvo, which has retained its focus under Ford ownership, originally benefited from Ford’s connection with Yamaha. While Ford, as well as its Jaguar subsidiary and its European Cosworth high-performance arm, has produced some excellent V8s, it also went to Yamaha to design and build V6 and then V8 engines for the Taurus SHO high-performance models over the past two decades. So Ford pointed Volvo to Yamaha, and Svensson – who previously was Volvo’s engineer working with Cosworth on the previous S40 four-cylinder – was the perfect person to direct the project.
“There are a lot of cultural similarities between Sweden and Japan,†said Svensson. “We both are direct, and when either of us say weÂ’ll do something, weÂ’ll do it. And we take a lot of pride in what we do.Ââ€
That pride can seem almost like arrogance from the perfectionist focus of top engineers from both countries, but that forceful determination meshed perfectly for Volvo and Yamaha to create something special.
“Yamaha had the capacity and the resources, and they were willing to design this engine on our outline,†said Svensson. “Yamaha is not making any engine for anyone else right now, and this V8 is exclusive to the XC90 right now. Yamaha is not allowed to sell this engine outside Ford.
“There was much give and take both ways. We had many conversations, but we worked together very well. I was very impressed, and I would say that the top two engineers from Japan we worked with knew a lot more about what they were doing than we did.
“We also learned that when they say something is very difficult, itÂ’s impossible.Ââ€
VolvoÂ’s safety design includes incorporating FordÂ’s breakthrough gyroscopic anti-rollover technology that makes the XC90 perhaps the least-likely SUV to roll over, and yet as a prize graduate of VolvoÂ’s Goteborg Safety Center the XC90 is probably the safest vehicle in a rollover. I visited there to watch an XC90 undergo a 4.5-time rollover crash, with the doors still operable and four crash-test dummies safely inside a cocoon of airbags, within an outer shell of the strongest steel used in the industry.
VolvoÂ’s front and corner crash tests without the engine guides installation of their 5- or 6-cylinder in-line engines transversely, in the opening left clear of the crumple zone in front. That lessens the possibility of the engine being shoved into the passenger compartment, and also provides the advantage of a short hood, angled for superb visibility of the road ahead.
“The new V8 had to have the same footprint,†said Svensson. “It had to fit in a transverse mount, and it had to be narrow.Ââ€
Viewed head-on, V8 engines traditionally have their banks of four cylinders at a 90-degree angle, often more than twice as wide as any in-line engine. The Volvo V8 is built at a 60-degree angle, with the left bank offset by a half-cylinder from the right, almost serpentine in layout, and with counterbalance shafts. Auxiliary engine parts are tucked away, with the alternator underneath the manifold, and the starter positioned above, and the all-aluminum engine weighs just 419 pounds and is 29.7 inches long and a mere 25 inches wide.
Dual overhead camshafts on each bank are run by chains, not belts, with a primary chain on the inlet camshafts and a secondary chain handling the exhaust cams, facilitating solenoid-controlled continuously variable timing of both inlet and exhaust valves. The fuel-air intake chamber atop the slick-looking engine is valved in two, with the second chamber closed below 3,200 RPMs and opening above that. When closed, cutting off any crossover airflow for a broader torque curve, as if it were two 4-cylinder engines, Svensson explained, and when open, as a V8.
Jorgen Carlsson, project manager of the powertrain, showed a cutaway of the whole drivetrain. “Compared to our Turbo 6, the V8 is 25 kilos (55 pounds) heavier,†Carlsson said. “But the new six-speed gearbox is 10 kilos (22 pounds) lighter. Yamaha builds the engines in Japan and sends them to us in Sweden once or twice a week. We put the engine and all the accessories together with the transmission at our power pack plant, then we put the whole thing on the subframe, which has the driveshafts.Ââ€
Project launch manager John Neu was a little less conservative than the stoic Swedes, when he flatly stated: “This may be the best V8 powertrain on the market.Ââ€
The 315 horsepower peak at 5,850 RPMs, the 325 foot-pounds of torque peak at 3,900 RPMs, and there is an electronic ignition and fuel shutoff at the 6,500-RPM redline. The Haldex all-wheel-drive system has been altered, with an electronic Instant Traction system that apportions torque to all four wheels instantaneously when you stomp on the gas. Zero-to-60 acceleration is 6.9 seconds for the XC90, which weighs 4,610 pounds in seven-passenger set-up. Still, Volvo engineers are quicker to point out that the engine is the first V8 to meet the strict ULEV-II standards (ultra-low emission vehicle, stage 2) emission requirements.
As we drove back, I zeroed the vehicle computer while driving through the mountains and into Phoenix rush-hour traffic, and the XC90 V8 showed 20.4 miles per gallon, which would make me guess that 25 or so might be attainable on highway cruising. Except for V8 emblems front and rear, special wheels and dual exhaust tubes, the V8 isnÂ’t set off by any splashy graphics. Subtlety or not, U.S. drivers will be impressed at the fuel economy, and they might be impressed by the low emissions, and there is nothing subtle about the response the XC90 has with V8 power.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews. Contact him at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Porsche Boxster, 80 percent new, looks good…again
CARMEL VALLEY, CALIF. — At a lunch stop during the introductory test-drive of the 2005 Porsche Boxster, a pair of red Boxsters parked facing us. The one on the left had a long, concave groove under the bumper with air vents carved into it, the one on the right had distinctly separate air intakes; the one on the left had lenses shaped to cover the foglights, the one on the right had rounded oval lenses over the headlights with foglights mounted separately in the below-bumper openings.
I only had one question: Which one is the new one?
For the record, it was the one on our right. No question the cars were different. One was really neat, and the other was, well, really neat but slightly different.
So it goes with Porsche. When we met to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Porsche 911 flagship several months ago, a first-year 911 in perfect condition was proudly put on display on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. People walked around the vintage car without more than a sidelong glance, for a good reason. The car didnÂ’t look old, at all, so pedestrians wondered why a Porsche was parked on the sidewalk.
Same with the new Boxster. It takes a keen eye to discern the subtle appearance changes in the second-generation Boxster, even though Porsche officials explain that the new car consists of 80 percent new content from the first-generation car, which was introduced as a 1997 model.
Press manager Bob Carlson explained that from its inception the Boxster followed the hard and fast rules from Stuttgart for a pure sports car. “It had to be a two-seater, open-top roadster, with handling and performance to make the driver feel like the car is one with the road,†Carlson said.
Further following tradition, the Boxster had a rear engine with rear drive, except that where the 911 has its powerful engine behind the rear axle, the BoxsterÂ’s flat-opposed six-cylinder engine is mounted just ahead of the rear axle. Being behind the driver but ahead of the axle gives the Boxster an official mid-engine designation, which also means it has spectacular precision in its handling, never displaying the tail-wagging-the-dog tendencies that can be a thrilling surprise with rear-engine cars.
The other Porsche tradition Boxster followed was its unusual name, which comes from combining boxer, for the flat-opposed engine style, and the second syllable of roadster. If it seems like an extra letter is involved, it’s because Porsche insists that all its names have seven letters – Carrera, Boxster, even Cayenne.
I liked the original Boxster, although its 2.5-liter engine only had 201 horsepower. That meant you couldn’t drive the car hard enough to fully appreciate its handling potential, something we didn’t learn until 2000, when Porsche added the “S†model, a performance-upgrade with a 3.2-liter engine and 250 horsepower. At the same time, Porsche increased the basic Boxster engine to 2.7 liters with 217 horsepower.
Since then, Porsche has found intricate ways to extract a few more horses for the S, and each time it did, it also gave the basic Boxster similar tweaks. So amid ever-increasing competition in the sports car category from the likes of the Mazda Miata, BMW Z3 and Z4, Honda S2000 and even the Mercedes SLK, the Boxster S has continued to break new ground, but the basic Boxster also has made incremental improvements.
The 2005 Boxster S and Boxster follow the same pattern. The new Boxster S continues to have a 3.2-liter six, with horsepower increased to 280 from 2004Â’s 258, and torque increased to 236 foot-pounds. Clearly, the new Boxster S is the most refined and quickest Boxster ever, with its already-stiff frame now 9 percent improved in torsional rigidity and 14 percent stiffer in bending rigidity.
The stiffer structure helps handling potential, and, along with higher-strength steel, complemented by aluminum hoods and trunklid,it improves crashworthiness. Airbags including side cushions surrounding more interior room, and improved ceramic disc brakes with a standard stability system, further bolsters the Boxster S safety.
But the basic Boxster is improved at the same time, benefiting from the same structural and safety improvements as the S, and its 2.7-liter engine is increased from 225 to 240 horsepower, with 199 foot-pounds of torque.
Both cars have considerably more standard equipment and upgrades than the outgoing 2004s, but the new BoxsterÂ’s price of $43,800 and the new Boxster S model sticker of $53,100, represent increases of only $1,200-$1,500, which is less than the new features would cost as options.
The Boxster S feels like a rocket with its sizzling 280 horsepower, going 0-60 in 5.2 seconds and attaining a top speed of 167 miles per hour. The improvement is even more dramatic in the basic Boxster, though, because it went from 201 horsepower to 240 – almost as much as the first S – and now gets to 60 under six seconds, with a top speed of 159 mph.
The Boxster S gets an all-new six-speed manual transmission and rides on 18-inch wheels, while the standard Boxster has an improved five-speed and 17-inch wheels. Both have 19-inch wheels as options.
In driving through the curving mountain roads of California, the Boxster S was very impressive, in an all-out race car manner: You could push the car to its edge, stay there through exhilarating corners, and keep on sailing. The regular Boxster is a little more forgiving, with a bit more compliance in the turns, and certainly less punch. But I came away thinking that the basic Boxster might be preferable for most people, even including high-performance drivers who donÂ’t mind NOT being on the edge all the time.
The styling of the car remains smooth and very Carrera-like both front and rear, which may disturb Carrera owners, but adds to the Boxster’s allure. In any case, the new-generation Boxster will more than hold our attention and respect until at least summertime – when Porsche is going to come out with a Boxster coupe.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Corvette’s sweeping changes are major and subtle
The 2005 Chevrolet Corvette has already been honored by being named one of three finalists for North American International Car of the Year, and even if the sixth-generation Â’Vette doesnÂ’t beat out the Ford Mustang and the Chrysler 300, it wonÂ’t be because of any failures in the new design.
Chevrolet is making a bold change with the 2005 C6 Corvette, and it comes right when competition is the most ferocious itÂ’s been throughout the CorvetteÂ’s 51-year history. With 400 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque packed into a lighter, tighter frame, it appears safe to assume the new car will meet or exceed the expectations of Corvette loyalists everywhere.
The new car has even made a bid for international notice, with a lot of testing done at Nurburgring race track in Germany, and officials say they hope to make Corvettes more than a novelty among the sustained-high-speed regulars on the autobahns. That remains to be seen, but Chevrolet, and General Motors, would obviously settle for continued success as the American sports car.
Over the last 50 years, the Corvette became more than just an icon in the U.S. The car became a knee-jerk reaction for every red-blooded American seeking the status that could best be portrayed by buying a sports car. Driving a sports car bestows on the driver a wild and carefree outlook, making him, or her, the envy of all the sedan/station wagon/minivan/SUV drivers out there sharing the roadways. To say nothing of being the handiest cure for midlife crisis, if not the common cold. As the only real sports car made in the U.S., patriotic Americans have bought 1.4 million Corvettes over the years.
The fifth generation Corvette, called the C5, grew in prominence, and in size and power, over its extended, eight-year lifespan. It countered lighter and more high-tech competitors with a simple solution – inexpensive power. It’s much less costly to enlarge the engine than to design and refine such entities as dual overhead camshafts, multiple valves, and variable valve-timing, and other devices – all of which can extract amazingly high degrees of power out of comparatively small engines.
A suddenly computer-literate culture may more seriously consider alternative sports cars, such as the Porsche Carreras and Boxsters, BMW Z3 and Z4s, Audi TT, and Mercedes SLK from Germany, and the Mazda Miata, Mazda RX-8, and Honda S2000 from Japan. All of them achieve the exhilaration of high performance with lighter, more agile bodies, and with smaller but high-tech, high-revving engines.
That threw a strong challenge at the sixth generation Corvette, if it was to maintain its turf, and Chevrolet knew it. “The exterior, interior and engine are all new,†said chief engineer Dave Hill. “We did more than our customers asked for – we removed compromises. For us to have 30 percent market share is great, but it means that 70 percent are buying something else.Ââ€
While becoming smaller, lighter, stiffer, more agile, and more of a true sports car in design and build, General Motors pleaded heritage over high-tech in some cases. After promoting the low-rumble and inexpensive power of pushrod engines for five decades, for example, Chevrolet decided to stick with the pushrod engine design, claiming the carÂ’s customers havenÂ’t clamored for higher tech overhead cams. At the same time, Chevy made the small block bigger, growing from 5.7 to 6 liters, and more powerful than ever.
Corvette’s restyling is significant even if some see it as more subtle in external flair. Subtlety has not always been a workable description of Corvettes, which had long since bulged beyond the sleekness of the 1963-67 Sting Rays – an era that gave design cues to the new car’s leaner styling. The new body is stretched tightly over a condensed length, five inches shorter than its predecessor. A shorter, stiffer and lighter chassis, bigger brakes, more suspension travel, and a choice of three suspension designs all are packed underneath.
Despite a lot of similarities, the C6 has 85 percent new content compared to the C5. At first, Corvette purists whined about losing the hideaway headlights, but the new look allows the first high-tech lights, with high-intensity xenon gas-discharge headlights, and foglights. Aimed out from clear glass lenses to increase illumination by 80 percent, over a 25 percent greater spread. The new foglights alone shine with 58 percent of the C5Â’s total illumination.
For attention to detail, consider that the leather bucket seat surfaces have fabric backing to prevent creaking. I never knew there might be those who find that annoying; one of the reasons that I like leather seats is the way they creak as they age, seeming to formfit like a glove.
Higher contrast LED instruments include the Heads-Up display superimposed on the windshield, which can be altered to three different formats. An optional Bose audio system takes the standard subwoofer from eight-inch to ten-inch size, which helps the XM satellite radio come to life.
Voice recognition operates a DVD navigation system and audio controls. Keyless entry has a transmitter in the key fob so that as you get within one meter (meter?) of the car, the doors unlock. Once inside you can activate the push-button start without using the key – as long as you have it on your person.
General Motors has again gone to great lengths to improve the smallblock pushrod V8 design, which is as old as the Corvette itself. At 6.0 liters, it dispenses 400 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque. The engine features all-aluminum construction, larger solid-stem valves, a less-restrictive induction system, lighter composite intake manifold, and strengthened crankshaft. Top speed is 186 miles per hour, and IÂ’ve seen printed 0-60 times of under 4.5 seconds.
If the pushrod engine design remains, it is the only thing that’s not cutting-edge high-tech in the new Corvette, except for the unique – and ridiculous – “skip-shift,†which forces the six-speed manual to go from first to fourth, rather than second, in normal acceleration to inflate fuel-economy figures. A four-speed automatic is also available.
The main attraction of the Corvette, as usual, is that it provides the performance of cars costing far more than its base price of $43,445, for a coupe with a larger stowable hardtop. Adding side airbags, suspension and audio upgrades can boost the sticker to $53,000 quickly. ThatÂ’s still reasonable, for a tightly coordinated, feature-filled new model of an old icon, an icon that is Car of the Year every year to its cult followers.
(John Gilbert writes weekly reviews on new cars and 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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