Honda’s S2000 stays ahead of sports car mainstream
A good friend of mine spent a lot of years and one long-since-passed marriage buying generically practical cars that were dull and uninteresting. Then he discovered two-seaters, and heÂ’s driven small roadsters for well over a decade now. His budgetary priorities dictate the cars must be used, rather than new, but he was due again, he told me a couple months ago, and he wondered what I might recommend.
I told him I had several in mind, but before he made any decision, I had just spotted a four-year-old Honda S2000 in a newspaper want ad, and that he owed it to himself to find one and take it for a test drive. He protested that I was probably trying to get him into some exotic, 200-mile-per-hour burner, and he just wanted something that would handle well and provide that wind-in-your-hair freedom. It didnÂ’t matter if it was a racy car, but I knew that, because his two-seaters have included a Pontiac Fiero and a Honda del Sol.
I repeated that it was true that the Honda S2000 would run away and hide from many sports cars, but it wasn’t required, in order to provide pleasure. Yes, it has an exceptional engine, and yes, it has a six-speed stick shift, but it truly is a car he could drive for10 years and find levels of sports-car enjoyment that he – and most car owners – don’t know exist, without ever breaking the speed limit. Just find one and drive it, I told him, then go off and buy whatever you want, knowing that you have experienced a benchmark for comparison as the ultimate handling car.
My friend moved across town shortly after that conversation, and I misplaced the scrap of paper, on which I had written his new unlisted number. So I was unable to find him a couple weeks ago when I got my test-driving paws on a new 2005 Honda S2000 for a week. Too bad, because I really wanted to show it to him before he made a decision.
The test car was “Rio Yellow Pearl†– an almost iridescent yellow with lots of metallic highlights glistening through. Like finding another old friend, the new S2000 proved it might still be the best-handling car I’ve ever driven, even though the new S2000 is a bit different from the original I drove five years ago. That one was pretty edgy, with a 2-liter 4-cylinder tweaked to turn out 240 horsepower, and a stock redline of 9,000 RPMs. At the time, I wrote that “maybe only dogs can hear 9,000 RPMs†because of the shrillness as the little engine gleefully went from alto to soprano. That was one of its unmatched features, like having your own Formula 1 race car to drive on the street. It also handled with astounding flatness and precision, and its quick-reacting steering was riveted in my memory.
A year or so ago, Honda decided the S2000 should be backed off just a bit. The 2.2-liter 4-cylinder engine was reduced from 9,000 to an 8,000-RPM redline, while horsepower remained at 240, while the torque was raised just a bit. HondaÂ’s reasoning was that more torque and fewer revs might lure more mainstream buyers to the S2000, if they didnÂ’t have to run the revs up so high. I disagreed, but Honda didnÂ’t ask me. My feeling was that 9,000 revs was a unique and uncompromising feature, so why compromise?
At $33,000, the new S2000 costs a bit more than a Mazda Miata, which bristles with low-to-mid-$20,000 fun, but it canÂ’t hope to run with the higher-strung S2000. On the other hand, a Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4, or Corvette have considerably more power, and about the same performance, but youÂ’d have to pay $50,000 for a Boxster, Z4, or Corvette. A Corvette has twice as much power, but its engine is almost three times larger than the S2000; a Boxster S has a few more horses, but a full liter more displacement; and a Z4 has less power despite almost a full liter more displacement. Motor TrendÂ’s published statistics show acceleration, handling stability and slalom speeds are nearly identical for the S2000, Z4 and Boxster S.
The all-aluminum, shark-nosed S2000 is light and lean, and with Formula 1-type double wishbone suspension on all four corners, augmented with stabilizer bars at both front and rear, its handling is so good that it turns on the proverbial dime. One time, driving at 30 on a deserted street, my passenger said, “Oh, you should have turned there.†I turned, instantly and without touching the brake, and we made the turn, flat and perfectly stable. After that, I found pleasure driving up to unpopulated 90-degree corners and simply making the turn while accelerating from 30 to 40, instead of touching the brakes.
Much of the time I had with the S2000 was spent setting a personal record for the number of rides I gave to friends, neighbors, and friends of theirs I didnÂ’t even know. True, I would run through the close-ratio gears, taking off quickly in first, running it up to the 8,000 redline in second perhaps, then coasting a bit. It dashes forward with great suddenness, but still, the most impressive demonstration was to show how flat and stable the car stayed while making practiced but abrupt 90-degree turns.
Some of my criticisms about the car proved unfounded. For instance, I was disappointed the S2000 didn’t have foglights – right up until the first night, when I flipped on the Xenon gas-discharge headlights, which lit up the night, with a stark cutoff that was like a line between total darkness and brilliant light. Never mind the lack of foglights.
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As a two-seater, there is no rear seat. There also is precious little trunkspace – enough for a weekend trip, but if you bring luggage you might want to leave the golf bags at home. There aren’t a lot of little storage bins for the two occupants, either. But the ergonomics work, with neat little flippers protruding from the dash for no-look increases or decreases to radio volume and air-conditioning/heat fan.
My biggest remaining criticism is the gearbox. The action of flinging the short-throw, perfectly balanced shifter through its six gears is scintillating, no quarrel there. But the close-ratio arrangement of the gears means you must shift as soon as youÂ’ve shifted, without any gap to enjoy letting the revs build a bit. At 70-mph or so cruising speed on a freeway, you are turning about 3,500 revs. That is no strain for an engine that will go to 8,000, but wider-ratio gears would let you spend a few moments longer in each gear, and if you could cruise at 2,000 RPMs at 70, youÂ’d probably get 30miles per gallon instead of 25.
Of course, HondaÂ’s Formula 1 and Indy car technology were originally inserted into the S2000Â’s 16-valve, dual-overhead-camshaft engine, most notable the VTEC variable valve timing. The clean-burning engine meets EPA Tier-2, Bin-9 emission standards, with 105,000 miles suggested between tune-ups. The roof fits snugly, and goes up and down at the touch of a button. You unlatch it, hit the button, and it engulfs its all-glass rear window and folds itself down behind the seats in a flash. Large disc brakes and surrounding airbags join the rigid construction to provide maximum safety, although the carÂ’s superb handling is probably its best safety feature.
The test car listed at $33,665, including $515 for shipping, and no charge for a full tank of gas – the only thing not standard on the sticker sheet.
I put the top down every time I drove, and I cheated by turning on the air-conditioning at foot-level when I was in thick traffic and it was 90-something outside. The hot, fun-filled week passed too swiftly, and I realized how much I had enjoyed the car when, a week later, I was driving down Hwy. 280, the Minnesota highway that separates Minneapolis from St. Paul, and I spotted a silver S2000 up ahead, cruising in its top-down splendor.
It was one of the older S2000s, the edgier ones, with the 9,000-RPM redline. I maneuvered up through congested traffic to get alongside, and to my surprise, the driver was my friend – the sports-car nut who had been reluctant to even think about the S2000. I hollered to him, and he glanced over, smiled broadly, and yelled two sentences. First, he said, “This is the greatest car I’ve ever driven,†and second, he asked: “Can I cut in front of you for the next exit?†I said sure. He swerved neatly in front of me, and he was gone.
I really like that car.
Accord takes hybrid technology further mainstream
The Accord Hybrid is being described as a major success because it doesnÂ’t stand out from other Accords, it is a mainstream sedan that just has more power and gets better fuel economy. That sounds good, and proves that Honda is continuing to make its hybrid cars fit into the automotive mainstream, a trend it began by making the Civic Hybrid look the same as other Civics.
But we need to look deep, beyond the many glowing reviews, and the impressive accomplishment of finishing a strong third in the Car of the Year competition, behind the Chrysler 300 and the Mustang – beating out such luminaries as the Corvette, the Audi A6, the Acura RL, and the Volvo S40.
It has been apparent for a few years now that some foreign manufacturers have built cars ideally suited to American drivers and American driving requirements, and in the case of a company like Honda, the result has been a major benefit to U.S. auto-buyers. But a funny thing has happened to Honda as it was building better-quality cars, with exemplary technology and everlasting quality, durability and economy.
In my opinion, Honda may have figured out U.S. driving desires too well. And the Accord Hybrid is Exhibit A in my file.
To start with, letÂ’s qualify my view with the fact that I donÂ’t know of a more convinced advocate of hybrid technology than I am. Vastly improved fuel economy and surprisingly improved power are gained by linking smaller high-tech gasoline engines with silently potent electric motors, which are powered by battery packs and generators that are charged and recharged by both the gas engine and captive energy from regenerative brakes. Honda and Toyota have dueled admirably for supremacy in the hybrid world, and their only valid challenger now on the market is Ford, with its new Escape Hybrid, using its own technology.
All of the SUVs before this year have been aimed specifically at spectacular fuel-economy figures, and when the Honda Insight can hit 70 miles per gallon, and the Civic Hybrid can hit 48, and the Toyota Prius can also top 40 miles per gallon – even if it can’t quite hit the 61 mpg of the EPA’s estimate – we’re all better off as gasoline surges toward $2.50 per gallon. The Escape Hybrid, also, can get to the high-30s as the first hybrid SUV.
All of those have comparatively small, high-mileage gas engines that would work for adequate commuting power alone, and surpass their larger-engine siblings when linked to the interactive battery packs and electric motors. The Insight, Civic and new Prius all have tiny gas engines, and because the Escape is larger, as an SUV, it uses MazdaÂ’s excellent 2.3-liter four –cylinder gas engine – a 30-miles-per-gallon gem in compact car form — with its battery pack. And the Insight tops them all for gas mileage because it has a tiny three-cylinder gas engine.
So I was curious about the Accord Hybrid, because Accords have been one of the top two selling sedans in the country with the Toyota Camry, and Accord might outsell Camry but Honda doesnÂ’t sell them to fleets. It has always had more than adequate power from its VTEC four-cylinder engines, although it added an even stronger V6 several years ago. When the Accord Hybrid came out for this year, it came with the 3.0-liter V6 gasoline engine. That is a powerful engine, producing 240 horsepower and 217 foot-pounds of torque. Add to that the electric motor powered by nickel-metal hydride batteries, and you add more power than the actual figures of 16 horsepower and a whopping 100 foot-pounds of torque might imply.
The V6 has HondaÂ’s cylinder-deactivation system, whereby the valves are shut down on one bank of the engine during cruising. So whenever the engine is operating below 3,500 RPMs or without sharp force on the gas pedal, the engine moves the car adequately on three cylinders. The electric power can assist the power output during three-cylinder operation, before the other three cylinders come in. Naturally, because itÂ’s Honda, the whole procedure is seamless, and youÂ’d never know all that interchanging was going on under the hood.
All you know is the Accord Hybrid is swift. It will go 0-60 in under 7 seconds, measuring 6.7 or less in various tests, while top speed is governed at 131 miles per hour. That makes it quicker than the normal Accord V6, or the Camry, or other normal V6-powered midsize sedans.
With both the Civic and Accord, Honda is in the interesting position of having its top-line EX models of both clearly upgraded in performance by their hybrid models.
To me, however, the Accord could have used the extremely impressive VTEC four-cylinder with the electric power and achieved almost as good power, and considerably better fuel economy. The most recent Accord EX coupe I drove had so much power that I was marveling at the V6, before I opened the hood and realized it was actually that variable-valve-timed VTEC four.
Going to the V6 may mean that Honda has sensed that U.S. buyers prefer power to fuel economy, or have grown up simply not paying enough attention to fuel economy. Toyota, incidentally, is doing roughly the same thing, because it is putting hybrid power into its mainstream Highlander and Lexus RX400h SUVs, and using powerful V6 engines with good but moderately improved fuel economy.
For comparison, the Civic Hybrid is rated at 48 miles per gallon in highway driving, and I’ve achieved about that in real-world test driving, but the Accord Hybrid is listed at 30 miles per gallon city and 37 highway – but it may have trouble reaching those figures. In my tests, driving around town and on freeway trips, I got 31.4 miles per gallon for most of the time, and 29.6 in city driving. Impressive, but not up to my expectations.
Various auto magazines have raved about the Accord HybridÂ’s power, and its fuel economy too. Car & Driver magazine, in its December issue, repeatedly proclaimed the Accord HybridÂ’s excellence because it had 30-city/37-highway fuel economy, and you had to go back through the page of fine-print statistics to see that the magazineÂ’s tests indicated only 26 miles per gallon in combined city-highway driving. Manufacturers cannot advertise any fuel-economy figures except the EPAÂ’s registered estimate, but automotive journalists do a disservice when they donÂ’t report real-world findings.
Still, in its attempt to take hybrid technology more and more into the mainstream, the Accord Hybrid is impressive, and 31 mpg is nothing to scoff at for a large sedan. While still classified as midsize, the Accord has grown up over the years. The Hybrid has typically Honda-good handling and user-friendly features, maintaining a flat and stable attitude without losing its poise in hard driving. It takes a discerning eye to spot the Hybrid version, with only the small Hybrid lettering under Accord on the trunklid, or the small, thin spoiler lip atop that trunklid, or the subtle difference in alloy wheel design.
Inside the car, and even from the driverÂ’s seat, you could own the car for 200,000 miles without being aware that it was a hybrid. In the Insight and Civic hybrids, there are a couple of neat gauges that tell you at a glance how much electric power is being used to push the car, or how much recharging is taking place. In the Accord Hybrid, other than a couple of tiny, almost unnoticeable indicators, there is only a small, horizontal bar at the bottom of the instrument cluster to show that.
Too bad, because I always thought having those obvious instruments made it fun to see how much gas mileage you could attain, and how little power you needed to move adequately. In the Escape Hybrid, for example, I trained myself to hit the brakes hard when first slowing down then coasting to a stop, because the first part of braking is done by capturing heat off the driveshaft, and sending that energy to help recharge the battery pack. I figured the more regenerative braking you used to recharge, the less gas-engine power youÂ’d need to do the same service.
Honda’s impressive technology on the cylinder deactivation is similar to what’s used on the Odyssey van. Three cylinders cut out on both, but in both vehicles the engine is transverse mounted instead of longitudinal, so Honda has the outer bank keep working while the inner bank cuts out – a brilliant method to reduce interior sound. In case that’s not enough, Honda has devised a method for sending noise-cancelling signals through its audio system to help you cruise in comparative silence.
The price of the technology has got to be significant, but the price of the Accord Hybrid starts at just over $32,000, which makes it a bargain investment, and only a couple thousand more than the normal Accord V6. Burning cleaner and improving fuel economy without any penalty in power is a large asset. And even power-crazed American buyers can feel good if you happen to be aiding the atmosphere by reducing pollution at the same time.
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.)
Audi Q7 on target for sports-luxury on or off road
Sport utility vehicles didnÂ’t make a lot of sense to Audi a few years ago, as the German company rolled out a progression of high-tech and well-crafted sedans and sports-performance models. That was then, as they say, and this is now. Audi is unveiling the Q7, mother ship to the entire line, and a large SUV built to command a profitable alternative to keep Audi customers away from those Escalades and Denalis.
Wolfgang Hoffmann put it all in simple terms when he first introduced the Q7 to the North American media in New Jersey a few weeks ago. “SUVs make up 60 percent of the market in the U.S.,†he said. “And we didnÂ’t have one.Ââ€
Pretty simple. Large premium SUVs are often large trucks with a great variance in amenities and performance, and if Audi is looking for a proverbial home run, the Q7 touches all the bases of performance, safety, style, and versatility.
“A lot of loyal Audi customers have one or two cars, and a luxury SUV,†said Hoffmann. “Twelve to 15 percent of customers who left the Audi brand for their last purchase did it because we didnÂ’t have an SUV.Ââ€
The General Motors command of the large-SUV segment is legendary, with the Tahoe/Yukon leading to the Cadillac Escalade, which led back to the Denali, a luxury version of the Yukon for the GMC division. All are newly redone for 2006.
“There are three generations of SUVs,†said Hoffmann. “First was the two-box design, which was a truck, with a ladder-frame structure, designed to be rugged for heavy work and off-road use. Next came the crossover SUVs in the Â’90s, built on car platforms with the safety of car-like control, comfort, quality and status. Now we are about to start the third generation – performance SUVs.Ââ€
Combining size, strength, luxury, safety and off- and on-road performance takes some doing, but the Q7 calls those bets – and raises the ante with its high-technology engine. The Q7 has the latest generation of Audi’s potent 4.2-liter V8, which – along with Audi’s superb 2.0-liter four-cylinder – made the list of Ward’s top 10 engines in the world for 2006. The latest version goes to four valves per cylinder with chain-driven dual overhead camshafts, and direct injection.
Direct injection has the effect of making engines feel more powerful than their size indicates, with fuel economy expected only from much smaller displacement. The direct-injection Audi V8 makes 350 horsepower and 325 foot-pounds of torque, with 85 percent of its torque unleashed from 2,000 RPMs and on up. Despite a curb weight of 5,467 pounds, the Q7 will sprint from 0-60 in just under 7 seconds, with an electronically governed top speed of 130 mph.
A narrow-angle 3.6-liter V6 will be available later this year, with 280 horsepower and 265 foot-pounds of torque. The V6 model takes 8 seconds to reach 60, but the bigger difference is the price of the two.
The large performance/luxury class vehicles, such as the Escalade or Denali, cost $60,000 and more. The Q7 with the V8 starts at $59,900, while the same vehicle with the V6 starts at a comparative bargain $49,900. Over a thousand V8 model Q7s were presold before any advertising even started, and projections are for the Q7 to be one of AudiÂ’s best-selling models, even in its first year.
Because the V8 model was the only one available at introduction time, all of our preliminary findings are on that vehicle. Towing capacity is 5,500, or 6,000 with the towing package. The Q7Â’s handling is superb, with double-wishbone suspension on all four wheels, and settings for comfort, normal or sport, and a steering system with lower boost at higher speeds, the Q7 has the road manners of a top sporty sedan.
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“But,†said chief engineer Frank van Meel, “we didnÂ’t want to make a car that looked like it would do well off the road, then break your axle when you tried it.Ââ€
The optional air suspension can adjust ground clearance from 6.5 to 9.5 inches, and it is complemented by ESP, an electronic stability program that allows the driver to lock the wheels to spin all four when necessary, and adds hill descent assist, which lets you creep down steep embankments without riding the brakes. The same six-speed automatic transmission, with wide-spaced gears for on-road smoothness, can hunker down and perform when the going gets rugged, too.
One of the subtle but significant changes Audi is making is to the previous quattro standard of 50-50 torque feeding both axles. On the Q7, the standard mix is 60 percent of the torque to the rear, 40 percent to the front. That is more of what Mercedes and BMW have been advocating over the years than what Audi has steadfastly used to complement its front-wheel-drive base set-up. Interestingly, BMW and Mercedes have altered their all-wheel-drive mix to allow more power to the front at the same time Audi is moving more power to the rear in its quattro. But when the system detects any slippage, the torque split alters itself, moving up to 65 percent to the front, or up to 85 percent to the rear.
When it comes to deciding on a $60,000 vehicle, it is obvious that certain features might be pivotal. The Escalade, for example, is basically a Tahoe with all sorts of creature amenities that make it the premier prestige SUV. That well-earned title will be threatened by both the new Mercedes GL and the Audi Q7.
The Q7 has the tall, vertical grille that denotes all the new Audis, and on a large truck-like vehicle, IÂ’d say it looks better than on the cars, where itÂ’s still a bit controversial. A strong, high-strength steel frame and body are topped by a sleek roofline, which houses three rows of seats. You could house seven occupants, or two, plus enormous quantities of stuff. With seven aboard, and all seats upright, there is still 10.87 cubic feet of storage available behind the third seat. With just the third row folded flat, it jumps to 42 cubic feet, and if you fold down second and third rows, you can reach 72.5 cubic feet for storage.
Obvious features include a choice of burl walnut, olive ash, or Japanese tamo for real wood interior trim, plus a back-up camera system, four-zone climate control, and an optional panoramic sunroof that is a three-section picture window to the sky. Adaptive cruise control lets you maintain a set interval behind the vehicle ahead, and will slow you to a complete stop if need be. Braking Guard uses a radar warning system to send a signal if the vehicle ahead brakes harder than your braking attempt, and if need be, it adds brake force. Adaptive lights also shine around corners ahead, and a radar-guided parking system gives you a rear video readout on the navigation screen, with different color grid lines to help guide you to safe and accurate backing up and parallel parking.
Some other companies have some of those same features, but one that I think is unprecedented is the Q7 side-warning detector, which uses radar to note an overtaking vehicle, and if it moves into the vehicleÂ’s blind spot, a panel of LEDs on the side mirror light up as a warning to the driver.
Externally, Audi calls the Q7 styling “coupe-like,†and boasts of dynamics that adapt well to both on-road and off-road use, and “multifunctionality.†I think that means it can handle various functions, but Hoffmann stretched function to what I claim is an 18-letter journalistic record with “multifunctionality.†The ability of a vehicle to have functions has led to adding “functionality†to the automotive PR lexicon. Hoffmann also referred to Audi’s “DNA,†another of the auto PR-speak buzzwords.
Every journalist I know cringes when “DNA†is used to link models, whether or not a connection exists. Precious few, if any, auto PR types even know that Deoxyribonucleic acid is the structure of molecules forming two lines, whose paths intertwine in a double-helix to bond two complementary components, thus forming the chemical basis for linking heredity. Hoffmann used DNA to prove the same company that makes the A3, A4, A6, A8 and TT sports car is now making a do-everything SUV.
Director of marketing Stephen Berkov said: “We need some reasons why SUVs are still OK. We think the Q7 proves that performance can be efficient, safety can be exhilarating, design can be beautiful, and functionality can be elegant.Ââ€
For Audi, thatÂ’s not a badÂ…uhÂ…DNA. But the Germans made a major concession to build the Q7 primarily for the U.S. market by installing six cupholders and four more water bottle holders. “We put in six cupholders,†said Hoffmann. “That was always a battle with the engineers. They said, ‘What are these Americans DOING in their cars?Â’”
Volvo’s C70 dazzles as coupe, or topless
HANA-MAUI, HAWAII – If anybody wants a sporty vehicle but is torn between a flashy coupe and a convertible, the Volvo C70 might be the most attractive answer to such a compelling question, because it offers the best of both worlds.
VolvoÂ’s clever idea for replacing its popular convertible, and its recently shelved but never-quite-popular-enough two-door coupe, is to come out with one model that accomplishes what both tried to do. With room for four full-size occupants, the C70 has a three-piece retractable roof, which, frankly, looks better than either of its predecessors ever did.
Volvo will introduce the car as a 2006 model in April, because production started just before the end of 2005, but the changeover to 2007 models will soon follow. Unfortunately, that means the C70 wonÂ’t be eligible for North American car of the year awards because the 2006 winner has already been named, and because it is being introduced as a 2006, it wonÂ’t qualify for the 2007 award. ThatÂ’s too bad, because after two days of serious driving, the C70 seems too good to be true.
Volvo is aiming the C70 at the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series and Saab 9.3 convertibles, and it compares well to all of them, including in price. At a base price of $39,305, the C70 is priced right amid that group of convertibles, but along with its turbocharged engine and standard six-speed stick, the C70 is a great-looking coupe that transforms into a convertible with the push of a button that causes the three-section roof to sandwich itself and disappear beneath the rear deck.
Designer John Kinsey created a stunningly long and beautiful roofline, tapering gently from the windshield back to the rear deck. It had to be a long roof, because the C70 is a genuine four-seat convertible or coupe with legroom and headroom for actual humans in the back seat, beyond small kids or those interested in self-torture. There are great looking coupes that become convertibles, and great looking convertibles that have hard tops. Usually, they look distinctly better one way or the other. But with the C70, you could argue either way.
Personally, I think the coupe has a slight edge, because it is a genuine hardtop, with the windows going down to create a pillarless opening on both sides. But I am open to discussion, and I must admit I was pretty much caught up in the whole fantasy thing.
If the C70 is a fantasy on wheels, the introduction took on a surrealism of its own, because Volvo introduced the car to the media in Hawaii. More precisely, at the Hana-Maui Hotel, on the easternmost tip of the island of Maui. Only a couple of roads circulate from the hotel either way from Hana around Maui, and those roads are so tight and twisty that there are over 600 turns in one 35-mile stretch along the craggy, black, volcanic shoreline, as well as up to the 10,000-foot Haleakala Volcano.
Performance and agility are well-tested on such roads, and by a Maui tradition of one-lane bridges. Many of the roads are only one-lane wide, and all of the bridges are one-lane, one-way, only. A sign on one side informs traffic it must yield to any traffic coming the other way, while the oncoming lane has no such rule. Amazingly, it works well, even though smiling locals seem to think yield instructions are for visitors only, and come barreling through, right-of-way or not.
Such surprises make the driving a bit more exciting, beyond swerving and darting around all those tight turns with dense foliage instead of shoulders on either side in some places, lava-rock bluffs and 500-foot cliffs flanking you in other places. After two days of such antics in the C70, it was time to work.
At our cabins, I fired up the laptop, and opened the large double doors, to leave the screen doors onto the securely raised balcony as the only barrier for the breeze that cooled the 80-degree temperature as it accompanied the intoxicating sound of the waves crashing against the lava rock shoreline 50 yards away. The rhythmic pounding of the surf is both awesome enough to inspire you and soothing enough to insure a great nightÂ’s sleep. OK, itÂ’s paradise, so maybe the writing can wait, because we donÂ’t want to be late to the luau on nearby Hamoa Beach, complete with a traditionally roasted pig, with a live band and Hula dancers performing by torchlight.
Hamoa is the normal, popular beach, not the black-sand volcanic beach right in Hana, or the red-sand beach in an isolated little cove about a 20-minute hike on a breathtakingly treacherous trail north of the resort. Liability concerns prevent the hotel from recommending the red sand beach, and free-spirited oneness with nature prevents some of the swimmers from wearing traditional swimsuits. Or any swimsuits, for that matter.
Three of us pale, male, mainland media waifs ventured over there and stood casually amid a few men, women and children on the beach. A swimmer who had been snorkeling back and forth in the lagoon suddenly walked out of the water toward us, and turned out to be a well-conditioned mermaid-type apparition wearing ONLY a snorkel. With considerable effort, we focused our attention on the crashing waves, and the awkward moment was relieved when a couple of playful whales leaped high out of the water, just a few hundred feet beyond the reef.
Is this paradise, or what? In this setting, weÂ’re examining an ultramodern and high-tech Volvo C70. On the other hand, the car was as special as the setting. Chief designer Kinsey, who works at VolvoÂ’s studio in California, was a finalist with designers from Sweden and Barcelona for the S40 sedan. “I thought I had a real good design for the S40,†said Kinsey, whose favorite pastime is to do a little surfing before heading into the studio, “but when my design didnÂ’t win, I made up my mind to win this one.Ââ€
And he did, with impressive attention to detail, earning himself a trip to Italy, where he worked with car-body specialist Pininfarina on details for the retractable roof. “The challenge was that in replacing two cars with one, it first had to be a credible coupe. It had to attract convertible buyers, but also those who drive coupes exclusively.Ââ€
Incorporating all of Volvo’s legendary safety elements was a major project, even though the C70 start with the very impressive S40 sedan. As a two-door coupe instead of a four-door sedan, the support of the solid “B†pillar between the two doors on each side is gone, so extra support from an aluminum safety beam was built into the doors. Various cross-members stiffen the chassis, and the rear half is a horseshoe-shaped structure, surrounding the occupants with a safety perimeter.
With the emergency brake on, push a button on the console and a large aluminum panel atop the trunk opens on rear hinges, then the top lifts, magically separates into three sections, and as they move back on robotic arms, they stack on top of each other, then disappear into the opening, which itself disappears when the panel clicks shut. It takes 30 seconds, and it is a mechanical marvel to watch. Once down, nobody would guess this flashy convertible could possibly have been a coupe just a minute before, or a minute later.
Volvos have become stronger performers with continually improved handling as well as shapely appeal in recent years. The C70 will certainly not disappoint in that regard.
Under the hood is a 2.5-liter, in-line, five-cylinder engine with a turbocharger, side mounted to be secure in that well-designed safety zone. The turbo comes on smoothly, and the engine delivers 218 horsepower and 236 foot-pounds of torque. The car is quick and agile, with precise steering and steady power. The six-speed manual transmission seems perfectly suited to the car, but the five-speed automatic has a manual shift gate as well, for those who like to pick their own gear.
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On the twistiest of Maui’s roadways, I found the stick was preferable for swift driving – no surprise – but the reason was the turbo allows the engine to pull smoothly from 2,500 RPMs, meaning you don’t have to strain those overhead-camshaft valves at high revs to be in a sufficient power band. My codriver on the introduction runs preferred to run the car at screaming-high revs close to red-line in second gear, while I chose to let the turbo whir to build torque up from lower revs in third. His way was edgier, mine far smoother, but both methods work well.
Power front buckets come standard covered in “FlexTech,†which is almost a neoprene-type surface that feels like suede but is impervious to damage in normal to heavy usage – including a bird that apparently dive-bombed the back seat while I was wading at the black sand beach. Also, a six-CD changer on the high-performance audio system, leather steering wheel and shift knob, auto-dimming mirror, 17-inch alloy wheels, and Volvo’s DSTC stability control system are standard. So is the ROPS system of pop-up rollbars that instantly join the Boron-steel windshield pillar to give rollbar protection at both ends of the occupant compartment, in the extremely rare case of a rollover.
Obviously, a buyer could choose to upgrade via several packages, or by adding features such as leather interior, rain-sensing wipers, a 910-watt audio, heated seats, gas-discharge lights, navigation system, 18-inch wheels, automatic transmission, and metallic or pearlescent paint.
All of that can jack the price pretty well, as is the case with any carÂ’s option list. What goes unseen as standard equipment is the superb attention to safety details. Side airbags and side curtain bags are standard, as is the structural horseshoe and the extruded aluminum door braces. Volvo safety manager Thomas Broberg said he doesnÂ’t really worry about the national or insurance institute crash tests, because VolvoÂ’s own safety laboratory in Gothenburg, Sweden, involves tests and safety demands beyond any countryÂ’s one-time testing statutes.
Volvo says it will sell 16,000 C7 models worldwide in calendar year 2006, even with the late start. The car is hotly anticipated to the point that 2006 models are expected to be sold out before they reach the showrooms. If you put in a claim for one of the 2006es, and miss it, just consider it another part of the fantasy. Awaiting an Â’07 gives you time to fantasize…about four days in Polynesian paradise, with a refreshing breeze blowing through the screen, crashing waves lulling you to sleep, whales jumping out of the ocean, and a fantastic looking coupe that drops with as much appeal as any snorkeling mermaid in the nearby lagoon.
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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