Aston Martin DB9 ‘Bonds’ luxury with high performance
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. — Driving the Aston Martin DB9 through the mountains of Southern California brings to life the class and luxury of exotic sports cars, along with recurring thoughts of James Bond movies past and future. Surrounded by all that high-strength metal, and the more visible leather, mahogany and brushed aluminum, and the sweet sound of the V12 engine, you imagine being able to live the lifestyle of someone who might buy such a car, far more than you think about going out on a race track.
But after the legendary 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race in mid-March, the luxurious refinement of the DB9 suddenly suggests a different connotation.
The automotive world and auto racing used to be closely aligned – remember “win on Sunday, sell on Monday?†— but that connection has mostly gone away, living only in the fertile minds of public-relations and advertising types. Everyone knows that no automaker builds the identical frames or the aging pushrod V8s called for by the NASCAR stock car rules, or even the “funny car” replica bodies of those race cars. It’s the same for NHRA drag-racers, where old technology, twisted tightly, prevails.
In endurance racing, however, there still is some validity. True, there are one-off prototype cars running at the front, but there also are real-world sports cars competing as well. Porsche and Ferrari have long competed at LeMans, Sebring, and other endurance venues, and in recent years, Dodge Vipers have made solid inroads, so to speak, against factory-aided Corvettes. This year, enough factory-aided Chevrolet C6 Corvettes were in place to establilsh a dominant position.
All of that occurred just after I had the chance to be one of a dozen auto journalists invited to San Diego for an introductory road test of the new Aston Martin DB9. The car has a low, slinky, and undeniably beautiful body. The angular headlight housing slashes across the outer reaches of that sleek nose to resemble an attacking raptor. The familiar Aston Martin grille looks more like a hungry shark coming at you.
When I say “familiar,†the grille from the legendary British auto maker has been seen on all the Aston Martins you’ve seen on U.S. roadways — a number which might, indeed, number zero. But it has become familiar because of the standard-issue sports cars driven by James Bond through all the novels and movies popularizing secret agent 007. Those, of course, were fitted with machine guns, bullet-proof shields, ejection seats, missile-launchers, and all sorts of futuristic gadgets to give Bond characters from Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan a clearcut edge in BondÂ’s confrontations with the worldÂ’s bad guys.
In the process, those Aston Martins became as popular as the plots, and the, ahem, leading ladies. Brosnan tried switching to a BMW sports car last time, but in the next Bond movie, heÂ’s back in an Aston.
Under ownership of Ford Motor Company, Aston Martin is similarly rejuvenated in real life, taking its pride and creating the new car that is up to and beyond contemporary standards. Aston Martin is optimistic about doubling its presence in the U.S., while still retaining the mystique of being a sports car for people who enjoy its unique statement, and owners are not likely to see any other Aston Martins in neighborhood driveways.
Company officials insist the DB9 is still purely Aston Martin, made better because the company put to good use all of its new-found relationships. The V12 engine, for example, was designed by Ford’s Dearborn gang, which just got through piecing together the Ford GT powerplant. The engines are built by hand at a special Aston Martin facility within FordÂ’s complex in Cologne, Germany. The extremely light and rigid aluminum frame was designed in coordination with Ford affiliate Volvo, at its cutting-edge safety structure facilities.
The worldly assets all come home to Aston MartinÂ’s new base, in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England. The DB9 is the first car built at the Gaydon plant, which has only one robot, for applying adhesives to fit body panels. Otherwise, everything is done by hand. The 6-liter V12 produces 450 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs, and 420 foot-pounds of torque at 5,000 RPMs, running 0-60 in less than five seconds. The aluminum double-wishbone front and rear suspension and the stiff chassis are calculated perfectly, with the engine mounted just behind the front axle and the transmission located just ahead of the rear axle, to create perfect 50-50 balance on the axles.
This is not a car for everyman. It is hand built, so only a precious few can be built. This year, 1,100 DB9s are scheduled for construction, 300 coupes and 800 Volante convertibles, and a V8 model is coming. All that exclusivity comes at a cost. The DB9 coupe base price is $155,000, while the companion Volante convertible lists for $168,000. Destination, plus such options as a navigation system, and heated seats, must be added to those prices. If you want the automatic transmission with paddle-shifting capabilities, it’s a $5,000 option, for example.
It was mentioned that Aston Martin also intended to enter the world endurance racing competition, which sounded good, but I didn’t give it much thought at the time, because anybody can enter a race. So we went out on the highway, where we were impressed by running the DB9s through their paces, up into the mountains east of San Diego. Somebody complained that there seemed to be quite a bit of noise entering the cockpit, but except for some tire sound over rough pavement, any intrusion of that V12 revving up toward 7,000 RPMs was such high-tech music that it not only wasn’t objectionable, but we chose to ignore the sophisticated audio system so as not to interfere with the sound.
As a long-time motorsports reporter, after returning home I tuned in to a website to follow the chronology of what was going on down at Sebring. From practice, I noted that, sure enough, a pair of factory-supported Aston Martin DBR9s had been thrown into the GT1 competition. Without a lot of practice or preparation, nobody expected it to win, but instead to use the 12-hour endurance race to measure the new car’s status.
Surprisingly, the No. 58 Aston Martin had qualified fourth in GT1 class, behind the top Corvettes, and the No. 57 DB9 had qualified fifth. After the first three hours, David Brabham and his co-drivers were running in third place in the No. 58 car, having covered 303.4 miles, followed by the No. 57 DBR9 fourth. That was impressive, even though the best DB9 lap was 0.5 seconds a lap slower than the fastest Corvette lap. After six hours, the No. 57 carÂ’s best lap had improved from 0.5 to 0.05 seconds slower than the best Corvette lap, while, having covered 166 laps or 614.2 miles, it had pulled into second place in GT1 class behind the Ron Fellows Corvette, while the other DB9 was fourth in class.
At the nine-mile mark, the No. 58 DBR9 has been involved in a collision, and crew members worked feverishly for an hour to make what the release said was a “chassis adjustment,†then got the car back on the track. The No. 57 car, by then, had completed 225 laps, or 8,325 miles, with its best lap now 0.2 seconds FASTER than the best Corvette lap, or that of any other GT1 car. When the leading Corvette suffered some mechanical breakdown that required attention in the pits, the Aston Martin took over first place in the GT1 class.
At the completion of all 12 hours, Brabham and his codrivers had maintained a steady pace and brought the No. 57 car to the finish line first in GT1 and fourth overall, beating the herd of Corvette C6-Rs. The other DBR9 finished eighth in GT1 and 15th overall – despite its additional one-hour pit stop. Choosing to make its first competitive run in such a world-class race may have seemed foolhardy, but when the DBR9 won the race, it turned out to be far more than the measuring-stick of Aston Martin’s competitiveness.
You may have missed any published accounts of the 12 Hours of Sebring, what with NASCAR holding a stock car race, and everything from the NCAA basketball tournament to congressional hearings on how formerly skinny baseball players so suddenly gained enormous muscles at about the same time they went from 25 to 70 home runs a year. Besides, Aston Martin, and even Ford, might have been unprepared to capitalize on the surprising victory at Sebring. More important is how it reflects on the production success of the DB9.
Every exotic sports car boasts of speed capability somewhere north of 175 miles per hour, and although it’s been ignored by the car magazines who focus on Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Corvette, the Aston Martin DB9 reports a top speed of 186. Not that real-world highways – this side of the German autobahns, at least – allow that sort of speed, but the carÂ’s capabilities are awesome to control.
The DB9 stands apart from other premium sports cars, by being much more understated than Ferraris or Lamborghinis, yet more exotic than the competition-honed Porsches. The DB9 sits low, like a snake that seems to coat the pavement it stands on, while its silhouette rises gracefully over the cockpit and falls away in a fluid flow of fastback lines to the nicely-contoured rear façade.
The fleet of DB9s for the media introductory drive all had the Touchtronic 2 automatic, a German transmission also used by BMW, Audi and Jaguar. Replacing the six-speed manual shifter, it is a shift-by-wire six-speed automatic, activated by magnesium shift paddles at fingertip reach behind the steering wheel. Pull the right paddle for upshifts, and the left for downshifts. It shifts smoothly and immediately, although when I took off hard, accelerating from a T-intersection stop sign into a 90-degree left, I became a bit uneasy learning that the paddles are fixed. So I had to grope before realizing that if you’re turning while running out of revs, you must take your hand off the wheel to find the shift paddle.
That, I suppose, is something youÂ’d get used to. And at least, you know where you can find it.
Perfectly fitted leather seats, are part of the benefit of hand-crafting, and even more noticeable is the wood trim. In almost all other cars, wood trim means a paper-thin appliqués shaved off a slab of wood and then pasted onto the dash and coated with lacquer to the point of being indistinguishable from plastic. In the DB9 interior, you get wood. Large, furniture-size chunks of wood. And you can select mahogany, walnut, or bamboo, depending on color preference. Aluminum trim adds a technical edge to that luxurious leather and wood.
While Aston Martins are rare to find on the road, the company intends to have them become less-rare. The 35 dealers currently selling Aston Martins in the U.S. are more than double the15 dealerships in 2001, although the closest one to Minnesota is in Chicago at present. While the company wants to sell a lot more DB9s, it wonÂ’t matter to the interested customers. TheyÂ’re not buying a car, so much as joining an exclusive club confined only to those who live a particular lifestyle, and would like to have a uniquely classy vehicle in order to display it.
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.)
Reshaped BMW 3 Series Coupe adds turbo power
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. — At the press introduction of the BMW 3-Series Coupe, a fascinating computerized display showed the 3-Series 4-door sedan morphing into the Coupe. The front changed a bit, the contours on the side changed over the front wheelwell, of course in the roofline, and on the other contours toward the rear.
Amazing. There is nothing in the shape or lines of the sedan that are identical on the Coupe. There has been some controversy over the design of BMW sedans, from the 7 Series to the 5 Series and even the 3 Series, which I think looks outstanding in its new form. But, typical of BMW, the plan is to wait a year or two, then bring out the Coupe version. In this case, any idea that the Coupe would just be a chopped off version of the sedan – the way the last few coupes have been – was pretty well eliminated by first glance at the Coupe. Then it was completely wiped out by the graphic.
Designer Udo Lindner explained that the lines and contours along the side were all put in place to accelerate the reflection of light as your eye passes over the shape. Interestingly, the front retains the closest resemblance to the sedan, while the rear is entirely different, wikth horizontal LED taillights. Everything is designed to accent the lower and wider stance of the Coupe, and it works.
To the surprise of nobody, pleasing as the CoupeÂ’s design is, the true pleasure comes from climbing behind the steering wheel. And the stunning performance of a new turbocharging system puts the new Coupe over the top of any performance scale.
But before getting to that, the lean, sleek shape of the Coupe is stiffened by 25 percent over the current coupe, even though the new car has been lightened by 22 pounds compared to the sedan. Thermoplastic front fenders, aluminum suspension components, and all sorts of weight-reducing features, including a magnesium steering wheel frame, have contributed to the performance diet.
The big news is that the Coupe will come to the U.S. in two forms – the 328 and the 335. The 335 is the hottest news, but again, before getting to it, let’s recognize that the 328 is a formidable vehicle, with 230 horsepower at 6,500 RPMs and 200 foot-pounds of torque at 2,750 RPMs from its 3.0-liter inline 6. That’s the same engine BMW has been using for years, as the standard of the industry for a smooth-running, flexibly powerful engine. It has been thoroughly revised several times, the most recent of which is to adapt to BMW’s superb double-Vanos variable valve-timing scheme, and now to be rebuilt out of a cast combination of magnesium and aluminum.
The 328 gets another special treatment, and that is an all-wheel-drive system that BMW has upgraded to be much quicker in transferring power from rear to front, and power distribution is now 100 percent variable between the axles.
The 328 base price is $35,995, while the 325 with all-wheel drive starts at $37,795. The customers who simply canÂ’t live without all the potency these autobahn screamers can muster will ante up $41, 295 to get the 335i.
The 335 starts with the same 3.0 inline 6. BMW engineers have taken not one but two turbochargers, affixing one to three of the cylinders and the other to the other three, each summoning up their exhaust-driven compressor-spinning power to force extra air-fuel mixture into the pistons by direct injection. The two turbos work in concert, much like a variable-flow turbo might work. The result is 300 horsepower at 5,800 RPMs and 300 foot-pounds of torque, regulated to come to apeak as early as 1,400 RPMs and stay on a plateau all the way to 5,000.
In comparing the two models, the 328Â’s 230 horses are up 46 from the 2006 model, and the torque reading of 200 is an increase of 25. ThatÂ’s enough to send the 328 from 0-60 in 6.2 seconds, which would seem fast enough to the normal shopping center sortie. The 335, however, represents an increase of 75 horses and 86 foot-pounds to reach its 300 figures, compared to the 2006 330 Ci. The 335i Coupe goes 0-60 in 5.3 seconds with the 6-speed stick shift, and 5.6 seconds with the 6-speed Steptronic automatic.
That automatic can be used with a manual shift gate, and, if you order the Sport Package, optional steering wheel paddles can come along for the ride. The Steptronic model gets an EPA estimated 20 miles per gallon city and 29 highway, while the stick gets 19 city and 28 highway. If it comes to living up to the EPA estimates, apparently itÂ’s assumed the heavy-footed types will be stomping on the stick more than the auto.
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Tossing the 335i Coupe around the steep hillsides up from Sausalito, where the morning fog never quite lifted completely from the Golden Gate Bridge, we went on to try some other prescribed curvy roadways along the mountain range inland, and back out to Bodega Bay, which is north of San Francisco on Hwy. 1.
The car handles with about what you’d expect from BMW – a company that has made the 3-Series the standard of high-performance handling in a street machine for 30 years, and 40 if you count the 2002 model, which was the standard before being replaced and renamed by the 3 Series in 1976 as a 1977 model.
Going to turbocharging may seem a dramatic move, but if BMW and Honda are arguably the best technical high-performance companies on the planet these days, there are top engineers at both that see turbocharging as a key to getting major power out of limited size engines without losing fuel efficiency.
Handling in the new car is enhanced by an aluminum front subframe with aluminum front suspension components, for a near-perfect 50-50 weight distribution on the front and rear axles. And the phenomenal Active Steering that debuted on the 5-Series is available on the new Coupe, adding to the quick-reacting precision of any steering input.
Features such as cornering lights, Xenon adaptive headlights outlined by those neat little rings for parking lights, adaptive brake lights, rain-sensing wipers, automatic climate control with separate left-right settings and bi-directional solar sensor to assure the interior temperature is retained, standard dark burled walnut wood trim, are all standard.
Options such as active cruise control, the Active Steering, Bluetooth capability for hands-free telephone use, iPod interface, leather upholstery, either grey poplar wood or light poplar natural wood, with brushed aluminum trim, heated front seats, a navigation system with voice command, a 13-speaker audio upgrade, can run the sticker price up there.
The Sport Package includes sport seats with adjustable side support, 18-inch wheels instead of the standard 17s, and a 155 mph speed limiter.
All of those options are impressive, and tempting. But even without ‘em, the new 3 Series Coupe is going to be a huge factor in any decision making by those seeking grace and class in a high-performance coupe.
Mercedes raises luxury car bar with S-Class for 2007
PHOENIX, ARIZ. — A fellow escorting an attractive woman was behind me in line at the Phoenix airport Thursday and said he noticed the tag on my suitcase, which identified me as having attended the Mercedes S-Class introduction. He was aware I wrote and talked on the radio about cars, and wanted to know what I thought of the car, because he was awaiting delivery of the first 2007 S550 coming to Minnesota.
That puts him on a particular plateau among millions of new-car buyers, because only about 25,000 people in the United States this year will buy a 2007 S-Class– the crème de la crème of Mercedes automobiles, and possibly the finest car available under $100,000 – and only one of them will obtain the first of them to reach his home state. Or, at least, his home state for that half of the time he’s not at his OTHER home state, Arizona.
He said he got a chance to drive a preview S at a dealership in Scottsdale, a Phoenix suburb, and it just whetted his appetite for the car he had already ordered from Maplewood Imports in suburban St. Paul. “I always buy an S-Class when a new model comes out, and as soon as I see the first picture in a magazine, with tape all over it to disguise it, I put in my order.Ââ€
Having spent all that day driving a new S550, I told him I didnÂ’t think heÂ’d be disappointed. Yes, there is the BMW 7, the Audi A8, and the just unveiled Lexus LS460, but when Mercedes comes out with a new S about every seven years, it is an event worthy of notice by the entire world auto industry. The 2007 model will be the ninth generation. Product manager Bernhard Glaser says: “For more than 50 years, each new S-Class has defined the benchmarks of safety, design, technology, and luxury.Ââ€
Not just for Mercedes, but for appreciative buyers who demand the best, from Minnesota to Arizona, and all points east, west, north and south. And, oh yes, they also must be ready to plunk down $86,175 for their uncompromising choice. That is actually a reduction from the price of a comparably equipped 2006 S500, and it is less than the upcoming S600, which will be $140,675, or for a corporate hot-rod S65AMG, which will follow this summer, or a 4Matic all-wheel-drive version, which will be out just in time for next fallÂ’s first snowfall.
The great thing about a Mercedes introduction is that there are always as large a fleet of engineers as cars, readily available to answer most questions before they can be asked, and to handle any follow-up questions promptly, and in their clipped, German accents. For example, Glaser rode in the back seat in one of the first S550s I was in, and showed me how to adjust the COMAND control knob on the console, and how it is better than BMW’s “i-Drive†because it has redundant hard-button controls, and can be voice-controlled at the touch of a button on the steering wheel.
“It’s like you’re having a conversation with the navigation lady,†Glaser said, referring to the pleasant voice that prompts you for upcoming maneuvers if you choose voice control for any operation, including a destination on the nav system.
The 14-way adjustable bucket seats have 15 pneumatic chambers, some of which automatically firm up the edge of your seat to hold you in place as you turn the opposite direction. Driving through a slalom course provokes an interesting sequence of hip-support, and Glaser got me to connect to one of four available pulse modes – I chose the slow but vigorous full-back massage, and the irregular undulations are stimulating, not drowsiness-inducing. The 600-watt,14-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system with its DVD player will even play your plugged-in card with a couple thousand of your own MP3 songs, and hear them through the system.
Dr. Peter Hille, the manager of the “short-range radar†development for Mercedes, took us out in waves after dinner the night before, to a darkened street where two S550s faced each other with the headlights on for what looked like a possible high-tech and high-buck game of chicken. Instead, it was a demonstration of the Night View system that is available as part of a $6,500 package for those who want to add every imaginable goody, and a few that are beyond imagination.
The night-vision device on Cadillacs and some other vehicles is very good at detecting objects far beyond the reach of the headlights by thermal imaging, so warm bodies, and things like hot engines and exhausts, appear with an eerie glow. Mercedes says the problem with thermal imaging is that things of similar temperature to the surroundings donÂ’t show up. Mercedes has gone far beyond, to infrared radar, which detects all objects. To prove it, three people next to the car shining its lights at us, as if possibly changing a tire on a roadway, were invisible to a driverÂ’s eye, but on the Night Vision screen, which takes the place of the large speedometer and immediately converts the analog speedometer to a thin bar graph at the bottom of the screen, you could see the people clearly and sharply.
A more astounding use of short-range radar is in Distronic Plus, the Star-Wars-ish Mercedes adaptive cruise control. Numerous high-level cars have adaptive cruise, which slows you automatically if the car ahead slows. Distronic Plus holds the same interval, up and down, and to a complete stop. At Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, we ran some drills to prove it. We also ran a drill on Brake Assist, proving that you could run an S500 right up ‘way too close to an object, brake gently, and too late, and then stop with a surprisingly safe margin because the car’s short-range radar read the fact that you were too close to the object, that your brake pedal force was insufficient, and it simply intensified the brake pressure that you should have summoned to stop.
Those devices also worked well in real-world highway driving, where I followed cars at a distance preset by a stalk on the steering column, and it even worked as we went around corners. It could be discontinued at the touch of the brakes. I suggested to Glaser that if you were paying more attention to following the car ahead than to your route, you could be fascinated enough to follow the car home safely – but to their home, not yours.
The backup camera that used to be ultrasonic now uses short-range radar to map out gridlines on the dash navigation screen, with the blue grid showing the carÂ’s trajectory, the red line simulating the rear bumper, and yellow gridlines to indicate the proper trajectory for backing into a parallel parking spot. You could look at the screen, get the blue grid to line up with the yellow grid, and park perfectly without ever looking out the rear window.
But enough of the fabulous features. The ordinary stuff is extraordinary on the S550 as well. On the exterior, the S is less zoomy than the mid-range E-Class, and some may even prefer the simpler C-Class. But the S has a more traditional stance, with a very sleek roofline, and it looks lower than its spacious interior might imply. ItÂ’s not mandatory that you own homes in both Minnesota and Arizona to afford one, but it might help.
The interior surrounds occupants with a prominent strip of real walnut and real leather. A thin row of fiber-optic ambient lighting welcomes occupants. The keyless entry has been refined so that you use a push-button starter without the key, and when you get out, touch the door handle anywhere and you lock all four doors. But driving remains the most magnificent part of the S-Class.
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Mercedes had earlier changed over its V6 engine design from three valves to four, and it unveils a new 5.5-liter V8 in the S550 that has chain-driven dual overhead cams running four valves per cylinder, and variable valve-timing. Those who still maintain that pushrod engines are the way to go must consider that this sophisticated powerplant actually converts to 333 cubic inches, and turns out 382 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs, with 391 foot-pounds of torque steadily peaking from 2,800-4,000 RPMs.
A seven-speed automatic transmission is simply engaged by pushing the steering-column shift lever down into “D,†and all is well. But if you want more performance, fingertip paddles on either backside of the steering wheel let you upshift or downshift any time. A switch on the console engages either C or S, for comfort, or sport, and the sport setting not only adapts to higher shifting rev points, it stiffens the suspension commensurately too.
While enlarged from its predecessor to 205 inches of length and a 124.6 inch wheelbase, and 4,270 pounds, the S has a 19.8 cubic foot trunk, but will turn, lock to lock, with 2.8 turns of the steering wheel, and will turn in a 40-foot radius.
Mercedes designed a holistic approach to safety, with Brake Assist, Distolic Plus. and Night Vision new upgrades in active accident avoidance; computer detection of an imminent and unavoidable crash that raises seat bolsters, closes windows and sunroof and tensions seatbelts as pre-safety; eight airbags surrounding all in the high-strength steel body as passive safety; and post-crash features that autodial emergency responders if the airbags deploy, while also shutting off fuel supply, turning on emergency blinkers, and even displaying markers on the windshield that indicate to safety crews where itÂ’s easiest to cut off the roof to quickly extricate occupants.
The S550 is fast, powerful, and yet poised in all conditions. On a rural two-lane, you want to pass a slow-moving pickup ahead, and you hit the gas, swerve out and back in, and you learn a new definition of “triple digit inflation,†even though the independent air suspension’s adaptive damping and level control keep the car low and flat throughout the sudden maneuver. Speed is governed at 130 miles per hour (no autobahns here, after all), and 0-60 sprints take only 5.4 seconds.
If you want more, wait for the costlier S600, which has a twin-turbocharged V12, with 510 horsepower, or the S65AMG rocket, with 604 horses. Me? IÂ’d gladly join the guy in the airport line and settle for the S550. Not only is it plenty fast, but if itÂ’s less swift than its coming brothers, it also gives you more of a comfortable margin for having a conversation with the lady from the navigation department.
Pontiac high-tech G6 coupe gets new-tech pushrod V6
When the Pontiac G6 was introduced as a 2005 model, it was truly an eye-catcher. Even though it only came as a four-door sedan, it had a harmonious convergence of lines that gave it a coupe-like appearance. My only disappointment was that such a high-tech, contemporary design came only with a dated, un-high-tech engine.
Now itÂ’s time for the 2006 models to roll out, and General Motors has struck a serious blow at hoisting its year-old G6 to a higher level. The car that replaces the venerable Grand Am is now offered as a coupe, and a convertible is following closely. The coupe takes that coupe-like shape and runs with it, resulting in a super-slick styling exercise that is easily as eye-catching as its four-door brother, and is genuinely a sporty car.
The convertible to come, by the way, is not a ragtop, but has a retractable hard roof that goes away at the push of a button – clearly preferential in the land of the wind-chill factor.
But the bigger news is that GM has worked out a method to prove that there is some merit in its two-decades of stubborn insistence that pushrod engines can compete with higher-tech overhead-cam engines. While the rest of the automotive world went to the more-expensive engineering feat of overhead-camshafts instead of pushrods, attaining advantages such as higher revving and improved fuel-efficiency with spinoffs such as variable valve-timing. GM stood almost alone in leaving the cam in the block and operating the valves with pushrods.
For the new G6, as well as the newly introduced Chevrolet Impala, General Motors has built an entirely new 3.9-liter V6 that has a vane-type method for altering the intake and exhaust camshaft timing, which allows more flexibility and efficiency of fuel-burning. The engine is the first example of a pushrod engine with variable valve-timing.
True, the G6 can now be obtained in base form with a 2.4-liter Ecotec engine, which has dual overhead cams and 167 horsepower, and a GT with a 3.5-liter V6 and 201 horses, the model I test-drove was the top GTP coupe, with the 3.9, which turns out 240 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs, and 241 foot-pounds of torque, with the torque peak occurring from 1,600-5,000 RPMs, thanks to the variable valve-timing.
The base G6 starts at right about $20,000, while loading up the top GTP moves the sticker price up closer to $28,000.
Nick Richards, assistant manager of product communications, explained the engineering behind the new 3.9 at GMÂ’s all-model introduction at GMÂ’s Milford, Mich., proving grounds a couple of weeks ago. “It has an all-new cast-iron block, with the cylinder banks at 60 degrees,†he said. “The cylinders have offset bores, so the 3.5 could be increased to 3.9. The cam-phasing varies the intake and exhaust valves electronically, and it has all sorts of features, including piston oil-squirters. The result is that we have made an all-new, lower-cost pushrod engine with the same characteristics as an overhead-cam motor.Ââ€
I drove the G6 around the banked oval at the GM test track, and was impressed. It doesnÂ’t have the sweet sound of a high-revving overhead-cammer, but it has good power and brings the G6 to life. Later I got the chance to spend a week test-driving a dark blue GTP coupe as well, and it was similarly impressive out in the real world.
There are a couple of things to look out for, however. The new 3.5 and 3.9 V6 engines are built at GMÂ’s Tonawanda, N.Y., plant, but that also means GM now makes two 3.5-liter V6es. The old-tech 3.5 is a slightly enlarged version of the 3.4-liter V6, which began life as the venerable old 2.8 a few decades back.
That means you can’t really tell the players even WITH a program. But if having two 3.5s is confusing, here’s the kicker: The 3.5 in the G6 with the GT upgrade is the “old-tech†3.5 – known by code as “LP9†– with 201 horsepower, not the trick one with variable valve-timing, which delivers 211 horsepower in the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, for example.
So when it comes to selection, my suggestion is to go with the basic G6 with the high-tech Ecotec four, or bypass the GT and go right for the GTP, with the new 3.9. Only the GTP sedan and coupe have the option of a six-speed manual shifter, as well. The standard automatic is a four-speed unit, because, for some reason, GM isnÂ’t ready to release the new front-wheel-drive six-speed automatic, which was built jointly with Ford, if you can imagine that. Ford has the six-speed out already in the new Fusion sedan, Mercury Milan, and other models.
The six-speed stick makes up for the automaticÂ’s shortcomings, and the G6 comes with another asset for winter drivers — front-wheel drive.
“Front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive is a question of psychology,†said Bob Lutz, the colorful vice chairman in charge of global product development, returned to GM after spending some years with Lee Iacocca at Chrysler. “Twenty years ago, if a car didnÂ’t have front-wheel drive, you couldnÂ’t sell it; now, some people wonÂ’t buy a car if it doesnÂ’t have rear-wheel drive. The truth is, you could take 100 or 200 consumers and put them in a good, modern front-wheel-drive car, and 99 percent of them wouldnÂ’t be able to tell the difference.Ââ€
Lutz noted the traditional complaint about front-wheel drive was the tendency of torque-steer, which meant when you stepped on the gas, the torque of the engine would tug the steering wheel one way or the other. Modern engineering has solve that, however.
“Anytime there is any torque-steer now, the computer immediately shifts the torque to the other wheel,†Lutz said. “When torque-steer is totally gone, nobody will be able to tell the difference between front- and rear-wheel drive.”
Except, any drivers caught in a sleet storm would be able to detect front-drive’s advantage of pulling a car over an icy surface, where the rear-drive vehicle always has the tendency to want to have its rear wheels pass the undriven front wheels.
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As the primary spokesman for GM’s recent advancements, Lutz hit several nails squarely on the head during the all-model introduction at Milford’s proving grounds. In any discussion over the last couple of decades, nobody from GM – or any other manufacturer, for that matter – would admit to any mistakes. Lutz put it in perspective.
“Years ago, what separate General Motors from import cars was our attention to detail,†Lutz said. “Before I came back to GM, I have to say the cars had gaps that were uneven, and moldings that were not quite on straight all the time, and interiors – which used to be our strongest point – that could only be described as functional. I think with our newer cars, weÂ’ve made tremendous strides. The perceptual quality was that just about everybody was ahead of GM, but itÂ’s a gap I think weÂ’ve closed.Ââ€
Asked where he saw need for improvement, Lutz said: “I’m not satisfied yet that we’re among the best in interiors. Maybe we’re up to the lower portion of the top quartile, instead of being in the lower quadrant, but we can still improve there.
“I also think that we are behind in the silkiness of some of our engines.†Lutz went on to jab at the media for being critical of old-tech pushrod engines. “If we didn’t have pushrod engines, we’d have to build ‘em now,†he said, meaning because of their less costly construction.
“We do have some outstanding engines, and some of the best are the Northstar V8, the High-Feature [3.6] V6, and the 4-cylinder Ecotec.Ââ€
Very interesting. Lutz named, as his company’s star engines, three of them that are dual-overhead-cam, high-tech engines – the very kind that critics have long said GM needed to build.
But, getting back to the Pontiac G6, it meets LutzÂ’s high standards for excellence. The interior is very well planned, with modern layout and impressive to look at. The fit and finish shows very tight gaps and an obvious attention to detail. The front-wheel drive unit, and the six-speed stick are smooth to operate and would not be offensive to a rear-drive fan, while also being capable of chewing through snow and ice.
And, while I personally would much prefer to see that Cadillac “High-Feature†3.6-liter V6, or one of its blossoming derivatives, under the hood, the new 3.9-liter V6 is as high tech as a pushrod engine can be, with its variable valve-timing.
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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