Revised Miata keeps $20,000 roadster niche to itself
KAAÂ’UPULEHU – KONA, HAWAIÂ’I — The 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata is improved in every dimension, but the best news is that the car that personifies the companyÂ’s “zoom-zoom†attitude will stay within its guidelines of providing the most automotive fun you can legally enjoy for $20,000.
Zipping along in a two-seater with the top down is paradise to most driving enthusiasts, which made it appropriate for Mazda to summon the world’s automotive journalists to paradise – Hawaii – for the first actual driving exposure to the third-generation Miata.
In the year 2000, the Miata entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling two-seater in history. After considerable planning by designers and engineers in California, Hiroshima, and Germany, every element of the new MX-5 Miata has been attended to, keeping intact the idea of tightening the technology of a true sports car, while enhancing the fun-to-drive quotient. The 2006 MX-5 Miata is a bit longer, a bit wider, a bit heavier, a bit more powerful, but the much-improved new car remains a $20,000 gem, without compromising its objectives. Length and width are both increased 1.6 inches, the car is 0.6 inches taller, and wheelbase is increased 2.6 inches. Instead of providing more room inside, the main feature of the extra wheelbase is moving the engine back 5.3 inches, which allows 50-50 weight distribution for even better handling than its predecessor.
The new car is a throwback with refinement. It summons all the glorious enjoyment of the old MG-B or Triumph or Austin-Healey days but you won’t need to know your neighborhood mechanic on a first-name basis. The MX-5 Miata doesn’t intend to vary from its troublefree heritage, but it does intend to rekindle the passion of its own edgier first edition – all while staying at a price that is eminently affordable. The basic MX-5 Miata lists for $20,435, while a Limited Edition version, which will accompany the new unveiling, has special colors, larger wheels, a larger stabilizer bar, and various trim upgrades, priced at $26,700.
At that price, the MX-5 Miata remains the best of both worlds. Mazda is trying to phase out the U.S.-only use of the name Miata. In Japan, the car always has been known simply as “the Roadster,” while in Europe it has been called the alpha-numeric MX-5 – more in keeping with the similar Mazda 6, Mazda 3, and RX-8. But the company decided to stay with “MX-5 Miata†in the U.S., at least temporarily, because the name “Miata†is so well established. After Mustang and Corvette, few if any other cars are as universally identified as Miata.
Mazda officials say the first Miata was introduced in 1989 in Hawaii, which is roughly the halfway point from MazdaÂ’s Japanese home to the lucrative U.S. mainland. Communications director Jeremy Barnes pointed out that the company easily shaved more than a week off organizational time for its introduction by stopping off in Hawaii, so the choice had merit beyond dazzling the media. Still, the site probably prompted the quickest acceptance rate for invitations. Heck, Motor Trend alone had three staff writers on the scene.
Having chosen Hawaii, Mazda bypassed Oahu’s scene with Honolulu and Waikiki, and Maui, which is probably the trendiest of the Hawaiian Islands, to select “the Big Island†– or Kona, or Kailua-Kona. This is the southeastern-most of the Hawaiian Islands. It is about 75 miles across, by 80 miles, and it is a study in contrasts, from luxury resorts to a volcano-dominated lifestyle featuring tropical rain forests, sandy beaches, crusty black lava rock, and breathtaking cliffs. No buildings over three stories in height are allowed on Kona, leaving the skyscrapers to Honolulu and larger cities. Discount stores, outlet malls, and billboards are other things conspicuous by their absence.
We were located at the fantastic but isolated Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, and when we drove on the island’s two-lane highways, we chose our bursts of acceleration carefully, because the normal driving mode of the residents is, shall we say, mellow. The biggest town on the island is Hilo, with 45,000 residents, rearranged by the last time Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea – the island’s two 13,000-plus-foot volcanos – erupted. The lava flow melted much of the town and covered it with 50 feet of lava rock. On a helicopter tour with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters we saw smoke coming out of several spots along the top of a volcano, and we saw lava, real and red, near the summit. Later we spotted plumes of steam where lava-heated rivers spilled into the blue Pacific, 25 miles to the west.
Hovering above the highest edge of the volcano, our helicopter pilot/guide stifled our amazement at the numerous pillars of smoke. “Those arenÂ’t volcanos,†he said. “TheyÂ’re just eruption sites.Ââ€
Oh, OK.
A live volcano, black lava rock formations it creates, lush rain forest beyond the peaks, 3,200-foot cliffs with their spectacular waterfalls, contrasted with the ultra-sophisticated resort, and set the stage for the Miata, which similarly stirs the primitive sports-car urgings in your soul, while its engine and razor-sharp handling reflect highly advanced technology.
We all owe a considerable debt of gratitude to the Miata for the expansive array of competitive models now available. During the 26 years of MiataÂ’s existence, most other roadsters were disappearing from the scene, or hadnÂ’t yet arrived, so it was up to the Miata to singlehandedly keep the heritage of pure sports cars alive. The new Miata again offers unequivocal doses of fun at a bargain price. Spare and without gimmicks in design, the new and revised Miata keeps its identity close to the car that became the gold standard for the ages-old tradition of wind-in-your-hair fun of roadsters.
Some critics could say the new car needs more torque to run with the Porsche Boxster and BMW Z4, more high-end power to compete with HondaÂ’s S2000, and more refinement to fend off the Audi TT roadster. Those evaluations are right-on. But those competitors all cost more. Mazda could have given the Miata a more potent demeanor, and jacked the price by $10,000 to run with those headliners. But its RX-8 big brother can handle those chores, and those prices, so the Miata can stay right where it is.
More torque would mean you could power around slower cars or accelerate up that hill without downshifting, while the Miata requires you to run through the gearbox – a pleasure in itself – to reach for needed power. Run up the revs in more powerful sports cars and you wind up exceeding the speed limits to reach the pleasure plateau, while in the Miata, you interact by picking the right gear and hitting the gas to get old-time exhilaration at speeds well below levels that alert radar patrolmen. By staying in its niche, Miata gives Mazda the niche to itself.
The refinement of the MX-5 Miata shouldnÂ’t surprise anyone. Mazda claims to have the greatest percentage of engineers to employees in the industry, and, in recent years came up with the Mazda 6, which competes with and outhandles the Accord, Camry, Altima and others; and the Mazda 3, which outclasses the latest Civic, Corolla and other traditional compacts. Those cars, plus the RX-8, extract great driving enjoyment.
But of all its cars, the Miata best exemplifies what program manager Takao Kijima described, via an interpreter, the Japanese concept of “jinba ittai†– the spirit of horse and rider acting as one. The original Miata had it, when it came out in 1989, and the second generation followed in 1997. Modern technology, and Mazda’s recent vehicles, promised a substantial upgrade of the still-fun existing car. Sure enough, engineers stiffened the body 22 percent in bending rigidity and 47 percent in torsional rigidity. Handling agility depends greatly upon weight and the stiffness of the car’s platform; if it’s not stiff enough, engineers must compensate with tooth-rattling suspension stiffness. The Miata platform is stiff enough that the suspension could be refined for more compliance, without inhibiting the superb cornering. Every spare ounce has been extracted from the new MX-5 Miata, paring it to 2,473 pounds, which also aids tossability.
Its devotion to detail includes the hand-operated convertible top, which drops to provide a hard cover for itself. I found only one complaint. Mazda says the seats are designed to allow anyone up to 6-foot-1 to find perfect driving position, but if youÂ’re on the passenger side, youÂ’re most comfortable if your shoe size is 10.5 or smaller. My size 11s would not rest flat on the floor, because of the intrusion of the air conditioning housing above the footwell. ItÂ’s annoying to have to sit with your feet at an angle, and lifting your heel to allow your toes to fit on the floor is like standing on tiptoes. Maybe thatÂ’s just another good reason to drive, where footroom is fine.
When the Miata was first introduced, it had a strong little 1.6-liter engine out of the Protégé. The 1993 model was stronger with the 1.8-liter four-cylinder, and a cast iron block. The new car has an all-aluminum 2.0-liter four, with chain-driven dual overhead-camshafts. It is the strong base engine in the Mazda 3, but with significant upgrades. Power is increased to 170 horsepower at 6,700 RPMs, with 140 foot-pounds of torque at 5,000 RPMs. The four valves per cylinder have variable timing. You can rev freely to the 6,700-RPM redline, and if you’re careless, the fuel system shuts off at 7,000 revs.
Choices are a five-speed or six-speed manual, or a six-speed automatic, which has two less horsepower but retains the sporty demeanor with steering-wheel paddle shift switches. Mazda used a lot of high-tensile steel and modern impact-deflecting techniques as well as aluminum to both improve strength and lighten weight, giving the car considerable safety beyond what its lean weight might indicate.
While the competition is much more expansive than when the Miata was the only available roadster, great sports cars like the S2000, Boxster, Z4, and TT all cost significantly more, and sporty coupes in the Miata’s price range fall far short of the true sports car experience. You could say that in the $20,000 range, the MX-5 Miata remains the true volcano. Everything else is just an eruption site.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews; he can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Avalon fills its own niche with all-new model for 2005
PHOENIX, ARIZ. — ThereÂ’s a new Toyota Avalon in the showrooms as a 2005 model. But before customers under age 65 stifle a yawn at the news, this one requires a test drive. ItÂ’s longer, much more contemporary in its styling, and much sportier – sportier? – with a new and more potent engine.
The Toyota Avalon could never be accused of being an ugly duckling. ItÂ’s always been too smoothly stylish for that, ever since it was introduced ten years ago. Back then, Toyota was hard at work expanding its universal movement toward becoming the worldÂ’s No. 1 automaker, and it seemed as though the Avalon was pretty much left in its own cocoon. For example, Toyota was selling as many Camry sedans as it could build, and it also produced the ES300, an impressive entry-level sedan for its upscale Lexus brand, which was basically a Camry with over 100 feature upgrades to justify its Lexus badge. In price, the loaded Camry could reach $32,000, which is about where the base price of the ES300 started.
That didn’t leave much room for any other models on that platform, but in1995, Toyota added the Avalon just the same. It was considerably longer and roomier than the Camry, and with fewer technical upgrades than the ES300. But in reality the Avalon was a stretched Camry with a larger back seat and trunk. The question was, why would Toyota try to squeeze another sedan into that tiny space between the Camry and ES300 – in essence, building a niche car for which there was no niche?
As usual, the world of critics and cynics were wrong, and Toyota was right on. The Avalon has sold, and sold, and sold – hundreds of thousands of them over the last decade. For 2004, the sales dipped to 65,000 – a number many competitive models would be boasting about – so Toyota, using its usual brilliant timing, has introduced the 2005 Avalon. It must be considered a 2005 model because production started before the first of the year, but the Avalon is as entirely new as any 2006. The automotive media got an introductory look at it in Phoenix in January, shortly before it started hitting showrooms with optimistic goals.
For one thing, the Avalon is on an all-new platform for the first time. In the next couple of years, the Camry and the ES300 may end up sharing that platform, but for now, almost like a good-conduct medal, the Avalon gets first crack at it.
Flying in the face of the recent trend to switch to rear-wheel drive, Toyota keeps the Avalon in its front-wheel-drive form, and flaunting the inherent advantages well-known to denizens of snow country. Avalon adds to the driving assets of FWD by stressing the floor in the rear. ItÂ’s flat, from door to door, with no driveshaft hump required in rear-wheel-drive cars, which makes the already spacious compartment seem even larger.
Toyota is marketing the Avalon as “the most American†car in Toyota’s lineup. Designed at Toyota’s Newport Beach, Calif., facility, and built at the Georgetown, Ky., plant, the Avalon is being built by Americans, for Americans. The new car is improved in every category, with four models that include a top-of-the-line Limited and a Touring model, which most capitalizes on the idea of being sportier. An Avalon that is sporty would seem to be a contradiction in terms, because Avalon’s past demographics say its average driver is 67 years old. And getting older.
Toyota makes no apologies to its established demographics. Other manufacturers are trying desperately to aim new cars at younger buyers, but Toyota clearly enjoys selling to more mature customers, who want more comfort than the firmer-suspended sporty sedans. Toyota officials laugh about the accusation that the first Avalon was “Toyota’s Buick,†and the car magazines’ oft-repeated question: “Can Toyota build a better Buick?†Yet by giving the Touring model some exterior alterations, including the hint of a rear spoiler sprouting on the trunklid, and a more serious-looking interior, and racier wheels, as well as the best outlet for the new manual-shift gate on its console-mounted five-speed automatic, Toyota is obviously willing to welcome new customers.
The new car looks good overall. It resembles the new Infiniti M45 from the front, is remindful of the BMW 5 Series a bit from the rear, and it takes on a similarity to the new Cadillac STS in silhouette. Those are among the sportiest vehicles in that mid-luxury range.
With Lexus above it, Avalon wears its Toyota name proudly, which is where the Buick analogies come in. ToyotaÂ’s market research indicates that Avalon owners love their cars, and had very few gripes, but were adamant about wanting to show off being smart, successful, and discerning, without needing the luxury-car identity to show it. That means theyÂ’d rather have a special sedan wearing ToyotaÂ’s insignia than flaunt the upscale image conveyed by Lexus.
The pricing is interesting, too. The base XL is starts at a Camry-like $26,350; the Touring model starts at $28,600; the XLS, which adds a sunroof, leather interior and 17-inch alloy wheels, starts at $30,800; and the top Limited model starts at $33,540, with navigation system, stability control and adaptive cruise control that maintains an interval as well as vehicle speed. At that, Toyota projects selling 85,000 Avalons in its first year, and Toyota has the capability of building 100,000 a year.
As big as Toyota is, and as accurate and successful as it’s been in overtaking Chrysler and Ford and setting its sights on General Motors, Toyota paid attention to its customers, who said they’d like a bigger car with a bigger engine, and differentiated more from Camry. They said they didn’t mind bland styling, leading to the unofficial slogan of “Thou shalt not covet style.†Furthermore, Toyota at first planned to put the shift lever on the dash, similar to the new Sienna van and Prius hybrid, but surveys indicated that 37 percent would be deterred from buying the car if the shifter wasn’t on the console. So it is.
The new engine has variable valve-timing on both intake and exhaust camshafts, and the 3.5-liter, 24-valve unit boasts a 70-horsepower increase over the 210 standard since 2000, and it runs away from the 192 horses of the 1995 original. The length of 197.2 is 5.3 inches longer than the previous model, and the 111-inch wheelbase is an increase of 4 inches.
Among improvements, the doors open wider, to almost 90 degrees, for easier entry and exit. The windshield wiper is one piece, and operates by rain-sensing, calculating the rain-drops hitting the windshield and the vehicle speed, while the washer spray comes from under the cowling, where it can be heated. The windshield glass is designed for sound deadening, as well. The gauges have brighter, optitron instruments, and a pull-out trap door conceals the audio system, which starts with a nine-speaker unit with a single CD player, and can be upgraded to a six-CD unit, or to a 12-speaker JBL unit. A cassette player also is included, unless you choose the navigation system.
Remote controls on the steering wheel operate the audio, the dual-zone heat/air, the navigation system, and the cruise. The seats are both heated and ventilated in the SLX and Limited, meaning interior air circulates through the seat cushion and backrest. The seat cushions can be adjusted in length to accommodate taller, longer-legged drivers, and the rear seat backrests recline 25-35 degrees. A rear shade is power operated, and there are turn-signal and puddle lights on the outside mirrors.
The Avalon also offers smart key at the Limited level. That means you can unlock the doors and start the vehicle without a key, so long as you have the key on your person. Touch the door handle and it unlocks, push the button and the car starts. In addition, the Avalon has remote starting. You push the key fob in a certain sequence and the engine starts, either for warm-up or maybe to run the air-conditioning in hot weather. The engine runs for 10 minutes, then shuts itself off. As safeguards, if you push the unlock button on the key fob from outside, open the door, or put your foot on the brake inside, the engine stops running.
The navigation system can recognize five million points of interest, and can be voice-actuated. For example, if you ask for “an Italian restaurant,†all the Italian restaurants in the area pop up on the screen.
ToyotaÂ’s target market is in two specific groups. One is the core of current owners, or Camry or other midsize buyers interested in moving up. The company research says that 40 percent of sales are from those replacing other Toyotas with Avalons. The second group are those moving to Avalon from competing brands, such as Maxima, Accord, and yes, Buick. Even though a lot of Avalons are from Camry owners moving up, Camry sales have remained constant enough that any departures are refilled by new customers, it seems.
Projections are for 14 percent of Avalon buyers choosing the XL, 12 percent going for the Touring, 45 percent for the XLS, and a solid 30 percent for the new Limited model. In ToyotaÂ’s scheme, adding the Limited will offer another upscale alternative with the comfortable Toyota name, and adding the Touring model will give buyers the option of a sportier model in looks and performance. At this point, who can question ToyotaÂ’s projections? If the Avalon was a niche car for which there was no niche, it simply carved out a niche of its own.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews, votes on the Car of the Year jury, and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Audi A6 speeds off in new direction with 2005 redesign
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. — Ever since Audi arrived on the U.S. automotive consciousness, its well-built models – such as the 4000, 5000, 100, 200, 80, 90, A4, A6, A8, and even the TT sports car – have had a horizontal grille opening festooned with the Auto-Union trademark four interlocking circles. The 2005 A6 changes style, appearance, and even personality, with AudiÂ’s new signature grille – a large, “V†shape.
I must say that I was underwhelmed by my first look at the new A6. I wasnÂ’t sure I liked the new grille, thinking it first looked like the old car doing a Jay Leno impersonation. The new A6Â’s lower side crease curves up slightly at the rear wheelwell, quite Saturn-like, I thought. I wasnÂ’t sure the straight-side look needed revision, and I rather liked the current carÂ’s rounded off rear trunklid.
But those thoughts preceded an exceptionl introductory talk by chief designer Achim-Dietrich Badstubner. In the most recent design whirl, the more compact A4 has stayed quite similar for 10 years, while the big, luxury A8 has become so slick it is outselling the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-Class. The middle-size A6, however, has remained nice, impressive, and familiar.
“The old car is smooth and precise, very German,†said Badstubner, with a distinct German accent. “It is maybe too analyticÂ…too German. ItÂ’s important to keep the character of the old A6, but I wanted to add in some emotion.Ââ€
Badstubner, a personable 40-year-old, addressed the media gathered for the new carÂ’s introduction from a podium on stage at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The screen behind him showed whatever slide was displayed on the podiumÂ’s projector. Badstubner didnÂ’t have slides or statistical sheets. He didnÂ’t need them, instead used a sketch-pad. “To design a new car, you need pencil, paperÂ…and vision,†he said. “My vision for the A6 when I started on it four years ago was to give it a more youthful appearance – so you can feel the passion.Ââ€
The horizontal grille of the past, he explained, was augmented by a larger opening below the bumper. “We combined them,†he said, as he sketched some preliminary lines. “We have a very significant grille, ‘VÂ’ shaped, with functional flanks carry the lamps and become the eyes of the car. Good, strong eyes.Ââ€
His drawing magically became the car, as he continued adding details to the sketch. “The air intakes below have the foglamps. It is a face weÂ’ll never forget. Especially on the autobahn.Ââ€

Badstubner did the same at the rear. “See here,†he said, noting a crease accenting the bumper. “We have a floating reflection on the rear bumper. It is already moving while the car is standing still.†His sketch of the side showed that little upswing, and he asked: “DoesnÂ’t this make it look like a wing?†When he was finished, he said, “We have here the first four-door coupe. Which means we have the only coupe in that class of business sedans.Ââ€
The next morning, we walked out to some waiting A6es. As I approached, no longer did I think “Saturn-like;†I saw the cross-section of a wing, instead. We drove both the 4.2-liter V8 and the 3.2-liter V6 models on roads that curved through hilly wine country, and California’s Hwy. 1 along the coast. Along the way, in a ragged caravan on freeways or through dark, dense forests of Coastal Redwood trees north of San Francisco, or along the Pacific Ocean near Bodega Bay, we spent considerable time looking at the rear end, the sides, and, in the mirrors, the prominent front of other A6es in the fleet, and they seemed to look better and better
From inside, an entirely new dashboard departs considerably from the existing Audi instrumentation that has often been declared among the best in the industry, the new A6 is a definite upgrade. The gauges and control switchgear are arranged in more of a cockpit design aimed at the driver, with wood, leather and aluminum all used in tasteful harmony.

Marc Trahan, whose engineer’s knowledge bolsters marketing explanations, told of advances in passive and active safety, driving fun and agility, the new powertrains, and the emotional design as driving forces – he actually said that – to bring the A6 from conception to reality.
High-strength steel and design and bonding tricks make the new A6 34 percent more rigid, yet lighter. Audi’s engineers also have gone away from the five-valve (three intake, two exhaust) engine design in both the V6 and V8 for the best of reasons – direct fuel-injection, which needs separate nozzles that take up the room the fifth valve used to have.
The 3.2 V6 has 255 horsepower (up 35) at 6,500 RPMs and 243 foot-pounds of torque (+30) at 3,250 revs, pushing the A6 from 0-60 in 7.1 seconds, and with quattro all-wheel drive, EPA estimates are 19 miles per gallon city, 26 highway.
The 4.2 V8 has undergone a diet, now measuring just 19 inches front to rear in the longitudinal setting. It puts out 335 horsepower at 6,600 RPMs and 310 foot-pounds of torque at 3,500. The six-speed automatic transmission in both cars has a lower low gear and a taller high gear, with a ratio that is 18-percent wider.
Because AudiÂ’s quattro system uses Torsen differential, it reacts to wheel-speed rather than wheel-spin, which Trahan said makes it proactive rather than reactive, and if only one wheel has traction, it will get all the power.
The A6 has all the latest technical tricks too, with adaptive bi-xenon projector headlights that swing to follow the road ahead, LED taillights, a navigation system with handy guide buttons positioned on either side of the console control knob, Bluetooth computer/phone capability, and electronic keyless entry, so you donÂ’t need the key to unlock the doors or start the car, as long as you have the key in your pocket.
Both models handle superbly, with the V8 feeling stronger, but also heftier in its stance. I actually preferred the V6 for its flexibility, letting you run up the revs without running the speedometer up to the three-digit level the V8 achieves so easily.
The V6 model starts at $40,900, and the V8 starts at $50,500. Those prices put the V8 version right in the thick of the target market, which includes the BMW 5, the Mercedes E-Class, Volvo S80, Jaguar S-Type, Acura RL, Lexus, and the Cadillac STS. The V6 model undercuts almost all of them, however, and is anticipated to account for 80 percent of the 22,500 A6 models Audi conservatively estimates sending to the U.S. in its first year.
After all the explanations and statistics on being longer, wider, with more space, much safer, and with a 12-year corrosion warranty because all its metal is galvanized, buying a car may come down to styling. Whether you like the new look or not, you like it a lot better when you realize a brilliant designer like Achim Badstubner had a passionate reason for every line his artistic hand placed on the new A6.
(John Gilbert writes weekly new vehicle reviews and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra revealed early for 2007
MILFORD, MICH. — It was just a couple of weeks after I had attended a concert by the renewed John Prine, and a bit after I had missed the chance to attend a concert by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, renewed at least for a lucrative concert tour, at least. So it seemed appropriate that a whole bunch of automotive writers dutifully responded to a summoning by General Motors to fly to Detroit and be whisked to the GM proving grounds for the first look at the completely renewed Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks.
We all stood around in a large tent, sipping coffee and munching fresh fruit and muffins, then we strolled down to a grandstand, tastefully covered with a tarp to protect us from the sun that was baking the 90-degree Michigan grass. GM honcho Rick Wagoner spoke, and so did truck boss Gary White, and then they came at us from around the corners and over the grassy hills – pickup trucks. Dozens of them. They were being driven empty, with regular cabs, extended cabs, crew cabs, and then came some with full beds, and others pulling trailers, from light to hefty.
They all came to predetermined spots and parked in front of us, as carefully choreographed as if they were named Crosby, Nash, Stills, Young, Silverado, Sierra, and Denali. And we all sat there on our folding chairs on the rows of risers, watching the multicolored array roar up to a stop. It was show-biz, pure and simple, so I could excuse my peers for applauding. These corporate introductions have reached the point where an array of company executives are on hand to applaud eagerly enough to prime the pump of sometimes skeptical journalists, who generally respond by also giving a hand to the arrival of the main “performer†being presented, even if we don’t like that particular song. Or those taillights.
This particular show was not part of the regular tour, and even though it was at the GM proving grounds, where weÂ’ve driven Corvette Z-06es, Impalas, Cobalt SSes, and even Saab 9-3s, for crying out loud, we were allowed to look but not touch. Actually, we could look AND touch, but we couldnÂ’t drive.
This was not a typical “introduction,†we’d been told, but a “reveal.†That means they were going to tip us all off to the wonderfulness of the first redesign of the corporate pickup trucks in nine years – a huge endeavor, without question. And in keeping with the show-biz concept, it truly was a preview of coming attractions.
General Motors has lived the good life through its large trucks – pickups and SUVs – and with the new “G900†platform coming out first as the underpinnings for the Tahoe, Yukon and Escalade last winter, the debut of the pickups has been long anticipated. The industry standard, year after year, is that the Ford F150 full-size pickup is the No. 1 selling vehicle in the automotive world, with the Chevy Silverado second. But as White pointed out, if you combine the Silverado and the Sierra, the GM twins outsell the Ford F150.
The current model, denoted as the G800, came out for1999, which means except for external alterations, the truck itself is somewhat long in the tooth. Or the chassis. In the time since the last new Chevy/GMC pickups, Dodge, Ford, Nissan, Honda, and now Toyota will all have come out with new large pickups. Each time, the advancements in computer-aided design have helped those competitive trucks get stiffer and stronger and more solid-feeling.
The GM folks have loaded up the Silverado/Sierra with features, which makes good sense in the face of the competition. GM claims the Silverado is the first pickup with two entirely different interiors, but the latest Ford F150 came out with two distinctly different interiors, including different instrument packages; the GM trucks features a 170-degree opening rear door on the extended-cab models, which is brilliant, and copies the Nissan Titan’s great innovation; the rear seat has been designed with storage space underneath, and flip-up seat for more room – very Honda Ridgeline-like; and aluminum grooves are located along the walls of the bed for versatility in locating tie-down anchors – also copied from a clever idea by the Titan.
Including such features isn’t a criticism of the GM trucks – in fact, it’s only smart to add the best features of you adversaries. The Silverado adds its own special feature with the addition of a rear window that power-rolls up and down.
All the usual features, such as interior revision, more head room, legroom and hauling capacity, the biggest news is how much stiffer the chassis is. One of the ironic good things about not being upgraded for so long is that while the GM twins had some quantum catching up to do, they also could display the largest leap in improved chassis specifications of any truck.
The frame, White said, is improved no less than 234 percent in torsional stiffness, and 62 percent in vertical bending stiffness. Taken alone, the hydroformed front section is 90 percent improved in stiffness. That shows tremendous technical capabilities by GM – and it also indicates that the outgoing pickup was as lacking in stiffness as some critics suggested.
Four different engines, from a 4.3-liter V6, to V8s measuring 4.8, 5.3, 6.0, and 6.2, give the trucks lots of power options, and with the 6.0 listed at 367 horsepower and 375 foot-pounds of torque, while the 6.2 – appearing in a new and flashy Denali version of the GMC – has 400 horsepower and 415 foot-pounds of torque. GM claims trailer towing capacities ranging from 4,300 pounds to 10,500 pounds, while payload capacities range from 1,564 to 2,160 pounds.
The enormous improvement in safety allows the new Silverado to incorporate great improvements in safety as well. An assortment of five different suspension systems and revised steering components share the spotlight with the new exterior looks and the new and fresh looking interior.
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In appearance, the front end shares a family resemblance to the SUVs, both the Chevy with the horizontal bar across the middle of the grille, and the GMC with the large open grille. Nice contours blend the headlights into the side of the fender flares, and a choice of regular cab, extended cab, and full crw cab, with various size beds, means you can pretty well configure a Silverado or Sierra as you choose.
The trucks were scheduled to come out around the first of the year, but it got moved up several months.
By moving it up, the trucks weren’t ready even for media drives. Hmmm, I hmmmed to several corporate types, so why bother moving them up to an August display? They dismissed my theory with assorted public relations feints, but finally I suggested to Ed Peper, Chevrolet’s general manager, that moving the “reveal†up by five months just happened to display the Silverado and Sierra comfortably one month ahead of the planned September introduction of the new and impressively large Toyota Tundra.
Anything to that coincidence? I asked Peper.
“We’ll do whatever we have to, and make things as tough for our competition as we can,†said Peper, with a smile.
Such competitive fire may be a lot like an old song from a reunion concert, but regardless, itÂ’s good to see a big-shot from Chevrolet cutting through the PRspeak to sing a competitive refrain.
Honda Fit fits into fittingly tight spots befitting a small car
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — It seems as though Honda has filled every available automotive niche, so the question is, when it brings out a new compact car, where in the world will it fit? Right there. In fact, it fits so well, that the new compact Honda is being called “Fit.Ââ€
To demonstrate how tight an area the Fit will fit through, HondaÂ’s marketing folks created a unique little test at the carÂ’s introduction in Santa Monica. They put a pair of vertical posts up, let the media types drive to a starting line about 20 yards away, then signal how close to put the posts, with the idea we could still fit the Fit through the gap. Think of it as something of a vertical limbo dance for a car.
I waved them close, then closer, because in my experience, drivers generally can squeeze through a tighter opening than they think. I was right. I positioned the posts closer than I thought was possible, and I still fit the Fit between them, without scraping any paint off the side mirrors. Others came closer.
Nobody, however, beat my first-try parallel parking attempt, where I purposely oversteered my attempt to park between extremely close pylons, trying to compensate for the carÂ’s compactness, and I made a perfect park, an inch from the curb, on my first try. “Fit” may be an odd name, but Honda obviously is hoping if the Fit fits, people will choose it as most fitting.
Next came a small, tight, pylon-lined course, which the Honda folks insisted was a not an all-out performance autocross, but just an agility drill, with a stop, and a back-up part, before the quick-stop finish. I went through it well, but conservatively, and though I didnÂ’t beat later drivers who ran it with tire-screaming aggressiveness as if it were an all-out autocross, I came away impressed with the FitÂ’s quickness and agility.
Prior to all that lunchtime fun and frolic, I already had been impressed with the FitÂ’s performance zipping around and through the twisty hillsides of the mountain range inland from Santa Monica. Along the way, the thought occurred to me that when U.S. automakers and critics criticize imports, they are missing a serious point with Hondas, among others.
When Honda builds a new vehicle, critics and competitors can line up and nitpick all they want, but one thing remains unassailable: Honda vehicles tend to be a complete package, with the total far exceeding the mere sum of its parts. The Fit is a perfect example, because it is a 5-door hatchback with a futuristic cab-forward design, with an interior that is remarkably versatile, and with performance that lifts it from utilitarian to fun.
Ingenious design makes the interior versatile in a Swiss Army knife sort of a way. Flipping and folding second-row seats can create a tall mode, long mode and lounge mode. In tall mode, the surprisingly low floor can house a bicycle; in long mode, folding the right side front seat and second row seats makes a 7-foot flat storage surface; in lounge mode, reclining the front buckets can turn the Fit into a great place for two weary occupants to grab rest-area naps.
A 1.5-liter engine with multiple valves and VTEC variable valve-timing has a posted 109 horsepower at 5,800 RPMs, and 105 foot-pounds of torque at 4,800, with EPA gas mileage estimates of 33 city, 38 highway. You can choose a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic, and the automatic comes with paddles on the back of the steering wheel for fingertip manual shifts. How very sports-car like, for something more resembling a mini-minivan.
Speaking of critics, General Motors is on a marketing campaign to insist its cars are every bit as good, or better, than comparable imports that are perceived to be better, and that itÂ’s the fault of the media for not creating the proper image for GM cars. Amazingly, IÂ’ve recently read a couple of syndicated columns where the creators shamelessly repeat or rephrase exactly that sentiment. A General Motors official recently informed me that the new Malibu is every bit as good if not better than cars like the Honda Accord. I stopped him right there.
The Malibu, and the Pontiac G6, are very good, possibly the best of a new breed of GM cars. They have tightness, good handling, decent performance, are priced about right, and they have almost all the important features. Almost. But when comparing cars, the last I checked, the engines are part of it. Therefore, hallucination is a prerequisite for anyone who declares them equal to or better than the new Accord, or Camry, for that matter.
Unquestioned engine technology is a major part of Honda’s allure. Honda had multiple valve engines with variable valve timing – technology transferred directly from Ayrton Senna’s superb Formula 1-winning Honda engines – on the entry level Civic back in 1991. That’s 15 years ago. By the mid-1990s, Honda’s VTEC system expanded to all of Honda’s engines. When Honda makes a new and improved engine, it discontinues its obsolete engines, so all its fours and V6es stay on the world’s cutting edge of technology.
At GM, the Malibu (and G6) don’t get to use the superb and high-tech Cadillac V6, and are saddled instead with the newest version of aging pushrod technology, which is cheaper to produce. When it comes to compacts, Chevy now sells the Aveo, which is built in South Korea’s Daewoo factory, which General Motors recently purchased. So GM loyalists continue to push “buy American†philosophy, and GM is pushing a good – but far from great – Korean import as its subcompact.
Meanwhile, Honda won 2006 North American Car of the Year honors with the completely redone Civic. Fantastic car, from every standpoint. In my tests, I got 37-42 miles per gallon with the Civic EX sedan, with an automatic transmission. Over the years, the Accord has grown, and the Civic has grown commensurately, and the previously subcompact Civic is now larger than the 1985 Accord was.
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Still, as gasoline heads inexorably back toward $3 per gallon, U.S. consumers might finally be ready to follow the lead of savvy buyers in Europe and Japan, and go smaller. If a car can be built structurally safe enough, then smaller, lighter, more agile and more fuel-efficient makes a lot of sense. Toyota is doing it with the Yaris, which is smaller than the Corolla, adjacent to the Scion fleet, and Nissan is doing it with the Versa, which is smaller than the new Sentra. The Mazda5 is a compact van/wagon version of the Mazda3.
If small is going to be large in our immediate automotive future, Honda, as usual, steps to the front of the class with the Fit. The Fit is 19.2 inches shorter and 2.8 inches wider than the 2006 Civic – but it is 18 inches LONGER, 7 inches WIDER and 7 inches TALLER than the first Civic was, back in 1973.
The engine has a sophisticated technique of deactivating one intake valve at low RPMs to create a swirl of more rapid combustion, and that valve is reactivated at mid- to high-RPM use for stronger power.
The five-speed stick has closer-ratio gears from 1-4, with a wider gap to fifth, for improved freeway cruising at lower RPMs for better fuel economy. The five-speed automatic has wider gear ratios, which is a welcome idea to reduce the need for frequent shifting. The paddle operation can be done with the transmission in D, in which case it goes back to normal automatic service by itself, or in full manual mode.
The FitÂ’s front suspension is an independent MacPherson Strut system, similar to the Civic, with the rear switched from multilink to a torsion beam, which allowed lowering the floor by 3 inches. Another key feature is that the fuel tank is moved forward, resting amidship, under the front seats, which used to be a vacant area. That allowed the rear floor to be lowered, 7 inches lower than in a Scion, for example. Passenger room is about the same as the larger Civic, and the cargo area expands from 20.6 to 41.9 cubic feet when you fold the rear seat down.
Honda used the new Ridgeline pickup – 2006 North American Truck of the Year – for overload crash-tests with the Fit. The body structure is made of 36 percent high-tensile steel, and with standard side and side-curtain airbags complementing the front bags, Honda claims top crash-test ratings front and rear side for the Fit.
Prices are between $13,500 and $15,000, in either base or Sport form. The Sport gets bigger (15-inch) alloy wheels, and underbody panel, foglights, paddle shifters, and a better audio system – essentially $2,400 in upgrades for a difference in price of $1,400.
Any car-buyer interested in quick and agile performance, great fuel economy, surprisingly good safety, active-lifestyle versatility inside, and low-price sophistication, will find that the FitÂ…fits.
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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