Nissan’s Versa combines class, 36 mpg, for $12,000
NASHVILLE, TENN. – Several new or renovated large SUVs notwithstanding, the word among more perceptive auto manufacturers is that “Small is going to be large†in the U.S. automotive market. Nissan is among them, introducing the Versa as a challenge to more fuelish large vehicles, and claiming size and power superiority over its rivals from Honda and Toyota.
A flurry of recently unveiled large and luxurious SUVs may be attributable to the finalization of designs that started four years ago when size and power were the objective of every car-maker, or it may just be bad timing. The public is living in todayÂ’s world, with possible glances to tomorrow, which makes it seem more as though the big-truck makers havenÂ’t noticed gasoline prices rising and vaulting to or beyond $3. Again.
Perhaps analysts who are probing to explain why General Motors and Ford are suffering financially, while Honda, Toyota and Nissan – among others – increase their sales, and market share, need to look no further. Without apologies to the big trucks, Honda introduces a new subcompact Fit, smaller than the enlarged Civic, and Toyota is introducing the Yaris, a replacement for the unpopular subcompact Echo, after enlarging the Corolla.
And now Nissan assembled a couple of waves of automotive journalists in Nashville for a late-April unveiling of the Versa. The Versa 4-door hatchback will hit showrooms in July, with a notchback 4-door sedan following at the end of this calendar year. A newly designed aluminum1.8-liter four-cylinder “MR†engine, with dual-overhead-camshafts, produces 122 horsepower at 5,200 RPMs and 127 foot-pounds of torque at 4,800 RPMs. A six-speed manual transmission brings the full power to life, and a new CVT (continuously variable transmission) automatic also will be available.
The cars, which will be built at the Nissan plant in Mexico, where the revised Sentra also is assembled, have EPA fuel-economy estimates of 30 in city driving and 34 on the highway with the stick, 36 mpg with the CVT. To start with, a four-speed automatic will be available, until enough CVTs can be built.
Nissan marketing types said the name, Versa, links to the term versatility. Could have fooled us; with the intro based at the historic Hermitage Hotel right here in Music City, some of us suspected that the name meant the “Versa†might be followed by the “Chorusa.Ââ€
Sure enough, Nissan also used the occasion to sing the praises of a newly renovated 2007 Quest minivan. Some of the more startling interior features of the Quest at its 2004 introduction have been toned down on the 2007, in a move from unique to more mainstream. Nissan bailed out on the cylindrical center stack and high center-dash-mounted instrument cluster, after only three years, because, as Quest marketing manager Kelly Hamilton said, such innovations “polarized most,†and were “not user-friendly, or aesthetically appealing to most.†Hmmm. The 2004 features were innovative, aesthetically attractive, and extremely user-friendly, if I were the user, but subjective praise didn’t equal enough sales to battle the Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna, let alone the Chrysler minivan fleet.
Actually, Nissan’s new home base is in Nashville, and while some of the company’s management types balked at giving up Southern California’s beaches for Nashville’s proximity to Nissan factories, the move allowed John Schilling, a Minneapolis native, to return to a public relations position he has always fulfilled so well. I didn’t get the chance to ask him if he was a Grand Ol’ Opry fan, although “his†Nashville Predators made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Tennessee Titans offer an NFL diversion.
But enough digression. The Versa is an interesting vehicle. A stylish and fun-to-drive little car, it also has some nicely sophisticated features. Used to be, the smallest cars were the most fuel-efficient, but also were stripped of anything resembling refinement, and comfort or luxury were out of the question. The Civic, Corolla and Sentra were among those that displayed those deficiencies, and only when Mazda came out with the dazzling new Mazda3 a year ago did the Civic, Corolla and Sentra make decided upturns in size and flair.
That left room for the new breed of smaller cars, aimed at the small-car segment that currently accounts for more than 1.9 million vehicles if you combine entry level and compact. ThatÂ’s 11 percent of the total U.S. vehicles sold annually. The Civic, Corolla and Sentra now reach compact, leaving behind subcompact, which is the niche the new breed of cars is battling to fill. The best thing about the new segment, besides good gas mileage, is a price point below $15,000, and in the case of the Versa, starting just under $12,000.
As gas prices rise, and 14-mpg SUVs and trucks seem less-appealing to commute-to-workers, small gas-sippers that offer sufficient comfort and convenience features could explode to unforeseen levels.
Nissan identifies the Versa as the first “no-compromise subcompact to hit the market†in the U.S. Marketing manager Joe Samfilippo said the Versa has an edge on the Fit and Yaris because it has more power, more front legroom, more rear headroom, legroom and kneeroom. A feature such as firmer, better-quality foam in the bucket seats makes a ride or drive in the Versa a cut above many competitors.
However, noting that the Versa rivals the Sentra for size and interior room, and has a larger, 1.8-liter four-cylinder compared to the 1.5 engines in the Fit and Yaris, I asked if possibly the Versa has more room and more power is because it is a larger car with a larger engine, while the Fit and Yaris were purposely aimed to be smaller cars with smaller engines. Turns out, Nissan introduced a car called the “Tiida†in Japan last fall, where it competes as a small luxury car in a class above the Fit and Yaris. That car now comes to the U.S. as the Versa.
The Versa is the first one on the global “B†platform, shared by Nissan and Renault, which was the financial savior of Nissan several years ago. The two companies worked together on the car, including the responsive DOHC engine, and the six-speed stick shift is a Renault design, while there are many other shared components.
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Product manager Orth Hedrick gave us a close-up examination of the Versa’s attributes, as my driving partner and I drove through the countryside, through small towns like Lynchburg, Murfreesboro, and Shelbyville – places that had always been just words to me previously. The Minnesota Twins always had a low minor league affiliate in Lynchburg, and a whole passel of stock car racers and country guitar pickers came from Murfreesboro and Shelbyville, for example.
Driving the car on some curvy roads, I found it to have plenty of spunk, and the electric power-steering felt like it might be too light at low speeds, but it firmed up at speed to afford precise cornering and a good feel.
The base Versa S has 60/40 split fold-down rear seats, micro-filter air conditioning, a 120-watt, 4-speaker audio system with a CD player, tilt steering, variable intermittent wipers, and front, side, and roof-mounted sided curtain airbags, and a tire pressure monitoring system – all standard, for under $12,000.
Move up to the Versa SL, and a 6-speaker, 6-CD audio with 180 watts is standard, along with other upgrades, such as 15-inch wheels, driverÂ’s seat height adjustment, keyless entry, cruise control, and soft-padded instrument panel.
Options include antilock brakes, electronic brake force distribution, and, on the SL, Bluetooth phone, remote audio switches on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, a Rockford Fosgate audio upgrade, and power sunroof. A Sport package also is coming, with sill trim, front and rear spoilers, and foglights. Satellite radio is another option, either XM or Sirius.
With enough options, you could turn the $12,000 Versa into a $16,000 mini-luxury-car. First thing I would do is put 16-inch wheels and lower profile performance tires on the little front-wheel-drive beast to turn good handling into sporty-firm. But as Hendrick pointed out, competitors compromised on interior space, “so we concentrated on making a spacious interior.Ââ€
If its assets are because it’s a bigger car with a bigger engine – as long as it gets 35 miles per gallon, and can be bought for $12,000.
Volvo’s safety technology hits new heights in C70
When Volvo recently introduced its new C70 retractable-roof hardtop/convertible in Maui, I was curious to learn how Volvo could transform its legendary safety construction to its pillarless new C70, without compromising its basic instinct for occupant safety.
Quite casually, I found a fellow named Thomas Broberg, the director of VolvoÂ’s legendary safety center in Gothenburg, Sweden. Every manufacturer has improved safety construction, and some are far ahead of others, but I donÂ’t think any car-maker is more dedicated to safety than Volvo. IÂ’ve seen the Volvo crash-test site in Gothenburg, and IÂ’m convinced VolvoÂ’s tests are not for comparative advantage, but to make Volvos as safe as possible.
But safety is less glamorous to advertise and promote than power, stylish lines, and contemporary luxury, so Broberg was not one of the featured presenters. When I found out what he did, we had several conversations about VolvoÂ’s safety concepts, which was like a quick course in safe car construction.
“German cars all do well on safety, and companies like Honda, Toyota, and now the Korean companies, are all improving their safety,†said Broberg. “ThatÂ’s good for us. WeÂ’ve been working at it for 75 years.Ââ€
We hear a lot about cars that obtain a 5-star, or 4-star, or less, in insurance industry or government crash tests. Others have used the crash ratings to promotional advantage, while Volvo has gone its own, independent route. Vehicles are categorized by size, and a crash test of hitting a barrier equates to a simulation of a vehicle crashing into another of identical size. The more refined and comprehensive Volvo tests at GothenburgÂ’s safety center include far more.
“You have to look at what is NOT covered by the star ratings,†said Broberg. “When they started to rate us, we came out quite high. In the star tests, cars are crashed in one frontal test, at one speed, with one standard size occupant. So a 5-star rated vehicle might not be safer than a 4-star vehicle – it was just safer in one test at that one speed. If you took another model of the same car, it might come out differently.
“In our tests, we have offset, angle, underride and override impacts for front structures,†Broberg said. “In the XC90, for example, itÂ’s bigger and higher, and you canÂ’t compensate for the pure energy of the crash. Yet, we used our tests to lower the ‘load-pathÂ’ with a higher bumper, so that in a crash, our XC90 would engage the safety system of the other vehicle, to properly set off the sensors for its airbags, etc.Ââ€
At the safety center, Broberg directs a staff that goes well beyond the crash tests it conducts internally from every angle, including rollovers. He has 160 people on a traffic accident research team, which is on-call 24/7 to immediately hustle out to every accident in Sweden that involves a Volvo.
“Our team gets on-site, and gives a questionnaire to occupants fo that the lab can recreate accidents,†Broberg said. “We bring in the cars and study the impact angles, and we even set up what might have happened with a dummy, where a seat might have been unoccupied.Ââ€
The extensive evaluation of 50,000 accidents has led to understandable knowledge and refinement of the art of vehicle crashes and tactical pursuit of lessening the danger – always a work in progress at Volvo. According to Broberg, among accidents involving lethal injuries, 25 percent were from side impacts, 35-40 percent were from front and front-corner impacts, and only 1 percent were caused by rear impacts.
Among non-serious injury crashes, however, 30 percent were from rear-end impacts. Interestingly, rollover accidents – mostly called by cars going off the road – comprise less than 3 percent of all accidents, but rollovers account for 8 percent of fatalities.
Fully 97 percent of all side-impact crashes occur at less than 30 miles per hour, which figures in Sweden, even more than in our hurry-and-run-the-red-light society.
Computer aided design has helped safety considerably. “Since 1995, we have been using computer-aided engineering,†said Broberg, who singled out the XC90 SUV among those that benefited from improved design tactics. “We were able to use newer technology to make the S40 as safe as the larger S80. If an S40 and an S80 crashed into each other, I would say occupants of the S40 would be equally as safe, because of the newer technology we used in designing it.Ââ€
One method is to build the structure and crash it on a computer without the engine installed, and installing the engine and all the accessories after gaining optimum crush space.
It is a common fallacy that larger cars are always safer, when really they only have the advantage of physics when they hit a smaller vehicle. But just as large vehicles can be unsafe, it is possible to make more compact vehicles safe. Broberg said it was more of a challenge to make the S40 sedan as safe as larger sedans such as the already safe midsize S60 and larger S80, than it was to adopt the S40 safety to the new C70.
WeÂ’ve all heard advertising that claims the use of “higher-grade steel.†Broberg explained that five grades of steel as well as aluminum were used in building the C70, Regular steel is “thin, not as strong, but more flexible,†said Broberg, “although it still shouldnÂ’t deform on low-speed impacts.Ââ€
Regular steel is used for body panels and also to create crumple zones, the areas designed to crush while absorbing the energy of an impact. High-strength steel is higher gauge, but not thicker, it just withstands a higher level of stress. Extra-high-strength steel is next up the scale, and then comes ultra-high-strength steel, which is still stronger. The top grade is boron steel, which is extremely strong, but also is extremely hard to manufacture, because it is more difficult to drill or to stamp. It is used where the computer-designed structure indicates the need for the strongest support.
Aluminum canÂ’t be made as strong as high-strength steel, but its strength to weight ratio is better. The side beams in the doors of the C70 are made of extruded aluminum, which is made by forcing molten aluminum through an opening and into a mold. It can take a tremendous load from the front or side, yet still fit in the door area, which is thin because of the need to also house the window and window mechanism.
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“When we went from the S40 to the C70, we were building a 2-door instead of a 4-door,†Broberg said. The coupe/convertible doesn’t have the inherent safety of the 4-door S40’s fixed roof or pillars. Along with the door beams, the C70 has extra support at the lower area of the center B pillar to secure and keep the door shut in case of an impact.
“We also built a horseshoe-shaped reinforcement for the rear of the frame, and we came up with a crumple zone not in the door but in the center of the car. So in a severe side impact, the car squeezes together, with the middle of the car compressing.Ââ€
The C70 windshield pillars encircle the glass with boron steel to act as a rollbar, and smaller aluminum rollbars pop up out of the rear seat headrests to also serve as rollbars if an impending rollover is sensed. The C70 has airbags all around, and is the first production car with side airbags imbedded in the door in anticipation of rollbar protection. They stay inflated longer, for about 7 seconds, to add to occupant safety.
Volvo used its largest XC90 SUV to test the structural safety of the C70, Broberg said. They ran the XC90 into the side of the C70 at 50 miles per hour. “Even though that speed in a side impact represents only 3 percent – the extreme,†said Broberg.
“There is still a lot to be done in passive safety,†he added, meaning the type of safe construction that requires no input from the driver. “Things like whiplash, and long-term injuries, and fatalities have been improved on a lot, but we also are looking at active safety – things that might help accident avoidance.Ââ€
That includes precise steering and firm shocks and suspension components, and Volvo has some unique and innovative other methods for getting inside a driverÂ’s head to avoid crashing.
“We know the human bodyÂ’s biomechanics,†Broberg said. Then he tapped his head and added, “But up here, weÂ’re all so different in how we react. We could take over operating the car from the driver, like an airplane on autopilot. But a pilot is trained to operate the plane, and drivers arenÂ’t very well trained to hande a car in an extremely stressful situation. We have lights and warning buzzers, but our research now is working on how drivers think and react. We can do only so much with technical things, but how much can the driver do? Helping a driver concentrate is one.Ââ€
One simulator Volvo uses is called Virtex, which puts a vehicle inside a cylinder that can be controlled in all directions, allowing the feel of motion, road, acceleration, braking, and lets different people drive under exactly the same circumstances. On the S40 sedan, something called IDIS – the intelligent driver information system – calculates how busy a driver might be from driving, turning, braking, etc. The first thing it does when it detects a serious driving situation is to hold all incoming cell phone calls.
Broberg said one device helped come up with electronic brake distribution (EBD) to apply more brake force when the carÂ’s radar device notes that the driver isnÂ’t hitting the brakes hard enough to stop short of an impending crash. Volvo showed that unit two years ago, and various companies have come up with similar devices since. But more is necessary.
“One study showed that in 50 percent of accidents one of the carÂ’s drivers didnÂ’t even step on the brake,†he said. “WeÂ’re always trying to assist the driver without overloading the driverÂ’s capability.Ââ€
Volvo also tests drivers by having them keep driving until they fall asleep in a controlled setting. The carÂ’s system can analyze how a car goes down the road, and how a driver plans and executes a curve. Some drivers are smoother than others on the steering wheel in a curve, but as a driver gets more and more tired, he or she makes many more small corrections. When the computer notices an increase has reached the point of drowsiness, it warns the driver with a beep.
“A warning makes the driver ultra-alert,†Broberg said. “But our tests show a driver soon gets drowsy again. Really, all this device does is tell you to take a break.Ââ€
Sometimes the most serious safety problems have the simplest solutions.
Lexus plans to divide and conquer with ES350, GS450h
LAS VEGAS, NEV. — Just like the model-designation numbers, Toyota just keeps on coming up with new and better models throughout its lineup, and the 2007 Lexus ES350 and the Lexus GS450h are the latest niche-fillers in ToyotaÂ’s upscale Lexus line.
There are differences, make no mistake. Toyota models are basically for normal folks, who want trouble-free driving from the time they sign their installment contract until, three or four years down the road, they buy a new one; Lexus buyers are decidedly upscale, desiring or demanding more luxury, more features and more power, and willing to pay for it.
Together, Toyota and Lexus are like an enormous city, with diverse neighborhoods and cultures all coming together in a prosperous society. Toyota has the Camry, the nation’s No. 1 selling single automobile, and Lexus has the ES level, which starts out based on the Camry platform but filled with upgrades everywhere. Interestingly, Toyota further crowds its own “entry-luxury†line with the Toyota Avalon, a stretched version of the Camry and/or the ES350, and the first car from the corporation to ride on the new platform. Meanwhile, Toyota also has the Prius hybrid, and has just introduced the Camry hybrid, but it doesn’t have a performance-oriented sedan, while Lexus gets two of them – the IS and the larger GS.
While renovating its whole line, Toyota and Lexus are set to take on the world – literally – and are inexorably moving up to overtake General Motors as the largest auto-builder in the world. The ES and GS lines in Lexus are merely the most recent examples.
The ES350 is the newest entry-level sedan from Lexus, introducing that model would be a trip by itself. Lexus chose to also introduce the GS450h – a hybrid version of the performance GS line – in a dual intro that sent waves of automotive journalists driving from the Ritz Carlton Hotel on the outskirts of Las Vegas out to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead and back. They were informative driving courses, and both vehicles performed admirably.
Critics of too many models may think it’s a gamble to produce so many, but if so, Las Vegas was the perfect location to launch them. Then Bob Carter, the vice president and general manager of Lexus, described the Lexus strategy, and it all made sense.
“The single largest segment in the luxury-car market is what is called ‘entry luxury,Â’ and there are two different parts to it – sporty-performance, and luxury-comfort,“ said Carter. “Most companies try to stretch a model out to try to do both, and we at Lexus have separate cars for both. In the sports-performance category we have the IS, and the larger GS; and covering the luxury-comfort part, we have the ES and the upscale LS.Ââ€
Further evidence of Lexus market research is that ES customers tend to move up to the LS luxury brand, rather than to the GS performance side. So instead of having a car for each niche, Toyota divides and conquers each niche within a niche. The LS is the biggest Lexus, loaded with luxury and all sorts of high-tech features. The ES350, however, now emerges as a slightly more compact luxury version, but with the clearcut wintertime advantage of front-wheel drive.
The IS sedans are hot little numbers, with two engines in very sporty, if more compact, bodies, so the GS has stepped in as the big brother, V8-powered high-performance sedan. So offering a hybrid technique to the GS may seem curious, but it isnÂ’t, because the electric power supplied to complement the gasoline engine makes the GS450h an even higher high-performance sedan.
ES350
When the ES350 was first unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, the crowd of media was such that I couldn’t get a clear photo, so I waited a couple of hours and double-backed to the Toyota display, then proceeded to photo about 25 photos of different angles of the new ES350. When I got around to the rear, however, I was surprised to notice that the emblem said “LS†not “ES†– I had mistaken the big papa luxury LS for the so-called entry-level Lexus ES350. That startled me, and maybe it should concern Lexus luxury sellers, but it also should thrill those who can buy the ES350, save a chunk of thousands, and drive a front-drive sedan that closely resembles the high-priced spread.
Estimates are for the ES350 to be priced at about $35,000, which is right in there in a segment that is hotly contested among the Acura TL, BMW 5-Series, Mercedes E-Class, and Cadillac STS. Carter didn’t want to say that the ES might draw customers from the new LS, but he did say: “We believe that the new ES is better invirtually every way than the original 1990 LS flagship,†and he noted the new ES350 is quicker, more powerful, quieter and almost as roomy as that first LS400.
Overall length of the ES350 is unchanged, but there are a couple more inches in wheelbase, which expands the interior room, and a bit more width and track further enhance interior room.
The company’s new 3.5-liter V6 has 272 horsepower at 6,200 RPMs, and 254 foot-pounds of torque at 4,700 RPMs, thanks to the chain-driven dual overhead camshafts Toyota has been perfecting for two decades, and variable valve timing. The slightly expanded car is only 108 pounds heavier than its predecessor, and the new engine shoots it from 0-60 in 6.8 seconds – swifter than the original LS400, with its 4-liter V8. The power is dispersed via a six-speed automatic transmission, with a sports-shift gate for manual control. The transmission is shared with Camry.
Improved suspension and a whole raft of LS-like features include electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist to augment the antilock four-wheel disc brakes, and both stability control and traction control are standard. Cruise control uses radar to maintain intervals, and the back-up camera has guidelines to help park. That, and all the safety elements of surrounding airbags make the ES350 safer than ever.
Carter explained that most of the dozen or so Lexus competitors have focused in on the sports/performance end of the luxury segment, leaving a large opening for the ESÂ’s comfort/luxury aim. So the ES350 will be trying to coax conquest buyers from Acura, BMW and others, while also attracting buyers looking to move up from compact sedans.
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GS450h
The GS carries out several Lexus philosophies, while crossing some boundaries toward Toyota, yet keeping its distance. “It will be the industry’s first truly high-performance hybrid,†Carter said, and he explained how it also is the first rear-drive hybrid sedan, and, the quickest Lexus. The 3.5-liter V6 (sound familiar?) has 292 horsepower and 267 foot-pounds of torque in the GS form, tuned to coincide with the two electric motors for a total output of 339 horsepower.
Carter said: “The GS450h will go 0-60 in 5.2 seconds and 30-50 mph passing bursts of 2.7 seconds, with a top speed of 131 mph. Estimated fuel economy is 25 city, 28 highway.” Carter says that will make the GS450h quicker than the BMW 550, the Infiniti M45, the Audi A6, the Mercedes E500, or the Lexus GS430 – the same car with a V8 engine.
The only Lexus with a hybrid so far is the RX crossover SUV, a slick vehicle called the 400h. Carter said that the RX models account for 109,000 sales a year, and 25 percent of those RX buyers are buying the 400h hybrid. “When one-fourth of the buyers of you single highest-volume vehicle choose an option packagte [hybrid] that costs about $5,000 more than the base model, you know youÂ’ve made an impact.Ââ€
So Lexus officials think the GS hybrid will be similarly attractive, because it earns its power without larger displacement of a V8, or a turbocharger or supercharger, yet gets the fuel economy more likely to be obtained by a four-cylinder.
The system has the strong V6 and two electric motors – one called MG1, which controls engine output to the rear wheels, and the other MG2, which strictly powers the wheels. The RX400h has the front wheels driven by gas-electric combined, and a separate electric motor for the rear wheels. There areno plans for an all-wheel-drive GS450h, which essentially uses the gas engine for power and to replenish the juice for the electric motors.
Driving the GS450h is smooth, with seamless interaction of the gas and electric sources. While powerful, it also produces 17 metric tons less CO2 over 150,000 miles of driving, and is eight times cleaner in emissions than “one highly-touted diesel luxury car.†Toyota claims, in an unsubtle swipe toward Mercedes.
The GS450h will not be aimed at mass sales, the way the RX400h is, but will be a rare high-performance selection, with only 2,000 produced, and base priced at $54,900. At that price, all sorts of features, including adaptive headlamps, electronic sonar for avoiding items in the way, and electronically controlled brakes will be standard.
If it seems a lot to do about only a few vehicles, it seems unwise to question Toyota or Lexus these days. Besides, when someone asked Carter if Lexus would produce more GS450h cars than 2,000 if demand warranted it. He said, “Yes.Ââ€
Mercedes GL jumps into full-size SUV segment
CALISTOGA, CALIF. — Mercedes-Benz has been a major automotive topic in the United States in recent years, for such ventures as taking over Chrysler Corporation and turning it into DaimlerChrysler, and for building a plant in Alabama to build a crossover Sport Utility Vehicle, the ML-Class. Reaction varied from snickers to scorn about GermanyÂ’s leading luxury car builder trying its hand at the American SUV market, but the idea worked so well that Mercedes is now after bigger game. Literally.
The Mercedes GL pretty well covers all of its objectives. It is large, at 200.3 inches long, 121.1 inches wheelbase, 76 inches wide, 75.6 inches tall, and weighing 5,300 pounds. It is powerful, with a new V8 churning out 335 horsepower and 339 foot-pounds of torque. It is high-tech, with the 4.6-liter engineÂ’s 32-valve, dual-overhead-camshaft layout featuring variable valve-timing on both intake and exhaust valves and a 7-speed automatic transmission with fingertip manual controls.
It is strong enough to tow a 7,500-pound trailer. It is rigidly safe, with the worldÂ’s first unibody chassis on a full-size SUV, featuring 60 percent high-strength steel, and all the latest traction and stability control features, plus eight airbags surrounding all occupants, including side-curtain head protection for all three rows.
While the ML vehicles are stylishly attractive with their aerodynamic slopes and contours, they also are quite compact. Mercedes still makes the aging G-Class large SUV, and when it tried to eliminate the 27-year-old pre-Hummer squareish G, protests became so plentiful that the company decided to keep making it, for military and niche-sale use. Between those extremes, Mercedes introduced an all-new R-Class a few months ago, and it is a unique people-hauling wagon that might best be described as an “on-road SUV.Ââ€
So the GL jumps into the mix as something of a more rugged, more masculine, off-road-capable complement to the family on-road R-Class. In case anybody wonders why Mercedes seems to be intend on expanding its SUV presence, Mercedes officials point out that the GL, M, and R classes, and that those three vehicles will account for one-third of all Mercedes sales. All three vehicles are being built in the expanded and adjacent two-plant facility in Vance, Alabama, located midway between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. One plant will build the M and GL, and the other will build the M and R.
With a price yet to be determined, estimates run in the “high-$50,000†range, which puts the GL into my usual category: The best German vehicles are expensive, and, based on quality and technology, worth every penny.
When I first saw the GL at the Detroit Auto Show, and again at ChicagoÂ’s show, I was curious. It was clearly larger than the ML, as if some giant robot had stretched and enlarged an ML from every dimension. Still, it retains some stylish contours at the front and along the sides, but I wasnÂ’t sure what Mercedes was aiming at with the vehicle. After the chance to drive some early production vehicles on freeways and highways northward from San Francisco, and through the hilly wine country of Napa Valley, the GL creates and fills its considerable space.
The Mercedes GL was unveiled to the worldÂ’s motoring press this past week at a very interesting and very exclusive new resort in the heart of Napa ValleyÂ’s wine country, and while planning a late-winter gathering in California seems logical, this particular week included almost constant rain, which has drenched the countryside north of San Francisco with the kind of puddles and mud that only grapes can appreciate.
Still, what could be better for test-driving a new SUV – the first full-size SUV built by any European company? The big beast had impeccable road manners, and the seats are comfortable and supportive enough that I quickly adjusted from feeling that I was sitting too high to feeling comfortably in full control. That was true on the freeways leaving San Francisco, and the two-lane highways selected to prove handling capabilities on the switchbacks in the mountain ranges flanking the Napa Valley. Having passed the normal-routine driving requirements with ease, the GL later proved its worth on some muddy stretches and off-road adventures as well.
“We didnÂ’t want the just enter the full-size segment,†said GL-Class manager Ron Mueller. “We wanted it to be the Mercedes of big SUVs.Ââ€
After the presentation, someone asked what specific vehicles Mercedes was aiming the GL at, although it seemed an easy answer, because the only “full-size†SUVs in the industry are basically four vehicles — the General Motors cluster of Suburban/Tahoe/Envoy/Escalade that are variations on one essential vehicle, the Ford Expedition, the biggest Lexus LX470/GX470, and the top Range Rover.
Mercedes officials, however, didnÂ’t name any competitors, saying simply that any utility vehicle priced above $40,000 would be a competitor. They also said they donÂ’t use any other companyÂ’s vehicles as benchmarks, because they have a specific, and quite rational plan. And they donÂ’t expect to lose ML buyers, just offer them an alternative.
“We wonÂ’t take away ML buyers, but we will stop ML owners from going elsewhere for larger SUVs,†said Geoff Day, director of Mercedes communication. “Our only benchmarks are internal – our customersÂ’ expectations. The key is, after two kids, compact SUVs just are not big enough.Ââ€
In styling, the ML looks compact, the R looks long and slinky, and the plan for the GL was to look more rugged, to convey the sense of size and girth. It comes with 18-inch wheels, but 19 or 20 inchers are available. Along with superb suspension and handling characteristics for the driver, all seven occupants have a lot to like about the GL.
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The three rows of seats not only seat seven, but they will seat seven adults in comfort. The second row is the key, because it will seat three, and has a 60/40 fold-down arrangement. Hopping into the far back third row seats is easy, and the third row’s two seats are split 50-50, and, at the touch of a pair of side-wall-mounted switches, either the right or left, or both, seat cushions drop down just enough and the backrests fold down on top of them, leaving a flat, carpeted stowage floor. Mercedes claims “zero-to-flat†in 4.9 seconds. Of course, the folded down area meets the folded-down second row to create a huge space, measured at 83 cubic feet.
The keys to comfort in the third row are that passengers have a roomy footwell, and a large skylight that is similar in size to the sunroof that opens for the front and middle passengers. Dual rear video screens, rear audio controls, and a 440-watt harmon-kardon audio system can be set to play iPod or MP3 or those old-fashioned CDs on separate controls, so rear-seat occupants can listen to something completely different from mom and dad up front.
Four-corner air-suspension facilitates adjustable ride height, which can be lowered three inches for serious off-roading, and which lowers itself a half-inch for optimum freeway aerodynamics.
While anyone seeking a vehicle in the over-$50,000 category will find the basic GL well-equipped, there are some upgrades available in the GL that set it apart. Options include the power rear liftgate, pushbutton-start keyless entry, rear videos imbedded in the backs of both front headrests, a rear-view back-up camera, full heated leather seats, and burled walnut trim.
The R-Class has the same platform but with stretched wheelbase, and while it has full-time 4Matic all-wheel-drive as well, it is not considered a “full-size SUV,†which allows Mercedes to call the GL the only unibody full-size SUV. Taking all the attributes of the R, the GL adds some rugged off-road features to assure capabilities beyond people-hauling. A two-speed transfer case, for example, with locking differential, adaptive damping, and higher ride-height adjustment from 3 to 4.5 inches.
Less than 2 percent are projected to choose the off-road package, which about mirrors the normal tendencies SUV owners have shown for serious off-road ventures. The R has fulfilled a lot of needs, but the GL takes most of the RÂ’s assets and expands on them.
“We are looking at traditional families who still want and need a full-size SUV,†said Mueller. “Our research shows that among all full-size SUV buyers, 30 to 35 percent own a Mercedes-Benz sedan.Ââ€
So if ML owners need more room, theyÂ’ve always had to look elsewhere. Now they can look at the GL and stay within the Mercedes realm. And if some Escalade, Expedition or LX470 buyers check out the GL, Mercedes probably wonÂ’t mind a bit.
GTI makes aggressive bid to reclaim hot hatch image
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. — For those who remember the glory days of the GTI, VolkswagenÂ’s new “Mk. V†– to designate the fifth generation of the quick, compact hatchback – signals a return to VWÂ’s most impressive venture into hot performance on a budget.
The details are impressive, because the new GTI uses the company’s impressive new 2.0-liter dierect-injectiuon four-cylinder, which is one of my favorite engines in the entire automotive world. It comes with a low-pressure turbocharger, and is shared with the Audi A4 and A3, where I got 32 miles per gallon with it. It is also shared with the new Jetta, which, in reality, means there is one platform for the Jetta and Golf, so the Jetta is basically a four-door Golf with a trunk – just like in the old days.
Also just like the old days is that the GTI is the hottest version of the Golf, and it has a sister ship in the GLI, which is the hottest performer in the Jetta line. It is interesting that Volkswagen has carefully introduced the Jetta, the GLI, and the GTI in separate ceremonies.
Consider that the Honda Civic was introduced all at once, and it became the overwhelming choice of auto writers as the 2006 North American Car of the Year, primarily because it includes a great four-door sedan, a trick, high-mileage Civic Hybrid, and a couple with a sizzling Si sports version. It was a lot to digest at one function, but it contributed to winning the award. If VW had used that strategy, we might have been introduced all at once to the Jetta as the four-door model, the Jetta TDi turbodiesel as the super-high-mileage model, and the GTI and Golf as the two-door hatch and hot-performer.
NobodyÂ’s complaining, though, because having a full day to appreciate everything the new GTI can do was impressive and satisfying. The car is tight, rock-solid in handling because of its new independent rear suspension setup and razor-sharp electro-mechanical steering. Plus, thereÂ’s that engine, which turns out 200 horsepower from 5,100 to 6,000 RPMs, and 207 foot-pounds of torque from 1,800-5,000 revs. VW claims 0-60 times of 6.8 seconds, and it is electronically limited to 130 mph top speed.
The continuously-variable intake and exhaust valves on the transverse-mounted four-cylinder is operated by either a six-speed manual or an automatic, which also is a six-speed DSG unit with switches on the steering wheel – click the right switch to upshift and the left switch to downshift. The automatic has a two-clutch arrangement, which, as you rev, already has engaged the next gear, so when you hit the switch, you get instantaneous upshifts as it disengages from the current gear.
At $21,995, the GTI flashes back into a more receptive world that seems to enjoy strong performance on a budget, with all the safety structure (15 percent stiffer dynamically, and up 35 percent in torsion rigidity) plus front, front-side, and head-curtain airbag complements. It drives, handles and performs like a sports car costing far more, and two adults can sit in the back seat, with surprising storage space under the hatch.
The isolation of the GTI introduction is being accompanied by an advertising campaign that is certain to stir up some controversy. The object of the campaign, kicked off on telecasts of the Winter Olympics, is something called a “Fast†– as in: “Make friends with your Fast†— because it implies an attempt to encourage those hooligans who might drive aggressively to be out there zipping around and even screeching the tires now and then.
More people will be startled to see Helga, a very German blonde woman, enticing folks – presumably young men, or at least men of youthful spirit – to hustle on down to a dragstrip and blow the doors off the winged Japanese-based tuner car alongside it. And still more might take offense at Wolfgang, a very German man who ridicules other tuner “Whatchamacallits†by suggesting they should “unpimp their auto,†and, at the touch of a button, demolishes their overdone tuner cars with a wrecking ball, squashes them flat with a huge weight dropped from the ceiling, or flings them to early destruction with a giant catapult – replacing them with shiny new GTIs as their worthy replacement.
Even some of the automotive journalists attending the introduction of the new GTI expressed dismay over the campaign, as if we should all keep it secret that some people truly like and want strong-performing, good-handling, high-tech, but rock-solid cars.
In one upcoming tv commercial, a young man orders a pizza, and when the shop says, “Pick-up, or delivery?†the guy looks out at a monsoon-like rainstorm, and hesitates. The next frame shows him jumping into his new GTI, turning on the lights, and roaring away, while a voice says: “My Fast thinks ‘deliveryÂ’ is for the weak.Ââ€
None of that bothered me. But then, I’ve always put a premium on the “fun-to-drive†category of car-buying and car-driving. Anyone who would be offended by the racy ads is not in the market for a GTI, while those who are either too young to remember the car’s heritage, or are aware of it but might be unaware that the new GTI has recaptured that competence, will enjoy the ads and will find their interest rekindled in a very impressive car.
To me, there are all kinds of cars, some better than others, some more reliable than others, but if all things are equal, the car that is a hoot to drive around a cloverleaf, or to turn rush-hour gridlock into a satisfying stretch of time with an enjoyable ride, IÂ’m all for it.
It doesnÂ’t mean you have to speed or break the law. All it means is that Kerri Martin, who was hired last spring to come up with a provocative campaign for the car, hit her target broadside. Her purpose was to reinvigorate the image of the GTI as the original “pocket rocket,†and of Volkswagen as a brand, in general. “ÃÂf the Beetle is the heart of Volkswagen,†said Ms. Martin, “then the GTI is the soul of Volkswagen.Ââ€
She explained that the weird little gremlin-like “Fast†souvenir, which every GTI buyer will receive shortly after they’ve taken delivery, is an emblem of the GTI, which requires “one heavy foot, and 10 white knuckles.†She said that the new GTI can rekindle the interest of those of us who remember the first GTI as a simple, functional but excessively fun-to-drive hatchback, and that VW also wants to attract the tuner culture, which has been seeking out inexpensive sports coupes, mostly Japanese, and loading them up with performance chips, trick suspensions, exhausts, wings, wheels, paint-jobs, and audio systems.
Volkswagen first gained fame with the original Beetle, then the Rabbit, which was a departure from rear-wheel-drive air-cooled to front-wheel-drive hatchback. The Golf followed. The first GTI, Volkswagen says, came to the U.S. in 1983. I thought it was before that, because I believed the GTI was the car that started the “pocket-rocket†trend of the early 1980s. However, I owned a 1979 Dodge Colt hatchback, made by Mitsubishi, which had a two-range gearbox with its four-speed stick, meaning you could shift eight times if you were quick enough, or had three hands. But that little bumblebee-yellow-and-black Colt’s 1,600-cc. engine could screech the tires in the first three gears and still deliver 42 miles per gallon in town. That car remains the reason I’m cynical when new subcompacts come out “boasting†of great fuel economy that falls shy of 30.
My first trip to Germany was in 1989, and I drove an Audi quattro coupe on the autobahn, with no speed limit, flat-out at 210 kilometers per hour on the speedometer — 135 miles per hour in our terms. At that speed, moving up swiftly to pass you would be big BMWs, Mercedes sedansÂ…and every once in awhile a Volkswagen Golf GTI with a 16-valve four-cylinder engine. I was impressed.
Years later, VW committed a grievous blunder. The company decided to make a cosmetic version of the GTI — a “base†version GTI that only seat and trim upgrades to give the illusion it was special. The price was kept low that way, but the resale plummeted on all GTIs, and VolkswagenÂ’s reputation nosedived along with it.
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The GTI regained its capabilities, if not its stature, in recent years, going to a stronger V6 engine and other upgrades. But the tuner crowd, particularly favoring very good Japanese coupes, has gone elsewhere.
That’s why I applaud VWÂ’s marketing effort. The new car is all-new, and it is outstanding. Sharing a drive through the mountains east of San Diego, my co-driver and I put both the stick and automatic through their paces with some degree of aggressiveness. I love stick-shift cars, and in almost every case a stick is preferable to any automatic for performance driving. In the GTI, however, I had to concede that the DSG automatic, switched into sport-mode, and controlled by the little paddles on the steering wheel, was quicker-shifting that the stick.
At one point, I zapped around two or three tight curves with amazing precision, and came up behind a slower moving vehicle. It took a couple more miles before we came to a stretch of dotted line rather than the prevailing double-solid-yellow non-passing lines. Now, I never advocate illegal speeding, but when I pull out to pass, I believe the quicker you can pass, the less time and less hazard you are in the oncoming lane. So I downshifted and hit the throttle. Smoothly and swiftly, we pulled out, swept past the other car, and eased back into our lane.
With no tight turn ahead, I glanced at the speedometer, and as I glanced back up, I realized there were three digits on the left of the needle. I did a double-take, and, to both of our amazement, the needle was pointing at 120! It was exhilarating, and it also was unintended, but it was so smooth and easy we both thought I was somewhere between 80 and 100.
The things we do in the name of comprehensive evaluation.
Later, I spoke to Kerri Martin again about the ad campaign. “We take safety very seriously†she said. “WeÂ’re just having some fun with this.Ââ€
With EPA fuel economy estimates of 23 city/32 highway with the stick, and 25 city/31 highway with the direct-shift gearbox automatic, the GTI is set off – same as the GLI among Jettas – by a red underline on the grille. A mysterious “Dr. Keller†points out in another ad, that if you see that red grille stripe in your mirror, it means, “Schnell! Move over, dumbkopf – youÂ’re going too slow.!Ââ€
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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