6th generation Camry expands on No. 1 stature
If you are a car manufacturer, and you build the top-selling car in the United States for seven of the last eight years, how do you approach building the all-new replacement for that car?
Carefully. Very carefully.
In a word, “careful†might best describe the Toyota Camry, regardless of whether you mean the one that carried Toyota’s nameplate to the No. 1 slot, the one that boosted sales to hold the No. 1 slot, or the entirely new sixth-generation 2007 model that was introduced at last week’s Chicago Auto Show, and which will go on sale this spring all across the country.
That made the Chicago Auto Show enormous for Toyota. The Camry is impressive by itself, but the rest of ToyotaÂ’s 2007 arsenal includes the outstanding new FJ Cruiser SUV, and, a worldwide introduction of the new Tundra pickup, which is expanded from the original to challenge the biggest of the full-size Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge or Nissan pickups, and the new Yaris, a more compact compact than the venerable Corolla.
The Tundra was arguably the most impressive vehicle at the Chicago show to me, but thatÂ’s only because I already had been able to get a preliminary test drive of both the FJ Cruiser and the Camry, on a trip to Greenville, S.C.
The Camry may be a careful car, for families who value the basic fundamentals of car-ownership – efficient and cost-efficient family transportation, with style, comfort, and legendary dependability – but it has been criticized for being so careful that it is almost boring. In a good way, of course. There are no surprises with a Camry, and if it backs off a little from cutting-edge performance, making all its compromises toward the center, it is a criticism that hasn’t bothered the masses.
For 2007, the Camry is less careful, if that works. The styling takes an upturn, with a nose that slopes only so far, then takes an abrupt downturn, to a grille that has an enlarged Toyota emblem that takes up much of the upper center area of the trapezoidal grille. The rear is sleek and comes together stylishly.
Go back to 1983, when the first Camry sold 52,651 models, to 2004, when 424,803 Camrys were gobbled up by an appreciative populace. Overall, 6.5 million Camrys have been sold in the U.S. through its first five generations, and 10 million altogether, in 104 different countries. In its never-ending duel with the Honda Accord, Camry finished its current run with 458,000 2005 models, and the new car should boost calendar-year 2006 sales.
Larger and roomier than its predecessor, the new Camry takes a technological leap forward with five models, including a well-planned hybrid version that could cause Honda to rehink its Accord Hybrid.
Toyota is taking great pains to inform everyone that the new Camry is more emotional, more passionate, than it used to be. That’s an interesting ploy, but it’s a lot like a hockey player choosing to tell his coach that he’s hustling, when it remains up to the coach – and the teammates and fans – to determine that.
Without question, though, the new Camry is more performance-oriented and more fun to drive than Camrys have been known for. To give the North American media the chance to experience the car, Toyota brought us to Greenville, S.C., and let us drive on Virginia International Raceway, a neat, and fast, road-racing circuit.
I went right for the sportiest model, the SE, and found it could be shot around the race track quite well, with fairly firm, but not quite stiff, handling and cornering, and good steering response, as well as good acceleration from the 268-horsepower 3.5-liter V6, which also has 248 foot-pounds of torque. That engine, which also serves duty in the RAV 4 and Avalon, has variable valve-timing on both intake and exhaust valves of the 24-valve powerplant.
The six-speed automatic transmission has a manual gate for those who want to shift for themselves, but if you leave it in drive, it will hold the revs higher, and will even downshift, as a computer tries to gauge shift points according to how youÂ’re driving.
The basic four-cylinder also has four-valves per cylinder and dual overhead camshafts, with a five-speed automatic, but no sport-shifter. That engine is standard in the base CE, which Toyota projects will account for 5 percent of sales. The mainstream LE, with more features, of course, will account for 60 percent.
The SE sporty version should take 10 percent, and the luxury XLE is expected to account for 17 percent. That leaves 8 percent, and Toyota chalks them up as Camry Hybrid buyers.
The hybrid, with ToyotaÂ’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, uses the 2.4-liter four-cylinder, which gives Toyota a large edge in the duel with Honda, because the Accord Hybrid uses the V6 instead of HondaÂ’s excellent VTEC four, because Honda wanted to prove it could make a more powerful sedan, above the high-mileage Insight and Civic. The result is that the Accord Hybrid shows 40 miles per gallon on EPA estimates, but gets closer to 30 in real-world driving.
The Camry Hybrid looks identical to the rest of the Camry fleet, and shows EPA estimates of 43 city, 43 highway, and 40 mpg combined. Curious, that is, because if you get 43 city and 43 highway, shouldnÂ’t your combined city-highway be right in there at 43? Ah, well, thatÂ’s why its past-due time for the EPA to change its evaluation system to more closely resemble real-world driving.
The point is, a four with an electric combined motor will get more power than the four alone, and better fuel economy. Toyota uses an Atkinson Cycle treatment on its 2.4-liter four, which allows it to elongate its firing timing for more thorough fuel burning, and reaches 147 horsepower on its own.
{IMG2}
Coupled with the 47-horsepower equivalent electric motor that recharges off regenerative braking and the gas engine, the Camry Hybrid shows 192 combined horsepower, and has 8.9-second 0-60 times.
When we were at the race track, and I had driven the XLE, SE and LE models, I finally got a chance to get behind the wheel of the Hybrid.
A colleague was on the track about a fourth of the way around the road course when they let me out in the Hybrid. I wanted to see how hard I could push the Hybrid, and see if I could get within sight of the Camry ahead just to compare our paces, but remarkably, I overtook my friend in one lap. I actually slowed down in order to avoid embarrassing him for being caught by the hybrid.
The new Camry uses more high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel in the construction, with an ever-expanding eye on vehicle safety. Wheelbase has been lengthened more than two inches while overall length stays the same. Stock wheels are 16 inch, with the sporty SE getting 17-inchers. Toyota says it anticipates the SE will attract some younger buyers, and the new car could lower CamryÂ’s average age buyer from 55 to 53. Or so.
The look of the new Camry is interesting. I think it looks good, but IÂ’m not thrilled with the beak. To me, enlarging the Toyota emblem at the top center of the grille looks like the Camry is trying to copy the Mazda6 a little. Not that thereÂ’s anything wrong with that, but otherwise, I like the looks of the car.
It is comfortable, with a well-laid out and impressive interior, boasting good ergonomics and attractive features. But is it more passionate? More emotional? I wouldnÂ’t call it a breakthrough in that regard, although the SE is more fun to drive by a twitch. But in reality, it doesnÂ’t matter.
For an entire generation of U.S. car-buyers, the family car best remembered from youth is a Camry or an Accord, more than a Chevy or Ford. For 2006 and 2007, Ford is making some major strides toward recapturing some market share, and Chevrolet is talking as if it plans to do the same, weaning itself away from dependence on truck sales. But the 2007 Toyota Camry wonÂ’t make their challenge any easier.
Dodge takes higher Caliber shot at changing segment
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — The desert of Arizona doesnÂ’t have much in common with Chicago in midwinter, notwithstanding some pretty elaborate McCormick Place simulations during the Chicago Auto Show, which started with February 8-9 media previews. But there was a significant connection this year.
Chrysler showed that its most compact commuter vehicle will be of a higher Caliber as a 2007 model when it held media introductions in Arizona, then proved in Chicago that along with the rest of the automotive world, Chrysler Group might be adding distance in another direction from General Motors and Ford, its United States competitors. The vehicle in the middle of that breakaway is the new Dodge Caliber, which is a combination downsized SUV and upgraded sedan/wagon, with a completely flexible and fun-to-drive conglomeration of the best assets of both.
Upon first examination, at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, and again at DetroitÂ’s Auto Show in January, I was dazzled by the looks of the Cobalt, and I assumed it might be a personal/luxury crossover that might cost from $25,000-$35,000. I was surprised to learn the base SE model Caliber starts at $14,000. Then I got to drive one at the media introduction in late January in the mountains surrounding the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, and I am convinced that as a project, the Caliber is of extremely highÂ…ahÂ…caliber.
I predict that the Caliber will prove enormously popular by both what it isnÂ’t and what it is — first, being NOT enormous in size; second, being surprisingly a kick to drive; and third, being remarkably inexpensive to operate, and particularly to buy.
Flash forward to media days at the Chicago Auto Show, and Jason Vines, Chrysler’s unceasingly clever public relations coordinator, pulled on a wig portraying “Wink Jasondale†to play a Dating Game parody called Driving Game, and unveiled three vehicles – first, a new Nitro R/T; last, a new Dodge Rampage concept pickup; and between the two, the new SRT-4 – which is a turbocharged, 300-horsepower version of the Caliber.
On either side of Chrysler’s introduction, General Motors and Ford both unveiled their newest large trucks – GM with the new Chevrolet Avalanche and Ford with a redesigned Lincoln Navigator. Let’s see, now…two new large trucks, from two companies that are in financial crisis-mode because of the serious dropoff in large-truck/SUV sales. Hmmmmm.
Meanwhile, the rest of the automotive world seems to have realized that smaller, more compact “crossover†SUV sales are going right past the big-truck versions in 2006, and are scrambling to enter that more rational compact-SUV segment, the Dodge Caliber seems to be another blast out of the park for Chrysler. Caliber fulfills all the requirements of larger SUVs with the obvious assets of a compact crossover SUV, but if it’s a crossover, it’s coming from the compact sedan driveability end, more than the truck end. It is being built in the Belvidere, Ill., assembly plan, right on I90 as you drive westward from Chicago.
Going against the flow has become a standard for Chrysler, from days of the Prowler, to the Viper, to the PT Cruiser, to the 300, Magnum, Charger and upcoming Challenger. For now, it is the Caliber. “We monitor the industry,†said Chrysler Group product communications director Rick Deneau, “and when everybody else goes right, we go left.Ââ€
Consider that the Neon was ChryslerÂ’s successful little compact/subcompact that had a good life but has now disappeared from ChryslerÂ’s product list. The Caliber, actually, is the replacement for the Neon. And yet, at $13,985 (including destination), it starts $410 below the Neon, with huge upgrades in content. It may meet all responsibilities of a compact family car, but with its Dodge cross-hairs grille, hump-backed wagon-back roofline, and flexible utility inside, the Caliber crosses over to cover virtually all features that people have been getting from outrageously expensive SUVs.
ChryslerÂ’s recently arranged collaboration with Mitsubishi and Hyundai on engine-building pays off with a World Engine variety for the Caliber. Hyundai first came up with a design, which Chrysler officials didn’t think was workable, so Hyundai created a totally redesigned idea six weeks later, and Chrysler officials considered it perfect for their U.S. application, as well as on the worldwide stage.
Built in a new plant in Dundee, Mich., but also being built in Japan, South Korea, and elsewhere in the world, the base 1.8-liter engine has 148 horsepower, the 2.0-liter has 158 horsepower, and the 2.4-liter has 172 horsepower. All three are from the same family, but the days of simply boring out an engine are gone. Computer-selected optimum sizes for balance and refinement meant varying bores and strokes on all three, but they share concept, chain-driven dual overhead camshafts, and variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust sides of their four-valve-per-cylinder layouts. (The just-announced SRT-4 takes the 2.4 and turbocharges it up to 300 horsepower and 260 foot-pounds of torque, but thatÂ’s a later story.)
Calibers start out as front-wheel drive, and the top R/T comes with all-wheel drive. Transmissions range from a five-speed manual up to a second-generation continuously-variable transmission (CVT), which can be selected with an AutoStick feature that simulates manual choice of six automatic gear stops. All Calibers built with 40-percent high-strength steel throughout the body cage, plus magnesium and hot-stamped steel reinforcement beams for side-impact protection and hydroformed front and upper cross-members for further structural rigidity. Standard side-curtain airbags augment the other safety features.
The 1.8 engine is standard in the SE and SXT. In the $13,985 SE base model, options include the 2.0, with the CVT. Same as the $15,985 SXT model, which adds more interior versatility, including a 115-volt household electrical outlet, and an expanded option list that includes heated leather seats, power sunroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, foglights, and electronic stability control. The top R/T model has all that the SXT offers, plus electromagnetic all-wheel drive at $19,985, and has the 2.4-liter engine standard, along with the CVT with the added AutoStick feature, plus antilock brakes, sport suspension, performance steering ratio, foglights, 18-inch alloys, and a chrome grille.
There is no resemblance to the Neon, but whatever the Caliber is, it takes care of those folks who wouldnÂ’t consider the Neon, or any subcompact, because of diminutive size. The Caliber is 4 inches taller, 1 inch wider, and 1 inch shorter overall than the Neon. It also measures 5 inches longer and 2.5 inches lower than the PT Cruiser. With a rear floor that is easily removable for cleaning, and split fold-down rear seats, it has enough interior room to appeal to a universal array of buyers. Chrysler intends to sell Caliber in 98 countries, and designed it to also handle right-hand-steering.
Every manufacturer is trying to attract the 20-something segment, and Caliber has certain appeal there, but with marketing projections of 50-50 male-female buyers, itÂ’s a logical contender for any commuter, any small family, any second-car seekers, and even for those looking for an inexpensive but safe car for an offspring reaching driving age.
The kind of details that can set a vehicle apart from competitors also are available in the Caliber. A rechargeable flashlight, for example, is a handy and useful feature. A second glove compartment, one high and one low, are also handy, and the lower one has a chiller box that will hold four 20-ounce pop or water bottles. The household electrical outlets, first seen on the Toyota Matrix, is a brilliant addition – no more searching for a cigarette-lighter adaptor.
And then thereÂ’s the audio system, which can be upgraded to a nine-speaker, 458-watt blaster. When youÂ’re at a picnic, or tailgating, swing open the rear and you can fold a little hinged boombox comes down from the ceiling aimed outside, to fire off your tunes for the conversationally-challenged.
The Caliber designers seemed to think of everything, including all kinds of parts intended to help satisfy the potential for after-market tuners, who will find an unlimited playground for personal alterations.
Porsche Carrera 4 with right tires is stylish ‘anti-SUV’
Four-wheel drive is an impressive feature, even though sport-utility vehicles have faded in popularity recently, as the populace has grown weary of gas-guzzling when gasoline costs $3 per gallon, and top-heavy and unwieldy handling for safety reasons. But the ability to have all four wheels pulling you through foul weather is an unequivocal asset, whether for getting to work, to the Mall, to the hockey game, or on any other appointed rounds here in the Land of the Wind-chill Factor.
IsnÂ’t there any alternative, something that could hit the highs without the lows, and soothe your midlife crisis blues at the same time? OK, itÂ’s a loaded question, because I already have the answer.
Call it the “Anti-SUV.Ââ€
The Carrera is what we all used to call a 911, and 911 is still its official name. It’s that little, low-slung, teardrop-shaped bullet that is the closest thing in the automotive industry to being a real race car built to drive on the streets and highways of real life. It looks great, even if it doesn’t look much different from the 911 of another era, almost another lifetime. At a glance, you could park any vintage Porsche 911 – say, a well-maintained 1975 model – across the street from a brand new 2006 Carrera, and many passers-by would think both of them are the new model.
Just like the old days, the new Carrera is absolutely uncompromising when it comes to driving performance, which includes handling and durability as well as top speed and acceleration. Grudgingly, there are cupholders in the new car, but you donÂ’t see fancy frills in place of pragmatic, hard-core driving assets. Gauges are big and bold, white on black, with a large tachometer dominant and the 200-mph speedometer smaller and over to the left. The tach is what matters, because if you go too fast you get a ticket, but if you over-rev the engine, dumbkopf, you could ruin it.
Porsches are costly, because such performance capabilities are expensive. A car like the yellow Carrera 4 I test drove for a week has a base price of $77,100, and you can add options to that, such as bi-Xenon headlights, that light up the road but have a sharp cutoff to keep the light low on the roadway. Porsche buyers are about as uncompromising as the cars themselves, and so is their performance.
Seats are firmly bolstered and designed to cling to your body no matter how hard you push the Carrera 4 around the tightest turn. The shifter fits your hand, for short-throw gear changes that put you in charge of 325 horsepower, distributing that power through six gears with the deft moves of an orchestra-leader.
Turn the key and the engine, a flat-opposed six-cylinder with 3.6 liters of displacement, doesn’t just murmur to life, it snarls – sort of what it must be like to awaken a slumbering bobcat. Crack the throttle, and the snarling instantly transforms to a higher pitch, but it’s still a snarl. Provoke it with the gas pedal, and it snarls, but if you provoke it without care, it could turn on you with a sudden viciousness.
From the driverÂ’s seat, you look down the steeply sloping nose and you see highway, and if you look straight ahead, you see the horizon. It is a horizon that both beckons more, and arrives sooner, than when you are behind the wheel of an ordinary car. The 325 horses peak at 6,800 RPMs, and 273 foot-pounds of torque reach their maximum at 4,250. Tests have shown 0-60 runs at between 4.5 and 4.8 seconds, with a top speed of about 175 miles per hour. See how long your horizon stays away at those speeds! Of course, you need a race track or an autobahn to fully appreciate such potential.
Porsches always have been about much more than speed, of course. The Porsche prototypes that used to dominate at places like LeMans run at top speeds of something beyond 200 mph, and theyÂ’d do it for hours on end at the 24-hour endurance classic. As a small performance-oriented sports-car company in Germany, Porsche has always built fantastic race engines, and they always have either put those engines to work in production cars, or let the same technology trickle down to smaller production engines. In all-out racing, cars must go fast, but they must go fast for long stretches, and they also must be durable and fuel-efficient.
As the Carrera has evolved, so has Porsche, adding a lower-priced alternative, called the Boxster, and it came out with an SUV, called the Cayenne. If it seems out of character for the worldÂ’s most impressive sports car company to build an SUV, the Cayenne is an impressive performer as well, and it is a popular, high-profit vehicle that allows Porsche to make enough money to keep building fantastic sports cars.
There are more powerful Porsches than the Carrera, such as the turbocharged version, and the new exorbitantly priced Porsche GT, and all 911s or Carreras share the familiar rear-engine, rear-wheel drive attitude that made Porsche famous. But the mainstream vehicle in the line is the Carrera.
Porsche lovers, of course, notice quickly whether the little script name plate on the rear flank says “Carrera†or “Carrera 4†– and it is the Carrera 4 that is my recommended solution for midlilfe crises, having a chunk of disposable income, or having a friendly banker with a liberal liking for your spending intentions.
Because the Porsche Carrera 4 is an all-wheel-drive Porsche, meaning all four wheels whirl into action whenever you move it. That should mean improved traction in Great White North wintertime, but the low-profile and high-performance tires that come mounted on those big alloy wheels look better suited for wet or dry pavement than for ice and snow.
That was where my biggest surprise came. I was in Minneapolis when a couple of inches of snow hit. Gingerly, I crept onto a residential side street and feathered the throttle, and the Carrera 4 stuck very well. Surprisingly well. So surprising that my son, Jack, got out and looked closely. To our amazement, those thin little bands of rubber wrapped around those huge 18-inch wheels, which were 8 inches wide up front and 11 inches wide at the rear, were Nokian WR tires.
As a long-time advocate of the Finnish Nokian tires, because they are constructed of a tread compound that stick like glue, and maintains its flexibility in the cold – to also stick almost like glue in freezing weather – I was both surprised and impressed. Forget the gingerly driving, I went back at it with nice-weather verve, and found the Carrera 4 churned through any amount of snow, handled well on varying degrees of iciness, and turned the dry-weather demon of a car into a foul-weather pleasure to drive.
{IMG2}
Later in the week I drove the car up I35 to Duluth and the North Shore of Lake Superior, where the beast was right at home in the mid-January chill.
Normal high-performance tires would spin wildly on ice, but the Nokians give even the snarling Porsche Carrera 4 SUV-like tendencies turn it into an anti-SUV. There are some other good all-season/winter tires out now. I recently was impressed with a set of Michelin Pilot all-season tires, in stark contrast to the regular high-performance Pilots, which are only worth using in winter if you have them siped. But if the premier winter/all-season tires are Nokians, I had never seen a factory car with Nokians mounted, which tells more about PorscheÂ’s great attention to detail.
The latest Carrera restyling is subtle, but effective. The flared rear fenders are flared 1.73 inches more than its predecessor, allowing those wider, 18 by 11 inch rear wheels and tires to fit handsomely. With an overall length of 175.63 inches, on a 92.52-inch wheelbase, the 3,157-pound Carrera 4 carries a wind-cheating 0.30 coefficient of drag. Fuel economy is 18/26 by EPA estimate for city/highway driving, and I got 23 miles per gallon on a combined city and freeway tankful.
Automatic Slip Regulation (ASR) joins PorscheÂ’s Stability Management system to keep you headed the right direction, and the MacPherson strut front suspension and multilink rear, with their springs and stabilizer bars, give the Carrera 4 its legendary flat-attitude handling, even if you exercise the razor-sharp steering.
If there is a drawback to a Carrera 4, it is the cruel joke of a rear seat, which is only good for the tiniest of occupants, and the luggage space. However, the luggage space is larger than anticipated, because, of course, it is not in the rear, where the engine is mounted, but under the front bonnet, where a deceptively deep cubicle can take a couple of decent size suitcases.
Ordinarily, I would say that foul-weather grip might be another weakness, but the Nokian WRs took care of that. So the only drawback to winter driving is the morality of allowing such a beautiful car to become covered with the glop of salty residue slush and snow that are prevalent in winter. But if you can afford a Carrera, it might be a greater crime to leave it parked during the winter months. Now you donÂ’t need to worry about that. And besides, car-wash operators also have to make a living,
Tahoe renews big-SUV grip with new 2007 model
DETROIT, Mich. – They can dress up the giant interior of Cobo Hall at auto show time, but they can never make it resemble the Phoenix desert as it rolls and rises up into the mountains of Arizona. The 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe seemed much more at home out in Arizona, where it could negotiate the open countryside, and you could visualize it towing a big horse trailer, or a house-sized recreation trailer.
The North American automotive media got the chance to first drive the Tahoe in that cactus country setting of Arizona, but we were asked not to reveal our impressions until the world could catch a look at the Tahoe during this past weekÂ’s press days at the North American International Auto Show.
Driving through the twisting mountain roads outside Phoenix, or zipping along highways down in the valley, the Tahoe performed admirably. In fact, it can be unequivocally stated that the 2007 Tahoe is by far the best Tahoe ever built. It is sleeker, more aerodynamic, with smoother and more appealing edges than its husky but squarish predecessor, and with dozens of fancy creature comforts that are breakthrough items for GM, and even if all or almost all of the features are already out on a variety of competitors, itÂ’s impressive that the Tahoe has packed all of them into its shapelier body.
General Motors is stressing those features, and it’s stressing a $33,990 base price that is $2,000 less than the 2006 model. But mostly itÂ’s stressing that the Tahoe has “broken the 20-mile-per-gallon barrier†for large SUVs. There were all sorts of stylish responses to the challenges facing the automotive world at DetroitÂ’s show – small cars, smaller cars, hybrids, and all sorts of compact, downsized and fuel-efficient crossover SUVs. And there was General Motors, introducing as its primary new vehicles the all-new Chevrolet Tahoe, and the all-new Cadillac Escalade. The corporate twins, are trimmed up with distinctly different features, but they are both large SUVs with big V8 engines.
ItÂ’s been eight model years since General Motors made its last major change to its large truck-based vehicles, back when the code-named 800 trucks supplanted the 12-year stand of the 400 model. So the new 900 was long in coming. “The 400 model was pretty loose,†said GM engineering spokesman Gary White. “The 800 was much stiffer, but is still squeaked and rattled more than we liked.Ââ€
When gas prices rose toward $3 a gallon, people started looking for more fuel-efficient cars. When it looked as though the prices would stay over $2, the exodus from large SUVs left acres of unsold trucks on GM, Ford Toyota, Nissan, and Dodge dealerships, but General Motors sells the most and therefore felt the dropoff the most.
As cars stood unsold, the incentive rebates rose. Edmunds.com, an industry-analyzing website, said that calendar year 2005 ended with large SUVs averaging just over $6,000 per unit, while large trucks averaged $4,049, and nothing else had over a $3,000 average, with midsize SUVs third at just under that mark. Compact cars, on the other hand, averaged only $876 in rebates per unit, and sports cars only $553. Such small rebates gave large SUVs an inflated popularity, as many buyers couldnÂ’t pass up the bargain price, even knowing fuel economy pains might be forthcoming.
Meanwhile, back at Detroit, virtually all of the top GM competitors were stressing crossover SUVs, particularly Ford, Lincoln, Dodge, Jeep, Hyundai, and HondaÂ’s Acura arm. Most of those companies also introduced fuel-sipping compact cars and small hatchbacks.
Still, for those who genuinely need a large SUV for hauling a big family around, or towing hefty trailers, SUVs fill an important niche, and they will be around for years to come. And the Tahoe, which ranks as king of the large-SUV hill, was crying out for a renovation.
Aerodynamic smoothness shows up on the flush rear side glass, and on the integrated antenna, and removal of the lip on the fuel-filler door, dropping the coefficient of drag to .363, which is the best for large SUVs. The front has a stylish upgrade on the grille, with its horizontal headlights and the horizontal line that splits the grille. Great attention to narrowing all body panel gaps adds to the classiness of the Tahoe.
Inside, the headliner is made of a woven fabric that is an improvement over that ubiquitous fuzzy stuff of the past. The front seats are heated and so is the second row of seats, while the rear seat folds and tumbles forward at the push of a button to join the foldable rear seat in making a flat floor. The instrument panel is moved down and positioned six inches forward, to make the roomier interior seem roomier still.
{IMG2}
Some other intriguing features include rain-sensing wipers, a rear camera to help avoid crushing smaller vehicles or objects when backing up, and remote start, a feature on other GM products that is eminently useful in cold climates.
Out of view of driver, occupant and passer-by, the Tahoe has been improved from the ground up. It sits on the same wheelbase, but the frame has been strengthened considerably. The entire frame has been increased 49 percent in torsional stiffness. ThatÂ’s a lot. The new front section, with stronger cross-members, has been increased 90 percent in torsional stiffness.
That allowed engineers to remake the suspension and steering for much better handling feel, from on-center steering to cornering precision without the sway normally associated with large, top-heavy trucks. A 3-inch wider stance up front aids that feel, and use of higher-strength steel in body pillars adds to the safety of occupants, along with rollover sensors and roof-mounted side airbags, supplementing the usual array of airbags and side pillars.
Under the hood, the 5.3-liter pushrod V8 is all aluminum, with 320 horsepower and 340 foot-pounds of torque, and featuring an imperceptible cutoff of four of the eight cylinders when cruising. ThatÂ’s something GM has been promising for two years, while Chrysler beat the General to it and now has it in use on every Hemi V8 application.
I like the instrumentation, and the new seats, which have better side support than the smoothly slippery seats of past Tahoes. Steering feel and the improved brake feel add to the feel of control. The interior room and smoother exterior leads Chevy stalwarts to claim the Tahoe drives smaller on the outside, while you live bigger inside.
The biggest claim for the Tahoe is improved fuel economy. That, too, remains to be seen. All the cars in the introductory fleet had the 5.3 V8, the two-wheel-drive Tahoe EPA estimates are for 22 highway and 16 city, while the four-wheel-drive units show 21 highway and 15 city.
These are EPA estimates, with city figures obtained in a lab without driving, and highway figures calculated without going over 60 miles per hour and without air-conditioning on. I asked if Chevy had any real-world evidence that they could get that sort of mileage, but Chevrolet officials said they only use the EPA figures.
No matter what the actual mileage comes down to, and even if large-SUV sales drop off from their annual sale of 750,000, GM is not likely to lose their 62-percent share of that market. GMÂ’s Gary White mentioned that the company likes that 62 percent share, “But with the new Tahoe, we want to take the excuses away from the other 38 percent.Ââ€
(John Gilbert writes weekly new vehicle reviews and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Concept Camaro unveiled amid flurry of auto show cars
DETROIT, ,MICH — Call it the return of the ponycars – emphasis on the plural. If the superbly styled high-tech/retro Dodge Challenger was the star of SundayÂ’s opening of media days at the North American International Auto Show, then Chevrolet may have stolen the scene from a number of spectacular new vehicles by showing off a new concept Camaro.
It may take a year or two to bring the Camaro to production, but both the Challenger and the Camaro will take off in hot pursuit of the enormously successful Ford Mustang. Shades of the 1960s. Next thing you know, theyÂ’ll resurrect the Trans-Am road-racing series and try to bring back Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney and the boys. In fact, Roger Penske, the racing guru who ran the original Camaros that the late Mark Donohue drove to Trans-Am glory, was on the podium to help with the introduction of the exotic-looking Camaro concept, which took place after some of the original Camaros paraded past in the huge General Motors section of Cobo HallÂ’s main floor.
When it comes to ceremony and pure show-biz, however, nothing can match DaimlerChrysler, which has set and reset the standard every year, and in fact every day, since Jason Vines took over as promotional wizard.
On Monday, Jeep unveiled the new 2007 Wrangler, which is 5-inches longer and armed with stability control and roll-mitigating electronics. Jeep, under Chrysler Group auspices, also unveiled a new Compass, a compact SUV smaller than the Cherokee. The transition was the fun, however, After the Wrangler was introduced, Vines suggested that boss Tom Lasorda should take the vehicle outside, where it belongs. Sure enough, they drove off the stage, down the corridor in Cobo, out the opened doors into the lobby, and then they crashed through a huge plate-glass window to burst out into the street. As the gathered media watched a video screen, the Wrangler crossed the street, climbed the stairs to the Pontchartrain Hotel, and then scaled a jagged, geometric pile of fake rocks to perch atop a huge “Jeep†sign for the rest of the two-week auto show.
As a very impressive band played a number of varied hits, the Compass was next,. One of the songs the band played was a rendition of the Eagles “Takin’ It Easy,†only at the part where it should say: “It’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford,†they substituted: “It’s a girl, I see, in a Grand Cherokee…†Pure show-biz.
Other highlights of the day included the new Lincoln Mk S luxury sedan and a new Mark X luxury SUV; Nissan brought out an all-new Sentra, looking very Altima-like, as well as a concept sporty car; Toyota officially showed off its new 2007 Camry and the FJ Cruiser SUV; BMW underplayed the just introduced Z4 Coupe, introduced in Frankfurt in September, and spent a half-hour on annual-report stuff before unveiling the M-Class racy model of the Z4 roadster, and showed the M6 version of the 6-Series coupe as well as the M5.
Perhaps the most intriguing new car was the Volvo C30, a concept 3-door hatchback – one of a trend most auto companies are taking to downsizing and creating neat subcompacts. This one is a cinch to be made, and, with the S40 underpinnings, could challenge the GTI, Civic Si, and every other high-performing hatchbacks in the world. The fact that there aren’t many competitors may just make the chances for major success greater.
FordÂ’s PAG (Premier Automotive Group) includes Jaguar, Aston Martin and Range Rover as well as Volvo, and a new Aston Martin Rapide 4-door also was a big hit at the group introduction. Mitsubishi showed off a racy new sporty-coupe concept, as well as the 2007 Eclipse Spyder, the convertible version of the just-introduced Eclipse coupe.
{IMG2}
Acura unveiled the prototype version of the previous concept RDX, a compact but high-performance SUV that I thought was the hit of last year’s concept vehicles. Being a prototype is one step away from production, and this one will be powered by a 2.3-liter VTEC turbo – Honda’s first production turbocharged engine – with 240 horsepoewr and 260 foot-pounds of torque, and paddle shift buttons on the steering wheel for the 5-speed automatic.
HondaÂ’s upscale Acura line followed up on the new and smaller Fit, a new Honda subcompact that indicates Honda is joining Toyota, Nissan and Mazda in the trend toward smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. The Fit is smaller than the Civic, but, to make the name come alive, people fit inside.
Mini, the subsidiary of BMW that has continued to increase in sales in the five years since it was introduced as a high-tech version of the old British hatchback, may have kindled the new trend toward small hatchbacks, and Mini introduced a stretched version of its Traveler model of the Mini, which makes it more storage-friendly and rear-seat-occupant usable.
Kia unveiled its revised Sedona minivan and an all-new Optima midsize sedan, that looks different but shares the platform of HyundaiÂ’s Sonata in the all-Korean relationship. It was a hectic day-full of introductions, climaxed with a concept vehicle from Subaru.
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.
For those who want to keep up with John Gilbert's view of sports, mainly hockey with a Minnesota slant, click on the following:
Click here for sports