Altima gets sporty boost from 2005 SE-R model
BELLINGHAM, WASH. — About a decade ago, Nissan created a surprise high-performer with the Sentra SE-R, which looked like the basic entry-level subcompact, but, thanks to those initials after the name, came equipped with factory upgraded engine, suspension, wheels, tires, and, most importantly, fun quotient. So when I got the chance for a brief weekend with a 2005 Nissan Altima SE-R, I jumped at it.
We were in the midst of the introduction of the all-new Nissan Pathfinder in Seattle, and nearby Bainbridge Island, but everything we were experiencing about the Pathfinder would be embargoed until the end of August. ThatÂ’s a reasonable way to allow monthly magazines a fair chance to drive the same vehicles earlier and describe them at approximately the same time as daily or weekly publications. Of course, I got my September issue of one of those magazines in July, but the automakers overlook that sort of cheating with wink-wink/nudge-nudge acceptance.
My plan was to follow the Seattle trip with a weekend drive to scenic Bellingham, up close to the British Columbia border, where you can choose between ocean, harbor, or Mount Baker and its foothills for your scenery. My son, Jeff, is living in Bellingham, and when I was offered the chance to test a preproduction Altima SE-R, I was off. Nissan has reintroduced the Sentra SE-R, and plans to bring out a new Altima SE-R in mid-September, although it isnÂ’t planning a separate introduction. Chances for an exclusive road-test arenÂ’t often available.
A bright red and shiny black SE-R were both on display In Seattle, where Starbucks or “Seattle’s Best Coffee†stands are everywhere. I savor my gourmet coffee black and straight, and that was the same way I chose my Altima SE-R – black and with a straight, six-speed stick. A couple hours later, up Interstate 5 with the weekend wanderers, I felt united with the Altima SE-R’s capabilities, just as it felt fully responsive to my every urging to maneuver out of the way of SUV speeders and around cell-phone slowpokes.
The Altima itself was changed completely three years ago, growing onto the same platform as the larger Maxima and gaining Nissan’s strong 3.5-liter V6 in the process. For 2005, the front has been restyled to take on the “family†grille, and the SE-R gets a darkened treatment. It also gets unique front and rear fascias, a rear spoiler, high-intensity xenon headlights, tiny foglights set into the lower front, and large chrome tips on the dual exhausts. True to the SE-R heritage, the best stuff comes underneath.
The 3.5 V6 is increased from 250 to 260 horsepower, and from 249 to 251 foot-pounds of torque for the SE-R, and while thatÂ’s not a big improvement, the difference is readily apparent from the husky exhaust note. A modular cylinder-head design with lightweight pistons is topped off by continuously-variable valve timing and a variable fuel-air induction system. The SE-RÂ’s six-speed manual gets slightly revised gear ratios from second gear upward when compared to the five-speed sticks of other Altima models. The five-speed automatic that was on the red display car is also available on the SE-R.
The SE-R sticks to the road with larger18-inch forged alloy wheels that are 8 inches wide, compared to the standard 16-by-6.5 on base, four-cylinder Altimas and 17-by-7 on SL or SE models. The altered aspect ratio means more alloy and less rubber, and the 225/45R18 low-profile tires help provilde superior grip. Just as significant to the handling of the SE-R is an increase in thickness of the stabilizer bars, by 2 millimeters in front and by 4.3mm. in the rear.
It was no surprise that the SE-R Altima held its position with ease on the freeway, but it more eagerly accepted the twisty two-lane roads from Bellingham to Mount Baker, where I my son, Jeff, was tour-guide and co-driver. He was as impressed as I was at the carÂ’s behavior. While it accelerated swiftly, the most fun was putting the right front corner on the outer line and having it hold that line with precision around the tightest turns.
Disc brakes on all four wheels are larger and thicker in front on the SE-R, and antilock brakes are standard, while brake-assist and electronic brake force distribution help assure that when you step on the brake pedal hard, you will get full potential out of those enlarged discs.
Inside, the SE-R package starts out with a unique dash treatment, with sportier textures and a center array of voltage, oil pressure and fuel consumption atop the stack that houses the audio and heat-air controls. That means you canÂ’t get a navigation system in the SE-R. You do get the upgraded Bose audio system with six disc changer in the dash and eight speakers. Power, heated, leather front bucket seats and a 60-40 fold-down rear seat are standard in the SE-R.
At 3,279 pounds, the SE-R is no lightweight, but it carries its nose-heavy distribution well on the front-wheel-drive platform, and torque steer was never a problem during my drive time. Fuel economy is estimated at 20 city and 28 highway for the stick-shift SE-R.
The Altima’s main challenge always has been the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, and it does well in that comparison. Last year, a new challenger emerged with the revised Mazda6 setting new standards for sporty handling among midsize sedans. Maybe that was the inspiration for Nissan to develop the SE-R, which gives the Altima a boost in sporty performance and handling in a potent package that is tastefully styled to be subtle – until you put your foot down.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
PT Cruiser goes topless to add flair for 2005
A PT Cruiser convertible? What’s next – a mini-sized Suburban? A convertible Mini-Cooper?
When Chrysler came out with the PT Cruiser, it was probably the most eye-catching vehicle in the industry, and completed something of a hat trick, following the Plymouth Prowler and Dodge Viper, proving that concept cars could spring to life and make fantasy become reality. The Viper is still around, as DodgeÂ’s halo vehicle, a limited-production car that has overpowered its way to international road-racing prowess, although the Prowler ended its limited production run without ever capturing the popularity anticipated for it.
The PT Cruiser, however, not only lives on, but has broadened its appeal as a vehicle that is more than just interminably cute. Granted, the PT Cruiser is cute, a retro-look wagon that resembles one of those compact little British taxicabs of 50 years ago. It was a brilliant design, with a short exterior length housing a surprisingly roomy interior that featured upright seating for four and surprising trunk space under that station-wagon-like tailgate.
A fellow I know traded in two SUVs and bought two PT Cruisers, one for himself to drive to work and the other for his wife to haul the kids to hockey practice. They did the job that station wagons, minivans and SUVs had done so well.
The only drawback to the PT Cruiser was that while it foretold the popular notion of giving drivers and occupants an up-tall view of the roadway, and had an efficient little four-cylinder engine, it didnÂ’t have the ability to house anything more than that four-cylinder. So when the automotive world swirled upward in an escalation of power, power and more power, the PT Cruiser could have been left behind.
So, a year ago, DaimlerChrysler upgraded the PT CruiserÂ’s 16-valve, dual-overhead-camshaft, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine by strapping a turbocharger on it. The result was that while the PT Turbo didnÂ’t handle much like a sports car, its sudden boost to 215 horsepower gave it sports-car-like acceleration, with 0-60 sprint times of around 7 seconds, and a top speed of up around 130 miles per hour.
For 2005, DaimlerChrysler has done it again, giving the PT Cruiser another surprising upgrade by augmenting its square, four-door wagon-back style with a two-door convertible model. It almost seems like a contradiction in terms, but it works. Flip a switch and lift the leading edge of the top up from its latch, then pull on a console switch and the fabric top whirs back, back and down, coming to rest in a cubicle behind the rear seat, and exposing a wide, substantial-looking roll bar that is a stylish way to enhance safety.
The PT Cruiser Convertible has a stylish flair even with the top up, because the raised top angles forward in a coupe-like slope that separates its silhouette from its square heritage. But naturally, a convertible looks best with its top down, and the PT Cruiser is no exception. While the squareback original still has its appeal, the convertible moves back to the top for eye-catching capacity.
I found the PT Turbo fun to drive and much more appealing because of its ability to zoom away from congestion, rather than suffering behind it all, and a loaded, upscale model with the turbocharged engine and a very slick Getrag five-speed manual transmission, was priced at $27,050.
More recently, I got a PT Cruiser Convertible and was in for a surprise. It had the same turbo 2.4-liter engine, and the identical dark metallic “inferno red†paint, with a four-speed automatic transmission and the drop-top convertible, and yet it came in at a total sticker price of $26,310.
As car pricing goes, it represents an amazing bargain. The key is that the base price of the PT Turbo is $25,460, and adding heated front seats, and a nifty Sirius satellite digital radio, boosted the PT Turbo price to $27,050. The base price of the PT Cruiser Convertible Touring Edition is a mere $22,900, without the turbo engine, and a turbo version of the engine is only a $1,250 option, while the automatic is $825, and supplemental side airbags lift the total to only $26,310.
The PT Cruiser/Turbo/Convertible suffered its biggest problem at birth. It was introduced at the Detroit International Auto Show, where it and the Chrysler Crossfire Convertible were relegated to the back row as DaimlerChrysler rolled out the flashy new Chrysler 300C and Dodge Magnum sedans, and the spectacular ME Four-Twelve concept car. There was only so much room in the spotlight, so it took time for the convertible to catch up.
On the road, the PT Cruiser Convertible has good power, can achieve upper-20s for gas mileage, and increases its fun-to-drive quotient considerably, even if it loses some of its kid-hockey-gear stowage space. It also has all the latest touches, such as power locks with central locking, remote keyless entry, three 12-volt power outlets located front, rear and on the console, foglights, 16-inch alloy wheels with all-season touring tires, and child seat anchors for when the kid is too young for hockey and maybe even too young to appreciate the fun of going for rides in a convertible.
I like the instrument cluster, and the audio system was adequate, with its in-dash CD player. I was less impressed with the PT CruiserÂ’s handling. Granted itÂ’s still an upright-seating vehicle, so itÂ’s going to feel tall, but with the big wheels and tires, and the Touring suspension, I expected firmer cornering characteristics and maybe a little firmer steering from the power rack-and-pinion.
ItÂ’s not that the car handled poorly, but firmer handling could easily achieve the sports-car-like handling that would let the car live up to its sporty flair and turbo motor. Of course, firmer shocks and lower-profile, higher-performance tires might be easy fixes for the handling feel. In fact, the PT Turbo comes stock with 17-inch chrome-finished aluminum wheels and could readily house lower-profile performance tires.
As for continuing to be a trend-setter that inspires the competition to bring concept fantasy cars to life, consider that BMW IS going to bring out a convertible version of the Mini Cooper, as a 2005 model to be introduced in Minneapolis (the Mini in Minny?) inb September. And General Motors IS going to come out with a mini-sized retro Suburban, as a 2006 model, with the look of the original, rounded-back Suburban, but in PT Cruiser-sized form. Both of them might work well. Meanwhile, we already know that the PT Cruiser Convertible works — very well.
New Corvette shines some light on 2005 upgrades
MILFORD, MICH. — Nothing that Chevrolet could have done to the new Corvette had a chance of escaping notice, but when the company made a dramatic styling alteration for the debut of the 2005 C6 Corvette, it took a long time before Chevy shed a little light on the situation.
The new Corvette is entirely new, from platform to wheelbase to six-liter V8 to its fiberglass body panels, and it is five full inches shorter than its predecessor, and with 400 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque, it is faster than the outgoing C5 model. But the most controversial change made in the C6 compared to the eight-year-run of the C5 is its headlights.
Even though the better new car is actually reduced in price, $44,245 for the coupe and $52,245 for the convertible, there has been a little muttering from long-standing Corvette zealots. One, who has owned Corvettes for 30 years, whined to me that he thought he would keep his current ‘Vette rather than consider buying a new one. “This is the first time since 1963 that the Corvette hasn’t had flip-up headlights,†he moaned.
Now, I like flip-up headlights, but I like them best when they are flipped down. In fact, there has never been a car with flip-up headlights that didnÂ’t look better with the lights closed. So when I got my first glance at the new Corvette for 2005, with the clear lenses over the multi-beam headlights, I personally thought it was a major improvement.
But it wasn’t until the national media introductory drive of the Corvette, at the General Motors proving grounds in Milford, Mich., that General Motors illuminated its reasoning for the change. The journalists going to Milford went in what was called “waves,†which has never been more appropriate. An early-morning downpour turned into an all-day downpour, and GM had to close down the road course, which had standing water on numerous low spots. It was either that or announce that the newest GM vehicle would be called the “Ark.†The rain was particularly disappointing to me, because it was only one week after I had driven a Ford GT at 150 miles per hour on the nearby Ford test track, and I was eager to draw some comparisons.
The closing of the track meant that we got our chance to drive the new Corvettes on highways surrounding the proving grounds. We kept the speed down, and got to test the carÂ’s stability and traction a little, and its windshield wipers a lot. It also give us good reason to tune in completely during the pre-driving lectures inside a huge tent, including chief designer Luke Ananian, who was describing the features as he walked us around the car.
He pointed out that the headlights had small, bullet-like, high-intensity xenon gas discharge projector bulbs, two to a side. “All four of them are on when you hit the high beams,†said Ananian. “And when all four are on, you have 80 percent more light than on the C5 Corvette, with a 25 percent greater spread. The foglamps [located low in the bumper] have a complex parabola design. The foglamps have 58 percent of the total light of the current C5 headlights.Ââ€
The tremendous improvement in lighting was impressive, but also surprising, because many other cars from European, Japanese and other U.S. companies all have featured HID xenon lights for a decade or so. I had never noticed the Corvette lights were poor, but it was always noticeable when other cars had the xenon lights.
“ItÂ’s true, weÂ’ve never had them on the Corvette before,†said Ananian. “We couldnÂ’t package projector HID lights in the pop-ups.Ââ€
So there you have it. Chevrolet was caught in a public relations trap. ItÂ’s not proper to point out that your company ever had a problem, and promoting the new lights required divulging a shortcoming of CorvettesÂ…since 1963. On the other hand, by making a big deal of the new, improved lights, Chevrolet could have defused all the consternation and controversy from loyalists about turning away from pop-up headlights. One drive at night will be sufficient evidence.
The Corvette is ChevroletÂ’s halo vehicle, GMÂ’s corporate icon. Chevy folks are quick to point out that 50,000 Corvette fanciers visit the Bowling Green, Ky., assembly plant annually, and how something like 1.4 million Corvettes have been sold as the car enters its 51st year. “Corvettes have always combined three things – passionate design, performance technology and fantastic value,†said chief Corvette spokesman Dave Hill. “And the C6 will offer more of the same.Ââ€
There is no question that the new car is the best Corvette ever built. IÂ’ve always maintained that if the 1963-66 fastback Sting Ray Corvette was never built but came out now as a new car, it would be considered the sleekest and most stunning Corvette of all. But as Corvette designs have evolved, the C5 became the long-standing standard, and the C6 is definitely an improvement.
It is five inches shorter, and while it and the Cadillac XLR sports car share the platform and its stiffness and lightness, as well as its electromagnetic suspension, the Corvette went its own way on the exterior, interior and engine. The engine grows from 5.7 to 6.0 liters, and while its 400 horsepower remain the same, the new engine increases torque up to 400 foot-pounds, and it will rev to 6,500 RPMs. ThatÂ’s a lot of revs for a pushrod engine, but Chevy wanted to maintain the old engine design. Its power is constant, giving the Corvette a top speed of 186 miles per hour, and the stiff body, and the immediate-action shocks that firm up in a microsecond when you swerve, make the car handle as well as it goes.
Chief designer Tom Peters said he wanted to capture the passion of the old Sting-Ray Corvettes (yea!) without going retro. The wheels are pushed out to the corners, meaning an increase of 1.25 inches in wheelbase even with a five-inch reduction in overall length. The front overhang is reduced by 3.1 inches in front and 2 inches in the rear. The wheels are 18-inch in front and 19 at the rear, and contribute to an agile and responsive feel.
The audio system can be upgraded to a 5.1-channel Bose DVD surround unit, with a touch screen and six CD player. The heads-up display readout projected on the windshield can be programmed for three different modes of information. Designers said the Audi TT and the Porsche 911 were the benchmark vehicles they used for the interior. It is refined and understated, although no car interior rises to the class of the Audi TT, in my opinion.
One of the neatest features on the Corvette is the keyless entry system, which takes that term far beyond commonplace remote-fob push buttons. If you have the key fob in hand, or in pocket or purse, you don’t need to use it to unlock the car door, or to use it to activate the ignition. You pull the no-handle vertical edge of the door and it will have unlocked itself, by the mere presence of the key transmitter within six feet. Climb into the improved bucket seat, and it’s the same when you start the car – as if you were using the key, even though it’s still in your pocket.
HereÂ’s the best part. If, for example, youÂ’re driving your wife to the airport, and she takes the key in order to stash her suitcase in the quite-spacious luggage area under the hatch before you came out. With either of you having the key, you both could get in the car, and you could start it and drive. If she mistakenly kept the key while she got onto an airplane and was en route to Seattle, the car would keep running as long as you were in it. And, in ChevroletÂ’s attempt to make such a neat feature idiot-proof, it even would allow you one restart, just to assure you that you could drive home, or to a dealership for backup.
If it happens to be dark, turn on the lights – by all means – and notice how bright everything seems. And how you don’t have those silly flip-up doors sticking up in your line of vision.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews. He can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Nissan’s worldwide introduction looks beyond 2005
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. — As new-car introductions go, Nissan put on a mind-boggling display, gathering all of its worldwide vehicles for 2005 in San Francisco, then bringing in 12 waves of journalists from North America, Europe, South America, Central America, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East, for an event called Nissan 360.
In a way, it made sense. Nissan sells more than three million vehicles in 190 countries, and has 27 plants in 18 countries. So instead of holding separate introductory sessions in all corners of the world, Nissan brought everything and everybody to one site for a three week extravaganza of test drives and displays.
About 70 different vehicles were available to be driven by more than 500 journalists in all. There were so many vehicles that the full day of trying to drive as many cars and trucks as possible required some astute note-taking to keep things sorted out as we drove short and long courses from two different base sites north of San Francisco, just across the Golden Gate Bridge.
But any negatives were overcome by the realization that some of the unusual and previously unseen vehicles would be coming to the U.S., and the intriguing question of exactly which ones, and when. There were powerful gasoline engines, economical gasoline engines, hybrid vehicles, fuel-cell vehicles, diesel engine cars, and they ranged in size from subcompact to compact, to midsize, to extremely long and slinky cars, sports cars, small trucks, large trucks, SUVs, and an array of vans from mini to maxi.
Most mind-blowing were a couple of cars altered by Nissan’s “Nismo†high-performance arm, including a flashy, laser-striped 350Z and a Sentra SE-R, which just happened to be the first two vehicles I leaped into. I also enjoyed an X-Trail, which isn’t sold in the U.S., but is the Xterra equivalent sold in Europe, Canada and Japan.
The most intriguing real-world vehicle in the whole batch was something called the Micra. It is a small car, subcompact in exterior dimensions, but fully capable of housing four full-sized people with trunk-room. It appears perfectly placed to capitalize on the current trend back to smaller commuter vehicles with maximum fuel efficiency, in order to cope with fuel prices that keep escalating above and beyond $2 per gallon.
Nissan showed off three varieties of a car called the Cube, which are starkly styled, square-back vehicles that also are pretty square-front, looking a lot like the Scion xB, and I enjoyed heckling some Nissan executives from Japan about the whole purpose of the display being to show off that Nissan has a square little vehicle before Toyota created the Scion.
But the Micra was my favorite. It is sold in Europe, and also in Japan as the March, which blends the ongoing relationship Nissan of Japan has enjoyed with Renault of France. Their connection is referred to as “the Alliance†by everyone connected with Nissan, and it is an arrangement by which Renault now owns 44 percent of Nissan, while Nissan also owns 15 percent of Renault.
The complex arrangement started out with Renault investing some much-needed money to bail out Nissan from some major financial difficulties in 1999. The two companies have remained on their own, with completely separate boards of directors, even though Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn adds to the confusion by being CEO of both companies. Obviously, the two companies are sharing basic vehicle platforms, manufacturing facilities, and powertrains, to say nothing of ideas.
Since the Alliance came into effect, consider the all-new products from Nissan, such as the 350Z, the renewed Altima and Maxima, and entirely new Quest minivan, Titan pickup truck and Armada SUV, to say nothing of all the new Infiniti models. Japanese officials steadfastly insist that there is no French input on the styling of those vehicles, but nobody can say they don’t all have a stylish flair – as do the cars Renault is now building for its European customers.
The 360 obviously stood for the number of degrees in going all the way around the world. “But 360 also indicates Nissan has come full circle as a company,†said Tadao Takahashi, NissanÂ’s executive vice president of manufacturing. “WeÂ’re back as one of the worldÂ’s leading automakers. WeÂ’ve eliminated our debt, which has significantly improved our flexibility.Ââ€
Nissan produced its first vehicle in 1914 with a car called the DAT. Then it built a Datsun Type 14 in 1935 as the first mass-produced car in Japan. Despite more recent successes as the Z, which became the best-selling sports car in the world, NissanÂ’s fortunes dipped greatly a decade ago, but with RenaultÂ’s cash infusion, the comeback has been remarkable. Nissan now has plants in places like Egypt, Malaysia, Thailand and Brazil, in addition to the better-known facilities in Japan, North America and Europe.
Nissan just completed a $40-million, 100,000 square foot expansion of its North American technical center in Michigan, employing 200 additional engineers, out of a worldwide total of 16,300 engineers. It builds full-size Titan pickups and the Armada in a new plant in Canton, Miss., and builds the V8 engines for them up the highway in Georgia.
In addition, Nissan is poised to capitalize on the sudden growth of the car market in Japan, something every manufacturer is focused on. Nissan has invested $1-billion in a 50-percent partnership with Dongfeng, the leading Chinese auto manufacturer, in addition to a $190-million investment in Thailand.
Those things may seem distant to U.S. consumers, because they are. But they tell about the worldly nature of automotives these days. Nissan sold 3,057,000 cars a year ago, including 856,000 in U.S. sales, and 837,000 in Japan, and 542,000 in Europe. In the U.S., Nissan just had the best May sales in its history, selling 87,000 vehicles for a 28 percent increase over May of 2003. But while expanding, it also is streamlining its production, introducing 28 new models from 2005 to 2007 while also cutting down from 24 different platforms of five years ago to 15 by the end of this year.
We can anticipate that the Cube will come to the U.S., and we can only hope the Micra makes it, too. IÂ’ve always enjoyed the agility of driving smaller cars, to say nothing of the economy, but I also have always wondered why most economy cars are made of such chintzy pieces. I mean, why canÂ’t small-car buyers get some of the great features of larger cars? Just because you want economy, efficiency and ease of maneuvering and parking doesnÂ’t mean you donÂ’t want a fancy audio system and great seats.
Alfonso Albaisa, the fellow who was chief designer of the Quest and is now design director for Nissan, read my mind. “Nissan is a sporty company,†Albaisa said. “When it came to planning the new Altima, we thought, ‘Why does a sedan have to be boring?Â’ When we built the Quest, minivans were utility boxes, but we wanted to make it sexy, because women didnÂ’t want to drive vans anymore. Now look at the Micra, which has keyless entry, and rain-sensing wipers – itÂ’s a small car, but it has great features.Ââ€
I drove two Micras, one of which had a gasoline engine, and was peppy and fun to drive. The other one, a sort of lima-bean green – a color almost as unappetizing as the descriptive vegetable, I must say – was powered by a 1.5-liter turbodiesel with a five-speed stick shift. It was quick, agile and thoroughly enjoyable to drive in all circumstances.
It also was clean, didnÂ’t smell foul and didnÂ’t smoke or clatter the way we remember a lot of diesels. I found out later that Nissan had imported European diesel fuel, which is far cleaner than the stuff we are forced to buy. Ah, but as of 2006, our diesel fuel will have to drop to 15 parts per million of sulfur content, from about 340 parts per million now. So the Micra has a chance to be NissanÂ’s rounded Mini Cooper.
Nissan, it turns out, built three different diesel engines for its global outlets, while Renault had five or six. Since their alliance, Nissan has quit making diesels, yielding to RenaultÂ’s expertise, and while Nissans now use Renault diesels, Renault buys NissanÂ’s fantastic 3.5-liter V6.
Among other impressive drives, I had brief tours in three different X-Trail models, with gasoline, diesel and fuel-cell power. I also drove an Altima hybrid, which will be out in about a year using the technology licensed from Toyota, with a Nissan engine, until Nissan can complete its own hybrid technology. There also was a long, sleek sedan called the Teana, which is sold in Japan and had a continuously-variable transmission that could manually be shifted through eight gear-stops. That was one of several right-hand steering vehicles I drove, which was an adventure on two-lane California roads in the mountains.
But the Micra remained the vehicle that most impressed me, as it sailed up the hill from Sausalito, to the upper reaches of the Headlands, where the carÂ’s smooth, turbo-power was interrupted only when I stopped to enjoy the panoramic view of San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge. From the looks of things, NissanÂ’s outlook is just as impressive.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto columns and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Subaru creates a new, mainstream Legacy for 2005
Subaru has an unusual problem. The Japanese company has carved a definite niche in the U.S. automotive market by making cars known to be utilitarian and quirky, in about equal doses. As useful and flexible as its all-wheel-drive sedans and wagons have been for families concerned about durability and foul-weather performance, they also have been a little weird. Call them stylishly challenged.
For 2005, Subaru’s “problem†is that the new Legacy GT is decidedly NOT weird, quirky or eccentric. Its lines flow smoothly from front to rear, and while driving the cars at the media introduction in the Las Vegas desert region, or during a recent week-long road test, I found the Legacy GT attracted a common reaction. People frequently asked what it was, and when told it was the new Subaru Legacy GT, they expressed surprise. Some said they thought at first it might be a BMW.
Nobody, until now, has ever mentioned Subaru and BMW in the same statement. So having achieved what might be called the automotive mainstream, Subaru must now take its unique assets and prove it can swim in that more-congested mainstream.
Subaru is a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries, and the first Subaru compact and subcompact cars were built road-grader tough, with a primitive ruggedness. The first Legacy came along in 1989, and Subaru attempted to make it more stylish. It evolved, and evolved, but it always was readily identifiable by its corporate quirks.
By stubbornly clinging to a couple of ideas – a flat-opposed “boxer†engine and all-wheel drive – Subaru was out there ahead of the pack in foul-weather performance. Audi also has two decades established in all-wheel drive with its quattro system, but Subaru always provided it at bargain, economy-car prices. The new one does its best to hold that line, and the manufacturer hopes it will rise beyond 90,000 in annual sales.
The current Subaru Legacy continued to do everything a Subaru should, and looked close to mainstream. For 2005, the Legacy GT has shed its cocoon and is downright handsome. Strikingly attractive, its new body has been stretched by nearly two inches in overall length, over a wheelbase that is about an inch longer, at 105.1 inches. The low front grille tapers neatly to the passenger compartment, and while it still has a large hood scoop, it is integrated stylishly into the hood now. The silhouette has a sweeping roofline contour, and the rear has a well-fashioned look that does give it a BMW-ish appearance.
“We lost our way,†said product planner Toshio Masuda, explaining the motive behind the new car. “We asked ourselves, ‘Who are we?Â’ In 1995 we were credited with the worldÂ’s first sport-utility wagon, and weÂ’ve always kept our commitment to symmetric all-wheel drive engineering and value for our customers. For 2005, this model has sensuous performance, intelligent value, and design and quality built in, without making any sacrifice or compromise.Ââ€
The other thing that happened in recent years was the popularity in the U.S. of sport-utility vehicles of all sizes. The huge ones stand alone, but midsize and compact SUVs stress useful roominess and the great attribute of all-wheel drive for foul weather driving. Their popularity has proven that the market came back to where Subaru always has been. All that remained for Subaru to become fully capable of capitalizing was a complete overhaul in the styling department.
With both the sleek four-door sedan and the companion station wagon – which Subaru prefers to call a sport-utility wagon – the fourth-generation Legacy has the all-wheel-drive segment covered, with various levels of power and all-wheel-drive systems available. The revised shape has extremely low coefficient of drag figures, with the sedan 0.28 and the wagon 0.31, thanks to a lowered center of gravity, and optional 17-inch wheels with low-profile tires enhance the GT model’s handling.
Subarus always have been tough, but the new Legacy improves its safety with the stronger body and a design that deflects impacts to the perimeter, with 39 percent of the structure using high-tensile steel protecting the occupants. Resistance to bending is improved 14 percent, torsional rigidity is 5 percent better.
The base 2.5-liter four-cylinder has 168 horsepower and 166 foot-pounds of torque – fully adequate for most everyday family purposes. The Legacy GT adds dual overhead camshafts instead of the single overhead-cam of the base engine, and an intercooled turbocharger boosts horsepower to 250 at 5,600 RPMs, and 250 foot-pounds of torque at 3,600 RPMs.
To get 250 horses out of 2.5 liters, Subaru has deployed all the high-tech tricks, with lighter yet stronger components and variable valve-timing. The stiffer body structure is lightened with selected aluminum body components, such as the hood, and aluminum parts to the refined suspension to help it stick to the road. The Legacy GT stays flat and performs very well, whether on normal roadways, or on the road course at Las Vegas Speedway – where even a rude and overbearing driving instructor’s constant barking failed to inhibit appreciation of the car’s high-speed performance.
The Legacy GT offers both a five-speed manual – a six-speed stick would be even better – or a five-speed automatic transmission. The automatic has a manual control gate for the shift lever, or can be controlled by buttons designed into the custom Momo steering wheel. It is pretty foolproof, too, because if you use the button on the steering wheel to downshift, for example, the system will take over to upshift automatically when you get back to normal cruising, effectively excusing you for being distracted by the volume of the 120-watt audio system.
Engage the sport setting on the automatic and shift points are held to higher RPMs. It is an adaptive system, which detects aggressive driving, downshifting more promptly when you lift off the throttle in hard cornering, where a conventional automatic might upshift and then need to hunt for a better gear when you get back on the gas.
The three all-wheel drive systems have distinctly different features. The base Legacy with a four-speed automatic has an electronically varied transfer clutch that actively controls power distribution to where traction is best for driving conditions.
The Legacy GT has two different systems. With manual transmission, a viscous-coupling method locks the center differential and distributes power 50-50 to front and rear, with slippage at any wheel redistributing the dosage of power to the wheels with better traction. The Legacy GT with automatic has variable torque distribution, a system with a planetary center differential and electronically variable hydraulic clutch to send 55 percent of the power to the rear wheels in normal use, but also with the ability to shift power when traction varies.
Naturally, adding power and performance, as well as all sorts of interior refinements, costs something, but Subaru hasnÂ’t forgotten its roots. The base Legacy 2.5 is a substantial bargain, priced at $20,995 for the sedan and $21,995 for the wagon. Add $1,000 for the automatic transmission, and moving upscale to the more-refined, but still-normally-aspirated 2.5 Limited hikes the price to $24,445 sedan or $25,645 wagon. The sportier and more potent Legacy 2.5 GT with the turbo engineÂ’s power and other refinements boosts the price to $28,495 for the sedan and $29,695 for the wagon.
Both the GT and basic Legacy deserve scrutiny, just donÂ’t walk into a Subaru showroom and expect to identify the new Legacy GT by some odd or quirky design. Like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, thatÂ’s one part of SubaruÂ’s tradition that the company wonÂ’t mind discarding.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews. He can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
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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