New Fords make use of Volvo, Mazda engineering
DETROIT, MI. — Ford Motor Company has come under a lot of criticism for considerable expenditures the past few years, but Ford executives justify the expenses involved in the takeovers of Volvo, Jaguar and Range Rover, and increased investment in Mazda. If the Ford folks have it figured right, those investments will start paying heavy dividends soon, such as within the coming year.
When the North American International Auto Show opens this coming week in Detroit, Ford will unveil the Five Hundred sedan and the Freestyle sport-utility vehicle – two entirely new and extremely important vehicles for the company. Ford also will continue to promote its planned upsurge for the 2005 model year with the coming Futura sedan as well as the prominent “toy department†features – the 2005 Mustang and the Ford GT. But the emphasis will be on the highest volume, mainstream cars.
It may seem that while Ford has continued to dominate the light truck/SUV market, its cars have fallen out of favor a bit, so much so that its subsidiaries, particularly Mazda, with the Mazda6, RX-8 and Mazda3, and Volvo, which is following up the huge success of the XC-90 SUV with the flair and potential of a compact S40 sedan. Those vehicles can run circles around midsize and compact sedans from Ford – as well as most other companies, foreign and domestic.
So Ford is about to unveil its big secret, which is a brilliant reinforcement of FordÂ’s claim that its future is a global one, with at least a dozen new vehicles being created to make maximum use of those exceptional vehicles already being produced by Mazda and Volvo.
As of now, nobody is saying that Ford will discontinue the Taurus, that durable and trusty workhorse of the middle size sedan segment. Steve Lyons, the president of Ford Division, acknowledged that Taurus has been the company mainstay since 1985, but also that a changing marketplace means that one car canÂ’t do everything for a company any more.
“The Taurus is still a pretty good car, but itÂ’s no longer the largest-selling car in the country,†Lyons said. “Consumers have a lot more choices, and they want vehicles that are more versatile. The Five Hundred will be slightly larger than the Taurus, and a bit more expensive, while the Futura is slightly smaller than the Taurus.Ââ€
Ford executives pull no punches when they proclaim the new Five Hundred as the new flagship of Ford’s entire car operation. Make no mistake – the Five Hundred is a large sedan which will have a sister ship in the Mercury Montego, and both are based on the Volvo P2 platform, as used in the S80, Volvo’s top-level sedan. In the process, the Five Hundred acquires Volvo’s world-class safety characteristics and lightning-quick Haldex all-wheel-drive system.
The Freestyle SUV fits in right between the midsize Explorer, which continues to be the worldÂ’s top-selling SUV, and the Escape, which is FordÂ’s highly successful compact SUV. The Escape, incidentally, began life as a version of MazdaÂ’s Tribute, showing that this sort of collaboration can pay rich dividends. The Freestyle, meanwhile, is also off VolvoÂ’s platform, taking the best stability, rollover sensing and crashworthy elements from the XC-90.
The Five Hundred is a surprisingly tall vehicle, which Ford officials say will capture the high-seated asset of SUVs, as will its all-wheel drive capability. The Five Hundred is 3 inches longer than the Taurus. It will have FordÂ’s worldwide Duratec 3.0-liter V6, with 200 horsepower and a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The V6 will be built in the Cleveland plant, and be called the Duratec 30.
Occupants in the Five Hundred (and Montego) will sit 4 inches higher than in other sedans, and the cars will feature Pirelli tires on 18-inch wheels. Ford expects about 20 percent of buyers to choose all-wheel drive. The interior will feature eight cupholders, and the largest trunk on the planet. At a media preview, Ford officials pointed out that the ability to hold four full-size golf bags is the standard for what makes a trunk spacious, then they popped the trunk on a Five Hundred and extracted eight large golf bags.
The rear seat folds down flat, and with the front passenger seat also folded down, articles as long as 10 feet can slide in through the trunk and fit, from bumper to instrument panel. With the seats up and sitable, the Five Hundred measures a foot shorter than the Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis sedans, but doubles their rear legroom.
Safety is a major asset of the Five Hundred. The body structure is reinforced throughout, with frontal-impact and side-impact energy management, and pillars and cross-members designed of high-strength steel. A 35-mile-per-hour frontal crash test left a Five Hundred perfect from the A-pillar back. The reason for the car being the safest ever built by Ford was that the platform was built by Volvo, known as the worldÂ’s vanguard of safety research.
The all-wheel drive unit is the Haldex system from Volvo, a pressure-based, torque-transfer unit that operates on front-wheel drive until the slightest tendency to slip is detected. Officials say that in 50 milliseconds – about one-quarter turn of the wheel – the torque can be transferred to the rear wheels to optimize traction. Along with the six-speed, a continuously variable transmission also will be available.
Technically, while sticking with its own 3.0 V6, Ford is offering a choice of two high-tech transmissions, either a 6-speed automatic, or a continuously-variable automatic, which can adjust its ratio continuously.
The Montego is the first all-new sedan for Mercury in over 20 years, and its grille, headlights, taillights and interior differentiate it from the Five Hundred. It will share the use of the Ford Duratec 3.0 V6, with single overhead camshafts and 200 horsepower. My personal question is why Ford doesn’t go all the way, and install the higher-powered, dual-overhead-cam version of the Duratec – which is the way Mazda uses the engine in the Mazda6.
Switching to the SUV side, Explorer sales are slightly down, but the smaller Escape and the larger Expedition are up. So Ford is inserting the Freestyle right between those two. Not only does it uses the Volvo XC-90 platform, it has VolvoÂ’s rollover sensor, and it even borrowed Jan Vulcan from Volvo in Sweden to serve as chief engineer. It has stadium style seats, with the second row higher than the front, and a third row seat that can house adults or kids, flip over to face rearward, or fold flat into the floor.
The Freestyle also uses the 3.0-liter Duratec V6 with standard front-wheel-drive, and traction-control, with all-wheel-drive optional. While smaller than the Explorer, the Freestyle actually has more cargo space than the Explorer, or the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford officials are quick to point out. That space can be filled with seats, captainÂ’s chairs or bench in the second row, which tumbles forward for access to the rear, third row, which folds flat.
FordÂ’s dependence on Mazda wonÂ’t be as immediately obvious, but will start with the use of MazdaÂ’s sensational new four-cylinder, which will be installed in the 2005 Focus, and will lift it to a power level equal to the SVT special-edition Focus, while also making the car twice as environmentally clean as the ultra-low emission level standards.
After that, FordÂ’s plans are to bring out 10 automobiles based on one platform, and that platform will be the firm, safe and solid base of the Mazda6. If Ford’s influenced has helped Mazda and Volvo deliver such outstanding vehicles in the past couple of years, it’s only smart business for Ford to make use of their technology.
(Reach John Gilbert at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Mazda3 runstogether compact size, feature upgrades
Despite the flurry of extremely worthy candidates for 2004 Car of the Year, some of us on the voting jury may have realized this past week that we may be missing the best new vehicle. The reality check
came after Wednesday’s first hands-on media exposure to the Mazda3 – the all-new compact car that replaces the Protégé.
Mazda seems intent on running numbers into letters, and a cynic might
suggest that a Mazda3 must be about half of a Mazda6. That, in itself, would be impressive, but the Mazda3 actually takes the compact category to a new peak of proficiency, and it would just as soon take a winding road to get there.
The Mazda3 comes in either a sleek four-door sedan or a five-door wagon, with the two aimed at different targets, both filled with features and a choice of two engines, starting at sticker prices under $14,000 for the sedan and under $17,000 for the squareback.
“We like to think of ourselves as taking the ‘Road Less Traveled,’ ” said Jay Amestoy, Mazda’s vice president for public and government affairs, when introducing the car at a makeshift parking-lot site on the University of Michigan campus. “For Mazda to succeed, we have to do things differently, and be far more clever.”
The Mazda3 is about as clever as a compact can get, although Mazda didn’t submit it for Car of the Year consideration, even though it is a 2004 model-year car, and will reach showrooms by the end of November. Mazda didn’t want to dilute the chances of the RX-8, or to duplicate last year, when the Mazda6 was delayed reaching media test-fleets, so it pretty well got overlooked by the jury of the nation’s
top selected automotive journalists.
Actually, I voted for the Mazda6 first last year, followed by the
Mini-Cooper, Nissan 350Z and Infiniti G35. My 2-3-4 picks wound up 1-2-3,but my No. 1 choice was justified when the Mazda6 gained car-of-the-year status in a dozen different countries, and piled up numerous other technical awards elsewhere before finding belated success in the U.S.
At the compact level, meanwhile, the Protégé has been very competitive against the best – Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Nissan Sentra. Still, a brief trial
run in both models of the Mazda3 indicate that by taking distinct cues from the RX-8 and the Mazda6, the Mazda3 sets new standards of sportiness, sophistication, and upscale features for the compact market.
Compact buyers always have been willing to compromise, accepting obvious cutbacks in rear-seat and trunk room, and knowing that lucrative features of larger and costlier sedans wouldn’t be available. Those include structural strength and safety; four-wheel disc brakes; high performance power, handling and braking; interior amenities; navigation systems; alloy wheels; even tire-pressure monitors.
The Mazda3 includes some of those features standard and the rest within a lengthy option list, which includes a navigation system with a pop-up screen atop the nicely textured dash, leather seats, alloy wheels in 15, 16 or 17-inch diameter, and even the Xenon high-intensity discharge headlights generally available only on premium luxury cars. Overdoing the option list to get all the airbags and audio items could jack the four-door price from $13,680 up to around $18,000, or take the five-door from $16,405 up to $23,000.
But even in base form, the Mazda3 meets the company’s objectives for stylish design, technically advanced driving dynamics, and quality craftsmanship inside and out. All Mazda3 models, for example, come with four-wheel disc brakes – no compromising or “decontenting,” as some of Mazda’s top competitors cloak it.
Mazda benefits by its worldly alliance with Ford Motor Company, which also owns Volvo. “This is the most successful collaboration so far,” said Robert Davis, senior vice president of marketing and product development for Mazda. “The Mazda3 is built on a shared platform that also is being used by the new Volvo S40 and the European Ford Focus. In the shared engineering, Mazda was responsible for the powertrains, Volvo for the chassis structure and safety, and the suspension came from Ford of Europe.”
From there, each manufacturer designed and built unique features into the cars. The Mazda3 is by far the most adventurous in styling, from the Mazda6/RX-8 look of the grille on back.
Mazda took its exceptional new 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, designed and built as the base powerplant for the larger Mazda6 a year ago, and spun off a 2.0-liter version by shortening the stroke. The 2.0 is the base engine for the Mazda3 “i” model, and is quick and lively in the 2,700-pound car with 148 horsepower and 135 foot-pounds of torque. The 2.3 is available as an option, and is the only engine in the five-door. It boosts levels to 160 horsepower and 150 foot-pounds.
The aluminum engines both have chain-driven dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, and using a chain means there is no worry about changing a timing belt. Horsepower peaks at 6,500 RPMs, which is also the redline for maximum revs, conservative though that may be. The larger 2.3 has variable valve-timing. A five-speed manual transmission with pleasantly wide ratios, and an option is a four-speed automatic with a manual-shift gate.
The Mazda3 is 2.9 inches longer than the outgoing Protégé, with a wheelbase of almost an inch longer, and 2.2 inches taller and 2.0 inches wider. That translates to more interior room in both versions, except in front legroom, which is compensated for by a slightly raised seat position, which have a higher hip-point and therefore legs are slightly more vertical from the knees down, so a 0.3-inch decrease in legroom equates to more room. Besides, there is almost a full inch increase in rear legroom.
Chief designer Hideki Suzuki created the Mazda3 with careful integration of the interior and exterior. He has worked both at the California design studio and at Mazda’s home in Hiroshima, Japan. His English is pretty good,and he has mastered such phrases as the stress on “the emotion of motion” of Mazda’s corporate objectives, involving an attitude both “athletic and energetic,” featuring the “unexpected details” such as the head and taillights and even the door handles, enhancing “greater function and practicality” than a buyer might anticipate from a compact, as well as the promise of “agile movement” from “muscular form.”
The four-door and five-door have completely different shapes and all
different body panels, with the four-door expected to attract buyers who prefer a touch of sophistication, prestige, and maybe even elegance, while the five-door is intended for the more aggressive, athletic and advanced-utility buyer. Suzuki said that he was striving for a tasteful fusion of “sporty excitement and comfort.”
A standard of compacts is fuel economy, and the Mazda3 hit EPA marks of 35 highway/28 city for the 2.0, and 32 city/25 highway for the 2.3, while achieving such low emissions that Davis said that in California, “the Mazda3 exhaust is cleaner than the air taken in.”
Safety starts with the redoubtable Volvo structural design, which has a strengthened unibody that is 40 percent more rigid to flexing, and is augmented by Mazda’s structural design to disperse force of impact three ways, down and around the passenger compartment. Antilock brakes and six airbags are available, while softer, rounded interior features, a rear structure to limit intrusion, and whiplash-countering seatbacks are standard, and Davis said in-house tests make Mazda confident the Mazda3 will attain the highest five-star awards in government crash-tests.
Davis bristles at questions about demographics discovered through market research. “We don’t do demographics, we do psyche-graphics, because we’re concerned more with lifestyle than age of our customers,” said Davis. “Our buyers like a little fun in their driving, they enjoy driving, and they might be more youthful and active.” He acknowledged the versatility of the Mazda3, but added, “Our buyers may be looking for enjoyment rather than
utility.”
Mazda overall is slightly down in U.S. sales for 2003, but company officials say that’s because Mazda moved away from fleet sales, which made up as much as 15 percent of their sales, and they anticipate a 3-4-percent increase overall by the time 2003 ends. They would like to increase by a modest 5 percent for the 2004 model year, which would be between 290,000 and 300,000 vehicles.
Of that total, the Mazda3 is anticipated to account for25-30 percent, or about 70,000 cars. About 40 percent will be the five-door, which comes only as the “S” model, with the larger engine. As for packages, 20 percent of the total should be the basic “i” model, and 30 percent the “S” upgrade, with the sport package, and the rest will be somewhere in between.
Maybe Mazda is the victim of its own cleverness. They could have withheld the Mazda3 for introduction for another two months, declared it a 2005 model, and immediately become the front-runner for next year’s Car of the Year.
Chevy’s strong display paces GM’s new 2004 array
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — General Motors is making some new moves for the 2004 model year, everything from sports cars to trucks and SUVs, and it summoned automotive journalists to a series of regional displays to introduce the new fleet. Some of the new vehicles had already been introduced, such as CadillacÂ’s XLR sports car and SRX sport-utility vehicle, but many were making their media debuts before being released to dealer showrooms.
Chevrolet had the most new vehicles, with the new midsize Colorado pickup, which replaces the S-10 as well as the Malibu, Malibu Maxx, SSR sports-car-pickup specialty car, and the Aveo subcompact. The GMC truck line displayed the Canyon, its version of the Colorado, along with the Envoy XUV, which is a singular long SUV with an opening roof over its completely enclosed rear cargo area.
Cadillac had the $75,000 XLR on hand, and it had the new SRX, which had been introduced prior to the display session, but was at the site armed with the 4.6-liter Northstar V8 engine. Saturn had an Ion coupe, and the new Redline version of the VUE, its upgraded SUV, complete with a Honda V6 engine. And Buick had the Ranier, its new SUV. There was even a Saab 9-3 convertible, as that Swedish company is now a GM brand.
Here is a brief pick at some of the more significant vehicles:
• Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon – The pickups are new from the tires to the roof, with regular, extended and crew cabs, and thorough refinements throughout, and the only difference between the two is the grille, with the Chevy getting the now-trademark horizontal bar through the middle. Most impressive is the introduction of GM’s spinoff engines that make the highly successful 4.2-liter in-line six-cylinder. That engine, first put in the TrailBlazer and Envoy, is a dual-overhead-camshaft, multiple-valve engine with great power and smooth performance. For the Colorado (and Canyon), GM chopped two cylinders off and made a high-tech four-cylinder, and also reduced it by one cylinder to make a five-cylinder – both of which are in the midsize trucks. I drove the five-cylinder version of both, and found them very responsive and smooth. The trucks will come with three suspensions, including an off-road Z71, and prices start at $16,000.
• Chevrolet Malibu – The Malibu name used to adorn Chevy’s first attempt at a midsize car, back in the 1960s. It has been rejuvenated recently on some compact Chevrolet vehicles, and will be an all-new car for 2004, which Chevy officials claim can take on the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry midsize giants. That may be a bit optimistic in the fierce category that also includes the Mazda 6, Altima, Jetta and others. The car is good-looking, in a generic sort of way, with the horizontal bar grille, and inoffensive but unremarkable features otherwise. A rigid body platform and the corporate global Ecotec four-cylinder engine or a 3500 pushrod V6 are available. The interior is good, with 60-40 split rear fold-down seat. Price starts at $18,370, and GM officials say they anticipate selling 90,000 Malibu and Malibu Maxx models.
• Malibu Maxx – More than just a wagon-back version of the Malibu, the Maxx rides on a longer wheelbase and actually is more attractive, as well as more interesting, than its sedan cousin. The rear seat slides almost 7 inches forward or back, with a 60-40 split backrest. A fixed skylight above the rear seats is a nice feature, and a rear DVD entertainment system is on the rear of the center console, with two sets of infrared headphones and video game jacks, and a standard power outlet in the rear cargo area. Price is $21,600.
• Chevy SSR—Chevrolet claims the SSR has graced 21 magazine covers and attracted 10,000 requests, which might be because two or three years as a car-show star have almost made its introduction something beyond “long-awaited.†The sedan-like front end opens to a pickup-box rear, much like the El Camino of the 1960s, and the roof over the two-seat occupant compartment rolls back and disappears, making it a convertible pickup-car. The SSR feels solid and a bit hefty, and with good reason. Instead of being mounted on a sedan or sports-car platform, it is planted on the TrailBlazer SUV platform. The unique roadster draws nothing but stares on the road, and it is powered by a 5,300 pushrod V8 engine made of aluminum and putting out 300 horsepower and 331 foot-pounds of torque. Price is $41,370, and the list for long-term road-tests is as long as the list of media folks present.
• Cadillac CTS – The chiseled look of the CTS is familiar by now, but Cadillac has revised the car for 2004 to be powered by an all-new “high-feature†V6 that is shared for this year only by the SRX and the Buick Rendezvoous. It has 255 horsepower from variable valve-timing, and makes the CTS a true sports sedan. A Corvette V8 version will be following after the first of the year, but drivers who try the front-engine/rear-drive car with the hot new high-tech V6 might not bother waiting.
• GMC Envoy XUV – The Envoy may be getting rewarded for its loyal years of second-class treatment alongside the Chevy TrailBlazer, and while both were given stretched versions a year ago, only the Envoy gets the opening rear roof treatment. The front two rows of seats are strictly out of the extended SUV, but the rear cargo area is encased in composite material, including a midgate power-glass window that can be closed to seal off the rear area. The roof rolls at the touch of the key fob and disappears to leave the entire rear area open to the sky. You can visualize four people riding home while hauling a tall treefrom a nursery, sticking up through the open roof. So well-sealed is the rear compartment, that you can hose it out for cleaning, with one-way drains that are guaranteed not to clog, according to GM officials. The tailgate either drops down or swings open from left-to-right. A V8 is available, but the aforementioned 4.2-liter in-line six is both the base and an excellent engine for the Envoy. Price is $31,240.
• The Aveo, in either sedan or wagon-back form, is a new subcompact that Chevy officials claim will take on the best little cars, such as the Kia Rio or Hyundai Accent. If it looks the part of taking on those Korean-built minis, that’s appropriate because Chevrolet bought out Daewoo, a Korean company that had created Italian-designed cars. The rebadged Daewoo is the Aveo (pronounced Ah-VAY-oh), with a 16-valve Ecotec engine that shows 103 horsepower and 105 foot-pounds of torque. The Aveo starts at $9,995, with the upgraded LS starting at $12,500.
• Buick Ranier – The Rendezvous brought more – and younger – buyers to Buick showrooms last year, and the Ranier gives Buick a second SUV. This one is a refaced version of the TrailBlazer, and comes with either the 4200 in-line six or the optional 5300 V8. The Ranier is the only one of the corporate short-wheelbase SUVs to get the V8, but the six has 275 horsepower, almost as much as the V8’s 290. A stiffened body, and considerable attention to reducing road noise makes the Ranier a distinctive midsize SUV. A spacious interior with Buick-quiet ambience and on-demand all-wheel drive should make it a popular attraction at $35,295.
All of the new GM products will be worth longer evaluations on the road, and there was no Pontiac GTO available at the San Antonio session. Short trips in the XLR with the roof down, and the SRX with the enormous sunroof slid back and the Northstar V8 doing its thing, reinforce the attractiveness of both vehicles as the highest echelon of General Motors for 2004.
S80’s all-wheel drive seeks better grip on midwest sales
SHAKOPEE, MN. — WeÂ’ve been known to actually have a touch of snow in Minnesota by mid-October, although thatÂ’s probably not what “Minnesota Nice†advocates refer to when discussing the regionÂ’s quality of life. Volvo officials considered both features – MinnesotaÂ’s quality of life and snowy winters – when it introduced its new S80 sedan.
Instead of summoning the automotive journalists to some flashy resort on the West Coast, Volvo decided to go to the people, the core of its consumers, and introduced the S80 at something called the Volvo All-Wheel-Drive Test, on the asphalt parking lot of the Valley Fair the amusement park in the Minneapolis suburb of Shakopee. The event, held both Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 11-12, provided an opportunity for potential buyers to check out the new S80, by look, by feel, and also by putting it through emergency-handling and evasive maneuvers between the cones of a twisty layout, which also included a slippery skidpad.
Volvo officials were careful to warn the drivers that it wasn’t a race, or even a timed autocross event, just the chance to experience the car’s capabilities. Through three sessions each day, most of the drivers came away impressed with the S80, although very few of them tried to push the cars beyond a respectful, careful pace. In short, it was what you might expect from a “traditional†Volvo event. Volvo didn’t intend for the event to be a media introduction, although the company had allowed me to road-test the first S80 to arrive, and also invited me to come out to the introduction. So somebody pushed the S80 to tire-squealing limits.
They heckled me when I nicked a couple of cones on a couple of the hottest laps I made. There was a bit of swaying and screeching in the hardest swerves, but the S80 was always predictable. On the skidpad, you could floor the throttle and feel all four tires grappling with the slipperiness but getting started, almost immediately, and staying in a straight trajectory. Zig-zagging around a slalom, or abrupt switchbacks, were no problem.
When it comes to problems, VolvoÂ’s biggest one is convincing buyers there may be some closet hot-rodders lurking back in Gothenburg in the engineering ward. The Swedish auto company, long known for unparalleled safety characteristics, has only recently started to accompany its ultra-safe vehicles with sporty design, and even high-performance handling.
The addition of a potent, 300-horsepower application to the S60 R midsize sedan, with a turbocharged five-cylinder engine, six-speed stick shift, all-wheel drive, and upgraded handling, was clear evidence as an early-2004 model. Now Volvo bolsters its largest and most luxurious sedan with some tendencies that might best be described as adventurous, if not high-performance.
Aimed at upscale cars such as the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class, Lexus ES-300, Cadillac Seville, Lincoln LS, etc., the S80 slipped under the usually-accurate radar screens of several top auto magazines, whose listing of the 2004 cars said the S80 would be unchanged, still with the in-line six-cylinder engine, mounted transversely ahead of the front axle, with front-wheel drive.
The S80 with the six, augmented by the extremely sophisticated “Four-C†suspension from the S60 R. But the big news – and the reason for the Valley Fair consumer introduction – is the S80’s newly available all-wheel drive, only when powered by the turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder. The turbo boost is turned down from the S60 R application to the S80, dropping from 300 to 208 horsepower, peaking at 5,000 RPMs, along with 236 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 RPMs.
One of the benefits of the five-cylinder over the more powerful six is that it takes up less room under the hood, which allows Volvo to install its latest, 5-speed automatic transmission, while the six can only accommodate the 4-speed. The five-speed automatic has a winter mode, to allow starting up in second, and is complemented by four-wheel traction control. Reducing some of the punch is compensated for by the added flexibility of the extra gear, so itÂ’s no drawback that the five-cylinder is the only way to obtain all-wheel drive.
All-wheel drive enhances the safe, sturdy feel of the S80. It reacts quickly to transmit power to the wheel with the best traction, although drivers wonÂ’t feel any lurches or jerks when the all-wheel drive power shifts, just smooth, driving-on-rails precision.
All-wheel drive shows how far Volvo has come. It wasn’t until the last decade that Volvo switched over to front-wheel drive, after traditionally remaining stuck on rear-wheel drive – and “stuck†might be the operative word, in some harsh winter storms. Volvo did install all-wheel drive, but only on its Cross Country wagons, about the time Volvo also abandoned the familiar boxy look by adding curvaceously appealing lines to its sedans.
The new S80 looks very similar to the 2003 model it replaces, and adding all-wheel drive and the well-proven five-cylinder will only help its image. The S80 is smooth, if not neck-snapping, with the five, and it holds pace at any freeway speed with ease while delivering startling fuel efficiency in real-world driving. I drove the first S80 to arrive earlier, and while pushing it pretty hard, I got 29.7 miles per gallon, which beats the EPA estimate of 27 MPG for sustained highway mileage. The EPA city estimate is 20, but I got 27 in combined city-highway driving.
Another big surprise is the price. While the S80 has enough refinement and firm comfort to compete with the best mid-luxury cars, its base price is $37,200. The test car was $42,525, outfitted with options such as leather seats, a power glass moonroof, power passenger seat, special seventeen-inch alloy wheels, a dynamic stability-control upgrade, and bi-Xenon headlights, which have reflectors that tilt up and down, so the powerful beam trajectory covers both high or low beams.
The S80 adds another notch on Volvo’s safety tradition, with high-strength steel surrounding the passenger compartment, airbags to cushion the front occupants, all the way up to head-height, with the side curtain, and the seats – unsurpassed for firm comfort – have pretensioning safety harnesses and anti-whiplash headrests.
So repeat Volvo buyers might be hesitant to floor the gas pedal, while new Volvo customers will find it pleasantly responsive. In either case, the new safe and secure S80 is now further armed with all-wheel drive – even if snow flurries don’t bother Upper Midwesterners until December.
(John Gilbert writes weekly columns and can be reached by email at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Costly audio system has 2004 Acura TL for wrapper
SEATTLE, WA. — On October 6, audiophiles and common music fans alike can check out the newest boundary for contemporary audio systems. In fact, customers will even be able to purchase the system, for $33,000.
OK, so $33,000 may seem a bit excessive, even for the greatest audio system ever devised, but in this case, you happen to get the system encased in a very good automobile — the Acura TL. The completely renovated mainstream mid-luxury sedan from HondaÂ’s upscale branch, every Acura TL will come with the ELS 5.1 DVD Surround Sound audio system as standard equipment. The system was designed by Elliot Scheiner, in collaboration with Panasonic.
The car can command full automotive attention by itself. It is aimed at recapturing the lead in the mid-luxury segment, which has been gobbled up by an expanding array of vehicles, including BMW 3 or 5 Series, Lexus ES, the Audi A4 or A6, Mercedes C230 and Volvo S60 or S80. With a complete departure in appearance, the 2004 TL has a wedgy, edgy look to it, more like the newly introduced and smaller TSX sports sedan than the somewhat mundane styling that plagued the outgoing TL, and more seriously inhibited the larger RL.
The new TL also has power and performance to back up the new look, with 270 horsepower – up 45 over the past TL and up 10 over the Type S sports model of the old TL – and it is available with a six-speed manual transmission or a manually-controlled five-speed automatic. A larger and much more stylish interior, improved safety and electronic wizardry, and a more responsive driving “feel” make the new TL significantly improved.
On top of that, while competitors are rushing to revert to rear-wheel drive, Acura is a cinch to increase market share across the snowbelt states by retaining front-wheel-drive on the flashy new TL. Even with the slickest traction-control, the simple fact remains that in slippery conditions the rear drive-wheels spin when you step on the gas, as if attempting to pass the front wheels. With front-wheel drive, the rears simply follow where the fronts lead.
So the Acura TL can take its place among the numerous improved and impressive mid-luxury sedans. That brings us back to the audio system, which stands alone.
Think of the person with the finest ear for sound technicalities. It has to be the audio engineer who sits in the control room of a studio or concert hall, determining the absolute best intensity and separation of every voice and instrument, then encodes his finely-tuned preferences onto the next CD we might buy. Obviously, some sound engineers are better than others, and Elliot Scheiner is one of the best, having mixed albums by the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Van Morrison, and on and on.
Scheiner appeared at AcuraÂ’s media introduction of the TL sedan for 2004 in suburban Seattle, and gave a soft-spoken but heartfelt explanation of what and why such an audio system exists. Scheiner said heÂ’s always wished others could hear what he hears.
“I just make records,†Scheiner said. “I’m in the control room, in perfect conditions, without moving. We went from analog recording on vinyl, to eight-tracks, to cassettes, and to CDs. Now we’re moving on again, with DVD Surround. Every time a move has come in the music world, it has been motivated by cars.
“When I did the 1994 Eagles Reunion album, the quad [quadrasonic] was simulated. Surround sound was the new frontier. I did the Fleetwood Mac ‘DanceÂ’ album in surround sound. It proves that old music has new life, and new music is something different. I thought that from the standpoint of clarity and definition, with discreet multi-channel imaging, we could give the listener the opportunity to be in the control room.Ââ€
Movies are now on DVD audio, which is why the sound in theaters is amazing. There also are about 600 DVD audio discs on the market, which can be played through the speakers of home DVD systems. DVD audio has something like 500 times the resolution of normal audio CDs. The ELS system — named after Scheiner’s initials — takes DVD sound out on its own, on the road, in the perfect-placement of an automobile interior.
Scheiner was advised to go to Panasonic, and they collaborated on his amazing new technique. At Panasonic, Mark Ziemba was the lead systems engineer to coordinate ScheinerÂ’s wizardry, his own skill, and AcuraÂ’s new sedan. Ziemba made sure where the front speakers were, with tweeters on the dashboard, other speakers in precise placement in the doors, an 8-inch subwoofer and other large speakers on the rear deck. Coordination of the eight speakers had to be perfect, including a 225-watt amplifier, XM Satellite radio, an active and amplified rear glass antenna, and five-mode steering wheel controls.
Ziemba got what he wanted. So did Scheiner.
“On the Eagles Reunion album, there are 14 guitar parts on ‘Hotel California,Â’ †Scheiner said. “I wanted people to hear them all. I put somebody playing a certain instrument where I wanted him, where the band wanted him, and where I wanted everybody to hear him.Ââ€
After the next dayÂ’s introductory drive, some skeptics among the automotive journalilsts had to be pulled from the cars where they wanted to stay to keep listening to the DVD demonstration CDs.
“I canÂ’t believe I got to work on this,†said Scheiner. “I mix records. ItÂ’s been a thrill to work on this, and itÂ’s a thrill to see this car here. No question, this is the best audio system ever put in a car.Ââ€
No argument there. Familiar music, now on DVD audio discs, exposed elements that had previously been so subtly blended into the whole as to be unnoticed. You can hear a musicianÂ’s fingers touch the strings of his guitar before actually strumming, as well as the full, rich tone he produces. If the system was an option costing $2,000, or $5,000, it would be noteworthy. The fact that it is standard equipment on every 2004 TL is going to hoist the competitive level of mid-luxury automobiles to unprecedented heights.
Meanwhile, the sounds only complement the performance and handling of the TL, which is so good, and so sporty, that there no longer will be a Type S sporty model.
Use of high-strength steel in key locations has increased the TL’s torsional rigidity by 24 percent, making it stiffer than the BMW 3 Series, according to Chris Dendis, AcuraÂ’s body-chassis chief engineer. Double-wishbone suspension, Brembo four-caliper disc brakes, and four-channel skid control help emergency handling, and the car attains much improved sound-deadening because of plastic sound-absorbing mats located between strategic areas and the exterior, and 3MÂ’s Thinsulate, deployed to block sounds from reaching the interior.
The voice-activated navigation system is the only option on the feature-laden TL. It has 7 million points of interest, and is voice-actuated via 293 recognized commands.
Styling touches include an angular rear, with dual exhausts that have trapezoid-shaped trumpets. The TL went from a sunroof that was smaller than the competing Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, and Infiniti models to the largest in that group. Shutter-controlled high and low beam headlights shine 50-percent farther down the road, and the 18-LED system in each taillight is much quicker responding to brake input. Standard Bluetooth wiring allows hands-free cell-phone use, without even using the cell phone, as long as itÂ’s on board and has been coded into the system.
Also noteworthy are the increased interior room in all dimensions, and the increased safety has supplemental side-curtain airbags to protect occupantsÂ’ heads, and top ratings for front, side and offset collisions. It even has collapsible hood hinges and fender brackets designed to cushion pedestrians who might be hit by a TL.
Chances are, any pedestrian close to be hit by a new Acura TL might only be trying to get closer to hear the spectacular tunes.
(John Gilbert writes weekly automotive columns. He can be reached by e-mail 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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