Titan loaded and ready to invade full-size pickup turf
YOUNTVILLE, CALIF. — Nissan executives insisted that it was a complete oversight when they selected the Silverado Winery for a Napa Valley dinner meeting earlier this week, during the automotive media introduction of the new Titan pickup truck. The dinner was at the Silverado Winery. I asked if they were unable to find an “F150 Winery.Ââ€
The irony, of course, is that the Titan is the first truly full-size pickup truck ever built by a Japanese company, and it is invading the hallowed territory dominated by the Ford F150, the Chevrolet Silverado and the Dodge Ram. At the same time, Nissan unveiled the Pathfinder Armada sport-utility vehicle, a full-sized SUV built on the Titan platform and aimed directly at the Chevy Tahoe/Suburban and Ford Expedition market.
Both vehicles appear to have the potential to make serious inroads in both segments. For Japanese companies to do well in the SUV field is not surprising, given their history, but the full-size pickup segment is another story, because even ToyotaÂ’s success with the Tundra has created the impression that Japanese companies arenÂ’t interested in building true full-size pickups. The Titan shatters that illusion.
The Titan pickup will be built entirely in the U.S., assembled at the new $1.43-billion Canton, Miss., plant where the just-introduced Quest minivan shares the building, and with its powerful new 5.6-liter V8 engines built at another entirely new facility in Decherd, Tenn. Production will start in October, with the first Titans finding their way to dealerships in December. Pricing will be announced later, but it will probably range from $20,000 to just over $30,000, like the competition.
Bristling with innovations – such as a stylishly-sculptured exterior, 168-degree opening rear door on the King Cab and luxury-car rear seat features on the full Crew Cab, and factory sprayed bedliner – the Titan rolls up its sleeves for the challenge of heavy duty. The 5.6-liter V8 has 305 horsepower and 379 foot-pounds of torque and a standard five-speed automatic transmission, and has a towing capacity of 9,500 pounds. The 379 foot-pounds is class-leading torque, and 90 percent of it is attained before the free-revving engine gets to 2,500 RPMs.
The Titan is swift and smooth with the chain-driven dual-overhead-camshaft V8 and exceptional suspension. It handled both curvy highways and rugged gravel roads in the mountainous area flanking Napa Valley with equal poise. Styling is subjective, but the bulging fenders and aggressive front end are impressively blended.
The main challenge, Nissan executives concede, is one of perception. Nothing is more traditionally American in the automotive world than full-size pickup trucks. They have been called the truly unique American vehicle, because other countries simply havenÂ’t seen the need for trucks that haul the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers all across the United States. Japanese manufacturers have built very good mini and compact pickups, but their crowded streets and regulations prohibit any demand for full-size half-ton pickups.
In the U.S., full-size pickup trucks went from being workers to commuter vehicles, following the SUV trend by adding extended-cab rear jump seats, then full “crew cab†rear seats. Their vastly increased popularity was accompanied by enormously increased profitability for Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge.
For the 2002 model year, Ford sold 813,701 F150s, continuing its headlock on the position of being the largest-selling vehicle. Chevrolet sold 651,846 Silverados to rank No. 2, and Dodge sold 396,934 Rams to continue its surge among the top four vehicles sold in the country. General Motors also sold 202,045 full-size pickups under the GMC brand name.
Chevrolet, it must be added, sold 89,372 Avalanche specialty trucks as well, boosting total Chevy sales to 742,218, and, of course, the GMC is basically a resurfaced Chevy pickup with a few different features, and combining them all would reach 944,263 – eclipsing Ford’s pride without even dipping into the Cadillac Escalade version of the Avalanche. Toyota invaded the segment somewhat carefully with its Tundra, which is best described as “near-full-size,†a few years ago and found immediate success with a well-crafted and high-tech pickup. Toyota sold 99,333 Tundras in 2002, a solid number, to be sure, in what clearly is the major league of profit.
“WeÂ’re going up to the big leagues,†said Jed Connelly, vice president of sales and marketing. “But if youÂ’re going to the big leagues with a big-league fastball, you can be successful.Ââ€
For spring training, Nissan made perhaps the biggest hit of the North American Auto Show in Detroit in January with the unveiling of the Titan, and now itÂ’s ready to dig in at home plate. Obviously, NissanÂ’s intent is to continue its hot streak by hitting another home run with the Titan. To hear the executives talk, however, youÂ’d think theyÂ’re willing to settle for a double or triple.
NissanÂ’s caution might be wise, in a flat market that has been affected by the depressed economy, indending to build 100,000 Titans, staying at the half-ton level, and leaving the larger truck market to Ford, Chevy and Dodge.
“There are two categories of [full-size] pickup customers, traditional and modern buyers,†said Larry Dominique, chief product specialist for Titan. “The traditional buyers are the classic, rural buyers that were highly brand-loyal and bought millions of trucks. The modern buyers are those suburban families who wanted pickups for driving to work, towing boats, and for modern suburban lifestyles. WeÂ’re primarily aiming at the modern buyers, because we know, going in, that a large segment of traditional buyers wonÂ’t consider us, initially.Ââ€
The key, operative word there is “initially.†While it’s true that hard-core truck buyers are extremely brand loyal, especially to the polarized Ford and Chevy camps, Dodge proved a breakthrough was possible. Toyota chipped away, and while the Tundra isn’t full-size, its amenities prove that even traditional buyers can appreciate high-tech advances in a pickup world that has remained mostly conventional. Ford, which has been most progressive among the “Big Three,†just introduced an all-new F150, with many high-tech engine advances.
Nissan, however, has made large advances throughout the industry in the last two years, ranging from the 350Z sports car, Altima and Maxima sedans, Murano SUV, accompanying Infiniti upscale models, and the just-introduced Quest minivan. TitanÂ’s style and appearance might lure modern buyers, but a solid chunk of those 100,000 trucks might be claimed by traditional truck-buyers who see Titans powering right past their brand-loyalty tradition.
In their market research, Nissan noted dwindling interest in short-box pickups and strictly two-seat regular-cabs, so it isnÂ’t building them. Marketing criticism of existing trucks included lack of cargo room, mundane styling, rear-opening doors that didnÂ’t open far enough to allow easy access to rear areas on extended-cab models, and roominess in the second-row seats, so Titan stresses advances on those counts.
The Titan has class-leading headroom both front and rear in the Crew Cab, plus best (40.4-inch) rear legroom, largest interior volume (126 cubic feet). Its class-leading torque and towing capacity are complemented by the greatest ground clearance among large-truck 4x4s at 10.3 inches for the rear axle, and the best approach angle of 32 degrees in front because of the snub-nosed, short overhang.
The full-length boxed ladder frame has three skidplates with double-wishbone front suspension. The floor shifter is gated for side-to-side selection between 1-2 and 4-5, which is handy to manually avoid automatic up and down shifts in various street and work duties. The box a consistent, factory-applied textured bedliner to avoid scratches and the tendency for cargo to slide around, and also has a unique Utili-track channel all the way around the upper inside, with forged aluminum cleats for tie-down versatility anywhere inside the box. A sliding and foldaway box extender, and a lockable bedside storage bin for tools are other neat features.
The King Cab, which has a 6-foot, 7-inch bed, is projected to be 60 percent of Titan sales, with 40 percent full four-door Crew Cab, with a 5-foot, 7-inch box. The base XE worker and off-road model is aimed at 20 percent of sales, with the mid-range SE, which also comes with an off-road package, at 60 percent and the upscale LE the other 20 percent.
The Titan will be beaten to market by the Armada, which insists on the Pathfinder prefix for brand identity reasons, even though the Pathfinder will continue as a popular midsize SUV.
The Armada gives Nissan a complete array of SUVs, as a flagship covering the large-SUV segment. It uses Titan power and handles well on all manner of roads with its independent rear suspension added to the Titan platform. The Armada, shown first at the New York Auto Show in April, is starting production right now, and will be hitting showrooms in just over a month.
(John Gilbert can be reached by e-mail at jgilbert@duluth.com. His website is www.jwgilbert.com.)
All-new Acura TL rates car of the year for all weather
Everywhere you look, somebody is naming a car of the year award, and there are a lot of valid candidates. But the list gets a lot smaller if the criteria included driving eas in the snow-belt, where, especially in an industrial-strength winter like this one, the Acura TL might be an easy winner.
Acura is HondaÂ’s upscale line, introduced because Honda didnÂ’t want to see its customers mature from Civics to Accords and then to Mercedes, BMW or Audi as their earnings peaked and led them toward a luxury brand. At first there was the top Acura Legend, the Vigor and the Integra, and they evolved to the alpha-numeric 3.5 RL, and the middle sized 3.2 TL. The Integra went away for a couple of years, reappearing in the past year as the TSX.
The 3.2 TL and the 3.5RL both shared one appearance item. They were classy, but straight, slab-sided, and pretty unexciting to look at. I always thought the mid-size TL was more impressive than the top RL, because it had adequate room, and a much sportier feel. More recently, Acura presented a “Type-S†version of the TL, which jacked up the horsepower and firmed up the handling, although it was still encased in an undramatic body shell.
When Acura came out with the RSX coupe a year ago, and this yearÂ’s TSX four-door, both sharing dramatic and fresh lines, the bigger sedans looked even more dated, and BMWÂ’s 5-Series passed the TL as the leading seller in the segment, with the TL barely holding second, ahead of the Lexus ES300. Acura market research showed that TL owners liked the handling, performance and comfort of the TL, but those who bought something else said stodgy exterior styling and the lack of features were the main TL turnoffs.
For 2004, the TL gets a thorough makeover, and a sensational new outer appearance, more spacious interior, and endless features, should hold its repeat buyers and conquer a lot of those who consider it among the impressive mid-luxury segment. The new TL styling is as bold as its predecessor was boring, and performance is improved to the point that there is no Type-S model, and, frankly, none is required, while the price, at just over $32,000, is reasonable for all you get.
There is a trend among automakers to return to front engine/rear drive, the conventional system that Mercedes and BMW never abandoned during the front-wheel drive trend that swept the industry. Ever-increasing power is the reason some companies are going back to rear-drive, but thankfully, for those of us who drive cars in winters, Honda has remained steadfast with front-wheel drive both for its basic cars and SUVs, and also for its upscale Acura line.
Too much horsepower can overwhelm the front wheels, which are already doing heavy duty to steer and carry the disproportionate weight of the engine. Honda engineers told me at the carÂ’s introduction last October that the TLÂ’s new power increase, which is up to 270 from the 3.2-liter V6, is getting near the practical limit for front-wheel drive. The lingering suspicion is that Honda might consider all-wheel drive for future TLÂ’s, or when the larger RL gets its needed turn to be revised.
In their attempt to make the TL a sophisticated sports sedan, combining its usual sporty handling with more comfort, improved safety and upgraded performance, Acura set the BMW 5 as the benchmark for performance and the Lexus ES300 as the benchmark for comfort, but also looked at the Audi A4, the Volvo S60 and the Mercedes C230 for combinations of those features. Priced at just over $32,000, the Acura TL may now become the benchmark for those cars, coming with more impressive standard equipment than could be expected – or even imagined. It also has EPA estimates of 30 miles per gallon highway and 20 city, while meeting ultra-low-emission LEV-2-ULEV standards.
The TL is plenty sporty, with great handling from the four-wheel independent suspension, with double-wishbone architecture at all four corners – similar to a high-level race car in both design and precision. Front and rear stabilizer bars further enhance the stiffened new body, making the new TL a standout for everyday traffic or emergency handling. According to Acura designers, the new TL now beats the 2003 BMW 530 benchmark sedan in g-forces measuring handling stability. By using aluminum in the subframe, Acura saved significant weight, making the car 30 kilograms lighter than the old TL, while using high-strength steel for 48 percent of the body to improve safety, and structurally stiffening the frame’s torsional rigidity by 24 percent, pushing it past BMW’s impressive levels.
Acura has truly set apart the TL for performance enthusiasts with a masterstroke of design differentiation. To start with, 270 horsepower means an increase of 45 horsepower from the 2003 model, and 10 horsepower better than last yearÂ’s potent Type-S model. The standard automatic transmission is a 5-speed, which you can get with a manual control to shift for yourself, where it is calibrated to hold shifts to the rev-limiter. But the big news, for performance types, is that you also can choose a 6-speed manual transmission, which offers far more than just the stick.
The stick-shift version also has higher-performance tires for more stable cornering, and the difference is immediately noticed if you drive both cars around a performance track one after the other. The automatic was very good, but the stick TL felt ready to race when we drove the cars at Pacific Raceway near Seattle. Acura officials anticipate selling 85 percent with automatic, and 15 percent with the sticks, but the manual availability puts the TL up there with the sportiest BMWs and Audis.
High-flow dual exhausts, and new casting of the manifolds into the cylinder heads, lifts the TL power to 270 horses at 6,200 RPMs, while the torque is an impressive 238 foot-pounds at 5,000 RPMs. As fun as the TL is to drive on a racetrack, it is also thoroughly enjoyable on highways in the real world – even in winter. Acura went with Bridgestone tires for high performance, and gained on foul-weather traction at the same time. With all that power, there were only faint hints of torque-steer, which I found were just enough to reassure you that you’re driving with front-wheel drive. The added security of FWD is unquestioned when you’re about to confront a blizzard.
Using computer crash simulation to select where to use high-strength steel for safety, and a rollover-sled at its Ohio facility, Acura claims unexcelled 5-star ratings for front collisions, and top marks for offset and side impacts as well, with side-curtain airbags to supplement the usual front bags. The TL goes so far as to make the hood hinges and fender brackets collapsible upon impact to cushion pedestrians.
Four-wheel disc brakes are enormous and extremely potent, with electronic assist assuring you of full force braking in emergency situations. The driver controls the power through an electronic drive-by-wire system, with torque-sensing power steering.
A spectacular ELS-5.1 DVD Surround sound system, built by Panasonic under the tutelage of record-mixer Elliot Scheiner, gives the more spacious interior a 225-watt kick through eight speakers and a subwoofer. The system is standard on every TL. Improved bolstering in the sports seats, XM satellite radio, remote controls on the steering wheel, heated front seats with power for both driver and passenger adjustments, keyless entry, Xenon gas-discharge headlights, foglights, and a moonroof all fill a bulging standard-equipment list.
In fact, there is so much standard equipment that the only option on the TL is the navigation system. It is improved, too, with a large screen high on the center dash stack, and it can responds to 293 voice-activated commands in order to identify 7 million points of interest. Those undoubtedly include Acura dealerships, although you wonÂ’t be needing them often, with no scheduled tune-ups for 105,000 miles.
With all the high-tech goodies and real-world performance and safety attributes, and the much-improved interior layout, the styling is eye-catching. I was sitting in the car waiting for some takeout chicken in a fairly dark suburban Twin Cities restaurant parking lot, when a family of four stopped to come back for a closer look at the car. They were embarrassed when they realized I was sitting inside and the young man who had walked around the back hustled to rejoin the others. His mother asked him what kind of car it was, and he relayed that the emblem on the rear said it was an Acura TL, and she said, “ItÂ’s so beautiful.Ââ€
Quite likely, nobody ever had executed that scenario for its predecessor, but the new TL can expect it every day.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto columns. He can be reached at jgilbert@duluth.com.)
Cadillac SRX proves versatility knows no climate
FORT MYERS, FLA. — With so many niches in the automotive business these days, it seems unlikely that any vehicle could be all things to all people. But the 2004 Cadillac SRX – all new in concept as well as in fact – makes a valid attempt at being exactly that.
I had the perfect opportunity to acquire some evidence of the SRXÂ’s versatility during a week in Fort Myers, while adding a new chapter to my book on multi-tasking in the thriving Gulf Coast city near the southwestern tip of Florida.
In short order, and sometimes simultaneously, the SRX proved it varied uses. It was an excellent people-hauler, transporting aging baseball players of ever-increasing soreness along with all sorts of dusty and grungy baseball equipment to an assortment of ballparks. It was a hearty, and hardy, wagon for hauling us to Fort Myers Beach, to outposts such as Sanibel and Captiva Islands, and when we decided abruptly to venture down to Alligator Alley and southward to Hwy. 41, where we saw dozens, maybe hundreds, of alligators as well as exotic birds. And it was a smooth and agile freeway cruiser to and from the beaches and Â’gator habitat. Oh, and it looked graceful and classy, drawing admiring looks wherever we went.
The chance to road-test one of the 2004 Truck of the Year candidates was reason enough to be in Florida, in case 85-degree days werenÂ’t reason enough to miss out on a pre-Thanksgiving cold snap and blizzard back in Minnesota. Another major validation of the trip was the Roy Hobbs 2003 World Series, a national tournament for various age levels of baseball teams, using the Lee County complex that is spring training home to the Minnesota Twins, as well as the City of Palms 5-Plex and Terry Park.
I was invited to play for the Minnesota Bandits 48-and-over team, and when the final roster looked a little light, the venture became a reunion of sorts. I called Denny Morgan, an old high school teammate from Duluth Central, and he came down from his Maryland home to join us. We got a few hits, won a couple of games, also lost a few, and blew it in a playoff game – but it was all fun, and worth every scrape, bruise and aching muscle.
One of the neat things about spending a full week was that we could check out all sorts of restaurants, which meant the SRX also was a willing and eager steed at seeking out every manner of restaurant, from seafood, to ribs, steaks, pizzas, burgers, and even Cuban food. From the look of it, eating is one thing Denny and I have done well since we last played together on a district-winning Central team, over 40 years ago.
Earlier test drives in the new SRX had indicated that while Cadillac has been the luxury leader for General Motors forever, it also is branching out to be the corporate technology leader in the new and rejuvenated GM plan. CadillacÂ’s cars have improved greatly in recent years, and it has borrowed trucks from Chevrolet by turning the Tahoe and Suburban into Escalade models, adorned with extra chrome and the new-edge look. But the SRX is something entirely new for the whole GM fleet of vehicles. It is not an all-out SUV, it is not a truck, it is neither van nor minivan, and it is not a station wagon. What it is, is something of all of those vehicles.
As a voter on the Car of the Year and Truck of the Year, I have filed my protest that the SRX is being considered among the trucks, because from its low-entry step-in and car-like handling, it separates itself considerably from any truck-based vehicles.
The base SRX comes with an all-new and extremely high-tech 3.5-liter V6, but the test vehicle came with the optional 4.6-liter V8, reworked with variable valve-timing on its dual-overhead-camshaft heads to produce 320 horsepower and 315 foot-pounds of torque. ThatÂ’s good enough for sub-7-second sprints from 0-60 miles per hour, and an advertised top speed of over 140.
Of course, the hot and high-tech V8 cuts into the fuel economy, but with readily attainable estimates of 15 miles per gallon in town and 20 on the highway, the SRX is definitely ahead of its more powerful, but also more lumbering, truck-oriented stablemates.
The SRX has that edgy new look Cadillac started with the CTS sedan, and which also graces the Escalade and the new XLR sports car. The luck conveys luxury, and the interior carries it off, with burled walnut and leather pretty much everywhere – although the rapid improvement in attention to interiors throughout the industry means the SRX hardly stands out in that segment. The rear door windows go all the way down, though, which is a good feature, and power adjusting pedals, dual-zone climate control, rear air-conditioning, and ultrasonic back-up beepers to warn you that you’re backing up close to something, are all nice touches. Heated outside mirrors are another standard feature, although they were far more suited to the sub-freezing weather we left behind in Minnesota than to the 85-degree days we enjoyed in Fort Myers.
All-wheel drive was an added option on the test SRX, which was useful when probing side roads in our photographic quest for alligators, but again, better suited to Minnesota. An eight-speaker Bose audio system with XM satellite radio was another option, and altogether the options boosted the base price of $46,300 up to $50,320.
The SRX performed capably with all that, but I have also driven SRX models with some other options I would have to have – the Magnetic Ride Control suspension that will be coming out on the XLR, and also on the next Corvette for 2005, is one; the Ultraview sunroof that opens wide and long over the front buckets and most of the second row is another. A power fold-down third-row seat also is available, as is a rear seat DVD entertainment system, and a navigation system. Adding those could boost the price up to $58,140.
Still, the normal suspension handled the SRX adequately, although I was disappointed that there wasn’t more lower-lumbar support in the power-adjustable seats. I had never noticed that on earlier SRX drives. My aching back might have been attributable to the general soreness of playing six long, tough ballgames in six days – with one day off, but also with a doubleheader on Day 2. More lumbar support might not have been enough to alleviate all of our pain.
(John Gilbert writes a weekly auto column and can be reached by email at jgilbert@duluth.com.)
There are better ways to gather seasonal venison
DULUTH, MN. — It was a perfect day for driving. Or anything else, for that matter. It was chilly, even for a Friday in November, but it was so clear that the chilly air felt good against your lungs, and you could see forever. That included seeing the first evidence of a full moon, rising pinkish-orange when it first cleared the eastern horizon, even before 5 p.m., when the gathering darkness was still in the gathering mode.
Driving a great car, in perfect conditions, had been a perfect way to spend an afternoon, and driving north from Minneapolis-St. Paul for a UMD hockey game added a worthy objective to the perfect setting. Plenty of time, no need for haste, and I tuned in the radio to listen to a daily radio talk show as I headed north from the Twin Cities. Joe Soucheray, a newspaper columnist and former co-worker of mine — we once shared an apartment while covering the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid — does the show, and even though Joe’s former equilibrium has tilted a bit to the right since then, we’re still old friends.
That particular broadcast is also carried by a station in Duluth, so I could change stations halfway through the two-hour trip and listen to it right up until 6 p.m. I was at first amused, then curious, as the topic for over an hour was the danger of hitting deer while driving. That’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? It‘s been a threat all my life, during 40 years of driving, often at night and on rural roadways. I’ve always felt bad for those deer sprawled alongside the roadways, knowing that Bambi had lost another one to the machine age, and figuring that the driver probably had been inattentive.
I tempered my opinion after my younger son, Jeff, had a deer run flat into the side of his car a few years ago, but the rest of our family has been lucky. I’ve had some close calls, and I’ve always tried to enhance my good luck by trying to recognize and react to intuitive tips from fairly keen peripheral vision. And I’ve adapted a quick-draw reaction on rural roads that whenever I see eyes or form of a deer on the road or off on the shoulder, I immediately honk the horn. Headlights can almost attract deer, who run toward them sometimes – creating the overused phrase of comparing a dimwitted person to “a deer caught in the headlights†– but I’ve found that a quick blast on the horn generally causes the deer to bolt the other direction.
So I came over the hill and down into Duluth, marveling at that beautiful vista of the huge moon rising in the darkening sky over Lake Superior, and I chuckled at one more phone caller telling about what happened when he hit a deer, and a tip from the department of transportation, or something like that, in which drivers are advised to hit the brakes if possible, but not to swerve to miss a deer – or any other animal – no matter what. A number of car occupants are killed in confrontations with deer every year, mostly from swerving off the road to avoid hitting one, then hitting a fixed object, or rolling over, or getting into the wrong lane and causing a collision.
I stopped to shoot a picture of the car near the Aerial Bridge, then I drove on through Duluth, out the east end, crossing Lester River to leave residential Duluth and rejoin I35, now about five minutes from the end of my trip.
The car I was driving doesnÂ’t matter, but it happened to be a Mazda RX-8, an amazing new 2-plus-2 sports coupe that is a prime candidate for car of the year honors, with the heart, soul and performance of an all-out sports car, plus small rear-opening doors that allow easy access to the rear seat. Handling and braking are superb, and so is complete control of the car.
As I got to within a half-mile of my turn, I checked the mirrors, saw traffic was about a half-mile back, and eased into the left lane. I hate drivers who cruise in the left lane, and I always drive in the right lane, except, of course, when a left exit is coming up. So IÂ’m driving, 60 miles per hour, in the left lane on this perfectly clear day, in the chilly and moonlit dusk, and suddenly my peripheral vision caused me to glance right.
There, ahead on the right shoulder, was a deer. A large, fully grown doe, advancing from the shoulder onto the highway. In a frozen memory I will not forget, I looked at this deer, eye-to-eye, as it sprinted directly at me, at something like a 45-degree diagonal angle. I never lost my concentration, and there was no time to brake, so I did swerve, just slightly, toward the shoulderless left side of the freeway. The thought flashed that the extra couple of feet could allow the deer to miss me for an instant. But it was only for an instant.
Then I heard and felt a heavy “thump†as the witless deer hurtled directly into my car. I continued driving straight ahead, like a swift left winger absorbing a heavy bodycheck but able to keep on skating up-ice. Without breaking speed, I was fully aware that the deer had tried to put its head through the right edge of the windshield, and obviously had killed itself while forcibly removing the right outside mirror, as well as much of the straightness of the right front fender and the door.
Because traffic behind was closing, I didnÂ’t stop. I grabbed my cell-phone and called 911 to reach the Highway Patrol, and informed them that I was OK, the car was drivable, but there probably was a very large deer in the middle of the northeast-bound lane of the freeway.
When I got out to examine the car moments later, I was sickened at the damage. The fender was crumpled beyond recognition, the door had a dent in it, and the windshield had a concave impression on the passenger side, which was spider-webbing itself across to the driverÂ’s side. Other than that, the RX-8 was perfect. The hood was undented, because the blow to the fender was confined entirely to the fender. The right door had a dent, but might have been operable, had it not been flush against the crumpled fender. The right headlight was still aimed straight and almost perfectly true, although the right front directional light would need some work.
The amazing part of the whole thing was that it had been a bad cartoon, the deer would have been a suicidal terrorist, telling its buddy, “No, I’m not coming yet, I’m waiting for a little red sports car…Ah, here comes one now!†With that, like a heat-seeking missile, the deer would run in a trajectory that made it appear on a mission. And, yes, in that instant where I looked it in the eye, it had that look of a deer caught in the headlights.
How ironic, I thought, that I had been listening to a couple of hours-worth of radio commentary about cars hitting deer and deer hitting cars, all the while confident that it would never happen to me, but at the same time adjusting my awareness upward. How fortunate, after all, was I that I was not in my customary right-lane position, where, if the same deer had traced the same trajectory at the same moment, the front end of the car would have undoubtedly clipped it across the legs, sending that large and fully-grown torso directly through the windshield.
The greater lesson is that no matter how vigilant you might be, try to be more vigilant. And no matter how trained you think you are to watching the sides of the roads for anything moving, you canÂ’t be prepared for a suicidal deer that decides to bolt in a straight line across a road. Even speed seems inconsequential, because if you were going 75 or 35, itÂ’s a little like spinning a roulette wheel. If youÂ’re driving slower, maybe you have a better chance of stopping in time, but maybe youÂ’re also an easier target.
I am not a deer hunter, and never have been. I prefer “shooting†deer with a camera, and I get a thrill, every time I see one. But I have a new admiration for deer hunters, whose method for thinning out the obviously abundant herd of eligible deer is clearly superior.
Meanwhile, for years various friends who are outdoorsmen/hunters have opened their conversation at this time of year with: “Got your deer, yet?Ââ€
For the first time, I can say, “Yup.Ââ€
(John Gilbert writes a weekly automotive column. Reach him by email at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
New Cabriolets celebrate 40th year of Porsche 911
NASHVILLE, TN. — The look, the firmness, the unmistakable snarl as the engine comes to life, the power, the grip, the precision – all of those might be simultaneous responses if you asked a half-dozen people for a word-association response to the term: “Porsche 911.Ââ€
It seems as though there has always been a Porsche 911, and there is hope that there always will be a Porsche 911, theories reinforced during the 40th anniversary celebration of the 911. The celebration itself was held at The Hermitage, a wonderfully restored 1911 hotel in downtown Nashville, on the eve of the Country Music Association annual awards. But it didnÂ’t take cowboy hats, twangy guitars, or southern drawls to embrace the appearance of an original 40-year-old Porsche 911, or to size up the introduction of the dazzling new 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet or 911 Turbo Cabriolet models, being introduced at the same time.
Porsche aims to build about 25,000 of the 911s in the next year, maintaining status quo for the flagship of the Stuttgart company, which is bolstered by sales of the lower-priced Boxster, and the new and hot-selling Cayenne SUV. Porsche doesn’t call the big car the 911 anymore, although Porsche fanatics still do, but its performance assures its lineage. The designations all mean something – the “S†means sports-performance enhancements, and the “4†means power goes to all four wheels via viscous coupling, rather than the standard rear-wheel drive of the rear-engined beasts.
Porsche has been making cars since the 1930s, and after sports cars such as the legendary old Speedster and the 356, Ferry Porsche assigned his eldest son, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, to design a new car to succeed the popular 356. It had to have a timeless shape, with uncompromising performance, and a lasting appearance that would follow the guideline that “design is not fashion.Ââ€
A beautiful bright red, faithfully restored 1964 Porsche 911 was parked on the sidewalk near the entrance to The Hermitage to welcome arriving media to Nashville. For several hours, automotive journalists examined it closely, noting the “901†designation as the seventh prototype when it was built for the 1963 Frankfurt Auto Show. Peugeot subsequently protested, claiming the three-number designation with zero in the middle was its trademark. Rather than fight the French company – and undoubtedly eager to obtain licensing to sell the new sports cars in France – Porsche agreed to rename the car 911 when it came to market for the 1964 model year.
The timeless design accomplished by Ferdinand Porsche was underscored by observing people other than the auto writers, as they passed the restored 911. They were walking from work, or to work, or they were tourists heading down to the honky-tonks and night spots, and favored street-singer sites, which were alive with country music shows. And I noticed that people didnÂ’t stop and express amazement at the car. They walked by, looked at it admiringly, and continued on their way. My theory is that they were wondering why all the fuss was being made about “a Porsche 911?Ââ€
The restored car was beautifully done, but it really didnÂ’t look like a 40-year-old car. I mean, if you put a 1964 Chevy Bel Air, or Ford, or Dodge Polara on the sidewalk, everybody would have stopped and known it was a relic. But the original Porsche 911 didnÂ’t look like any relic, and looked remarkably similar to the new Porsche 911s. Close examination would show a lot of differences, but passers-by may have thought it was new, or only a few years old.
The stunning dark silver commemorative 911 parked there the next day was one of only 1,963 – a number representing the year of its birth – and along with the unique paint job, it wears special wheels and a neat “911†emblem on the rear, underlined with a tiny script that says it’s the 40th year, in German.
The original 911 had a 130-horsepower, air-cooled, flat-opposed six-cylinder engine, capable of 0-60 times of 9.1 seconds and a top speed of 130 miles per hour, while the new Carrera S has an engine that carries only the flat-opposed six configuration, but now is water-cooled with 315 horsepower, will run 0-62 (0-100 kilometers per hour) in 5.3 seconds, and attains a top speed of 174 mph. Then thereÂ’s the 911 Turbo, which uses dual turbochargers to jack the power up to 415 horses, covers 0-62 in 4.3 seconds, and will get to 189 mph.
It was those latter two we drove, in Cabriolet form – convertibles. Nashville, where it had been over 80 degrees all week, was a welcome site instead of Minnesota, where the talk has been of sub-zero windchill. However, a persistent and dreary rain bothered Nashville all day on Wednesday, and we didn’t find sunshine until we drove a couple hours to reach Kentucky, which is known for rolling hills, bluegrass, and a different kind of horsepower.
The original 2.0-liter engine has grown and evolved, and now measures 3.6 liters, has dual-overhead camshafts, variable valve-timing, and plenty of heat from the liquid-cooled engine. Bob Carlson, Porsche’s national press manager, explained how the power top is fully insulated and can easily handle the coldest conditions, while occupants in the new Cabrio also can be assured of staying dry with the top down in the rain, so long as the car keeps moving 45 mph or faster. Staying above 45 is not a problem. Staying under 45 – now that’s a problem.
We started out in a dark blue Carrera 4S Cabriolet, and didnÂ’t put the top down until we were in Kentucky. The car was expectedly swift, strong and solid, and the six-speed manual shifter effortlessly ran that fantastic snarl up to all reaches of power and decibels. So exhilarating is the sound of that engine that we never even turned on the 11-speaker Bose audio system. We didnÂ’t put up the rear spoiler, either, but we didnÂ’t have to; it comes up if you reach 75 mph, and drops down if you go less than 50.
On the way back, we drove a bright yellow Turbo Cabriolet, and as swift as the regular Carrera 4S is, the Turbo takes you to another dimension. The suspension is the same, which is to say rock-solid firm, and so is the steering, which has a unique feature that regulates power boost by how quickly you turn the wheel – a quick swerve provides little power, so you supply your own, while slow turning lets the car know you’re in traffic, or parking, so it gives plenty of boost. Back in Nashville, it was still drizzling when we stopped for a red light in traffic, so we put the top up with the push of a button, and it rose and closed, tightly, in about 20 seconds, before the green.
Back at the Kentucky Dam Village, a state-owned and operated resort, restaurant and country club, another local cue about the timelessness of the 911 occurred in the parking lot. I climbed behind the wheel with the top down and the windows down. Bob Carlson got into the passenger seat and turned up his seat heater to broil before he powered the side windows up. HeÂ’s still a diehard hockey fan, but heÂ’s gone soft from living in the south too long; the 65-degree day was the coldest heÂ’ll experience for a while, and the warmest I was likely to feel until May.
As we got situated, two middle-aged fellows came cruising up on a golf cart to the glowing yellow Porsche. “Hey,†one of them drawled, “how much does one of them thangs cost, anyway?Ââ€
“Seventy-eight thousand,†answered Carlson, quickly and without flinching. They nodded, smiled, and moved on. It’s true you can find a basic 911 Coupe for around the price Bob quoted, although the Carrera 4S we drove up listed for $94,200 in Cabriolet form, and the winged, yellow monster we were sitting in was the Turbo, which costs $128,200. Pretty slick PR guy, that Carlson, because price may not be any object, once you get them Kentucky country club guys into a showroom.
(John Gilbert writes weekly automotive columns. Reach him by email at 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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