Technology intensifies top engine competition

August 23, 2002 by · Leave a Comment
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(((((Cutline stuff:
#1— BMW’s tendency to build super-smooth and high-performing engines has expanded to include the in-line 6 obtainable in the Z3 sports car.
#2— The 1.9-liter 4-cylinder from Audi has 5 valves per cylinder with low-pressure turbocharging that provides maximum torque from just-over idle speed up to near the redline, making it perfect for sedans and the TT sports coupe alike.
#3— Ford’s 4.6-liter V8 does a commendable job in single-overhead-cam versions for cars and pickups, but the gem of the batch is the hand-built, dual-OHC aluminum version hand-built for the Mustang Cobra.
#4— GM’s 3.5-liter V6 has all the high-tech touches, from dual-overhead cams and 4 valves per cylinder, but is only available in Oldsmobile models for its second year of existence.
In the next week, the United States will be filled with innovative concepts and featurized reports pouring out of Detroit, where the International Auto Show will captivate the nation’s auto-lovers and media folks alike.
One of the features of the auto show is the naming of the top 10 auto engines in the world by Ward’s Automotive. I used to wait anxiously for that information, and relay it eagerly to readers. Last year, I attended the little gathering at the Detroit show, at which the announcement was made. It was a festive affair, with hors d’ouvres, cocktails and all the trimmings. I realized with some dismay that the gathering was a set-up in some ways, with certain manufacturers prepared for all-out sensory assaults to back up their being selected, and some engines that I had tested and decided were considerably mediocre were named ahead of certain engines I knew to be extremely high-tech.
So, it’s not a comlaint. But I realized it was simply a selection of the Ward’s Auto World editors — their favorites, with plenty of subjective stuff in the decision-making. Meanwhile, it being the end of the millennium and everyone naming this list and that list, I considered naming my choices as the top 10 cars of the century. However, all cars are only of the 20th century, and the newest ones, with the newest technology, invariably are the best.
So, on the eve of yet another International Auto Show spectacle, what the heck? Because the top 10 cars seem too expansive to be realistic, and before anybody else can name their awards, let’s compromise, and name a top 10 list of, simply, naming my favorite engines.
10. Nissan 3.0 liter V6. Nissan has far more trouble selling sufficient numbers of cars in the U.S. than it has building highly sophisticated engines, and the 3.0 is its gem. It powers the Maxima, and a slightly upgraded version powers the companion Infiniti I30. The engine came out as an entirely new replacement for an already very good 3.0 V6 made by Nissan, and the new one is improved from every direction, with thinnger walls, lighter weight, extremely close tolerances and fabulous smoothness of operation. It comes with 222 horsepower in the Maxima, which is more than sufficient to make that midsize sedan run up and scream with supposed higher-performance vehicles. In the Infiniti application, it has 227 horsepower and 217 foot-pounds of torque. This is one engine that the Ward’s Automotive folks and I agree on.
9. BMW 2.8-liter in-line 6. These German engineers built an awesome series of in-line engines and continued to upgrade them in size and performance. While the world was switching to V6 configuration, BMW persisted with it’s in-line family, and, after adding the latest technical improvements such as variable valve timing and other upgrades, the current 2.8 engine — which powers the 3-series sedan, the Z3 sports car, and the larger 5-series sedans — is about as near perfection as you can imagine. Smooth, silky, and seamless in acceleration and cruising, it turns out a standard 193 horsepower through its dual-overhead camshaft, 4-valve per cylinder configuration. This engine makes the 3-series sedan perform with cars costing twice as much, and stuffing it into the light and agile Z3 sports car turned a very good sports car into a world-beater.
8. Oldsmobile 3.5-liter V6. This engine proves what General Motors can do when it sets aside strict adherence to bottom-line profit and turns its technicians loose to build a modern engine. This engine is a distant relative to Cadillac’s fabulous Northstar System V8 — and it allows us a copout to not name the Northstar engine on this list. The Northstar V8 is Cadillac’s dual-overhead-cam V8, which has stubbornly been kept for Cadillac-only application. Oldsmobile was desperate to use it, and Cadillac finally relented, allowing Olds to use a smaller version (4.0 liters) in the Aurora. Almost as payback, when GM built the new 3.5 V6, it lopped off the end two engines of the revised Northstar design and came up with the 3.5, with dual overhead cams and 4 valves per cylinder, producing 215 horsepower right out of the box. Because the rest of the GM classes all depend heavily on the aging but constantly refined 3800 V6, and because GM maybe felt it owed one to Olds, it said that for 1999, Oldsmobile would be the only brand in GM to have access to the 3.5. Now it is 2000, and while the 3.5 V6 again is available in the Olds Intrigue, it also will become the base engine for the all-new Aurora. The engine accelerates immediately and revs freely and impressively, rivaling some of the best import engines. It makes the Intrigue a special car, while similarly high-tech cars like the Pontiac Grand Prix, Chev Impala and Buick Century all must stick with the good-but-outmoded pushrod 3800.
7. Audi 2.7-liter V6. There’s a subtle little difference between Audi’s old, reliable 2.8-liter V6 and the new 2.7. It is, essentially, the same engine, slightly altered and reduced in displacement while adding twin turbochargers, one on each bank of cylinders. The venerable 2.8 was the mainstay of the original Audi A4 and A6, and while it was strong and dependable, it was a tad less than exciting. In Germany, Audi worked hard to prove its dependability and engineering excellence to the automotive world, and it stayed conservative to do it. When the new A6 sedan came out, it was beautifully designed, but the basic 2.8 couldn’t run with the powerful BMW 540 V8, or even the 2.8-liter BMW 6s. For 2000, Audi is now intent on shedding its conservative image, so after first adding 5 valves per cylinder (three intake, two exhaust), it has now put together a twin-turbo version of the 2.7. That engine produces 250 horsepower, which is more than enough to make the A6 run with (or away from) the BMW and Mercedes competition, but it also offers its peak of 258 foot-pounds of torque at a mere 1,850 RPMs, thanks to clever engine management with the turbos. On top of bringing the A6 to full life, the same 2.7 twin turbo can be had in the S4 — a tricked out high-performance version of the A4 with all sorts of special handling, interior and design features. In either form, it can be driven through a 6-speed manual shifter or a Tiptronic automatic with manual-shift capabilities. It proves, also, what a company can do by taking a proven commodity and refining it with futuristic technology.
6. Ford 4.6-liter V8. Like Cadillac with its Northstar V8, Ford came out with the 4.6 as a high-tech exercise in V8 engines several years ago. Unlike its GM rival, though, Ford put the 4.6 to expansive use as the mainstay of its engine family — going to sedans, into the ubiquitous F-150 pickup trucks, and into the Mustang coupes. My favorite version is the Cobra, which is put together by the Special Vehicle Team engineers, who take the basic single-overhead-cam with 16 valves, and they build it anew, out of aluminum, with dual-overhead cams and 32 valves. In that form, it has 320 horsepower, and they are extremely refined horses at that, and 317 foot-pounds of torque. Even in base form, the 4.6 pulls smoothly and steadily to higher revs than pushrod competitors, and is so smooth that some truck buyers must get accustomed to the capabilities against the low-end grunt and limited top end of the old pushrod V8s. But in Cobra form, the handbuilt upgrade is a jewel to be driven hard and savored, at the same time.
5. BMW 4.4-liter V8. Here we go again, with German engineering and some surprising applications. The 4.4 is an enlarged version of the 4.0 V8 that BMW built to make the large 740 series go, and wound up making the midsize 540 an absolute freeway (or autobahn) cruiser/screamer. BMW has, for 2000, shocked the marketplace with the X5, a new SUV that is all BMW. It, too, gets to use the 4.4 V8, which means you can have your SUV and break every speed limit known to man at the same time. The 4.4 is as smooth as any engine ever built by BMW — or anyone else, for that matter. It has 282 horsepower, and the refinement of dual-overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, and the latest in valve-timing management. Cost is prohibitive for any vehicle that BMW sells with this engine, but the engineering makes it universally a bargain, regardless of price.
4. Chrysler 2.7-liter V6. This engine is the biggest mystery in the automotive industry. Chrysler continues to promote and push the very good 3.2 and 3.5 liter V6 engines, with their single-overhead-cam layouts and responsive and efficient outlay of power. But the 2.7 is virtually a secret, as the base engine in both the Dodge Intrepid and Chrysler Concorde. The 2.7 was a fabulous design, carried off after 1,500 versions were done and refined on computers. But for some incomprehensible reason — cost, perhaps? — Chrysler is doing its best to not promote the 2.7. For one thing, it is the closest thing to blueprint-perfect of any engine made for standard issue by any U.S. manufacturer. Unlike its slightly larger cousins, the 2.7 has chain (not belt) driven dual-overhead camshafts directing its 4 valves per cylinder. With aluminum block and heads, coil-on-plug wireless ignition, and a forged crankshaft with cross-bolted main bearings — like the legendary old Hemi racing engines — the 2.7 is a jewel of precision. Incredibly, the higher-winding capabilities of the 2.7 are not exploited, yet, because Chrysler doesn’t even provide the AutoStick transmission, which can be had with the 3.2 or 3.5, with the 2.7. And Chrysler has yet to make what seems such an obvious move — to install the 2.7 into the Avenger and/or Stratus. So to appreciate the 2.7, you have to buy the base Intrepid or Concorde, then hand-hold the shifter and stnd on the gas to run the revs up and enjoy the wonderful high-tech sound and full efficiency.
3. Toyota Celica 1.8-liter 4-cylinder. This one is a surprise, coming out new for 2000 with limited fanfare. The new Celica is entirely redesigned, and Toyota worked with Yamaha’s high-performance motorcycle engineers to develop the heads for this one. It has a 7,800-RPM redline, and the kind of 6-speed transmission that is perfect for real-world usage, with close-ratio 1-5 gearing, then a wide-spaced gap to sixth, for optimum freeway cruising. The engine itself is a prize, with dual-overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, and variable valve timing on a continuous basis, turning out 180 horsepower that makes the new Celica perform with much costlier sporty cars. The Celica always had been a popular sports coupe, but the new one goes right off the scale, thanks to the innovative new engine.
2. Audi 1.9-liter 4-cylinder, with low-pressure turbocharger. This engine originally came out as a low-priced alternative to the 2.8 V6 in the Audi A4 sedan. It is highly technical, with 5 valves per cylinder and dual overhead cams, and the whole engine management system and the low-pressure turbo figure into the concept. The turbocharger comes on smoothly at low RPMs and allows the 180 horsepower to build up to high RPMs. The big surprise is that the low-pressure turbo coaxes maximum torque at 1,850 RPMs — barely above idle speed — and then it doesn’t drop off but stays at its peak all the way up into the mid-5,000 RPM range. So while small in displacement in comparatively low in outright power, the engine delivers optimum power all the way up from idle to redline. The engine is so impressive, and it comes as the base engine in the least-expensive A4, it is the perfect choice in that sedan. When Audi came out with the flashy new TT Coupe sports car, the 1.9 turbo was the ideal choice, running either as front-wheel-drive or in Audi’s incomparable quattro all-wheel-drive system. While 180 horsepower is certainly sufficient, this spring Audi expects to have it up to around 225 horsepower.
1. Honda S2000. Nobody has a handle on technology better than Honda, which has used it to first win in Formula 1 racing, then to dominate CART racing. And Honda always takes its technical advancements back to production. For a true top-10 list, it would be easy to name Honda’s VTEC (variable valve timing) 4-cylinder engines out of the Civic Si, the Accord and the Acura Integra. But while all of those deserve to be rated, Honda has outdone itself with its new 2-seat sports car, the S2000. This thing comes loaded with a 2-liter 4-cylinder engine that turns out an incredible 240 horsepower at 8,300 RPMs. No competitor comes close to 8,300 RPMs, but the S2000 is redlined at 9,000 RPMs. Word is that the S2000 engine is so impressive, Honda may use its concept to replace all its exceptional existing engines to go with the new, highest-tech design.
Not a bad list. It’ll be interesting to see how it stacks up alongside Ward’s in about a week or so. There were some other very good candidates, namely the Northstar V8 (although we list a derivative), and the Mercedes 3.2-liter V6 (as well as some costlier V8s), and the tiny but innovative new engine in the Toyota Echo.
The Lexus 4.7-liter V8 is my first runner-up, because it is used not only in the top vehicles such as the LX470 SUV, but also is the optional engine for the new Tundra pickup truck. It will turn out 230 horsepower and 320 foot-pounds of torque, and will allow the Tundra to make serious inroads in the U.S. pickup market, proving that dual-overhead-cams and 4 valves per cylinder offer the kind of technology that can work with trucks as well as with cars.
Technology, however, is an ever-increasing spiral, and competitors must not only use it to design and build new engines, but to refine them in a constantly improving rise to stay ahead of others in the marketplace. Maybe you can name an engine that could be on this list, but it’s virtually impossible to bump one off it.

Ford Focus, Nissan Xterra win car, truck awards

August 23, 2002 by · Leave a Comment
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DETROIT, MICH. — The Ford Focus was named North American International Car of the Year Monday at a dawn news conference that officially kicked off the 2000 Detroit International Auto Show.
The victory was a significant one for the grassroots auto buyer because the new Focus, previously introduced in Europe, is a new world-car concept that is a return to compact, efficient and inexpensive transportation. The new Focus is priced from $11,000-$14,000 and can be purchased as a 2-door coupe or 4-door sedan, both with hatchbacks, and with a sporty option for upgraded engine power and suspension.
Sharing the podium with the Focus was the new Nissan Xterra as International Truck of the Year. The Xterra is also aimed at being inexpensive and efficient, an under-$25,000 Sport Utility Vehicle targeting active lifestyles. The Xterra has a no-nonsense interior, with practical features more than luxury woodgrain amenities. It includes a standard roof-rack with a bin to hold wet gear, and a built-in first-aid kit.
Competition for the awards was done by a jury of 49 journalists, making it the only independently selected award not influenced by advertising or sales promotions. After selecting from a preliminary list of vehicles with anticipated annual sales of at least 5,000 units per yer (2,000 for trucks), and with significant renovation or newly introduced vehicles, the voters came up with a list of 14 finalists among cars and 10 trucks.
From that, the jury deliberated while test-driving the new candidates. The three finalists for car of the year were the Focus, the Audi TT sports car, and the Lincoln LS sedan. Truck of the year finalists included the Xterra, the Toyota Tundra and the 4-door Dodge Dakota Quad Cab.
The Focus beat out the innovative Audi sports car by presenting a wide-scope of attractiveness, from basic economy subcompact to sporty, fun-to-drive vehicle.

(Car of year, truck of year cutlines…)

August 23, 2002 by · Leave a Comment
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[Cutlines with focus and xterra car and truck of the year photos…]
Ford Division president Jim O’Connor (right) and product development engineer Richard Parry-Jones (left) held up the hardware after the company’s new Focus won the North American International Car of the Year award Monday morning at the Detroit Auto Show. The Focus accumulated 282 points among the voters to beat runner-up Audi TT (140 points) and the Lincoln LS (129).
The Nissan Xterra won the North American International Truck of the Year award by compiling 276 vote points, beating the other finalists, the Dodge Dakota Quad Cab (210) and the Toyota Tundra (194).

Legacy GT, Eclipse deserve credit for redesigns

August 23, 2002 by · Leave a Comment
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[[[CUTLINE STUFF: (My order of significance would be 1. the rear corner view of the Subaru; 2. the front corner look of the Mitsubishi Eclipse, with smaller views of the rear and dashboard of the Eclipse for detail.)
#1—- The new Subaru Legacy GT has a stylish new look more befitting BMW from the rear corner.
#2— The restyled Mitsubishi Eclipse has dramatically changed from the front, side, rear and interior for 2000. ]]]]]]
The Subaru Legacy GT and the Mitsubishi Eclipse have both been totally and impressively redone for the 2000 model year, and both have one other thing in common.
They join a list that includes the Chrysler Neon, Chevrolet Impala, Chev Monte Carlo, Honda Insight, Toyota Celica, Mazda MPV, Infiniti I30, Buick LeSabre and Pontiac Bonneville. All 11 of these cars are entirely new for 2000, and they would make an impressive list of final candidates for the International Car of the Year award. What they have in common, however, is that these 11 DIDN’T make the list of finalists for Car of the Year.
For what it’s worth, the Car of the Year finalists include: the Audi TT, BMW X5, Toyota Echo, Saturn L-Series, Ford Focus, Ford Taurus, Volvo S40 and V40, Honda S2000, Cadillac DeVille, Nissan Maxima, Jaguar S-Type, Mercedes S-Class, Linoln LS and Volkswagen Golf. According to the board that coordinates the Car of the Year voting for the International Auto Show in Detroit in January, the voting was so close that the final 10 were expanded to 14.
Those 14 achieve the ultimate compliment merely by outvoting that solid crop of cars that failed to make the cut, in the eyes of the Car of the Year jury. I am on that jury, which is an honor, but something went wrong in the electronic dissemination of issuing the ballots, and I never got mine. We’re talking democracy, here, but I can unequivocally say that I would have voted for some of the cars that failed to make the list ahead of some of those that did, and among those that would have made my final list are the Subaru Legacy GT and the Mitsubishi Eclipse.
SUBARU LEGACY GT
The Legacy has had the fundamental attributes of a dependable family sedan with the large plus of having full-time, all-wheel drive for a lot of years, now, which was more than enough to offset styling that, no matter how refined, looked as though it was done by committee, whose members may not have all been acquainted. The 2000 Subaru Legacy GT styling is such an improvement that it makes you expect to see a badge for BMW, or at least Mitsubishi, on the hood.
From the rear quarter, or side, it has a distinct resemblance to BMW’s 3-Series sedans, with that little kink where the rear pillar separates the passenger compartment from the trunk. The bottom molding strip between the wheels also has a neat flair to it, amplifying the styled alloy wheels. The rear end also looks something like the BMW and something like the latest Mitsubishi Galant sedans, which have won unanimous acclaim for their styling.
Only from the front end does the Legacy avoid such similarity. The front isn’t bad, with larger headlights flanking an undistinguished grille opening, and being different also can be an asset, but the front lacks the immediate appeal of the rest of the car, in my opinion.
The new car has almost an inch longer wheelbase and three inches more overall length, at 184.4 inches. The styling lowers the drag coefficient to 0.31, and the body and frame have been stiffened considerably, with 20 percent greater torsional strength and twice the bending resistance of the previous Legacy. This is the third-generation Legacy design, and its reinforced body structure adds improved frontal-offset and side impact crashworthiness. Side impact beams and front airbags are augmented by side airbags in the GT Limited.
The interior, while benefitting from the extra room of the slightly expanded dimensions, has new and improved seats and a new instrument panel that are distinct improvements.
The flat-opposed, 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine has been revised also, and now produces 165 horsepower at 5,600 RPMs and 166 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 revs. I found the hard acceleration power of the Legacy had a bit of a flat spot in midrange, but it was adequate, and its all-wheel drive and stiffer body and frame make it handle up there with the top competing intermediate sedans.
The all-wheel drive is a Subaru standard, and the base Legacy’s 4-wheel independent suspension and 4-wheel disc brkes with antilock, plus the air-conditioning, power windows, 80-watt audio system, cruise control and power locks, are complemented when you move up to the GT version with limited-slip rear differential, a sport suspension, larger alloy wheels, the aerodynamic ground-effect molding, a power moonroof, 6-way power driver’s seat, foglights and leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.
That’s a large amount of standard equipment for a car that starts at $19,195 for the Legacy L, $22,795 for the GT, and $24,295 for the GT Limited. Interestingly, the fuel economy estimates varies from 21 city to 28 highway for the 5-speed manual version, and 22-27 for the 4-speed automatic, meaning the automatic was one less on the highway but one better in town.
With all the upgrades, the most stunning part of the new Legacy GT remains its styling. The car constantly attracted onlookers, who had to get close enough to read the name to realize it was, indeed, a Subaru. You used to be able to appreciate a Subaru despite its quirky looks; with the 2000 Legacy GT, you can appreciate it for its old, familiar attributes, and now you can also appreciate it BECAUSE of its looks.
MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE
I really liked the original Eclipse, which also served as the Plymouth Laser and Eagle Talon. When the second-generation model came out, the Laser was gone, and the Talon was about to depart, without benefitting from the more bulbous, curvy look of the redesign. While the style got good reviews, I still prefered the original, which had a distinct airplane-cockpit feel behind the wheel. But the second version retained the 2.0-liter turbocharged all-wheel-drive option on the top model, even if the basic car used the Chrysler Neon engine instead of Mitsubishi’s smoother and more refined 4.
For 2000, the Eclipse is entirely new again, with a much racier design. The headlights, taillights, side contours and overall sleekness drawing thumbs-up waves frequently from other drivers and pedestrians. It’s bigger and roomier inside, although the rear seat is adequate only by comparison to the tiny rear seat of the first model. The instrument panel features an overlaid look to the speedometer and tachometer.
The exotic looks may be flashy enough to match or beat the first two Eclipse versions, and the power is upgraded quite a bit with the availability of a V6 or, as in the GS test-fleet car I drove, a large 2.4-liter 4-cylinder. Both engines are borrowed from the Galant sedan , and both are single overhead-cam. A pity, perhaps, because I always enjoyed the old, high-winding dual overhead cam 2.0. There no longer is a turbocharger available to breathe extra fire into the performance. Gone, too, is the all-wheel drive, which was undoubtedly more of an attraction in Up North wintry weather than national sales might reflect.
The test car had a 5-speed manual transmission and definitely was not lacking for power. It seems Mitsubishi has caught on to the old American-car-maker trick of using larger displacement to do the job, rather than the technical goodies that did it so well before. Fuel economy ranges from 23 city to 31 highway by EPA estimates.
Like the Subaru, the Eclipse is made in the U.S., and, also like the Subaru, the Eclipse represents a surprising value on the sticker. The test GS had standard front airbags, side impact beams, front and rear crumple zones, an antitheft engine immobilizer, 4-wheel independent suspension, front and rear stabilizer bars, front disc (and rear drum!) brakes, air-conditioning, power windows, locks and mirrors, a 5-way adjustable deiver’s seat complete with height adjustment and lumbar support, keyless entry, 16-inch alloy wheels, a power sunroof, foglights, and halogen headlights.
The only option was the GS sport and sound package, which includes a security system, rear spoiler, a compact disc player and a 7-speaker upgrade for $700. That boosted the price from a base of just under $20,000 to a sticker of $20,182.

New S40 model meets, and breaks, Volvo tradition

August 23, 2002 by · Leave a Comment
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[[cutline stuff:
#1— From its sleek nose on back, the new Volvo S40 represents a styling departure from the tradition of boxy Volvo sedans.
#2— Volvo instrument panel and console show off Scandinavian attention to detail and technical sophistication.
#3— The leather seats in the test S40 Volvo seem to engulf occupant in form-fitting luxury.
#4— Volvo V40 is the latest — and possibly best-looking — of the recent resurgence in station wagons.
Way back in 1968, we bought a dark green Volvo 242, a 2-door sedan that richly exhibited all of Volvo’s traditional strongpoints — solid, safe, comfortable, durable and only stylish if you liked the boxy look. The car had its engine in front and the drive wheels at the rear, because Volvo was a proud Swedish company, and wouldn’t think of trying front-wheel drive, which was left for Saab, that other proud, Swedish company.
I remember one family trip where three of us, plus a tent, three sleeping bags, and all the luggage we needed, were packed into that Volvo for a trip across Western Canada, to Edmonton and Calgary, and a return trip down to Montana, and then home. I drove the last leg, from Great Falls, Mont., back to the Twin Cities, stopping only for food and fuel — an all-day trek that was only possible because those fantastic Volvo bucket seats would not contribute to fatigue in any way.
A lot of years, and a large transition in Volvo, have passed since then. Volvo has moved its models upscale, and the price has climbed along with it. When I first got a chance to drive Volvo’s all-new 40-series models, I admit I was anxious to try out the newest member of Volvo’s stable. When it came and didn’t have a price sticker, I answered somebody’s question with an estimate that it was a very nice car, and I would guess it had to be between $30,000 and $35,000, because, after all, it was a Volvo.
I was surprised and impressed with the V40, which is the station wagon version of the new model line. Particularly with the performance of the 1.9-liter turbocharged engine, and the handling, as well as the sleekly tapered lines which had replaced the old boxiness. And, it has front-wheel drive, as do all Volvos these days.
It wasn’t until I got to drive the S40 — the sedan version — that I was still more surprised and impressed, because that one did have a sticker with it, and the base price of the car is $22,900. That’s about $10,000 under my estimate.
True, you can load the car up on the option table, and the test car had a foul weather package and a sunroof/leather interior/fake woodgrain package that boosted the price by over $3,000 together, and other amenities raised the bottom line sticker to $28,897. But the point is, if you got the basic car and chose frugally from the options, you could indeed have a Volvo S40 for under $25,000.
So another problem new S40 or V40 owners might have is to simply accept neighbors’ compliments, and pretend you paid $40,000 for the car.
REVISED TRADITION
Back when car-makers were worried about styling and go-power, and hadn’t given any thought to safety, Volvo WAS thinking about safety. That old 242 model that debuted in 1967 was the first of a revolutionary new breed of safety designs from Volvo. Until that model, Volvo sedans were solid structural vehicles that were virtually unbendable, and indestructable.
In Scandinavian tradition, they were built solidly enough to withstand heavy blows of even nasty accidents, far ahead of almost every other car on the planet. But when the 242 series came out, Volvo engineers had changed 180 degrees. Instead of an impenetrable and unbreakable vehicle, the new cars were built in three sections, with the interior passenger compartment a crushproof cage, but with the front and rear ends designed to collapse upon impact, with that crushing designed to absorb energy from the impact and still keep the penetration from reaching the interior.
It was amazing, in retrospect. As we hurtle into model year 2000, there are a number of worldly manufacturers who boast about their all-new car designs having collapsible, energy-absorbing “crumple zones” front and rear. It’s great that they are so equipped, but it is 30 years after Volvo engineers went that route — by their own initiative, not by any government mandate.
Volvo always was extremely popular Up North, both because of the many Scandinavians in the region and because of area dealerships. There is no Up North Volvo dealer any more, so interested customers would have to head for the Twin Cities to find one. If they were so moved, they would find that the tradition of safety and durability remains, but the tradition of boxy styling, rear drive and homely-but-efficient appearance is completely gone.
The S40, and V40 wagon, have slim, contoured grilles, tapering gently to the windshield, and a roofline that curves instead of tracing a square, gracefully blending into the trunk line. Overall, it is the most stylish sedan Volvo has ever built, making another giant stride from the standard set impressively by the larger S70/V70.
The engine is a 1.9-liter 4-cylinder, with dual-overhead cams and 4-valves per cylinder, plus a neat little turbocharger that makes that 1.9 feel like twice as much displacement. The power comes on smoothly, with a 4-speed automatic, and button-controlled stability control, and winter startup devices to enhance the traction. The turbo makes the car accelerate briskly, but the comparatively small displacement allows you to get up to 30 miles per gallon with sedate driving.
INEXPENSIVE LUXURY
Luxury cars are proliferating throughout the industry these days, and even some modest cars are loaded to the roofline with luxury appointments. But even it you enjoy expensive luxury sedans, you owe it to yourself to open the S40 or V40 door and climb into the driver’s seat.
Your first thought is that you are almost encapsuled in that seat with its curved backrest and seat cushion cupping you snugly into that leather. At almost the same instant, you are instantly aware of a fabulous scent of high-quality leather. The seats are so wonderfully covered in such quality leather that you figure a dozen cows may have given their lives for that interior.
The instrument panel is all business, reflecting an almost stoic attention to technical detail that also is so…Swedish. There is woodgrain all over the doors, dashboard and console to complement the leather, but the difference is that the leather is real, and the woodgrain is plastic stuff. How very, very, unSwedish. Closer scrutiny reveals that the 40-series Volvos are assembled in Born, Netherlands, so we can blame the Dutch for the phony wood.
While the car looks low, sleek and much more compact than any Volvo in recent memory, it will house 6-footers front and rear with ease. In fact, these seats would encourage you to drive right past the office and head for Great Falls, which could be frustrating if the urge hit you every day.
Because its company is Swedish, Volvos have a clue about winters. The S40/V40 come equipped with heated outside mirrors, headlight washer-wipers, and the usual power windows and locks. The foul-weather package has stability assistance, heated seats, the headlight wiper-washer, and another package has the sunroof, leather and fake wood, and foglights and an audio upgrade with a CD player also came on the test car.
As for safety, the unit body construction includes high strength steel in thepassenger cage, side-impact protection plus airbags front and side for driver and front passenger, and Volvo’s whiplash protection system. That brought up another flashback to that 1968 model 242.
Driving home from downtown St. Paul one day, when my older son was young, he was standing in the back seat, leaning on the front backrests and looking out the front — we didn’t know enough to realize the importance of child seats, and we seemed to somehow survive with kids bouncing around freely in the rear. I stopped on wet pavement for a couple of cars at a stoplight, and in a glance at the mirror I saw a young hot-rodder coming too fast. I shouted to my son to brace himself, and the impact was a severe jolt, hurling us into the car ahead.
Neither of us was hurt, and after getting out to look at the damage, I noticed the bucket seat backrest was leaning much to far back. Turns out, that was another Volvo safety item from over 30 years ago — a backrest that dropped back at a controlled rate to offset any whiplash.
We can assume, I assume, that the fabulous seats in the new S40/V40 have improved on that tradition, too.
As for the wagon, I feel somewhat awkward in noting yet another revision in my personal choice of good-looking station wagons. I thought the Audi and the Subaru Legacy wagons were perhaps the best-looking station wagons I had ever seen. Then the new Saturn L-series wagon joined that group. But here I go again — the Volvo V40 with its stylish lines and expandable rear storage area also looks as good, or better, than a wagon should be expected to look.
There goes another tradition.

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  • About the Author

    John GilbertJohn Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.

    For those who want to keep up with John Gilbert's view of sports, mainly hockey with a Minnesota slant, click on the following:

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  • Exhaust Notes:

    PADDLING
    More and more cars are offering steering-wheel paddles to allow drivers manual control over automatic or CVT transmissions. A good idea might be to standardize them. Most allow upshifting by pulling on the right-side paddle and downshifting with the left. But a recent road-test of the new Porsche Panamera, the paddles for the slick PDK direct-sequential gearbox were counter-intuitive -- both the right or left thumb paddles could upshift or downshift, but pushing on either one would upshift, and pulling back on either paddle downshifted. I enjoy using paddles, but I spent the full week trying not to downshift when I wanted to upshift. A little simple standardization would alleviate the problem.

    SPEAKING OF PADDLES
    The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution has the best paddle system, and Infiniti has made the best mainstream copy of that system for the new Q50, and other sporty models. And why not? It's simply the best. In both, the paddles are long, slender magnesium strips, affixed to the steering column rather than the steering wheel. Pull on the right paddle and upshift, pull on the left and downshift. The beauty is that while needing to upshift in a tight curve might cause a driver to lose the steering wheel paddle for an instant, but having the paddles long, and fixed, means no matter how hard the steering wheel is cranked, reaching anywhere on the right puts the upshift paddle on your fingertips.

    TIRES MAKE CONTACT
    Even in snow-country, a few stubborn old-school drivers want to stick with rear-wheel drive, but the vast majority realize the clear superiority of front-wheel drive. Going to all-wheel drive, naturally, is the all-out best. But the majority of drivers facing icy roadways complain about traction for going, stopping and steering with all configurations. They overlook the simple but total influence of having the right tires can make. There are several companies that make good all-season or snow tires, but there are precious few that are exceptional. The Bridgestone Blizzak continues to be the best=known and most popular, but in places like Duluth, MN., where scaling 10-12 blocks of 20-30 degree hills is a daily challenge, my favorite is the Nokian WR. Made without compromising tread compound, the Nokians maintain their flexibility no matter how cold it gets, so they stick, even on icy streets, and can turn a skittish car into a winter-beater.