Identity crisis can’t obscure value of Acura 3.2CL-S, 3.5RL
Auto-makers design cars to have a lifespan, something around five years before redesigning for technical or styling updates. Traditionally, buyers were reluctant to buy a model in its first year of existence, preferring to wait until the “bugs” were worked out, but with the current technique of computer designing, the trend has changed. Nowadays, it often makes sense to buy a first-year model because it comes out near-perfect and its technical innovations might pay off in resale five years down the road, and customers might be reluctant to buy the last year of a model’s run for fear of missing out on some new technology.
With Honda, however, it seems that there are advantages to choosing either the first-year or last-year in a particular model run, because it generally turns out advanced engineering tricks that work at introduction time, and they, plus continued upgrades, tend to make those same vehicles maintain their value well throughout their lifespan.
Honda went upscale in the mid-1980s, bringing out its Acura companion line, featuring the luxury Legend and the entry-level Integra, and later a shorter-lived and less-popular midsize vehicle called the Vigor. Later, the NSX sports car gave Acura an exotic, Porsche-type performance vehicle.
Things got puzzling in 1995, when Honda decided arbitrarily to go to “alphanumeric” model designations rather than to weird names. The replacement for the Legend became the “RL,” while the middle-class luxury sedan became the “TL,” and then Acura made a coupe called the “CL.” Meanwhile, Acura loads those cars with V6 engines, using either a 3.2- or 3.5-liter displacement, with the 3.5 in the larger RL and the 3.2 in both the TL and CL.
Got that?
If you do, you’re one-up on most of us. Stately German vehicles from Mercedes and BMW always have used valid numbers to designate their vehicles, but in recent years, the proliferation of cars, trucks, vans, SUVs worldwide has led to some great confusion. No matter how much I study cars, when somebody asks, “What do you think of the new RL?” I’ve got to stop and recalibrate my brain to first decide that RL means Acura, and, let’s see, is it the big one, the middle one or the coupe?
To try to set the record straight, I’ve recently had the opportunity to drive the all-new 2001 Acura 3.2CL-Type S coupe. That adds yet another wrinkle to the confusion, because the CL tells us it’s the coupe, and the 3.2 is the engine size, but the Type S is a special high-output, sporty performance model.
Having written several months ago about the 2000 model 3.2 TL sedan, which was completely revised in 1999, I also had the chance to thoroughly test the 2000 model year 3.5 RL. The 3.5 RL is completing the last year of its current lifespan, and it proves that an outgoing model can be a worthy choice for long-term companionship.
Ah, but the CL coupe — particularly in racy Type-S trim — gives the upscale end of the Acura line a worthy compatriot for the sportiest Integra boy-racers and the exotic NSX. The Acuras further blur the line between domestic and import cars. They are 75 percent domestic (North American) content, and are assembled at Honda’s Marysville, Ohio, plant, which, in some views, makes it more domestic than a lot of U.S. vehicles now being built in Canada or Mexico.
3.2CL-S COUPE
The 3.2TL mid-range sedan has been an enormously satisfying car for Acura in the past year since its reintroduction, and, in fact, it infringes on the larger RL territory because of the high output of its smaller V6. The CL is a coupe version of the midrange sedan, and Acura has connected again, with a neatly styled but understated vehicle that has moderately good performance.
And then comes the Type-S, which vaults Acura’s slightly larger front-wheel-drive coupe up, up and away. The 3.2 V6 comes standard with 225 horsepower and 215 foot-pounds of torque — very good in the larger TL sedan, and excellent for the smaller coupe — as the replacement for the 3.0-liter engine in the model’s predecessor. But the Type-S shows Honda engineering at its best. Tweaking Honda’s VTEC variable-valve timing system toward high-performance, the Type-S vaults up to 260 horsepower at 6,100 RPMs, with 232 foot-pounds of torque at a flattened peak from 3,500 up to 5,500 RPMs.
Extracting 260 horsepower out of 3.2 liters shows what technology can do, and Honda does it with a single overhead-camshaft on each bank of the V6. That means there still is something in reserve, in case Honda wants to advance to even more power by going to dual overhead cams. Altered pistons, higher capacity exhaust flow, and the CL-S has a dual-stage induction system, which is timed to open a second intake surge when the revs hit 3,800.
As usual, the technology that develops a lot of power from a comparatively small-displacement engine also achieves good efficiency throughout. Even the high-output Type-S engine qualifies as both a low-emission and ultra-low-emission standards, and its EPA fuel estimates are 19 city and 29 highway.
To differentiate the CL-S from the standard CL, and further lift it above the TL sedan, the car has silvery-white faced instruments on the inside, and a revised and stiffer springs on the double-wishbone suspension with low-profile tires on 17-inch alloy wheels underneath. Still, the CL-S maintains its dignity, staying supple instead of harsh and always letting you know that it’s a luxury coupe — albeit a scorching one — rather than a sports car.
When you do want to go hard, and swiftly, you can shift the standard 5-speed automatic lever over to the left, where it rides in an alternative channel for spring-loaded bump upshifts or downshifts. Called Sequential SportShift, it’s a more enjoyable way of commanding the willing engine to zoom up to its 6,300-RPM redline, but you can always switch back to “D” in the normal gate to use the automatic shifter.
The coupe also shares the benefit of Acura’s navigation system, which has a large screen on the upper center dash, and operates by a digital versatile disc (DVD) system that lets you code in your destination and then advises you on the best route to take. The Type-S adds the new Vehicle Stability Assist system to coordinate the throttle and injection systems with the standard antilock brake and traction-control devices. That system began life on the 2000 RL sedan.
According to Honda’s plan for Acura, the 3.2CL-S includes everything as standard equipment — from the four-wheel disc brakes, the high-output engine, the sports suspension, dual-stage driver and passenger airbags, keyless entry, navigation system, to the power leather seats that are heated, in-dash 6-disc player, power moonroof, Xenon high intensity headlights and climate control. The only thing added to the base price of $32,330 is a destination and shipping fee.
3.5RL SEDAN
The company flagship represents the polished end of its current ride, but the 3.5RL has fulfilled its luxury objectives. Critics have a point, that the current model is so understated as to blend in almost anonymously with numerous competitors from Lexus, Mazda, Infiniti and some German and American models.
There is a lot of speculation about what the new RL sedan will be like when it is unveiled in revised form for 2001, but the 2000 model deserves scrutiny from those who want performance and technology packed into their luxury sedan.
I had the opportunity to do a week-long test of a 3.5RL on the same weekend as the Indianapolis 500, so my son, Jeff, and I drove it there and back. We went through Chicago, which is never a pleasant task, but is particularly unpleasant when approached during rush hour just before a holiday weekend. The Bose audio system, dual-mode climate control and the plush leather seats inside the spacious RL made it a pleasure to sit in, even then.
On our return trip, however, we decided to avoid Chicago at all costs, having experienced that weekend-ending traffic in previous years. We checked the maps and decided that the best way was to circle west, through Champaign, Ill., and then curve northward to Rockford before rejoining the freeway system as Illinois turns into Wisconsin.
As an experiment, we also calibrated our Twin Cities destination into the navigation system, and I hit the choice to find the most time-saving direct route. In a flash, the screen suggested we should go west out of Indianapolis, circling north at Champaign to Rockford and on into Wisconsin. It also charted us directly to our home address as the ultimate destination, and a pleasant voice always advised us ahead of time to prepare to turn at the next exit — that sort of thing.
We got a late start home, at about 9 p.m., and wound up driving straight through. It sounds more grueling than it was, because the plush accommodations made it always pleasant.
The 3.5RL has a definite luxury look to it, long and lean, but understated. It, too, has every imaginable thing included, and the price tag of $44,000 lacks only the destination charges. To make that price worthwhile, Honda has spared no effort to put the RL at the upper echelon, with special attention to details such as real Tendo-camphor wood trim, specially bolstered seats, and all sorts of safety touches, with the strongest unit-body structure the company has ever produced, with a honeycomb structure for rigidity at the bottom, and two-sided galvanized steel all around to make it corrosion-proof.
That stability system and the navigation device are impressive. And the Xenon lights, audio system and climate-control are all first-rate, and the roominess of the rear seat and trunk make it an easy long-range traveler.
As for signs that it’s time for Acura to revise the RL, the 3.5-liter V6 has 210 horsepower, which is less than the 3.2 in the TL, and considerably less than the 260 in the CL coupe with the 3.2. The RL has 224 foot-pounds of torque, which is an adequate amount, with the key asset that it peaks at 2,800 RPMs. That is obvious proof that Honda knows what American drivers want, which is strong low-end acceleration, so the torque comes in heavy at low RPMs to help at launch.
The four-speed automatic transmission has a grade-logic computer control for shifting according to driving style, but the RL has the new five-speed. Presumably, we can look for such upgrades from the new model, but that doesn’t mean the 2000 is obsolete.
In fact, with Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, and other luxury car-makers building front-engine/rear-drive models for their top-end sedans, the Acura 3.5RL remains front-wheel-drive, which is an obvious asset in Up North winter driving.
[[[[[CUTLINES:
1/ The Acura 3.2CL-S is the 2001 example of Honda technology in a luxury sports coupe.
2/ The smoothly sculpted rear of the CL houses the Type-S dual exhaust tubes, which help it hit 260 horsepower.
3/ White-faced instruments and Honda’s helpful and efficient navigation system set off the coupe’s interior.
4/ Acura’s flagship 3.5RL provides high-tech answers to all the luxury car questions, even as it heads for replacement this fall.
Renovated SSEi Bonneville tries to maintain sporty title
The Pontiac Bonneville for 2000 offers the renewal of its bold statement as the raciest high-performance sedan in the General Motors stable.
If it seems as though the Bonneville was long overdue for a makeover, it’s because the car has undergone only cosmetic changes since 1992, when it became filled with performance features that set it apart from its cousins at Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Buick or Cadillac.
Those who liked what Pontiac had done to the Bonneville, REALLY liked it, while critics accused the car, and the GM brand, of trying to cater to boy-racer instincts, and overdid it with racy styling touches.
If you remember the Bonneville as a somewhat bulging, gimmicky sedan, you can forget it for 2000. The new Bonneville SSEi, which is the top-of-the-line high-performance version, still retains the plastic side-body cladding with its accent lines and all, and the new bumper has similar accent lines.
But for 2000, the Bonneville is all-new, riding on the same Oldsmobile Aurora platform also used by the Cadillac Seville and Buick LeSabre. The bulbous body is gone, replaced by a stark, wedgy look, angling back from a prominent chin up front. The side cladding even has a major indentation to set it off with less-trite appeal than the lengthy strakes on the previous model.
Despite criticism of the old model, I liked it for its driveability, and its very impressive interior. General Motors has often weakened the personalities of some of its cars with a dull sameness, but the Bonneville has always remained an individual, with well-bolstered seats that feature large supportive side bulges, and with instrumentation that is almost airplane-like in its bold attractiveness.
The new model does everything its predecessor did, and looks sleeker and more fit at the same time.
OLD ENGINE WORKS
Under the hood of the SSEi Bonneville breathes the same old 3800 V6 that has matured and aged over 40-some years of GM usage. It has pushrods where overhead camshafts are featured by all competitors, domestic, foreign and even within GM, if you count Oldsmobile and Cadillac.
But the GM engineers have worked and worked to make the old-style 3800 as sophisticated as a pushrod engine can be, smoothing out the friction and pushing its efficiency up near the limit. Then they put a supercharger on top of the 3800 for usage in the Bonneville. A supercharger runs off an accessory belt and blows large doses of compressed air into the intake, jacking up the available horsepower to 240 at 5,200 RPMs, while the engines strong torque is 280 foot-pounds at 3,600.
While techno-zealots can argue that GM should simply get with it and start using the more sophisticated dual-overhead-cam 3.5-liter V6 used in the Olds Intrigue and Aurora, there can be no argument that the blown 3800 produces strong acceleration and power. On top of that, I got a strong 24.9 miles per gallon in a tankful that was used for both city and freeway driving.
It costs more to build the 3.5 than it does the old pushrod 3800, so GM has no plans to supplant the 3800 with the 3.5. It will continue to offer both in all but the Olds and Cadillac sedans, and it will supercharge the fastest specialty vehicles in the lineup.
The four-speed automatic transmission is the only way you can get the car. GM hasn’t yet seen fit to provide a shifter that you can manually shift in its automatics, even though all of its serious competitors now offer the feature. With the Bonneville now challenged for superiority in its quest to be the top U.S. performance sedan, cars like Chrysler’s sporty and sophisticated 300M offer all sorts of alternatives.
But the Bonneville will run with any cars, particularly in the low-end haul up to over-freeway speeds. And its sports suspension tightens things up just enough to give it a sportier feel compared to other Pontiac models, such as the SE and SLE.
The front-wheel-drive Bonneville also can beat almost all its competition when it comes to flat out gimmicks.
VIEW FROM THE WHEEL
For drivers who don’t discriminate strictly on the height of technology, the Bonneville SSEi offers a sporty, racy feel. It starts when you first sit in the bulgy, heated driver’s seat, with the orange-lighted gauges that provide full instrumentation. In fact, the SSEi offers more than full instruments, with the brilliant heads-up display projecting the speed and certain other details on a little panel superimposed on the lower windshield.
The audio system is exceptional, easy to control and with AM-FM radio, cassette and single disc player in the dash, plus a 12-CD player in the trunk.
A power sunroof is another solid feature, as is the dual-zone climate control, with eight air-heat vents in the dash, and a computer that tells you if your fuel level is getting low, and how such details as oil life, battery and tire pressure are doing.
On top of the normal traction control, the SSEi has GM’s new StabiliTrak skid control system that coordinates speed and braking and functions to counteract any spinning of the drive wheels to eliminate the tendency to skid.
Some of the controls go beyond the competition, others don’t measure up. The dual cupholders up front, for example, have nothing to do with driving through a slalom or being impressded with the SSEi as a hot performer. But they will house two cans of pop perfectly, yet they won’t accommodate a pair of 20-ounce cups at the same time. So stick with the cans if you’re in a Bonneville.
While the hood tapers quickly away from the driver’s vision, control of the SSEi is enhanced by the through-the-windshield heads-up instruments, and is aided by prominent foglights set into the bumper fascia in that smoothly tapered front end.
Price of the SSEi version of the Bonneville is up, up and over the $30,000 mark, with the test SSEi at a bit over $32,000, and if it seems that such a price should get you the highest level of technical sophistication, you at least can settle for a high-tech sedan makeover, with virtually everything except the engine all new. And the engine isn’t that hard to live with, when you know that the SSEi will run with the best, and is likely to outrun most of them.
Improved Jetta, Passat move forward with assist from Audi
The resurgence of Volkswagen can be traced directly to the overwhelming, cult-like following for the New Beetle. But VW has far loftier plans, and once you’re lured into a Volkswagen dealership, you might find various other vehicles to tempt your budget.
The reason the New Beetle is so successful is that it has little in common with the Old Beetle except the shapely arch of styling. At the time of the New Beetle introduction, VW was just about to launch a thoroughly revised Golf, which had been the company’s bread-and-butter compact. Always known as a safe, sturdy, dependable car, the new Golf was better in every respect. So VW plunked the New Beetle body onto the new Golf platform and brought it out before the new Golf.
The result was that the New Beetle with its front-wheel-drive Golf powertrain and platform, surpassed all previous small car results in crashworthy safety tests. That wouldn’t have been a surprise for the Golf, but it was for the New Beetle, because the original Beetle had the engine in the rear and all the frontal crash protection of a steel manila envelope.
Subsequently, VW brought out the new Golf, and has since brought out new Jetta and Passat models. Having recently reported on the Golf, we should take a long look at the Jetta and Passat to best assess where Volkswagen is headed under its current head of steam.
While obviously linked to the New Beetle, the models of the Jetta and Passat I tested provide evidence of the more subtle close link Volkswagen has with Audi, its corporate partner and also a company on an incredibly successful roll.
A recent column by veteran Budgeteer columnist Herb Palmer mentioned that Audi was considering withdrawing from the U.S. market. To clarify, an unsubstantiated accusation — later disproven in a countersuit — were broadcast in a “scoop” by 60 Minutes on national television, linking Audi to an unintended acceleration case, and Audi’s U.S. sales dropped to a point in 1994 that the company considered pulling out.
The introduction of the A4 model, however, in 1995 led Audi to an upsurge from worst to first in U.S. resale value, while the A4, A6, A8 and TT models all are currently rated worldwide at the top of their classifications. The new Passat, in fact, came out on the firm and stable Audi A4 platform. The Jetta rides on Audi’s Europe-only A3 platform. And both models I test-drove had Audi engines and drivetrains.
JETTA GLS 1.8T
The Jetta began life as a 4-door Golf with a trunk, and that still remains as its basis. With the Passat entering as a larger, roomier sedan, VW fits the Jetta in between the Golf/Beetle and the Passat, and, whether by chance or brilliant engineering, it fits very well into a niche that is near-perfect for anyone who wants the sporty agility of a sports-sedan but still needs the rear seat for kids and/or occasional full-sized adults.
Volkswagen long has made strong, durable engines, including a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, which, in 16-valve form, can run at over 140 miles per hour all day on German autobahns, and a narrow-angle 2.8-liter VR6 that has won engineering awards for innovations such as one cylinder head for both sides of the V.
But the big attraction of the 2000 Jetta GLS is the availability of a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder with an amazing five valves per cylinder and a low-pressure turbocharger. If that engine sounds familiar, it is an Audi engine, available in either the A4 sedan or the TT sports cars. It is an engine bristling with technology, with three intake and two exhaust valves on each cylinder, all operated by a slick, dual-overhead-camshaft design and controlled by a sophisticated engine-management system that regulates the turbo.
It produces 150 horsepower at 5,800 RPMs, and 162 foot-pounds of torque, which, instead of rising to and falling from a peak, instead comes in at 2,200 RPMs and remains at that level until 4,200 RPMs, thanks to the computerized engine controls coordinating the turbo.
While the Jetta broke sales records in 1999, it didn’t get the 1.8T engine until midyear, and while you can pay more for a GLX model with the 174 horses of the VR6, the flexible and fun 1.8T has sufficiently spirited performance and delivers improved fuel economy. The EPA estimates are 22 miles per gallon city and 28 highway with the optional 4-speed automatic transmission, and I got 24 MPG combining freeway, city, and Duluth hill-climbing, while proving the automatic would rev freely to 6,200, with a 6,500-RPM redline.
The test car had a base price for the well-equipped GLS at $19,200. The automatic transmission is an $875 option, the luxury package added $1,175, and the Monsoon sound system — a 200-watt, 8-speaker, digital signal-processing unit — is well worth an extra $295. Adding a cold-weather package boosts the sticker to $22,220. The basic automatic transmission worked well, but the fun-quotient of the car could be dramatically enhanced with the addition of the 5-speed Tiptronic, which allows manual shifting of the automatic.
At that, the Jetta GLS is competitive with such stalwarts as the top Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, and beats them significantly in price when you consider the standard equipment. The 1.8-turbo engine, track-correcting independent rear suspension, anti-slip regulation stability control, antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, front and side airbags for front occupants are all standard on the GLS. So are other safety concepts, from side-bolstering tubes and foam-padded doors, 3-point harnesses for both front and all three rear occupants, height-adjustable front buckets, and the usual air-conditioning, power-steering, power locks, windows and side mirrors.
An important element in the success of any midsize sedan is the feel of driving. The Jetta starts out with that solid platform, and laser-welding and high-tech bonding tricks have led to an extremely rigid bodyshell with narrow-gap tolerances. That gives the GLS a firm stance and precise feel to the most abrupt steering input. It also is the perfect basis for deformation crumple zones designed to absorb impacts, front and rear, while accordioning to keep occupants barricaded.
Brilliant blue lighted instrument numbers with bright red-orange needles worked on the New Beetle and is just as impressive in the Jetta. A 2-year, 24,000-mile warranty covers everything and includes all scheduled maintenance, done free, for that span.
The Jetta rear seat looks cramped from the outside, but I talked to a large, 6-foot-2 and quite stout fellow who rode for 10 hours in that location and said once inside he had excellent comfort, partly attributed to the indentations in the backside of the front buckets to help rear knee room.
PASSAT GLX 4MOTION
The Jetta may well be big enough for a young family with two or three kids, but if not, Volkswagen offers the Passat. Still on the superb Audi A4 platform, the Passat has an enormous rear seat and trunk, more the size of the larger Audi A6, or, to the uninitiated, more like a limousine than a midsize sedan.
The Passat has 106.4-inch wheelbase (compared to Jetta’s 98.9), and overall length of 184.1 inches (compared to Jetta’s 172.3). There is a similarity in looks, with the Jetta having a slightly more-chiseled front and a notched rear compared to the Passat’s sweeping curvature at the rear pillar. That smoother look of the Passat improves on Jetta’s excellent .30 coefficient of aerodynamic drag to an amazing .27.
For 2000, the top-of-the-line Passat GLX also got Audi’s 2.8-liter V6 instead of the very good VW 2.8-liter V6. The difference is that Audi’s engine also has the 5-valve-per-cylinder technology with dual overhead cams, and produces 190 horsepower (instead of 174) and 206 foot-pounds of torque.
But the test GLX takes a giant step beyond all that. It was the “4Motion” model, which is Volkswagen’s name for its all-wheel-drive system. Audi, as car zealots know, have an exceptional all-wheel-drive system called quattro, which just finished 20 amazing years of outstanding duty. Audi always spells “quattro” with a lower-case “q” for subtlety, and, until this year, I imagine Audi couldn’t have imagined sharing that wonderful asset with Volkswagen.
The Passat’s 4Motion combines a mechanical front-to-rear apportioning of torque from the standard 50-50 whenever wheelspin is detected, and it also has an electronic control to split the left-right split by applying brakes lightly to prevent wheelspin and allow the system to pull the car straight ahead even if only one wheel has traction.
The problem, of course, is that the otherwise reasonably-priced Passat climbs onward and upward with the 4Motion, from a base of $27,655 to a sticker of $30,905 for the test car. The big difference is the 4Motion system at $1,650, and the Tiptronic 5-speed automatic transmission at $1,075.
Standard equipment is similar to the Jetta, right down the line on 4-wheel disc brakes, antilock, alloy wheels, anti-intrusion side beams and padding, front and side airbags for front occupants and height-adjustable front buckets. In the GLX Passat it also means genuine wood interior trim and leather seats and steering wheel, a trip computer, rain-sensing wipers, power glass sunroof, heated front seats, rear-seat pass-through to trunk, heated wiper wash nozzles, and the Monsoon audio system.
The Passat has Audi’s 4-link front suspension, which minimizes the torque-steer of front-wheel drive, but, of course, works just fine with the 4Motion as well. The Jetta turns on a dime, at least a 35.8-foot dime, while the longer Passat has a very impressive 38-foot turning radius.
The Passat has an aggressive, streamlined stance and all the comfort and stability of much more expensive luxury cars, and still is fun to drive and performs with some of the best sporty sedans. The only question is that when customers find dealerships — outlets in Duluth, Bemidji and other Up North points closed up shop several years ago — they might be somewhat startled to see how advanced Volkswagen sedans have become. And also, they might question whether the world is ready for a $30,000 Volkswagen.
[[[[[[[CUTLINES:
1/ The Volkswagen Jetta GLS has a new but familiar look, with a surprise under the hood.
2/ Rear-seat room may appear cramped in the Jetta, but once inside it proves to be surprisingly adequate.
3/ The hood’s creases add a note of distinctiveness to the Jetta, compared to the smoother Passat.
4/ The Passat GLX roofline arcs smoothly to cover the large rear seat and meet the extended tail covering an enormous trunk.
5/ Foglights are integrated into the headlight unit in the smooth front end of the Passat, which has an amazingly low 0.27 coefficient of drag.
Sebring, Stratus sedans and coupes are similar but different
Before the coming of the minivan and the sport-utility vehicle, the major decision facing U.S. car-buyers was simple: coupe or sedan? If you got what you “wanted,” it was probably a coupe; if you got what you “needed,” it was probably a sedan.
Over the past couple of decades, the minivan and then trucks and SUVs of all shape and style took over the consciousness of U.S. buyers, as well as manufacturers, who, except for rare success stories such as the Pontiac Grand Am, seemed to pretty well concede the midsize sedan and coupe segment to Japanese car-builders like Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru.
So here we are, boldly roaring into the new millenium, and Chrysler Corporation — now DaimlerChrysler, thank you — has simplified matters for U.S. car-buyers. Do you want a midsize sedan, or coupe?
I was startled last spring at the stunning looks of the 2001 Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Stratus sedans and coupes when they were unveiled to the media at the New York Auto Show. I haven’t yet gotten my hands on one of them for a normal test-drive, but I was able to attend the driving introduction for the Sebring/Stratus sedan and coupe in Seattle, Wash., a couple of weeks ago, which proved that no matter how impressive the cars looked up on a pedestal in New York, they were more impressive when hurled around the mountainous roads of the Pacific Northwest.
While recreating both models for showroom introductions that are happening right now, DaimlerChrysler has created an interesting sort of competition between the two brands, and between the sedans and coupes. For example, when I first saw them, I liked the look of the Sebring far better, with that Ferrari-esque nose. My wife, Joan, first saw them and declared that she liked the Stratus far better, with its Viper/Intrepid-like front.
“If people like one distinctly better than the other, great,” said Gary Kanarek, project planning engineer on the coupe project. “Mainly, we wanted to separate the two, with the Stratus designed to be bold, capable and powerful, while the Sebring is expressive, athletic and refined.”
That same concept carries over to the sedans as well, but here is the interesting twist — the coupe is not at all a 2-door version of the 4-door sedan. In fact, it is an entirely different car, with entirely different engines and entirely different teams working from start to finish.
The sedans were both done by Chrysler’s “large-car” team, which had done such an impressive job on the current Dodge Intrepid and Chrysler Concorde/LHS/300M. The sedans are being built at Chrysler’s Sterling Heights, Mich., assembly plant. The coupes were designed by a separate team, working with engineers from Chrysler’s Mitsubishi partner, and they are assembled at Normal, Ill., at the DiamondStar plant Chrysler has shared with Mitsubishi for two decades.
So while the sedans and coupes retain a family resemblance that is close to identical except to the most discerning eye, they are entirely different from the ground up. All of them have some impressive attributes, such as progressive computer design that should assure closer fit and finish, four-wheel disc brakes on all models, and the availability of both a strong 4-cylinder and an extra-strong V6, with AutoStick manual-automatic transmissions and some 5-speed manual shifters.
With base prices under $18,000 and a totally-option-loaded ceiling of $25,000, the Sebring and Stratus could be the best U.S. sedans and coupes ever devised for challenging such stalwarts as Accord, Camry and all comers.
SEBRING/STRATUS SEDANS
As curvy and sporty as the coupes are, the Sebring and Stratus 4-door sedans appear every bit as sporty. Chrysler knew that the outgoing Stratus and Chrysler Cirrus — a name dropped in place of Sebring for 2001 models after only the coupe and convertible were Sebrings before — had impressive quality-control figures from J.D. Powers. Eager to keep those buyers, Chrysler also wanted to reduce wind and road noise, and to improve safety characteristics, power and handling in hopes of attracting new buyers.
With an all new body that is beautifully styled with tightly stretched lines over the cab-forward/upraised-rear shape, the Sebring/Stratus were given a new underbody platform with a 13 percent reduction in twisting flexibility and a 33 percent reduction in bending. In past years, cars had platforms that were pretty flexible, and the focus of the suspension had to be on stiffening it; the new design of the Sebring/Stratus and various other cars can be made so stiff that engineers can fiddle with the suspension to soften the ride to a more compliant level.
Chrysler’s engineers seized that opportunity to aim the Dodge Stratus at sporty performance in its handling, and aim the Chrysler Sebring a little more toward comfort and luxury. Same for the steering, where the Stratus requires a bit more effort, enhancing that performance feel. The Stratus also offers an R/T model with better handling because of firmer suspension.
But make no mistake. Luxurious as the Sebring is, it stays flat and has very good performance, and, as sporty as the Stratus is, it is plenty comfortable and luxurious. And while their styling takes cues from the much larger Concorde/Intrepid, the Sebring/Stratus sedans are much smaller, but still more than adequate in interior and trunk space.
Both the Sebring and Stratus share as base engine Chrysler’s 2.4-liter 4-cylinder, which is a dual-overhead-camshaft, 16-valve piece that has 150 horsepower at 5,200 RPMs and 167 foot-pounds of torque at a peak of 4,000 RPMs.
The heartbeat that sets the Sebring/Stratus apart, however, is the 2.7-liter V6, an underrated and underappreciated gem Chrysler built only after doing 1,500 versions on computers, and which is strong enough to serve as base engine in the larger Intrepid and Concorde. It is a chain-driven, dual-overhead-cam V6 with 24 valves and a hearty 200 horsepower at 5,900 RPMs, plus 192 foot-pounds of torque, peaking at 4,300 RPMs.
What the Sebring and Stratus get with the 2.7 that the Intrepid/Concorde lack is Chrysler’s AutoStick, which is a strong, 4-speed automatic, with a notch at the bottom that connects the shift lever with a manually-operated, spring-loaded connection. Bump it to the right, it upshifts, or to the left, it downshifts. Running that 2.7 all the way up to redline with the AutoStick provides all the kicks any sports-car zealot could desire.
“The 2.7 gives us best-in-class power, with 0-60 times about 1.5 seconds quicker than the 2.5 V6 it replaces,” said John Tak, the engineer who was chief prodct planner on the sedans.
The seatbelt harnesses have been improved with pretensioners and the airbags have been supplemented with an optional side airbag curtain to enhance the head protection of front and rear occupants in the event of a side impact. The platform stiffness also improves crashworthiness, and the improved handling improves the sedans’ evasive ability.
The headlights have been redesigned and refocused to provide a broader and longer beam, improving brightness by 25 percent. One neat touch is that in its attempts to cut noise, the Sebring/Stratus have 5 mm. Glass in the windshield, compared to 3 mm. in cars such as the Accord.
SEBRING/STRATUS COUPES
Major national magazines have suggested that the Sebring/Stratus coupes are built on the Mitsubishi Eclipse platform, but Chrysler engineers said it was a hybrid platform, with the front resembling the Eclipse and the rear more similar to the Mitsubishi Galant.
The outgoing Dodge coupe was the Avenger, and both Dodge and Chrysler coupes had very good, but unexciting, Mitsubishi 2.0-liter 4-cylinders or 2.5-liter V6s. The new car has a 2.4-liter 4 and a 3.0-liter V6. Yes, the sedans also have a 2.4 as base engine, but the sedans use the Chrysler engine used in the minivans or the new PT Cruiser, while the coupes use Mitsubishi’s 2.4, which has 147 horsepower at 5,500 RPMs and 158 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 RPMs.
The coupe V6 is Mitsubishi’s smooth 3.0, with a single overhead cam and four valves per cylinder. It matches the 200 horsepower of the sedan engine, at 5,500 RPMs, and delivers 205 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 RPMs.
At first, my thought was that the sedans with the DOHC 2.7 would blow away the SOHC 3.0 V6, but after driving them, the power seems pretty comparable. The coupes also differentiate, with the Sebring getting a bit more luxury and the Stratus going toward the R/T settings for firmer handling.
Both engines can be obtained with the 5-speed manual transmission, which is a fine Mitsubishi unit that shifts smoothly. That’s something not yet available with the 2.7 V6 in the sedans. The 4-speed automatic in the coupes is also Mitsubishi-built, and it also has a clutchless-manual setting that, for 2001, is also called AutoStick. But it’s different from Chrysler’s.
Porsche was first out with that sort of transmission, which allows the driver to shift the lever into a little adjacent gate, where it can be nudged forward for upshifts or backward for downshifts. Because of the patent, Chrysler uses a side-to-side gate for its AutoStick. Mitsubishi, however, paid Porsche to use the patented system and the AutoStick in the coupes goes forward or backward instead of side-to-side.
Chrysler also used computer tricks to make the Stratus exhaust sound a little more throaty, in keeping with the high-performance image. The concept of sportiness, as well as safety, is aided by a body with 9 percent improvement in torsion rigidity and — get this — 99o percent improved against bending. Improved suspension, with isolated front crossmembers and stabilizer bars front and rear, give the new coupes a real handling flair.
The coupes could be enormous hits, particularly Up North, where you could think of them as a Mustang/Camaro challenger with front-wheel drive and a real, usable rear seat and surprisingly roomy trunk.
In fact, the Stratus or Sebring might be the sportiest looking coupes around. The big question is whether they’re as sporty looking as the Stratus or Sebring sedans.
[[[[[CUTLINES:
1/ The 2001 Chrysler Sebring LXi sedan felt right at home on twisty roads in the mountains of Washington.
2/ A Stratus R/T coupe showed off its lines on the highway leading to Hurricane Ridge, on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.
3/ The smooth lines of the midsize Sebring resemble the Chrysler 300M, and the 2.7 V6 might challenge the performance of its larger sibling.
4/ A bridge along the rocky coast of Whidby Island provided a mystical backdrop for the sleek 2001 Dodge Stratus R/T coupe. ]]]]]]]]]]
BMW M5 and Audi A6 4.2 cruise at the top of car fantasy list
This is the age of excess in automotives, and it’s the time of year where fantasy football teams are in fashion. So let’s combine the two. We’ll fantasize a bit by picking a star performer as the world’s most nearly perfect car, with money being no object.
Nominations could run up to a couple dozen, but the chances are very good the final pick would end up being German. And expensive. Very, very expensive.
Two final candidates for our ultimate-car competition would have to be: the BMW M5, and the Audi A6 4.2, with an assist from the A8.
In our perfect-car world, sports cars are exciting and fun, but aren’t every-day useful. Trucks and SUVs are useful, but their heft overcomes any tendency to be fun and pleasurable to drive. Besides, the sedan world combines the best features of sports car performance and luxury car comfort, and even handle most people-hauling assets of SUVs.
The above-mentioned German sedans do that, and, in fact, are over-achievers in virtual any automotive category you could dream up.
BMW GOES OVER THE TOP
BMW sedans run hard and long at rates that most normal drivers find unreasonably swift, and that most competing companies find unreachable. In current configuration, BMW’s basic three sizes of sedans are the 3-series, the 5-series and the 7-series, with the larger number meaning a larger car.
The 5-series, right in the middle, has sleek and flowing aerodynamic lines, and gained a large dollop of performance when BMW dropped its 4.0-liter V8 into it from out of the 740. That engine grew to 4.4 liters, providing even more punch. Armed with that engine, the 540 sedan would be more than enough to satisfy the most discerning sports-sedan customerÂ…if only the M5 didn’t exist.
BMW takes the fast and strong 540 sedan and refines every characteristic. Better wheels (18 inch), better tires (low profile), better brakes, suspension, exhaust, interior, and even an improvement on that dual-overhead-camshaft, 32-valve V8, which is enlarged from 4.4 liters to 4.9 liters, close enough that BMW can call it a 5-liter. The M5 has 400 horsepower, sent from under the hood to the sticky tires via a 6-speed manual transmission.
Half-joking, I estimated that the M5 probably wouldn’t go a bit over 175 miles per hour. Then I found out it has an electronically governed maximum of 176. It also has a sophisticated traction control system, which can be shut off, which can allow you to hear the chirping, I’m told, of the M5’s tendency to spin the rear drive wheels when accelerating as high up as 110 mph.
The black and red leather bucket seats are firm and contoured, with the extendable cushion under your knees. Coupled with the fantastic suspension, BMW has proven that you can have supple luxury and razor-sharp performance handling with the same package. Drive up to an intersection and make a 90-degree turn at 40 mph, with absolutely no leaning from the car. That was my self-imposed limit, just to prevent your insides from splattering themselves on the far half of your ribcage.
Advanced safety devices are included, and those huge brakes haul the M5 down with as much precision as it goes or turns. With all that power, EPA fuel estimates are 13 city and 21 highway, but I got 19.5 miles per gallon in 400 miles of combined city-freeway driving, and over 22 mpg on the freeway only portion.
You can get a 3-series for under $30,000, and the new Z3 sports car for just over $30,000. You also can get a 5-series sedan for right around $40,000. But the M5 is rare, with all those upgraded components, and you have to pay for it. An M5 has a base price of $69,400, and the test M5, gleaming white, had a sticker of $72,070.
The navigation system worked well, and among the impressive touches is the tachometer, which has a 7,000-RPM redline, with a yellow warning strip at 6,500. When you first start up the cold engine, however, you notice that the yellow warning band on the tach has electronically stretched down to around 5,000 RPMs, and it slowly moves back up the dial as the engine temperature rises. Just to remind you not to hammer the M5 until it warms up.
AUDI A6, A8
The Audi A4 sedan saved the company in the U.S., and competes with BMW’s 3-series in size. The A6 is larger and roomier, more like the 5-series BMW, and the A8 flagship is way up there with the 7-series BMW, in a stratosphere that only the Mercedes S-class and, from outside Germany, Jaguar can hope to challenge.
Audi’s secret to success has been its exceptional quattro all-wheel-drive system, available on all models, as an upgrade from front-wheel-drive, which, in itself, is a big edge in Up North winter driving over the front-engine/rear-drive BMW and Mercedes competitors.
Performance has been another matter. The A4 is good, and the A8 is exceptional, but the A6 has been overmatched by the 540. So during model year 2000, Audi not only brought out the TT sports car, but it gave the A6 two heavy doses of performance. I previously wrote about the A6 with the 2.7-liter, twin-turbocharged engine, which boosted it to 250 horsepower and allowed it to run with the 540. If it was still a tiny tad short of the 540, the A6 had the quattro system as a boost.
But Audi went beyond the 2.7 twin turbo for the A6, which requires a look at the larger A8 luxury sedan. The A8 is a one-of-a-kind vehicle, built all of aluminum, like a jet airliner. The platform, the body panels and the superb 4.2-liter V8 engine are aluminum, which, pound for pound, is structurally stronger than steel. For 2000, Audi has offered a stretched version, called the “A8 L,” which is five inches longer than the standard A8 and gives rear-seat occupants almost three inches more legroom and virtual limousine space.
The 4.2-liter engine was a strong-performing V8, but after Audi developed 5-valve-per-cylinder technology, with variable valve-timing on its smallest 1.8-liter 4-cylinder, and then applied it to its other engines, too. So the A8 L 4.2 now has 40 valves and 310 horsepower with which to pull its heavy, 4,100-pound quattro frame around, and it performs very well, under all circumstances. It also costs over $70,000 — a base-price $67,900 increased to $70,825.
Sure enough, Audi decided to stuff that 40-valve, 4.2-liter V8 under the A6’s gracefully sloping hood this year. With the quattro splitting 300 horses and 300 foot-pounds of torque among all four wheels, the lighter A6 4.2 also jumps away with Audi’s 5-speed automatic transmission, which has the Tiptronic hand-shifting capability to bump it forward for upshifts and back for downshifts.
The A6 starts in the $30,000 range, but equipped with the 4.2 and all the associated upgrades it starts at $48,900, and rises to an as-tested sticker of $52,225. I got 20 mpg combined, while EPA etimates show 17 city and 24 highway. All in all, the A6 4.2 makes an interesting match with the 5-series BMW in comfort, performance and luxury.
The power upgrade and the quattro make the A6 4.2 handle as if on rails — very swift rails — and its foul-weather performance makes it a true 365-day car, even Up North. For speed and power, the A6 probably can outrun the BMW 540, although the M5’s all-out speed and power would be another matter. Hmmm. Good thing this is just a fantasy, otherwise we’d have to make an extremely difficult choice.
[[[[[CUTLINES:
1/ BMW M5 has only subtle exterior clues that set itself apart from the 540 sedan.
2/ Four tailpipes, tiny “M5” badges and 18-inch wheels tip off the all-out performance M5 model.
3/ Understated interior has special black and red leather seats, with brushed metal instead of wood for trim.
4/ The graceful lines of the Audi A6 are augmented by wheel flares, special wheels, and a small “4.2” emblem on the rear to denote the 4.2-liter engine inside.
5/ The new, stretched Audi A8 L rested comfortably amid a flowering field of Up North canola plants.
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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