Toyota racing influence clearly reflected in new Lexus IS300
Imagine the daily drive taken to the max in pure pleasure. You’d climb in, start the engine, appreciate the sound of power, then you’d take off. Both hands on the steering wheel as you step on the gas and the car surges forward, smoothly and evenly, but with a kick of power as the revs build. You’re nearing the redline on the tachomter now, so you squeeze your finger — either right or left index finger — without leaving your grip on the steering wheel, and the car willingly upshifts with another surge of power.
Do that five times, and you’re at full sail. Time to slow down, so you press down with your thumb, and the 5-speed gearbox downshifts. Do it again, it downshifts again. Just like driving a Formula 1 car on the morning commute. But it’s not a Formula 1 car, it’s the new Lexus IS300, which is making a bid at being the next best thing.
You don’t drive a race car on the street, and you wouldn’t want to, because race cars are harsh and uncompromising and lack all the amenities we’ve come to expect from regular streetable vehicles. However, Toyota has come out with a rash of new sporty vehicles in the last couple of years, and for the 2001 model year, it has provided its upscale Lexus brand with a new IS300, which pretty well lives up to the Lexus reputation for luxury, but fires well beyond any preconceived ideas of Toyota/Lexus stodginess.
If Germany’s BMW 3-Series or Audi A4 rank as the top sporty sedans in the world, then the new IS300 is the Japanese equivalent. It is almost a Japanese version of the BMW M3, which is high praise, indeed.
In the always-competitive world of auto racing, there is no compromise on performance and durability. A race car must be swift and strong to win, and it must finish the distance to have a chance to win. In the real world of automotives, everything seems to be a compromise — fast cars also try to be comfortable, luxury cars also seek performance, economy cars try to be sporty, and all of them either pretend or profess to have durability.
Similar to the path Honda followed several years ago, Toyota adapted some of the brilliant technical concepts from racing for its consumer autos, such as double-wishbone suspensions and variable valve-timing methods that adjusted engine operation to cope with varying driver input. The result is that Toyota has updated its always-dependable street engines with a solid dose of high-performance fun, with the Lexus GS300 and GS400, the new Celica, or the hot, new MR2 as prime examples. Now add the IS300, and Toyota has successfully tilted its own playing field away from its reputation of building steady, dependable vehicles with all the panache of appliances..
Being lighter and more compact in exterior dimensions, the IS300 became a workable tool for quick response to every influence of horsepower, steering and handling that Toyota engineers chose. And they chose well. The more compact size also allows the IS300 to be kept to a reasonable cost, which is just over $30,000.
POWER AND PERFORMANCE
If the BMW 3-Series was Toyota’s target, the most obvious element of the Lexus IS300 is the front-engine/rear-drive layout of BMW. That allowed chassis engineers to set up the balance as they chose, although the trade-out for those of us Up North who face five months of snow and ice may find that is too much of a compromise. Having made that decision, nonetheless, Toyota chose the same in-line 6-cylinder engine from more the expensiv GS300/400 models. That was interesting, because Toyota makes 3-liter engines in both V6 and in-line 6 designs. BMW, incidentally, also uses an in-line six of similar dimensions.
The engine in the IS300 has dual-overhead-camshafts with four valves per cylinder, and an advanced variable-timing system to keep those valves open longer for maximum performance. It is tuned to deliver 215 horsepower at 5,800 RPMs and 218 foot-pounds of torque at 3,800 revs, with a redline of 6,400 RPMs. The variable valve-timing gives the engine the flexibility to meet anyone’s demands for low-end power, as the 7.1-second 0-60 times indicate, and also carries that punch through the midrange and on up to the high-revving power near redline.
The in-line engine is mounted just behind the center-point of the front axle, by 2.2 inches, which reduces the amount of weight ahead of the axle and thus allows for better balance. Double wishbone suspension geometry, which simply is the best and most precise, keeps the car’s stance stable while delivering that power to the road.
The 5-speed automatic transmission is an exceptional addition to the whole picture. You can use the shift lever with its big, steel ball, to simply go into “D” for drive, or manhandle it as a clutchless manual. But why bother? Go with the buttons on the steering wheel. Upshifts are snappy, sure, and feel good. When you downshift, you can only go to “2” to prevent you from hitting the super-steep first gear.
I am a manual-shift zealot, although the hills of Duluth are a good argument for an automatic. But with the “E-shift” feature, you genuinely get the best of both worlds. Once you get used to it, it is as much fun as any manual shift, but it takes awhile. It’s easy to get coordinated with the downshifting, because the little oval switches on the steering wheel facing you say “down” right on them. But the buttons for upshifting are on the backside of the steering wheel, where you can’t see them or read them, and you must make a mechanical effort to use them and then spend the time to make their use instinctive.
Porsche was first with this sort of shift, with the Tiptronic, now also used by Audi. Chrysler put in its AutoStick, which lacks the steering-wheel buttons, and most other companies now offer some form of manually shiftable automatics. But of all of them, the Toyota/Lexus concept is unexcelled in some ways.
First of all, when you start up and upshift a couple times, then slow down and stop for a red light without downshifting, the E-shift starts you out in low gear anyway. When you upshift to, say, third, the car’s computer assigns the best choice of first, second or third to your driving. In fourth, it’s the best of 1-4, etc., and upshifting to fifth is a lot like being in “D.” When you’re driving along, if you fail to glance at the instruments to see the large number designating what gear you’re in, you might easily lose track. So, if you’re in fifth and you hit the button to upshift, a little beep tells you you’re already there. Same with trying to downshift under first when you’re waiting at a red light.
All of those ideas, along with the surety that if you neglect to downshift it starts you out in starting range anyhow, the whole thing becomes, as they say, idiot-proof even for the most forgetful drivers. Taken alone, the car’s great power and slick shifter would be outstanding. But when added to the quicker, more precise steering and the wonderfully firm suspension that seems to anticipate your turning whims, it is a truly impressive package.
CREATURE FEATURES
The IS300 is shorter and stubbier on the outside, because designers wanted to make it compact, and they did it by reducing the overhang. The front wheels are extremely close to the front end of the car, which both aids the stability by stretching the wheelbase to the maximum, and helped leave room to position the engine rearward of the front axle. It also means the shorter exterior doesn’t wipe out rear seat room or trunk space.
Inside, sportiness takes precedence over luxury, but luxury is certainly not overlooked. The black leather seats have suede inserts, although it’s actually fake suede, but classy nonetheless.
The instrument cluster is evidence that no matter how many models of cars have been built, there’s always room for somethng new and different. At first glance, the gauges look like they must have been designed by Rolex. There is a definite sports-watch look, with a round speedometer, flanked by a smaller tachometer on the left and fuel gauge on the right, but located inside the speedometer circle are three smaller dials, one that calculates your miles per gallon, one for battery and one for coolant temperature.
It would be interesting to see a study on how much an imaginative cockpit can influence the feeling of satisfaction a driver has with his/her car. I mean, the exterior looks are important, as are other characteristics of adequate room. But once in the car and underway, a driver is totally consumed by what is necessary to drive the vehicle — visibility, performance, comfort, switchgear, the “feel” of control, and certainly the instrumentation.
Safety is another important characteristic, and the IS300 has the structural build, plus side-airbags mounted in the seats to augment the frontal airbags. Other nice features are the audio system, a 240-watt monster with eight speakers and in-dash cassette and CD players.
One other sporty touch is the use of aluminum, perforated pedals, and, combining style with substance, when you step on the perforated aluminum brake pedal, the IS300 stops! Immediately! Huge 11.65-inch front and 12.09-inch rear disc brakes are perfectly tuned to the touch of your toe on the brake pedal.
An interesting facet of the IS300’s marketing is that Lexus already has an ES300, which also has a 3-liter 6-cylinder engine. The difference is that the ES300 is a slick, sporty base luxury sedan with a V6 instead of the in-line 6, and front-wheel-drive, which is better for the masses. Typical of Toyota, the ES300 is sufficiently sporty, just as the IS300 is sufficiently luxurious.
The difference is that Toyota, perhaps because of its increasing role in auto racing, wanted to build a no-compromise, inexpensive sports sedan. And it hit that target, directly.
[[[[CUTLINES:
1/ The IS300 is a new, stylishly sporty sedan from Toyota’s Lexus division, and it is set off by fresh design and refreshingly potent performance. Call it a Japanese BMW M3.
2/ Plush leather seats with suede-like inserts are firmly supportive, and the IS300 interior — from instruments to steering wheel to drilled pedals, to sporty shift knob — makes it a pleasant place to be.
3/ The rear has an upraised lilt to it that resembles the costlier Lexus GS 300/400 models, and sets off the large, businesslike tailpipe.
4/ The gauge package resembles a sports wristwatch, with dials-within-dials, with a readout indicating the gear you’re in.
Mechanical marvel device creates perfect top for BMW 323Ci
The best thing about BMW coming out with an all new 3-Series of sedans is that there’s always more to it than just one car. First there’s the basic 3-Series sedan, then there’s a coupe, then maybe a convertible, and then an M3 sporty version.
We are, right about now, at the phase of test-driving the convertible, called the 323Ci. Just in time, too. Driving the 323Ci last week meant being able to actually put the top down and brave chilly but not life-threatening temperatures and still take a few photos that looked “convertible-ish.” One week later, that wouldn’t have worked.
The 3-Series BMW is the world’s standard for sports sedans, and the coupe is even built to house back-seat folks. It is refined and fine, conveying occupants with style and dash, and with the driver-oriented characteristics that make it absolutely the measurement by which any other sporty sedan must strive to reach.
Why should I have been surprised that the convertible top mechanism lives up to, or beyond, the lofty expectations of BMW?
At just over $30,000, the 3-Series is a bargain, with its only drawback being front-engine/rear-drive. At just over $35,000, the 323Ci is still surprisingly cost-effective.
For those who appreciate mechanical marvels in cars, the 3-Series is a lucrative buy. For those who marvel at mechanical devices but don’t give a fig about cars, the 323Ci is STILL a compelling attraction.
Recently I test-drove several convertibles, including the Dodge Viper, which had an erector-set device covering the comparatively small roof, and which took two people 15 minutes of wrestling time to install. So when it comes to being interested in a convertible, the top matters. Some are easy, like the Toyota MR2, the Honda S2000, or the Mazda Miata, with their manual flip-down tops. Others are complex beyond reason, like the Viper.
But when you watch the BMW 323Ci top go down, you feel privileged, as if maybe you should pay admission, or at least a surcharge, to watch it in action.
First off, the 323Ci with its black fabric roof up and in place atop the rich, silver car, looks sleeker and better than almost any convertible with its top up. Normally, you dream of a convertible showing off with the top up, and you try to slink around comparatively unnoticed when the top is up.
So now it’s time to put the top down. You park the car, and you push the button on the lower center dash panel. Immediately you hear some whirring of tiny motors as the side windows, front and rear, drop enough to assure clearance. Then there’s a bit of a clunk as the top unlatches where it meets the top of the windshield. Simultaneously, a smooth, flush-fitting panel on the rear of the body just behind the rear seats and just ahead of the trunk tilts up, hinged at the rear.
Immediately the top starts to retract, smoothly and resolutely, while the rear window part of the top kinks up forward, in a sort of dance with the rear panel, which moves forward and back in coordination with the back part of the top so that they will clear each other. Without hesitation, the top folds itself up and lowers itself into the cubicle behind the rear seat, and as soon as it nestles down there, the rear hatch closes, smoothly and with a certain “click” that indicates it’s locked in place.
Look ma, no hands! Except for one tap on the button. The result is a perfectly smooth body, seamlessly covering the top with no concern about ungainly tonneau covers or fold-ups for rear stowage.
Push the button adjacent to the top-down button, and the whole process is reversed, swiftly, smoothly and with perfect precision.
The 323Ci has the usual 3-Series assets, revised when the new model was introduced earlier this year. The power from the 2.5-liter, in-line 6-cylinder engine, with its dual-overhead camshafts and stepless, variable valve timing, is just as anticipated, quickly relayed to the road by the 5-speed manual shifter. With 170 horsepower at 5,500 RPMs and 181 foot-pounds of torque at 3,500 RPMs, the 3,560-pound 323Ci shoots from 0-to-60 in under eight seconds, and fuel-economy estimates are 19 city, 25 highway.
BMW insists that its highly sophisticated traction-control system means the car can function well in wintertime, although living Up North is conclusive evidence that some winter driving is different from others. My theory remains that even the best traction-control system needs some traction to be effective. We can all name situations where there is no traction, and front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive is the only way to get anywhere. Still, we could get by if there was only front-engine/rear-drive, and past experience has shown me that BMW’s system might well be the best on any rear-drive cars.
Naturally, the car is loaded with the usual BMW features. Four-wheel disc brakes, stabilizer bars on the flawlessly-tuned sports suspension front and rear, dual front airbags with door-mounted side airbags, halogen headlights and foglights, 8-way power seats, keyless entry and a trip computer.
With a base price of $35,065, the test car added leather interior for $1,450, and Myrtle wood trim (Myrtle wood?) for $1,400. A 10-speaker audio system with CD player built in added another $200 to the option list. Altogether, the test car came in at $39,085.
If that seems like a lot, you could always consider parking it out front and charging the neighbors admission to watch the top go up and down. Preferably in summertime.
[[[[[CUTLINES:
1/ The BMW 323Ci has the seductive, sporty flair of the new 3-Series, with its hooded headlights, plus adds the attraction of top-down pleasure.
(2-3-4-5 sequenceÂ…)/
The slick-operating top operates at the touch of a dash button to unlatch itself, raise the rear hatch, drop back and disappear completely out of sight, and close up tight to transform to a convertible. The process reverses itself at the touch of another button.
Large and luxurious XG300 boosts Hyundai’s auto stature
Never having been able to speak or understand Korean, my contact with automotive products made me assume “refinement” was a word in our language that didn’t necessarily translate.
My first experiences with Korean cars led to a pretty major stereotype, which was that Japanese companies built copies of the best vehicles in the world, and while selling them they were hard at work on designs and technology that went beyond the originals. Korean cars, on the other hand, seemed to be pretty good copies of Japanese carsÂ…butÂ…
The ability to refine those copies seemed to be a stretch for cars like the first Hyundai subcompacts and compacts, and it seemed that as the copies got better, there was no indication of any technical advancements that didn’t originate in Japan or some other country.
Korean cars have gotten better, there is no question about that, and Hyundai, Daewoo and Kia have come a long way.
The best way to describe how good the all-new Hyundai XG300 is that after a week-long test of one, my wife, Joan, said, “You know, I didn’t HATE that car.”
True, our family tends to appreciate and enjoy the technology of the best cars, and we can even like ordinary, normal cars, but we tend to dislike your basic boring, unimaginative vehicles. And that comment indicates the XG300 represents a real breakthrough for Hyundai. Incidentally, speaking of translations, we are still told that Hyundai should be pronounced “HUN-day,” a lot like “Sunday,” which is for the ease of Americans; we know the real pronunciation should be more like “HYUN-die,” but the U.S. marketing arm of the company wanted to simplify it.
Hyundai still makes the tiny Accent, the subcompact Elantra, and the midsize Sonata, plus the sporty coupe Tiburon. They have gotten less dislikable, in recent years. But even while the Sonata is greatly improved and impressed me, I was unprepared for the XG300, which stands alone, bigger and better than all other tenants in Hyundai’s stable.
First off, let’s say that it’s possible that maybe no single item on the Hyundai XG300 originated at a Hyundai think tank. I’ve experienced every single element on various other cars from various other countries. But when Hyundai wanted to come out with a larger car, approaching the near-luxury segment, it pretty well got everything.
Hyundai set the price of the XG300 at $23,500, which is pretty high for a car from an economy-based company. But it also loaded the XG300 up with items that are mostly exclusive on the high-end of other companies’ option lists, and made them all standard equipment. The only option you can find is a CD player as part of an audio upgrade to a six-speaker system from the standard AM-FM-cassette four-speaker device.
The standard features I found most impressive are both mechanical and interior.
On the mechanical side, you have front-wheel drive powered by a transverse-mounted 3.0-liter V6 that has — check them off — dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, variable timing of the valvetrain to provide more flexible distribution of power in varying circumstances, multiport fuel injection with four-jet injectors, an in-tank fuel pump (pushing is more efficient than pulling for the pump), a vibration-canceling counter-balance shaft, electronic (distributorless) ignition with dual knock sensors, and three-way catalysts.
That about takes care of the engine, except to explain that it puts out 192 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs and 178 foot-pounds of torque at 4,800 RPMs. But there are more high-tech mechanical things. Such as the standard automatic transmission, which is a five-speed (not four), and which is shiftable through a stylish floor lever through an aluminum plate and with a side channel for manually shifting, which Hyundai calls Shiftronic.
The suspension also is advanced, with double-wishbone design up front, complete with coil springs, gas-filled hydraulic shocks and a stabilizer bar, while the rear hs independent multi-links, coil springs, gas shocks and a stabilizer bar. Large, four-wheel disc brakes with a dual-diagonal arrangement and four-channel, four-sensor antilock.
Yes, you can find various cars with some of those features, and even with all of those features, but they generally cost $30,000 or more.
Inside, the seats are supportive, and luxury touches abound. The seats are leather, for example, and the woodgrain stuff on the dash is abundant, carrying over to the console. The gauges themselves, including a tachometer, have a background of little wavy lines that are neat, not obtrusive or annoying, another plus. I like the feel of the thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel, although I think the speed-sensitive steering might be a little over-boosted.
The center dash area has, stacked from top to bottom, heat/air vents, then a trip-computer readout window with such things as distance to out-of-fuel, time, etc., then the audio system with easy to operate controls, and below that the heat/air switches, which also have easily adjusted round knobs. Under that there are a couple of trap doors for mini-storage bins and cupholders.
There is plenty of room in the front, rear and trunk, which has a cargo capacity is 14.5 cubic feet, because the XG300 is a few inches longer than the adequately-sized Sonata. The overall length is 191.5 inches and wheelbase is 108.3. The XG300 has fuel-economy estimates of 19 city and a lofty 27 highway, but that’s possible, thanks to all the technology on the engine and that five-speed transmission.
As to the exterior, which makes its first impression in any car, we’re back to the grossly subjective. I like the look of the front and front corner, because the grille is different enough, and the standard projector-beam headlights and foglights add to the look of contemporary sportiness and class. It’s OK from the side, too, but when you get around to the rear, I think it loses its flavor a bit. I mean, there are contours and indentations here and there, intended to make it distinctive, but it almost looks like the designers thought, “OK, we’re at the back fender, so let’s put a little hump here.”
An acquaintance of mine suggested it looked like Hyundai hired a Buick designer to do the silhouette and the rear corner, and you can read what you like into that.
From the standpoint of a total package, you’d have to look long and hard to find any vehicle with so much high-tech features at such a modest price. As for refinement, there could still be some tweaking.
For example, the manual override transmission allows you to have some fun, and if you want to start off hard, you can do that. But when you want to just start off moderately, you STILL start hard. So it lurches a bit off the line, and a little when it upshifts, but that’s still small criticism, and the sort of thing a little refinement can take care of.
Also, the name. I’ve had to look up the name “XG300” about a half-dozen times, because with so many alpha-numeric vehicle designations nowadays, my memory bank is on overload. Still, when you consider names like Elantra, Tiburon and Sonata, you might think of a series of medications and/or musical movements. So maybe XG300 isn’t so bad.
[[[[CUTLINES:
1/ Hyundai has ventured into the larger, “near-luxury” segment with its new XG300, which is loaded with standard high-tech features for $23,500.
2/ The interior is a stylish blend of real leather and less-real woodgrain, but with an undeniable aura remindful of German luxury sedans.
3/ Maybe Hyundai designers ran out of styling ideas by the time they got to the rear of the XG300, which is less distinctive.
Redesigned 2002 Explorer eliminates controversial problems
SEDONA, ARIZ.—The recent hassle regarding Ford Explorers with Firestone tires has been a major problem for Ford Motor Company, but there is a theory that it is just the tip of the iceberg, and when all information is disclosed, it will be a major problem for all sport-utility vehicles.
The problem is a simple one of physics. All higher-center-of-gravity vehicles tend to be less stable and more likely to roll over, especially when driven too aggressively. If you don’t think SUV drivers drive too aggressively, try cruising on the freeway, stretching the speed limit to 75 between Duluth and the Twin Cities, and take note of how many SUVs pass you, doing at least 85.
That is not to absolve Ford of any blame in the matter. There are some critics who will claim that the Explorer’s solid rear axle and rear suspension, which began life in an entirely different application on the Ranger pickup truck, didn’t help the vehicle’s agility, and that the flexibility of the frame might also have contributed to some instability, either in an emergency or if a tire gave out.
But if the Explorer problem is just the tip of the iceberg, Ford has the perfect solution: It built a better iceberg.
A herd of automotive journalists was invited to show up in waves this past week amid the stunning scenery and twisty mountain roads of northern Arizona to test-drive a group of early-production 2002 Explorers, which will go on sale in January or February of 2001.
The introduction was brief, but we got a chance to put the new Explorer through some pretty thorough paces. All of the test vehicles were equipped with the 4.0-liter single overhead-cam V6. We jumped into a black, Eddie Bauer model — ranking above the basic XLS and the upgraded XLT–right near Phoenix, and drove north and then east, into the mountains.
First impressions are that the new Explorer is amazingly smooth and stable, with a hug-the-road feel gained by lengthening the wheelbase and the width, but also by stiffening the frame and adding new suspension design and componentry. Ford engineers pulled off the trick of lowering the floor inside for ease of entry and exit and for the better feeling of road contact, yet raising the ground clearance for off-road purposes.
It was also amazingly free of wind noise, and felt generally tight all over, probably due to its computer-aided design, which made for closer tolerances between body panels.
When we went off the road, on a tiny elk-hunting road, we found snow and also mud. Lots of mud. The better to make deep ruts with. We drove along that road, and the Explorer cleared ruts and boulders with ease, down steep ravines and through trees as we swerved and slithered along in the mud.
A series of three switches on the dash activate the Control Trac four-wheel drive. We experimented with all three. The automatic four-wheel drive uses the rear drive wheels while reading your driving situation, and switches the torque to where you need it most, even if that means transferring 100 percent of the power to the front wheels. In that automatic setting, if you start off hitting the gas hard, all four wheels get torque to eliminate rear wheelspin, and once underway it might transfer all the power back to the rears.
Four-wheel-drive-high locks the axles and gives equal power doses, front and rear. Four-wheel-drive-low, which is good for climbing out of problem areas off road, and is outstanding for holding the Explorer back when going down steep off-road grades.
On the road, the automatic setting let us zip along the twistiest mountain switchbacks and on down Hwy. 89A from Flagstaff into Sedona, while the innovative suspension made the Explorer handle better than some cars.
REDESIGN WAS NEEDED
The old Explorer has been the largest selling SUV in the world every year for over a decade. For such a popular vehicle to suffer its current indignity, Ford, by an incredibly ironic twist of luck, might be in the best possible position to capitalize on its own agony. First, it just introduced the Escape, a more compact SUV that has the same interior capacity as the current Explorer, which gave concerned buyers an alternative right in the same Ford showroom. And in a couple of months, it will fill the nation’s showrooms with an all-new Explorer that overcomes every shortcoming of the current one.
To the masses, it might seem as though Ford made a hasty but effective adjustment to ease all the concerns. But really, it was a master stroke of good timing, because the entirely redesigned and renovated Explorer was scheduled to come out right now, anyway. The new Explorer resembles the current one, but it is entirely new from the pavement up.
“The dynamics targets for the new Explorer were to make it ride and handle better than ever before, which included making it more stable, safer, easier to drive, and more reassuring,” said Dale Claudepierre, the line director for what Ford calls “compact” SUVs. “In order to do that, we had to start over, and design the first purpose-built chassis for a Ford SUV. In the past, all of our SUVs were based on pickup truck chassis.”
Ford kept the same length and height, but stretched the wheelbase — the length from front to rear axle — and gave the new one a 2.5-inch wider stance. The frame is now comprised of boxed, girder-like bars, designed to have crushable, energy-absorbing front and rear sections, while increasing the torsional stiffness overall of 350 percent. Hmmm. The current one indeed WAS flexible, I guess. The resistance to bending is also improved by 26 percent.
WELL-TIMED CHANGES
The new independent rear suspension affects the ride and handling as well as the stability. The true secret of the new Explorer is based on what Ford has named its “porthole-in-frame” design for the rear axle and its components.
In solid-rear-axle vehicles, the frame must be designed to bend around the rear suspension and axle, so Ford engineers decided to run the frame posts straight back, and to carve a circular hole in each side of the frame, running a tube through the holes. The rear differential was thus mounted up high in the frame, rather than over it, saving precious inches of room that would be otherwise required for proper clearance. The upper and lower suspension control arms are mounted both above and below the frame rail, with those half-shafts sending power to the wheels through the tubes that pass through the portholes.
Moving the suspension parts up high increased ground clearance by one inch, and by not having to place the rear differential above the frame, engineers could lower the rear floor of the vehicle by seven inches.
While all of that is hidden from view, the result is that interior room is increased, and it was put to good use. A third seat gives the Explorer seating for seven, and the second and third row of seats fold down into a flat cargo area. There also is a deep storage bin at the rear, even with the seats up and in place.
Larger door openings and a lower step-in height, with grab-handles for every door, make entry and exit easier. Front seats have more longitudinal travel to aid comfort.
Under the aluminum hood, we drove the 4.0-liter V6, which has been increased to 210 horsepower and 250 foot-pounds of torque, as the standard engine. The V8 upgrade will now be the 4.6-liter modular V8, with a single overhead-cam instead of the old 5-liter pushrod engine. The 4.6 will be all-aluminum and have 240 horsepower and 280 foot-pounds of torque, with more than 250 available as low as 1,500 revs.
They’ve sold 3.6 million Explorers since it came out as a 1990 model, and if the current Explorer finds sales curtailed because of the bad publicity about vehicle and tire instability, Ford has countered with a swifter, more economical, and technically innovative new one.
[[[[[[CUTLINES:
1/ The 2002 Explorer proved its off-road capabilities on a muddy road in the Arizona mountains.
2/ Sunset in the Arizona mountains east of Sedona outlined the new Explorer.
3/ A pair of new Explorers were ignored by a pair of foraging Javelinas, mother and offspring.
4/ The redesigned rear of the 2002 Explorer has a smooth resemblance to the Range Rover.
Hinckley, Duquette combine for perfect picnic-on-the-run trip
They say you can’t go back home again, but, of course, we know that’s not true. And some of the best experiences are when you can recreate a scenario from out of your past.
One of our family’s mini-traditions still works, and it’s an enjoyable project for anyone looking for a day-trip drive of a few leisurely hours. Or longer.
This one all came about after numerous trips to the Twin Cities and back. Used to be, there was no Interstate 35, and in those days, trips to college or to the big “Cities” meant choosing between Hwy. 61 and Hwy. 23. Because 61 was more traveled, that was the usual choice. But I always loved the curving, winding roadway of 23, which, of course, ran into 61 part way to the Twin Cities.
Since freeway days, the pleasant, easy-going touring ride along Hwy. 23 remains a worthy alternative to the same-ol’-ness of I35.
We also have discovered favorite places along the route. One of ours used to be Stacy’s Bakery in Sandstone, until one day Stacy herself informed us she was selling out, and she was going to work with her son, Jim, who had opened a new bakery and confection store at the Hinckley exit.
It is called Jeffrey’s Bakery, after Jim’s son, Stacy’s grandson, and it is just about 100 yards west of the freeway, making available some of the absolute best breads you’ll find in this, or any, world. Stacy’s influence also is reflected in the dark-chocolate treats and toppings on various rolls.
One time, by sheer coincidence, we stopped and got a loaf of Golden Indian bread at Jeffrey’s, and continued north, then decided to veer off at Sandstone onto Hwy. 23. Perfect time to see the later stages of the foliage color changes, and as we drove along, we were a bit thirsty, just as we cruised into Duquette.
There is a gas station there, at a place called the Duquette General Store. We ventured in, and found a wonderland. This is a general store to make you realize what a rural general store could and should be. You could buy everything from heavy, thermal pants and jackets and wool hats, to assorted hardware, to canned goods and groceries. And there, about halfway to the back of the place, was a big glass-faced bin of fresh food.
We custom ordered several custom slices of roast beef, and we decided on a half-dozen slices off a chunk of Colby cheese, and a jar of horseradish mustard, plus a couple of milk and/or pop, and a bag of potato chips.
The first time we did that, we were on our way from the Twin Cities to visit friends and relatives and check out Hawk Ridge, so we were in a bit of a hurry. So we resisted the urge to sit out at a picnic table and make it a real picnic, and we hit the road.
Winding northward along Hwy. 23, however, the temptation overcame us. My wife, Joan, pulled out the bread from Jeffrey’s and the goodies from the Duquette General Store, and created the best sandwich imaginable.
It was so neat, that we repeated the whole venture several times, as the perfect alternative to prove that when you are in eat-on-the-run mode, you needn’t settle for mere fast-food joints.
Last week, we revisited that entire trip scenario, with a neat surprise. We still got the bread at Jeffrey’s, and we still found the Duquette General Store, complete with heavy clothing, and, of course, the roast beef and cheese chunks to be custom sliced, as well as a big jar of Gedney’s horseradish mustard.
Curtis and Julie Gunderson moved from the Twin Cities to buy the Duquette General Store in 1984, and to live in the solitude of the woods about a block in off Hwy. 23. But they recently decided to renovate their wonderful old house and turn it into a bed and breakfast. It is called “Home in the Pines” bed and breakfast, with four units, and Julie Gunderson said it has been booked solid, every weekend since June.
You might think that Duquette, Minn., might not exactly be the tourist center of Minnesota, but a lot of people appreciate the rolling hills and rivers of the area for hiking, wildlife, hunting, foliage color-change, or just solitude.
We didn’t have time to stay, being in a hurry, as usual. But that might be the only way to improve on the short trip to Hinckley, with the circle route up Hwy. 23 and back through Fond du Lac into Duluth. The new wrinkle would be to spend the night at the Home in the Pines bed and breakfast. All you need is a place to sleep and breakfast; we’ve already got the sandwich for dinner.
[[[[[CUTLINES:
1/ Jeffrey’s Bakery in Hinckley has some memorable breads and confections.
2/ The Duquette General Store is a bit of old-time, small-town tradition combined with contemporary features of a grocery store and deli.
3/ Home in the Pines bed and breakfast is a neat hideaway, just west of Hwy. 23 in Duquette.
4/ The changing foliage is not the only attraction of the diversion from I35 along Hwy. 23.
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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