New Patriot adds more-rugged twin to Jeep’s Compass
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — The biggest news from Chrysler Group in the past couple of weeks is the financial situation, in which owner Daimler Benz is investigating possibilities of selling off the U.S. brand. While the news is not exactly uplifting, the fact that Chrysler Group continues to turn out interesting vehicles that could have a solid future is a definite positive.
The new Jeep Patriot actually is a feel-good story for those who like to have “domestic†manufacturers build domestic vehicles in U.S. plants. While Chrysler joins General Motors and Ford in closing U.S. plants with high-paid United Auto Workers in favor of less costly production in Canada and Mexico – which can be called domestic because of the odd workings of the North American Free Trade Association – the Patriot is built in the Belvidere, Ill., plant.
That is the same plant that builds the Dodge Caliber and the Jeep Compass, and the Patriot joins those vehicles as being based on the same platform. Sharing platforms just makes sense, although the vehicles have distinctly different personalities. The Caliber is a neat do-everything vehicle for consumers with active lifestyles, but itÂ’s not an off-road churner.
The Compass and Patriot are closer, and they are an interesting pair of Jeep twins. The Compass came out almost a year ago, and its gently rounded edges and stylish rear made it look like a Jeep that got hit over the head with a contemporary-styling magic wand. Predictably, hard-core Jeep off-roaders ridiculed the Compass for being a “chick car.†And in a way, they were right.
It’s not a putdown to say women will be attracted to the Compass – and 55-60 percent of Compass buyers are women. But in these emancipated times, who’s to say women don’t like to live active lifestyles that may include a little off-roading? But while women will buy a car seen as a rugged, macho “guys’†vehicle, men won’t go near a car if they perceive it as a chick car.
So Jeep quietly slipped out with the Patriot, which takes its place alongside the Compass, but is aimed at attracting about 60 percent male customers. The trick is a new outlook for Jeep, as an entity.
“We have Jeep Modern, and Jeep Rugged,†said designer Don Renkert. “The Grand Cherokee and the Compass fit into Jeep Modern, as family vehicles that men can appreciate, but which also serve women and the family. The Wrangler and the Commander fit into Jeep Rugged, with capability for doing serious off-roading.Ââ€
The Patriot, then, is sort of a crossover among crossovers – being a modern Jeep that also is rugged. It’s slightly longer and within an inch of the height and width of the old Cherokee. Built in the familiar Jeep “two-box†format, the basic Patriot Sport comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder world engine with variable valve timing and 158 horsepower bolstered by 141 foot-pounds of torque. A CVT (continuously variable transmission) and front-wheel drive are included in the $14,985 base price. Adding Freedom Drive I all-wheel drive adds the 2.4-liter version of the engine and boosts the base price up to $16,735. Going up to the premium Freedom Drive II with an off-road package takes the sticker to $19,175.
The fancier Patriot Limited starts the front-wheel-drive model at $19,985 for the larger 2.4 engine with 172 horsepower and 165 foot-pounds of torque. It goes to $21,735 for the Freedom Drive I version, and $23,530 for the Freedom Drive II off-road package-equipped top model. The 2.4 coaxes estimates of 26 miles per gallon city and 30 on the highway from the EPAÂ’s often-bewildered computers with front-wheel-drive and the 5-speed manual transmission, which matches the 2.0. As you add features, the mileage dips a bit, but still is 21/23 with the full-boat off-road model with special low-range features.
Other than ruggedness, the main differences between the Sport and Limited are interior amenities. You get a decent two-town interior of vinyl or fabric on the Sport, and leather is standard on the Limited, it either a pebble beige or slate grey. There are a lot of little storage bins, and the lid on the console can store an iPod. The rear hatch opens upward, and you can reach an audio unit built into the hatch, folding it down to aim the two speakers for optimum tailgate/picnic needs. The spare tire is under the skidproof floor of the storage area. The rear seats fold down flat, in one-third and two-third segments. The front passenger backrest also folds forward to make a longer flat surface, so if you needed to haul some 8-foot boards or other lumber pieces, or a stepladder, you could do it.
The rear dome-light also pops out and turns into a bright, LED flashlight that recharges when itÂ’s in place in the Patriot.
Describing the various powertrain choices gets a little technical, because Jeep has developed so many off-road units. Best to remember that in the Patriot’s case, going to anything called “Freedom Drive†means going to the CVT as well, but Jeep has made the pulley-based steel-toothed belt work in off-road circumstances is impressive.
Once you move up to Freedom Drive I, you get the 2.4 with the CVT and an electronically controlled clutch with four-wheel lock up to assure 50-50 split of torque to the front and rear axles.
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The Freedom Drive II has a different gear set that includes a 19-1 low ratio, plus tow-hooks front and rear, a 3 mm skidplate under the engine and fuel tank, heavy-duty cooling to allow higher engine speed and lower speed for off-roading, and upgraded fan motor, alternator and other elements – including an inch taller ride height for a 9-inch underside clearance. The vented differential is located higher than the 19-inch river-fording height.
The top model gets the “Trail Rated†designation Jeep uses on its most-rugged vehicles, and the CVT is an example of how Jeep engineers have made use of the always-shifting, belt-drive transmission.
We drove off into the desert and hilly mountain areas near Scottsdale, and the Patriot handled all chores of normal highway use with ease. It also did a good job on a rugged off-road area through some rocks and river washes.
The Patriot proves that things like antilock brakes, an electronic stability program, roll-mitigation sensors, and side-curtain airbags to augment front and side airbags can fit well into a multi-purpose compact SUV. For off-roading, there is a hill-descent-control device, which holds at anything 5 mph or under for climbing down rocky slopes. Step on the gas or brake, and the control releases. The brake-lock differential, and brake-traction control work to transfer power across the axle to the other side, with obvious benefit to anyone doing some serious off-roading.
Our test was serious enough for me. With the wheels pushed out to the corners, the PatriotÂ’s design provides 29-degree approach angle, 34-degree departure angle, and 23-degree breakover angle, which Jeep claims are all best-in-class figures. What impressed me as much was the quick steering, and the 35-foot turning radius, which was surprisingly tight.
My codriver was a woman journalist who is a fairly-aggressive driver. She enjoyed the roominess and safety characteristics of the Patriot, but also had a good time going over the steep, rocky off-road stuff, where the stiffness of the frame caused it to hoist a rear wheel a foot or two off the road, while the engine/transmission combination kept feeding power to the wheels still in firmer command of terra firma.
Going down such extreme stretches allowed us to experiment with the gear sets. Shifting the CVT into low-range, then engaging the hill-descent control, meant you could creep down treacherous areas by trusting the Patriot choose its own pace.
With large SUVs and large sedans faltering in the marketplace, and compact cars and compact crossover SUVs leading the upswing at the other, more fuel-efficient end, JeepÂ’s timing looks pretty good. Having the Compass join the fray as a smaller vehicle for Grand Cherokee types is one good idea, and now sending the Patriot out as a more streetable partner for the Wrangler, but also a more rugged twin of the Compass, pretty well covers the marketplace.
Audi’s S8, S6 make powerful claims for proper respect
MONTREAL, QUEBEC — It was an impossible choice. Driving the new Audi S8 – the high-performance version of the A8 luxury sedan – was an exhilarating exercise in mastering some challenging woodsy two-lane roads in the hills north of Montreal. Driving the same roads in the new S6 – AudiÂ’s high-performance version of its hot-selling midsize luxury A6 sedan – was even more exhilarating in some ways.
In Minnesota, where driving on ice and snow is a way of life, Audis have been popular and well-appreciated, because their standard front-wheel drive or quattro all-wheel drive eliminate most of the hazards that rear-wheel-drive vehicles confront annually from December to April. BMW and Mercedes – Audi’s two traditional German luxury rivals – have historically depended on front-engine/rear-drive for what they claim is a performance advantage.
Around the rest of the U.S., Audis are considered nice, safe cars, maybe just a slight distance behind the more prestigious cars from BMW or Mercedes. ThatÂ’s a sore point for Johan de Nysschen, executive vice president of Audi of America, who addressed journalists at the media introduction for AudiÂ’s newest cars in Montreal by making it clear Audi intends to make a bid to gain its rightful position. “We feel our brand is under-appreciated and under-recognized in the U.S.,†said de Nysschen. “For example, how many people in the U.S. know that our current S6 outsells BMWÂ’s M5 and the Mercedes AMG (E-Class) in Germany? And how many know that our A6 is the best-selling mid-size luxury car in the world?Ââ€
Most of us were surprised that Audi had surpassed those traditional foes in the home market, to say nothing of the world. The newest introductions, meanwhile, are to prove that while Audi’s sedans compare well to BMW and Mercedes counterparts, Audi also aims to outrun the high-performance AMG cars from Mercedes, and the “M†models from BMW.
That made the North American introduction of the S8 and S6 particularly intriguing. Both cars have the same basic 5.2-liter, Lamborghini-based, direct-injection V10 engine, and the same performance-oriented quattro all-wheel-drive system, but the cars make distinctly different impressions. Switch the S8’s air-suspension system to “Dynamic†and the big sedan hunkers down and feels planted on the curviest pavement. On the same roads, you could hurl the shorter A6 around the same curves, with a greater feeling that you are provoking the precision. You never think of “tossing†the S8 into a curve; it feels like it’s on rails. The S6 feels as though it needs your manipulations to send it sweeping smoothly around those curves.
That makes the S6 feel considerably quicker, which led to another surprise. One one segment of the drive through the hills, I noticed pushed the S6 at as spirited a pace as felt comfortable, enjoying the drive immensely, while a friend of mine did the same in another car up ahead, pretty much maintaining the same interval about 100 feet ahead. When we reached our stopping point, I was surprised to see that he was in an S8. The larger S8 is the classier, more luxurious car, while the S6 felt distinctly lighter and more agile, and I appreciated that sportier feel.
But leave it to those Germans. They decided they wanted the S6 to be ultimate hot midsize luxury sedans, and it has 435 horsepower and 398 foot-pounds of torque from its 5.2-liter V10. To prevent hot-footed S6 drivers from breezing past any larger S8s, the same size V10 in the S8 is tuned to 450 horsepower and 398 foot-pounds of torque. It seems the lighter S8 should be able to offset those extra 15 horses, but, the larger, longer S8 is only 100 pounds heavier than the S6, because its totally built of high-strength aluminum, with space-frame construction blessing the platform, suspension, body — everything.
The S8 will go 0-60 in 4.9 seconds – a vicinity only Corvette-Porsche-Viper type sports cars might visit, to say nothing of a large, four-door sedan with all-wheel drive and filled with opulent leather and wood. The rear seat could be the site of a board meeting, but it would be the fastest-moving board meeting imaginable.
Other competitors for Audi include Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, Volvo, Jaguar and Cadillac, but Mercedes and BMW are its primary rivals, because they share the autobahns, and they compete in motorsports. Audi counters by beating them – and everybody else – at the 24 Hours of LeMans, and on the Amercian LeMans series. Audi’s dominant R8 won five LeMans races, and 63 of 80 it competed in. This year, it was retired in favor of a new R10 TDI, which became the first turbo-diesel to ever win LeMans.
Race-bred performance in luxury models doesn’t come cheap. The smaller S4 may be a bargain, but the S6 starts at $72,000, and the S8 has a base price of $92,000. One S8 I drove, loaded with options including a $6,300 Bang and Olufsen audio system with 1,000 watts of power and 14 self-contained speakers, each with its own amplifier, had a sticker that topped $110,000. As with many of Germany’s finest cars, these beauties with Audi’s “fanatical attention to detail†are exorbitantly priced – and probably worth every penny.
With impressive success around the rest of the world, de Nysschen is impatient about focusing on the U.S. “We are headed for a record year in 2006 for our sales in the U.S.,†de Nysschen continued, “because of our newest A6, A4 and A3, and the introduction of the Q7, which has exceeded all our expectations. We introduced the Q7 just as large SUVs were slowing down, but we have delivered 3,200 Q7s since it was introduced last April, which means itÂ’s outselling the BMW X5 and Mercedes ML. We now also have the highest residual value.Ââ€
Audi, based in Ingolstadt, Germany, is not a huge company, but being between niche manufacturers and enormous companies is a benefit, and, de Nysschen added, Audi intends to capitalize on it.
“You must respect your competition – especially if they have larger market share,†he said. “Mercedes, unfortunately, has tarnished its reputation about quality a bit, and that is an opportunity for us. BMW seems to be very determined to become a volume brand, but when you do that, there is a threshold where you are no longer exclusive. We would like to have that problem, but for now, it can work to our advantage.
“In the past, we didn’t do as well as we should have,†de Nysschen said. “From the standpoints of marketing, and distribution, it was different in the U.S, than elsewhere. U.S. profits were not being reinvested in U.S. marketing. For many years we were behind BMW and Mercedes and had a lot of catching up to do. Whenever we got a car right, the economy seemed to go bad; and when the economy was good, we didn’t have the proper portfolio.
“We think the time is now. We have 267 dealerships in the U.S., with 97 of them exclusive Audi dealers. We are not a big company, and we can’t be all things to all people. But Audi has a passion to lead by technology,†he said, ticking off features such as quattro, the new sequential two-clutch automatic in the A3 and A4 that can be manually shifted in .2 of a second – faster than any human can shift a manual, and the passive and active safety measures that have gained accolades for the A3, A4, A6 and the soon-to-be-announced Q7 ratings, as well as the aluminum space-frame construction of the luxury A8.
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The S6 doesnÂ’t have the three-position suspension setting of the S8, but it has a comfortably firm stance. I particularly like the little styling touch on the S6 that includes a little row of five LED daytime driving lights up under the crossbar on either side of the now-familiar Audi grille.
Great attention has been given to making larger audio knobs, carefully finished details that might even be out of sight. The wipers, for instance, are positioned out of the airflow for aerodynamics, and when the outside temperature falls under freezing, the wipers raise themselves every so slightly to avoid sticking to the windshield overnight.
“We donÂ’t just build cars for our customers,†said de Nysschen. “We build cars for ourselves, too. Our engineers do thing to the very best level of what they are capable of. Those things look great, and feel great. Do they sell more cars? Probably not. But we like it, so we do it. We use real materials. If it looks like wood, it is wood; if it looks like leather, it is leather; if it looks like aluminium, it is aluminium.Ââ€
Europeans always include the extra syllable in aluminum, to make it “al-you-MIN-ee-um.†But the point is well-taken. I was at a rival luxury vehicle introduction recently, and when I asked if the wood trim on the dash was real, it led to an argument among the engineers, and nobody really knew. I laughed and said that if they couldn’t really tell, then it was pretty good stuff. But I like the Audi approach better. If you are going to put wood on my dashboard, make it real, or not at all.
Similarly, if you want the ultimate high-performance luxury sedan, and you want ultimate control around twisty curves — or icy Minnesota roadways — the S8 and S6 make powerful arguments.
Suzuki aims XL7, SX4 at rise to prominence in U.S.
CARLSBAD, CALIF. — The automobile business in the United States has been frustrating for Suzuki, and from a personal standpoint, I must say that SuzukiÂ’s cars have been mostly a frustration to me. That could all change for 2007, when the company known for exceptional motorcycles and outboard motors, and for being only a bit player in cars, introduces two vehicles – the XL7 and SX4 – that could lift Suzuki to the prominence it deserves.
For those who scoff at the words Suzuki and prominence in the same sentence, consider that in Japan, Suzuki ranks third in vehicle sales, behind only Toyota and Nissan, and ahead of such powerhouse companies as Honda, Mazda, or Subaru.
In Japan, and other countries more sensitive to congestion and fuel-efficiency, smaller cars have been big for decades, and Suzuki makes outstanding small cars. The new SX4 is the newest of those. In the U.S., Suzuki sold vehicles on its own through a small network, but made some noise through an alliance with General Motors, where its Samurai became the Geo Tracker, and its Sprint became the Geo Metro.
The Metro was a popular and dependable economy car with a tiny 3-cylinder engine that was great for kids with no money and pizza delivery shops that didnÂ’t want to spend much. Virtually unnoticed, the Sprint was available in a sizzling turbocharged 4-cylinder model that was a hoot to drive.
From that hot-rod Sprint, and its GSR road-racing motorcycles, I knew Suzuki could make special things that worked, and provided world-class fun. So I looked forward to the new Verona and Forenza models a year ago, and while they proved adequate, it was disappointing to learn that those cars are the result of SuzukiÂ’s recent alliance with General Motors, and GMÂ’s recent takeover of the South Korean Daewoo company. ThatÂ’s where Chevrolet gets its Aveo subcompact now, and GM fives Suzuki the larger Verona and Forenza from Daewoo. Both are pretty nice cars, but if I buy a vehicle with SuzukiÂ’s name on it, I want a Suzuki engine in it.
That brings us to the SX4. It is a small, compact, 5-door hatchback that will ultimately replace the fun and flexible Aerio in Suzuki’s fleet. It is more stylish, and it resembles a progressive extension of that late and lamented Sprint GT. Suzuki calls it an “X-over†design, meaning “cross-over,†and it is aimed directly at the Dodge Caliber, Toyota Matrix, Nissan Versa, Honda Fit, Scion xA or xB, Subaru Impreza, Ford Focus, and Mazda 5, among others. Though more compact than some of those, SX4 is within 95 percent of cargo space of anything else in its class.
A more thorough review will follow, but for now, consider these points: The SX4 lists for a base $14,999, making it the most inexpensive all-wheel-drive vehicle available. The three-mode switchable AWD can be locked in front-drive, all-wheel-drive, or low-range AWD, which is for snow or other severe conditions, and switches to normal AWD at 36 mph in case you forget. It has a Suzuki-built 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with chain-driven dual overhead camshafts, 143 horsepower at 5,800 RPMs, with 136 foot-pounds of torque peaking at 3,500 RPMs.
The Aerio had a 2.3-liter 4, and the Grand Vitara uses the 2.0, which has been renewed with electronic (drive-by-wire) throttle control, four-cam phasing, and a controlled crossover intake manifold that provides more low or high end power. A 5-speed stick or 4-speed automatic makes it go, and it has EPA estimates of 24 city and 30 miles per gallon highway with the automatic transmission.
The base SX4 is quite well equipped, including alloy wheels. Add $1,400 to get the Sport model, which includes electronic stability control with traction control, keyless entry, a 6-CD audio with a subwoofer, cruise control, leather steering wheel with remote controls mounted on it. Safety is also a major element, with six standard airbags for front and side up front and side curtains. The automatic transmission is the only option on the Sport model, adding $1,000 more.
Already being sold in other markets, the SX4 is being built in Japan, with the European version being built in Hungary. Suzuki officials say they are aiming the SX4 at predominately single men, age 18-30, 35 percent of whom have at least some college, and with a household income of $50,000. If this is entry level, itÂ’s a sophisticated entry level.
My biggest complaint is that in spirited curvy-road driving, the SX4 could use either a 6-speed manual, or closer ratio between second and third, because I found myself having to choose between too many revs in second or not enough in third.
As for the new XL7, you might remember that the old XL-7 had a hyphen. The new one loses the hyphen, and it loses any resemblance to the old vehicle. The new one is based on an alliance with GM of Canada, and it is made in a joint-venture plant on the GM Theta platform, which underpins the Equinox. The Chevrolet Equinox is a good-looking midsize SUV, made in Canada, with a 3.4-liter V6 built in a GM facility in China – just to slow those who still chant “buy American†at the name Chevrolet.
Suzuki designed the XL7 to be close to the concept vehicle it displayed at the 2005 Detroit auto show, so it looks very good, particularly the stylishly shaped headlight enclosures that create a distinctive front end. Then Suzuki pulled off something of a coup when it also got to use Cadillac’s “high-feature†3.6-liter V6. Suzuki claims the engine is “designed by GM, but built by Suzuki,†and I’ve seen newspaper and magazine writers who should have investigated further who wrote exactly that.
In strategy with GM, Suzuki will build the smaller engines, and GM will provide larger ones, so Suzuki agreed to halt production of its own 3.5-liter V6. Yoichi Shimoda, a former engine designer who now bolsters the marketing staff, was accommodating when I asked him about the GM-design/Suzuki-built bit. Does that mean Suzuki gets blueprints, then goes out in search of aluminum? No, laughed Shimoda.
Does it get the blocks from GM? “Yes,†he said. The pistons? “Yes.†The valves? “Yes.†The injection system? “Yes.†The engine-management electronics? “Yes.Ââ€
Ah. So GM sends the parts to Suzuki, and Suzuki assembles them, basically. However, Suzuki does its own machining of the cylinder heads and block, and modifies some parts.
“Right now, this engine is almost exactly the same as the GM version,†Shimoda said. “But in the near future, we will do other things to it. Our soul is into this engine.Ââ€
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In the new XL7, with dual overhead cams, variable valve timing, and drive-by-wire coils on each spark plug, the 3.6 delivers 252 horsepower at 6,500 RPMs, and 243 foot-pounds of torque at a mere 2,300 RPMs. The vehicle is designed to take on the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Hyundai Santa Fe, Mitsubishi Outlander, the Ford Explorer, and yes – the Equinox and all of its GM spinoffs. Suzuki – which intends to sell the XL7 only in the U.S. – could sell 150,000 of them in the coming year.
It will be difficult to choose a GM version over the XL7 when the XL7 offers arguably the best engine GM makes these days, plus the same unibody structure with reinforced lower side rails, and a Getrag 5-speed automatic transmission with a manual-control gate. All of those assets are buttoned into an attractive vehicle at a price that will undercut almost all rivals.
MacPherson strut front and multilink rear suspension let the XL7 corner with poise and precision, and with three rows of seats available, and a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds, the XL7 also delivers quite good fuel economy estimates of 18 city/24 highway for front-drive models, and 17 city/23 highway for all-wheel drive. With the seats folded down into the floor, storage can be increased to 95.2 cubic feet.
Pricing starts at $22,899 for the base model with front-wheel drive, Those basic models have six airbags, stability control with traction control, 4-wheel disc brakes with antilock and electronic brake distribution, and 16-inch alloy wheels. Moving up to the Luxury model, price starts at $24,599, and adds woodgrain trim, 17-inch wheels, leather interior and power 6-way driver seat. The top Limited model starts at $27,949, with moonroof, rear DVD player in the premium audio, remote start, foglights, and aluminum trim.
On all models, all-wheel drive can be added for $1,600. Stand-alone options include the third row of seats, self-leveling, auxiliary rear air conditioning and under-floor storage, for $1,350.
Curiously enough, I had a similar complaint about the XL7 as the SX4. With the 5-speed automatic, even in manual mode, the XL7 shift points left me wanting less of a gap between second and third. A new and contemporary 6-speed would handle the problem.
OK, so I don’t completely get my way with Suzuki engines. The 3.6 V6 in the XL7 is not a genuine Suzuki engine, but itÂ’s an outstanding engine — my favorite engine currently built by GM, underwritten by a dose of Suzuki soul. The SX4, meanwhile, is pure Suzuki, through and through.
Koichi Suzuki, president of Amercian Suzuki, said the companyÂ’s goal is to sell 250,000 vehicles by 2010, and if you think thatÂ’s optimistic, Suzuki is up 62 percent since 2003, and in the first half of 2006, it beat out Volkswagen for having the largest increase year-to-year. The SX4 and XL7 are not likely to slow that upward surge.
Domesticized imports speed up market pressure
(Second in a series on the Detroit Auto Show.)
DETROIT, MICH. — There always seems to be a not-too-subtle attitude to defend domestic car manufacturers in Detroit – an understandable reaction in Motor City, hub of the U.S. car world. But even as U.S. manufacturers trot out all their best new products at the Detroit Auto Show, their struggle to cope with an obviously global market is surrounding them throughout spacious Cobo Hall.
Of course, prideful domestic car dealers and nationalistic backers conveniently overlook the hard, cold facts. General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are reducing the number of U.S. plants and workers, in favor of building more and more cars and trucks in Canada and Mexico, because they can pay those workers less and still call the cars domestics, thanks to NAFTA, while more and more foreign companies are employing more and more U.S. workers in more and more U.S. plants.
Regardless, the U.S. companies have reacted well to the serious competition from Asia and Europe, and the current domestic cars are better than ever, with new vehicles displayed at the Detroit show indicating still better prospects for the future. But itÂ’s not as though the import companies are going to take a few years off to let the U.S. catch up. The U.S. companies still have a large passion for big, powerful cars and trucks, while foreign brands continue to rise in technology and fuel-efficiency, expanding the use of hybrid and diesel alternatives. At the same time, they are speeding ahead in power and performance.
Toyota, the company that already has passed Chrysler and is closing in on Ford and GM as the worldÂ’s leading car-maker, displayed the full complement of the new full-size Tundra pickups, and the impressive looking truck statistically seems to have an edge on all three domestic trucks with a CrewMax that combines SUV-like interior room with a high-tech, dual overhead-camshaft 5.7-liter V8 engine that has 381 horsepower, 401 foot-pounds of torque, and 10,800 towing capacity.
Toyota also showed a Lexus FT-HS concept sports car with a 400-horsepower hybrid powerplant, and an IS-F sporty sedan version of the Lexus IS. with a 400-horsepower V8 and an 8-speed automatic.
Not to be outdone, Honda counters with the production version of its FCX fuel-cell concept, and then dazzled everybody with the Advanced Sports Car Concept, which will become the successor to the sensational but limited-edition NSX, which remains beautiful after being virtually unchanged since its 1991 introduction – 26 years ago. The new one has a V10 engine with SH-AWD, and technology that will foretell styling ques for the next TSX and TL sedans.
Also, on the heels of the MDX, RDX CR-V and Fit models, all new for 2006, Honda introduced a new Accord coupe, which will be out this fall. The car looks as exotic as many of the flashiest concept cars, but instead it is ready to be produced as the eighth-generation model of the car that is 32 years old in the U.S.
Similarly, Nissan showed off new concept vehicles called the Rogue, and the Bevel, which will continue to expand the width and blur the lines differentiating crossover SUVs. But Nissan also quietly displayed the stunning new Altima coupe, which also looks exotic and smooth, a new contender for the established, but newly redone, Accord coupe.
Subaru brought out new versions of the Legacy and Outback. Mazda showed its new CX-9, a larger SUV than the finalist CX-7, plus a vibrant, low-slung sporty concept, called the Riuga – a name that phonetically sounds a lot like the honking horn of a Model T – the car Henry Ford introduced 100 years ago at the 1907 Detroit Auto Show. And Mitsubishi unwrapped its redone Lancer compact, and its sporty Prototype X, which will become the Evolution X.
Hyundai rolled out a new Vera Cruz crossover SUV with three rows of seats despite a tidy, compact size, leading the Korean contingent
China also had a presence, although it appears the Chengfeng Group is not nearly ready to come to the U.S. with competitive models of the compact SUVs it displayed.
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If the Japanese and Korean companies seemed to focus mainly on real-world vehicles, so did most of the new models from Europe. More restrained, and more pragmatic, for real-world objectives. Volvo and Saab had impressive concept vehicles to show off, as did Mercedes, and Jaguar, with show-stopping concepts intended for production in the near future. But most of the vehicles were ready to hit the highways.
A new Mini Cooper with a new engine is ready to be introduced, while Porsche offers the first revision of its popular Cayenne SUV, powered by a gas direct injection 4.8 liter V8., including a turbocharged version with 500 horsepower. BMW, which just rolled out its redone X5 SUV and 3-Series coupe, adds a retractable hardtop model to the 3.
Even smaller than the Mini is the Smart Fortwo, a solid, Mercedes-built traffic beater that is popular in major European cities for conquering congestion and parking issues, and was supposed to come to the U.S. the past two years. This year, auto racing magnate and prominent business magnate Roger Penske has the licensing rights to bring in the Smart within the coming year.
Audi showed off a 3.0-liter Bluetec turbodiesel, and showed a Q7 SUV with a 500-horsepower, 737-foot-pounds of torque V12 turbodiesel, along with its flashy conception of a new sports car aimed at challenging PorscheÂ’s supremacy.
Of course, narrow-visioned domestic boosters will criticize those “foreign†vehicles, even though Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Nissan, Mazda, Hyundai, BMW, and various other brands have factories in the U.S. that are more than just assembly plants, and employ American workers. It seems incomprehensible, but you can buy a Chevrolet made in Korea or assembled in Canada with an engine built in China, just as you can buy a Ford or Chrysler Group vehicle made in Mexico, Canada, or elsewhere – even while buying a Toyota, Honda, Nissan or other foreign-named vehicle, with its engine and parts both built and assembled in the U.S.
More than ever before, cars in a global market know no national boundaries.
Redesigned Outlander cruises beyond costlier SUVs
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. — There are so many new compact crossover SUVs bursting onto the automotive scene that it would be easy to overlook a few of them. Overlooking the 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander, however, would be a serious mistake for any consumer interested in a combination of good looks, advanced technology, attention to detail, fun-to-drive quotient, and a bargain sticker price.
Completely redone, the new Outlander has a tall challenge, trying to compete against the suddenly-expanding compact/crossover SUV segment against such stalwarts as the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson, Kia Sportage, Ford Escape, Saturn Vue, Chevy Equinox, and flashy newcomers such as the Acura RD-X, or Mazda CX-7.
But the Outlander has blended features that can individual beat some of the best of those competitors, and it may, in fact, do a better job than any of them of offering all the right stuff. Its proficiency is something of a surprise, too, because Mitsubishi has just done away with the Montero, following the Montero Sport to the SUV sidelines. The company seemed to have lost its way a bit in recent years, even though it stuck with the small, 2.0-liter turbo to make the Evolution fly, but it went to a large, 3.8-liter V6 in the new Eclipse, veering away from its strength – small engines that over-achieve.
Mitsubishi has been impressive in its technical advances for nearly four decades, if not always under its own name. The Dodge Colt had a 1600 cc. overhead-cam four-cylinder with a third valve, called the MCA Jet, to create a swirling, better-igniting dash to the fuel-air mixture. That was a Mitsubishi engine, and it became instantly the smoothest 4 on the market a couple years later, when Mitsubishi ingeniously put counter-balance “Silent Shafts†inside the block to eliminate harmonic vibration. That was in 1971, I believe. Also, think of all those Dodge Caravans that cruised effortlessly for 200,000 miles with their 3.0-liter V6 engines. Those also were Mitsubishi engines.
But it will take something special to make it in this era of the fastest-growing marketplace segment, and the Outlander just could be that special. Consider the assets:
• Great looks, an all-new platform with a longer, wider, taller body, and wheelbase lengthened by 2 inches. That makes it 182.7 inches long, within two inches of the Santa Fe and CX-7, and longer than the RAV4, CR-V, RDX, Vue, and Compass. Some have written that it’s on the Lancer Evolution platform, but the fact is, it is a new “C†platform that will be assimilated into the next new models of the Lancer and Evolution. Use of high-strength steel in the lower body, and such top-lightening steps as an aluminum roof lower the center of gravity, improve the feeling of stability, while increasing torsional rigidity 18 percent and flexing rigidity by 39 percent over the outgoing Outlander.
• Excellent power, with an all-new 3.0-liter V6 (longer stroke, smaller bore than the old tried and true 3.0) with 220 horsepower, 204 foot-pounds of torque, a MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve-timing and lift Electronic Control) upgrade that works with a two-stage variable intake manifold, and some clever placement of catalytic converters to become the first V6 in its class to achieve PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) stature.
• A high fun-to-drive level, thanks to superbly bolstered bucket seats and a 6-speed automatic transmission with sequential manual capabilities that offer tall, vertical paddles made of magnesium on either side of the steering-wheel column. By being tall, they are easy to operate – right side for upshifts, left for downshifts – and by being fixed, they are always easy to locate, even if you need an immediate shift while in the middle of a sharp turn. A neat feature is that you can use the paddles in sport mode, without going into sport mode.
• Front-wheel drive standard on the base ES, LS and top XLS, with an innovative 4-wheel-drive system available on the LS or XLS. On 4WD models, the off-road heritage of those rugged Monteros is revisited by a round knob on the console that can select 2-wheel (front) drive, automatically fluctuating 4-wheel drive (front bias, transferring power to rear when called for), or lock it into 4-wheel drive to keep all four wheels churning (rear bias) in deep snow or off-road. Towing capacity is 2,000 pounds with 2-wheel drive, 3,500 with 4-wheel.
• An available third row of split-back seats is specified for kids. Four adults is a perfect fit, but another can sit in the middle of the 60/40 second row to make five. If the rear seats are up, two kids can fit back there, expanding capacity to seven, and the third row folds flat into what is a hidden storage bin in models that don’t select the third-row seats. Cargo room is 14.9 cubic feet behind the third seats, 36.2 with the third row folded down, and 72.6 with both second and third rows down.
• Safety features include front and side airbags, and side-curtain bags for the first two rows; four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and electronic brake distribution standard, as is traction control and active skid control.
Some of those many features would be impressive on an SUV that cost twice as much as the “low-$20,000†price Mitsubishi vowed for the base ES model, which comes pretty well equipped with front-wheel drive.
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Moving up to the LS gains some useful things, such as audio remote switches on the steering wheel, and the availability of 4-wheel drive, but those features shouldnÂ’t boost the price that much, which means the XLS, adding 18-inch alloys over the basic 16s, and the Sportronic remote shift paddles for the steering wheel column, should still come in under the $30,000 mark, which might only be reached by adding everything, including the luxury package, with leather seating.
Driving the Outlander with some, ah, spirit around the twisty highways coming out of the mountains north of San Francisco, heading toward the Pacific Ocean, showed off some impressive handling with the front-drive version, although I pushed it hard enough to get a little dose of drama from the understeer. Later, in the 4WD XLS, it seemed to be impossible to drive beyond the handling capabilities, thanks to the great suspension and the tight body.
The high-tech 3.0 V6 offers more power, more RPMs (the 220 horsepower peak is at 6,250), and fewer emissions, and it also has EPA highway estimates of 27 miles per gallon for FWD, and 26 for the 4WD. The fun of shifting with the paddles also makes the power seem more than the numbers imply by assuring youÂ’re in the right gear range for every circumstance. One other major asset is that the engine requires regular gas, a major saving at every fuel stop compared to premium-burning rivals.
A couple other impressive features include a couple of electronic touches – a hard-drive based navigation system that will house over 6 gigs of information and still have room to store 1,200 songs for replay through the optional Rockford Fosgate audio system. The AM-FM-CD-MP3 system has 650 watts and nine speakers, with a huge 10-inch subwoofer mounted in the rearmost wall, and a digital signal processor to best use the interior as a sound chamber.
If it sounds like the Outlander is loaded from front to rear, look at the extremities. At the front, a PremAir catalytic radiator is coated to turn 80 percent of all ozone molecules that pass by into oxygen molecules. At the rear, the top hinged tailgate flips up, leaving a small lower lip, and that folds down, then folds out, locking itself into an easy-loading shelf, or a prime seat for tailgaters.
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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