Altima, Sentra join Nissan’s charge for supremacy
As usual, Honda and Toyota are having their annual duel to outdo each other for the hearts, minds and bank accounts of United States auto customers. But this year, Nissan is going toe-to-toe with its Japanese adversaries with a fleet of new products – most notably the just-introduced 2007 Altima and Sentra.
Nissan previously unveiled its new Versa, which is aimed at challenging the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris in the subcompact segment – that region that used to be populated by the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sentra. But those compact stalwarts have grown, just enough to leave room for a new battery of subcompacts.
Nissan pulled a clever move with the Versa, sending the U.S. a car that is in a larger category than the Fit and Yaris in Japan, so quite naturally it has more room and more punch to its larger engine than the Fit and Yaris.
So now comes the enlarged compact Sentra for the annual fight with the Civic and Corolla, and the more enlgarged Altima – which is designed to take on the Accord and Camry.
In future weeks, we can deal more directly with the driving feel of the Altima and Sentra, but since they were introduced together, in the hills of San Francisco and on southward to Palo Alto, Calif., an overview of the pair is in order — because both are strong contenders.
Nissan is a strong second only to Toyota in Japan, and its Altima (255,000 sales last year) ranks behind the Accord (305,000) and Camry (400,000) among top-selling cars in the U.S. market. With women about equally attracted to the Altima as men, and 80 percent of Altima buyers new to Nissan, the company research shows its 4-cylinder Altima buyers are its youngest and most female, while V6 Altima customers are youngest and most predominately male.
For the new model, the plan was to upgrade both engines, to maintain the carÂ’s strengths, and to address its weaknesses, said Nissan spokesman Pete Haidos. That includes adapting the beam rear axle to independent rear suspension, eliminate the complaints about torque-steer from the front-wheel-drive system, upgrade the interior, and improve the steering feel.
The Altima, which had grown along with most everything in the industry, is actually reduced slightly in length, by an inch in wheelbase and over 2 inches overall, because women buyers, who like the looks of the previous Altima, questioned if it needed to be so big. Stiffening the rigidity by 60 percent against lateral bending and 100 percent in front structure, and lowering the placement of the engine up front improved the balance for a more neutral feel.
One of the most admirable things about Nissan is that it has taken its 3.5-liter V6 engine – so strong in everything from the 350Z sports car through the sedans and SUVs – and improved on it. The new Altima has the fourth generation 3.5, with an increase of 20 horsepower to 270, and a solid 258 foot-pounds of torque, up 9.
Fuel economy is improved too, to 21 miles per gallon city and 29 highway, but economy buffs are likely to choose the surprisingly strong 2.5-liter 4-cylinder, which is 20 percent new, and now has 175 horsepower and 180 foot-pounds of torque – both increases of 5 – and its gas mileage estimates are up to 26 city and 35 highway, with the 6-speed manual transmission. Nissan is up to its third-generation CVT (continuously variable transmission) for its automatic, and its fuel figures are almost identical to the stick.
You can get Altimas in models according to their engines – the base 2.5, the 2.5 S, the 2.5 S with the SL package, the SE, the SL, and, in the near future, a hybrid, which will use Nissan’s 2.5 4-cylinder with Toyota-licensed system. Antilock brakes are standard on all (3.5) V6 models, optional on (2.5) 4-cylinders; traction control also is standard on V6es, and stability control is optional on V6 Altimas.
With a sporty new appearance, stiffer platforms, more power and improved fuel economy, the Altima well-equipped at about $20,000 should be a definite challenger to its targeted Accord and Camry.
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While making the Altima slightly leaner and shorter, Nissan made the smaller Sentra larger and more upscale – thanks to the Versa taking over at entry-level.
The sixth-generation 2007 Sentra is 2.3 inches longer, with a 5.9-inch longer wheelbase, 3.2-inch increase in width, and a 4-inch increase in height. An interior passenger volume of 97.4 cubic feet makes the Sentra larger than the Civic, Corolla, Mazda3, or Chevrolet Cobalt, and it adds 13.1 cubic feet of trunk volume.
The 2.0-liter 4-cylinder has more power compared to the previous 1.8, with 140 horsepower an increase of 14, and 147 foot-pounds of torque an increase of 18.
The shift lever has been moved ahead, onto the lower part of the center dash, with audio controls raised higher, and more in line with driver vision. Sentras offer a 6-speed stick or the third generation Xtronic CVT. Surprisingly, while the 6-speed stick has strong EPA fuel estimates of 28 city/34 highway, the CVT has 29/36, Nissan officials said real-world testing shows the CVT usually gets slightly better fuel economy than the stick.
On the CVT, an overdrive button can be pushed to drop the RPMs by 2,000 for passing situations, or hill-descent engine braking.
The new “C†platform has improved suspension with electric power steering having variable assist to give a more natural, on-center feel at higher speed. A cradle subframe and dual balanced shaft in the engine help eliminate vibration.
Inside, the rear seat folds flat in 60/40 form, and the cushions flip up and backrests fold down flat, SUV style. Folding the seat flat allows storage of all sorts of items, including a bicycle, if you pop the front tire off. Nissan says the interior is designed for younger, active buyers who see their cars as backpacks. So grocery hooks, and dividers are in place. A neat touch is that the little storage things on the back of the front seats are nets in the Sentra, so you can see items you might otherwise forget in there.
The sixth-generation Sentra may look far better than basic, but it is still aimed at being inexpensive for the masses, so while all the surrounding airbags are standard, antilock brakes are a stand-alone option, and there is no traction-control, stability control, or navigation system available. You can, however, choose leather interior, remote-keyless entry, a Rockford-Fosgate audio upgrade with Bluetooth and satellite radio available.
Sentra models are also listed by engine code, starting with the basic 2.0 with air-conditioning, power windows and locks and a CD player at $14,750 with the 6-speed or $15,550 with the CVT; the 2.0 S adds 16-inch wheels, keyless entry, upgraded audio with steering wheel controls, and a trip computer is $15,650 for the stick, $16,450 for the CVT model; and the loaded 2.0 SL, which comes CVT only, adds leather interior, ABS, keyless ignition as well as entry, and Bluetooth, at $18,400.
Designed for North America, and sharing a platform with some Renault models, the Sentra is taking a new and renewed intensity toward getting the upper hand on its top Japanese foes, which are the top vehicles in their categories. With both the Altima and the Sentra, to say nothing of the Versa, and the 350Z and a couple of SUVs and trucks, a Nissan dealership may be a mandatory stop for anyone shopping for a slick, contemporary vehicle.
Nitro gives Dodge a forceful new midsize SUV entry
Auto manufacturers were slow to recognize the fact that women decide on the majority of automotive purchases in the United States these days. While some are tailoring their newer models toward a softer side, Dodge is almost bucking the trend by coming out with the Dodge Nitro midsize SUV, a vehicle that screams “macho†from every one of its squared-off, rugged-demeanor corners.
But the Nitro might be onto something. Nobody does concept cars better than DaimlerChrysler, and one of the hits of the 2002 auto show circuit was the Dodge M80 concept pickup that showed off a strikingly squared look that got strongly favorably reaction. It made good sense to make use of the design, and it became the basis for the Nitro, which takes the pickup style and squares off the rear, over four doors, while retaining the high-arching wheel openings.
The new Dodge Nitro comes into the midsize SUV segment at an interesting time – when consumers are turning away from large SUVs and are downsizing in search of better handling and fuel-efficiency – by offering a large and roomy interior inside a fairly compact exterior, all at a price comfortably in the mid-$20,000s.
Statistically, women represent 55 percent of buyers of such midsize SUV purchases as the Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox, and Nissan Xterra, and the Nitro aims at attracting 55 percent male buyers, with its crosshairs grille, square, muscular corners, and wheels stretched out to the extremities of all four corners. The entire demeanor of the Nitro may be aimed at Dodge’s testosterone-dominated image, but even that it intriguing. Industry experts are quick to stress that men shy away from a vehicle perceived as a “chick car,†while women are less restrained and are often bold about seeking vehicles with a macho image. Who is to say that modern women shouldn’t want active-lifestyle vehicles every bit as eagerly as men?
An assortment of executives, engineers, designers and marketing folks addressed the issue at the media introduction of the Nitro in San Diego by stressing that the corporate aim is to attract male buyers – one Dodge official used the term “athleticism†four times in describing the Nitro’s personality – without losing any interested female customers.
The Nitro fits in between the larger Durango SUV and the new and compact crossover Caliber, and will share a platform with the new Jeep Patriot. The beauty of modern-day platform sharing is that a basic chassis can underpin a variety of vehicles that might have no resemblance, but it makes production more cost-efficient. The Nitro looks like no other DaimlerChrysler or Dodge vehicle, and perhaps most important to its future is a reasonable price and the inclusion of some neat, contemporary features.
The basic SXT starts at $19,885 in 2-wheel drive and $21,395 as a 4×4, while the SLT starts at $23,295 for 4×2 and $24,805 for 4×4, and the top R/T at $25,900 for 4×2 and $27,630 for 4×4, including destination. The Nitro 4×4 models have part time and full time 4WD, and full-time 4WD is standard on any 4×4 model with automatic transmission. A part-time system is standard on all stick shift models. Nitros are just now, as October passes, being distributed to dealerships nationwide.
Two V6 engines power the fleet. The SXT and SLT have a base 3.7-liter with 235 horsepower at 5,200 RPMs and 210 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 RPMs, and fuel economy of 18 city and 24 miles per gallon highway by EPA estimates. A 6-speed manual transmission is standard, while a 4-speed automatic is optional on the SXT, and standard on the midrange SLT.
The top Nitro R/T has a 4.0-liter V6 that is a longer-stroke version of the 3.5 V6 that has been the standby for all sorts of previous Dodge/Chrysler vehicles, including the former Intrepid on up through the current non-Hemi Magnum and Chrysler 300 models. Increasing displacement with a longer stroke boosts power to 260 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs and 265 foot-pounds of torque at 4,200 revs. The only transmission on the R/T is a new 5-speed automatic, with an AutoStick slot to manually control shift points.
An entirely new suspension, independent front and five-link rear, and tuned rack and pinion steering give the Nitro driver firm command, and enhances the feeling of precision control while maintaining ride consistency even while loaded or towing a trailer. A performance suspension has revised stabilizer bars, springs and shocks, and 20-inch wheels are optional to enhance handling. A sport suspension is available to firm up the ride even more. The base SXT has 16-inch wheels, with 17s optional, while the SLT gets 17s standard with bright silver 20-inch wheels optional. Those big 20s are standard on the R/T.
Traction and stability control, with electronic roll mitigation, are standard on every Nitro. The traction-control system is an all-speed device, engineered to transfer torque from either left or right wheels on the same axle whenever wheelspin is a threat. Roll mitigation goes beyond stability control and uses the brakes to slow a specific wheel or wheels to prevent the Nitro from going past the danger point where the computer interprets the threat of a rollover by reading vehicle speed, vehicle yaw rate, and the speed with which the steering wheel is turned.
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To help stop, all Nitros come with 4-wheel disc brakes with antilock, standard. For safety, the roll-detection system can deploy side-curtain airbags in the event of a rollover, and multiple sensors can also pop the side curtains if a side impact is severe enough. Normal frontal airbags operate off sensors that can clarify the weight of the front passenger and inflate at a variable rate.
The 3.7 engine is adequate, and the 4.0 has a lot of punch to handle normal midsize SUV requirements, but more important in the segment might be the interior features that men and women, boys and girls, can all appreciate.
A touch-screen navigation system with voice commands, and a 20-gigabyte hard drive that can contain 1,600 songs of your choice, or even photos, start off the technically advanced features. The audio system includes a single CD player and MP3 plug. An optional rear seat video system allows separate movies, music, or MP3 selections, via folding headsets, and they can be enjoyed from split, 60/40 rear seats that recline. The NitroÂ’s audio upgrade is an Infinity unit with a 6-CD player, eight speakers and a subwoofer, available in SLT or R/T models. Another option is hands-free communication, and you can choose to have remote start installed.
All kinds of little cubicles and compartments are located around the interior, and a key element is a reversible rear cargo floor, which lifts to reveal a 4-inch deep storage bin. That cargo floor also could play a vital role in picnics, trips to the beach, campground functions, or good-ol’ tailgating. You can slide it out, 18 inches, to extend over the rear bumper for easy loading – and also to hold up to 400 pounds. You’d have to eat an awful lot at those picnics and tailgate parties to threaten that limit.
Distinctive styling, multiple features, versatility of engines, transmissions, and standard/optional equipment, enhance the Nitro’s stand in the marketplace, especially at prices that can easily be kept in the mid-$20,000 range.
Shelby GT500 is a future-retro car for all seasons
The song “Urge for Going†has remained my favorite since I first heard it, back in the late 1960s. Written by Joni Mitchell in her most sensistive era, it flows with undulating melody through verses that discuss the inevitability of another winter, which “gobbles summer down.†She adds, wistfully, “IÂ’d like to call back summertime, and have her stay for just another month or so, but sheÂ’s got the urge for going, and I guess sheÂ’ll have to go.Ââ€
You don’t have to be a nostalgia buff to appreciate that song, because it remains valid, year after year, just as you needn’t be overdosing on nostalgia to appreciate the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 – a contemporary hot rod for all seasons. But maybe best left to dry pavement.
The two intertwined in my consciousness because in October, as the annual fall foliage color change hits its peak in Northern Minnesota, I always wish time would pause for a while. This year it was especially true, because on the peak weekend of dazzling color in October, I was driving a bright, hurt-your-eyes yellow, 2007 Ford Shelby GT500. It wore a pair of broad white stripes from its hood, over its roof, and down its tail, enhancing the yellow, which was as bright as the brightest gold leaves.
The car, the season, and the song made me recall that one of the first cars I ever road tested was back in February of 1969, when I drove a 1969 Mustang Shelby GT350 from Minneapolis to Hibbing for the Region 7 high school hockey championship game. Afterward I drove from Hibbing to Duluth, as the bright moonlight sparkled off the white snowbanks against the dark, midnight sky. As I cruised down Superior Street that was properly deserted in post-midnight, midweek fashion, the only two vehicles running were two Corvettes, parked at opposite curbs, while their drivers met in the middle of the vacant street to talk.
They stopped talking and looked as I approached, with a car unlike anything previously seen on that street. I drove past them with the rich exhaust burbling out through two centered tailpipes, looking straight ahead and acting cool, before stealing a glance in the rearview mirror to see both guys standing, hands on hips, staring after the apparition as it faded into the darkness.
The new Shelby GT500 is similarly special, and attracts a similarly awe-stricken response. FordÂ’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT), which has built several top-flight performance specialty cars for the company, most recently the Ford GT, built the Shelby GT500. The best thing about SVT is that building a car that will go fast is important, but no more important than upgrading the tires, wheels, suspension, brakes, exhaust, interior controls, and every component, to put all ingredients on a par with the engine upgrade.
ThatÂ’s going some, when the engine is as special as the ShelbyÂ’s. It is a 5.4-liter version of FordÂ’s 4.6 V8, built by hand, each by a pair of Ford engineers, whose signature appears on a tab attached to the cylinder head. It is a cast iron block with aluminum heads, special pistons, and a special induction system, topped by a supercharger, which blows a highly compressed blast of air into the intake manifold. Supercharging is an old trick, but rarely has it been done better than here, where it coaxes 500 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs and 480 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 RPMs, out of the Shelby GT500.
As you step on the gas, and rev the engine, you feel refined power in each stop of six-speed manual transmission. It has been clocked at such speeds at 4.5 seconds 0-60, 10.3 seconds 0-100, and about 30 seconds 0-150, up near its governed limit of 155 mph.
Running the revs up generates something more of a turbine-like whine as the supercharger works up its boost, than a mere roar. It is an impressive sound, one you can hear best in second gear. YouÂ’d better not try to hear it too high in anything beyond second, or you could attract an unneeded escort.
This sucker is fast, and it is a tribute to the SVT boys that it zaps around corners and stops and steers with such precision.
The nose is very heavy under the big engine, which means there is less weight over the rear tires, which you can light up pretty easily, if youÂ’re into that sort of thing.
The seats are excellent, so you have plenty of firm support for long trips, or for hard cornering. Instrumentation is very good, and I particularly like the brushed silver trim around the gauges, which is far better than the bright silver of the basic Mustang GT which attracts your eye but delivers enough glare to make the gauges difficult to read at a glance.
The audio system is pretty good, but I admit I didnÂ’t listen to more than a couple CDs because the bright leaves were still on the trees and it was mild enough outside on that weekend to have the windows open, to better hear the great tune being piped out through the large exhaust tubes.
The remarkable thing about the current generation Mustang is that it is a very well-planned extension of the best 1970 Mustang style, allowing you to let the 1971-through 2000 models slip into deserved obsuctiry by comparison. Well, the Shelby is a similar trip, recalling the 1960s era Shelby Mustangs in a fairly awesome manner. There were a number of Shelbys in the Â’60s, and while itÂ’s a point that can be argued through a weekend by Ford devotees, the best-looking ones were either the sleek, stylish 1969 model, which was carried over briefly as a 1970 until all were sold, or the 1968, which had a more brutish, aggressive demeanor.
The new Shelby GT500 looks most like an extension of the macho 1968 model, more blunt than sleek, with the artful touch of two front end pillars, sloping diagonally down and out as they outline the large open mouth of the grille. On the new car, clear glass lenses encase the headlights, for another special touch.
In performance, the Shelby will jump to 120 miles per hour with startling suddenness, if you have some place to do that sort of thing. ItÂ’s a potency that is more implied, and a donÂ’t-try-this-at-home type of thing.
Some of the hot car magazines have run cover stories comparing the Shelby GT500 with the new Corvette. The Corvette almost always wins the comparisons, by an eyelash. The Corvette, of course, is a two-seater, and while its big V8 isnÂ’t supercharged, it also is larger, at 6 liters.
On the other hand, the Shelby GT500 has a rear seat, and yes, it is habitable by humans, albeit small humans, such as children, those under 5 feet in height, or those who donÂ’t mind their knees being up by their ears if they can just ride in the car.
It doesnÂ’t matter if it falls a couple feet, or a tenth of a second, short of a Corvette in a drag race, because you arenÂ’t about to drag race any new Corvettes on your way home from work. It probably wonÂ’t beat a Porsche Turbo, either, or a BMW M6, or an F16, either.
The important thing about the Shelby GT500 is perception. The Shelby GT500 feels incredibly fast, so trust your feelings – it IS incredibly fast.
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The longest suffering Ford fanciers have taken to the new Mustang in continuing large numbers even though the new version is in its third year as a reborn and reconstituted icon. The Shelby GT500 gives those loyalilsts a bigger, badder and more eye-catching icon than the Mustang. But theyÂ’ll have to pay.
The base price on the Shelby GT500 is around $43,000, although itÂ’s pretty easy to option it on up there to about $48,000. Finding one available is another story. Good luck.
It does provide a worthy remedy for various buyers, including nostalgia buffs who can recall the 1960s, or are trying to stave off midlife crisis, as well as younger guys – or gals – who are willing to have their sensibilities blown away by an absolutely sweet hot car, the way an earlier generation let their impulses run away.
The Shelby GT500 is smooth and slick enough to be an everyday driver, even though its looks might imply it should be encased in a large glass booth with floodlights focused on it, except for when you drive it off to the races.
The other place where perception matters most is on the road in real life. I like the look of the latest Corvette, and I think if two Shelby GT500 owners met, they might wave at a Corvette driver going by. However, I would guarantee this new Shelby GT500 would stop any two Corvette owners in their tracks, even if they were standing in the middle of a deserted Superior Street on a midweek, midwinter night, admiring each otherÂ’s Â’Vettes until interrupted by an apparition rumbling through their solitude.
In my perception, of course, the Shelby GT500 in bright yellow is at its perceived peak when the autumn leaves are at their peak, because that was when I got to spend a few days embracing that beauty. On the other hand, even Joni Mitchell canÂ’t stop the seasons from turning, and once all those bright leaves have fallen down, and bully winds have pushed them face down in the snow, there are simply fewer distractions to prevent you from staring admiringly at the Shelby GT500.
If youÂ’ve got the urge for going, there may be no more willing co-conspirator to provide a way to go.
Lexus LS460 goes beyond luxury to even park itself
DEARBORN, MICH. — We have come to realize that automobiles have gotten out there toward the horizon of future technology, but that doesnÂ’t mean we canÂ’t still have our minds boggled by something new, and farther out there. The 2007 Lexus LS460 is the best case in point, because it not only will get you to your destination in luxury unmatched except by a precious few prestige cars, but once there, it will park you by itself.
ThatÂ’s right. Put it in reverse and the LS460 will either back you straight into a perpendicular parking stall perfectly positioned between the lines, or, it will steer itself into a no-hands perfect parallel park.
Without question, Lexus has the Mercedes S-Class directly in its sights with the new LS460, so we’re talking a category that is somewhere north of $70,000, and probably closer to $85,000 – unless you dip too eagerly into the option bin.
It was the 2007 Mercedes S-Class that first introduced an exotic, radar-guided system to guide you to the perfect parallel parking job. It uses rear-view video, which comes on the navigation screen as soon as you shift into reverse. Three colored grid-guidelines appear, starting from off your rear bumper. One, in blue, as I recall, goes straight back; another grid shows an artfully arcing path that projects where you should go to perfectly back the S into the parking spot, close to the curb and close enough to the car parked behind the open spot, while also gracefully missing the rear fender of the car ahead of the open spot. The third grid adjusts and changes according to where you steer. So turn the steering wheel and keep the steering grid aligned with the perfect-parking grid, and you can park without ever looking out the window.
It is now several months later, and several other competitors have systems similar to the Mercedes back-up concept, although a bit short of the Mercedes precision.
Now comes the Lexus LS460, with the new number rising on the fourth generation from the original LS400 of 1989. It was introduced to the automotive media last week in Dearborn, and among the features of the total redesign are an all-new engine – 4.6 liters with enough camshafts and valves and electronic wizardry to extract 380 horsepower and 367 foot-pounds of torque – and a unique 8-speed automatic transmission with a manual selector mode. The big sedan, which also comes in an elongated “L†version, will hustle from 0-60 in 5.4 seconds, and will zip through a quarter-mile in 13.8 seconds from a standing start.
I recall when 14 seconds was out of reach for the best stock eliminator drag racers.
The LS460 also projects 27 miles per gallon on the highway, and 19 in city driving, according to the much-maligned EPA estimates. The V8 also meets ULEV-II status for low emissions.
The body, all new inside and out, is redesigned but retains the familiar LS look. It is shaped to cheat the air, and its 0.26 coefficient of drag is better than almost any sports car, let alone any sedan or luxury freeway cruiser.
Inside, you also can enjoy your choice of color-coordinated stuff. Such as, grain-matched wood by Yamaha that ranges from medium brown walnut to dark grey birdseye maple, to dark brown ash, and leathers that can be alabaster – OK, white – or black, or grey, or cashmere.
The rear seat of the LS460 L is spacious enough for a small convention, and a special package will get you a right-rear seat that reclines 45 degrees and even has a little ottoman-thing that comes up to give your calves a rest. And massage.
You get nine airbags, or 11 if you choose the ottoman feature. A Mark Levinson audio upgrade runs you up from “only†10 speakers to 19 speakers and a 450-watt punch with 7.1-channel surround sound. You can even punch a button to record anything you’re listening to and happen to like.
We got a chance to drive the new LS460 briefly around the frontage roads of our suburban Dearborn hotel gathering spot, but it was far from sufficient to delve into the road manners of the big sedans. Besides, we can leave that to a longer road-test session in the near future.
For now, letÂ’s get down to the feature attraction of the LS460.
Right outside the hotel, Lexus folks had parked a couple of RX350s with an ideal parking spot in between them.
Lexus offers Intuitive Parking Assist, a stand-alone option that has six sensors across the front bumper and four across the rear, which measure and alert you if you get too close to any object at least 4 inches wide. ThatÂ’s handy as a guide for parking yourself, and it works either in reverse or at slow forward speeds to prevent parking-by-ear. Or thump.
On top of that, there is the Advanced Parking Guidance System, which requires the navigation system as an option, and which includes the Intuitive Parking Assist. With all of that in place, get ready for some real magic.
You pull up to parallel park, and you must be close enough, within one meter, to let the sensors note the car behind the open space, as you pull ahead and just past the car ahead of the open space – again, within one meter, which gives you hope somebody inside the parked car doesn’t throw open the driver’s door. You stop there, and put it in reverse, activating the rear view video on the nav screen. At the bottom of the screen, there is a code button you push to activate the system.
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At that point, you’ll see a grid outlined inside the open parking slot, and four arrows behind the car, which you can tap to make sure the gridlines are big enough, and in the parking slot rather than on the sidewalk. Then you hit OK – and you take your hands off the steering wheel.
The car starts creeping backwards, by itself, as the wheel spins, and the rear end of the car angles into that spot. You must keep your foot riding the brake to prevent the car from backing up faster than 2.5 miles per hour, or it will stop and alert you that youÂ’re moving too fast. Otherwise, let it go, and, sure enough, it angles in, then straightens out, as you watch the grille of the car behind getting larger and closer on the screen. When you are close enough, you hit the brake.
You will want to straighten the wheel and pull ahead just a bit to center the car. Otherwise, itÂ’s done.
Now, personally, I enjoy the challenge of parallel parking different cars every week. ItÂ’s part of my test to appreciate a carÂ’s ergonomics. But I know some people who are terrified of parallel parking, and some who simply canÂ’t do it. There would be no price too steep for those folks to pay to get a car that will parallel park itself.
The LS460 is so loaded with features that, as I mentioned, a longer road-test will be required to describe everything. But for now, in the battle of prestige luxury-car battleships, the Mercedes has been king, but itÂ’s an election year, and Lexus has filed to run on a different ticket.
Honda restyles CR-V from cute-ute to cuter-ute for 2007
VANCOUVER, B.C. — Honda has redesigned its CR-V for 2007, equipping the compact crossover SUV for another generation of maneuvering deftly through the competitive battleground against all sorts of competitors, both old and new.
Wearing an entirely different appearance, the new CR-V looks a lot more like a compact MDX, from upscale cousin Acura’s styling chambers, than a progression from the existing 2006 CR-V – which met every user-friendly target, but left styling to more upscale models. Uncharacteristic though it may be for Honda to make major styling changes for the sake of style, the CR-V is a bold departure from the pragmatic, form-follows-function approach.
The best thing the recent gasoline-price scare did was to cause a dramatic turn away from large, oversized, overpriced, and overpowered SUVs. Sanity apparently has taken hold. Consumers are well aware the next fluctuation might take us up toward $4 gallons, but even if prices drop to $2, it simply makes good sense to find a family-hauler vehicle in a more cost-effective manner.
Honda resisted the urge that caused Toyota to lengthen the RAV4 by 14 inches, stuff a third-row seat in the rear, and add a V6 under the hood. Honda chose to keep the CR-V where its compact roots were planted, with two rows of seats, and with fully adequate 4-cylinder power. In fact, the new CR-V is actually 3 inches shorter than its predecessor, just by moving the spare tire off the rear door.
The automotive media assembled a couple of months ago in Vancouver for the CR-VÂ’s press introduction, then we were ordered to withhold our opinions for nearly six weeks, so that the vehicles could start heading for dealerships before our opinions stirred up potential demand. The previous CR-V appealed to young families, and to the wives/moms most of all because of its easy and sure-footed four-wheel drive handling in foul weather.
The first version was Honda’s first SUV attempt, and it became a universal success as it went through one modest styling revision, selling over 2.5 million copies altogether in 160 countries, while being built in seven different countries. In fact, it led the segment with 15,000 unit sales for July. Honda officials foresee a 119 percent increase in the “CUV†– for Crossover Utility Vehicle – segment by 2010, at which time it also suspects it will be second only to the large pickup trucks in the non-car side of the market, as usual segment-leaders such as Escape and Jeep Liberty are joined by the Jeep Compass, Dodge Caliber and Nitro, the Ford Edge, and a fleet of other newcomers.
Christina Ra, CR-V project manager, said that buyers of the previous generation CR-V responded to market research by saying they thought the vehicle was just right, and were indifferent to its styling. “But those who didn’t buy it said that styling was a drawback that caused them to look elsewhere,†Ra said.
The newly top-hinged tailgate acquires some tastefully contoured creases and bulges. Same for the side silhouette of the car, where the roofline tapers at the rear, and encases the rear side window outline, which now is something of a hairpin-shaped oval. I suggested to chief engineer Mituru Horikoshi that before his time, we had something called a 1953 Buick coupe that had a similar rear window curvature. Poor fellow. He never knew whether I was praising, joking, or just being properly cynical, and I wasnÂ’t about to try to break down the language barrier as regards sarcasm.
“The old model appealed mostly to stylish young moms, whose major concerns were her personal career, her family, and her husband and friends,†said Horikoshi. “We wanted to expand the appeal of the new CR-V by making it more advanced and emotional – a ‘coolÂ’ SUV that is fun to drive and fun to use – with a more dynamic stance.Ââ€
To do that, the new CR-V got more than a new look. Positioning the engine and transmission lower, relocating the spare tire underneath where it no longer blocks any rearview mirror view, and widening the track, all contribute to a lower center of gravity, which aids handling agility and safety.
Safety is a high priority item at Honda these days, and to achieve the five-star crash-test ratings it seeks, the new CR-V construction boasts of 58 percent high-strength steel, giving it the rigidity of the larger Accord. HondaÂ’s ACE (advanced compatability engineering) crashworthiness allows the new CR-V to stand up well even in severe impact tests with HondaÂ’s Ridgeline pickup truck.
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While the more rigid structure improves safety characteristics, an obvious exponential benefactor is handling. Front suspension is a MacPherson strut design similar to the new Acura RDX sporty-SUV, while the rear suspension has a larger stabilizer bar and a rear multilink suspension similar to the very impressive Civic. The combination means the CR-V sweeps around the tightest curves and responds precisely to steering and swerving input. We drove a couple different CR-Vs hard through some seriously tight curves up through the mountains from Vancouver to Whistler and back, and power and handling were improved from the previous CR-V to a firmness that almost qualifies as sporty.
The 2.4-liter 4-cylinder has HondaÂ’s iVTEC variable-valve-timing technique in place, maximizing power and efficiency. Its 166 horsepower is up 10 from the old one, and peaks at 5,810 RPMs, with 161 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 RPMs. The 5-speed automatic transmission reads driving habits as it decides on shiftpoints, and cruising speed in fifth gear has been lowered from 2,758 to 2,162 revs, which will improve gas mileage. The revised all-wheel-drive system is primarily front-wheel-drive, but can shift up to 70 percent of total torque to the rear wheels whenever traction gets dicey up front.
If I had a complaint, it would be that there is no available auto-manual shift gate, or steering wheel paddles, with the automatic. Honda apparently wants to make it sportier, but doesnÂ’t want to make it too sporty. The first two versions of the CR-V had a manual 5-speed as a base implement. That is no longer available, simply because fewer than 3 percent of buyers chose it.
The front-wheel-drive base model LX gets the same drivetrain as the upscale EX, and has EPA estimated fuel economy of 23 miles per gallon in city and 30 mpg highway. The all-wheel-drive models are estimated at 22 and 28. Compared to the well-equipped LX, the EX adds a sunroof, alloy wheels and an upgraded audio. Above that is the EX-L, which adds leather upholstery to the EX, and the top model is the EXL-Nav, which adds a navigation system. Prices are in the “low-$20,000 range†for the base model, up to about $26,000 for the EX, with the navigation system, and backup camera video readout, a $2,000 option.
A redone interior takes on the attractiveness first shown in the 2006 Civic models. Larger and more comfortable seats give the driver a height adjustment, and are aimed at reducing fatigue, it creates a pleasant occupant environment. Typically, Honda finds clever ways to use space. The second-row seats, which now fold down in 40/20/40 thirds, can fold and tumble down to a flat floor, and the center backrest folds down independently to be an armrest for the other two. The rear floor lifts and can be reinserted as a shelf, for convenient loading ideas, with the lower part being out of normal view. A 270-watt, 7-spearker audio upgrade is available.
Honda is as good as any company at walking the tightrope between keeping satisfied customers and attracting new ones, and thatÂ’s a major achievement when the existing model already sets such a high standard.
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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