Avalon fills its own niche with all-new model for 2005
PHOENIX, ARIZ. — ThereÂ’s a new Toyota Avalon in the showrooms as a 2005 model. But before customers under age 65 stifle a yawn at the news, this one requires a test drive. ItÂ’s longer, much more contemporary in its styling, and much sportier – sportier? – with a new and more potent engine.
The Toyota Avalon could never be accused of being an ugly duckling. ItÂ’s always been too smoothly stylish for that, ever since it was introduced ten years ago. Back then, Toyota was hard at work expanding its universal movement toward becoming the worldÂ’s No. 1 automaker, and it seemed as though the Avalon was pretty much left in its own cocoon. For example, Toyota was selling as many Camry sedans as it could build, and it also produced the ES300, an impressive entry-level sedan for its upscale Lexus brand, which was basically a Camry with over 100 feature upgrades to justify its Lexus badge. In price, the loaded Camry could reach $32,000, which is about where the base price of the ES300 started.
That didn’t leave much room for any other models on that platform, but in1995, Toyota added the Avalon just the same. It was considerably longer and roomier than the Camry, and with fewer technical upgrades than the ES300. But in reality the Avalon was a stretched Camry with a larger back seat and trunk. The question was, why would Toyota try to squeeze another sedan into that tiny space between the Camry and ES300 – in essence, building a niche car for which there was no niche?
As usual, the world of critics and cynics were wrong, and Toyota was right on. The Avalon has sold, and sold, and sold – hundreds of thousands of them over the last decade. For 2004, the sales dipped to 65,000 – a number many competitive models would be boasting about – so Toyota, using its usual brilliant timing, has introduced the 2005 Avalon. It must be considered a 2005 model because production started before the first of the year, but the Avalon is as entirely new as any 2006. The automotive media got an introductory look at it in Phoenix in January, shortly before it started hitting showrooms with optimistic goals.
For one thing, the Avalon is on an all-new platform for the first time. In the next couple of years, the Camry and the ES300 may end up sharing that platform, but for now, almost like a good-conduct medal, the Avalon gets first crack at it.
Flying in the face of the recent trend to switch to rear-wheel drive, Toyota keeps the Avalon in its front-wheel-drive form, and flaunting the inherent advantages well-known to denizens of snow country. Avalon adds to the driving assets of FWD by stressing the floor in the rear. ItÂ’s flat, from door to door, with no driveshaft hump required in rear-wheel-drive cars, which makes the already spacious compartment seem even larger.
Toyota is marketing the Avalon as “the most American†car in Toyota’s lineup. Designed at Toyota’s Newport Beach, Calif., facility, and built at the Georgetown, Ky., plant, the Avalon is being built by Americans, for Americans. The new car is improved in every category, with four models that include a top-of-the-line Limited and a Touring model, which most capitalizes on the idea of being sportier. An Avalon that is sporty would seem to be a contradiction in terms, because Avalon’s past demographics say its average driver is 67 years old. And getting older.
Toyota makes no apologies to its established demographics. Other manufacturers are trying desperately to aim new cars at younger buyers, but Toyota clearly enjoys selling to more mature customers, who want more comfort than the firmer-suspended sporty sedans. Toyota officials laugh about the accusation that the first Avalon was “Toyota’s Buick,†and the car magazines’ oft-repeated question: “Can Toyota build a better Buick?†Yet by giving the Touring model some exterior alterations, including the hint of a rear spoiler sprouting on the trunklid, and a more serious-looking interior, and racier wheels, as well as the best outlet for the new manual-shift gate on its console-mounted five-speed automatic, Toyota is obviously willing to welcome new customers.
The new car looks good overall. It resembles the new Infiniti M45 from the front, is remindful of the BMW 5 Series a bit from the rear, and it takes on a similarity to the new Cadillac STS in silhouette. Those are among the sportiest vehicles in that mid-luxury range.
With Lexus above it, Avalon wears its Toyota name proudly, which is where the Buick analogies come in. ToyotaÂ’s market research indicates that Avalon owners love their cars, and had very few gripes, but were adamant about wanting to show off being smart, successful, and discerning, without needing the luxury-car identity to show it. That means theyÂ’d rather have a special sedan wearing ToyotaÂ’s insignia than flaunt the upscale image conveyed by Lexus.
The pricing is interesting, too. The base XL is starts at a Camry-like $26,350; the Touring model starts at $28,600; the XLS, which adds a sunroof, leather interior and 17-inch alloy wheels, starts at $30,800; and the top Limited model starts at $33,540, with navigation system, stability control and adaptive cruise control that maintains an interval as well as vehicle speed. At that, Toyota projects selling 85,000 Avalons in its first year, and Toyota has the capability of building 100,000 a year.
As big as Toyota is, and as accurate and successful as it’s been in overtaking Chrysler and Ford and setting its sights on General Motors, Toyota paid attention to its customers, who said they’d like a bigger car with a bigger engine, and differentiated more from Camry. They said they didn’t mind bland styling, leading to the unofficial slogan of “Thou shalt not covet style.†Furthermore, Toyota at first planned to put the shift lever on the dash, similar to the new Sienna van and Prius hybrid, but surveys indicated that 37 percent would be deterred from buying the car if the shifter wasn’t on the console. So it is.
The new engine has variable valve-timing on both intake and exhaust camshafts, and the 3.5-liter, 24-valve unit boasts a 70-horsepower increase over the 210 standard since 2000, and it runs away from the 192 horses of the 1995 original. The length of 197.2 is 5.3 inches longer than the previous model, and the 111-inch wheelbase is an increase of 4 inches.
Among improvements, the doors open wider, to almost 90 degrees, for easier entry and exit. The windshield wiper is one piece, and operates by rain-sensing, calculating the rain-drops hitting the windshield and the vehicle speed, while the washer spray comes from under the cowling, where it can be heated. The windshield glass is designed for sound deadening, as well. The gauges have brighter, optitron instruments, and a pull-out trap door conceals the audio system, which starts with a nine-speaker unit with a single CD player, and can be upgraded to a six-CD unit, or to a 12-speaker JBL unit. A cassette player also is included, unless you choose the navigation system.
Remote controls on the steering wheel operate the audio, the dual-zone heat/air, the navigation system, and the cruise. The seats are both heated and ventilated in the SLX and Limited, meaning interior air circulates through the seat cushion and backrest. The seat cushions can be adjusted in length to accommodate taller, longer-legged drivers, and the rear seat backrests recline 25-35 degrees. A rear shade is power operated, and there are turn-signal and puddle lights on the outside mirrors.
The Avalon also offers smart key at the Limited level. That means you can unlock the doors and start the vehicle without a key, so long as you have the key on your person. Touch the door handle and it unlocks, push the button and the car starts. In addition, the Avalon has remote starting. You push the key fob in a certain sequence and the engine starts, either for warm-up or maybe to run the air-conditioning in hot weather. The engine runs for 10 minutes, then shuts itself off. As safeguards, if you push the unlock button on the key fob from outside, open the door, or put your foot on the brake inside, the engine stops running.
The navigation system can recognize five million points of interest, and can be voice-actuated. For example, if you ask for “an Italian restaurant,†all the Italian restaurants in the area pop up on the screen.
ToyotaÂ’s target market is in two specific groups. One is the core of current owners, or Camry or other midsize buyers interested in moving up. The company research says that 40 percent of sales are from those replacing other Toyotas with Avalons. The second group are those moving to Avalon from competing brands, such as Maxima, Accord, and yes, Buick. Even though a lot of Avalons are from Camry owners moving up, Camry sales have remained constant enough that any departures are refilled by new customers, it seems.
Projections are for 14 percent of Avalon buyers choosing the XL, 12 percent going for the Touring, 45 percent for the XLS, and a solid 30 percent for the new Limited model. In ToyotaÂ’s scheme, adding the Limited will offer another upscale alternative with the comfortable Toyota name, and adding the Touring model will give buyers the option of a sportier model in looks and performance. At this point, who can question ToyotaÂ’s projections? If the Avalon was a niche car for which there was no niche, it simply carved out a niche of its own.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews, votes on the Car of the Year jury, and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Audi A6 speeds off in new direction with 2005 redesign
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. — Ever since Audi arrived on the U.S. automotive consciousness, its well-built models – such as the 4000, 5000, 100, 200, 80, 90, A4, A6, A8, and even the TT sports car – have had a horizontal grille opening festooned with the Auto-Union trademark four interlocking circles. The 2005 A6 changes style, appearance, and even personality, with AudiÂ’s new signature grille – a large, “V†shape.
I must say that I was underwhelmed by my first look at the new A6. I wasnÂ’t sure I liked the new grille, thinking it first looked like the old car doing a Jay Leno impersonation. The new A6Â’s lower side crease curves up slightly at the rear wheelwell, quite Saturn-like, I thought. I wasnÂ’t sure the straight-side look needed revision, and I rather liked the current carÂ’s rounded off rear trunklid.
But those thoughts preceded an exceptionl introductory talk by chief designer Achim-Dietrich Badstubner. In the most recent design whirl, the more compact A4 has stayed quite similar for 10 years, while the big, luxury A8 has become so slick it is outselling the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-Class. The middle-size A6, however, has remained nice, impressive, and familiar.
“The old car is smooth and precise, very German,†said Badstubner, with a distinct German accent. “It is maybe too analyticÂ…too German. ItÂ’s important to keep the character of the old A6, but I wanted to add in some emotion.Ââ€
Badstubner, a personable 40-year-old, addressed the media gathered for the new carÂ’s introduction from a podium on stage at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The screen behind him showed whatever slide was displayed on the podiumÂ’s projector. Badstubner didnÂ’t have slides or statistical sheets. He didnÂ’t need them, instead used a sketch-pad. “To design a new car, you need pencil, paperÂ…and vision,†he said. “My vision for the A6 when I started on it four years ago was to give it a more youthful appearance – so you can feel the passion.Ââ€
The horizontal grille of the past, he explained, was augmented by a larger opening below the bumper. “We combined them,†he said, as he sketched some preliminary lines. “We have a very significant grille, ‘VÂ’ shaped, with functional flanks carry the lamps and become the eyes of the car. Good, strong eyes.Ââ€
His drawing magically became the car, as he continued adding details to the sketch. “The air intakes below have the foglamps. It is a face weÂ’ll never forget. Especially on the autobahn.Ââ€

Badstubner did the same at the rear. “See here,†he said, noting a crease accenting the bumper. “We have a floating reflection on the rear bumper. It is already moving while the car is standing still.†His sketch of the side showed that little upswing, and he asked: “DoesnÂ’t this make it look like a wing?†When he was finished, he said, “We have here the first four-door coupe. Which means we have the only coupe in that class of business sedans.Ââ€
The next morning, we walked out to some waiting A6es. As I approached, no longer did I think “Saturn-like;†I saw the cross-section of a wing, instead. We drove both the 4.2-liter V8 and the 3.2-liter V6 models on roads that curved through hilly wine country, and California’s Hwy. 1 along the coast. Along the way, in a ragged caravan on freeways or through dark, dense forests of Coastal Redwood trees north of San Francisco, or along the Pacific Ocean near Bodega Bay, we spent considerable time looking at the rear end, the sides, and, in the mirrors, the prominent front of other A6es in the fleet, and they seemed to look better and better
From inside, an entirely new dashboard departs considerably from the existing Audi instrumentation that has often been declared among the best in the industry, the new A6 is a definite upgrade. The gauges and control switchgear are arranged in more of a cockpit design aimed at the driver, with wood, leather and aluminum all used in tasteful harmony.

Marc Trahan, whose engineer’s knowledge bolsters marketing explanations, told of advances in passive and active safety, driving fun and agility, the new powertrains, and the emotional design as driving forces – he actually said that – to bring the A6 from conception to reality.
High-strength steel and design and bonding tricks make the new A6 34 percent more rigid, yet lighter. Audi’s engineers also have gone away from the five-valve (three intake, two exhaust) engine design in both the V6 and V8 for the best of reasons – direct fuel-injection, which needs separate nozzles that take up the room the fifth valve used to have.
The 3.2 V6 has 255 horsepower (up 35) at 6,500 RPMs and 243 foot-pounds of torque (+30) at 3,250 revs, pushing the A6 from 0-60 in 7.1 seconds, and with quattro all-wheel drive, EPA estimates are 19 miles per gallon city, 26 highway.
The 4.2 V8 has undergone a diet, now measuring just 19 inches front to rear in the longitudinal setting. It puts out 335 horsepower at 6,600 RPMs and 310 foot-pounds of torque at 3,500. The six-speed automatic transmission in both cars has a lower low gear and a taller high gear, with a ratio that is 18-percent wider.
Because AudiÂ’s quattro system uses Torsen differential, it reacts to wheel-speed rather than wheel-spin, which Trahan said makes it proactive rather than reactive, and if only one wheel has traction, it will get all the power.
The A6 has all the latest technical tricks too, with adaptive bi-xenon projector headlights that swing to follow the road ahead, LED taillights, a navigation system with handy guide buttons positioned on either side of the console control knob, Bluetooth computer/phone capability, and electronic keyless entry, so you donÂ’t need the key to unlock the doors or start the car, as long as you have the key in your pocket.
Both models handle superbly, with the V8 feeling stronger, but also heftier in its stance. I actually preferred the V6 for its flexibility, letting you run up the revs without running the speedometer up to the three-digit level the V8 achieves so easily.
The V6 model starts at $40,900, and the V8 starts at $50,500. Those prices put the V8 version right in the thick of the target market, which includes the BMW 5, the Mercedes E-Class, Volvo S80, Jaguar S-Type, Acura RL, Lexus, and the Cadillac STS. The V6 model undercuts almost all of them, however, and is anticipated to account for 80 percent of the 22,500 A6 models Audi conservatively estimates sending to the U.S. in its first year.
After all the explanations and statistics on being longer, wider, with more space, much safer, and with a 12-year corrosion warranty because all its metal is galvanized, buying a car may come down to styling. Whether you like the new look or not, you like it a lot better when you realize a brilliant designer like Achim Badstubner had a passionate reason for every line his artistic hand placed on the new A6.
(John Gilbert writes weekly new vehicle reviews and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra revealed early for 2007
MILFORD, MICH. — It was just a couple of weeks after I had attended a concert by the renewed John Prine, and a bit after I had missed the chance to attend a concert by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, renewed at least for a lucrative concert tour, at least. So it seemed appropriate that a whole bunch of automotive writers dutifully responded to a summoning by General Motors to fly to Detroit and be whisked to the GM proving grounds for the first look at the completely renewed Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks.
We all stood around in a large tent, sipping coffee and munching fresh fruit and muffins, then we strolled down to a grandstand, tastefully covered with a tarp to protect us from the sun that was baking the 90-degree Michigan grass. GM honcho Rick Wagoner spoke, and so did truck boss Gary White, and then they came at us from around the corners and over the grassy hills – pickup trucks. Dozens of them. They were being driven empty, with regular cabs, extended cabs, crew cabs, and then came some with full beds, and others pulling trailers, from light to hefty.
They all came to predetermined spots and parked in front of us, as carefully choreographed as if they were named Crosby, Nash, Stills, Young, Silverado, Sierra, and Denali. And we all sat there on our folding chairs on the rows of risers, watching the multicolored array roar up to a stop. It was show-biz, pure and simple, so I could excuse my peers for applauding. These corporate introductions have reached the point where an array of company executives are on hand to applaud eagerly enough to prime the pump of sometimes skeptical journalists, who generally respond by also giving a hand to the arrival of the main “performer†being presented, even if we don’t like that particular song. Or those taillights.
This particular show was not part of the regular tour, and even though it was at the GM proving grounds, where weÂ’ve driven Corvette Z-06es, Impalas, Cobalt SSes, and even Saab 9-3s, for crying out loud, we were allowed to look but not touch. Actually, we could look AND touch, but we couldnÂ’t drive.
This was not a typical “introduction,†we’d been told, but a “reveal.†That means they were going to tip us all off to the wonderfulness of the first redesign of the corporate pickup trucks in nine years – a huge endeavor, without question. And in keeping with the show-biz concept, it truly was a preview of coming attractions.
General Motors has lived the good life through its large trucks – pickups and SUVs – and with the new “G900†platform coming out first as the underpinnings for the Tahoe, Yukon and Escalade last winter, the debut of the pickups has been long anticipated. The industry standard, year after year, is that the Ford F150 full-size pickup is the No. 1 selling vehicle in the automotive world, with the Chevy Silverado second. But as White pointed out, if you combine the Silverado and the Sierra, the GM twins outsell the Ford F150.
The current model, denoted as the G800, came out for1999, which means except for external alterations, the truck itself is somewhat long in the tooth. Or the chassis. In the time since the last new Chevy/GMC pickups, Dodge, Ford, Nissan, Honda, and now Toyota will all have come out with new large pickups. Each time, the advancements in computer-aided design have helped those competitive trucks get stiffer and stronger and more solid-feeling.
The GM folks have loaded up the Silverado/Sierra with features, which makes good sense in the face of the competition. GM claims the Silverado is the first pickup with two entirely different interiors, but the latest Ford F150 came out with two distinctly different interiors, including different instrument packages; the GM trucks features a 170-degree opening rear door on the extended-cab models, which is brilliant, and copies the Nissan Titan’s great innovation; the rear seat has been designed with storage space underneath, and flip-up seat for more room – very Honda Ridgeline-like; and aluminum grooves are located along the walls of the bed for versatility in locating tie-down anchors – also copied from a clever idea by the Titan.
Including such features isn’t a criticism of the GM trucks – in fact, it’s only smart to add the best features of you adversaries. The Silverado adds its own special feature with the addition of a rear window that power-rolls up and down.
All the usual features, such as interior revision, more head room, legroom and hauling capacity, the biggest news is how much stiffer the chassis is. One of the ironic good things about not being upgraded for so long is that while the GM twins had some quantum catching up to do, they also could display the largest leap in improved chassis specifications of any truck.
The frame, White said, is improved no less than 234 percent in torsional stiffness, and 62 percent in vertical bending stiffness. Taken alone, the hydroformed front section is 90 percent improved in stiffness. That shows tremendous technical capabilities by GM – and it also indicates that the outgoing pickup was as lacking in stiffness as some critics suggested.
Four different engines, from a 4.3-liter V6, to V8s measuring 4.8, 5.3, 6.0, and 6.2, give the trucks lots of power options, and with the 6.0 listed at 367 horsepower and 375 foot-pounds of torque, while the 6.2 – appearing in a new and flashy Denali version of the GMC – has 400 horsepower and 415 foot-pounds of torque. GM claims trailer towing capacities ranging from 4,300 pounds to 10,500 pounds, while payload capacities range from 1,564 to 2,160 pounds.
The enormous improvement in safety allows the new Silverado to incorporate great improvements in safety as well. An assortment of five different suspension systems and revised steering components share the spotlight with the new exterior looks and the new and fresh looking interior.
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In appearance, the front end shares a family resemblance to the SUVs, both the Chevy with the horizontal bar across the middle of the grille, and the GMC with the large open grille. Nice contours blend the headlights into the side of the fender flares, and a choice of regular cab, extended cab, and full crw cab, with various size beds, means you can pretty well configure a Silverado or Sierra as you choose.
The trucks were scheduled to come out around the first of the year, but it got moved up several months.
By moving it up, the trucks weren’t ready even for media drives. Hmmm, I hmmmed to several corporate types, so why bother moving them up to an August display? They dismissed my theory with assorted public relations feints, but finally I suggested to Ed Peper, Chevrolet’s general manager, that moving the “reveal†up by five months just happened to display the Silverado and Sierra comfortably one month ahead of the planned September introduction of the new and impressively large Toyota Tundra.
Anything to that coincidence? I asked Peper.
“We’ll do whatever we have to, and make things as tough for our competition as we can,†said Peper, with a smile.
Such competitive fire may be a lot like an old song from a reunion concert, but regardless, itÂ’s good to see a big-shot from Chevrolet cutting through the PRspeak to sing a competitive refrain.
Honda Fit fits into fittingly tight spots befitting a small car
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — It seems as though Honda has filled every available automotive niche, so the question is, when it brings out a new compact car, where in the world will it fit? Right there. In fact, it fits so well, that the new compact Honda is being called “Fit.Ââ€
To demonstrate how tight an area the Fit will fit through, HondaÂ’s marketing folks created a unique little test at the carÂ’s introduction in Santa Monica. They put a pair of vertical posts up, let the media types drive to a starting line about 20 yards away, then signal how close to put the posts, with the idea we could still fit the Fit through the gap. Think of it as something of a vertical limbo dance for a car.
I waved them close, then closer, because in my experience, drivers generally can squeeze through a tighter opening than they think. I was right. I positioned the posts closer than I thought was possible, and I still fit the Fit between them, without scraping any paint off the side mirrors. Others came closer.
Nobody, however, beat my first-try parallel parking attempt, where I purposely oversteered my attempt to park between extremely close pylons, trying to compensate for the carÂ’s compactness, and I made a perfect park, an inch from the curb, on my first try. “Fit” may be an odd name, but Honda obviously is hoping if the Fit fits, people will choose it as most fitting.
Next came a small, tight, pylon-lined course, which the Honda folks insisted was a not an all-out performance autocross, but just an agility drill, with a stop, and a back-up part, before the quick-stop finish. I went through it well, but conservatively, and though I didnÂ’t beat later drivers who ran it with tire-screaming aggressiveness as if it were an all-out autocross, I came away impressed with the FitÂ’s quickness and agility.
Prior to all that lunchtime fun and frolic, I already had been impressed with the FitÂ’s performance zipping around and through the twisty hillsides of the mountain range inland from Santa Monica. Along the way, the thought occurred to me that when U.S. automakers and critics criticize imports, they are missing a serious point with Hondas, among others.
When Honda builds a new vehicle, critics and competitors can line up and nitpick all they want, but one thing remains unassailable: Honda vehicles tend to be a complete package, with the total far exceeding the mere sum of its parts. The Fit is a perfect example, because it is a 5-door hatchback with a futuristic cab-forward design, with an interior that is remarkably versatile, and with performance that lifts it from utilitarian to fun.
Ingenious design makes the interior versatile in a Swiss Army knife sort of a way. Flipping and folding second-row seats can create a tall mode, long mode and lounge mode. In tall mode, the surprisingly low floor can house a bicycle; in long mode, folding the right side front seat and second row seats makes a 7-foot flat storage surface; in lounge mode, reclining the front buckets can turn the Fit into a great place for two weary occupants to grab rest-area naps.
A 1.5-liter engine with multiple valves and VTEC variable valve-timing has a posted 109 horsepower at 5,800 RPMs, and 105 foot-pounds of torque at 4,800, with EPA gas mileage estimates of 33 city, 38 highway. You can choose a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic, and the automatic comes with paddles on the back of the steering wheel for fingertip manual shifts. How very sports-car like, for something more resembling a mini-minivan.
Speaking of critics, General Motors is on a marketing campaign to insist its cars are every bit as good, or better, than comparable imports that are perceived to be better, and that itÂ’s the fault of the media for not creating the proper image for GM cars. Amazingly, IÂ’ve recently read a couple of syndicated columns where the creators shamelessly repeat or rephrase exactly that sentiment. A General Motors official recently informed me that the new Malibu is every bit as good if not better than cars like the Honda Accord. I stopped him right there.
The Malibu, and the Pontiac G6, are very good, possibly the best of a new breed of GM cars. They have tightness, good handling, decent performance, are priced about right, and they have almost all the important features. Almost. But when comparing cars, the last I checked, the engines are part of it. Therefore, hallucination is a prerequisite for anyone who declares them equal to or better than the new Accord, or Camry, for that matter.
Unquestioned engine technology is a major part of Honda’s allure. Honda had multiple valve engines with variable valve timing – technology transferred directly from Ayrton Senna’s superb Formula 1-winning Honda engines – on the entry level Civic back in 1991. That’s 15 years ago. By the mid-1990s, Honda’s VTEC system expanded to all of Honda’s engines. When Honda makes a new and improved engine, it discontinues its obsolete engines, so all its fours and V6es stay on the world’s cutting edge of technology.
At GM, the Malibu (and G6) don’t get to use the superb and high-tech Cadillac V6, and are saddled instead with the newest version of aging pushrod technology, which is cheaper to produce. When it comes to compacts, Chevy now sells the Aveo, which is built in South Korea’s Daewoo factory, which General Motors recently purchased. So GM loyalists continue to push “buy American†philosophy, and GM is pushing a good – but far from great – Korean import as its subcompact.
Meanwhile, Honda won 2006 North American Car of the Year honors with the completely redone Civic. Fantastic car, from every standpoint. In my tests, I got 37-42 miles per gallon with the Civic EX sedan, with an automatic transmission. Over the years, the Accord has grown, and the Civic has grown commensurately, and the previously subcompact Civic is now larger than the 1985 Accord was.
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Still, as gasoline heads inexorably back toward $3 per gallon, U.S. consumers might finally be ready to follow the lead of savvy buyers in Europe and Japan, and go smaller. If a car can be built structurally safe enough, then smaller, lighter, more agile and more fuel-efficient makes a lot of sense. Toyota is doing it with the Yaris, which is smaller than the Corolla, adjacent to the Scion fleet, and Nissan is doing it with the Versa, which is smaller than the new Sentra. The Mazda5 is a compact van/wagon version of the Mazda3.
If small is going to be large in our immediate automotive future, Honda, as usual, steps to the front of the class with the Fit. The Fit is 19.2 inches shorter and 2.8 inches wider than the 2006 Civic – but it is 18 inches LONGER, 7 inches WIDER and 7 inches TALLER than the first Civic was, back in 1973.
The engine has a sophisticated technique of deactivating one intake valve at low RPMs to create a swirl of more rapid combustion, and that valve is reactivated at mid- to high-RPM use for stronger power.
The five-speed stick has closer-ratio gears from 1-4, with a wider gap to fifth, for improved freeway cruising at lower RPMs for better fuel economy. The five-speed automatic has wider gear ratios, which is a welcome idea to reduce the need for frequent shifting. The paddle operation can be done with the transmission in D, in which case it goes back to normal automatic service by itself, or in full manual mode.
The FitÂ’s front suspension is an independent MacPherson Strut system, similar to the Civic, with the rear switched from multilink to a torsion beam, which allowed lowering the floor by 3 inches. Another key feature is that the fuel tank is moved forward, resting amidship, under the front seats, which used to be a vacant area. That allowed the rear floor to be lowered, 7 inches lower than in a Scion, for example. Passenger room is about the same as the larger Civic, and the cargo area expands from 20.6 to 41.9 cubic feet when you fold the rear seat down.
Honda used the new Ridgeline pickup – 2006 North American Truck of the Year – for overload crash-tests with the Fit. The body structure is made of 36 percent high-tensile steel, and with standard side and side-curtain airbags complementing the front bags, Honda claims top crash-test ratings front and rear side for the Fit.
Prices are between $13,500 and $15,000, in either base or Sport form. The Sport gets bigger (15-inch) alloy wheels, and underbody panel, foglights, paddle shifters, and a better audio system – essentially $2,400 in upgrades for a difference in price of $1,400.
Any car-buyer interested in quick and agile performance, great fuel economy, surprisingly good safety, active-lifestyle versatility inside, and low-price sophistication, will find that the FitÂ…fits.
Chrysler Group snowjob blows away auto show news
DETROIT, MICH. – The third and final media day at the North American International Auto Show resembled the first two — a spectacular stage show by the Chrysler Group, historic and maybe surprising news from an Asian automaker, and a lot of talk revolving around finances from a storied U.S. manufacturer.
The chronology of the morning displays inside Cobo Hall started with ChryslerÂ’s introduction of the Dodge Caliber and Chrysler Aspen, both SUVs, coming from opposite ends of the size and price spectrum.
Next up came the Asian surprise. Not a new twist from the numerous Japanese companies, nor another improved vehicle from a Korean company. This one was from Geely – a Chinese company that intends to sell a new and quite competently outfitted 7151 CK compact sedan in the U.S. The car appears to be a fairly basic subcompact, but the detail that will stop the presses is that it has a starting price under $10,000.
Every manufacturer in the world is competing to build cars to sell to the suddenly burgeoning Chinese market, which is a large jump beyond finding that virtually every trinket and article of clothing sold in the U.S. these days seems to be outsourced or made in China.You can even buy a General Motors vehicle made in Canada with a 3.4-liter V6 made in China by something called “GMS” — for General Motors Shanghai.”
But to have China come to the U.S. with intentions of selling 100,000 extremely inexpensive compact sedans in its first year takes the whole world-market concept to sobering projections, particularly in the face of financial struggles by U.S. car-makers.
That news was amplified even more when General Motors assembled the media in its area to announce, not a new car, but that it was cutting prices “across the board,†on all of its models. The all-new and totally redone Tahoe will list at $33,990, for example, which is $2,000 less than the current Tahoe.
Discounted pricing will hit every model car, truck and SUV. It will reduce the Cobalt LS Coupe, for example, from a fairly competitive $14,490 base price to $12,990, which, GM hastily pointed out, will make it less than a Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or Ford Focus.
That was it. GM had introduced its newest vehicles Sunday and Monday, including the Tahoe, the Cadillac Escalade, and the stunning Camaro concept car. The risk is that consumers were so stunned by gasoline prices skyrocketing to $3 a gallon a few months ago, that even while prices have subsided to the $2.20 range, consumers have backed away from the large SUVs.
Other auto manufacturers are stressing compact crossover SUVs, in fact, Ford is trying to force the pooularity of the term “CUV†for crossover utility vehicle because it’s newest SUVs are compact and on car-based platforms, such as the Ford Edge, the newly redone Lincoln Aviator, and a couple of new concept vehicles.
Honda similarly is stressing the new RDX, which has moved from concept to prototype and is destined for production as a hot little compact SUV with sporty overtones. Mazda also has a concept compact SUV, and everyone from Koreans to Japanese to Europeans, to Ford and Chrysler seem to be stressing the downsized SUVs.
That leaves General Motors with its new and very impressive Tahoe – clearly improved in every facet – but introduced at a time when the only people buying large SUVs are those who have an absolute need for the extra room. Chevrolet is stressing fuel-efficiency of nearly 20 miles per gallon highway for the Tahoe.
Meanwhile, back at the Chrysler stand, the promotion-oriented gem came after the Dodge Caliber was introduced. It appears to be a compact SUV itself, but it is actually more like a compromise sporty wagon. Indeed, it will replace the discontinued Neon in manufacturing facilities. It will have three different four-cylinder engines, ranging from 148 to 158 to 172 horsepower,with dual variable valve timing and a continuously variable transmission, plus electromagnetic all-wheel drive. It has youth-oriented fold down speaker panels to blast your decibels out the tailgate, and the glove compartment has a cooler tray for cans of pop or bottles of water.
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The astounding part of the introduction came when it was announced that the vehicle would start in SE form at $13,985 – which makes it less expensive than a Neon.
After the Caliber was driven off the stage, the clowns –literally – Chrysler had employed from New York shows and international television for the press days, stayed around. One of them stood center stage and pulled a small sheet of paper out, appeared to read it, then folded it carefully over and ripped it in half, then in half again, then again. Finally he tossed it up in the air, and the pieces fluttered back down on him like falling snow. As it fell, it was noticeable that more snowflakes, tiny ones, also were falling from the ceiling, descending clownward. Then the “snowflakes†became bigger, and more noticeable.
Just when it looked like the effect had run its course, suddenly there was an explosion of sound and an enormous instant blizzard – enough snow to fill a Madison Avenue parade. The entire stage was engulfed in white, as the light slivers of confetti covered the hundreds of assembled media types as far away from the stage as 100 feet. When the eye-popping airborne avalanche was at its peak whiteout, a vehicle burst out from backstage right in the midst of it.
It was the Chrysler Aspen. Amazingly, Chrysler resurrected the name of a less-than-noteworthy, short-term Dodge from its past, and has given the name to Chrysler’s new luxury SUV. The Dodge sedan never came close to living up to the name of the trendy Rocky Mountain ski resort town, and Chrysler is gambling that the new Aspen – complete with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 – will do just that.
When the presentation was over, everybody within range was left laughing and shaking their heads, and all had a few snowflakes on or imbedded in clothing. Attempts to walk up to the stage for a closer look at the vehicle or an interview meant walking through a foot-deep pile of fake snow.
While General Motors and Ford are struggling to right themselves financially, considerably smaller Chrysler Group is riding high with its impressive recent flock of 300, Magnum, Charger and Jeep products, its still-ubiquitous minivans, and the strong performance of its Hemi-based engines. To say nothing of its optimistic attitude.
Regardless of which company sells the most vehicles, and makes the most money, there is no doubt which one has – and creates — the most fun at auto shows. From the media viewpoint, scurrying from one news conference to the next about every half-hour can be tedious, even if skipping a couple means sitting in carefully controlled audience settings while sipping a cappuccino or mineral water, and nibbling appetizers or pastries. Media members are well aware that they face as many marketing con-jobs as meaningful information sessions. When it comes to those clowns from Chrysler, however, even a snowjob can be eminently appealing.
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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