Mazda6 Sport Wagon zoom-zooms ahead into 2006
The 2006 Mazda6 Sport Wagon felt a little different when I test drove one last week, but it also felt comfortably familiar in the most important ways. With so many great midsize cars available the best thing about the Mazda6 is that getting back into one reassures the opinion that it can equal all the best features of any competitor – and runs away from them all when you add in the fun-to-drive factor.
Equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels and all-season Michelin tires, the front-wheel-drive Mazda6 breezed through the first little snowfall that swept across the Upper Midwest in the past week, never losing its poise even on icy patches of highway.
The Mazda6 is not up for Car of the Year for 2006. ItÂ’s not even a candidate, since itÂ’s in its fourth year since being totally redesigned for the 2002 model year, and has undergone only the sort of minor tweaks common to a carÂ’s model cycle. Trouble is, the Mazda6 didnÂ’t win back in the 2002 competition either, partly because it came out so late in the 2001 calendar year that many jurors didnÂ’t get any time with it. I voted for it then, and IÂ’d do it again today, only by a greater margin.
I often look back to reflect on how well past Car of the Year winners have sustained their importance. The best way to evaluate a car might be to measure how long it continues to be significant in the marketplace, and it would be difficult to imagine a more significant car than the Mazda6 when you look at its staying power.
It remains arguably the best-looking, best-handling, and best-performing midsize car out there when you put all the important characteristics up for consideration. When a car goes up against the likes of the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Volkswagen Jetta, and maybe a dozen others of that popular midsize, it requires quickness, comfort, good stability, and good looks.
The Mazda6 had all of those things, and the companyÂ’s executives apologized when it was introduced, for having lost their way in the worldwide attempt to copy the Accord/Camry whirlwind of durability and success. Mazda, a company with the most engineers per employee of any auto company, had matched the durability factor, but nobody could match the sales success Camry and Accord rack up, year after year.
Mazda added something special, though. The company promoted it as “zoom-zoom,†insisting the Mazda6 was the car that would return the company to its long-standing mission of building the most fun-to-drive vehicle in its class. To anyone who drove all the top cars in that class, there could be no argument that Mazda met its objective, with a redesigned suspension that kept the car firmly planted while the body stayed flat during the hardest cornering.
Many sports cars fell short of its sportiness, and you’d have to spend enough for a BMW 3-Series to find a worthy competitor – which was fitting, because the BMW was the benchmark Mazda’s suspension engineers used, while proving that a well-designed front-wheel-drive car can snake through curves with the best rear-wheel-drivers. The Mazda6 continued to prove and reprove itself with each passing year, and it still seems new and fresh, for 2006.
The station wagon is a more recent addition, and the Sport Wagon is newer still. Its nose is new, a little more dramatic in the “V†of the grille, and with a larger opening under the bumper, sort of RX-8 style. The glassed-in light enclosures now house four bulbs each, with standard halogen lights, and xenon headlights. As wagons go, this one looks sporty, with a roofline that tapers just a bit at the rear, finished with a spoiler on the back edge of the roof.
Station wagons themselves sort of faded from the scene when minivans became very popular, and then SUVs swept to prominence, without really dislodging minivans, but stopping their growth in market share.
Interestingly, wagons never went out of popularity in Europe, where BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, Volvo and Saab all sell station wagons in great number. They also are making a bit of a comeback in the U.S., where all of the above models, plus several from Japan, have worked their way back into our consciousness, simply for the logic and utility they offer.
So if the Mazda6 is the sportiest midsize sedan this side of BMW, then the Mazda6 Sport Wagon is a strong but less-expensive challenger for the best sporty wagons around from the prestigious European companies. The outstanding suspension feels even better on the new Sport Wagon, probably gaining an assist from the specifally larger 19-inch wheels, and stabilizer bars front and rear help as well.
I liked the interior of the Mazda6 when it was redesigned, but the 2006 Sport Wagon makes some alterations. The large round gauges are ringed subtly with silver, and come alive with a bright red-orange numbers and needles. The center stack is black, just a nice, simple, basic, black. Somehow it adds a classier touch than the somewhat swoopy mixtures of bright chrome and two-tone trim that seem to be growing in popularity.
{IMG2}
The seats, too, are basic but firmly supportive, and they were winter-friendly with the leather surface heated. The back seat is roomy enough for adults, and the storage area behind the seats is large, and gets larger if you fold down the second-row seats. A seven-speaker Bose audio system has a subwoofer and spews 200 watts of sound, and has as six-CD player in the dash. Safety also is stressed from the ground up, with side airbags and side air curtains standard. The climate control system has rear seat ducts, another nice touch as December approaches.
From a performance standpoint, of course, whatÂ’s under the hood matters greatly. In the Mazda6 sedan, the choice is the very strong 2.3-liter Mazda four-cylinder or a reworked version of the Ford Duratec 3.0-liter V6. Reworked is not just a buzzword here; in some Ford products the overhead-camshaft 3.0 V6 is adequate, but unexciting. When Ford gives the 3.0 to Mazda, the Mazda engineers rework it with variable valve-timing, and the same somewhat stodgy engine comes alive.
In the Sport Wagon, the 3.0 V6 is the only available engine. It has 215 horsepoewr at 6,300 RPMs and 199 foot-pounds of torque at 5,000 RPMs, and it runs just fine on regular gas – a feature not to be trifled with now that we know $3-per-gallon is not out of the question. The test car came with a five-speed manual transmission – setting the car firmly in the sporty bracket, although a six-speed automatic is available.
Along with strong engine performance, the Sport Wagon has standard four-wheel disc brakes, with antilock standard, and electronic brake distribution the car stops promptly and surely. When you want to go, the engine comes to life quickly, and the power goes to work through traction control, which prevents wheelspin and assures that takeoffs are sure and true, even in a snowstorm.
The sticker price for the Sport Wagon is $27,910, which becomes $28,470 with destination costs. If the 2006 Mazda6 was all-new, and not just the nearly perfected version of a well-established car, it would be right up there in the running with the newest Car of the Year candidates, such as the Ford Fusion. That proves how good the Mazda6 is. Ford is the chief investor in Mazda, and it shares more than just engines with its affiliate. The Fusion is built on the newest version of the Mazda6 platform, with a larger body, but its base engine is the Mazda 2.3-liter four, and the optional upgrade is the 3.0-liter V6 – Ford’s own Duratec V6, but done up by Mazda’s reworked heads with variable valve-timing.
The Fusion has a legitimate chance to win Car of the Year, and if it does, it will be a tribute to the Mazda6. Regardless, the 2006 Mazda6 commands complete respect on its own.
Lexus adds sportiness with new 2006 GS300, GS430
The folks at Lexus, who have been raised from Toyota – with “raised†the operative word here, as the company’s upscale brand – have always produced sound, substantial vehicles, comfortably secure and dependable, and quiet as vaults. The new GS midrange models represent something of an expansion.
Both the GS300 and the GS430 should enhance the Lexus reputation, but both are aiming at different segments in the marketplace, and have distinctly different personalities. They share the same new and longer platform and the same style, which is a sleek, sweeping silhouette that looks much sportier than what we have come to expect from Lexus.
{IMG1}
The cars fit into the Lexus scheme above the very good ES sedan level and the super-luxury LS level, not as sporty as the blunt and racy IS sedans, but definitely taking a swipe outside the upscale luxury category and more at the sport-luxury segment. The biggest difference between the GS 300 and 430 is that the 300 has the 3.0-liter V6 with 245 horsepower, and the 430 has the 4.3-liter V8, with 300 horsepower.
From the start, when Honda spun off Acura, then Toyota begat Lexus and Nissan started Infiniti, my theory is that the Japanese companies had captivated the United States auto-buying world by offering something extra. Arguably, instead of trying to duplicate American cars for American buyers, they would try to emulate the best German cars and sell them for considerably less to a U.S. market that was craving higher-quality cars for reasonable prices.
If that theory holds true, then it appeared Lexus set its sights on Mercedes, while Infiniti seemed to go after BMW – the sportier of the two luxury-road-car German giants. If you extend it, then Audi and Acura might have a link as the more cost-efficient combination of sportiness, luxury, and technology.
As years passed, Lexus has done a good job of duplicating fine Mercedes road-car comfort, style, and performance, and, in fact, went beyond the Germans in the sound-deadening silence of their cars. All of a sudden, a year ago, Mercedes showed off a sweeping, coupe-shaped four-door S-Class sedan on the auto show circuit, and this year theyÂ’ve introduced that provocative shape on the new CRS.
Hot on the heels of that introduction, Lexus has brought out a pair of very coupe-shaped four-door sedans in the GS300 and GS430.
The new models come just as Toyota seems to be trying to adjust its image. At recent media introductions, ToyotaÂ’s trained speakers have issued numerous statements claiming that the new models will stress passion and emotional impact. There is no question that these cars fit the claim, but it is interesting to observe a company that has gone the luxury route realize that it may also want to branch into sports-luxury.
No one will question ToyotaÂ’s technology. By dabbling in Formula 1 and Indy Car racing in recent years, Toyota is following the high-tech lead that lifted Honda (and Acura) to exalted levels of performance technology. In the process, some very impressive work has been done in the engine compartment, and not just on the bigger powerplant. As is often the case, the smaller V6 has a lot to offer, and buyers shouldnÂ’t just flock in and ask for the V8 upgrade.
For one thing, both cars follow the current performance-car trend of having front engine with rear-wheel drive. That may confound some Minnesotans who would rather have front-wheel drive when they negotiate winter, but the GS300 that I test drove had the optional all-wheel drive, which is not available on the V8 model.
With 245 horsepower and 230 foot-pounds of torque, the GS300 is plenty quick from 0-60, with MotorTrend showing it at 7.2 seconds. ThatÂ’s not all-out sports-sedan quick, but it certainly feels swift enough when youÂ’re driving it. The GS300Â’s all-wheel drive system runs normally at 30 percent front/70 percent rear drive, with torque transferring to make it 50/50 whenever the system detects wheelspin.
The V6 has continuous variable valve-timing, and direct injection – something Audi has debuted on both its 3.2 V6 and 2.0 four-cylinder. The plan is to control and direct the air-fuel mixture directly into each combustion chamber, rather than into a runner that deposits equal doses to all cylinders. By injecting directly, the fuel can be more closely monitored for pressure and temperature, and engineers have been able to lift the compression ratio from 10.5-to-1, to 11.5-to-1, and still register an EPA highway fuel economy rating of 30.
At 245 horses, the new engine raises the ante from the 220 horsepower of the inline six in the 2005 GS300, while torque is up by 10 foot-pounds, to 230. Obviously, Lexus could have gone for more power in the GS, because it has the 3.3-liter V6 and a new 3.5-liter V6 in its expanding arsenal. But apparently Lexus wanted to leave room for the more powerful GS430, as well as the new, more powerful LS models coming.
{IMG2}
Real-world drivers, especially Lexus veterans, will find the V6 more than adequate. As far as interior amenities are concerned, both cars leave little to be desired in the creature-comfort category. Both blend upscale leather and rich wood, plus some metal accents. The darker wood, leather, and grainy dashboard covering added a classy touch, and you can choose light or dark motifs.
The navigation system is good, although not as impressive as some I’ve tested. Same with the Mark Levinson sound system – very good, and one of the best. One very impressive part of both cars is the tiny rear-view video lens affixed in the rear indentation for the license plate. Shift into reverse and the nav screen instantly switches to a wide-angle view of what is behind you. In glorious color.
The cars both have keyless entry, with the ability to walk up to the car and have it unlock itself because you have the key in your pocket or purse. Once inside, you also can start the vehicle by pushing a button – in other words, if you have the key, you needn’t use the key.
Both cars also run through the same smooth, six-speed automatic transmission. Drivers can shift for themselves, although itÂ’s not as likely as in some cars, because of the luxury feel of the car.
The GS430, with the LS430Â’s potent V8, has 300 horsepower and 325 foot-pounds of torque, and you can feel the heavier weight shift rearward when you stomp on the gas. It will run 0-60 in about 6-seconds flat, easily outsprinting the GS300. Like the V6, the V8 is a dual-overhead-camshaft, four-valve-per-cylinder unit with ToyotaÂ’s VVT-I, which means variable valve-timing with intelligence. It makes your engine computer-perfect in the duration of valve opening and closing for optimum response to whatever input your right foot implies.
The V8 model also has larger wheels, and more of a high-performance feel supplied by slightly stiffer suspension components. An extremely sophisticated electronic Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management — or VDIM, if you can stand one more catchy acronym — uses three sensors to read everything from acceleration, deceleration, brake force, and steering angle, and adjusts everything for you. One of the more impressive traits is that at slower speeds, it quickens the steering considerably, knocking off about a half-turn of steering-wheel required to turn on a tighter arc.
So the GS300 and the GS430 both are impressive, in different ways. The V8 will attract some who want more oomph, while the V6 will be plenty for normal drivers, and easily preferred by those who want the security of all-wheel drive.
The GS430 has a base sticker price of $51,125, but as-tested, the car I drove was $58,734. ThatÂ’s pretty stiff, although itÂ’s right there in the heart of Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5-Series territory. The GS300 has a more-reasonable base price of $45,500, but as-tested, with all-wheel drive, it was over $52,000.
The GS twins are worthy additions to the Lexus fleet, particularly in looks and interior features. The performance is certainly adequate, but there are more than just Mercedes and BMW out there, these days. There is the Audi A6, with either a strong V8 or V6, and there are the new Infiniti twins – the M35 and M45. They parallel the size and target market of the GS cars, but with significant power upgrades for both. And don’t overlook Acura, which has the very sporty TL sedan with a stick shift available, and the new RL with more power and all-wheel drive for about the same price as the GS300. And the Cadillac STS is also in the running, with its hot V8 and a very strong V6.
With so many strong and stylish candidates, the consumers win. A year ago, the buyer who wants a definite dose of sportiness with luxury might have looked only at those competitors, without considering a Lexus. For 2006, the GS300 and GS430 lift Lexus into that battleground, and consumers can decide how much sportiness they’d like in a comfortably secure Lexus.
Corvette’s sweeping changes are major and subtle
The 2005 Chevrolet Corvette has already been honored by being named one of three finalists for North American International Car of the Year, and even if the sixth-generation Â’Vette doesnÂ’t beat out the Ford Mustang and the Chrysler 300, it wonÂ’t be because of any failures in the new design.
Chevrolet is making a bold change with the 2005 C6 Corvette, and it comes right when competition is the most ferocious itÂ’s been throughout the CorvetteÂ’s 51-year history. With 400 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque packed into a lighter, tighter frame, it appears safe to assume the new car will meet or exceed the expectations of Corvette loyalists everywhere.
The new car has even made a bid for international notice, with a lot of testing done at Nurburgring race track in Germany, and officials say they hope to make Corvettes more than a novelty among the sustained-high-speed regulars on the autobahns. That remains to be seen, but Chevrolet, and General Motors, would obviously settle for continued success as the American sports car.
Over the last 50 years, the Corvette became more than just an icon in the U.S. The car became a knee-jerk reaction for every red-blooded American seeking the status that could best be portrayed by buying a sports car. Driving a sports car bestows on the driver a wild and carefree outlook, making him, or her, the envy of all the sedan/station wagon/minivan/SUV drivers out there sharing the roadways. To say nothing of being the handiest cure for midlife crisis, if not the common cold. As the only real sports car made in the U.S., patriotic Americans have bought 1.4 million Corvettes over the years.
The fifth generation Corvette, called the C5, grew in prominence, and in size and power, over its extended, eight-year lifespan. It countered lighter and more high-tech competitors with a simple solution – inexpensive power. It’s much less costly to enlarge the engine than to design and refine such entities as dual overhead camshafts, multiple valves, and variable valve-timing, and other devices – all of which can extract amazingly high degrees of power out of comparatively small engines.
A suddenly computer-literate culture may more seriously consider alternative sports cars, such as the Porsche Carreras and Boxsters, BMW Z3 and Z4s, Audi TT, and Mercedes SLK from Germany, and the Mazda Miata, Mazda RX-8, and Honda S2000 from Japan. All of them achieve the exhilaration of high performance with lighter, more agile bodies, and with smaller but high-tech, high-revving engines.
That threw a strong challenge at the sixth generation Corvette, if it was to maintain its turf, and Chevrolet knew it. “The exterior, interior and engine are all new,†said chief engineer Dave Hill. “We did more than our customers asked for – we removed compromises. For us to have 30 percent market share is great, but it means that 70 percent are buying something else.Ââ€
While becoming smaller, lighter, stiffer, more agile, and more of a true sports car in design and build, General Motors pleaded heritage over high-tech in some cases. After promoting the low-rumble and inexpensive power of pushrod engines for five decades, for example, Chevrolet decided to stick with the pushrod engine design, claiming the carÂ’s customers havenÂ’t clamored for higher tech overhead cams. At the same time, Chevy made the small block bigger, growing from 5.7 to 6 liters, and more powerful than ever.
Corvette’s restyling is significant even if some see it as more subtle in external flair. Subtlety has not always been a workable description of Corvettes, which had long since bulged beyond the sleekness of the 1963-67 Sting Rays – an era that gave design cues to the new car’s leaner styling. The new body is stretched tightly over a condensed length, five inches shorter than its predecessor. A shorter, stiffer and lighter chassis, bigger brakes, more suspension travel, and a choice of three suspension designs all are packed underneath.
Despite a lot of similarities, the C6 has 85 percent new content compared to the C5. At first, Corvette purists whined about losing the hideaway headlights, but the new look allows the first high-tech lights, with high-intensity xenon gas-discharge headlights, and foglights. Aimed out from clear glass lenses to increase illumination by 80 percent, over a 25 percent greater spread. The new foglights alone shine with 58 percent of the C5Â’s total illumination.
For attention to detail, consider that the leather bucket seat surfaces have fabric backing to prevent creaking. I never knew there might be those who find that annoying; one of the reasons that I like leather seats is the way they creak as they age, seeming to formfit like a glove.
Higher contrast LED instruments include the Heads-Up display superimposed on the windshield, which can be altered to three different formats. An optional Bose audio system takes the standard subwoofer from eight-inch to ten-inch size, which helps the XM satellite radio come to life.
Voice recognition operates a DVD navigation system and audio controls. Keyless entry has a transmitter in the key fob so that as you get within one meter (meter?) of the car, the doors unlock. Once inside you can activate the push-button start without using the key – as long as you have it on your person.
General Motors has again gone to great lengths to improve the smallblock pushrod V8 design, which is as old as the Corvette itself. At 6.0 liters, it dispenses 400 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque. The engine features all-aluminum construction, larger solid-stem valves, a less-restrictive induction system, lighter composite intake manifold, and strengthened crankshaft. Top speed is 186 miles per hour, and IÂ’ve seen printed 0-60 times of under 4.5 seconds.
If the pushrod engine design remains, it is the only thing that’s not cutting-edge high-tech in the new Corvette, except for the unique – and ridiculous – “skip-shift,†which forces the six-speed manual to go from first to fourth, rather than second, in normal acceleration to inflate fuel-economy figures. A four-speed automatic is also available.
The main attraction of the Corvette, as usual, is that it provides the performance of cars costing far more than its base price of $43,445, for a coupe with a larger stowable hardtop. Adding side airbags, suspension and audio upgrades can boost the sticker to $53,000 quickly. ThatÂ’s still reasonable, for a tightly coordinated, feature-filled new model of an old icon, an icon that is Car of the Year every year to its cult followers.
(John Gilbert writes weekly reviews on new cars and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
M6 and Z4 M Coupe complete BMW’s newest classics
ELKHART LAKE, WIS. — Maybe it was just me, but when alternately speeding around the Road America race course in a BMW M6 and a BMW Z4 M Coupe, I felt quicker and more precise in the less-potent Z4 M Coupe.
The opportunity to drive the newest BMW M models through the rolling kettle moraine countryside around the little Wisconsin town of Elkhart Lake was attraction enough. The added opportunity to take them out on the splendid four-mile Road America road-racing circuit was the highlight to an irresistible day. Some of the most threatening black clouds imaginable from the fringe of a severe thunderstorm curtailed some of the later runs, but couldnÂ’t dampen the impressions of the two cars we focused on.
The two cars were the M6, the 650 Coupe upgraded with the potent V10, and the Z4 in M form, which is a dramatic upgrade on the standard Z4 Roadster and Coupe. These cars are similar in their intentions, but distinctly different in how they execute them.
The M6 felt heavier, because it is, at 3,900 pounds, but the weight is incidental when pulled by an incredible 5.0-liter V10 engine. But the M6Â’s paddle-shifted sequential-manual automatic transmission didnÂ’t harness that power with the same quick precision as the six-speed stick shift did in the less-potent 3.2-liter in-line six-cylinder of the Z4 M Coupe.
The truth, of course, was that the M6 was faster. With the “M†button pushed and 500 horsepower trying to show off, I got up to 130 miles per hour on a couple stretches of Road America before getting off the power and engaging the magnificent brakes to make a turn in the M6. In the Z4 M-Coupe, I got up to 120 at two or three places on the track, but its lighter weight made it feel more agile and therefore more responsively in tune with my driving instincts.
Insiders, and those who know various BMW models, will know exactly what the “M†means. So will BMW competitors, which offer rival factory performance teams. Mercedes has its AMG, Audi its S-Class, Ford its SVT, etc., and all of them have a good and productive time firming, stiffening, strengthening and high-powering their sportiest cars.
But throughout the auto industry, BMW stands alone atop the performance pedestal. BMWÂ’s normal cars are what other companies would call high-performance. Competitors would rather not talk about them, but whenever they introduce a new model, they boldly point out that they used a BMW model as their benchmark, as if that proves their intentions to achieve the ultimate performance plateau.
When it comes to similarly benchmarking a vehicle for its next model, BMW can only look within, at its own current models. The 330 sedan is as strong a performing sedan you can find in the compact/intermediate size; the 5-Series sedans are as hot as anyone would want in the full-size bracket; the 6-Series is a luxurious and sleek coupe; the Z4 is a fantastic roadster and now coupe. That is in base form, which is more than enough – as long as customers don’t know that something beyond those cars lurks our there with the “M†designation.
Back in 1972, BMW Motorsport began life, but it wasn’t until 1978 that the company turned the operation loose to make a one-off model, the M1 – a low, sleek, exotic, mid-engine race car. In 1984, BMW made an M6, and then an M5, both factory-prepared high-performance versions of existing coupes and sedans. In 1986, BMW built its first M3, turning its entry-level coupe into a screamer, and later adding the “M†treatment to the four-door 3-Series sedan. In 1988, BMW sold 80,000 M3s. Altogether, BMW has sold 110,000 M models in the U.S., which is about half the total produced. Of the rest, 30 percent go to Europe, and the remaining 20 percent are scattered around the rest of the world.
If you want the pinnacle of motorized performance, you could be happy with the basic cars – as long as you don’t drive the “M†models. Without question, the M6 and the Z4 M models are both exceptional – to say nothing of the M5 or yet-to-be-driven M3 – always my favorite. The 6-Series, remember, starts at $80,000 in normal form, and the technical upgrades to the inside, outside, and that V10 engine, make the M6 worth the $96,795 price tag for those uncompromising customers. The Z4 M Coupe is a comparative bargain at $49,995, making both cars similarly more than the basic, non-M brethren.
For the first time, BMW has four separate “M†class vehicles for 2006, which was the reason to summon an assortment of North American auto journalists for their introduction. We were picked up at the Milwaukee airport in M5 sedans. Fantastic cars. Next morning we hopped into M6 coupes and headed off on charted drives through the countryside, changing into M Coupes before arriving at the race track.
A timed autocross was set up in the paddock, but my partner bailed out on what was supposed to be a combined run, totaling both drivers. BMW fleet distribution manager Vinnie Kung just happened to show up, so he was recruited to be my partner. I tore off around the course, and the Z4 M Coupe was fantastic. It turned and swerved on cue, no leaning, no lack of precision, and as good as the six-speed manual shifter was, the engine pulled out of every turn no matter what gear IÂ’d chosen. At the tightest turn on the course, I floored it but the traction-control system bogged it down slightly, and I should have turned it off to elicit a bit of wheelspin for the ultimate time. When it was all over, though, we finished second, which coaxed my official codriver to come out of hiding to see if we had won a prize.
On the race track itself, the M6 was a pleasure. The normal 650 has a 4.8-liter V8 with 360 horsepower and 360 foot-pounds of torque. To make the M6, the car has been lightened with carbon-fiber and thermoplastic panels, and aluminum chassis and suspension parts. The engine is a 5.0-liter V10, a direct descendant of BMWÂ’s Formula 1 engine, with 500 horsepower and 383 foot-pounds of torque. Skip Barber driving instructors sat in the passenger seat for all of us, and we were able to drive two hot laps in succession, which ended all too soon.
The M6 will go 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, with a top speed electronically governed at 155 mph. The redline is 8,250, and there is an “M†button you can push to go to full power, hold the revs longer before each shift, and amplify the performance by restraining the stability-control system a bit longer. The tremendous power of the V10 can send you thundering down the straightaways, but I found the sequential automatic unsettling. The shift lever goes from R to N to D. There is no “Park†setting, so whenever you stop, you go to neutral, then pull on the hand brake. Once in D, moving the lever to the right engages the manual phase. Large paddles left and right on the steering wheel enact shifts of the seven-speed automatic, right for upshifts and left for downshifts.
I’ve driven the new Audi DSG, an incredible quick-shifting automatic that shifts faster than anyone could shift a stick. I also drove the AMG models from Mercedes, and their paddle-shift automatic mechanism works quickly, too, if not quite as immediate as Audi’s. By comparison, the BMW system, which is smooth when simply left in Drive, took a couple of seconds – minimum – for each upshift when done manually. I tried letting up on the gas, holding steady on the gas and stepping harder on the gas, but regardless, there was a nagging hesitation before each shift was engaged. Another contribution to my unsettling feeling with the hesitation is that I recently drove the normal 650 for a week, and found its six-speed stick perfect. The M6 comes only with the automatic, however, which, when shifted manually, is less fulfilling.
Countering that power, the enormous, cross-drilled disc brakes are astounding. They will stop the car from 100 km. per hour (62 mph) to zero in 2.6 seconds. So, 0-60 in 4.5 seconds; 62-0 in 2.6 seconds. There are other electronic gadgets, such as three modes of electronic driver control, and two different phases of the stability control. ThatÂ’s designed to let you program in a little more tail-wagging slippage before engaging, for those who want to hang out the rear end in performance escapades. I would need a lot more time to feel comfortable with those switches, and at first they seem to be attempts at micromanaging driver instincts.
{IMG2}
The Z4 M Coupe goes after high performance in a more traditional manner, without any intrusion of electronic gizmos to enhance the driving experience. It is simple, basic, direct. There isnÂ’t even an iDrive system to control all car interior functions, as there is on the M6.
I liked the Z3, and thought the Z4 Roadster was a worthy successor, perhaps the best version of Chris BangleÂ’s sometimes controversial styling ideas. The just-introduced Z4 Coupe is an artistic masterpiece, in my opinion. I think the sloping fastback roof fits well and amplifies every contour and curve of the car.
In standard trim, the Z4 has a 3.0-liter inline six with 255 horsepower, and it will zip from 0-60 in 5.6 seconds. The “M†version takes the upgraded powertrain out of the M3 sedan and inserts it in the 3,230-pound sports car. At 3.2 liters, it delivers 330 horsepower – an increase of 75 horsepower – and 262 foot-pounds of torque, and lowers the 0-60 spurt to 4.9 seconds. You can hit a button on the console and engage a stiffer attitude with the Z4 M Coupe, but the six-speed stick and smoothly balanced engine power are constant and fully compatible partners.
While both cars exhibited flawless manners on the twisting roadways, they never flinched when pushed on unlimited race track runs. But with the Z4 M Coupe, every turn, every angle of entry or exit, every tap of the brakes, and every snick-snick gear change was as precise as a driver could make it.
Maybe that’s what I liked best about the M Coupe – it rewards you if you’re a better driver, without trying to electronically help make you a better driver.
As the black clouds rolled in, we headed for temporary cover. It didnÂ’t bother me, because I had my runs in with all the cars, and no thunderstorm could dampen the performance on the track.
Can linebacker-size RAV4 still carry the “cute-ute” ball?
ATLANTA, GA. — Like the cute little kid next door who grows up to be a pro football star, the new Toyota RAV4 is not exactly an offensive tackle, but it has grown from running back to at least linebacker size for 2006.
At the introduction of the 2006 RAV4 to motoring journalists this past week in Atlanta, we were also issued an embargo – we can’t write about our driving impressions until after November 28. So, we will pretend that I haven’t driven the new models (wink-wink), while discussing the styling and concept changes, which are more than just significant.
Consider that the RAV4, one of the charter members of the “cute-ute†category, is growing by more than a foot in length, gets stuffed with an optional third-row seat, and now houses an optional V6 with great power. OK, it’s still cute, but it’s more 4Runner-rugged than cute-ute in its newly grownup form.
The Toyota RAV4 has remained a steadfast pillar of sanity for about a decade by staying efficiently small in a burgeoning world of gigantic SUVs. For 2006, Toyota has apparently decided that the RAV4 should become part of the sprawl it had so impressively avoided.
Toyota has energetically – and successfully – battled for a large piece of the SUV pie. While the RAV4 handled the lighter, commuter-dominated compact end of the spectrum, the 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Land Cruiser carry the Toyota banner at the larger end, while its upscale Lexus line boasts the RX330, GX470, LX470 in the luxury SUV segment. The RAV4 helped originate the most-compact end, where it has battled the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape, and now faces competition from 20 rivals.
Jim Farley, ToyotaÂ’s vice president of marketing in the U.S., said the RAV4 was the first car-based SUV, although chief rival Honda brought out the CR-V at about the same time, 10 years ago. The Highlander and its counterpart RX330 also are built on car platforms, and the industry has clearly shifted that direction and away from the heavy-duty, truck-based SUVs, which might be best for towing and large-scale hauling, but become inefficient gas-guzzlers in daily on-road use. Car-based SUVs compromise sedan-quality ride with SUV utility, and now comprise 79 percent of all small SUVs and 32 percent of midsize SUVs.
The RAV4 offers the populace a quick and fun alternative to larger SUVs, which saw their popularity drop as swiftly as gasoline prices shot past $2 a gallon. While keeping its compact exterior small, the RAV4 kept prices low and four-cylinder fuel-efficiency high, and made sense for single folks, young marrieds, small families, and people who wanted the advantages of four-wheel drive in a commuter vehicle.
As far as off-roading goes, more than 90 percent of all SUV buyers never venture farther off-road than the dirt road to the cabin up north anyway. While the RAV4 has never been Jeep-like off-road, it always handled moderate off-roading, while being far more user-friendly in on-road usage than any larger SUV with one or two aboard.
Now, suddenly, the RAV4 is vaulting upward. The new RAV4Â’s exterior style is considerably different, retaining its trademark contoured lines, but they now arc in different directions to a more-abrupt rear that almost seems as if it intends to make the vehicle look smaller than it actually is.
Built on a new platform, the new RAV4 is 14.5 inches longer than the 2005 model, with wheelbase 6.7 inches longer, standing 3.2 inches wider, and 0.6 inches taller. Interesting that the RAV4 that used to be 22 inches shorter than the midsize 4Runner is now 8 inches shorter, and its wheelbase, which used to be nearly 12 inches shorter than the 4Runner is now 5 inches shorter.
The 3.5-liter V6 is an impressive engine option. It is a short-stroke version of the 4.0-liter that appears in the Tacoma, Tundra and 4Runner. It is a high-tech, 24-valve, dual-overhead cam V6 with variable valve-timing on both intake and exhaust valves, a variation of the engine that powers the new Avalon sedan. In the RAV4, that engine produces 269 horsepower at 6,200 RPMs and 246 foot-pounds of torque at 4,700 RPMs. It will go, Toyota says, from 0-60 in less than 7 seconds.
Some journalists pounced on the interesting “fact†that the V6 shows 21 miles per gallon city and 28 mpg highway by EPA estimate, compared to the 22/29 figure for the 2.4-liter base 4-cylinder. Only a 1-mpg difference? Journalists who depend on such vague estimates as the EPA produces were snapped back to reality when I asked if Toyota’s actual findings didn’t show a considerably greater disparity between the two in real-world driving. Farley agreed that real-world fuel economy would widen the gap considerablt – the first time I’ve ever heard a manufacturer’s official admitting that obvious fact.
The 2.4-liter 4 is an improved engine too, with magnesium cylinder heads, a gain from 161 to 166 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs, and 165 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 revs.
Both engines come with automatic transmissions, the V6 getting a 5-speed, and the 4 getting a 4-speed. Toyota claims the uphill and downhill logic will work to hold a gear going uphill and to downshift earlier to help deceleration when going downhill. We could have verified that, if we had actually driven the vehicles (wink-wink), same as we could describe the adequacy of the 4 compared to the power of the V6.
Electric power steering modernizes the performance, and a redesigned suspension underpins the bigger RAV4. If IÂ’d driven the vehicle more, I might have grown to like the too-large cupholders, which would keep a Big Gulp steady but cause water or pop bottles to swivel around freely. Could be a preproduction problem that will be altered by the time we, ahem, drive production versions.
A big asset of the RAV4 is its electronic on-demand 4-wheel drive that transfers power from front-wheel drive to split up to 45 percent to the rear axle when needed. In automatic mode, torque is distributed to the front all the time, and to all wheels for stability during slippery situations or during takeoff, then power to the rear is reduced once underway or during low-speed turns.
The driver can throw a switch to lock the 4-wheel drive in 55-percent front/45-percent rear in all conditions. That makes it comparable to any 4×4 with a center-lockl differential, but it reverts to automatic operation if you hit the brakes or go faster than 25 miles per hour.
{IMG2}
Further drivability features include a hill-holding mechanism that prevents the RAV4 from rolling backwards for two or three seconds when you take your foot off the brake to reapply the gas. It’s standard on V6 models, optional with the 4. Also, a downhill assist control slows descent, if you activate a switch in low gear – working like a 4 mph cruise control. That is standard on V6 models, and on 4-cylinder RAVs with the third-row seat option.
The new RAV4 is available in Base, Limited, and Sport, and with front-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive, just as it is with the 4 or V6. Farley said the new and enlarged RAV4 is going after a much broader piece of the market, and Toyota projects selling 135,000 RAV4s a year at a price still to be determined. ThatÂ’s a 100 percent improvement from 2005 model sales.
He said the new vehicle targets three segments – first, women, who are expected to make up 65 percent of RAV4 buyers; second young married couples, which project to 60 percent of buyers; and third, single males, looking for strong and sporty performance.
Hmmm. I know a number of folks who are happy owners of RAV4s. They love their vehicles, and the biggest asset, they tell me, is the compact maneuverability. Therefore, with the RAV4 now 14 inches longer, and with a third-row fold-down seat, a V6 available, and seeking new market conquests, I asked what would happen to the previous and current RAV4 owners?
“We don’t expect to lose any of our existing buyers,†Farley said.
Hmmm, again. Growing from neighborhood touch football size to NFL linebacker and attracting a whole new segment, while also retaining all the buyers who love the small, agile, scatback size of the RAV4Â’s heritage, is indeed an optimistic outlook. It almost makes you think Toyota might be planning another new compact SUV in the near future.
Can anyone say: “FJ?†That’s another secret. It’s the name of the two-year-old Jeep-like SUV concept. Look for it in production form at an introduction soon. Maybe we’ll even get to drive it, so I can stop this infernal winking.
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.
For those who want to keep up with John Gilbert's view of sports, mainly hockey with a Minnesota slant, click on the following:
Click here for sports