SUV craze may “cross over” to solve its own dilemma
If you are a member of the ever-expanding world of sport-utility vehicles, or if you are a passionate critic that society doesnÂ’t benefit by the proliferation of all those huge truck-like SUVs, you might find satisfaction at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) currently in the midst of a two-week run in Detroit.
No, large SUVs are not going to disappear, but after the follow-up trend toward smaller and more compact SUVs, the next move clearly is focused on “crossover†SUVs – those vehicles created out of the placement of stylishly curved and purposely sized bodies atop compact or midsize automobile chassis. If the manufacturers go off in the direction indicated by the NAIAS in Detroit, we might all be considering crossover SUVs for our next automotive acquisition.
ThatÂ’s the message that came through loudly and clearly at NAIAS press preview days, which gave each manufacturer the opportunity to dazzle thousands of assembled automotive journalists with displays of their best new stuff.
There was a lot of other news, too, of course, befitting the annual show at Cobo Center, right in the heart of Motor City. There are a lot of other auto shows in the country and the rest of the world, but Detroit is unexcelled for gathering all of the auto industryÂ’s top executives as well as all of its most dramatic new products.
First of all, the show kicked off with the awards for car and truck of the year. the revived MINI Cooper beat out the Infiniti G35 and Nissan 350Z to win car of the year, and the Volvo XC90 beat out finalists that included the Honda Element, Nissan Murano and General Motors-influenced Hummer H2 in the truck of the year competition.
There were 50 journalists contributing independent votes, and 49 of us came through. This was my 10th year on the jury, and my projections this year were pretty close to right on. I ranked the Mazda6 as car of the year, with the MINI, Z-car and Infiniti following in that order, and the Volvo XC90, Honda Element and Nissan Murano were my top three truck selections.
Once that award – the only one in the industry done independently, without the pressures of potential advertising pressures or agendas – the whirlwind three days of new-vehicle introductions took over, with press conference-introductions of new products occurring every half-hour, with the ones including breakfast or lunch buffets lasting a full hour.
A parade of over 20 new 2004 vehicles, all of them just about showroom ready but some of them being introduced at the show, provided a captivating backdrop. There also were 16 futuristic concept cars, featuring far-out styling as design and engineering projects that could evolve into production cars if the reaction is sufficiently strong. As impressive as all of the concepts and new cars are, the most dominant theme of the show was the display and/or introduction of crossover SUVs, with no less than 25 new crossover SUVs dominating various manufacturersÂ’ displays.
With SUVs remaining popular – and extremely profitable – there is no chance manufacturers would turn away from them, even if people who have been buying the largest and costliest Suburbans, Tahoes, Expeditions and Navigators started diminishing. So manufacturers spent the last couple of years filling assorted niches in attempts to make their SUVs “different†from everybody else’s. Middle size and smaller SUVs proliferated, and after some early attempts such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 expanded to the upscale Lexus RX300 and Acura MDX, the idea of fastening fancy, wagon-like bodies on automobile platforms became popular.
Consider, for example, the truck of the year award. The Volvo XC90, the Element and the Murano all are crossovers. Whether midsize or compact in size, car platforms are lower and much more stable on the road than the big SUV truck platforms, thus eliminating the disagreeable SUV high-center-of-gravity tendency to roll over, and alleviating much of the criticism about the poor fuel economy of the heftiest SUVs. Some of the new crossovers are mostly sports cars with SUV tendencies.
Anything goes, apparently, and from the looks of things at Detroit, the upcoming 2004 model year will be the year that crossovers literally cross over to dominate the SUV segment. So letÂ’s take a three-day walk from one introduction stand to the next, picking out only the crossover vehicles:
FordÂ’s Freestyle FX, lower and sleeker than an Explorer, aimed at 2004 production.
FordÂ’s Model U, a quirky, boxy little thing with a hybrid internal combustion and hydrogen fuel system that exhausts air cleaner than what it takes in.
Chrysler Pacifica, a previously shown all-activity wagon.
Dodge Magnum SRT-8, lower and sleeker than a Durango.
Audi PikeÂ’s Peak, more imposing than last yearÂ’s Allroad, combining a “luxury sedan, luxury van and luxury SUV†into a quattro vehicle identified more as a “decathlete rather than a body-builder.Ââ€
Buick Centieme, a stylish wagon powered by the latest twin-turbo version of General MotorsÂ’ aging V6 stable.
Lexus RX330, a revised version of the segment-leading RX300 with adaptive headlights that turn in the direction you steer, and the latest variable-valve-timing 3.3-liter V6 with 230 horsepower and ultra-low emissions.
Hyundai OLV, a stunning outdoor-lifestyle vehicle with a 3-panel retractable glass roof, “suicide†(rear-opening) doors, and a tailgate that drops down to serve as an extension to house upright mountain bikes.
The Germans took over Monday morning, and between the $350,000 Maybach luxury sedan and the SL600 Mercedes roadster came the Volkswagen Tuoareg, an improbably named SUV that “is not an SUV, it’s an SUVW,†with off-road versatility that doesn’t compromise on-road touring, starting at $35,000.
BMW, which is preparing to launch the X3 smaller companion to its X5 luxury SUV, introduced the xActivity, a sporty crossover with floor tracks that also can extend to haul BMW-designed off-road bicycles.
Honda offered a concept sound-studio version of its Element, called the Studio-E, with a 200-horsepower VTEC engine, a 6-speed manual, overpowering audio system, and a 42-inch plasma TV screen that folds down out of the ceiling to turn the rear hatch opening into an incredible version of an outdoor movie.
Infiniti Triant, an SUV-like compact sporty coupe with gull-wing doors.
Infiniti FX45 premium SUV called “a bionic cheetah,†based on the G35 sedan’s platform, with either a 280-horse V6 or a 315-horse V8.
Dodge Avenger, a crossover SUV concept that is smaller and more user-friendly than the Durango.
Dodge Kahuna, a concept that was called a minivan but looked like a beach-buggy SUV spinoff with standard sufrboards on the roof and the ability of all side windows to roll down for one massive side opening.
Dodge Tomahawk. This one is a crossover all right, but crossing between a sports car and a motorcycle, with four narrow tires mounted close enough together to be motorcycle-like, with thing vertical light rows between those wheels, front and rear, a body make of a chunk of aluminum, and a Viper V10, with 500 horsepower – capable of 0-60 times of 2.5 seconds, and a top speed of 300 miles per hour, “although we haven’t found anyone willing to try to reach that speed yet,†a Daimler/Chrysler executive said. This rumbling monster was the runaway hit of Day 2.
Mitsubishi Endeavor, a midsize crossover fitting between the Montero and Montero Sport, with a 3.8-liter V6.
Mitsubishi Tarmac Spyder, a spectacular open-cockpit crossover between a personal SUV and a sports car, based on the new Lancer Evolution platform, with all-wheel drive and a turbocharged motor.
Lincoln Navicross, a large, luxurious SUV-wagon, but still much lower and sleeker than a Navigator or Aviator.
Day 3 opened with Mazda introducing the Washu, a concept crossover SUV that is either a 6-seat touring vehicle or a utility vehicle with as few as one seat, and a sliding rear-seat door.
Chevrolet Equinox is a compact crossover SUV, smaller than a TrailBlazer and fitting right in with the Colorado pickup and Cheyenne SUV/crew-cab pickup already displayed.
Porsche has already introduced its Cayenne, but its venture into high-clearance, all-terrain sports vehicles made it worthy of a press introduction now that the vehicle is heading for showrooms.
Toyota SU-HV has a hybrid synergy system of a V6 engine plus electric motors at all four wheels.
Toyota FJ is a tidy little Jeep-like off-roader, looking a lot like a Hummer H2 shrunk down to compact size.
Kia Slice, a compact little mini-SUV crossover that doesnÂ’t look big enough to have four doors, but it does, and they open opposite to display a wide side opening.
There they are. Count Â’em, 25 crossover SUVs. And those are just the newest ones, joining an already expanded field. Some of these resemble the basic concept of SUVs, but most of them are different, unique and attractive to a new and more discerning group of customers. In the process, the automotive industry may have subtlely solved its own problem.
It might not be long before activists might themselves find it efficient to pack themselves into crossover SUVs to head off to the next “ban the SUV†gathering.
Nissan Murano adds futuristic look to SUV form and function
When the U.S. automotive tendency turned toward sport-utility vehicles, the one standard that both fans and critics could agree upon was that SUVs would follow the pragmatic form-follows-function guidelines, because these were working trucks that were being summoned to do the job of cars, station wagons and minivans.
As the SUV idea flew past the trend stage to become a genuine craze, the marketplace has been overrun with all sizes, shapes and configurations, with the whole scenario shifting from the passenger-truck scheme to the latest crossover method of bolting various shaped SUV bodies onto car platforms.
Early successful attempts include the Lexus RX300 and the Acura MDX. Perhaps the most far-out idea for an SUV is the 2003 Nissan Murano, which appeared for a test-drive looking more like an auto-show concept vehicle that had somehow sprung to life as a prototype. The future is now for the Murano, which burst onto the scene as a finalist for the International Truck of the Year award.
It is only the latest in a furious flurry of Nissan vehicles that have filled both Nissan and upscale Infiniti showrooms with an amazing array. Nissan dealerships alone havenÂ’t finished celebrating the new look of the year-old Altima, and here comes the 350Z sports car, and next to follow will be the Maxima. NissanÂ’s upscale Infiniti dealerships, meanwhile, have already showed off new 2003 G35 sedan and coupe models, plus an M45 sedan.
All of that glitter allowed the Murano to sneak up on an unsuspecting public, which may have considered that the Pathfinder and more youthful Xterra were sufficient, especially when augmented by the upscale Infiniti QX4. Because the Murano, and its soon-to-follow FX45 Infiniti version, have such a futuristic look, it is surprising to see it suddenly appear for 2003.
The Murano is a crossover SUV, with a shapely body attached to the Altima platform, creating interior room for – as Nissan claims – “two couples†even though it has room for five. It also creates a genuine eye-catching shape with a flowing style that combines luxury and sportiness, both inside and out.
From the outside, the grinning grille sweeps up sharply and aerodynamically to the windshield, while the lines flow artfully to carve a silhouette that abruptly tilts up as it finds the rear pillar. The whole architecture is stretched by giant, 18-inch alloy wheels located at the extremities. Tiny beam headlights are encased behind stylish glass lenses, and the taillights are a thin, vertical slash in the steeply sloped rear. The hatch opens to reveal a surprisingly large luggage and stowage area, but thatÂ’s just the start of whatÂ’s inside.
The “polished pewter†exterior of the test vehicle is complemented by what is called a “cabernet†interior, with rich leather seats and trim complemented by aluminum braces.
The name Murano is derived from the glass art sculptures that come from the islands near Venice, Nissan informs us, which is good, because otherwise we might have thought it was another in a long line of Japanese computerized gatherings of syllables that some executive deems worthy of the American publicÂ’s taste. The name befits a vehicle that was conceived to a sculpture-in-motion notion, to get away from the numerous, and ordinary, mainstream SUV shapes. While everybody from Honda and Toyota to BMW and Mercedes have a head start on the crossover SUV segment, the Murano takes it to the cutting edge.
While the rear seat will house three adults, two rear-seat passengers will find the sort of reclining-seat pampering normally reserved for front bucket inhabitants. That feeling is further secured by such things as their own heat-air ducts located in the side pillars.
Up front, the wide and comfortable seats are about as good as they get, with infinite adjustability, and optional pedals that adjust, along with the steering wheel. The interior controls are constant reminders of the newness of the Murano. Instruments have a golden background hue, with easily read gauges and aluminum trim.
The center dash starts out with a screen at the top for the navigation system, a quite-easily used device with a ready map to trace where you are and where you are going. Below that there is the Bose audio system, with a CD changer on top and a cassette player below the ergonomically set controls to direct sound to seven speakers. Farther below, the heat-air switches are simple, with three round knobs to turn for fan, direction and temperature – refreshingly simple for a device that often becomes ridiculously complex in the name of change.
There is also a storage space for small stuff at the bottom of that center stack, and a two-level console that can hold a laptop computer, or a purse, or whatever. Just ahead of that is the shift lever, which runs a serpentine course to allow you to select shift points, but that leads us directly to the technology of the Murano.
The transmission is the first application of NissanÂ’s continuously-variable transmission, called Xtronic CVT. It gives you smooth and steady acceleration.
Of course, the reason for the smoothness and swiftness is the presence under that steeply-sloped hood of NissanÂ’s fantastic 3.5-liter V6, a dual-overhead-camshaft gem that can also be found in the Altima, the 350Z, the Pathfinder, the soon-to-come Maxima, and the Infiniti G35 sedan and coupe, I35, among others.
It is a credit to Nissan that when it has an outstanding engine, it puts it to use wherever possible. The Murano version of the 3.5-liter V6 has 240 horsepower, same as in the Pathfinder. In the 350Z, it has 287 horsepower; in the Altima, it has 245 horses; in the Maxima, it will get 255 horses.
While Nissan is making all of its Infiniti sedans and sports coupes front-engine/rear-drive, it is keeping some front-wheel-drive vehicles in the Nissan camp, which will be a relief to those who drive in icy and snowy winter conditions. The Altima, of course, is a front-wheel-drive sedan, and the Murano takes the FWD to its extreme. While the basic Murano has front-wheel drive, you can go to the option bank for all-wheel drive. In that configuration, the power to the front wheels regulates itself, sending as much as 50 percent of the power to the rear when any potential slippage is detected.
Vehicle Dynamic Control, coupled with Traction Control System, assures good traction in all conditions, and the Murano brakes and suspension assure that the vehicle will handle and stop as well as it goes. Which is impressive. Four-wheel independent suspension with a multi-link rear set-up and stiff stabilizer bars join with the 235-65 x 18-inch tires to make handling flat and stable no matter how you swerve.
Four-wheel disc brakes are made superb with the addition of Brake Assist and Electronic Brake-force Distribution, which read the force of your foot and give you full-force and evenly-distributed braking.
For all of that, the Murano is priced at a base of just under $30,000, reaching $30,700 for the SE model with the premium package and front-wheel drive. The price rises as you move up to the firmly sporty SL version with its premium and dynamic control packages, and moving up to the SE or SL all-wheel-drive versions, the price list tops out at a still-reasonable $36,900.
The test vehicle was the SL with front-wheel drive, and it had excellent traction and stability, and probably was a bit quicker and could top 20 miles per gallon. In that version, you still get the premium packageÂ’s roof rails, adjustable pedals, Bose audio, the Dynamic Control Package with its traction aids and tire-pressure monitoring system, and the sunroof and navigation system.
All the Muranos except the lowest of seven versions come with the cold package, which includes heated front seats and heated side mirrors. Those touches are welcome in northern winters, and they indicate that Nissan hasnÂ’t overlooked any details while carving out a new SUV that is as realistic as it is futuristic.
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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