Colorado takes Chevy to new midsize pickup level
After a lot of years of road-testing new cars and writing about everything thatÂ’s new and coming in the industry, I thought I was too calloused for any new surprises. When sport-utility vehicles, and then trucks, took over the market domination in recent years, even outselling cars, I thought there was nothing more that could catch me unaware.
The level of competition shown by truck-builders has been a surprise, and so is the new-for-2004 Chevrolet Colorado. This is the mid-size pickup truck that replaces the long-running and durable S-10, and it is designed to face the competition from the aging Ford Ranger, the Dodge Dakota, the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier. For good measure, Dodge just introduced a Dakota replacement for 2005, and Nissan also is coming up with a new Frontier for 2005 that resembles the hot, new Titan full-size truck.
These trucks are all getting bigger and better, following up the full-size pickups from Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Nissan and Toyota have grown and advanced to carry the large load of the truck takeover.
In case you doubt that itÂ’s a takeover, Ford sold more than twice as many total trucks as cars in 2003, almost three times as many. General Motors also sold well over twice as many trucks as cars. Toyota sold almost as many trucks as cars for the last model year, when Toyota sold more cars than either Chevrolet or Ford branded cars.
Truck buyers are a loyal lot, which is what forced the Japanese challengers to build truly exceptional vehicles in order to penetrate the Chevy guys, the Ford folks, or the Dodge devotees. That, in turn, forced the U.S. companies to improve their lot in an attempt to hold the truck market share that is so vital to their profit-making.
Flash back a couple of years, to when I first drove the Toyota Tundra just after its introduction. I was extolling its virtues to a friend and truck owner, when he asked me how much it was. I told him it cost just over $31,000, and he blew up, saying that was why Ford or Chevy types would never buy the Toyota, it was far too expensive. I told him that I had driven eight or ten new full-sized pickups the previous year, and all of them were over $30,000, except one stripped-down truck, stickered at $29,000-plus.
My friend was astounded, but then he hadnÂ’t bought a new full-size pickup for about four years, which was the amount of time it took for pickups to take the cue from SUVs and boost sticker prices up to somewhere over the rainbow.
Now, flash-forward to last week, when I got a chance to drive the new Chevy Colorado. I had driven one very briefly at an all-model GM introduction in Texas last fall, and General Motors put a lot of work into revising this truck, which has a sister ship in the GMC Canyon. The frame is more than twice as stiff as the old one, which is partly due to new technology and partly explained by how many years itÂ’s been since Chevy redid the S-10.
The test Colorado was the LS Crew Cab, which means four full doors and a full rear seat that can house more than small children in bolt-upright posture. It has typical GM interior amenities, which means everything works fine, with a good audio system and comfortable enough seats, with lumbar support on the front buckets.
I particularly like the styling, which is contemporary and a definite step up from what we shall call “old-square†pickup styling to a modernized look with smoothly rounded corners, and a front end that copies from the full-size Chevy Silverado’s horizontally split grille and angular headlights.
As any parent knows, your kids can offer you a perspective that often contrasts with your findings. It’s that way with my older son, Jack, a car purveyor since birth by familiarity if not by choice. He rode with me and drove the Colorado a bit and was less impressed than I was, although he later warmed up to the Colorado. “At first,†he said, “I thought it was a little Cavalier-like.†By that he meant less than rock-solid. Chevrolet’s ad campaign continues to insist its big trucks are (cue Bob Seger’s music) “Like a Rock,†but Jack figured the Colorado was not exactly a chip off the old rock.
On the other hand, I thought it handled well, if not spectacular, and I like the new in-line five-cylinder engine, a powerplant that might shock some purists. Chevrolet built an in-line six a few years ago, to power the then-new TrailBlazer. An engineer I asked explained that they chose an in-line six instead of a V6 because of building cost – it takes two heads to be machined for a V-anything, and only one for an in-line. That engine has exceptional power, and has all the high-tech goodies, such as dual overhead camshafts, multiple valves and variable valve-timing, that the older conventional V8s lack.
So for the Colorado, Chevy lopped the end piston off the in-line six and made an in-line five, while for a base four-cylinder it lopped off the end two cylinders. The five measures a large 3.5 liters, and develops 220 horsepower with 225 foot-pounds of torque. ThatÂ’s more than enough to let you launch and sail the truck on its appointed tasks, or to pull fairly large things along behind.
After Jack came around to be more impressed with the Colorado, he said as much, and then he asked me how much it was. Since I often donÂ’t dig out the sticker price until IÂ’m writing about a vehicle, I scavenged around for the statistical sheet and said: “ItÂ’s $29,820.Ââ€
ThatÂ’s where the surprise hit. IÂ’m not sure which of us was more startled by the number, but we both recoiled. Say it slowly: Twenty-nine thousand, eight hundred and 20 dollars. Chevrolet can boast that the Canyon is “under†$30,000, but itÂ’s only a couple tankfuls of gas away from $30,000. Base price for the Colorado in 4×4 fashion is $24,080, and the test truck added $1,000 for the neat engine, $1,095 for a four-speed automatic transmission, and $1,495 for a package that included heated leather seats with power adjusters, and $695 for OnStar navigation and mobile valet service, plus $325 for XM Satellite radio.
Standard equipment has a four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission. I would like to test the system to see if you could get the neat five-cylinder with a stick. Front disc brakes and rear drums are standard, and, apparently the only brakes available. Dual-stage airbags, antilock brakes, a locking two-position tailgate, air conditioning, a driver information center, six-speaker audio with CD player, cruise control, and a 60-40 rear seat for inside hauling, also are all standard. The vehicle also has standard suspension and side curtain airbags.
So all in all, it is a pretty complete and competent truck. It undoubtedly will impress Chevy zealots for its significant improvements and features, and its good looks and new name might acquire some new customers.
And IÂ’m not saying the price is unconscionable. Maybe it shouldnÂ’t even be shocking. ItÂ’s just that I hadnÂ’t driven a midsize truck for over a year, and for some reason, even though SUVs and full-size pickups has risen in price to $30,000, $40,000 and beyond, I simply hadnÂ’t realized that midsize trucks had crept up to fill the void left behind by the old $30,000 full-size trucks.
The Colorado undoubtedly will do a noble job of carrying on where the S-10 left off. It is good looking, strong, filled with features, and provides adequate comfort and utility, particularly in crew cab form. But if you go shopping for trucks because you remember when midsize pickups cost only about half as much as cars, forget it.
{John Gilbert writes weekly auto columns and can be contacted at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Mazda6 expands with 5-door, Sportwagon
SAN DIEGO, CA. — Artistically and performance-wise, the Mazda6 has been a personal favorite of mine since it was introduced as a late 2004 model to replace the long-running Mazda 626. After a year, Mazda is now expanding the reach of the 6 by adding a 5-door hatchback and a Sportwagon to the standard 4-door sedan.
The new versions will be available by summer, and I was eager to join the first wave of automotive journalists who got to try the whole line in the mountainous hills near Rancho Valencia, just north and west of San Diego. The power and performance of both the 5-door and the Sportwagon did nothing but reinforce my first impressions of the Mazda6 sedan, which had been more than just favorable.
The Mazda6 was my first pick a year ago for International Car of the Year, a vote that I still defend. The Nissan 350Z and the Mini Cooper came in 1-2, and they were my 2-3 picks, behind the Mazda6, which went on to win car-of-the-year awards in more than a dozen different countries, most recently in China for 2004.
Built at the Flat Rock, Mich., plant, the Mazda6 is a tightly built, precise-handling car that exceeds MazdaÂ’s aim of creating the sportiest midsize sedan in the industry. “WeÂ’re not going to try to out-Toyota Toyota, or out-Honda Honda, but we want to stay pure to our Mazda roots,†said Robert Davis, senior vice president in charge of marketing and product development. “Our overall driving philosophy is to put the soul of a sports car into every car we build.Ââ€
Davis was trying to define the trademark catch-phrase zoom-zoom. “It means the emotion of motion,†Davis added. “Having fun driving a car.Ââ€
Mazda is clearly at the top of its game with every vehicle in its current lineup. The newest Mazda3 is a jewel among compact sedans; the Miata is the clear leader in low-priced sports roadsters; the RX-8 was my pick as 2004 Car of the Year (it came in runner-up to the Toyota Prius) and is an innovative gem of sports car technology; the Tribute is an excellent small SUV, an original Mazda idea incorporated into partnership with FordÂ’s Escape; and the MPV has completed a transformation into arguably the most stylish minivan, shorter than most but somehow managing similar interior space and features and still exhibiting the fun-to-drive thing.
But the Mazda6 is the companyÂ’s bread-and-butter car, because it jumps into the middle of the most competitive car segment against such heavyweights as the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy, Volkswagen Jetta, Pontiac Grand Am, Dodge Stratus, and the Chevrolet Malibu. The Mazda6 stands on its sleek styling, wedging back from either a color-keyed or silver grille depending on whether you buy the sport package, to be the best looking car in the class, in subjective terms.
For the fun-to-drive quotient, I donÂ’t think it is subjective, but straight, hard-core fact. The Mazda6 zaps around an autocross course with the same ease it displays on winding mountain roads, always maintaining a flat posture no matter how hard you go into the turn. And that goes for either the V6 or 4-cylinder. The V6 has more power, being FordÂ’s 3.0-liter Duratec reworked by MazdaÂ’s engineers for 220 horsepower and 192 foot-pounds of torque. The 4-cylinder is an exceptional new 2.3-liter engine from Mazda that is armed with chain-driven dual-overhead camshafts, and variable valve timing on the 16 valves, producing 160 horsepower and 155 foot-pounds of torque.
The Mazda6 platform will be appearing at Ford dealerships near you in the next few years, as the underpinning for eight or ten new Ford sedans – which indicates how good the design is. The 2.3-liter engine will be appearing in the new Ford Focus and without alteration will become the cleanest engine in Ford’s lineup – an indication of how good the powerplant is.
Frankly, I prefer the 4-cylinder version, because itÂ’s quick, responsive and runs up to 6,500 revs without the hint of hesitation or flat spots. Both come with a slick-shifting 5-speed manual, with the four offering a 4-speed automatic and the V6 a 5-speed auto. ThatÂ’s all old business with the Mazda6 sedan, reinforced by the stylish new 5-door and Sportwagon.
The 5-door has a high-rising rear hatch, which has five-point attachment when closed to make it a stressed safety member to improve rigidity. When you open the hatch you get 22 cubic feet of storage space, and if you fold down the 60-40 rear seat, that increases to 58 cubic feet, improving by 50 percent the capacity of the sedan.
The Sportwagon, named to allow Mazda to avoid the mundane term “station wagon,†has 33 cubic feet of storage space behind the rear seat, and over 60 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down. The wagon has a roll-up cargo net behind the rear seat, and one of those familiar roll-out covers for whatever you have behind the seats, but instead of becoming a nuisance with the seat folded down, the same device locks into the top of the seat and the cargo net can be pulled up to hitch to the ceiling. Just the thing in case you’re carrying alligators back there and don’t want them nibbling on the driver’s ear.
A sedan with the 4-cylinder starts with a base price of $18,896, and the V6 model has a base price of $21,525. The new 5-door has a base price of $20,795 with the 4, and $22,895 with the V6. The Sportwagon, which comes only with the V6, starts at $22,225. All three vehicles have the same wheelbase, at 105.3 inches, with the Sportwagon having an inch more overall length than the 186.8-inch sedan and 5-door.
Knowing the 5-door and Sportwagon share the sedanÂ’s potent performance and superb suspension, I awaited the chance to drive all three on the lengthy autocross course Mazda set up at Qualcomm Stadium. I got the first turn with a sedan, but much to my surprise, the carÂ’s tires screeched and howled in protest and the suspension felt softer than I recalled as I flung it through the turns. I came in after one of my scheduled three laps and asked how much air was in the tires. Ron Schramm, the top-ranked suspension guy on the premises said all tires were set at 32 pounds.
Schramm admitted that if these were his cars, he would have about 38 pounds in the tires, but 32 made them all equal. So I went back out and took out a half-dozen cones in the name of equality. The 5-door wasnÂ’t much better, but I had to wait for a longer line to try the Sportwagon, which had an automatic transmission. By the time I got into it, the car had probably made 20 runs of three laps each. Much to my surprise, while setting the manual-hold automatic in second gear, the wagon zipped around the turns with more stability than the sedans.
“I will bet any amount there is more air in the wagon tires,†I said to Schramm. He assured me they were all the same, although repeated runs might have increased the air pressure. When he checked, the air pressure was over 39 pounds in the wagon tires. I then made a second run in the sedan, and it felt much better, and when we checked, its tires had hardened to 41 pounds of air pressure. We were both right, he for insisting he put 32 pounds in, and I for claiming the wagon had significantly more air pressure than 32. We both learned something, too – that the air pressure increases so much from heat, we could only imagine what a long trip in July might do. And, that if we were making timed runs, we’d want to jack up the air pressure to capitalize on that great suspension.
The on-track stuff wasnÂ’t enough. Mazda PR-types also sent out kits for a pine-wood derby race for staff and media, with no rules. Against some pretty elaborate designs, I named my son, Jack, crew-chief for the project, and he loaded up our black beast with enough weights taped heavily to the underside to be a gravity-aided threat.
Unfortunately, when I prepared for the first heat, the 6-lane track had interior rails to keep the cars in line instead of outside rails we had anticipated, so the low-slung carÂ’s underside sat high enough on the rails that none of the four wheels touched the track. I peeled and pried all the weights off the bottom and retaped them to the top, but in its second heat a wheel flew off. The black beast stopped halfway, but the wheel rolled so swiftly it overtook the other five contenders and reached the electronic finish lights first. My declaration of victory fell on deaf ears, however, and the night, overall, didnÂ’t get any better. But thatÂ’s OK. IÂ’ll concede zoom-zoom design to Mazda.
(John Gilbert writes weekly automotive columns. He can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Newest ‘old’ Corvette will pace Indy 500
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. — Driving a Corvette – any Corvette – is always something special. Riding in one is nowhere near as much fun, but itÂ’s still not bad. The year 2004 will go down as a big one in Corvette history, with an entirely new Corvette coming, and you can be the judge about whether it should add an asterisk for the questionable public-relations move of the decade.
This is an exciting time for Corvette-lovers everywhere, because we are in the final months of the outgoing C5 Corvette, while preparing for its long-awaited replacement, the entirely revised and restyled C6 Corvette, which will start showing up by the end of summer. There is some controversy about the new car, because itÂ’s slightly shorter, slightly more compact, and it no longer has flip-up headlights, but shines its lights through clear lens-covers, a fact some traditionalists are having difficulty accepting.
Last week, I was able to get my test-driving paws on a 2004 ‘Vette, which is the last version of the outgoing model. But it wasn’t “just†a Corvette. It was the Z-06 version, which is the bubble-top hardtop instead of the fastback or convertible, and it has been lightened and tuned for speed and power.
In straight stock form, the CorvetteÂ’s 5.7-liter V8 churns out 350 horsepower, an impressive tally. But in Z-06 form, the badge on the sides of the car themselves indicate the specially tuned 5.7 V8 has 405 horsepower. It also will sprint from 0-60 in 4.3 seconds, and will deliver an estimated mid-20 range for miles per gallon.
Just before I got into this Corvette, I was invited to Indianapolis to take in the major announcement that Chevrolet would provide the Corvette as the pace car for the 88th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30. That is a prestigious event, even in these diminished-interest times when the feud between open-wheeled race factions in the U.S. has vitally wounded the sport.
Still, the chance to get to Indianapolis in time to get an early close-up view of the all-new Corvette was impossible to resist. And that was before I realized weÂ’d meet with Chevy executives, other journalists, and some selected Corvette zealots at St. ElmoÂ’s Steak House for a fabulous steak, and the legendary shrimp cocktail with its eye-popping horseradish sauce. That, too, would have been impossible to resist. Together, it was quite a combination.
It was one of those zealots who expressed dismay at the new C6 CorvetteÂ’s lack of flip-up lights for the first time since 1963. Personally, I dislike flip-up lights whether in a Corvette or a Miata. They look good when the lights are off and theyÂ’re down flush with the bodywork, but when you turn on the lights, flip-up doors can block out 20 percent of your vision of the road ahead.
Somewhere between the shrimp and the steak, we talked a lot about the new car, and about how much plotting and planning was invested before Chevrolet decided to go with a new version of the 50-plus-year-old pushrod V8, instead of switching over to something overhead-cam-ish. Chevy decided to stick with pushrods, but it built the new engine up to full 6-liter displacement to get to 400 horsepower. My curiosity was fueled because when Oldsmobile was phased out, the Aurora Indy 500 race engine became the “Chevy Indy†engine. So a switch to a version of CadillacÂ’s high-tech NorthStar V8 with dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder could easily be christened the “Corvette Indy V8.Ââ€
Out at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the next morning, we met with track owner and president Tony George himself, and he and some Chevy executives pulled the shroud off the lurking pace car. Underneath, in radiant paint schemes, sat a Corvette convertible with gleaming white nose and racy red and blue stripes and stars cascading back in a form that made the thing look like it was going 150 even while parked.
There was just one problem: As I gazed upon the Corvette, with its flip-up headlights closed, I realized that closed (or open) flip-ups meant that this was NOT the all-new Corvette, but the current car – the decade-old, outgoing model, due to have production halted within a week or two of the Indy 500. It’s true, General Motors chose to use the outgoing car, rather than make an enormous splash by putting the all-new, 2005, C6 model Corvette on display for all the world to see. And for some Corvette zealots to appreciate.
I asked one public relations man about the decision to use the C5, and he assured me that it was planned, to pay tribute to the outgoing car because it has meant so much to Chevrolet. A second PR type said the same thing. So did a third. However, being unconvinced, I found a fourth public relations executive and, playing dumb, suggested to him that it seemed logical to use the new C6 car to pace the race. He said, “YouÂ’re right. We would have, but we just couldnÂ’t get enough new cars built in time.Ââ€
So much for corporate doubletalk. The selected pace car has to have a few dozen replicas for use by bigshots during the month of May leading up to the race. But while there might have been a shortage, it still seemed to me that Chevy could have put two new Corvettes on the track and let the celebrities “suffer†by driving the still-flashy outgoing car. But, what do I know?
The assembled automotive journalists got a chance to ride – not drive – on a couple hot laps with some selected Indy race drivers. I climbed aboard with Robbie Buhl, who did a great job of narrating the strategy drivers use on a typical lap. The 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway is not like any ordinary oval. It’s more like a long race track with four distinctly different corners. We went hard, 120 miles per hour or so, and Buhl turned down into Turn 1, up to the wall in the short chute, than down into Turn 2, remarking how the wind hits your car at that point, which can make it pretty wiggly as you go onto the back stretch.
It was a thrill, roaring into Turn 3 and Turn 4, and then zooming down the main straightaway in front of the big grandstand. The new “old†Corvette performed just fine, in its 350-horsepower form. Shortly after that, I got the new 2004 Corvette Z-06 model of the C5 for a week of hustling around cities and highways. I had to acknowledge that there is no known penalty for being in the outgoing model.
The Z-06 has Goodyear F1 tires, which may stick like crazy on dry or wet pavement, but they also transmit some loud noise. Same with the extra-light body, which seems lighter on insulation against that noise. The stiffer suspension means that you feel every highway joint-strip. But, all in all, the compromise for driving such a vehicle is that you don’t mind any of those nuisance factors, just as you don’t mind the effort required to lower yourself at a jaunty angle to climb down and into the ‘Vette.
At $50,000, the Corvette still runs with more exotic sports cars, and the Z-06 is the hottest version. With 405 horsepower will have even more than the new C6 carÂ’s standard 400 horsepower. The seats are comfortable, the steering position is good, and everything works with exciting flair. Except, that is, for the transmission.
This has been an ongoing element of disagreement between Chevrolet and me for almost a decade now. In order to get around the fuel-economy tests and/or emission tests years ago, Chevy came up with this idea to misdirect your stick shift from first to fourth if you didnÂ’t have the proper revs going. The big engine has enough torque to pull you in fourth when you should be in second, but if youÂ’re a second-gear zealot like I am, you want to be in second without having to go from first to fourth and then arm-wrestling the gear shift back up over and down to second.
You can go directly from first to second if you hammer the throttle hard in first, or if you hold your speed in first until a little tip-off “1-to-4†light on the tachometer shuts off. I like to start up moderately in first, then hit second and hammer it. If you do that in the Corvette, you’ll be in fourth. Another fellow who drove the car told me he thought it shifted perfectly, but he was surprised about how it had very little power in second. He was astounded when I told him that he was in fourth, not second.
Anyhow, the Corvette gets surprisingly good fuel economy, so itÂ’s time to ditch the skip-shift. Besides, it is a big enough nuisance that it would prevent me from buying one, even if I was a Corvette zealot, and itÂ’s about the only glitch I could find in the Corvette.
We can only assume that the new C6 Corvette will have solved that issue, but weÂ’ll have to wait until the end of summer to find out, apparently. Until then, we can be satisfied with the outgoing C5 Corvette, as the only one available in showrooms or as the Indy 500 pace car. With all the other things it has going for it, the outgoing Corvette will leave its domain as the top U.S. sports car in perfect condition for its successor.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto columns. He can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Toyota trusts its youth movement to new Scion models
CHICAGO, IL. — Anyone who pretends to predict what the under-25 generation wants, is asking for trouble. Furthermore, any company that thinks it can build canÂ’t-miss items those Generation-Y young folks will demand is generally compounding the error. Toyota is going at the project differently, by accepting the unconventional and unpredictable Gen-Y tendencies, and coming out with an entire new car line to try to attract them.
The result is the Scion, an entirely new branch of Toyota, similar to the high-end Lexus brand, but with every compromise aimed at being appreciated by young, urban customers. City kids with an attitude, and enough money to get the things they demand.
ToyotaÂ’s hope is to claim to a large share of that elusive Generation-Y horde, born after 1980, which just happens to be the looming as the largest car-buying segment in about a decade or so. The Scion xA and xB went on sale exclusively in California last June, and in February of this year those two cars started also filtering to other areas in East Coast, South and Southeast regions of the U.S.
If Toyota is still trying to figure out what its youngest offspring is all about, the Upper Midwest is about to find out. In June, the xA and xB will become available in the Midwest, just about the time Toyota adds a sleek and powerful sporty coupe – the tC – to the hatchback sedan xA and the weird but striking square wagon-thing xB. Once the trio is out and available to the whole country, Toyota estimates it may reach 100,000 units annually.
Toyota offers three objectives — style, versatility and surprise – to a Generation-Y group that has three distinct traits of its own – being information-rich, time-sensitive, and technology-sharp. DonÂ’t look for any ads that show a Scion up on a mountaintop with a snowboard strapped to the roof, however. Despite some success of attracting adventuresome young folks to take their SUVs into the wild, Toyota is aiming Scion at urban buyers. These are inner-city cars, meant for commuting with style and efficiency, and without any options, but with high-tech fun available for countless dealer-installed and warranty-protected accessories.
The focus has been on creating high-tech substance at bargain-lot prices, so the plan is to sell the xA for a base price of $12,480 and the xB for a base of $13,680. A four-speed automatic transmission adds $1,200, and then comes the elaborate and mind-boggling accessory list. These are not strictly options, but things like massive subwoofer audio systems, suspension and wheel alterations, engine modifications like superchargers, and all manner of flared body panels and colorful items to personalize each car. Many of these are after-market products built in conjunction with Toyota to keep the warranty in place.
Another key to ScionÂ’s success is that the prices are fixed. No-haggle bargaining is a virtue for both the cars and the accessories, and Farley explained that a dealer can set a price for a Scion and certain accessories, but whatever price a dealer offers to any customer must be available to all.
Scions will be similar to Lexus, the highly successful luxury arm of Toyota, only Scion models will be sold in qualified Toyota dealerships instead of having their own facilities. Of 1,200 Toyota dealers, 700-800 will sell Scions by June. There are some stand-alone Scion dealerships, as well.
ScionÂ’s early success spans the entire market, not just the youthful buyers, which is something IÂ’ve witnessed personally. I walked through the Minneapolis Auto Show with a wealthy businessman a month ago, and he marveled at the great expanse of new products before us. Marveling is one thing, stopping absolutely still in amazement is something else, and that is what my friend did when he first spotted the Scion xB in the Toyota display. This is a man who just bought himself a BMW 745 sedan, and also bought a BMW 530 sedan for his manager at the same time.
James Farley, Toyota vice president and corporate manager in charge of its new Scion division, told of another fellow, so wealthy he bought a $1 million motorhome to cruise the U.S. “He was going to buy a Bentley to tow behind the motorhome,†Farley said. “But he bought a Scion instead.Ââ€
At a different end of the spectrum, Gen-Y types up to and including Britney Spears also bought Scion. Farley canÂ’t explain all the reasons behind the appeal of the ScionÂ’s tiny, first-born twins, the xA and xB. Maybe itÂ’s appropriate that their names are backwards, with the small letter first and the capital letter second, because they could be on the verge of turning the auto market upside down.
A group of Midwestern Auto Media Association writers gathered in Chicago this week to get a close look at the xA and xB. I had time to take the square little xB for a quick dash around the parking lot. I stress “little,†because when you first approach the xB you are amazed at how compact it is. Once inside, however, you are equally amazed at how roomy the little beast is. And when you start the engine and pop the clutch to engage the 5-speed manual transmission, you find evidence of how such a tight and lightweight car can be propelled in sporty-car fashion by a high-tech but tiny 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine.
It helps that the 1.5-liter engine has variable valve timing on its high-tech, multiple-valve layout. It is basically the same engine used in the hybrid Prius, only in the Scions it is turned loose on its own to show how swift 108 horsepower and 105 foot-pounds of torque can be. ThatÂ’s not overwhelming power, but altering the computer chip, or adding turbos or superchargers can boost the power to tire-screeching levels.
Older drivers might see the youthful generation as irreverent types who take nice little Honda Civics and other economy hatchbacks, then totally alter them. Such items as huge alloy wheels with rubber-band-thin tires, giant soup-can size tailpipes on crackling-loud exhaust systems, suspension alterations to lower the vehicle to ground-scraping extremes, all with trick light arrangements and super-tuned engines for cat-quick power turn cheap used cars to a new generation of hot rods. It is that group that Scion is trying to attract, and Farley recounted some of the fascinating elements of that pursuit.
“It’s problematic to stereotype a generation, but we tried to aim at what we thought was important to younger drivers,†said Farley. “Younger people don’t buy SUVs. And a lot of the things that older drivers consider important mean nothing to Gen-Y buyers. For example, when we asked them to rank their preferences for engines, the order came out: 1. turbocharged 4-cylinders, 2. Supercharged 4-cylinders, 3. Diesels…the V6 that has traditionally been considered so important to older buyers ranked way down the list.
“That makes sense, because these are ‘tuner kids,’ who want to get a cheap car and then fix it up with after-market parts. So you can take a 4-cylinder and change computer chips, or find turbochargers and superchargers, and make them go fast. They defy conventional ideas. Engineers say you can’t put 17-inch wheels on a certain car, then we find out kids already are putting 20-inch wheels on them.
“The tuner kids the car industry used to try to ignore are going to be ScionÂ’s most important customers,†added Farley, who has some of the most offbeat market research ever accumulated. “Twenty-five percent of our buyers carry a change of clothes in the car, and they are likely to take a nap in their cars after work, change clothes, and go somewhere.Ââ€
Not that Toyota had everything gauged perfectly. “No one thought the xB would sell nearly as well as the xA, for example, but the xB has outsold the xA two to one,†said Farley. “The typical Toyota has maybe 15 available accessories,†Farley said. “On Scion, we have 45 accessories. WeÂ’ve gone to some after-market companies and told them we like what theyÂ’re making, but weÂ’d like to work with them to improve the quality, and weÂ’ll distribute it, too.Ââ€
By keeping the cars tight and simple, Scion has attracted the tuner kids by also offering those key aftermarket parts with factory blessing, which also means the warranty is not voided.
From the introduction in California last June, Toyota sold 18,898 Scions through December 31. From January 1 until March 31, Toyota sold another 11,161. Of those first 22,059 Scions sold, 66 percent were xB, and 34 percent xA. With all car companies striving to lower the average age of their customers, the Jeep Wrangler had the youngest average age at 39, with the Nissan Xterra at 40, and the rest somewhat higher. Early returns peg the average Scion buyer at age 35. Of the Scions sold in California, 49 percent were to those under 35, and 57 percent of buyers were male, defying the small car demographics showing a majority bought by females.
An even bigger statistic to Toyota is that 75 percent of Scion buyers were buying their first Toyota product. Farley recounts other impressive statistics: A full 60-percent of Scion buyers come to the dealership with internet printouts, because the Scion.com website allows you to create exactly your own Scion. Almost all the accessories are dealer-installed, so swapping and upgrading are simple.
“The creativity of these tuners is amazing, and the Scion is so easy to accessorize,†said Farley. “We think of Scion as a laboratory, and we want to learn from the buyers to help form our youth strategy. Dealers make single-digit profit margin on small cars, but they can make 40 percent profit on accessories.Ââ€
Obviously, the future is what matters most to Scion. “Only 5 percent of new cars were bought by Gen-Y young folks in 2001, but that number will rise to 25 percent by 2010 and 40 percent by 2020,†said Farley. “WeÂ’re already working on the next xB, which may be entirely different. WeÂ’re not looking at evolutionary products, so it may even have a different name.Ââ€
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews. He can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Bochenski, Horak make both UMD teams suffer
By JOHN GILBERT
The only way the weekend could have been better for Deborah Bochenski and Rob Horak is if there was some way to accrue “frequent driver†miles up and down Interstate 35 in Minnesota.
The next-to-last weekend of the regular WCHA seasons for both men and women came on what was arguably the biggest hockey weekend of the season in the state of Minnesota, even though neither the NHL Minnesota Wild nor the two-time NCAA champion University of Minnesota menÂ’s team was involved. The Wild, after a great playoff run last season, were on a road trip, with chances fading of making the NHL playoffs this time. The Gopher menÂ’s team, who captured the fancy of the state for the past two years and were favored to win the menÂ’s league title and ranked No. 1 in the country at the start of the season, were playing in Denver where they were trying to hang on to the fifth and final home-ice playoff spot.
Without them in the state, the girls state high school hockey tournament was underway at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota campus, while boys high school teams were scattered all around the state in quarterfinal and semifinal sectional play. The college hockey spotlight, meanwhile, was split between Duluth and Minneapolis.
In Minneapolis, the top-ranked Gopher womenÂ’s team was at home facing three-time defending NCAA champion and intrastate arch-rival, the fifth-ranked Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, the fifth-ranked Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and their newly obtained possession of first place in the menÂ’s WCHA, along with a school-record 14-game (13-0-1) undefeated streak, faced the No. 1 rated University of North Dakota, which was in hot pursuit two points back.
This is where Deb Bochenski and Rob Horak come onto the scene. The two have known each other for a lot of years. Ten years ago, Brandon Bochenski was a winger in the Blaine youth program, and Jody Horak was a goaltender in the same program. Some girls teams were sprouting up around the Twin Cities, but Jody Horak was good enough to make the Blaine boys team. “We played on the same A Bantam team,†said Brandon, who was scoring goals while Jody prevented them on the same northern Twin Cities suburban team.
Now we flash forward, past high school days when Horak went on to star at the girls high school level and won the goaltender-of-the-year award in 2001, after leading the Bengals to a 25-1-3 record to earn a scholarship at Minnesota. A year earlier, Bochenski had scored three goals and four assists to lead the boys state tournament in scoring while the Bengals went on to win the state championship. After spending a year at Lincoln, Neb., playing junior hockey, Bochenski accepted a scholarship to North Dakota.
Meanwhile, unattached by marriage, Rob Horak and Deb Bochenski recently started going out with each other, and their get-togethers often involved hockey. They could see Jody Horak play whenever the Gopher women were in the vicinity, and they could travel to see Brandon Bochenski play whenever the Fighting Sioux were within reach, at, say, Minnesota, St. Cloud, Mankato, or Duluth.
But last weekend, with so much riding on both series, Rob Horak and Deb Bochenski ran what amounted to an Interstate 35 shuttle covering the 150 miles from the Twin Cities to Duluth. And back. And up and back again. But it was all worthwhile.
The weekend started out with a trip in Duluth on Friday night. Brandon Bochenski assisted on the first of two goals by defenseman Nick Fuher, and North Dakota whipped UMD 4-1 – outshooting the Bulldogs 10-3 in the third period and 36-23 for the game – to lift the Sioux into a tie with the Bulldogs for first place.
Colby Genoway ruined the hopes of the full-house crowd with a goal at 0:57 of the first period, and after Evan Schwabe tied it for UMD on a power play at 6:06, Fuher scored 59 seconds later to break the tie, and he scored again by moving in from the point to convert at 12:02. It stayed 3-1 until the third period, when the Sioux clinched it with David LundbohmÂ’s shorthanded goal at 2:24 to take the rest of air out of UMDÂ’s sails.
After taking Brandon out for a post-game meal, his mom and Rob Horak headed back to the Twin Cities, where they could make it to Mariucci Arena Saturday afternoon, where the Gopher womenÂ’s team had to shift its huge series with UMD because the high school girls tournament was next door in Ridder Arena. The series was pivotal for Minnesota to reclaim the No. 1 national ranking, and because the Bulldogs are clearly the primary rival for the Gophers. Even in their earlier series this season, UMD had whipped the Gophers 4-1, and Minnesota had to rally from a 3-1 deficit in the second game to swipe a 4-3 victory for a split.
Beyond that, the UMD-Minnesota series put four of the 10 Patti Kazmaier Award finalists on the ice, with Jenny Potter and Caroline Ouellette of UMD and Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell of Minnesota. Potter, Darwitz and Wendell are U.S. Olympians, and Ouellette starred for Canada’s 2002 gold medalists. Overlooked in that spotlight was Jody Horak, but she stymied the Bulldogs until Minnesota had built a 3-0 lead in the second period, and the Gophers won 4-2. The only two goals Horak allowed while making 31 saves were Tricia Guest’s goal with 2:54 left in the second and Ouellette’s goal with 36 seconds left in the third – both on power plays.
Leaving immediately after the Gopher womenÂ’s afternoon game, Rob Horak and Deb Bochenski had just enough time to zip back up I35 and get to the DECC as they dropped the puck for the second UND-UMD menÂ’s game.
UMD played much more forcefully in the second game, but it was scoreless until midway through the second period, as Jake Brandt dueled UMDÂ’s Isaac Reichmuth in goal. North Dakota coach Dean Blais, who played Brandon Bochenski and Zach Parise on different lines attempting to spread out the Sioux scoring, tends to unite them whenever heÂ’s concerned, almost like a security blanket.
So he installed Bochenski on wing with center Zach Parise and freshman Brady Murray, and Bochenski almost immediately went into the left corner and got the puck, firing a quick pass out front to Parise, who scored at 11:18 of the second period. The Sioux went up 2-0, and held on to beat UMD 2-1 for a sweep that reinstalled North Dakota in first place in the WCHA. With one weekend left, the Sioux went home to sweep Michigan Tech and secure the MacNaughton Cup, while UMD tied and beat Wisconsin to secure second place, with Wisconsin third.
Meanwhile, back to I35 for Deb Bochenski and Rob Horak. Sunday afternoon, it was time to go to Ridder Arena for the second UMD-Minnesota women’s game. “Even though Jody won’t be playing,†said her dad.
Little did he know that his daughter would play a key role in relief. In one of those games that fans love and coaches seize up over, the Gophers and Badgers engaged in a shootout. Potter staked UMD to a 1-0 lead on Brenda Reinen, but Darwitz and Becky Wacker vaulted Minnesota to a 2-1 edge. Satu Kiipeli tied it 2-2 for UMD late in the opening period. It was a rugged game, with bodychecks and takeouts all over the ice, leading to several actual scraps. But the scoring dominated.
Wacker scored again at 8:11 of the second period for a 3-2 Minnesota lead, only to have Larissa Luther tie it again 24 seconds later. Julianne Vasichek put UMD up 4-3 at 11:26, but Kelly Stephens made it 4-4 a minute later. Darwitz scored on a power play at 17:42 of the second, but UMD offset that one 39 seconds later when Ouellette finished off a dazzling shorthanded rush with Potter.
So it stood 5-5 after two periods, and Minnesota coach Laura Halldorson pulled Reinen and sent Jody Horak out for the third period. Amazingly, the game hinged on a roughing penalty to Minnesota’s Allie Sanchez at 9:20 of the third period. Wendell blocked the puck free and raced in to score on a breakaway against Riitta Schaublin at 10:36. Twenty-three seconds later, Kelly Stephens pounced on a free puck and raced down the rink to score again. The two shorthanded goals – while killing the same penalty – lifted Minnesota to a 6-4 lead.
Jody Horak made the goals stand up, stopping all eight shots she faced, and the Gophers had swept UMD for the first time in the four-year history of their statewide rivalry. The penalty-kill play alone was worth the price of admission, with Potter and Ouellette starring for UMD, and Darwitz and Wendell, along with Stephens, leading Minnesota.
“I thought Jody played well in goal yesterday, but both goalies have been playing well, and it was predetermined Brenda would start today,†said Halldorson. “I changed after the second period, and Jody played well, but no lead was safe today. I still have a headache from that one. Both teams have great offensive quick-striking ability, and penalty-killing turned out to be the difference. Every time Potter and Ouellette are out there, you have to be on your toes.
“Usually you stress to your team to stay out of the penalty box, but not today.Ââ€
With the WCHA title thus secured, Minnesota finishes the season at St. Cloud State, while UMD must regroup at home against Minnesota State-Mankato.
The playoffs follow, with the womenÂ’s WCHA Final Five played at Ridder Arena March 12-14, and the menÂ’s WCHA Final Five at Xcel Energy Center one week later. The Gopher womenÂ’s team and the Fighting Sioux menÂ’s outfit might face more important games on those two weekends. But there will Deb Bochenski and Rob Horak wonÂ’t have to spend much freeway time to enjoy all the games.
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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