Nissan’s worldwide introduction looks beyond 2005
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. — As new-car introductions go, Nissan put on a mind-boggling display, gathering all of its worldwide vehicles for 2005 in San Francisco, then bringing in 12 waves of journalists from North America, Europe, South America, Central America, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East, for an event called Nissan 360.
In a way, it made sense. Nissan sells more than three million vehicles in 190 countries, and has 27 plants in 18 countries. So instead of holding separate introductory sessions in all corners of the world, Nissan brought everything and everybody to one site for a three week extravaganza of test drives and displays.
About 70 different vehicles were available to be driven by more than 500 journalists in all. There were so many vehicles that the full day of trying to drive as many cars and trucks as possible required some astute note-taking to keep things sorted out as we drove short and long courses from two different base sites north of San Francisco, just across the Golden Gate Bridge.
But any negatives were overcome by the realization that some of the unusual and previously unseen vehicles would be coming to the U.S., and the intriguing question of exactly which ones, and when. There were powerful gasoline engines, economical gasoline engines, hybrid vehicles, fuel-cell vehicles, diesel engine cars, and they ranged in size from subcompact to compact, to midsize, to extremely long and slinky cars, sports cars, small trucks, large trucks, SUVs, and an array of vans from mini to maxi.
Most mind-blowing were a couple of cars altered by Nissan’s “Nismo†high-performance arm, including a flashy, laser-striped 350Z and a Sentra SE-R, which just happened to be the first two vehicles I leaped into. I also enjoyed an X-Trail, which isn’t sold in the U.S., but is the Xterra equivalent sold in Europe, Canada and Japan.
The most intriguing real-world vehicle in the whole batch was something called the Micra. It is a small car, subcompact in exterior dimensions, but fully capable of housing four full-sized people with trunk-room. It appears perfectly placed to capitalize on the current trend back to smaller commuter vehicles with maximum fuel efficiency, in order to cope with fuel prices that keep escalating above and beyond $2 per gallon.
Nissan showed off three varieties of a car called the Cube, which are starkly styled, square-back vehicles that also are pretty square-front, looking a lot like the Scion xB, and I enjoyed heckling some Nissan executives from Japan about the whole purpose of the display being to show off that Nissan has a square little vehicle before Toyota created the Scion.
But the Micra was my favorite. It is sold in Europe, and also in Japan as the March, which blends the ongoing relationship Nissan of Japan has enjoyed with Renault of France. Their connection is referred to as “the Alliance†by everyone connected with Nissan, and it is an arrangement by which Renault now owns 44 percent of Nissan, while Nissan also owns 15 percent of Renault.
The complex arrangement started out with Renault investing some much-needed money to bail out Nissan from some major financial difficulties in 1999. The two companies have remained on their own, with completely separate boards of directors, even though Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn adds to the confusion by being CEO of both companies. Obviously, the two companies are sharing basic vehicle platforms, manufacturing facilities, and powertrains, to say nothing of ideas.
Since the Alliance came into effect, consider the all-new products from Nissan, such as the 350Z, the renewed Altima and Maxima, and entirely new Quest minivan, Titan pickup truck and Armada SUV, to say nothing of all the new Infiniti models. Japanese officials steadfastly insist that there is no French input on the styling of those vehicles, but nobody can say they don’t all have a stylish flair – as do the cars Renault is now building for its European customers.
The 360 obviously stood for the number of degrees in going all the way around the world. “But 360 also indicates Nissan has come full circle as a company,†said Tadao Takahashi, NissanÂ’s executive vice president of manufacturing. “WeÂ’re back as one of the worldÂ’s leading automakers. WeÂ’ve eliminated our debt, which has significantly improved our flexibility.Ââ€
Nissan produced its first vehicle in 1914 with a car called the DAT. Then it built a Datsun Type 14 in 1935 as the first mass-produced car in Japan. Despite more recent successes as the Z, which became the best-selling sports car in the world, NissanÂ’s fortunes dipped greatly a decade ago, but with RenaultÂ’s cash infusion, the comeback has been remarkable. Nissan now has plants in places like Egypt, Malaysia, Thailand and Brazil, in addition to the better-known facilities in Japan, North America and Europe.
Nissan just completed a $40-million, 100,000 square foot expansion of its North American technical center in Michigan, employing 200 additional engineers, out of a worldwide total of 16,300 engineers. It builds full-size Titan pickups and the Armada in a new plant in Canton, Miss., and builds the V8 engines for them up the highway in Georgia.
In addition, Nissan is poised to capitalize on the sudden growth of the car market in Japan, something every manufacturer is focused on. Nissan has invested $1-billion in a 50-percent partnership with Dongfeng, the leading Chinese auto manufacturer, in addition to a $190-million investment in Thailand.
Those things may seem distant to U.S. consumers, because they are. But they tell about the worldly nature of automotives these days. Nissan sold 3,057,000 cars a year ago, including 856,000 in U.S. sales, and 837,000 in Japan, and 542,000 in Europe. In the U.S., Nissan just had the best May sales in its history, selling 87,000 vehicles for a 28 percent increase over May of 2003. But while expanding, it also is streamlining its production, introducing 28 new models from 2005 to 2007 while also cutting down from 24 different platforms of five years ago to 15 by the end of this year.
We can anticipate that the Cube will come to the U.S., and we can only hope the Micra makes it, too. IÂ’ve always enjoyed the agility of driving smaller cars, to say nothing of the economy, but I also have always wondered why most economy cars are made of such chintzy pieces. I mean, why canÂ’t small-car buyers get some of the great features of larger cars? Just because you want economy, efficiency and ease of maneuvering and parking doesnÂ’t mean you donÂ’t want a fancy audio system and great seats.
Alfonso Albaisa, the fellow who was chief designer of the Quest and is now design director for Nissan, read my mind. “Nissan is a sporty company,†Albaisa said. “When it came to planning the new Altima, we thought, ‘Why does a sedan have to be boring?Â’ When we built the Quest, minivans were utility boxes, but we wanted to make it sexy, because women didnÂ’t want to drive vans anymore. Now look at the Micra, which has keyless entry, and rain-sensing wipers – itÂ’s a small car, but it has great features.Ââ€
I drove two Micras, one of which had a gasoline engine, and was peppy and fun to drive. The other one, a sort of lima-bean green – a color almost as unappetizing as the descriptive vegetable, I must say – was powered by a 1.5-liter turbodiesel with a five-speed stick shift. It was quick, agile and thoroughly enjoyable to drive in all circumstances.
It also was clean, didnÂ’t smell foul and didnÂ’t smoke or clatter the way we remember a lot of diesels. I found out later that Nissan had imported European diesel fuel, which is far cleaner than the stuff we are forced to buy. Ah, but as of 2006, our diesel fuel will have to drop to 15 parts per million of sulfur content, from about 340 parts per million now. So the Micra has a chance to be NissanÂ’s rounded Mini Cooper.
Nissan, it turns out, built three different diesel engines for its global outlets, while Renault had five or six. Since their alliance, Nissan has quit making diesels, yielding to RenaultÂ’s expertise, and while Nissans now use Renault diesels, Renault buys NissanÂ’s fantastic 3.5-liter V6.
Among other impressive drives, I had brief tours in three different X-Trail models, with gasoline, diesel and fuel-cell power. I also drove an Altima hybrid, which will be out in about a year using the technology licensed from Toyota, with a Nissan engine, until Nissan can complete its own hybrid technology. There also was a long, sleek sedan called the Teana, which is sold in Japan and had a continuously-variable transmission that could manually be shifted through eight gear-stops. That was one of several right-hand steering vehicles I drove, which was an adventure on two-lane California roads in the mountains.
But the Micra remained the vehicle that most impressed me, as it sailed up the hill from Sausalito, to the upper reaches of the Headlands, where the carÂ’s smooth, turbo-power was interrupted only when I stopped to enjoy the panoramic view of San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge. From the looks of things, NissanÂ’s outlook is just as impressive.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto columns and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Gophers outrace No. 1 Sioux for WCHA playoff title
SAINT PAUL, MN. — Minnesota coach Don Lucia tried to deny it, but his team offered further evidence that when it comes to playoff time, the Gophers are magic. The latest example was Saturday nightÂ’s WCHA Final Five championship game, when the Gophers exchanged blows in a true battle of college hockey heavyweights, and beat North Dakota 5-4.
There was talk that this game might be low-key, because No. 1 ranked North Dakota and No. 4 Minnesota were already assured of claiming top seeds at two of the four NCAA regionals, which will be announced Sunday. But if the game meant nothing, the WCHA record crowd of 19,306 at Xcel Energy Center certainly was fooled by the spectacle that unfolded on the ice below.
You want magic? The game-winning goal, at 13:58 of the third period, came from Grant Potulny, the captain who started MinnesotaÂ’s magical post-season streak when he scored the overtime game-winner against Maine in the 2002 NCAA final on the same Xcel Energy ice, the first of two straight national championships.
“How fitting for Grant to get the winner in the last game he plays for us in the Twin Cities,†said Lucia. “This senior class is special to me, because it was our first fully recruited class.Ââ€
Potulny, as usual, was the team leader. And a mini-tantrum he threw may have had a major impact on the Gophers. It has taken such actions to transform Minnesota from the Complacent Gophers to the Playoff Gophers. The unanimous coaches choice as league champ, and the unanimous preseason No. 1 team in the nation, the Gophers were 0-4 in regular-season games against Minnesota-Duluth, but beat the Bulldogs 7-4 in FridayÂ’s semifinals. Then came the Fighting Sioux, who had beaten Minnesota three out of four games during the season, before confronting the far more focused Playoff Gophers. Just like that, the Gophers turned a combined 1-7 slate into two racehorse victories.
It wasnÂ’t just the seniors who came through. Freshman Danny Irmen, who flanks Gino Guyer opposite of Potulny on the second line, scored his third goal in two nights on a first-period power play to stake the Gophers to a 1-0 lead. Drew Stafford tied it for the Fighting Sioux later in the opening period, also on a power play, by deflecting Zach PariseÂ’s hard pass past Gopher goalie Kellen Briggs.
Jon Waibel, a light-scoring senior on the fourth line, put Minnesota ahead 2-1 early in the second period when he outreached the dive of goaltender Jake Brandt and slid the puck behind him at 4:09. Three minutes later, Waibel scored again, converting the rebound of Barry TallacksonÂ’s goal-crashing shot. But Tallackson was still in the crease after flattening Brandt when the puck bounced out into the slot and Waibel shot it in, so after consultation with video supervisors upstairs, the goal was disallowed.
That reversal sparked the Sioux, who had been outshot 17-8 in the first period, to a 19-8 shot edge in the second, resulting in two goals by top scorers Brandon Bochenski and Parise. Bochenski poked the puck in from the crease after Parise had snapped the puck off Briggs from behind the net. The puck squirted through Briggs, awaiting BochenskiÂ’s fencing-style lunge to poke it in at 8:50.
Later in the middle period, Parise vaulted the Sioux ahead 3-2, pouncing on a rebound in the slot and whirling to shoot into the lower right for his 22nd goal of the year. That came eight seconds after expiration of a power play, which occurred when Parise was left sprawled by Thomas VanekÂ’s cross-check to the head. Fortunately for Minnesota, benevolent referee Bob Ames gave Vanek only a minor penalty instead of a major or disqualification, and Vanek was able to come back later to score a huge goal.
When the first period ended 3-2 for the Sioux, Potulny did his thing. “I kicked over a garbage can,†said Potulny. “After WaibelÂ’s second goal was called off, North Dakota came on and I felt like we were letting the game slip away.Ââ€
Bochenski saw it the same way, from the other side. “Having that goal disallowed was as big as us scoring a goal,†said the junior winger. “Once we got it tied up, we took over for a while. Then it went back and forth.Ââ€
Vanek got his chance early in the third period, with Sioux defenseman Nick Fuher tried to slam a hard pass out of the zone. Vanek picked it off at the top of the left circle, moved in alone to deke Brandt down, then shifted around him on the right to slide the puck back in an instant before the diving Fuher slid through the crease trying to block the shot.
That tied the game 3-3 at 2:08, and Troy Riddle put the Gophers up 4-3 at 4:48 when he caught a high flip, dropped dropped the puck to the ice, and shot it low. Brandt got part of it, but it slithered across the line for RiddleÂ’s 23rd goal of the season.
The big crowd cheered when the Gophers got a power play, but Bochenski got the puck on the right boards, made a great move to shift past star Gopher defenseman Keith Ballard in a confrontation of Hobey Baker finalists, and rushed at the net, cutting right-to-left to score a spectacular shorthanded goal for the 4-4 equalizer. It was the second goal of the game and 26th of the season for Bochenski, who also had an assist.
Bochenski and Parise, who also is among the Hobey Baker final 10, have been split apart several times by coach Dean Blais, although he reunites them whenever scoring a goal seems mandatory. “I think I’ll be leaving them together from now on,†smiled Blais. Makes sense, after Bochenski, who also got two assists in Friday’s 4-2 semifinal victory over Alaska-Anchorage, and Parise added a goal and two assists, leaving them with matching 2-3—5 slates in the two Final Five games, meaning they had scored four of North Dakota’s eight weekend goals, with 10 combined points.
“I noticed that their big players had come up big,†said Lucia, “and I told our guys it was time for our big players to do the same. They did, with Vanek, Riddle and Grant all scoring.Ââ€
Both coaches noted they were more mellow than usual because both knew they had NCAA top seeds already locked up. Blais said he thought it was a “great game from start to end. I even pulled the goalie with four minutes to go to try to get a goal. But there was good excitement from both teams, and we learned we can compete when the pressure is on. It was a fun environment, and it takes a little special character to play well in a game like this. We wanted to win, but we got a lot out of it.Ââ€
North Dakota outshot Minnesota 39-38, and Lucia added that he’s not used to seeing his team give up so much – 31 shots and four goals to Minnesota-Duluth, and 39 shots and four more goals to North Dakota.
“IÂ’m not happy giving up four goals a night,†said Lucia. “But thatÂ’s what happens when you play the two highest-scoring teams in the country. We played well, and we have to continue to get better, but we know weÂ’re not going to see anybody whoÂ’s better than the two teams we saw here this weekend.Ââ€
TOURNAMENT NOTES: A three-person committee either showed up only Saturday night, or apparently got completely caught up in the tense final, because they ignored three teams to name an all-tournament team from only the two finalists. North Dakota forwards Parise and Bochenski and defenseman Matt Jones were joined by Minnesota forward Irmen – a great pick – plus defenseman Keith Ballard and goaltender Briggs. While Briggs allowed eight goals from 70 shots for two games for a meager 4.0 goals-against mark and .866 save percentage, Alaska-Anchorage goaltender Chris King, for example, allowed only five goals in two games while facing 90 shots for a glittering 2.50 GA and .946 save percentage while stealing a 4-1 upset victory over Colorado College and holding his team in a 4-2 semifinal loss to North Dakota. More incomprehensibly, the same committee also named Briggs the tournamentÂ’s most valuable player…Alaska-Anchorage used backup Kevin Reiter in goal for the third-place game, and he also played well, although UMD beat the Seawolves 4-2, outshooting them 40-27. He blanked the Bulldogs until Evan Schwabe scored his third goal and fourth point of the weekend midway through the second period for a 1-1 tie, then league player-of-the-year and Hobey Baker finalist Junior Lessard scored a power-play goal and Luke Stauffacher tallied shorthanded for a three-goal second period, and Bryan McGregor made it 4-1 in the third. The Bulldogs lost Lessard to a knee injury later in the second period, while forwards Tyler Brosz and Tim Stapleton and defenseman Tim Hambly all sat out with injuries.
(John Gilbert can be reached by email at sports@jwgilbert.com.)
Hybrid Escape a Capitol idea in SUV world
SAINT PAUL, MN. — Some early-arriving state legislators and visitors walked right past the two compact SUVs parked near the main entrance stairs leading up to the Minnesota State Capitol, probably grumbling to themselves that the Ford Escapes, one silver and the other white, were parked illegally close by some upstart state representatives.
The new Escapes looked quite normal, although the front end has been restyled for 2005. Then Charlie Pryde, FordÂ’s government relations manager, climbed inside the first Escape and carefully backed it up onto the sidewalk. As he backed it toward its proper position, the engine died – but the Escape kept backing up! Strange…How could the thing keep moving, with the engine stopped?
The answer is simple: These were no ordinary Ford Escapes, but new-for-2005 Escape Hybrids, and on Tuesday they were making their first public appearance since being introduced six weeks earlier at the New York Auto Show. The gasoline engine hadnÂ’t died, but shut off by design to let its coordinated and properly-charged electric motor handle the rest of the backing-up duties, silently and without hesitation.
Showing off the first hybrid-technology vehicle by an American company, or the first hybrid SUV would have been worth some fanfare, but the reason for the EscapesÂ’ appearance at the Minnesota State Capitol was because Minnesota is the first state considering legislation to offer incentives for buyers of hybrid vehicles. The bipartisan bill would give hybrid buyers a sales tax exemption and other benefits for choosing vehicles that can emissions up to 90 percent and increase fuel economy by 75 percent.
Hybrid vehicles have electric motors that complement efficient gasoline engines, providing extra power when needed and being recharged by a battery pack that is kept charged by the gasoline engine. The Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid and Honda Insight are the only hybrid-powered cars currently on the market, although both Honda and Toyota are planning to expand by this fall – Honda in the Accord sedan and Toyota in the Highlander and Lexus RX-330 SUVs.
All the good ideas about hybrids have been limited to Honda and Toyota so far, but the Escape offers some new ideas. In the Honda, the small gas engine runs all the time with the electric motor coming on for supplemental power when needed; in the Toyota Prius, the gas engine runs only to support electric power, serving mostly as a generator for the first of two electric motors, with the second electric motor able to run the car on electric power only. The Insight leads the way with over 50 miles per gallon fuel economy in actual use, with the Prius and the Civic about even with their real-world figures in the 40s, although the Prius EPA estimate claims 61 miles per gallon in city driving.
The Escape differs from the Honda and Toyota systems in that it runs by gas engine, by electric motor and by both. From 0-25, power is most if not all from the electric motor; from 25-50 it is powered by a combination of the gas and electric sources; at highway cruising speed, most if not all power is from the gas engine. That’s why the fuel economy measures higher in town – 35-40 miles per gallon in city driving, and 29-31 on the highway.
While Ford developed its own technology, when it came to apply it, Ford realized Toyota’s advances in hybrid technology had led to 350 Toyota patents on various parts of the system. Ford had to license about 20 of those, particularly in coordinating the power at the transaxle, but Ford officials insist that neither technology nor technical support is being bought from Toyota. In fact, Toyota is going to license some of Ford’s 100 patents on the Escape’s system, particularly when it comes to direct injection and emission controls.
Most of the media types on the Capitol steps questioned state senator Scott Dibble and state representative Frank Hornstein – co-authors of the bipartisan legislation to help promote hybrids – and may have overlooked the significance of the two Escapes, which were parked on either side of a displayed Toyota Prius, the current 2004 car of the year.
The Escape, a popular compact SUV for several years, will add hybrid versions with production starting soon at the Kansas City plant that currently builds the Escape and the companion Mazda Tribute – the vehicle whose design led to the joint-venture Escape. Robb McKenzie, representing the United Auto Workers, said the Kansas City plant will be producing seven Escape Hybrids per hour by July 26. Production can increase to about 20,000 in its first year, Ford officials say, if demand is sufficient.
Escape HybridÂ’s gasoline engine is a high-tech gem, an Atkinson-Cycle version of the new Mazda-developed 2.3-liter four-cylinder, with dual-overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. The engine develops 130 horsepower by itself in hybrid application, and is supplemented by a 90-watt electric motor powered by a 330-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack developed by Sanyo.
New technology can be one thing and bottom-line examination something else, so before the ceremony on the state capitol steps, I had a chance to take a brief, 10-mile drive in one of the Escape Hybrids. First we got on the freeway, accelerating smoothly and eagerly to 60 miles per hour, with a quick burst to 70 just to test its response. The Escape Hybrid cruised easily at freeway speeds, and had instant power to pass or change lanes when necessary, as we slipped across the border from downtown St. Paul to Minneapolis.
We turned off onto city streets to check out the Escape Hybrid at stoplights, and again it performed admirably, accelerating smartly. Its performance was about what you might expect from a standard Escape V6, and the seamless transfer between gas and electric power is not noticeable.
The only compromise for the 75 percent improvement in fuel economy is limited towing capacity from 3,500 pounds to 1,000 pounds. But this is aimed at the person or family that will use its compact SUV like a station wagon, not for towing a house trailer. The weight of the battery pack remains a topic of continued revision in hybrids. In the Escape, it is located beneath the rear floor, covered by a panel and carpeting to leave the same large and flat storage area as the normal Escape.
After our short run, the navigation screen on the center stack displayed our current activity, showing how much power is coming from the gas engine or the electric motor on one screen, and indicating that our fuel economy was 35.8 miles per gallon over the last 15 minutes of use.
Handling is good, in fact it felt a bit firmer than the normal Escape. The gauge package looks normal, with the speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauge, but the small gauge at the far left of the cluster is different, showing whether the electric motor is being used for power or is being recharged.
Pricing has not been finalized yet, but Ford officials say they anticipate the Escape Hybrid price to be in the mid-$20,000 region, which will make it about the same as the normally well-equipped Escape.
Pryde noted that the Minnesota appearance by the Escape Hybrids was their first event since the New York Auto Show, which was followed by a test run of 37 straight hours, producing a high of 578 miles on one tankful of gasoline, and an average of 38 miles per gallon.
The growth of hybrid vehicles has been impressive. The Insight was first in the U.S., but it is a small, two-seater. The first Prius in the U.S. was a boxy four-door subcompact that was more mainstream. Then Honda offered the Hybrid Civic, which looks virtually identical to the high-selling standard Civic, again moving hybrids more into the mainstream. For 2004, the all new Prius is larger and dramatically restyled as a midsize car to expand the base still further.
Now the Escape will broaden the base. With SUVs notoriously poor for fuel economy, and gasoline moving up to or beyond $2 per gallon in the Midwest – and closer to $3 per gallon in California – the ability to get 30 miles per gallon in an SUV should be readily accepted. So far, the hybrid battery packs and electric motors have been amazingly durable and free of breakdowns, but it still may take incentives to lure skeptics and cautious traditionalists in for a test drive.
While eliminating the sales tax is a step that the state senate has supported and the house is debating, other positive steps for hybrid-buyers would be the ability to drive free in the fast lane if proposals for fees or tolls for a special freeway lane are adopted. There also are federal incentives for hybrid buyers, although that goes down by $500 each year from $1,500.
If Minnesota succeeds in passing the hybrid-car incentive, other states may well follow up with similar ideas. The acceptance of hybrid vehicles has grown steadily in the three or four years theyÂ’ve been out, and the Prius demand has forced Toyota to increase production and extend waiting times.
Still, while hybrid vehicles can improve emissions by up to 90 percent over conventional gasoline engines, the total registrations of 43,000 hybrids may sound impressive. But, as Pryde pointed out, “…There are 250 million vehicles on the road today, so incentives are important to giving hybrids the chance to reach a bigger share of the marketplace.Ââ€
Saab 9-2X combines Swedish style, Subaru platform
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – As I stepped off the airliner to attend the introduction of the new Saab 9-2X, I definitely felt apprehension. As a former card-carrying lover of a 1980 Saab 900 hatchback, which treated our family to a decade of fun, economic benefits, safety, and, yes, a little eccentricity, I was genuinely concerned for the welfare of this new venture from Saab, the Swedish car-maker now owned by General Motors.
For example, the Saab 9-3 introduced a year ago rides on a shared platform with Opel, another GM subsidiary, and Saturn, and uses a version of the GM Ecotec engine. But it still looks like a Saab. Now this, SaabÂ’s first attempt at a compact all-wheel-driver, which all the world knows is basically a Subaru Impreza underneath. Subaru is another affiliate of General Motors.
Saab, a Swedish company whose eccentricities always have been part of its charm, and Subaru, a Japanese company whose eccentricities have always made it a builder of quirky niche vehicles, might produce something truly weird in concert. Offsetting my concern, the GM-oriented 9-3 may be less of a pure Saab than its predecessor, but GMÂ’s marketing helped it increase sales by 27 percent from the previous year.
I wondered whether the new 9-2X might look like an Impreza with a Saab Griffin-head logo on the hood, as I sat in on a briefing at the trendy “W†Hotel – not named for the current presidentÂ’s middle-initial/nickname. Next to me was Ola Granlund, the chief designer of the 9-2X. When a Saab official mentioned that the 9-2X would have a short, three-year lifespan before being modified, I turned to Granlund and whispered, “Will it then become more of a real Saab?Ââ€
“It IS a Saab,†Granlund replied, with the same precision his pencil must use on clean sheets of paper.
The next morning, we got our first look at the 9-2X and a lot of my concerns evaporated faster than the morning haze over San Diego. The car is a compact sport-wagon only, with a very Saab-900-like nose – OK, 9-3 for more recent Saab-o-philes – and beautifully harmonizing curves and lines that blend a large and functional hood-scoop into the hood as gracefully as the rear blends the sloping wagon-back pillar into an attractive rear end.
Inside the 9-2X, the interior is quite Saab-like as well, from the firmly comfortable seats to the easily read instruments and ergonomically sound switchwork. It is under that pleasing body that Subaru’s input takes charge. The proven all-wheel-drive system and the flat-opposed, four-cylinder “Boxer†engines and transmissions are directly out of the Impreza. The 9-2X comes in two models, Linear and Aero. The Linear is the more basic model, with a quite-potent 2.5-liter dual-overhead-camshaft engine, while the upgraded Aero has a smaller, 2.0-liter engine, but turbocharged for 227 horsepower to beat the normally-aspirated engine’s 165 horses.
The Linear starts at $22,990 and the Aero at $26,950. Adding a four-speed automatic instead of the five-speed manual transmission costs $1,250, and a premium package, plus sunroof and heated seats can boost the Linear to $28,000 and the Aero to $30,000 in fully loaded form. Saab aims to sell 8,000 of the 9-2X models in the U.S. when the car hits dealerships in June.
SaabÂ’s average buyer demographics were 46 years of age, and it was lowered to 42 when the 9-3 was reintroduced last year and attracted, typically, a 38-year-old buyer who was married, owned a suburban home, with 83 percent college graduates and average income of $102,000. The 9-2 is aimed at a 28-year-old buyer, mostly single, renting an urban dwelling, with 75 percent college grads and an average salary of $75,000.
Saab officials say the sound-deadening, exterior and interior modifications, as well as to the chassis dynamics will separate the 9-2X from the Impreza by more than its approximately $3,000 more in price. Their aim is to new buyers seeking an alternative to sporty coupes and SUVs, and who want one car that can meet various demands.
Before we headed for the mountains and some spirited road-test driving, Ola Granlund explained that the 9-2X development was not simply grabbing another company’s vehicle and slapping a Saabish body on it. “I was drawing the design on sort of a parallel project while they found the platform,†he said. As he drew, Saab officials were looking to parent GM for ideas about a platform that would fulfill its demands and be smaller than the Saab 9-3. The Subaru Impreza was already on the market, and its platform, drivetrain and dimensions were perfect. The finished product is 7 inches shorter than the 9-3, almost 2 inches narrower, with a 6-inch shorter wheelbase, but only 2 inches less rear legroom.
Per Jansson, SaabÂ’s vehicle integration engineer on the chassis, did to the already-good Impreza all-wheel drive platform what Granlund did to the exterior and his fellow-designers did to the interior, again aiming at what the Swedes know Saab buyers will look for and appreciate. “There is a fine balance when you combine agility, comfort and stability,†Jansson said. “We have four-wheel independent suspension with MacPherson struts, and larger anti-roll (stabilizer) bars front and rear. We commissioned Bridgestone Tire company to develop new tires for what we wanted. On the base car, you get 16-inch all-season tires, and if you get the optional 17-inch wheels you get high-performance tires.Ââ€
Jansson explained how tires can comprise one-third of the chassis performance, and the suspension itself another third. So attention was paid to reducing unsprung weight by using alloy wheels, and aluminum and plastic for suspension links and connection pieces where steel used to add weight. The suspensions are slightly different between the Linear and Aero models, with the Aero getting a revised steering gear that is quicker-responding and more fun to drive.
The three keys to the 9-2X in SaabÂ’s mind were 1. a progressive design, 2. to offer sporty driving focus, and 3. to have functional versatility. The 9-2X, with its wagon-back opening for storage, its full-time all-wheel-drive for foul-weather traction as well as sporty handling, GranlundÂ’s slick design work and JanssonÂ’s detailed modifications to the suspension and steering, put the 9-2X into the mainstream of sporty compacts.
Mainstream. A word not often associated with either Saab or Subaru. Achieving mainstream appeal for an amalgamation of previously eccentric companies from Sweden and Japan, brought together by a U.S. giant, is sort of like mixing sushi and Swedish meatballs and coming up with a T-bone steak.
BMW 645 dazzles as star of ‘Return of the Coupe’
The BMW 645i convertible jumped instantly at my urging to dash up the pit lane and onto the straightaway at Road America. We accelerated quickly until I hit the brakes to swerve through a 90-degree right turn, and it exhibited similar manners on the downhill turn leading onto the gently curving straight where we got up to 125 miles per hour before slowing for the 90-degree left at the bottom of the hill. Same with the Carousel sweeper, and rising out of Canada Corner.
Finishing a one-lap run at high but manageable speeds around the four-mile road course at Elkhart Lake provided convincing evidence of what I had assumed a week earlier – that the new BMW 645 would perform a lot like it looks, which is spectacular.
I had gotten the chance to drive a 645Ci coupe for a week on normal highways, and the car proved to be a fantastic addition to the German companyÂ’s stellar array of vehicles. The oft-criticized 7-Series sedan remains at the top, with the stylishly modified 5-Series in the middle, and the yet-to-be-restyled 3-Series at the entry level. In and around those stalwarts, which have established themselves as the standards of comparison in each segment, BMW has fitted a two-seat sports car, the Z4, which replaced the neat Z3 a year ago, and it has taken a giant step off the road with first the X5 sport-utility vehicle and this year the X3, a compact SUV that is a superb performer.
So the 645 is perfect as the previously missing link, bringing BMW back to the historic 2800 and 3.0 coupes of the 1960s and to the recently discontinued 850 coupe of just a few years ago. In fact, in the late 1960s, a BMW 2800Cs coupe was offered to me by a Minnesota BMW dealer and began my transformation from driving tips to a road-test column format. I still have fond memories of that beauty.
The 645 fits in as the sporty coupe for 5-Series or even 7-Series buyers. It comes with the 4.4-liter V8 with every high-tech device for valvetrain and intake system – dual overhead camshafts with BMW’s Double-Vanos variable valve timing – and with BMW’s Sport Package with Active Steering, a system so precise it virtually eliminates the need for correction even when you swerve.
It was a pure joy to drive, despite the presence of the “i-Drive†control knob on the console, which is pushed different directions to engage heat-air, audio, navigation and car performance, but which also is counter-intuitive to use without taking your eyes off the road to view the readout screen. Fortunately, BMW also has a voice-command system that can override the i-Drive.
Otherwise, the coupe is sleek and stunning to the eye, and totally engaging from behind the wheel, shifting that six-speed manual through its paces. The paces include strong low-end power because the torque peaks at 330 foot-pounds at only 3,600 RPMs, sending you sailing up to a 325 horsepower peak at 6,100 RPMs.
Typically, when you drive a great car like the$70,000-$80,000 BMW 645, you wish you could be on an autobahn with unlimited speed limits. Or at least a race track. ThatÂ’s where the Midwest Auto Media Association came to the timely rescue, with its annual Spring Collection at Road America, just outside Elkhart Lake.
Getting a hundred or so automotive journalists to agree on anything comes under the same mathematical probability as herding cats. But agreement is not required for them to all want to come “home to MAMA.†Especially when that home leaves its home base in Chicago and sets up camp at the beautiful Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake. That sets the stage for two days at nearby Road America, the most beautiful road-course in North America, with its undulating hills and more than a dozen curves of varying difficulty as they cut through the tree-lined hills.
As a member of that MAMA organization, I looked forward to getting acquainted or reacquainted with as many of the 60 or so new vehicles provided by almost every manufacturer to run – reasonably – on the high-speed road-racing course, then the next day on a tightly-coned autocross course, and a rugged off-road challenge.
I was able to drive the new Pontiac GTO, the existing Corvette Z-06, Pontiac Bonneville V8, Acura TL, Audi S4 Cabrio and TT coupe, Chrysler Crossfire Roadster, Infiniti G35X, Honda S2000, Mini-Cooper S, Mitsubishi Evo RS, Subaru WRX STi, Subaru Legacy GT, Volkswagen Golf R-32, Saturn Ion Red Line, Volvo S40, Mazda6, Mazda3 and Mazda RX-8, and supplementing those with off-road sorties in the Hummer H1, Land Rover Freelander, Volkswagen Touareg, and Isuzu Ascender.
There were dozens of other available cars that I simply couldnÂ’t get to, either because they were being driven by other MAMAÂ’s boys (or girls), or because we flat ran out of time. There were various Mercedes, Dodge, Jaguar, Kia, Nissan, Porsche, Saab and Suzuki machines there, too, and IÂ’m sure there were another couple of vehicles IÂ’m overlooking among those I tried out. But the first one of the 24 vehicles I ran to was the BMW 645 convertible.
Driving a car capable of such exquisite performance is a mystery to those who think driving should be confined to 55 miles per hour and such exorbitant potential is ridiculous. The point is, having a vehicle capable of such excessive power is exhilarating, even though you shouldnÂ’t be using it to its maximum on normal roadways.
There also is something special about learning the true capabilities of the machine and yourself. In circumstances such as the MAMA event at Road America, you are out there alone, at something like a one-minute interval, so you can stay comfortably within limits of good sense, but you can also push yourself and the car to limits youÂ’d never seek on highways.
True, while the 645 goes 0-to-60 in about 5 seconds, and rushes swiftly to its electronically-governed 155 mph maximum, there were other cars available that performed in the 645’s class. The Corvette, with a huge, six-liter pushrod V8 stubbornly proving that enormous displacement can compete with competitors’ higher-technology, might have had a faster top speed going into that downhill 90-degree left known as Turn 5, for example. Other high-powered cars could run with it as well. And some of the smaller and more economical vehicles, such as the Mini, the S40, the RX-8, the Mitsubishi Evo and the R-32 were surprisingly swift over the whole lap – lacking the outright top speed capabilities but much quicker to brake and to handle.
As for the BMW 645, speed was only a part of the picture; it performed every possible chore, from sophisticated and high-tech power, to ultra-sophisticated handling and braking, and to a stable overall feeling of supremacy. And it looks so darn good all the while.
It seems, in fact, that BMW is practically left to compete against itself nowadays. Virtually every other company that wants to build sporty or high-performing sedans uses some BMW model for its performance benchmark. Mercedes and Audi remain the closest competitors to their fellow-German BMWs, but I keep suspecting that they probably evaluate every move BMW makes, while BMW engineers might be looking only at their own products, and their Formula 1 racing experiences, when upgrading their vehicles. It isnÂ’t arrogance, just fact. BMW is unyielding in its demand to enhance every facet of the driving experience, and the 645 is just the latest example.
While the BMW 645 convertible looks lean and taut with the top up, and looks even better after the top is folded back and stowed at the touch of a button, I have to say that I prefer the lines and the look of the coupe. The price is high, but the BMW 645 coupe might well be the most beautiful vehicle available right now. If so, that means the 645 convertible couldnÂ’t be any better than, say, second in the most-beautiful car standings. On any roadway, or race track.
(John Gilbert can be reached by e-mail at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
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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