Redesigned Pathfinder charts new paths for 2005
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WASH. — Among the countless sport utility vehicles on the market, the Nissan Pathfinder has always been one of my favorites. Virtually all SUVs have some impressive characteristics, but for some reason, whenever IÂ’ve climbed aboard a Pathfinder since it was introduced in 1986, everything always seemed to fit.
The new 2005 model of the Pathfinder seems to fit, too, although it also seems to have grown closer to full-size than the mid-size segment it helped create. Even diehard Pathfinder fanciers may require a period of adjustment before recognizing the all-new, third-generation of NissanÂ’s original sport utility vehicle.
After driving a couple different versions of the new Pathfinder in the stunningly beautiful ruggedness of Bainbridge Island, and the urban jungle that best describes mainland SeattleÂ’s traffic patterns, there is no question that the new Pathfinder is the most impressive one ever, and projected sales should easily duplicate or improve on the vehicleÂ’s record of 900,000 sold over19 years.
A bigger body on a bigger platform, with a bigger engine and a bigger interior, including third-row seating, plus a book-full of technical advancements to help the new Pathfinder climb rugged terrain or descend cliff-like slopes, give the vehicle an active demeanor while rendering normal on-road operation no challenge at all.
Nissan has made a strong investment in the future with its “F-Alpha†platform — $2.4 billion, to be exact – and its intention is to establish a global presence, in 32 countries of North America, Europe and Asia. Despite its Japanese name, the new Pathfinder is clearly aimed at the U.S. market by one clear fact – the vehicle is assembled in NissanÂ’s Smyrna, Tennessee, plant, and its engines are made up the road at Decherd, Tennessee, where Nissan has built a new engine facility.
Such an investment is always a gamble, and among the gambles Nissan is making is that customers world wide are going to like the look of Nissan trucks, all of them, because the new Pathfinder bears a striking family resemblance to that whole family. The Titan full-size pickup came out a year ago, looking bold and aggressive with its distinctive grille with its “V†shaped diagonal bars and its abruptly contoured fenders and body panels
.
The rest of Nissan’s fleet were in the process of being redesigned or invented, and only now do we realize the strategy. In national advertisements and brochures, you can get a folder that shows the whole array of Nissan trucks coming at you – Titan, Pathfinder, Frontier, Xterra and Armada – and if they all were coming straight on so you could only see the front, you might guess that all five were the same vehicle.
Nissan executives donÂ’t disagree. They think the Titan makes such an impressive impact that they wanted the family to follow its lead. It was a natural that the Armada would, since itÂ’s on the same platform. Interestingly enough, I thought the introduction of the Armada would create a nice size difference above the Pathfinder, but the Pathfinder has grown to jump onto the same platform.
Obviously, during the PathfinderÂ’s lifespan the SUV market has ballooned, from seven nameplates in 1985 to 38 in 2005. The middle size has remained stable, with about 1.4 million annual sales for the last six years, with the big four of that segment being the Pathfinder, Ford Explorer, Chevrolet TrailBlazer and Toyota 4Runner. Nissan has a fleet of competitive SUVs now, with the entry Xterra, and the larger Armada, plus the upscale Murano.
By rebuilding the Pathfinder the way it has, obviously Nissan wants it to move up in scope, while retaining its virtues of what it calls “innovative functionality for highly active families.†To that end, it does not want to abandon off-road service, while most new SUVs are aimed predominately at staying on the road.
While it goes with exceptional power, thanks to its larger, 4.0-liter V6, and steers and handles every on-road need with the agility of a sports sedan, the Pathfinder has been engineered to be an over-achiever.
The engine, for example, went from being NissanÂ’s outstanding 3.5-liter V6 to 4.0 by increasing the stroke, but, typically of NissanÂ’s slick engine-building, it also has a modified block to better contain noise and vibration, and has variable valve timing on its dual-overhead-camshaft layout to raise power to 270 horsepower, with 291 foot-pounds of torque spread out over a broad peak range. That gives Pathfinder more power than some V8 competitors.
It also makes for a 6,000-pound towing capacity, which is better than some pickup trucks. A built-in recessed trailer hitch is standard on all models. If Nissan can bring the Pathfinder in at or about $30,000 for all its improvements, it should sell a lot of them.
Nissan wanted a stiffer chassis, but instead of hydroforming the frame rails, it used stronger and lighter high-tensile steel to accomplish the same added rigidity without adding weight. The boxed, body-on-frame construction is coupled with double-wishbone independent front and rear suspension and a new rack-and-pinion steering system, all of which improves stability and steering feel. That also allowed Nissan to make two major improvements.
First, the suspension takes up less space, making room for a third row of seats to be installed. Second, engineers capitalized on the more compact suspension layout by positioning the drivetrain, gas tank and all other necessary parts above the frame rails. That improves ground clearance to 9.2 inches, and we proved the benefits while crashing across Nissan’s off-road course on Bainbridge Island – if and when the Pathfinder bottoms out over rough terrain, the frame rails hit first. And they can handle it.
Power is controlled via a five-speed automatic transmission, and a switch can put the Pathfinder into low-range for the most-rugged terrain, where two neat new features improve driving control. First is hill-descent control, which can be switched on or off with a console switch. When itÂ’s on, if you take your foot off both the gas and the clutch while descending a dangerously steep grade, the Pathfinder automatically slows to 3.25 miles per hour. It takes great self-discipline to not step on the brake in such a circumstance, but if you step on the brake on such a steep hill, the vehicle is likely to skid on sand or gravel.
The second new device is an ingenious thing called hill-start assist. Whenever driving up an extremely steep off-road hill – or one of the steeper avenues on a winter day in Duluth – you come to a stop, and when you take your foot off the brake, you have a few anxious moments as the vehicle starts to roll backwards. But with hill-start assist, stepping on the brake prompts the Pathfinder to automatically hold its position without rolling back for two seconds – plenty of time to get your right foot onto the gas pedal.
Vehicle dynamic control lets the Pathfinder offer computer-aided assistance to all driving conditions. Four-wheel limited-slip and traction-control leave the driver with a feeling of secure command. Flip a switch and go from two-wheel drive to automatic, to four-wheel drive, to four-wheel-drive low range. The four-wheel drive system has an advanced torque-splitting system that optimizes driving power by altering the power left-to-right on each axle to shift power to the wheel with more traction.
The comfortable and spacious interior is enhanced by other features when encountering the most rugged terrain. While the Pathfinder comes in four varieties – the base XE, upgraded SE, higher performance SE Off-Road, and top LE – it will be sold in both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive versions. Nissan figures the loaded LE will account for 40 percent of sales, with the SE 30 percent, leaving an equal split of 15 percent each for the base XE and the hot-tuned SE Off-Road.
The second-row seats have a 70-30 split, fold-down capability, and the third row has 50-50 split fold-down-ability too, and both the second and third rows fold down into the floor for a flat surface. Fold down everything, and you get a 10-foot cargo length, and a maximum 37.7 cubic feet of cargo volume. Put all the seats up, and you can seat seven and still find adequate room behind the third bench, with an easily cleaned vinyl-covered cargo floor.
Nissan also projects that 80 percent of all the two-wheel-drive Pathfinders will be sold in the Southwest, while 90 percent of Pathfinders sold in Northern climates will be 4x4s, with virtually 100-percent 4×4 in snowy states like Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Some neat ideas had ulterior motives on the Pathfinder. For example, the automatic transmission stalk comes down from Park to Reverse, then drive, then 3, then 2, but you then move the stalk to the right to engage first. That seemed like a logical fail-safe idea, because most drivers would only hand-shift it to first for the toughest off-road projects. But thatÂ’s only part of the reason. The other one is that by having the shift stalk move horizontally for its last move, enough room was created for an extra cupholder.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews. He can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Martin bolsters WCHA connection to Team USA
SAINT PAUL, MINN. — There seems to be a dry spot in the United States National hockey talent pool, and it may have been to blame for preventing Team USA from defending its World Cup tournament championship. But nobody can blame the WCHA, which continues to contribute a steady stream of talent to represent the U.S.
The most recent example is Paul Martin, who just turned 23 years of age, and was the second-youngest player on Team USAÂ’s roster. He also was just one year away from playing defense for the University of Minnesota, and five years past helping Elk River High School remain a perennial state powerhouse.
Martin surprised all — except those in his hometown — when he stepped onto the Xcel Energy ice and played like an experienced veteran midway through the World Cup tournament. He would be first to refuse the credit, but the U.S. had faltered in losing 2-1 to Canada and 3-1 to Russia, before coach Ron Wilson shuffled his lineup and inserted Martin and four other back-up players. After that, the U.S. came back to beat Slovakia 3-1, then avenged the loss to Russia with a 5-3 victory in the quarterfinals.
Team USA lost a tight, tough 2-1 semifinal to Finland, which went on to lose a tense 3-2 title game to Canada in the final of the eight-team international World Cup tournament. But nobody questioned Martin, or several other WCHA stalwarts on the U.S. team, such as Chris Chelios, Brett Hull, Brian Rafalski, Jason Blake and Jordan Leopold.
“IÂ’ve played a lot of games at this place,†said Martin, who helped the Gophers win successive NCAA championship in 2002 and 2003, with the 2002 tournament and the 2003 NCAA Regional both held at Xcel. “But I felt a little nervous at first, because I hadnÂ’t played in the first two games. I definitely had some butterflies.Ââ€
Chelios, the 41-year-old Detroit defenseman and former Wisconsin star, declared this would be his last appearance on a national team. Brian Rafalski, another ex-Badger, was another New Jersey representative and standout on the USA defense. Brett Hull, the seemingly ageless sniper from Minnesota-Duluth, just left Detroit for Phoenix in the NHL and is another of Team USA’s “old guard,†players who obviously can still do the job, but are nearing the end of glowing pro careers.
The gap comes in the “middle-age†national prospects. The oldest players are almost legendary, and the young guard is well-represented by Martin, mercurial forward Blake, who is a former North Dakota star, and Leopold, who starred for Calgary’s rush to the Stanley Cup finals in the spring of 2004, two seasons after winning the Hobey Baker Award on an NCAA championship Minnesota team.
Martin, in fact, wouldn’t have even made Team USA’s final roster until a concussion knocked out Leopold, his former Gopher teammate, during World Cup exhibition play. Martin, who bypassed his senior year at Minnesota to sign a contract with the New Jersey Devils a year ago, had impressed teammates, management, fans and foes with his cool demeanor under fire and his apparently limitless “upside†in his rookie pro season.
U.S. coach Ron Wilson, a former NHL star and an All-America defenseman at Providence during his college days, wasnÂ’t sure about inserting Martin, but he threw all five of his spare players into the lineup for the Slovakia game. It only took one game for Wilson to appreciate Martin.
“I was really impressed with Paul Martin,†said Wilson, after his first game, the victory over Slovakia. “He came in the middle of camp. When Jordan Leopold went down, I asked Brian Rafalski about Paul and he had nothing but good things to say about him. They had been partners at New Jersey, so there’s some chemistry there.
“But tonight I saw why everybodyÂ’s so high on Paul Martin.Ââ€
MartinÂ’s cool, smooth puck-handling under pressure earned him immediate and continuing duty on the penalty-killing unit. “At New Jersey, IÂ’ve been lucky to play with defensemen like Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermeyer and Brian Rafalski,†said Martin. “But that also means I donÂ’t kill many penalties. So I was glad to kill penalties here.Ââ€
Martin also manned the point effectively on the power play later in the tournament, notching an assist on the only goal in the 2-1 elimination loss to Finland.
When the U.S. lost the preliminary game to the Russians, Martin watched from the seats. In the quarterfinal rematch, he was on the ice and played another impressive game. He noted a difference in Team USAÂ’s play.
“The hockey is a little more open, with less clutching and grabbing than the NHL,†said Martin. “We played a lot smarter, about where we put the puck and eliminating turnovers.Ââ€
As a humble and respectful player, Martin never showed the awe he had for some of his teammates, and certainly not for any of his extremely skilled adversaries.
“I watched guys like Chelios and Brian Leetch when I was growing up,†said Martin. “And Mike Modano played for the North Stars until the team went to Dallas. His wife is from here, and our family knows her family, so I was able to get posters of him. I still have posters of Mike Modano all over my house. He doesnÂ’t know that.Ââ€
When Finland prevailed with two third-period goals to overturn a 1-0 U.S. lead in the semifinals, Chelios, the team captain, came out to address the media. “We knew what we were up against, and we stuck to our game plan and played a good game,†Chelios shrugged. “But they played well, too. We have nothing to be embarrassed about. Everybody stuck to the system and there was no selfishness.Ââ€
Chelios disagreed with suggestions that his departure might mean an end of an era of success for the U.S., which won the World Cup in 1996 and the silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics, another team with Chelios as captain. “Aside from me, and maybe Brett (Hull), this is a young team. There are guys like Martin and others who can carry it on.Ââ€
A similar theme came from Wilson, after he paid tribute to Chelios.
“When you see how Chris Chelios operates in a dressing room, you see what he’s all about,†said Wilson. “Chris is all-inclusive. He’s not an elitist. That’s a rare quality in a modern-day athlete. He makes sure everybody is involved.
“People ask me if there’s a gap in the U.S. program after those older players, and I don’t know about the personnel other than what I’ve seen. But the U.S. won the World Junior title last winter, and not by fluke, either, so the future is bright. There might be a few jars missing in the cupboard along the way, but we’ll be replacing them soon.
“Chris has been a tremendous ambassador for USA Hockey and the NHL. So have players like Brian Leetch, Mike Modano, Bill Guerin and Keith Tkachuk. But players like Paul Martin and Scotty Gomez will carry that torch in the future, and hopefully theyÂ’ll remember some of the things they learned from some of those warriors.Ââ€
And who knows? Maybe 20 years from now, Paul Martin will still be making pinpoint passes out of the zone, and a much-younger Team USA teammate will marvel at his skill, even while moving his own play up to that levelÂ…and maybe being reluctant to tell his veteran partner that he has Paul Martin posters all over his house.
Jetta TDI drives diesels back into U.S. mainstream
It finally happened, in the past week, the price of a gallon of regular gasoline completed its inevitable vault past the $2 hurdle throughout the Upper Midwest. Fortunately, I hardly noticed it, because I spent much of the week test-driving a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which accelerated smoothly on and off freeways, and zipped down residential streets, right past all those service stations where the dreaded “$2†was the first digit listed on the big service-station signs.
I did have to stop at one of those stations one time during the week, but it wasn’t for the $2 regular or $2.50 premium gasoline. No, the “TDI†on the rear of the Jetta’s name and trunklid means it’s a diesel. Diesel fuel was $1.79 at the station where I stopped, although I subsequently saw it for less. It took 10.9 gallons to fill, but the car had 470 miles on the trip-meter, with over a quarter of a tank remaining. Doing the math, it delivered 43 miles per gallon.
Having driven hard enough to check the acceleration in city driving, and cruising freeways, not only at 70, but occasionally up to keep pace with faster passers at 80 mph – just in the interest of science, you understand – I still got 43 mpg. Had I been driving to squeeze the optimum mileage out of it, in a much more mellow manner, I thought (I often think in alliteration) I probably could have hit 50 miles per gallon. It was both a pleasant and timely thought.
The Jetta TDI makes you to forget everything U.S. consumers have known, and disliked, about diesels for decades. We knew diesels as big trucks and buses, along with the very few diesel cars weÂ’ve seen, and they share the tendency to be loud, crude, smoky, smelly and slow. Strangely enough, in Europe, where over 40 percent of all cars are diesel-powered, they arenÂ’t loud, crude, smoky, or smelly.
The Jetta TDI eliminates all those old stereotypes in the most subtle fashion. From the look of it, the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta TDI looks like any other Jetta, in the usual basic, mainstream manner. Unchanged in overall appearance from recent years, the Jetta looks strong and durable in a contemporary sort of way. Climb behind the wheel and it also looks pretty normal. No surprises in Volkswagen’s interiors, from comfortably supportive seats to easily operated ergonomic controls. The radio is in the middle of the center stack with the heat-air controls below, as a series of three rotating knobs – you want more heat, more fan, just turn the knob more.
Start the car, and the Jetta TDI still doesnÂ’t tip its hand. The engine whirs to life, quietly, and then put the 5-speed stick in first, let out the clutch, and off you go, swiftly and surely. The basic Jetta has always been an adequate performer, with higher-performing versions like the GLI adding potency and more fun. The 1.9-liter Jetta TDI doesnÂ’t have the verve of the GLI, but it does take off as quickly and forcefully as the optional 1.8-liter turbocharged gasoline-powered 4, and maybe with more punch than the basic 4-cylinder gas engine. Tests IÂ’ve read elsewhere say Jetta TDI performance is stodgy, but those were with the automatic transmission. The test car with its stick could never be called stodgy.
The key thing here is that thereÂ’s no smoke, no clatter, no foul smell, and swift acceleration. The TDI model of the Jetta costs about $1,200 more than the standard Jetta, coming in just over $20,000. The diesel engine not only provides hybrid-like fuel economy but durability that is off the scale, routinely operating trouble-free beyond 200,000 miles. For a gas engine, the power sounds unimposing at 100 horsepower at 4,000 RPMs, but the torque is what matters with a diesel. The 1.9-liter 4-cylinder turbodieselÂ’s 177 foot-pounds of torque hold at that peak from 1,800 to 2,400 RPMs.
The compression ratio is 19-to-1, which compares to 8-to-1 or 10-to-1 ratios of normal gas engines. That also recalls the difficulties some U.S. companies had when they tried diesel applications back in the 1970s. Taking an existing block and slapping diesel heads and systems on it caused them to explode like popcorn kernels from the pressure of such greatly increased compression. Volkswagen did it the other way, building the block solid enough to handle the 19-to-1 diesel force, which made the same block virtually bullet-proof as an overachieving gasoline engine.
In a diesel engine, there are the same four strokes as in any four-cycle engine (intake, compression, ignition and exhaust), but combustion is created by squeezing the air molecules to the point of heating them up, then precisely injecting fuel into the combustion chamber, which is imbedded into the top of the piston. The mixture explodes without need for a gas-engine’s spark plug, and the diesel fuel is capable of producing far more power than gasoline.
Diesel fuel has two distinct emission problems – oxides of nitrogen and that black, cruddy soot. High-tech catalysts and advanced intake technology allow the Jetta TDI to slip past the problem. The biggest difference between diesels in Europe and the U.S., however, is embarrassing to our country, which prides itself on being environmentally wise but has allowed the sulfur content of diesel fuel to be incredibly foul.
The sulfur in diesel fuel is what leads directly to all that soot from diesel exhausts. For comparison sake, diesel fuel in Europe is restricted to 10 parts per million of sulfur content; in the U.S., it averages around 340 parts per million! WeÂ’ve blamed diesels for the foul-running that is forced upon them by our poor-quality fuel, and therefore weÂ’ve made diesels foul-running and unacceptable in the U.S.
Help for all engine technology is coming, however, with laws calling for cleaner diesel fuel and gasoline by 2006, when fuel-refining companies also will have to restrict the sulfur content of U.S. diesel fuel to 15 parts per million as of 2006. Still not up to German and Swedish standards perhaps, but sufficient so that Volkswagen, Mercedes (and therefore Chrysler), Volvo (and therefore Ford), and Toyota are poised and ready to bring their high-tech diesels into the U.S. We can only hope the clean fuel allows clean enough diesels to meet ever-tightening standards on oxides of nitrogen.
Until then, the VW brigade of Beetle, Golf, Jetta and Passat have the diesel market alone in the U.S., where it almost seems to be under the radar scanners of the media and the populace. The media has been properly impressed with hybrids, and the people are only now realizing the benefits of doubling their fuel economy. Honda, Toyota and now Ford, with its Escape SUV, have made great strides with gas-electric hybrid technology, and it is expanding by the year.
Europe has been slower to pursue hybrids, only because European diesels parallel hybrids in fuel-efficiency. In the Environmental Protection Agency’s listing, the Honda Insight ranks first among all cars available in the U.S. at 51 overall miles per gallon, the Toyota Prius is second, with an overall combination of 44 mpg. But right behind those two hybrids is the Volkswagen Golf TDI, ranking third with 41 combined miles per gallon – just three less than the car-of-the-year Prius.
The Golf is the two-door hatchback version to the Jetta four-door sedan, and it came out even better in the highway portion – the closest the EPA gets to real-world performance. In the EPA tests, the Insight got 66 mpg, and the Golf TDI got 54, placing second ahead of the car-of-the-year Prius, which got 50. So diesel technology is a viable alternative to hybrids in a world where any alternative to lousy gas mileage and costly fuel is welcome.
Mary Ann Wright, chief engineer of FordÂ’s Escape Hybrid that will hit showrooms by late summer, said she is well aware of the benefits of diesel power and her mind is already concocting ways to combine a small turbodiesel with an electric motor in hybrid fashion, which could create enough power to improve the performance of even large trucks or SUVs. At the other end of the scale, Ford hasnÂ’t yet decided to expand its hybrid plans to the Focus, but is already planning to put a turbodiesel into that popular compact.
In Europe, Volkswagen builds other diesel engines, including a tiny turbodiesel for a subcompact called the Lupo, which, in competition, surpassed 100 miles per gallon. ThatÂ’s far beyond the Jetta TDI, or anything else currently moving four-wheeled vehicles anywhere. But right now, and right here, with fuel prices over $2 per gallon, and the U.S. urge for capable performance still in place, the Jetta or Golf TDI are real-world factors for 2004.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews. He can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Honda S2000 takes sports car to high-tech levels
The Honda S2000 is both a throwback and a thrust into the sports car future. There are several ways for the S2000 to put you into a reflective mood, recalling the dreamlike wonders of true, pure sports cars of the 1960s. Fortunately, there are more elements of the S2000 that make you realize that it might be the perfect conveyance to carry sports-car zealots into the new century.
To begin with, the reflective stuff.
First, put the top down and let the wind blow. Sure, thereÂ’s an audio system, but who needs it when itÂ’s summertime and the sunshine and wind can heighten all your sensory feelings to overload status.
Second, hit the start button and let the engine roar to life. ItÂ’s a little engine, as engines go, but it has the bright, zappy sound that lets you know it means business every time you crack the throttle to run the revs up.
Third, as you run up through the gears, feel the punch of each shift as the engineÂ’s power takes charge over the carÂ’s lightness and gives you a thrill as it presses you back into the bucket seat.
And fourth, find a winding piece of roadway or at least approach intersections and sharp corners the way you always have, only this time donÂ’t bother hitting the brakes. Just turn and the S2000 slices around those corners and curves without even leaning. ItÂ’s a thrill, just as it always was in a pure sports car, and never was in a stuffy, overweight sedan.
Those feelings of enjoyable nostalgia can cause a person’s sports-car blood to warm up immediately, the same way they did if you were back in the ‘60s, driving an MGB, or a TR4. No, we aren’t looking for high-powered sports cars here, so Corvette, Jaguar and Porsche 911 owners can’t quite relate; we’re talking the affordable sports cars that were built to allow maximum pleasure without having to break the speed limits to reach nirvana.
Ah, but now letÂ’s let the S2000 take us instantly up to modern standards.
First, that top doesnÂ’t require any gymnastics, scuffed knuckles or foul language to operate. Unlatch the two front connections at the top of the windshield, then push the switch on the console, and the fabric top whirs back and disappears behind the two bucket seats in four seconds. You could go back to the trunk and pull out the stiff tonneau cover to truly hide the top if you knew you were going to drive that way all day, but that takes more work, and far more than four seconds. Besides, if the top is out of sight itÂ’s good enough, and in the Upper Midwest itÂ’s always reassuring to know that if the weather changes in a flash, or the sun goes down (as it is wont to do) you can close the top in four seconds without leaving the cockpit.
Second, the start button. The S2000 has a key on the right side of the steering column, but you need to hit a large, round, red start button on the left side of the dash to start the car. That allows you to be sure you have the clutch in and all in proper order, which is good in case the S2000 is your second car, and youÂ’ve developed careless habits while starting your automatic with the car in “Park.Ââ€
Third, going through the gears has rarely been so much fun. There are six of them, to start with, and the shift throw is short and precise, with smooth clutch engagement. The 2.2-liter four-cylinder revs freely up to its 8,000 RPM redline, and if you run it up there in second gear, youÂ’ll be going 55 miles per hour. Still under most speed limits, and with four gears to go, yet. If you cruise the freeway, you can easily go 70, but if you want to keep up with the endless chain of trucks and SUVs, youÂ’ll find yourself cruising closer to 80. At that speed, the tach might read 4,500 RPMs, which is high, but the redline is 8,000, remember.
Fourth, away from the freeway and on twistier roads, notice how the taut suspension seems to let the S2000 anticipate what you want it to do, almost as if it is so ready to react to your input that you need very little input to generate a positive response. The S2000Â’s razor-sharp suspension has been enhanced for 2004, and complemented by adding 17-inch alloy wheels for wider, low-profile, hard-sticking tires.
For those who recall those wonderful old sports cars, the deal-breaking feature of the new S2000 is that it doesnÂ’t leak oil, doesnÂ’t blow smoke, doesnÂ’t need the constant pampering and nurturing that used to provide old-time sports-car folks with a forced education in engine maintenance. It runs like a Honda, which means if you want to maintain a good rapport with your favorite service guy, youÂ’ll want to stop by for lunch, because it simply wonÂ’t need “old-time” sports car maintenance.
The S2000 for the 2004 model year has undergone some significant changes, with HondaÂ’s intention to make the car better for more mainstream buyers in everyday driving chores. ThatÂ’s probably a good idea, considering that at its price of $33,460, the S2000 faces severe competition from roadsters such as the Porsche Boxster, the BMW Z4, the Nissan 350Z, and MazdaÂ’s two-pronged sports car approach of the Miata and the RX-8. All of those are impressive, fun to drive, and very functional in everyday driving.
But I must also pause to indicate that the move to more mainstream was not without compromise. I read with some humor an ad for a General Motors sedan with the Stage III 3800 V6, which has 200 horsepower and was praised for having far more power than the base Honda Accord four-cylinder. Seems absurd for GM to boast that its 3.8-liter V6 has more power than Honda’s 2.4-liter 4-cylinder, but you do what you have to, in the ad-biz. Anyhow, the superb “base†engine in the S2000 is a 2.2-liter gem with 240 horsepower.
Those 240 horses hit their stride at 7,800 RPMs and the 161-foot-pounds of torque peak at 6,500 RPMs, with that red line of 8,000 (which is unheard of in any GM product, the Honda debate team might suggest). But still, that represents a compromise. Until 2004, the S2000 had a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, with the same 240 horsepower at 8,300 RPMs, and 153 foot-pounds of torque at 7,500 RPMs, but that previous 2.0 engine had a red line of 9,000 RPMs. Talk about being edgy – that engine was absolutely no-compromise, Formula 1-inspired edgy. When it first was introduced, I wrote that it was possibly “only dogs can hear 9,000 RPMs,†because the note was so spine-tingly shrill.
Honda decided that lowering the revs, maintaining the horsepower and increasing the low-end torque would help its driveability, and I canÂ’t disagree. But I can still sigh about the compromise.
The new engine stretches the length of the stroke of the sensational 4-cylinder engine to go from 1997 cc to 2157 in displacement.
It retains its all-aluminum, dual overhead camshaft, 4-valve-per-cylinder design, with variable valve-timing. Almost every company with a high-performance yearning has now adopted variable-valve timing, itÂ’s just that Honda took that concept off its Formula 1 championship engines and adapted it to its street vehicles over a decade ago. You can find the VTEC system now on everything from Civics to Accords, to its upscale Acuras such as the NSX, TL, RSX and TSX, with the valve-timing tuned for economy or power. In the S2000, it is definitely for power, although I got over 25 miles per gallon overall, and 28 miles per gallon on a highway-mostly trip.
As impressive as the over-achieving engine is, the S2000 body is also a work of art, being built of aluminum for strength and light weight. The fact that it weighs only 2,800 pounds adds to its “throwability†feeling, and the immediate response of the powertrain allows you to instantly be headed in the right direction wherever you throw it. The ease of driving is enhanced at night, with high-tech headlights that beam brilliant light but with a sharp cutoff that prevents you from offending oncoming drivers.
The color? Well, IÂ’m not one who wants to own a yellow car. I like them for other people, but I donÂ’t want one myself. The S2000 test-carÂ’s yellow is a highly metallic work of art, however, with brilliant little metallic highlights shining through to make it practically iridescent. When the sun is shining on it directly, it almost hurts your eyes, and it does odd things to a cameraÂ’s automatic light-setting.
From every angle, the S2000 is an eye-stopper. True, if youÂ’re used to sedans, the S2000 might feel a little tight, although the trunk is surprisingly spacious for a 2-seater. But the contoured bucket seats and firm suspension are not harsh enough to jolt you on a long trip. And when you put the top down, hit the big red button, and run the gears up to the red line, a long trip is about the only fantasy remaining unfulfilled.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews and can be contacted at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Power Wagon breaks new ground for Dodge in 2005
CHELSEA, MI. — Chrysler Group introduced all of its 2005 car and truck models at a large-scale opportunity for automotive journalists to put the vehicles through their paces at the companyÂ’s Chelsea Proving Grounds. It was a hectic and eventful day, to say the least, but right in the middle of it, at 11 a.m., everything came to a halt and we were all summoned to a location right amid the three test tracks at the facility. The occasion was a groundbreaking, we were informed.
Virtually all the assembled journalists were similarly cynical. I mean, there are cars to drive, cars to photograph, and inside the huge tent there were snacks and refreshments to consume, so why are we wasting out time at a groundbreaking? Every auto manufacturer on the planet is competing to build the best cars and trucks, and all of them also are battling to do the best job of promoting their new – as well as their old and outdated – vehicles.
But when it comes to the standard of clever and creative ideas for new-vehicle introductions, Chrysler stands alone. So this, we assumed, was payback time. Chrysler entertained us by dropping new minivans from the ceiling at the Detroit Auto Show several years ago, and the company has continued to dazzle the assembled writers every year since, including last year when it rolled a fire-breathing Viper-powered motorcycle out on a raised runway. But a groundbreaking? Do we cynical journalists care about a groundbreaking? Let us go into the tent for one more cup of coffee and send us a message with whatever building you plan to build, OK?
Cynical or not, we all dutifully trooped over near the handling road-course because Dieter Zetsche, the impressively German president and CEO of DaimlerChryslerÂ’s so-called Chrysler Group, was about to hold court. As he strode to the podium, we noticed the enormous dirt pile behind him, with an earth-moving loader up on top of the pile. Whatever they were going to build obviously was going to be built right about there.
Zetsche talked about what a monumental point in history this was, because it is the 50th year that Chrysler has test-proven its cars at the Chelsea Proving Grounds. He introduced the mayor of Chelsea, and he talked about the legendary cars from ChryslerÂ’s past, such as the 300 letter-series Chryslers, the Dodge Charger Daytona, and the current Dodge Ram SRT-10, which set a Guinness Book of World Records standard for a measured speed of 154.587 miles per hour over a flying kilometer right out there on the Chelsea facilityÂ’s high-banked oval.
Such groundbreaking performance, Zetsche suggested, made it fitting for this groundbreaking moment. With that, Zetche walked around to the front of his podium, picked up a shovel that was planted in a pile of dirt. He picked up the shovel, and as he held it poised above the dirt pile, he turned each way, striking a hokey pose for any interested photographers who might want such a photo.
As he posed, Zetsche said, “Today, we reach another milestone with a groundbreaking expansion…†And with that, a huge, red pickup truck burst straight out from the middle of that giant dirt pile, which, obviously, was a dirt pile enclosing a little garage-like hiding place in which this huge truck could be stashed, and from which it could erupt. It was the new-for-2005 Dodge Power Wagon.
No question, the whole thing was astounding. Twenty-five years ago, Dodge built a super-heavy-duty truck, the kind of truck that could tackle any rugged task imaginable. You might say it was an SUV-type long before SUVs were the norm. So after returning to prominence as a valid contender for the top Ford and Chevy pickups with the imposing Dodge Ram, Dodge is reincarnating the Power Wagon as its heavy-duty, bring-on-the-Hummer vehicle.
It is built, Dodge says, for “the road less traveled.†It has power from the 5.7-liter Hemi, with 345 horsepower, a large and beefy stance, towering over us at 80.6 inches tall, and with huge 33-inch BF Goodrich all-terrain tires mounted on 17-inch by 8-inch forged aluminum wheels. It can be had in either normal cab or Quad-Cab four-door form, and its custom wheel flares set it off as something special.
A solid front axle with coil springs, and a single stage leaf spring rear suspension with softer spring settings allow for what Dodge claims is the best wheel articulation in its class. Bilstein monotube high-pressure gas shock absorbers keep all four corners planted, and 4.56 gearing assures immediate takeoff when you step on the gas.
Another big-time feature is a 12,000-pound custom winch, which Zetsche claimed was so that Power Wagon drivers could lend a hand to those less-fortunate souls who might have gotten stuck in their off-road endeavor before the big Dodge could arrive to yank them out.
No question, the Power Wagon offers the ultimate macho look to the whole Ram family, which already led the world in macho image stuff with that bold grille and super power.
As if that wasnÂ’t enough, around the handling road course came another red flash, and another bright red Dodge truck pulled into the area. It was the Dodge Ram SRT-10 Quad Cab, which is all new for 2005, too. The SRT-10 made its debut for 2004, as the swiftest pickup truck in the land, with its closed-course speed record and all. So for Â’05, you can have your race truck and four full-size doors.
The SRT-10 signifies that the truckÂ’s scoop-laden hood covers an 8.3-liter V10 engine out of the Viper sports car. It has 500 horsepower, 525 foot-pounds of torque, and a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds.
With that, we were all released to go back to the refreshments, and back to the test track. On the track, we drove all the new stuff, but Chrysler issued strict rules of an information embargo: We had to promise we would not divulge any information about the style, or the performance, or the driving impressions, of any of the 2005 models.
The large majority of Chrysler/Dodge stuff came out as 2004 models, however, such as the Chrysler 300, Crossfire Roadster, Dodge Magnum, Neon STR-4, the Dodge Ram SRT-10, etc., and there isnÂ’t all that much thatÂ’s remarkably different for 2005. The new Power Wagon, and the SRT-10 Quad Cab definitely are new, and we were given the go-ahead to talk all we want about them.
What isnÂ’t new — but never gets old — is Chrysler’s ability to make any introduction clever and creative. Even the most cynical auto journalist has to be blown away when a simple or mundane introduction turns into high entertainment.
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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