‘Twas time for car-gift ideas, and car-maker wishes
Time remains for a last-minute gift or two for the car-fanatic on anyoneÂ’s Christmas list. We know that auto manufacturers donÂ’t seem to show much concern for car-buyers in the Great White North, who drive on snow and ice at random times through four or five months every year. So we have to fend for ourselves.
WeÂ’re not talking about spending up to $100,000 for an exotic car that might work all winter, although those sure exist nowadays. There always has been the Audi A8 if price is no object, and the trickle-down (or trickle-up) effect also lends the quattro all-wheel-drive factor to the A6, A4, the great new $25,000 A3, and the TT sports car. Mercedes and BMW have come to realize that their preferred rear-drive can be enormously improved in foul-weather capability by new all-wheel-drive systems. Same with Cadillac, as well as DaimlerChrysler.
But there are less-expensive alternatives. even for those in the apparently expanding clique that has decided to NOT buy an SUV. One of my recent test-drives was in a 2006 Subaru Impreza sedan. ItÂ’s a compact, with decidedly unobtrusive styling that has been altered by the new Tribeca-like grille. At $18,000, it is not the cheapest car on the market, but it has SubaruÂ’s symmetric all-wheel drive with a 2.5-liter flat-opposed four cylinder and a five-speed stick shift.
Amid driving the last of the Car of the Year and Truck of the Year candidates, fully loaded, the Impreza was pretty basic. But it was an absolute joy to drive through a two-foot snowfall, where it turned hazardous icy patches into no hazard at all. ItÂ’s not altered enough to be a candidate for Car of the Year, but it offers clear evidence of why Subaru owners consider their rarely-changing cars to be cars of the year every time it snows.
Here are some last-minute gift ideas for car-zealots:
• A really good scraper-brush thing. So you no longer need to use a credit card, freeze your fingers, arm-wrestle with an icy-base, frozen wipers, and several inches of encrusted snow. There are fancy ones, cheap ones, and innovative ones, and you can find them in long, medium or short size. Find them everywhere from an auto supply store to a discount store to any gas station.
• Lightweight gloves. Strictly leather, preferably top-grain, and preferably unlined and fairly tight-fitting. True, these aren’t as warm as lined gloves, or knit-insert gloves, but consider them driving gloves, just more protective than those cute little open-back, holes-for-knuckles driving gloves. These not only will allow better grip on a cold steering wheel, but will even allow you to work the knobs and switchgear as well as with bare hands. Also, they will prove to be used more than lined gloves by the recipient, who will find them preferable in dressy situations, and warm enough down to zero – especially for something like using a credit card because of the lack of a good ice scraper.
• Hands-free cell-phone device. You can spend a lot or a little to find something that will allow a driver to make and receive cell phones via a tiny earphone-with-microphone. The more expensive ones can play through your car’s audio system, and have a tiny microphone that hooks up to the mirror or visor.
• A lobotomy to try to change the idiotic mindset of those drivers who don’t have hands-free devices and hold cell-phones to their ears. I find myself doing that too, but I have a self-discipline rule that my driving is my primary focus – to the point where I say “just a second,†and take the phone down from my ear if I have to put the turn signal on. If you find that a call is so important it demands your attention, simply pull over and park to complete that call.
• A huge, Grinch-like fine for those who make cell-phone calls their priority. These are the ones who decide it is OK to change lanes or turn without signaling because they are holding a cell-phone at their ear. An even larger fine for those who come up to a stop sign or light, don’t signal, but pull out into fast-moving cross traffic – all because they have a cell-phone at their ear.
• True all-season tires. Fantastic gift, because many tires that say all-season work fine on wet pavement, but lose their ability to tract when it gets cold or icy or snow-covered. Bridgestone Blizzaks might be the best, uncompromising tires for traction on ice, but several other Bridgestone all-seasons I’ve driven, such as on the new Honda Civic, spun freely and failed to grip on snow and ice. My preference remains Nokian – the Finnish tire from the same conglomerate that makes Nokia cell-phones (and no-hands devices). Their WR all-season tire is as good as some snow tires. They work long-term if you choose to leave them on year-round, and they can make rear-drive cars much more workable in winter, while making front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive work as if there was no snow or ice.
• Saf-T Siping. This is a process I’ve written about for years. Ask about it at your favorite tire store, and if they don’t have the capability to sipe your tires, then find another “favorite†tire store. This is a process, for about $10 a tire, that cuts tiny slits across the face of your tire, creating almost imperceptible edges that are flexible and add grip on ice. The process not only works, it works fantastically well on the newly popular hard-compound, high-performance tires, which can be transformed from the most treacherous on ice to quality all-season-tire status.
• A full tune-up is good, although some of the newer cars don’t require changing plugs for 100,000 miles. But a complete tune-up includes checking the cooling system, radiator, and all the belts, as well as wipers – undoubtedly the most-overlooked item on a car.
• A certificate for an oil change. But not just any oil change. Make it for synthetic oil. I was convinced to try Amsoil – which was invented by a guy based in Superior, Wis., of all places – by Paul Laszcwski, a brilliant but down-home Car Whisperer who operates “Automotive Services†shop out in Oakdale. (He has resisted my suggestion to rename the place more creatively, such as “Missing-Vowel Motors.Ââ€) Amsoil not only lubricates in severe cold as if itÂ’s July inside that block, but it also can work like new for 7,500 or even 10,000 miles. If you get antsy about leaving it in there that long, change the filter only at 4,000 or 5,000 miles, and drive on.
• A car magazine subscription. Choices include the much-improved Motor Trend, opinionated and sometimes cheeky Car and Driver, slick sophisticate Automobile, performance-leaning Road and Track, or the weekly and sort-of rejuvenated AutoWeek. Pick one at a newsstand, and you’ll find dozens of those maddening little subscription coupons.
We might also offer some New YearÂ’s wishes for assorted manufacturers:
• For DaimlerChrysler, continued demand for the impressive new stuff, such as Charger, 300, Magnum, Jeep Commander, and the all-new Dodge concept-coming-to-life Caliber, to be revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in two weeks.
• For Ford Motor Company, a double-shot of best wishes for a potential sweep – with the Fusion sedan among the three Car of the Year finalists, and the renovated Explorer one of three Truck of the Year finalists.
• For Honda, a similar gift-wish for a realistic shot at a sweep, with the Civic and Ridgeline prime candidates for Car and Truck of the Year – to be announced Sunday, January 8 at the Detroit Auto Show.
• For General Motors, Car of the Year hope with the breakthrough Pontiac Solstice, and for Nissan, Truck of the Year hope for the Xterra.
• For Toyota, after being shut out from 2006 Car of the Year finalists, a chance for a sweep of the 2007 awards, with the redesigned Camry, and the sure-to-succeed FJ Cruiser – an outstanding active-lifestyle SUV that works on- and off-road. Both will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, and primed to lead the company past GM to become the largest automaker in the world.
{IMG2}
• For Mazda, financial success to accompany the artistic success of current models, and also the ability of the new Mazda5 sliding side doors to close as easily as they open when it gets cold. It was understandable they wouldn’t latch at 20 below, but to refuse to close? Especially after it rose to 20 above? I’d settle for an inside latch-handle to secure it if you can’t make the current ones work better than to provide forced-air ventilation in subzero drives.
• For Ford, again, a wish for success for its new Global Design Team, which J Mays brought together under the directorship of the brilliant Peter Horbury. Watch for the new Lincoln Mk S concept sedan at the Detroit Auto Show, as well as the Aviator and the Ford Edge. Ford is clearly on track with its just-introduced sedans and crossover SUVs, anticipating our society’s shift away from full-size SUVs.
• For General Motors, again, a hope that its vastly-improved 2007 trucks, led by the Tahoe, ready for unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show January 9, can rekindle interest in large SUVs. Also, realization that financial solvency requires similar renovation and technical advancement to catch up in the small and midsize car segments.
• For Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda, the wish for great success of the new, to-be-launched, smaller-than-compact cars about to be unveiled in the U.S., as the most logical method of expanding the economical and fuel-efficient commuter cars already demanded in Europe and Japan.
• For everyone that has found jwgilbert.com: Continued interest and demand for the highest automotive technology as we seek power, speed, comfort, fuel-efficiency and attractive looks, all at a reasonable price.
Mazdaspeed6 hurls turbo-AWD challenge at Evo IX
There are race cars, and there are normal production cars, and you neednÂ’t go beyond NASCAR to understand why the twain, as they say, shall never meet. NASCAR race cars are virtual-reality, purpose-built vehicles with near-identical chassis, very similar nonproduction race engines, and phony bodies designed to only faintly resemble real cars. And while we were looking the other way, a few Japanese production cars resemble race cars far more than our race cars resemble production cars.
The most recent example is the 2006 Mazdaspeed6, a superb example of how taut, fit, and fun a car can be on the street.
The Mazdaspeed6 jumps wheels-first into the segment which has been a long-standing duel between the Lancer Evolution and Subaru WRX STi – a pair of rally-bred championship cars that set new standards as their production versions spent a decade continually escalating the standards.
As luck of the road-testing draw would have it, I ended calendar year 2005 with a pair these compact rockets on back-to-back weeks – the Mazdaspeed6 and the Mitsubishi Evolution IX MR. The Evolution, or “Evo†as the car has come to be known, is not all-new, just upgraded from previous models in an attempt to remain atop the competitive spiral of pocket rockets. The Mazdaspeed6, however, is all new. They were both enjoyable, even when their performance tires wanted to spin through the ice and snow along the shores of Lake Superior. Remember, both have a lot of power, but they ARE all-wheel-drive vehicles.
MAZDASPEED6
The Mazda6 remains one of my favorite cars, a sleek family midsize sedan with sporty overtones, meaning you can have your fun and family too. The standard Mazda6 comes with either a 160-horsepower 2.3-liter four cylinder or a 220-horsepower 3.0-liter V6. Mazdaspeed is the odd name Mazda gives to its corporate hot-rodders who wear their white smocks in the no-compromise back room, and the lads have done a proper number on this car.
Reinforcing cross-members have stiffened the bodyÂ’s twisting rigidity by 50 percent, and the 2.3-liter four has been tweaked, first with direct-injection fuel feed, and then with turbocharging, to boost horsepower to a whopping 274, with 280 foot-pounds of torque. ThatÂ’s a lot of power for a front-wheel-drive sedan, so Mazda inserts the all-wheel-drive unit it uses in Japan, which can transfer up to 50-percent of power to the rear whenever necessary. IÂ’ve read tests of 0-60 at right around 6 seconds, with a top speed electronically governed at 149 miles per hour. That ought to ease you through rush-hour congestion, eh?
Inside, you nestle into well-bolstered bucket seats with leather trim, and Mazda has modified the interior to be less gimmicky and more businesslike. Black gauges with clear numerals that light up red-orange at night, and drilled aluminum foot pedals add to the sporty effect. The gearshift is a six-speed manual, with limited slip standard as well, and the high-performance, low-profile tires ride on 18-inch alloy wheels, which further enhance the cornering stability, in concert with the stiffer frame and firmer shock settings.
Tastefully added molding flares accented the look of the medium-grey test car, which still had all the comforts of the normal Mazda6, such as climate control, power windows and keyless entry, plus heated bucket seats with eight-way power adjustment. There also is a keyless start feature, although the trend toward some of these is questionable at best. ItÂ’s handy, when youÂ’re carrying stuff, to unlock the door with keyless entry, and once you climb into the driverÂ’s seat, I guess itÂ’s neat to be able to twist the key fitting to start without putting the key in it. In other words, if youÂ’ve got the key in your pocket, you donÂ’t need to use it to start the car.
Needless to say, I jumped out at one point and my wife, Joan, drove off, and fortunately I realized I still had the key in time to call cell-phone to cell-phone and bring her back before she got somewhere and shut off the car, only to find it starting-impaired.
The best thing about Mazda6 models is that they are inexpensive to buy, considering all that you get. From a $20,000 normal Mazda6, the Mazdaspeed6 is still a bargain at $29,925. The only available options included on the test car were a trunk cargo net, wheel locks, a $700 power moonroof, and a $2,000 navigation system. The nav pops up from a trap-door that opens on the top edge of the dashboard, and you can tilt the screen various ways to avoid glare. That also means you can close the nav screen and the trap door if you’d rather not be bothered. The sticker price of the test car, so equipped, was $33,325 – still not a bad price for the latest sizzling performance sedan.
It runs, and it handles, in a way befitting a company that has cast its lot with the simply phrase: “zoom, zoom.Ââ€
LANCER EVOLUTION IX MR
MitsubishiÂ’s Lancer is its stalwart but still underrated compact sedan. It wasnÂ’t until Mitsubishi outfitted the Lancer to challenge SubaruÂ’s world rally championship cars that the EvolutionÂ…uhÂ…evolved. This is Evolution IX, and while there has been considerable conjecture about Evolution X, the IX will do for now, thank you. Lancers come in ES, OZ-Rally, and whatÂ’s called the Ralliart model, the latter being a sportier upgrade of the basic Lancer. But the Evolution stands above and beyond.
The turbocharged 2.0-liter, dual overhead cam four-cylinder delivers 286 horsepower, compared to 120 horses for the basic 2.0 single cam, or the 162-horse 2.4-liter option. A six-speed stick causes the Evo to want to leap forward at the touch of the gas in any gear.
(IMG2}
Equipped with its proven rigid suspension and limited-slip both front and rear on its all-wheel-drive platform, the Evolution MR is clearly equipped for heavier duty than normal traffic might offer. A lot of us may not be planning to enter any pro rallies in the near future, but rally competition uses real roads and is therefore a lot closer to real-world driving than NASCARÂ’s latest funny cars. Forged aluminum suspension bits, Brembo disc brakes, drilled aluminum pedals, and a large, screened-in hole in the hood, where hot air escapes in waves, are all tips that this is something racy.
However, all of those indications, including the molding strips, are unessential as tip-offs, because you know at a glance it means business by the enormous rear spoiler wing that rises on huge fiberglass struts up from the trunk lid. I thought the wing was a nuisance, because it slices a swath horizontally right across the middle of the rear window when you look through the mirror. But later I realized it could be beneficial as well.
We all must share the road with careless slugs whose headlights are poorly aimed high. And with drivers of aging trucks and station wagons whose rear load goes beyond the shocksÂ’ threshold of levelness. And with rude truck/SUV drivers who blatantly disobey the law by mounting enormously oversized tires and then aim their auxiliary lights higher than their high beams. All should be ticketed, but roam free, to blind oncoming cars as well as drivers ahead via their rear-view mirrors. In the Evo, I got so I could tip my head just a bit, and blot out those maddening ill-aimed lights with the spoiler.
The 17-inch forged BBS alloy wheels, also stylishly grey, set off the Apex Silver paint job. The car’s quickness is enhanced by standard weight-saving aluminum hood, roof panel and front fenders. Genuine Recaro bucket seats are also standard. The MR option package includes the silver shift knob – which, by the way, feels remarkably ice cold in December in the Upper Midwest – as well as a turbo-boost gauge kit that fits in a three-gauge package just below the center stack. The “Zero Lift Kit†includes the rear spoiler, front airdam, and other aero touches, but together those packages only cost $1,110. The price of the Evolution IX MR starts at a steep $35,189, so the price after transportation and options is $36,894.
Some of the stripped-down characteristics of the Lancer make weight-saving sense, but the lack of cruise control did not make sense. I mean, hereÂ’s a car with a rear wing that looks like it might allow you to go airborne, and which is certain to attract the attention of any law enforcement officer who sees it, and weÂ’re unable to restrict its tendency to zoom by cruise-controlling should be a necessity.
CONCLUSIONS
Maybe the Evolution IX MR price is not too much for a car that is a blast to drive – almost literally – and will still haul the kids. The Evolution is stunningly quick, but it also is a bit harsh in everyday driving, especially if you have to skip across weather-gouged pavement. That is a tendency it shares with the Subaru WRX STi, its long-time adversary on rallies and streets. But now there’s a new challenger on the street in the Mazdaspeed6.
Both these cars are spectacular to drive, with startling acceleration and race-bred cornering quickness and precision. The Evolution is built for uncompromising performance capabilities, and the key differences might be that the Evolution is more capable for rugged use, while the Mazdaspeed6 feels more refined. If I had to pick, IÂ’d guess that the lighter Evolution was a twitch quicker in acceleration, but the Mazdaspeed6 feels more civilized in all-purpose driving. With the Mazdaspeed6 priced about $3,500 less than the Evolution, the new kid on the block is a threat.
(John Gilbert writes weekly new vehicle reviews and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Toyota’s FJ Cruiser direct hit on active-life segment
GREENVILLE, S.C. — The folks at Toyota who were introducing a couple new 2007 vehicles last month expressed disappointment because the 2006 RAV4, Toyota Avalon, and Lexus GS and IS models weren’t finalists in either the 2006 Truck or Car of the Year voting.
I suggested that maybe they only need to be patient, because Toyota could be in prime position to sweep both 2007 awards, with the latest generation Camry, and the introduction of the entirely new FJ Cruiser.
The redesigned Camry is a given, and the FJ Cruiser is a lead-pipe cinch to be successful. It is the latest example of a concept vehicle the springs to life and becomes a major hit. The first utility vehicle Toyota ever built was a primitive Jeep-like vehicle in the early 1950s, first called the AK10, and the second being the BJ, which acquired the nickname Land Cruiser in 1954.That was a rugged off-road vehicle, and it led into the series of Land Cruisers that evolved to what now exists as the basic large and fully appointed SUV.
Two years ago, Toyota unveiled a wild-looking, bright blue auto show concept vehicle that looked like an artsy combination of a Jeep Wrangler and a compact Hummer, with retro leanings toward the old FJ Land Cruiser. The concept vehicle met with such wild acclaim that this weekend, at the Detroit Auto Show, the FJ Cruiser will debut as a production vehicle
Styled after the 1967 FJ40, the new FJ Cruiser is a strange conglomeration of seemingly unrelated parts that somehow come together to make an entirely pleasing and impressive looking vehicle. From the side, the shape is uneven, with large doors and then smaller, thinner rear-hinged “suicide†doors allowing easier access to the rear seat. Trust me on this, but the FJ with the optional roof rack looks twice as good as the FJ without it. Without it, the FJ looks…almost bald, and not just because they all come with a bright white roof panel.
Toyota, which hasnÂ’t missed on many opportunities to gobble up market segments on its way to inevitably pass General Motors as the worldÂ’s largest auto manufacturer, has filled the FJ with every necessary option to impress off-road types, and to appeal to off-road-wannabes who need a vehicle for all seasons but donÂ’t mind creating the image that they are free-wheeling, devil-may-care adventurers.
It doesn’t matter to Toyota if you go mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, sky-diving, mountain biking, or never do anything more adventurous than driving to the mall, you are still “qualified†to buy an FJ Cruiser. The price is expected to be “mid-$20,000†and they will conquer rugged terrain, because of a tough, fully-boxed frame, two different four-wheel-drive systems with high and low ranges and a center differential lock, and with short overhangs for good enter and exit climbing angles.
The truck-based platform gives the FJ a 180-inch length and 106-inch wheelbase, and it is powered by a 4.0-liter V6 with variable valve timing, extracting 239 horsepower at 5,200 RPMs and 278 foot-pounds of torque at 3,700 RPMs. That engine, shared with the Tacoma, 4Runner, and Tundra, and either a six-speed stick or a five-speed automatic. Its tow capacity is 5,000 pounds, and its tongue weight is 500 pounds.
The stick-shift models have full-time all-wheel drive that can be switched into high for everyday, on-road driving, high-range/low-gear for off-roading, or low-range/low-gear for ultra-slow rock climbing, up or down. For the heaviest off-road duty, you also can start the stick version without pushing in the clutch, to avoid rolling on a steep grade. A Torsen limited-slip center differential sends 40 percent of torque to the front and 60 percent to the rear in normal driving, but any slippage of the rear can shift up to 53 percent of power to the front, and slippage up front can shift up to 70 percent to the rear.
{IMG2}
The automatic has uphill and downhill shift logic to prevent gear hunting on uphill climbs, and will downshift to help control slow speeds when going down steep embankments. A gated shifter allows drivers to manually shift as well. The shift-on-the-fly part-time four-wheel drive system means you can set it for just rear-drive, or shift into four-wheel drive when you encounter a slippery stretch.
The ruggedness of being based on the modern Land Cruiser frame parts adds to the impressive stance and off-road performance. But the FJ also is extraordinarily appealing to normal, on-road customers, with its wild color schemes, which are repeated on the center dashboard. An optional gauge package can be mounted up on top of the dashboard, as well.
The side doors must be opened to allow opening the suicide doors, and the second row can be folded down on a 60-40 split basis to create a flat cargo floor. Seat materials are water-repellant, covered with a breathable resin for easy cleaning. Floor surfaces are covered with rubbery stuff, and an enormous subwoofer can be installed on the rear compartment wall to enhance the audio system. Rear household plug-in sockets are also available.
All of ToyotaÂ’s latest safety elements are in place, from child seats to airbags to four-wheel disc brakes with antilock and electronic brake distribution, as well as a traction control system and a systemn for detecting and offsetting slides and skids.
Toyota says the FJ will compete with the Jeep Rubicon, Nissan Xterra and the softer but similarly aimed Honda Element. Toyota expects to build 46,000 of them for 2006 calendar year sales, with 93 percent of them 4x4s.
When Toyota recently brought out the RAV4, I remarked that by making it 14 inches longer than its predecessor, mounting a V6, and adding a third row of seats, Toyota might gain new customers, but it was abandoning the “cute ute†consumers who made it a giant success.
Now, I have a new suspicion: Toyota abandoned the cute-ute segment only for a few months, and now it is refilling it with a “cuter-uter” that slots in smaller than the new RAV4, and should be a sellout.
Honda Civic, Ridgeline sweep car, truck honors
DETROIT, MICH.—The thoroughly redesigned Honda Civic won Car of the Year and the innovative new Honda Ridgeline pickup won Truck of the Year Sunday, as Honda became the first auto manufacturer to sweep both car and truck awards in the 16-year history of the awards, which are presented annually at the North American International Auto Show.
The Civic outpointed Ford’s Fusion sedan in a close battle for the top new car available in North America, as judged by a jury of 49 automotive journalists. The Civic, which comes in three different models – the usual sedan, an upgraded Hybrid model, and a sporty Si coupe – and accumulated 214 points on the system of total voting points, with the Ford Fusion a close second with 204. The Pontiac Solstice was a distant third at 134.
In truck competition, the Nissan Xterra and Ford Explorer joined the Ridgeline as finalists, but the Ridgeline, riding a stream of innovations that includes a trunk under the all-composite bed, and a full four-door interior, with revised V6 power running front-wheel drive that switches to all-wheel drive whenever more balanced power is required, made it no contest. Ridgeline accumulated 296 points from the same 49 journalists, with Xterra nosing out Explorer 120 to 119 in the battle for second.
The awards are a highlight of the opening day of the two-week show, which begins with three media days of previews and introductions of new vehicles, ranging from concept cars to new productions cars.
While various manufacturers jumped at the opportunity to introduce new vehicles on the first press day, the star of the day might have been the Dodge Challenger, which has a stylish silhouette, an aggressive grille, and diffused neon taillights to set off a chopped-off rear. The car is named after the Dodge sporty coupe that raced in the Trans-Am series against Mustang, Camaro, Barracuda, Firebird and Javelin back in the heyday of U.S. ponycar factory competition. To begin with, the new Challenger will house a 6.1-liter, 425-horsepower Hemi V8, and a six-speed manual transmission.
Among the top attractions of the introductions were, in chronological order, the Ford Edge crossover utility vehicle, the Mustang-based Shelby GT500, both intended for production as 2007 models, and a pair of impressive concept vehicles – the Ford Reflex sporty coupe with a diesel hybrid powerplant, and a Ford F250-based Super Chief, a massive, supercharged V10-powered truck styled with a retro-locomotive motif.
Lexus introduced the 2007 LS460, the newest upgrade of its top luxury model, which now will have a 380-horsepower 4.6-liter V8 and a hybrid version coming.
{IMG2}
Infiniti unveiled a new coupe concept that looked like a production vehicle that could be the new G35 coupe, as well as a resurfaced crossover SUV, and Buick introduced the Enclave SUV, escorted on stage by five women in flowing, filmy gowns, as General Motors returned to the days of a decade past, with liberal use of female models that only Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati seem to employ nowadays. The cars looked good, too.
Chrysler, generally the most clever of companies when it comes to auto show introductions, didn’t disappoint. The same platform was used to build two distinctly different new cars with familiar names from the recent past – an all-new Chrysler Imperial, a massive luxury sedan with an innovative interior, and a Dodge Challenger, a poorly kept “secret†that has appeared on at least three national magazines in the last couple of weeks – a dazzling throwback that strongly resembles the ponycar competitor for the Mustang from the late 1960s and early ‘70s.
Mercedes introduced its new G-Class, a crossover SUV that bears faint resemblance to the DaimlerChrysler Pacifica, as well as unveiling technology for Bluetec, its new clean Diesel engines.
Honda introduced its new Fit, a $13,000 subcompact that fits in under the Civic for 2007 and is aimed at selling 33,000 this calendar year. It is a sporty but flexible small wagon, similar to new small vehicles such as have already been introduced by Mazda, Toyota and Nissan. Mazda also showed a new concept sports coupe that seems likely to become reality.
And Mazda unveiled the CX-7, another new crossover SUV which springs to life from last year’s concept vehicle. It will have Sport, Touring and Grand Touring models, with 244-horsepower turbo four-cylinder power, and pricing that starts at $23,750.
Chrysler Group snowjob blows away auto show news
DETROIT, MICH. – The third and final media day at the North American International Auto Show resembled the first two — a spectacular stage show by the Chrysler Group, historic and maybe surprising news from an Asian automaker, and a lot of talk revolving around finances from a storied U.S. manufacturer.
The chronology of the morning displays inside Cobo Hall started with ChryslerÂ’s introduction of the Dodge Caliber and Chrysler Aspen, both SUVs, coming from opposite ends of the size and price spectrum.
Next up came the Asian surprise. Not a new twist from the numerous Japanese companies, nor another improved vehicle from a Korean company. This one was from Geely – a Chinese company that intends to sell a new and quite competently outfitted 7151 CK compact sedan in the U.S. The car appears to be a fairly basic subcompact, but the detail that will stop the presses is that it has a starting price under $10,000.
Every manufacturer in the world is competing to build cars to sell to the suddenly burgeoning Chinese market, which is a large jump beyond finding that virtually every trinket and article of clothing sold in the U.S. these days seems to be outsourced or made in China.You can even buy a General Motors vehicle made in Canada with a 3.4-liter V6 made in China by something called “GMS” — for General Motors Shanghai.”
But to have China come to the U.S. with intentions of selling 100,000 extremely inexpensive compact sedans in its first year takes the whole world-market concept to sobering projections, particularly in the face of financial struggles by U.S. car-makers.
That news was amplified even more when General Motors assembled the media in its area to announce, not a new car, but that it was cutting prices “across the board,†on all of its models. The all-new and totally redone Tahoe will list at $33,990, for example, which is $2,000 less than the current Tahoe.
Discounted pricing will hit every model car, truck and SUV. It will reduce the Cobalt LS Coupe, for example, from a fairly competitive $14,490 base price to $12,990, which, GM hastily pointed out, will make it less than a Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, or Ford Focus.
That was it. GM had introduced its newest vehicles Sunday and Monday, including the Tahoe, the Cadillac Escalade, and the stunning Camaro concept car. The risk is that consumers were so stunned by gasoline prices skyrocketing to $3 a gallon a few months ago, that even while prices have subsided to the $2.20 range, consumers have backed away from the large SUVs.
Other auto manufacturers are stressing compact crossover SUVs, in fact, Ford is trying to force the pooularity of the term “CUV†for crossover utility vehicle because it’s newest SUVs are compact and on car-based platforms, such as the Ford Edge, the newly redone Lincoln Aviator, and a couple of new concept vehicles.
Honda similarly is stressing the new RDX, which has moved from concept to prototype and is destined for production as a hot little compact SUV with sporty overtones. Mazda also has a concept compact SUV, and everyone from Koreans to Japanese to Europeans, to Ford and Chrysler seem to be stressing the downsized SUVs.
That leaves General Motors with its new and very impressive Tahoe – clearly improved in every facet – but introduced at a time when the only people buying large SUVs are those who have an absolute need for the extra room. Chevrolet is stressing fuel-efficiency of nearly 20 miles per gallon highway for the Tahoe.
Meanwhile, back at the Chrysler stand, the promotion-oriented gem came after the Dodge Caliber was introduced. It appears to be a compact SUV itself, but it is actually more like a compromise sporty wagon. Indeed, it will replace the discontinued Neon in manufacturing facilities. It will have three different four-cylinder engines, ranging from 148 to 158 to 172 horsepower,with dual variable valve timing and a continuously variable transmission, plus electromagnetic all-wheel drive. It has youth-oriented fold down speaker panels to blast your decibels out the tailgate, and the glove compartment has a cooler tray for cans of pop or bottles of water.
{IMG2}
The astounding part of the introduction came when it was announced that the vehicle would start in SE form at $13,985 – which makes it less expensive than a Neon.
After the Caliber was driven off the stage, the clowns –literally – Chrysler had employed from New York shows and international television for the press days, stayed around. One of them stood center stage and pulled a small sheet of paper out, appeared to read it, then folded it carefully over and ripped it in half, then in half again, then again. Finally he tossed it up in the air, and the pieces fluttered back down on him like falling snow. As it fell, it was noticeable that more snowflakes, tiny ones, also were falling from the ceiling, descending clownward. Then the “snowflakes†became bigger, and more noticeable.
Just when it looked like the effect had run its course, suddenly there was an explosion of sound and an enormous instant blizzard – enough snow to fill a Madison Avenue parade. The entire stage was engulfed in white, as the light slivers of confetti covered the hundreds of assembled media types as far away from the stage as 100 feet. When the eye-popping airborne avalanche was at its peak whiteout, a vehicle burst out from backstage right in the midst of it.
It was the Chrysler Aspen. Amazingly, Chrysler resurrected the name of a less-than-noteworthy, short-term Dodge from its past, and has given the name to Chrysler’s new luxury SUV. The Dodge sedan never came close to living up to the name of the trendy Rocky Mountain ski resort town, and Chrysler is gambling that the new Aspen – complete with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 – will do just that.
When the presentation was over, everybody within range was left laughing and shaking their heads, and all had a few snowflakes on or imbedded in clothing. Attempts to walk up to the stage for a closer look at the vehicle or an interview meant walking through a foot-deep pile of fake snow.
While General Motors and Ford are struggling to right themselves financially, considerably smaller Chrysler Group is riding high with its impressive recent flock of 300, Magnum, Charger and Jeep products, its still-ubiquitous minivans, and the strong performance of its Hemi-based engines. To say nothing of its optimistic attitude.
Regardless of which company sells the most vehicles, and makes the most money, there is no doubt which one has – and creates — the most fun at auto shows. From the media viewpoint, scurrying from one news conference to the next about every half-hour can be tedious, even if skipping a couple means sitting in carefully controlled audience settings while sipping a cappuccino or mineral water, and nibbling appetizers or pastries. Media members are well aware that they face as many marketing con-jobs as meaningful information sessions. When it comes to those clowns from Chrysler, however, even a snowjob can be eminently appealing.
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
For those who want to keep up with John Gilbert's view of sports, mainly hockey with a Minnesota slant, click on the following:
Click here for sports