Dodge takes high-Caliber shot at changing market
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — The desert of Arizona doesnÂ’t have much in common with Chicago in midwinter, notwithstanding some pretty elaborate McCormick Place simulations during the Chicago Auto Show, which started with February 8-9 media previews. But there was a significant connection this year.
Chrysler showed that its most compact commuter vehicle will be of a higher Caliber as a 2007 model when it held media introductions in Arizona, then proved in Chicago that along with the rest of the automotive world, Chrysler Group might be adding distance in another direction from General Motors and Ford, its United States competitors. The vehicle in the middle of that breakaway is the new Dodge Caliber, which is a combination downsized SUV and upgraded sedan/wagon, with a completely flexible and fun-to-drive conglomeration of the best assets of both.
Upon first examination, at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, and again at DetroitÂ’s Auto Show in January, I was dazzled by the looks of the Cobalt, and I assumed it might be a personal/luxury crossover that might cost from $25,000-$35,000. I was surprised to learn the base SE model Caliber starts at $14,000. Then I got to drive one at the media introduction in late January in the mountains surrounding the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, and I am convinced that as a project, the Caliber is of extremely highÂ…ahÂ…caliber.
I predict that the Caliber will prove enormously popular by both what it isnÂ’t and what it is — first, being NOT enormous in size; second, being surprisingly a kick to drive; and third, being remarkably inexpensive to operate, and particularly to buy.
Flash forward to media days at the Chicago Auto Show, and Jason Vines, Chrysler’s unceasingly clever public relations coordinator, pulled on a wig portraying “Wink Jasondale†to play a Dating Game parody called Driving Game, and unveiled three vehicles – first, a new Nitro R/T; last, a new Dodge Rampage concept pickup; and between the two, the new SRT-4 – which is a turbocharged, 300-horsepower version of the Caliber.
On either side of Chrysler’s introduction, General Motors and Ford both unveiled their newest large trucks – GM with the new Chevrolet Avalanche and Ford with a redesigned Lincoln Navigator. Let’s see, now…two new large trucks, from two companies that are in financial crisis-mode because of the serious dropoff in large-truck/SUV sales. Hmmmmm.
Meanwhile, the rest of the automotive world seems to have realized that smaller, more compact “crossover†SUV sales are going right past the big-truck versions in 2006, and are scrambling to enter that more rational compact-SUV segment, the Dodge Caliber seems to be another blast out of the park for Chrysler. Caliber fulfills all the requirements of larger SUVs with the obvious assets of a compact crossover SUV, but if it’s a crossover, it’s coming from the compact sedan driveability end, more than the truck end. It is being built in the Belvidere, Ill., assembly plan, right on I90 as you drive westward from Chicago.
Going against the flow has become a standard for Chrysler, from days of the Prowler, to the Viper, to the PT Cruiser, to the 300, Magnum, Charger and upcoming Challenger. For now, it is the Caliber. “We monitor the industry,†said Chrysler Group product communications director Rick Deneau, “and when everybody else goes right, we go left.Ââ€
Consider that the Neon was ChryslerÂ’s successful little compact/subcompact that had a good life but has now disappeared from ChryslerÂ’s product list. The Caliber, actually, is the replacement for the Neon. And yet, at $13,985 (including destination), it starts $410 below the Neon, with huge upgrades in content. It may meet all responsibilities of a compact family car, but with its Dodge cross-hairs grille, hump-backed wagon-back roofline, and flexible utility inside, the Caliber crosses over to cover virtually all features that people have been getting from outrageously expensive SUVs.
ChryslerÂ’s recently arranged collaboration with Mitsubishi and Hyundai on engine-building pays off with a World Engine variety for the Caliber. Hyundai first came up with a design, which Chrysler officials didn’t think was workable, so Hyundai created a totally redesigned idea six weeks later, and Chrysler officials considered it perfect for their U.S. application, as well as on the worldwide stage.
Built in a new plant in Dundee, Mich., but also being built in Japan, South Korea, and elsewhere in the world, the base 1.8-liter engine has 148 horsepower, the 2.0-liter has 158 horsepower, and the 2.4-liter has 172 horsepower. All three are from the same family, but the days of simply boring out an engine are gone. Computer-selected optimum sizes for balance and refinement meant varying bores and strokes on all three, but they share concept, chain-driven dual overhead camshafts, and variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust sides of their four-valve-per-cylinder layouts. (The just-announced SRT-4 takes the 2.4 and turbocharges it up to 300 horsepower and 260 foot-pounds of torque, but thatÂ’s a later story.)
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Calibers start out as front-wheel drive, and the top R/T comes with all-wheel drive. Transmissions range from a five-speed manual up to a second-generation continuously-variable transmission (CVT), which can be selected with an AutoStick feature that simulates manual choice of six automatic gear stops. All Calibers built with 40-percent high-strength steel throughout the body cage, plus magnesium and hot-stamped steel reinforcement beams for side-impact protection and hydroformed front and upper cross-members for further structural rigidity. Standard side-curtain airbags augment the other safety features.
The 1.8 engine is standard in the SE and SXT. In the $13,985 SE base model, options include the 2.0, with the CVT. Same as the $15,985 SXT model, which adds more interior versatility, including a 115-volt household electrical outlet, and an expanded option list that includes heated leather seats, power sunroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, foglights, and electronic stability control. The top R/T model has all that the SXT offers, plus electromagnetic all-wheel drive at $19,985, and has the 2.4-liter engine standard, along with the CVT with the added AutoStick feature, plus antilock brakes, sport suspension, performance steering ratio, foglights, 18-inch alloys, and a chrome grille.
There is no resemblance to the Neon, but whatever the Caliber is, it takes care of those folks who wouldnÂ’t consider the Neon, or any subcompact, because of diminutive size. The Caliber is 4 inches taller, 1 inch wider, and 1 inch shorter overall than the Neon. It also measures 5 inches longer and 2.5 inches lower than the PT Cruiser. With a rear floor that is easily removable for cleaning, and split fold-down rear seats, it has enough interior room to appeal to a universal array of buyers. Chrysler intends to sell Caliber in 98 countries, and designed it to also handle right-hand-steering.
Every manufacturer is trying to attract the 20-something segment, and Caliber has certain appeal there, but with marketing projections of 50-50 male-female buyers, itÂ’s a logical contender for any commuter, any small family, any second-car seekers, and even for those looking for an inexpensive but safe car for an offspring reaching driving age.
The kind of details that can set a vehicle apart from competitors also are available in the Caliber. A rechargeable flashlight, for example, is a handy and useful feature. A second glove compartment, one high and one low, are also handy, and the lower one has a chiller box that will hold four 20-ounce pop or water bottles. The household electrical outlets, first seen on the Toyota Matrix, is a brilliant addition – no more searching for a cigarette-lighter adaptor.
And then thereÂ’s the audio system, which can be upgraded to a nine-speaker, 458-watt blaster. When youÂ’re at a picnic, or tailgating, swing open the rear and you can fold down a little hinged boombox from the ceiling, aimed outside, so you can fire off your tunes through the tailgate. Perfect for the conversationally-challenged.
The Caliber designers seemed to think of everything, including all kinds of parts intended to help satisfy the potential for after-market tuners, who will find an unlimited playground for personal alterations.
Mercedes raises luxury car bar with S-Class for 2007
PHOENIX, ARIZ. — A fellow escorting an attractive woman was behind me in line at the Phoenix airport Thursday and said he noticed the tag on my suitcase, which identified me as having attended the Mercedes S-Class introduction. He was aware I wrote and talked on the radio about cars, and wanted to know what I thought of the car, because he was awaiting delivery of the first 2007 S550 coming to Minnesota.
That puts him on a particular plateau among millions of new-car buyers, because only about 25,000 people in the United States this year will buy a 2007 S-Class– the crème de la crème of Mercedes automobiles, and possibly the finest car available under $100,000 – and only one of them will obtain the first of them to reach his home state. Or, at least, his home state for that half of the time he’s not at his OTHER home state, Arizona.
He said he got a chance to drive a preview S at a dealership in Scottsdale, a Phoenix suburb, and it just whetted his appetite for the car he had already ordered from Maplewood Imports in suburban St. Paul. “I always buy an S-Class when a new model comes out, and as soon as I see the first picture in a magazine, with tape all over it to disguise it, I put in my order.Ââ€
Having spent all that day driving a new S550, I told him I didnÂ’t think heÂ’d be disappointed. Yes, there is the BMW 7, the Audi A8, and the just unveiled Lexus LS460, but when Mercedes comes out with a new S about every seven years, it is an event worthy of notice by the entire world auto industry. The 2007 model will be the ninth generation. Product manager Bernhard Glaser says: “For more than 50 years, each new S-Class has defined the benchmarks of safety, design, technology, and luxury.Ââ€
Not just for Mercedes, but for appreciative buyers who demand the best, from Minnesota to Arizona, and all points east, west, north and south. And, oh yes, they also must be ready to plunk down $86,175 for their uncompromising choice. That is actually a reduction from the price of a comparably equipped 2006 S500, and it is less than the upcoming S600, which will be $140,675, or for a corporate hot-rod S65AMG, which will follow this summer, or a 4Matic all-wheel-drive version, which will be out just in time for next fallÂ’s first snowfall.
The great thing about a Mercedes introduction is that there are always as large a fleet of engineers as cars, readily available to answer most questions before they can be asked, and to handle any follow-up questions promptly, and in their clipped, German accents. For example, Glaser rode in the back seat in one of the first S550s I was in, and showed me how to adjust the COMAND control knob on the console, and how it is better than BMW’s “i-Drive†because it has redundant hard-button controls, and can be voice-controlled at the touch of a button on the steering wheel.
“It’s like you’re having a conversation with the navigation lady,†Glaser said, referring to the pleasant voice that prompts you for upcoming maneuvers if you choose voice control for any operation, including a destination on the nav system.
The 14-way adjustable bucket seats have 15 pneumatic chambers, some of which automatically firm up the edge of your seat to hold you in place as you turn the opposite direction. Driving through a slalom course provokes an interesting sequence of hip-support, and Glaser got me to connect to one of four available pulse modes – I chose the slow but vigorous full-back massage, and the irregular undulations are stimulating, not drowsiness-inducing. The 600-watt,14-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system with its DVD player will even play your plugged-in card with a couple thousand of your own MP3 songs, and hear them through the system.
Dr. Peter Hille, the manager of the “short-range radar†development for Mercedes, took us out in waves after dinner the night before, to a darkened street where two S550s faced each other with the headlights on for what looked like a possible high-tech and high-buck game of chicken. Instead, it was a demonstration of the Night View system that is available as part of a $6,500 package for those who want to add every imaginable goody, and a few that are beyond imagination.
The night-vision device on Cadillacs and some other vehicles is very good at detecting objects far beyond the reach of the headlights by thermal imaging, so warm bodies, and things like hot engines and exhausts, appear with an eerie glow. Mercedes says the problem with thermal imaging is that things of similar temperature to the surroundings donÂ’t show up. Mercedes has gone far beyond, to infrared radar, which detects all objects. To prove it, three people next to the car shining its lights at us, as if possibly changing a tire on a roadway, were invisible to a driverÂ’s eye, but on the Night Vision screen, which takes the place of the large speedometer and immediately converts the analog speedometer to a thin bar graph at the bottom of the screen, you could see the people clearly and sharply.
A more astounding use of short-range radar is in Distronic Plus, the Star-Wars-ish Mercedes adaptive cruise control. Numerous high-level cars have adaptive cruise, which slows you automatically if the car ahead slows. Distronic Plus holds the same interval, up and down, and to a complete stop. At Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, we ran some drills to prove it. We also ran a drill on Brake Assist, proving that you could run an S500 right up ‘way too close to an object, brake gently, and too late, and then stop with a surprisingly safe margin because the car’s short-range radar read the fact that you were too close to the object, that your brake pedal force was insufficient, and it simply intensified the brake pressure that you should have summoned to stop.
Those devices also worked well in real-world highway driving, where I followed cars at a distance preset by a stalk on the steering column, and it even worked as we went around corners. It could be discontinued at the touch of the brakes. I suggested to Glaser that if you were paying more attention to following the car ahead than to your route, you could be fascinated enough to follow the car home safely – but to their home, not yours.
The backup camera that used to be ultrasonic now uses short-range radar to map out gridlines on the dash navigation screen, with the blue grid showing the carÂ’s trajectory, the red line simulating the rear bumper, and yellow gridlines to indicate the proper trajectory for backing into a parallel parking spot. You could look at the screen, get the blue grid to line up with the yellow grid, and park perfectly without ever looking out the rear window.
But enough of the fabulous features. The ordinary stuff is extraordinary on the S550 as well. On the exterior, the S is less zoomy than the mid-range E-Class, and some may even prefer the simpler C-Class. But the S has a more traditional stance, with a very sleek roofline, and it looks lower than its spacious interior might imply. ItÂ’s not mandatory that you own homes in both Minnesota and Arizona to afford one, but it might help.
The interior surrounds occupants with a prominent strip of real walnut and real leather. A thin row of fiber-optic ambient lighting welcomes occupants. The keyless entry has been refined so that you use a push-button starter without the key, and when you get out, touch the door handle anywhere and you lock all four doors. But driving remains the most magnificent part of the S-Class.
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Mercedes had earlier changed over its V6 engine design from three valves to four, and it unveils a new 5.5-liter V8 in the S550 that has chain-driven dual overhead cams running four valves per cylinder, and variable valve-timing. Those who still maintain that pushrod engines are the way to go must consider that this sophisticated powerplant actually converts to 333 cubic inches, and turns out 382 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs, with 391 foot-pounds of torque steadily peaking from 2,800-4,000 RPMs.
A seven-speed automatic transmission is simply engaged by pushing the steering-column shift lever down into “D,†and all is well. But if you want more performance, fingertip paddles on either backside of the steering wheel let you upshift or downshift any time. A switch on the console engages either C or S, for comfort, or sport, and the sport setting not only adapts to higher shifting rev points, it stiffens the suspension commensurately too.
While enlarged from its predecessor to 205 inches of length and a 124.6 inch wheelbase, and 4,270 pounds, the S has a 19.8 cubic foot trunk, but will turn, lock to lock, with 2.8 turns of the steering wheel, and will turn in a 40-foot radius.
Mercedes designed a holistic approach to safety, with Brake Assist, Distolic Plus. and Night Vision new upgrades in active accident avoidance; computer detection of an imminent and unavoidable crash that raises seat bolsters, closes windows and sunroof and tensions seatbelts as pre-safety; eight airbags surrounding all in the high-strength steel body as passive safety; and post-crash features that autodial emergency responders if the airbags deploy, while also shutting off fuel supply, turning on emergency blinkers, and even displaying markers on the windshield that indicate to safety crews where itÂ’s easiest to cut off the roof to quickly extricate occupants.
The S550 is fast, powerful, and yet poised in all conditions. On a rural two-lane, you want to pass a slow-moving pickup ahead, and you hit the gas, swerve out and back in, and you learn a new definition of “triple digit inflation,†even though the independent air suspension’s adaptive damping and level control keep the car low and flat throughout the sudden maneuver. Speed is governed at 130 miles per hour (no autobahns here, after all), and 0-60 sprints take only 5.4 seconds.
If you want more, wait for the costlier S600, which has a twin-turbocharged V12, with 510 horsepower, or the S65AMG rocket, with 604 horses. Me? IÂ’d gladly join the guy in the airport line and settle for the S550. Not only is it plenty fast, but if itÂ’s less swift than its coming brothers, it also gives you more of a comfortable margin for having a conversation with the lady from the navigation department.
Insurmountable Badger lead suddenly surmounted
What a difference two weeks can make.
Three weeks ago, Wisconsin swept Colorado College in a series at Colorado Springs, and as the Badgers returned to Madison, coach Mike Eaves stopped off in St. Paul for a Sunday night National Hockey League game at Xcel Energy Center, because Patrick Eaves, the son of Mike and Beth Eaves, was playing for Ottawa against the Minnesota Wild that Sunday night.
As the proud parents beamed, Patrick Eaves scored a first-period goal to tie the game 1-1, set up a goal to put the Senators ahead 3-1 in the second period, and scored again to make it 5-1 on the way to a 6-1 Ottawa victory. PatrickÂ’s big game was just sort of frosting on the cake of a perfect weekend, a perfect season. Things couldnÂ’t get much better than that for Mike Eaves, and the Wisconsin Badgers, both of whom were on top of the world.
At that point, the Badgers had amazingly lost only one game out of 16 played in the WCHA, and their 13-1-2 record seemed to have secured the No. 1 ranking in the nation, and the MacNaughton Cup long ahead of schedule, because no other team in the WCHA had fewer than five losses. Not only did the Badgers lead the field by eight points, they had swept contenders Minnesota, North Dakota and Colorado College – all on the road. So returning to Kohl Center would be easy.
Everybody knows about the home-ice advantage in the rugged WCHA, right?
On his way through the concourse after the Ottawa-Wild game, Mike Eaves was congratulated for the big weekend. He smiled, but Mike Eaves is nothing if not pragmatic to a fault, so it was no surprise he also cautioned that nothing was settled yet in the WCHA. There was still a long way to go, he insisted. Sounded a lot like coach-speak, because how could things be better for the Badgers?
Turns out, things couldn’t get better – but they could take a stunning and dramatic turn for the worse, and Eaves knows how delicate the balance can be in determining good luck, and winning. The caution Eaves displayed, the reluctance to count anything as solid, proved prophetic a couple days later, when star goaltender Brian Elliott injured his knee in practice. Word was, he’d be out a month, minimum.
Elliott’s loss could have been a staggering blow, since he was leading the WCHA and among the elite goaltenders in the nation, but his replacement, untried freshman Shane Connelly. played very well. It just seemed that Elliott’s injury seemed to instill the first shred of negativity experienced by the Badgers since their only previous WCHA loss – an upset at home by Michigan Tech, which was immediately overturned in a 7-0 rematch rout.
But with Connelly in and Elliott out, Denver came to Madison and won 1-0, then swept the series two weeks ago. A shred of negativity or not, it initiated a remarkable turn of fortune for Wisconsin, and for the WCHA race, which continued this past weekend.
Consider that the four hottest teams in the WCHA all went on the road last weekend, and all four of them swept two-game sets to make enormous upward moves with those road sweeps.
Denver, which rode a rocky up-and-down first half of the season, swept Wisconsin and then swept Alaska-Anchorage – both on the road – and the Pioneers now have a five-game winning streak in their march to the top.
Minnesota is the hottest of all, avenging two humiliating losses to Wisconsin at home by going into Madison for the sweep, and the Gophers now take a week off with an 11-1 record since those double losses to Wisconsin at Mariucci Arena.
In addition, St. Cloud State and Minnesota State-Mankato both have risen on the wings of hot streaks to threaten the upper division. St. Cloud State stunned North Dakota twice in Grand Forks, and the Huskies now have gone 8-1-1 in their last 10 to move into contention for a top-five finish and home-ice for the first round of playoffs. Minnesota State-Mankato swept two games from UMD in Duluth, and if the Mavericks’ 7-10-3 record doesn’t look that impressive, consider they are 8-3-1 in their last 12. To make the situation embarrassing for UMD, which has lost five in a row to teeter near the cellar, was Saturday’s 7-1 debacle in the DECC issued by Mankato.
But the spotlight clearly was on Madison, where the enormous buildup was that Madison’s Phil Kessel, who spurned Wisconsin to become the first Wisconsin-born player to ever play for Minnesota, was making his first trip back home as a rival Gopher. All the attention was an effective smoke screen when the Gophers jumped to a 5-1 lead through two periods because of Danny IrmenÂ’s hat trick, four assists from Ryan Potulny, and a goal and three assists from freshman Ryan Stoa. But Wisconsin battled back furiously, scoring three times in less than three minutes, only to see their final, six-attacker push fall short. Robbie Earl dashed through the Minnesota defense at the finish, with Connelly pulled for an extra skater, but just when it looked like Earl might be home free for a 2-on-0 with five seconds left, he was knocked off balance and the puck slid harmlessly past the net.
The 5-4 loss left encouragement in the Badger camp for the rematch, but before another 15,000-plus sellout at Kohl Center, Minnesota won again, 3-1, for the sweep. The Gopher victory was blunted only slightly when it was learned that Irmen may have suffered a shoulder injury that could knock him out for a couple of weeks. Fortunately for the Gophers, they are idle this weekend so Irmen might have time to heal a bit. Kessel, incidentally, scored a clinching goal in the second game at Wisconsin, then circled the Kohl Center rink, taunting the fans by holding his gloved hand to his ear to see if the fans were still booing him. The Badger fans, however, were stunned to silence.
In the last two weekends, Wisconsin dropped from 13-1-2 to 13-5-2, and the insurmountable Badger lead has been surmounted, as not only Minnesota, but Denver pulled into a three-way tie at the top with Wisconsin at 13-5-2. Good games, exciting games, but a Badger team that lost only once in league play in over two months had dropped four in a row, all at home.
Two weeks earlier, the WCHA race had become an interesting tangle, with Wisconsin alone at the top, CC, North Dakota, Minnesota and Denver all battling for second place, and, in the lower division, an extremely bunched group that consisted of Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State, Minnesota State-Mankato, Alaska-Anchorage and Michigan Tech.
Now, the one-horse race for first is a three-way tie at 28 points, while eight points behind comes a four-team cluster that shows North Dakota, Colorado College, St. Cloud State and Mankato within three points of each other, then four points behind them, Michigan Tech, UMD, and Anchorage all within two points of each other in a battle to avoid last place.
With four series remaining in the regular season, WisconsinÂ’s schedule still appears the most favorable, although the Badgers must go to UMD, to Michigan Tech, to Mankato, and finish at home against St. Cloud State. Minnesota hopes the week off doesnÂ’t cool the sizzling streak, then goes to Tech, returns home for a huge set with Denver, then goes to Anchorage before finishing at home against arch-rival UMD. Denver has Mankato before going to Minnesota, then goes home to finish against North Dakota and the home-and-home rivalry with Colorado College.
Stay tuned.
Badgers hit the road to find home-cookin’ touch
Former Minnesota Fighting Saints coach and current Canadian NHL broadcaster Harry Neale once spoke about his teamÂ’s winless slump by saying: “We canÂ’t win on the road, and weÂ’re having trouble winning at home – and my failure as a coach is being unable to find anyplace else for us to play.Ââ€
The University of Wisconsin hockey team is not in the same circumstance. The Badgers had been winning BOTH home and road, until they suddenly lost four straight games at home, and lost both the No. 1 national rating and sole possession of first place in the WCHA as well. Fortunately for the Badgers, they hit the road Friday night and whipped Minnesota-Duluth 7-2 before a sellout crowd of 5,315 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.
Call it “road, sweet road.Ââ€
The victory raised the Badgers back into first place all alone, because Denver and Minnesota, the two teams that had swept the Badgers at Kohl Center the last two weeks to gain a three-way tie for the WCHA lead, are both idle this weekend. With a 14-5-2 league slate and 19-6-2 overall, every Wisconsin loss has come at home this season, while the Badgers are 10-0-1 in road games.
The big crowd came to honor Brett Hull, the just-retired NHL star whose UMD number 29 was retired between periods. Hull, more famous for wearing No. 9 in the NHL when he retired earlier this season as the third-best goal-scorer in NHL history – behind a couple of guys named Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe – played only two seasons at UMD but scored 32 goals as a freshman in the 1984-85 Bulldog run to the NCAA final four, and scored 52 goals as a sophomore before signing with Calgary and turning pro.
Even though he only played two years of college, Hull called his days in Duluth “the foundation of my career. When I came here on my first recruiting visit, I knew this was the place.†Hull added that he was humbled to be so honored that his jersey number would be raised to the DECC rafters alongside only Keith (Huffer) ChristiansenÂ’s No. 9. Then Hull, who returns to Duluth every summer to play golf, and visit his ex-wife and their daughter, concluded his first-intermission tribute at center ice by saying: “LetÂ’s kick some Badger butt!Ââ€
The Bulldogs trailed only 2-1 at that point, but it was they who left the DECC with their tails between their legs. Wisconsin also had some “home cooking†for their road series, literally, as their series-opening goal output duplicated their total of all seven goals in their four losses. The weekend started with a big pasta feed at the Duluth home of senior Nick Licari, whose dad, Steve Licari, and his new wife entertained the troops with some serious carbo loading. Nick Licari played his usually tough, aggressive game, and Ross Carlson, Wisconsin’s other Duluth native, scored a pivotal goal that broke open a 3-2 game late in the second period, igniting a flurry of three unanswered Wisconsin goals in the third while the Bulldogs were left spiraling the other direction, to their seventh straight loss.
Freshmen took a large share of the spotlight, as goaltender Shane Connelly, who was pressed into service when star Brian Elliott went out with a knee injury three weeks ago – and who had been the victim of Wisconsin’s four-game losing streak – came through with 28 saves to earn his first Badger victory. And center Ben Street, another freshman, scored the final two goals in the game, after coach Mike Eaves juggled his lines with immediate effect late in the second period.
Tom Gilbert, Andrew Joudrey, Robbie Earl and Adam Burish scored the other Wisconsin goals, while UMD countered with a first-period goal by MacGregor Sharp and a second period marker by Nick Kemp – also freshmen – to keep the game close. UMD’s lack of firepower doomed the Bulldogs to their seventh straight loss, and their ninth home WCHA loss in a row, dropping to 5-13-3 in the WCHA in a three-way battle with Michigan Tech and Alaska-Anchorage to avoid last place, and 8-17-4 overall.
“We had been missing a little something the last two weeks,†said Connelly, who made 16 of his 28 saves to defuse an aroused UMD attack in the second period. “We all had shared the blame for the four losses in the room, but tonight we played a lot smarter. You could see we got it back. I got a little work in the second period – that was fun.Ââ€
Eaves noted that when Elliott went out, Connelly played well, but the team seemed to have a psychological shift, possibly from thinking they had to help the freshman goalie more. Whatever it was, the Badgers got off their free-wheeling style. “It wasn’t that we lost the goalie, but it changed the whole dynamics of the team,†said Eaves.
“The guys really felt good for Shane tonight. We had put it on the table. I told him, ‘We didn’t just drop you in the deep end, we dropped you in the Pacific Ocean. But you’re a better goalie now because of those four games. Keep improving, and we’ll win as a team.’ “
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The final result hinged on a key line change Eaves made, as he juggled to put Carlson with Street, and Skille, and Burish was reunited with Earl and Joe Pavelski. The switch resulted in four consecutive goals, by Carlson, Burish and two by Street.
The Badgers opened with a strong first period, as Gilbert moved in with a stolen outlet pas with both sides short a man, and fired past Josh Johnson midway through the first period. After Sharp tied it for Duluth, Joudrey made it 2-1 on a stunning rush, as Ryan MacMurchy lagged an outlet pass up the right boards, while Burish skated to the puck and rushed up the right on a 2-on-1. It appeared Burish might have carried it too deep, but his late pass just past the right pipe was converted at the crease by Joudrey at 12:44 – just 46 seconds after UMD had tied the game.
Earl notched his 14th goal after slipping behind the defense for a long pass at 4:39 of the second period, but this time UMD countered immediately, with Kemp scoring 24 seconds later to cut it to 3-2. Ten minutes later, Carlson carried behind the UMD goal, swung out on the right side and held the puck until he got about 15 feet out, then he whirled and fired a low shot between the legs of goaltender Johnson, who had dropped but left a tiny five-hole opening.
“That fourth goal killed us,†said UMD coach Scott Sandelin, whose team gave up seven goals for the second straight game. “It was a backbreaker that found its way in.Ââ€
If JohnsonÂ’s goal killed the Bulldogs hopes, the wake of three more goals in the final period submerged them.
Burish finished off a neat rush with Pavelski and Earl at 11:38 of the third period, then Street scored less than a minute later, and stuffed in another in the closing minutes. Road, sweet road. By then, many of the fans had headed for the exits. Brett Hull remained, however, to suffer with his former team — and to do a couple of television interviews before heading off to Detroit to watch the Super Bowl.
Volvo’s C70 dazzles as coupe, or topless
HANA-MAUI, HAWAII – If anybody wants a sporty vehicle but is torn between a flashy coupe and a convertible, the Volvo C70 might be the most attractive answer to such a compelling question, because it offers the best of both worlds.
VolvoÂ’s clever idea for replacing its popular convertible, and its recently shelved but never-quite-popular-enough two-door coupe, is to come out with one model that accomplishes what both tried to do. With room for four full-size occupants, the C70 has a three-piece retractable roof, which, frankly, looks better than either of its predecessors ever did.
Volvo will introduce the car as a 2006 model in April, because production started just before the end of 2005, but the changeover to 2007 models will soon follow. Unfortunately, that means the C70 wonÂ’t be eligible for North American car of the year awards because the 2006 winner has already been named, and because it is being introduced as a 2006, it wonÂ’t qualify for the 2007 award. ThatÂ’s too bad, because after two days of serious driving, the C70 seems too good to be true.
Volvo is aiming the C70 at the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series and Saab 9.3 convertibles, and it compares well to all of them, including in price. At a base price of $39,305, the C70 is priced right amid that group of convertibles, but along with its turbocharged engine and standard six-speed stick, the C70 is a great-looking coupe that transforms into a convertible with the push of a button that causes the three-section roof to sandwich itself and disappear beneath the rear deck.
Designer John Kinsey created a stunningly long and beautiful roofline, tapering gently from the windshield back to the rear deck. It had to be a long roof, because the C70 is a genuine four-seat convertible or coupe with legroom and headroom for actual humans in the back seat, beyond small kids or those interested in self-torture. There are great looking coupes that become convertibles, and great looking convertibles that have hard tops. Usually, they look distinctly better one way or the other. But with the C70, you could argue either way.
Personally, I think the coupe has a slight edge, because it is a genuine hardtop, with the windows going down to create a pillarless opening on both sides. But I am open to discussion, and I must admit I was pretty much caught up in the whole fantasy thing.
If the C70 is a fantasy on wheels, the introduction took on a surrealism of its own, because Volvo introduced the car to the media in Hawaii. More precisely, at the Hana-Maui Hotel, on the easternmost tip of the island of Maui. Only a couple of roads circulate from the hotel either way from Hana around Maui, and those roads are so tight and twisty that there are over 600 turns in one 35-mile stretch along the craggy, black, volcanic shoreline, as well as up to the 10,000-foot Haleakala Volcano.
Performance and agility are well-tested on such roads, and by a Maui tradition of one-lane bridges. Many of the roads are only one-lane wide, and all of the bridges are one-lane, one-way, only. A sign on one side informs traffic it must yield to any traffic coming the other way, while the oncoming lane has no such rule. Amazingly, it works well, even though smiling locals seem to think yield instructions are for visitors only, and come barreling through, right-of-way or not.
Such surprises make the driving a bit more exciting, beyond swerving and darting around all those tight turns with dense foliage instead of shoulders on either side in some places, lava-rock bluffs and 500-foot cliffs flanking you in other places. After two days of such antics in the C70, it was time to work.
At our cabins, I fired up the laptop, and opened the large double doors, to leave the screen doors onto the securely raised balcony as the only barrier for the breeze that cooled the 80-degree temperature as it accompanied the intoxicating sound of the waves crashing against the lava rock shoreline 50 yards away. The rhythmic pounding of the surf is both awesome enough to inspire you and soothing enough to insure a great nightÂ’s sleep. OK, itÂ’s paradise, so maybe the writing can wait, because we donÂ’t want to be late to the luau on nearby Hamoa Beach, complete with a traditionally roasted pig, with a live band and Hula dancers performing by torchlight.
Hamoa is the normal, popular beach, not the black-sand volcanic beach right in Hana, or the red-sand beach in an isolated little cove about a 20-minute hike on a breathtakingly treacherous trail north of the resort. Liability concerns prevent the hotel from recommending the red sand beach, and free-spirited oneness with nature prevents some of the swimmers from wearing traditional swimsuits. Or any swimsuits, for that matter.
Three of us pale, male, mainland media waifs ventured over there and stood casually amid a few men, women and children on the beach. A swimmer who had been snorkeling back and forth in the lagoon suddenly walked out of the water toward us, and turned out to be a well-conditioned mermaid-type apparition wearing ONLY a snorkel. With considerable effort, we focused our attention on the crashing waves, and the awkward moment was relieved when a couple of playful whales leaped high out of the water, just a few hundred feet beyond the reef.
Is this paradise, or what? In this setting, weÂ’re examining an ultramodern and high-tech Volvo C70. On the other hand, the car was as special as the setting. Chief designer Kinsey, who works at VolvoÂ’s studio in California, was a finalist with designers from Sweden and Barcelona for the S40 sedan. “I thought I had a real good design for the S40,†said Kinsey, whose favorite pastime is to do a little surfing before heading into the studio, “but when my design didnÂ’t win, I made up my mind to win this one.Ââ€
And he did, with impressive attention to detail, earning himself a trip to Italy, where he worked with car-body specialist Pininfarina on details for the retractable roof. “The challenge was that in replacing two cars with one, it first had to be a credible coupe. It had to attract convertible buyers, but also those who drive coupes exclusively.Ââ€
Incorporating all of Volvo’s legendary safety elements was a major project, even though the C70 start with the very impressive S40 sedan. As a two-door coupe instead of a four-door sedan, the support of the solid “B†pillar between the two doors on each side is gone, so extra support from an aluminum safety beam was built into the doors. Various cross-members stiffen the chassis, and the rear half is a horseshoe-shaped structure, surrounding the occupants with a safety perimeter.
With the emergency brake on, push a button on the console and a large aluminum panel atop the trunk opens on rear hinges, then the top lifts, magically separates into three sections, and as they move back on robotic arms, they stack on top of each other, then disappear into the opening, which itself disappears when the panel clicks shut. It takes 30 seconds, and it is a mechanical marvel to watch. Once down, nobody would guess this flashy convertible could possibly have been a coupe just a minute before, or a minute later.
Volvos have become stronger performers with continually improved handling as well as shapely appeal in recent years. The C70 will certainly not disappoint in that regard.
Under the hood is a 2.5-liter, in-line, five-cylinder engine with a turbocharger, side mounted to be secure in that well-designed safety zone. The turbo comes on smoothly, and the engine delivers 218 horsepower and 236 foot-pounds of torque. The car is quick and agile, with precise steering and steady power. The six-speed manual transmission seems perfectly suited to the car, but the five-speed automatic has a manual shift gate as well, for those who like to pick their own gear.
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On the twistiest of Maui’s roadways, I found the stick was preferable for swift driving – no surprise – but the reason was the turbo allows the engine to pull smoothly from 2,500 RPMs, meaning you don’t have to strain those overhead-camshaft valves at high revs to be in a sufficient power band. My codriver on the introduction runs preferred to run the car at screaming-high revs close to red-line in second gear, while I chose to let the turbo whir to build torque up from lower revs in third. His way was edgier, mine far smoother, but both methods work well.
Power front buckets come standard covered in “FlexTech,†which is almost a neoprene-type surface that feels like suede but is impervious to damage in normal to heavy usage – including a bird that apparently dive-bombed the back seat while I was wading at the black sand beach. Also, a six-CD changer on the high-performance audio system, leather steering wheel and shift knob, auto-dimming mirror, 17-inch alloy wheels, and Volvo’s DSTC stability control system are standard. So is the ROPS system of pop-up rollbars that instantly join the Boron-steel windshield pillar to give rollbar protection at both ends of the occupant compartment, in the extremely rare case of a rollover.
Obviously, a buyer could choose to upgrade via several packages, or by adding features such as leather interior, rain-sensing wipers, a 910-watt audio, heated seats, gas-discharge lights, navigation system, 18-inch wheels, automatic transmission, and metallic or pearlescent paint.
All of that can jack the price pretty well, as is the case with any carÂ’s option list. What goes unseen as standard equipment is the superb attention to safety details. Side airbags and side curtain bags are standard, as is the structural horseshoe and the extruded aluminum door braces. Volvo safety manager Thomas Broberg said he doesnÂ’t really worry about the national or insurance institute crash tests, because VolvoÂ’s own safety laboratory in Gothenburg, Sweden, involves tests and safety demands beyond any countryÂ’s one-time testing statutes.
Volvo says it will sell 16,000 C7 models worldwide in calendar year 2006, even with the late start. The car is hotly anticipated to the point that 2006 models are expected to be sold out before they reach the showrooms. If you put in a claim for one of the 2006es, and miss it, just consider it another part of the fantasy. Awaiting an Â’07 gives you time to fantasize…about four days in Polynesian paradise, with a refreshing breeze blowing through the screen, crashing waves lulling you to sleep, whales jumping out of the ocean, and a fantastic looking coupe that drops with as much appeal as any snorkeling mermaid in the nearby lagoon.
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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