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.
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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.)
‘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.
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• 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.
Carle, Pioneers give each other Christmas gift sweep
Â’Twas the last series before Christmas, and all through the house, the Denver Pioneers knew there would be considerable stirring, because this was no normal house, but the DECC, where the creatures stirring would be Bulldogs, not mice.
“This is a tough building to come into,†said Carle. “We got together and talked it over, and we decided that the best Christmas gift we could give each other would be two wins this weekend.Ââ€
Carle was talking as the fans left the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center in silence, walking out into the stark, near-zero chill of Northern Minnesota winter, while inside, the Pioneers had succeeded in celebrating a little bit of Christmas a week early by completing a tough 4-2, 3-1 sweep that pushed them clearly into WCHA contention at the holiday break and halfway point of the season.
“We talked all week long about how this was going to be a tough series,†said coach George Gwozdecky. “If we are going to be in the second-half race, even if we’re going to battle for second and third, this was a very important weekend, and I asked the players to approach it like a playoff weekend. This is a tough building, especially for freshmen. It’s a smaller rink, and the fans are right on top of you. It can be an intimidating place for a guy not used to it.
“I remember how it is, because I scored my first goal here. It was on a breakaway. Ken Turko was UMDÂ’s goaltender. I beat him, low to the stick side.Ââ€
Gwozdecky traced the goal back to his days at Wisconsin, guessing it was about January of 1974. How could he, a big scorer for the Badgers in their formative days, remember the goal so well? “Listen,†he said, “I didnÂ’t score that many goals. I learned more about coaching from sitting on the bench and watching.Ââ€
Gwozdecky, of course, probably got the earliest feeling of Christmas sometime last spring, when Carle passed up what might have seemed like the perfect time to jump at an NHL offer. True, Carle was only a sophomore last season, but he was an All-America on defense, and he scored 13 goals and 31 assists for 44 points to rank third in Denver team scoring, and four seniors were departing from the team that won its second NCAA championship in a row.
It may be more than mere coincidence that Denver won NCAA titles in both of CarleÂ’s seasons. He could easily have signed with San Jose and been playing in the NHL right now. But he didnÂ’t really consider it.
“San Jose respected what I am doing at Denver,†Carle said. “They didnÂ’t throw a lot of numbers around to try to get me to leave. I couldnÂ’t ask for a better place to be than Denver, and to come back with the chance to play a leadership role is something special. WeÂ’ve got a lot of freshmen on this yearÂ’s team. WeÂ’ve only got two seniors, but we have a big junior class, and everybody contributes leadership.Ââ€
Four of the six defensemen Gwozdecky used at Duluth were freshmen, and while they might be comparatively unknown, mark down those names: T.J. Fast, Chris Butler, J.P. Testwuide, and Julian Marcuzzi. The fifth defenseman is Andrew Thomas, a sophomore. So as a junior, Carle is clearly the elder statesman among the guardians of the Denver blue line.
“Matt logs a lot of ice time,†said Gwozdecky. “And when he’s on the ice, he’s exceptional at all parts of the game, defensively and offensively. He can defensively stop a rush, and he can break down a rush and anticipate exactly what to do. And he’s a great student. He loves being in college, and he seems to know that these may be the best four years of his life.
“In my mind, heÂ’s the best defenseman – and maybe the best player – in the country. HeÂ’s a smooth skater, and heÂ’s strong, poised, and compose. HeÂ’s been that way since his freshman year.Ââ€
Carle may be without peer in the WCHA – or in the country – strictly as a defenseman, but the key to Carle’s game is his ability to bolster the Denver offense. The cliché phrase “jump up into the offense†doesn’t come close to describing Carle’s ability to read and properly sense when to make his transition to offense.
“In today’s day and age, you can’t expect to score a lot with just three forwards on attack,†said Carle, whose presence means Denver never has just three forwards attacking. If a forward is backchecking and defensive responsibilities are covered, Carle will blend in on the breakout and counter-attack as if he were the third forward. If all three Pioneer forwards are already sailing down the ice, Carle catches up in a couple of powerful strides and, quicker than you can say “Hobey Baker candidate,†he blends smoothly into the rush as a fourth attacker.
In FridayÂ’s game at Duluth, UMD jumped to a 1-0 lead on Matt McKnightÂ’s shorthanded goal at 4:54, to get the Bulldog crowd into it. Carle promptly tied it with a power-play bullet from the right point at 6:57. Then he fed Paul Stastny, who relayed it to Tom May for a 2-1 lead six minutes later. And at 17:36 of the first period, Carle and Stastny threw the puck around until Butler scored from inside the left point for a 3-1 Denver lead. Carle, quite casually, had three points on the three goals.
UMD rallied for a second-period goal by Jason Garrison, and went on to outshoot Denver 41-23, but Ryan HelgesonÂ’s goal late in the second period secured a 4-2 lead and the Pioneers secured the territory in front of goaltender Glenn Fisher, who contributed 39 saves for the victory.
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UMD also got the jump Saturday, when Michael Gergen scored at 4:49 for the only goal of the first period. In the second period, Butler scored a power-play goal and set up Michael Handza for another, and Stastny finished the 3-1 victory on a third-period rush.
Carle, without a point in the second game, has 8-18—26 for the season, trailing only Stastny (5-22—27) in team scoring. That figure puts him ahead of his freshman full-season tally of 5-20—25, and puts him in sight of last seasonÂ’s All-America output of 13-31–44. Humility, however, is another ingredient in what makes him so impressive.
“IÂ’ve progressed every year,†said Carle. “As a freshman, I had decent numbers, but I was a young buck on a really experienced ‘DÂ’ corps, and I had to get used to the college game. I added some offense my sophomore year.Ââ€
This season, like last year, the Pioneers struggled early. This season, it was because so many new, young players found their rhythm. That rhythm includes a 5-1 surge that lifted their WCHA record from 3-3-2 to 8-4-2, and overall from 6-6-2 to 11-7-2. The early stumbles might have averted the spotlight away from a team planning to take a run at an unprecedented third straight NCAA title. No more. They swept their pivotal home-and-home series with Colorado College, winning 4-2 and 5-1, then whipped Alaska-Anchorage 5-2. They were unseated, however, when Anchorage stung them 3-0 in the rematch, a loss that caused Gwozdecky to put extra emphasis on the series at UMD.
GwozdeckyÂ’s players appreciate his disciplined efforts, and itÂ’s undoubtedly a factor in Carle staying in college.
“We have great coaching, and I think San Jose knows IÂ’m getting good training here,†said Carle. “We want to win it all, and the last two years, however we played in the first half of the season, we were there at the end.Ââ€
A real-estate/construction management major, Carle, a junior, needs one more full year to complete his degree. Gwozdecky and Pioneers fans obviously hope Carle decides to finish his education and play his senior season as well, while opposing coaches might well be sending Christmas cards to the San Jose Sharks, urging them to sign the guy from Denver as soon as possible.
Even though Carle has not even thought ahead about it, the question remains whether San Jose will continue to be so patient after this season – when a 6-foot, 190-pound defenseman with all the moves, skill, and skating ability to swim with the Sharks should be allowed to stay in college, where he might be the biggest fish in the pond.
Jeep Commander rises beyond Cherokee territory
Writing about new cars for more than three decades has generated a fiar number of questions from readers, and discussing new cars on WCCO radio with Charlie Boone at 7 oÂ’clock every Saturday morning has generated hundreds of new contacts by email. One of the better questions was: Will the new Jeep Grand Cherokee have a third-row of seating?
I couldn’t be certain, because the trend seems to be to introduce a model and then introduce various spinoff versions, and with the Grand Cherokee being all-new a year ago, it might take some time for word to come down from Mercedes, to Chrysler, to Jeep, and then to get applied. My hunch wasnÂ’t bad. I was wrong about a new version on the Grand Cherokee, but I was right about JeepÂ’s intention to add a third-row seating arrangement. But instead of merely squeezing ianother row of seats into the cargo hold of a Grand Cherokee, Jeep went over the top.
The 2006 Jeep Commander is an entirely new vehicle that takes fully into account the demands of traditional Jeep buyers, but also expands into that segment that insists on seven-passenger, three-row seating. With SUVs expanded beyond a million and, optimistically maybe, headed for two million, and 50 percent of prospective buyers wanting a third-row of seats, it would be foolish to overlook that gang.
Big, bold, and perfectly suited to taking large numbers of people on their appointed rounds with startling, Hemi quickness, the Commander meets or exceeds any on-road requirements anybody could have for a large SUV, and previous testing at the vehicleÂ’s introduction indicates that off-road ventures are easily acoomplished.
Entirely new, from stem to stern, the Commander sits on the same platform and wheelbase of the new Grand Cherokee, but itÂ’s two inches longer, and considerably larger, in every dimension. Parked next to a Grand Cherokee, the Commander is taller, which helps house the seats of Jeep’s first three-row-seat vehicle. If Jeep wanted to simply build a three-row-seat SUV, I think it may have overshot its aim; the Commander will take on a lot of luxury SUVs, costing much more.
The look is striking, if not ultramodern, which also is by design. The Commander makes an attempt to recapture the image of the old Jeep Grand Wagoneer from decades past. That was a squarish, but luxurious, sport-utility vehicle that was very popular, although my personal opinion of it was that it seemed like a lot of spare parts somehow fastened together – and not always solidly.
Instead of a steeply-raked windshield, the Commander has a blocky but readily identifiable grille and front end, and from the side it has wheelwell openings outlined with bulletproof molding, which has neat little allen-screw-looking indentations that seem intent on convincing bystanders that somebody took their new vehicle to an after-market shop to be reinforced. Actually, the illusion is a counter-illusion, because the flares are replaceable.
The test vehicle is “Trail Rated,†which is Jeepspeak that means you could go crashing and careening off-road, through the underbrush, and where roads may not necessarily lead. The inherent ruggedness is countered by the Commander’s luxury appointments. The $42,225 as-tested sticker might be an indicator, although I was surprised it was that low, with a $38,205 base price, because I’ve driven a lot of over-$40,000 SUVs recently.
On snow or ice, or congested traffic, the Commander I test drove was smooth and very managable, but always potentially overpowering. ThatÂ’s because it has a Hemi. Yup, just like the commercial might say. that thing has a Hemi in it. The 5.7-liter hemispherical-head V8 churns out 330 horsepower at 5,000 RPMs and 375 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 RPMs.
So even though the Commander weighs in at 5,169 pounds, it can accelerate with sports-sedan quickness, and carries itself extremely well. It handles with what my wife, Joan, called sports-car-like precision, considerably better than most other large SUVs weÂ’ve driven, in her view.
As impressive as the Hemi power is, the Commander also benefits from the cylinder-deactivation system that effectively cuts out half the cylinders at cruising speed, moving it up from gas-hungry to reasonable in fuel efficiency. WeÂ’re talking a vehicle that would be impressive if it got 14 miles per gallon, and improving it to the 17-18 neighborhood.
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Opening the door reveals more luxury than you might be prepared for. The test truck was jet black, which was more stunning as we encountered a couple of midweek snowstorms hit. Inside, what is called “Saddle Brown Yuma Leather†greets you from all the seats, and with three rows-worth, that’s a lot of seats, arranged in what they call stadium seating. Movie theaters do it, putting the seats on risers so everyone can easily see over the bushy-haired giant sitting a row ahead. In the Commander, occupants in the second row can see over the front row, and third-row sitters can see over the second row. The taller body means more side glass, and a more, uh, commanding view.
The roof is stepped, so itÂ’s higher to accommodate the rear seat, although the step itself is physically obscured by the well-positioned roof rack. The seating and all the appointments are nothing if not totally luxurious. The rearmost row of seats fold down independently, making a flat carpeted stowage surface. ThatÂ’s a good idea, too, because while everybodyÂ’s market research says that SUV buyers are adamant about wanting a third-row seat, it is even more dramatic in pointing out how rarely those third-row seats are used to sit in.
The second row is used frequently, though, and on the Commander the stock formation is a 40/20/40 split that can fold up to separate the outer seats if youÂ’re hauling four instead of five. Or seven. If there are only two of you, and a lot of stuff to haul, you can fold both the second and third rows down flat into the floor. On a trip, you could probably find room to sleep back there, which would mean SUVs have finally figured out how to capture some of the best assets of vans.
“Instead of thinking outside the box,†said Jeep spokesman Don Renkert, “we made a better box.Ââ€
I don’t like fake wood trim, but the woodgrain inside the Commander, which I’m sure is “genuine simulated wood,” is as attractive as any I’ve seen. The instrument panel is well laid out, as are center stack controls, right on down to the console, which has the shift lever for the five-speed automatic transmission, and a little grasp-handle if you want to lock the beast into low range to creep down some steep off-road decline.
An oversized sunroof fits because of the straight-up walls, and can be augmented by fixed-window skylights over the rear, which further brightens the luxury concept.
Going through the snow is a breeze, no matter which type of four-wheel drive you choose. Jeep has enough systems to satisfy the most demanding buyer, with QuadraTrac, QuadraTrac II, Quadra-Drive II, and then thereÂ’s the two-wheel rear-drive version.
You get the Hemi, and you get the Quadra-Drive II, which has electronically controlled shifting of torque to assure that the wheel with the most traction gets the most power. It even can send 100 percent of available power to just one wheel, and when youÂ’re talking Hemi power, you obviously can still get where you intend to go with one wheel doing the work.
Side-curtain airbags shield all three rows, augmenting the normal airbag-equipped safety stuff, which starts from structural safety with solid rear frame rails designed to take off-road boulder hits, which pretty much mean anything on the road should be easy.
The rear end has a solid-axle build with five-link suspension, again designed to handle the most rugged use. All Commanders get that treatment, whether you choose the 3.7-liter V6, the 4.7-liter V8, or the 5.7-liter Hemi. If you choose the top Limited model, the base is $38,205, and it drops off to $36,280 for the Limited, $29,985 for the basic 4×4, and $27,985 for the 4×2.
Impressive as the Commander Limited 4×4 Hemi is for charging through snow, ice, traffic congestion, to say nothing of dry pavement, it seems to me that anyone who would buy such a vehicle would want the 4×4. I mentioned that to Michael Berube, one of the Jeep officials at the CommanderÂ’s launch.
“Twenty-five percent of Jeep buyers buy them in 4×2 form,†Berube insisted. “But thatÂ’s in the sunbelt. In the snow belt, especially in places like Minnesota, 4x2s are bought byÂ…almost zero percent.Ââ€
Sanity, as they say, prevails. Sometimes.
Badgers women prove elite status in tie, victory at UMD
When you were a little kid, maybe your parents stood you up against the door sill and put a tiny pencil mark to denote how tall you had grown by a certain date. If coach Mark Johnson were to do the same with his Wisconsin Badgers womenÂ’s hockey team, the biggest growth mark would be for December 9 and 10, 2005.
The dates are for when Wisconsin went to Duluth and battled No. 1 ranked Minnesota-Duluth to a 2-2 deadlock, with the Badgers holding the upper hand through the third period and the overtime, then continued it the next night to claim a 2-1 victory. It was the best, most intense hockey of the season for both teams. But it was more than that for the Badgers.
Sharon Cole is one of five seniors in the University of Wisconsin womenÂ’s hockey lineup, which means she and Badger coach Mark Johnson were rookies the same year. Cole would only measure 5-foot-3 on a growth chart, but she has grown along with her coach and he team as the Badgers have reached true status of a genuine NCAA championship contender with those two games.
WomenÂ’s WCHA hockey teams get a long midseason break, perfect for focusing on final semester exams and the holidays, but the Badgers deserve the break more than ever, because their semester exams on the ice came at the Duluth Entertainment and Conventilon Center.
Through its first six years, the Women’s WCHA has been a two-team duel between the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and the University of Minnesota. True, Wisconsin battled those teams with increasing competitiveness, finishing second last season, for example, but when it came to post-season play, it was always the “Big Two.†UMD won the first WCHA season title, and Minnesota won a coaches association national tournament that year; UMD won the first three NCAA championships, and Minnesota won the most recent two.
The Bulldogs had elite, star-quality players like Maria Rooth, Jenny Potter, and Caroline Ouellette, while Minnesota had elite stars such as Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell. You canÂ’t find players like that readily available around the womenÂ’s hockey world, so against such foes, Mark Johnson took chances on players he liked and built with balance and depth. Then he coached them, teaching fundamentals, as well as little situational tricks heÂ’s known since he starred for his dad, Badger Bob Johnson, at Wisconsin and then later for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team and in the NHL.
“Mark hasnÂ’t really changed too much,†said Cole. “He knows the game, and he teaches it so well. We doi a lot of individual skill things, and a lot of work. IÂ’m amazed at how much weÂ’ve developed, skill-wise. The biggest difference this year is we have a lot of depth. We can throw three lines out against any teamÂ’s first line now.Ââ€
Everything the Badgers have worked for came to focus on the series at the DECC. To open the season, Wisconsin was picked first in the country, but got thumped 5-2 by UMD in Madison. The next night, the Badgers grew a little with a goal in the closing seconds to tie UMD 3-3, and Sara BauerÂ’s power-play winner in overtime claimed a 4-3 triumph. The next pivotal series came in mid-November at MinnesotaÂ’s Ridder Arena, when the Badgers stunned the Gophers 2-0, then stamping a 6-2 victory on the rematch. Cole had a goal in the first game and two in the second, which was huge for her, being back home.
Cole played on Bloomington JeffersonÂ’s emerging girls program that won a Minnesota state championship here junior year. One of her teammates was Allison Lehrke, who is UMDÂ’s captain and one of their top centers, and Larissa Luther, who also is a senior with the Bulldogs. The Gophers have struggled to regain their previous stature, this year, however, while UMD had streaked to supplant Wisconsin as No. 1 in the country, leading the WCHA, and riding a 10-0 steak at home.
“We looked at the series as a big chance to get ahead,†said Cole, who said she went to Wisconsin with no illusions of being a standout player. She plays left wing with Sara Bauer, a 5-foot-3 junior and the team’s top scorer, while those two mighty-mites have blossomed since Johnson shifted Jinelle Zaugg, a 6-foot-1 sophomore from Eagle River, Wis., up to right wing.
“She wasnÂ’t with us at the start of the season,†said Cole. “SheÂ’s got such a great reach, it really helps when weÂ’re forechecking.Ââ€
As expected, UMD and Wisconsin played with great pace and intensity every shift. Noemie MarinÂ’s power-play goal staked UMD to a 1-0 lead midway through the first period of the first game, and it stood until late in the second period when Bauer came out of the penalty box, beat a defenseman up the left side, and cut to the goal to beat UMDÂ’s Riitta Schaublin at the right edge for a 1-1 tie. Junior defenseman Bobbi-Jo Slusar put theBadgers ahead at 1:02 of the third with a screened shot from the left point. At 13:04, Jessica Koizumi whirled and fired a screened shot from the top of the right circle that beat Wisconsin senior Meghan Horras high and into the right edge for the 2-2 standoff.
The tie was one thing, the fact that Wisconsin pinned UMD into its own zone for most of the remaining seven minutes, and during a 4-0 shooting edge in the five-minute overtime, meant plenty to WisconsinÂ’s confidence.
“It was like a playoff game,†said Johnson. “We got what we were looking for. Somebody challenges your team, and I liked the way our players competed. It was two good skating teams, with good players making good plays, and itÂ’s fun to watch that.Ââ€
UMD coach Shannon Miller said: “We had a real good first period, we both killed penalties in the second, and in the third period Wisconsin outworked us, beat us to every loose puck, and we were lucky to leave with a 2-2 tie. Riitta Schaublin was the only reason we got the tie.Ââ€
The next night, Miller broke up her first two lines, supplanting Koizumi with Lehrke between explosive wingers Marin and freshman Michaela Lanzl, while Koizumi centered freshmen Sara O’Toole and Mari Pehkonen. But the Badgers came out and did two things no other team has been able to do to UMD all season – or in any season – by forcing the Bulldogs to throw the puck away in their own end, and then pouncing on those loose pucks and doing something with them.
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While killing a penalty in the first period, Cole pounced on one of those grenade-like turnovers, and cut across in front of the goal, left to right, as she jammed a backhand shot. Schaubliin went down as she blocked the shot, sliding on her knees to the right edge of the crease. The puck, however, squirted through, and was sitting in the crease, inches from the goal line. Bauer was the first one to it, and converted the equivalent of a four-inch putt for a shorthanded goal.
Early in the second period, the Badgers proved ColeÂ’s comment about their depth, as Tia Hanson knocked in a second rebound for a power-play goal at 1:21. Her linemates, Erika Lawler and Angie Kesely, both got assists. All three are freshmen, playing on the third line.
UMDÂ’s third line came back to puncture HorrasÂ’s shutout late in the first period. Freshman hometown center Tawni Mattila, who might have been UMDÂ’s most effective forward in the game, rushed through the Badger defense and got off a good backhander. Horras saved it, but junior Juliane Jubinville poked in the rebound to cut it to 2-1.
Then it was truly final exam time, as the Badgers continued to defuse UMDÂ’s offense, smartly clearing their zone and putting the puck in deep, and forcing the Bulldogs to go the length of the ice to attack, but unable to sustain any sort of passing game to get there. After being outshot 37-23 the first game, UMD outshot Wisconsin 27-25 in the second, but the Badgers always had five defenders in front of Horras, who faced few dangerous threats, while Schaublin was forced to stop repeated break-ins and threats off turnovers.
“We played much better,†said UMD coach Miller. “I thought we played fantastic hockey. This series was a great test for us, and, win or lose, it was really good for us to have to raise our level of play to this level.Ââ€
Mark Johnson said: “We knew that theyÂ’d come out flying in the initial six or seven minutes, but we weathered the storms. Meaghan did a good job when we broke down, and we got a lift from our third line. TheyÂ’ve got a lot of energy, and they just want to play and have fun. These type of games, everybody gets better. They were good tests for both teams. It was a good weekend, and itÂ’s another step in the journey to March.Ââ€
Johnson also has a good feeling for his team’s depth, and a special feeling for the seniors – Cole, second linemates nikki Burish, Cyndy Kenyon and Grace Hutchins, and goaltender Horras. Scoring has underscored the team’s balance, but the first line will be the one to rely on for pressure goals.
“Sharon Cole has really become a good player, and itÂ’s nice to see that,†said Johnson. “She always had the skill, and sheÂ’s a good skater and understands the game. Sara Bauer surprised everybody and blossomed into an outstanding player last year. I put Jinelle Zaugg up there, and itÂ’s been a good chance for her, because playing with Cole and Bauer, all she really has to do is get open. That can become a really good line.Ââ€
It already has, Mark, and while the coach has been working so hard and the players have been developing so much, all the while focusing on the destination at the end of this season’s journey – and the four-year journey – the Badgers have become an elite program. Completing a 3-0-1 record in the four games at Minnesota and at UMD is like getting a big Christmas present a few weeks early.
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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