BMW 3-Series icon reaches new dimension for 2006
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Ever since the introduction of BMWÂ’s 7-Series luxury cars and 5-Series midsize sedans, the automotive world has held its collective breath awaiting the introduction of the fifth-generation BMW 3-Series. So the arrival of the car deserves a collective sigh, both for admiration and relief.
The 2006 3-Series expands on what is arguably the world’s favorite sporty sedan and improves upon a near-perfect car in almost every way, with more power, more handling agility and more interior room. The focal point will be the car’s styling. It is both provocative and alluring, wearing the new and sometimes controversial BMW design cues, which make it admirably different from the existing 2005 3-Series, but with less startling appearance than either of its bigger brothers, the 7-Series or 5-Series – to everyone’s relief.
As evidence of its place in the modern automotive world, BMW anticipates selling 50-50 to men and women, and strengthens its hold on advancement of technology. The Â’06 models debuted in showrooms just this past weekend, with the 325i starting at $30,995, and the 330i at $36,995. Both now have the same 3.0-liter inline 6-cylinder engine, but it’s not the same award-winning 3.0 inline 6 as in the 2005 models. Different configurations of the intake and engine-management systems increase the 330i by 30 horsepower to 255, while the 325i, which used to have 274 horsepower from its 2.5-liter 6, now has 215.
Both engines have BMWÂ’s Valvetronic variable valve-timing standard, and the power is distilled through manual or automatic transmissions, both of them 6-speeds. Both cars offer optional sport packages with superbly bolstered seats, larger wheels (17-inch on the 325i, 18-inch on the 330i), and firmer suspension.
In style, the 3-Series looks more like a compact version of the midsize 5-Series than it does the current 3-Series. It has the same short-overhang at the front, with the long hood, and the flip-up tail. It also has the new-age contours grooving on the hood and along the sides.
When BMW altered the large 7-Series into a controversial new shape, I was among the masses who criticized it for going too far, with its droopy-eyelid headlights and its tacked-on bustle rear. When the 5-Series came out next, with similar cues but with the 7Â’s most objectionable elements distinctly toned down, I thought it was a beautiful compromise. When many magazine critics ripped the 5, I thought it was almost because they still disliked the 7.
The 3-Series is another step, less of a departure but clearly differentiated both from its current model and its restyled siblings. The existing 3 is near-perfect in style and will forever be beautiful, and the harshest critics may need some time to adjust to the new look. But as soon as a few new-generation 3s show up, car-folks will find themselves looking back at the predecessors and mentally noting that while beautiful, they are the “old†Beemers.
In the rush to criticize, BMW director of design Chris Bangle – an American, from Wisconsin – has been vilified. Pick up any car magazine over the last two years will jab at “Chris Bangle’s design,†but actually he did none of the actual design of any current BMW models. I praised the beauty of the 6-Series Coupe as vigorously as I spelled out my dislikes for the 7-Series sedans, and now I find out that Adrian Vanhooydonk designed both the 7 and the 6, while other designers drew up the 5 and the 3.
True, Bangle directed the work, and he is responsible for taking any heat, but a BMW board also must approve any design. According to product communications manager Dave Buchko, BMWÂ’s standard policy was that the board could not intrude on the designersÂ’ domain by suggesting specific alterations, but could only approve or disapprove the final design.
With the car ready to hit showrooms for the May 7 weekend, BMW wanted to properly introduce the new 3-Series, because it is a car – no, THE car – that best serves as the iconic link between exotic and practical in the automotive world. So it selected an exotic and mysterious location for the introduction…Pittsburgh?
Yes, Pittsburgh, and while BMWÂ’s marketing types layered us with various and assorted ways to link Pittsburgh to the 3-Series, none of them mattered alongside the most pragmatic reason: a new and readily available road-racing track located just far enough from the city for an hour and a half drive over a sequence of winding, twisting, hilly highways.
Perfect, both in fact and analogy. The 3-Series itself has always been basically pragmatic, even while reaching above and beyond the practical boundaries of most competitors’ cars, thereby inviting all sorts of lofty fantasies. That takes care of the analogy. In fact, the highways leading the 2-year-old Beaver Run race course are challenging and satisfying to cover, with abrupt hills and curves, and with the rare advantage of being not-as-all smooth. Most introductions strive for smooth roads to make the ride more impressive; BMW chose rather rough roads for the same reason – to display how the new suspension could carry the 3-Series cars with poise and grace over both normal and rough, irregular asphalt.
The new design stretches the car by 2.2 inches in length and 3 inches in width, both of which expand interior room. Increased use of high-tensile steel makes the body lighter, and yet 25 percent stiffer. Front suspension is now of double-pivot design, and the rear has a new five-link arrangement.
BMWÂ’s unique Active Steering, which also stirred controversy on the 5-Series, is adapted as an option for the lighter 3. It is carefully designed to enhance, rather than intrude on, driving instincts. Some claim it does too much for the driver. I think it is one of the more significant improvements in decades for both safety and performance handling. The system allows a quick-steering feel of maximum response and agility at low speeds, but firms up for razor-sharp adjustments at higher speeds.
Racing is fun, but in real-world driving, loss of control is often the result of over-correcting after an emergency swerve – in other words, swerving to miss something but turning too far, because of over-boosted power steering or over-boosted adrenaline, and then having to counter-steer abruptly to correct the first move – sometimes worsening the whole situation. Having compared the 5’s system with and without Active Steering, and now running the 3 on autocross courses, slaloms, and at high speeds on the race track, I’m convinced it enhances a driver’s ability at the outer limits by virtually eliminating the need for steering correction. With Active Steering, the car reacts so precisely that you needn’t correct, so naturally you don’t over-correct.
The Dynamic Stability Control also is very technical and impressive. You can set it for total control, or shut it off if you feel the need to use the throttle to swing the rear out a little, or you can set it for a third setting that gives you some, but not total, skid control. We tried all three settings on the controlled autocross course, outlined by cones. If it had been a practical joke, it was a good one.
The starter told me I had the system switched on fully for my first autocross run. I said IÂ’d prefer to run first with it off, then add some, then full control, but he said as long as it was on full, to try it that way.
I made one turn to the left, then went hard into the purposely placed sand in the second turn, to the right. I skidded sideways through the sand, taking out about a half-dozen cones and winding up off the track. Later, the fellow still thought everything was on, but was overruled by another official, who said the system indeed was fully off, instead. Next run, with it on full, the car refused to skid in the same sand as it zapped around the same corner.
For more high-tech stuff, consider the active cruise control, with radar-controlled intervals to maintain a preset gap behind the car ahead, and active xenon headlights that throw some light around corners as you start to turn into them. Various other cars have those features, but few have the 3’s hill-holding feature, which, with the stick shift, means you stop on a steep incline with one foot on the clutch and the other on the brake, and when you step off the brake to hit the gas, the brake holds for three seconds, giving you time to get on the gas and ease off the clutch without rolling backwards.
The dreaded, overly technical “iDrive†system is an option, but only if you get the navigation system, so you can avoid it and settle for simple, ergonomically sound knobs and buttons.
The added size of the car is not significant, but it might prod fans of the current fourth-generation 3-Series to hustle out and buy one of the remaining 2005s. The new car’s enlargment may be a clever plan to make room for future importing of the smaller BMW 1-Series. WeÂ’ll have to wait and see.
If I have one complaint, it is the usual snow-belt driver concern that rear-wheel drive is less effective on ice and snow than front-wheel drive, traction-controls notwithstanding. But in the debate over FWD and RWD, we certainly can applaud the BMW 3-Series, with its 50-50 weight distribution on the front and rear axles, for simply being the best rear-wheel-drive sedan on the planet. It has been that for a decade or two, and virtually every car-maker, admittedly or secretly, chooses the 3-Series as its new-design benchmark for handling. The competition hasn’t caught up yet, and judging by the first drives of the 2006 3-Series, the gap may be widening.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews, and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Which Gopher team will show up in Frozen Four semis?
“There’s a difference between wanting to play well and having to play well.†So said University of Minnesota hockey coach Don Lucia, after he had properly assessed that losing twice in the WCHA Final Five wouldn’t prevent the Golden Gophers from advancing to the NCAA tournament with a favorable seed.
After the Final Five, but before the NCAA seedings were calculated, Lucia said: “These losses didnÂ’t matter. They have no bearing on where we end up. I know weÂ’ll either be the last No. 1 seed or the highest No. 2.Ââ€
Right on. The Golden Gophers were ranked in a tie for fourth and fifth overall with Cornell, and by virtue of having beaten Michigan, which in turn beat Cornell, the Gophers got the fourth and final No. 1 seed as host of the West Regional. Two overtime victories later, and Minnesota is off to the Frozen Four, as a legitimate longshot.
Will the REAL Minnesota Golden Gophers please stand up? Nobody knows. Will the Gophers who face North Dakota in ThursdayÂ’s NCAA semifinals in Columbus, Ohio, be the one that soared through the first half of the season, or the one that sputtered through the second half? Will it be the team that went 8-0 to end the regular season and start league playoffs, or the one that fell twice in the WCHA Final Five, or maybe the one that scratched and clawed to two narrow victories in the NCAA West Regional? Who will start in goal? Who will score? Will leading scorer Tyler Hirsch play? Will freshman defenseman Alex Goligoski play?
Questions, always questions. Goligoski will probably play with a light cast on his wrist, but Lucia doesnÂ’t like to divulge any more than he has to, so we may have to wait until the puck drops at 6 p.m. Thursday to find out. Same with the goaltender question, and the others.
If the two West Regional victories mean the urgency is back, credit – and a dose of relief – should go to Lucia. An Iron Ranger by birth, the Grand Rapids native could be known as “The Professor†for the way he calculates the computerized information that goes into the NCAA tournament seedings all season. He is a master at satisfying the criteria, and he knew there was no back-to-the-wall feeling during those WCHA playoffs.It’s time now.
When they wanted to play well in the WCHA Final Five, it wasnÂ’t enough, and the Gophers lost 3-0 to Colorado College and 4-2 in the third-place game to North Dakota. When they had to play well, in the NCAA West Regional, the Gophers were Golden, beating Maine 1-0 and Cornell 2-1 in a couple of overtime classics. LuciaÂ’s ability to come up with answers is one reason the Gophers have reached ThursdayÂ’s Frozen Four at Columbus, Ohio, where they will face North Dakota in the 6 p.m. semifinal.
Lucia, recalling Johnson had a tough time with Maine a year earlier, went with Kellen Briggs in goal. Minnesota won 1-0 in overtime. He stuck with Briggs, and the Gophers also beat Cornell, 2-1 in overtime. Against Maine, freshman center Evan Kaufmann came through with an enormous goal to beat the Black Bears. Kaufmann, whose age and the maturity he gained in the USHL belie his freshman status, had several good scoring chances against Maine ace Jimmy Howard, who gloved everything close.
“WeÂ’d been shooting glove all day,†said Kaufmann, after the Maine game. “Justin (Johnson) told me on the bench during a TV timeout, ‘If weÂ’re going to score on this guy, itÂ’s got to be somewhere other than his glove.Â’”
So Kaufmann won the corner faceoff – he was 9-2 on faceoffs in the game – and got the puck back to Judd Smith at the blue line. He shoveled it into the corner, and Garrett Smaagaard and Sertich scrapped to keep possession by cycling the puck on the end boards. One defenseman was back there, and the second went back after Smaagaard, so Kaufmann yelled, Smaagaard fed him. Kaufmann shot — away from HowardÂ’s glove, just inside the left pipe – and the Gophers were on their way.
It had to be the perfect game for Briggs, winning a 1-0 overtime shutout. “No, I’d rather we win 9-0,†said Briggs. Against Cornell, the Gophers also failed to score nine, but Andy Sertich got the goal that helped get the game into overtime, and Barry Tallackson knocked in his own rebound to beat the Big Red 2-1.
So now itÂ’s the Frozen Four, where Colorado College and Denver might reside as the two best teams in the country, and North Dakota is probably playing the best hockey of its season, and the Golden GophersÂ…are still facing unanswered questions.
The questions started at midseason, after a rebuilding Golden Gopher team earned the No. 1 rank in the country for five weeks, behind the explosive scoring of a line with Ryan Potulny centering Danny Irmen and Kris Chucko, and the goaltending of Kellen Briggs, who led all WCHA goalies in both goals-against and save percentage at midseason. The “Border Line,†so named because all three players were not from Minnesota, had accounted for half the team’s scoring, and Briggs led the league in overall games at Christmastime with a 1.88 goals-against and .931 save percentage.
January arrived, and the big line abruptly stopped clicking. Irmen dropped from being first or second in league scoring to finish in a tie for sixth in league games at 17-15—32, while Potulny dropped to 15th at 15-11—26, and Chucko finished 7-6—13. Pucks started sailing past Briggs, too, and through the second half, he dropped until he finished seventh in goals-against average at 2.97, and 11th in save percentage at .900 in league play.
Justin Johnson emerged from backup duty to win six straight games for the Gophers when Briggs was injured at the end of the season, and Johnson got the start against Colorado College in the Final Five. Minnesota lost 3-0, and Briggs returned to the nets against North Dakota, but the Gophers lost again, 4-2.
The goaltending question, however, was obscured by another large question at the end of the CC playoff game. Tyler Hirsch, an intense and highly skilled junior winger, had risen from third-line status when the Border Line’s scoring turned borderline, to lead the Golden Gophers in scoring. As of the end of the regular season, Potulny had 24-15—39 in all games and Irmen 20-18—38, but Hirsch had 11-31—42 to finish fifth among all WCHA players in overall points. Yet he remained on the third line all season, where he might have had extra bench-time to accumulate frustration during the third period of the CC shutout.
As the fans filed out after the game, Hirsh went out to center ice alone, as if heÂ’d been awarded a penalty shot. He raced in, fired the puck into the net, and followed it by crashing his body into the net, knocking it over on its backside.
Was it in frustration for not having played much in the third period? Was it to prove to the coaches’ constant urging that he could go hard to the net? Nobody knows. Hirsch went home to his parents’ Twin Cities home afterward, and didn’t play against North Dakota, or in the NCAA West Regional. He returned to the team, and spoke cheerfully to the media – but not about this question. He may play in Columbus.
It was suggested to Lucia that his well-calculated projections might work against his fire for getting his team emotionally charged for a game he knows is comparatively unimportant. When the coach knows that the team is cinched for an NCAA berth, and the team plays without any urgency through the second half, and into league playoffs, is there a link? Can the players, whether by their own calculations or by reading their coachÂ’s relaxed demeanor, play without desperation because they know they donÂ’t have to go all out in order to advance?
At Christmastime, Lucia knew that the Gophers, barring a complete collapse in the second half, were going to be assured of an NCAA berth, and one of the better seeds. The Gophers were 11-3 in WCHA play through the 2004 half of the schedule and deserved the No.1 rank in the nation for five weeks. In January, though, they suddenly absorbed a 1-5 month on home ice, at Mariucci Arena, losing twice at home to Colorado College, twice more to Michigan Tech and splitting with Minnesota-Duluth. The only other Minnesota victories in the 4-6 month were a split of 2-1 games at Boston University, and a sweep at Minnesota State-Mankato.
Minnesota opened February by splitting sets with Wisconsin and Alaska-Anchorage, which meant the struggle reached 6-8 for 2005 — hardly befitting a prospective Frozen Four team. Then the Golden Gophers seemed to right themselves in the last three weeks of the regular season, although their 6-0 string was recorded against St. Cloud State, Michigan Tech and Minnesota State-Mankato – the bottom three finishers in the WCHA. Beating Minnesota State twice more in the first league playoff round gave the Gophers an eight-game winning streak, but answered none of the questions.
Frozen Four time means desperation and urgency are the order of the day. Will the same pairings as the third-place and title games of the WCHA Final Five cause a flashback to the Minnesota? Will Lucia dare go back to Josh Johnson in goal because Briggs was just beaten by North Dakota? Will Hirsch bring the lift of his team-high points back into the lineup? Colorado College and Denver are the constants, and North Dakota is the hottest, and which Gopher team will show up?
Sonata’s new tune lifts Hyundai higher on hit parade
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. — A shiny 2006 Hyundai Sonata parked out front of the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel indicated how far Hyundai has progressed in sophistication. I mentioned to a Korean company official that I thought it looked good, “very much like an Accord.Ââ€
The fellow seemed genuinely hurt.
The new Sonata challenges the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, and there are some design similarities to those midsize icons, but I assured the Korean official that my comment was intended as a compliment. His reaction, however, indicates that Hyundai has advanced to where it can take offense at being compared to the very vehicles itÂ’s seeking to be compared to.
Hyundai has worked as hard as any auto manufacturer in the world to both establish and refine its identity – harder, maybe. But identification has come slowly and with great difficulty. Some think Hyundai is Japanese, others, when they learn it is South Korean, dismiss it for being Korean, and therefore not a serious player in the automotive world. Fortunately for Hyundai, acceptance of its vehicles has come easier than its identity.
The 2006 Sonata should help Hyundai accomplish both objectives. If a “sonata†is a piece of smooth-flowing music, this Sonata is pleasing enough to attain considerable “accord†(no offense). Sonatas are offering more size, more features and the usual unsurpassed warranty to combat the Accord/Camry popularity, and you will be able to buy a larger and roomier Sonata for significantly less than a comparable Accord or Camry model – in fact, a fully loaded Sonata with a V6 is still less expensive than the four-cylinder versions of the Accord or Camry.
The Sonata was introduced to automotive journalists during the past week with a drive northward from the toney Nob Hill area of San Francisco northward along the stunning backdrop of the Pacific Coast. The longer, sleeker Sonata is completely redone inside as well as outside, and it has two new engines – a 2.4-liter “Theta†four-cylinder and a 3.3-liter “Lambda†V6 – both built by Hyundai, and the five-speed automatic transmissions have a manual shiftgate.
The introduction comes almost a month before the official opening ceremonies of Hyundai’s $1.1-billion plant in Montgomery, Ala., the facility in which the Sonata will be the first product, which seems like the cart preceding the horse for what Hyundai of America president and CEO Bob Cosmai says is the “most important launch†for the company. That’s significant, because the Sonata is the second, after the Tucson SUV, of seven new Hyundai vehicles in a 24-month period.
The Sonata redesign comes on the heels of the current Sonata being named No. 1 in initial quality among midsize cars by J.D. Power, and being named the auto satisfaction winner of Good Housekeeping InstituteÂ’s “What Women Want†survey that generated 100,000 responses, 43,000 of which were women. The survey responses showed that safety was the No. 1 consideration, but that engine performance was “very important to women, even slightly more so than to male drivers.Ââ€
In a power-point talk by John Krafcik, HyundaiÂ’s vice president of product development and strategic planning, noted among his impressive statistics that the new Sonata would be bought by 47 percent males. During lunch, I asked Cosmai that if 47 percent male buyers meant 53 percent women buyers, why was the male minority listed rather than the female majority. Cosmai said that the company didnÂ’t want to market to females, because the corporate reasoning, paraphrased loosely, showed females will buy a car being marketed to males, but males wonÂ’t buy what they perceive as a “chick car.Ââ€
If being long, nicely styled, powerful, and with good handling and steering response is what chick cars have to offer these days, we should all be buying them. But we can sympathize with Hyundai’s dilemma, even if we don’t agree with it. “There are image targets, and consumption targets,†said Cosmai, explaining how a company can market for a certain image and accept consumption from a completely different demographic.
“We have had a 364-percent increase in total sales since 1999,†said Cosmai. “In 1998, Hyundai was not in the top 10 among top-selling imports in the U.S., but something like 12th or 13th. We are now the fourth-best-selling import, after Toyota, Honda and Nissan, with sales of 3,046,333 vehicles. WeÂ’ve gone from a niche company to full-line mainstream in five years. And we generate 57.6-percent repeat buyers. It was 18.6 percent in 1998.Ââ€
In that time span, Hyundais also took over Kia, another Korean company, and builds the engines used in those vehicles as well. While increasing production and sales in whirlwind fashion, not everything has fit into place smoothly. Hyundai envisions the midsize Sonata and the compact-to-mid Santa Fe SUV to be the big sellers, but the compact Elantra outsold the Sonata and the new Tucson is outselling Santa Fe right now.
The new Alabama plant my take care of that, however, because the new Sonata appears to be the best thing Hyundai has produced so far, and an all-new and larger Santa Fe will be built off the Sonata platform as the second vehicle coming out of the new plant. Hyundai anticipates building 150,000 Sonatas in 2006, its first full calendar year, and it can build about as many Santa Fes.
The new Sonata chassis has independent suspension, with double wishbone front and multilink rear, with stabilizer bars front and rear. I found the suspension a good compromise between comfort and firm-handling support. I also found the steering to be good, but not quite as quick-reacting as IÂ’d prefer. Hyundai engineers had benchmarked the BMW 5-Series for handling, the Lexus ES330 for interior noise quality, and the Audi A6 for interior craftsmanship. Not a bad hat trick to aspire to.
Power is good from the 3.3-liter Lambda V6, an all-new engine built in the Sohari, Korea, factory, and which will be built at the Alabama facility from July on. It is aluminum, with dual overhead camshafts, and continuously variable valve-timing on the intake side, which is good for 235 horsepower at 6,000 RPMs and 226 foot-pounds of torque at 3,500 RPMs.
The Theta 4-cylinder also has the aluminum, dual overhead cams, and other high-tech features and produces 162 horsepower at 5,800 RPMs and 164 foot-pounds of torque at 4,250 revs.
The engines also have chains – not belts – to drive the overhead cams, which means no worries about belt breakage. The engines solve another major problem in this era of $3 gasoline – yes, fuel stations on the drive through San Francisco showed regular gas at $2.99 per gallon – Hyundai engineers say you can use regular gas in the Sonata engines, or you can choose premium and get two additional horsepower and two more foot-pounds of torque.
By stretching the 2006 Sonata out over a longer platform with a longer, wider and taller body, the Sonata interior total volume goes from 114.1 cubic feet of the 2005 Sonata to 121.7 cubic feet of interior volume. That not only leaves the Accord (116.7 cubic feet) behind, but it also vaults the Sonata beyond the EPA’s interior-volume line of 120 cubic feet to delineate midsize from full-size, which means the Sonata qualifies as a large car on the inside while still midsize on the outside. Trunk capacity is 16.3 cubic feet – not quite as big as Camry’s 16.7, but much bigger than Accord’s 14.0.
Hyundai fulfills its other challenges to the establishment well. The basic GL model starts at $18,495 with the 2.4-liter four and is expected to consume 20 percent of brand buyers; the middle GLS with the four-cylinder starts at $19,995 and will account for another 20 percent; the GLS with the V6 starts at $21,495 and will be the largest-volume version at 35 percent; and the top LX with the 3.3-liter V6 starts at $23,495 and will comprise 25 percent of sales.
All models come with six airbags, including side-curtain, plus antilock on the four-wheel disc brakes and EBD (electronic brake distribution) to assure full braking in panic stops, plus an amazing standard feature of electronic stability control and traction control on the front-wheel-drive system. Hyundai officials are right in trumpeting that feature, as well as the insurance industryÂ’s evidence that cars with stability control show a 35 percent reduction in single-vehicle crashes, and a 30 percent reduction in crash fatalities. Projector headlights and foglights join power windows, keyless entries, air-conditioning and other standard amenities, and Hyundai just signed an agreement with XM Satellite Radio to include those devices as standard equipment in all Sonatas as soon as they can be factory installed.
It is commendable that Hyundai sought to improve its product more than worry about its identity, but the identity quest is not forgotten. A new global brand strategy will use the motto “Drive your way.†And a new ad campaign for the Sonata stresses it is “A Hyundai like youÂ’ve never seen before.Ââ€
Mottos and buzzwords should matter less than the bottom-line comparisons with comparably equipped Accords and Camrys. The Sonata is $1,880 cheaper than an Accord when both have 4-cylinder engines, and $4,000 cheaper using V6 models. The difference is $2,700 cheaper against the Camry 4-cylinder and $2,900 cheaper with V6es. And yes, the Sonata with the V6 turns out to be cheaper than the better-known rivals with 4-cylinders.
On top of that, the Sonata has traction control and stability control devices which may not be standard, or even available, on some of those rivals, plus a 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty and 5-year, 60,000-mile overall warranty, against, for example, HondaÂ’s 3-year/36,000-mile warranty for both. The warranty has never mattered with Hondas or Toyotas, where durability and maintenance-free reputations prevail. If Hyundai can match that, its warranty may not matter, either.
That unbeatable warranty used to be the only reason new buyers were attracted to Hyundai, even if the Korean company tended to copy rather than try for leadership. The Sonata will change that perception, because its style, features, and flexibility make it an valid competitor, and the warranty is just a nice add-on.
Pioneers power-play breakthrough decides Frozen Four
COLUMBUS, OHIO — DenverÂ’s consistency is what got the Pioneers to the Frozen Four, but the Pioneers changed formulas to win their second straight NCAA hockey championship. Oh they remained consistent all right, and in fact reinforced their strengths, but they also obliterated a couple of weaknesses during a weekend culminated by Saturday nightÂ’s 4-1 title-game victory over North Dakota – the “other†hottest team in collegiate hockey.
DenverÂ’s strengths included a solid corps of high-character veterans blended artfully by coach George Gwozdecky with a premier crop of skilled freshmen, with a dominant combination of strong goal-scoring, big and solid two-way defensemen and exceptional goaltending. ThatÂ’s a pretty compelling explanation for a 32-9-2 season record.
Those strengths were highlighted when the final game scoring was handled by veterans Jeff Drummond, one of seven seniors, who scored the first goal, and junior first-line center Gabe Gauthier – a likely candidate to be next year’s captain – who scored the final goal after setting up the first one, while freshman Paul Stastny scored the other two goals and assisted on Gauthier’s empty-net tally. At the other end of the Value City rink at Schottenstein Center, freshman goaltender Peter Mannino was more dominant, making 44 saves to make the final game score look more lopsided than it was, considering North Dakota outshot the Pioneers 45-24.
The Pioneers assets were sufficient to obscure a weakness on the power play, even while Denver was winning a share of the MacNaughton Cup for the WCHA regular-season title, capturing the Broadmoor Trophy for the WCHA Final Five, and claiming the Northeast Regional NCAA berth in the Frozen Four. Entering the Frozen Four, Denver had scored 47 goals in 241 tries for a meager 19.5 percent effectiveness. But the Pioneers erupted to go 8-for-18 on power plays at the Frozen Four — a sizzling 44-percent, including all the goals in the 6-2 semifinal victory over CC, and two of the four in the 4-1 championship game against North Dakota.
That means Denver scored 15 percent of its 43-game total of 55 power-play goals in the final two games, vaulting transforming a 19.5-percent weakness to 44.4-percent efficiency against two of the best penalty-killing teams in the nation. The suddenly aroused power play was decisive for the Pioneers, because Colorado College limited them to only 11 of their 29 shots at even strength shots, and North Dakota held the Pioneers to 12 even-strength shots in 24 total shots on goal in the final.
Furthermore, while itÂ’s both easy and superficial to automatically name the tournament winning goaltender as most valuable player, in this case, Mannino deserved the accolades. While the Pioneers had numerous outstanding performances, the freshman goalie from Farmington Hills, Mich., made 41 saves while Colorado College outshot Denver in the 6-2 semifinal victory before making a season-high 44 saves in the 4-1 final.
Mannino came into the Frozen Four with a 2.39 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage, then, while playing both games of a weekend for the first time all season, he stopped 83 of 86 shots, for a 1.50 goals-against and a .965 save percentage. That improved his already-strong season to a 2.22 goals-against record and a WCHA-best .927 save percentage.
Among other statistical achievements earned by their Frozen Four exploits, Denver’s Matt Carle and Brett Skinner solidified their status as the1-2 scorers among defenseman, with the sophomore Carle getting a goal and two assists against CC and another assist against UND for a season total of 13-31—44 tally, while Skinner had four assists against CC, and while failing to score in the final game, he had good reason, continuing to play solidly after having his shoulder separated on the first shift, to finish 4-35—39.
Stastny, with his two goals and an assist gained by a respectful pass to Gauthier instead of trying for a hat trick against an empty net, finished 17-28—45 to catch Wisconsin’s Joe Pavelski as the top-scoring WCHA freshman.
StastnyÂ’s name gives him away. On paper, heÂ’s a young man who was born in Quebec City, but thatÂ’s because his home moved to where his father – NHL superstar Peter Stastny – was located. In this high-tech, ultra-stiff composite hockey stick era Stastny might be the only player in Division 1 college hockey – to say nothing of elite high school, or even Bantam or Peewee hockey — who still uses a wooden stick.
“IÂ’ve been using a wooden stick for the last six years, the same pattern my dad used,†Stastny said. “I suppose now IÂ’ll take this stick and throw it in the basement with all the other souvenir sticks weÂ’ve saved.Ââ€
That stick stroked a one-timer off Carle’s perfect pass across the slot to make it 3-1 on a Pioneer power play in the third period. It was a crucial goal in the outcome, obviously, although Stastny’s first goal – the game-winner to break a 1-1 tie midway through the second period, and also on the power play – was supremely important, if less artistic. That came when Kevin Ulanski’s shot from inside right point hit Stastny in the rear end and deflected past Jordan Parise. Presumably, Stastny won’t save his breezers amid those wooden sticks.
After the game, Gwozdecky maintained his usually poised demeanor, but he hesitated several times answering media questions, and despite his countenance, it was obvious he had to fight to hold his emotions. He talked about the pressure of expectations as defending champion all season, and about his teamÂ’s great leadership, from one end to the other.
He singled out a couple of special players, in senior defenseman Matt Laatsch, the captain, and junior defenseman Brett Skinner.
“Skinner was rammed hard into the end boards on the first shift of the game,†Gwozdecky said. “He separated his shoulder, and the doctors looked at him. He came back and played, maybe his best game as a Pioneer.Ââ€
As for Laatsch, the captain, a 6-foot-3, 205-pounder from Lakeville, Minn., Gwozdecky said he embodied everything a coach could ask for, and more. “Laatsch came in as a walk-on, had to go through a lot to play, then had a horrible infection that affected his body after duodenal ulcer surgery,†Gwozdecky said. “Doctors said to forget about playing, that heÂ’d never play hockey again. He not only came back, he ended up as our captain, and he helped shoulder the burden of expectations for us all season.Ââ€
Denver became the fourth team in NCAA history to win back-to-back titles, and only Michigan has won three in a row. He attributed the Pioneers success to the rigors of survival in the WCHA.
“We had prepared for a very physical game,†Gwozdecky said. “I want to say what a great job North Dakota did; they gave us everything plus. The pressure they put on us, how hard they playedÂ…they brought out the best in usÂ…ThatÂ’s the way it is in the WCHA. All 10 teams work so hard, and I think we all make each other better. If you can survive the WCHA, youÂ’re ready for the playoffs.Ââ€
Burdens will double next season, but they will be far easier to deal with. True, the Pioneers lose those seven key seniors – first-goal scorer Jeff Drummond and Ulanski off the first line, tenacious Luke Fulghum off the second line, Jon Foster off the third line, and defensemen Laatsch, Jussi Halme and Nick Larson. Those seven accounted for 74 goals, led by 21 each from Fulghum and Foster.
But Gwozdecky started a unit on which four of the six were freshmen, and the returning Pioneers will be led by top scorer Gauthier (2133—54), the defensive duo of Carle and Skinner, and both Mannino and his season-long alternate Glenn Fisher. And while Gwozdecky credited assistants Steve Miller and Seth Apert for recruiting what he claims “may be the most effective freshman class I’ve ever had, either as coach or assistant coach,†there will be another strong freshman crop coming in.
“It will be a different team, and we’ll try to establish a new identity,†said Gwozdecky.
But it will be hard to disguise the new identity inside those DU jerseys. Two NCAA titles in a row, and only Michigan has ever won three straight…Hmmm…The 2006 NCAA Frozen Four will be at Bradley Center in Milwaukee. DonÂ’t be surprised if the Denver Pioneers are there with new challenges to conquer.
Mazda CX-7 rewrites rules for sporty, compact SUVs
The changing face of automotives is most clearly defined by the compact, crossover SUV segment. If thatÂ’s true, then I have driven the future and it is the Mazda CX-7, if itÂ’s not the Acura RDX. Confusing? You bet.
Consider brief overviews of the two:
* At the RDX introduction a month ago, I was totally impressed with the turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, 240 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and six-speed automatic transmission.
* Now, after driving a Mazda CX-7 for a week-long test, I was totally impressed with the turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, 244 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and six-speed automatic transmission.
I didnÂ’t get to the Mazda CX-7 introduction, but it came out before the RDX intro and looked good in all the zippy television ads. At the RDX intro, the Honda folks asserted that the RDX was of a higher class than the CX-7, and that the RDX was looking more at the BMW X3 and other upscale crossovers. It turns out the Mazda folks also separate themselves from drawing parallels to the RDX, saying instead that the CX-7 is more aimed at the RAV4 and CR-V, and maybe Honda Pilot and Nissan Murano.
These two vehicles are very close to the same in concept, shape, sportiness, power, performance, and comfort, and yet neither seems to want to acknowledge that the other exists. Silly car people, I say. With low-slung looks, the RDX and CX-7 have a very similar silhouette, the CX-7 is about 3 inches longer and a tenth of an inch wider, while both are powered by 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engines that rank as perhaps the best two Japanese engines currently being built – with the RDX developing 240 horsepower and 260 foot-pounds of torque, and the CX-7 producing 244 horses and 258 foot-pounds.
I liked everything about the RDX, with the possible exception of the price – starting at $32,000 and rising to near $40,000. I liked everything about the Mazda CX-7, especially the price – starting at $24,000 and rising to nearly $30,000.
We can call the power thing a draw, with the CX-7 having four more horsepower and spotting the RDX two foot-pounds of torque. The RDX has a fantastic variable turbocharger that makes smooth takeoffs compared to the CX-7Â’s hair-trigger pause-and-zoom launches, but the CX-7 has direct injection, which the RDX lacks. I also wish the CX-7 had paddle shifters on the steering wheel to override the automatic, the way the RDX does.
Mazda came out with its all-new 2.3-liter 4-cylinder back when the current Mazda6 was introduced. The upgraded engine in the Mazda6 is FordÂ’s Duratec 3.0 V6, but only after Mazda engineers massaged it for variable valve-timing and more power. Mazda also supplied Ford with those world-class 2.3s as the base engine for the Escape, and the new engine in the Focus. So potent was the Focus with the 2.3 that Ford decided to drop the high-performance SVT version of the Focus, since it was expensive, and barely beat the 2.3 in stock trim.
On top of all that, if you]ve driven the new Ford Fusion sedan, the V6 is MazdaÂ’s version and itÂ’s impressive, but if you drive it with the 2.3 base engine, you will see how fun and flexible that engine is.
Mazda, meanwhile, went back and souped up the 2.3 by turbocharging it and setting it atop an all-wheel-drive system under the racy Mazdaspeed6 – a high-performance sports sedan that will run with the hottest Lancer Evolution’s and Subaru WRX STIs, and goes well beyond them in refinement. Anyhow, with that powertrain in hand, when it came time to creating the CX-7, there was no doubt what engine and platform it would use.
The 244 horsepower peaks at 5,000 RPMs, and the 258 foot-pounds of torque hit at only 2,500, thanks to the turboÂ’s impact, so you have enough power to get 0-60 in the 7-second range, even though it is a 3,920-pound vehicle. Power and stability is such that it is a strong performer, but rear-wheel-drive zealots will be surprised to learn that at normal speed, the CX-7 is basically a front-drive vehicle, with torque shifting to the rear wheels only when slippage is detected.
I only managed about 17 miles per gallon, while hoping for the EPA estimated 24 highway, or 18 city. Maybe after getting the hot-rodding rush out of my system, I could have done better.
The CX-7 also has a manual shift gate for the automatic, and that is a source of irritation to me. In Mazdas, you shift the spring-loaded shift lever forward to downshift, and pull back to upshift. To me, that is counter-intuiitive, because logic – and almost all other manufacturers – says you go forward to go forward, and pull back to go less, or downshift. Mazda officials explain that all race cars using sequential shifters, or clutchless manuals – from shifter karts up to formula racers – use that pattern. High-powered race cars, however, can thrust a driver back into the seat, which could cause his hand to pull back abruptly, and while an accidental upshift is no big deal, an accidental downshift could be disastrous, to the engine.
BMWs use the same pattern as Mazda, but we’ve had no advance word that the two high-tech companies are also planning for their next production sedans to be open-wheeled, to further mimic the best race cars. I drive many cars every year, and I always enjoy having manual control over my shifts, so I use the device frequently – except in BMWs and Mazdas, where I feel uneasy with their pattern. I’d estimate that approximately 99.5 percent of all BMW and Mazda drivers DON’T drive race cars with sequential manual gearboxes, so the elitist-sounding explanation might sound high-tech and play well in boardrooms or Formula 1 offices, but I think it is ridiculous enough that there should be an international standard to make all such production shift gates go the same direction.
Enough of that. Besides, while the RDX system with thumb paddles is better, the CX-7 still comes in more than $8,000 under it. The six-speed automatic in the CX-7 does a good job of downshifting itself, and with six gears, you have a better chance of being in the right ratio for virtually any circumstance.
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I disagree with those who say the CX-7 interior is “outclassed†by the RDX. Both are neat, with clearn, contemporary style. The CX-7 uses liberal doses of the high-gloss black that Mazda has suddenly adopted as something of a signature trim thing. But the gauges are easy to read, housed inside large cylinders with a softly brushed (no-glare) silver. They light with a bright red-orange, and when you turn them off, there is a subtle ambient cast of blue flood-lighting the gauge faces.
Driving the CX-7 is a lot of fun, because it has excellent suspension, and all that power from what is essentially the Mazdaspeed6 drivetrain. Even the base CX-7 comes with the hair-trigger acceleration of the turbo-4, but all-wheel drive is a stand-alone option that canbe added to the Touring, Sport, or Grand Touring models.
Along with being one of the industryÂ’s technology leaders, Mazda has a great philosophy for adding options. “We never package performance items with trim items,†said public relations director Jeremy Barnes. “The front-wheel-drive models all come with the turbo, the direct-injection 2.3, 6-speed automatic, etc.Ââ€
So buyers can choos trim packages, with navigation systems, cloth or leather upholstery, a Bose audio upgrade, etc., or performance-oriented, or high-technology packages, or select certain stand-alone options. But you donÂ’t have to buy one when you want the other. The base turbo front-wheel driver is $24,310, but the base all-wheel-drive car starts at only $26,010.
The power and handling of the CX-7 make you feel like youÂ’re in a sports sedan, but if you have to haul stuff inside the hatch you appreciate its crossover-SUV tendencies. There are other crossover SUVs that will do the same, but thatÂ’s where the CX-7Â’s looks intervene.
We have an idea about the future of automotives, and the CX-7 gives us a close-up and personal look at it right now.
The low, racy roofline makes it look like anything but a stodgy old SUV, and really, nothing else on the market looks anything like it. Well, except for the RDX, and remember, they arenÂ’t competing with each other.
Wink, wink.
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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