North Dakota nips Badgers 4-3 to reach Final Five final

MINNEAPOLIS, MN. — The University of North Dakota faced an imposing challenge Friday afternoon. As if facing Wisconsin was not enough, the underdog Fighting Sioux also gave up the first two goals, and faced star goaltender Brian Elliott in the Badger nets. But North Dakota pulled out something of a secret weapon to charge back with the next four goals, and whipped Wisconsin 4-3 before a first semifinal session-record 16,468 fans at Xcel Energy Center.

The victory sends North Dakota (26-15-1) into SaturdayÂ’s championship game of the WCHA Final Five for the seventh time in the last 10 years, where they face the winner of Friday nightÂ’s Minnesota-St. Cloud State game. Wisconsin (25-10-3) will face the late-game loser in the 2:30 third-place game, which takes on some extra importance for seeding purposes for the NCAA tournament, which will be announced Sunday.

“Wisconsin made a couple of plays early that got them going, but we were fortunate to come back,” said North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol. “There were some good goals, and good goaltending, at both ends. The championship game will be a big challenge, but that’s what we came here for. I don’t care whether we play Minnesota or Wisconsin. We’l prepare ourselves to play as well as we can, and you can’t pick your poison.”

The magic potion for the Sioux Friday was Rylan Kaip, a sophomore from Wilcox, Saskatchewan, who hadn’t ever scored a goal in two collegiate seasons, albeit missing half of his freshman term with recurring concussions. Kaip scored in the final minute of the first period to lift the Sioux to a 2-2 tie, then, with the Sioux leading 3-2, Kaip scored again late in the second period for a 4-2 lead – a goal that stood up as the game-winner.

“It definitely felt good,” said Kaip. “I can remember the last time I scored – it was back playing junior hockey in Saskatchewan. Scoring slumps happen, buyt mine probably went longer than most. Both teams came out pretty strong, and when we got behind 2-0, we just had to take a deep breath and start picking away.”

The Badgers had jumped ahead when Joe Pavelski picked a shot by Kyle Klubertanz out of the air, deflecting it down, where it went past goaltender Jordan Parise like a bad-hop single to left. That came at 7:43 of the first period, and right after North Dakota freshman flash T.J. Oshie had zigzagged the length of the ice for a scoring chance, the Badgers returned to the Sioux end for a perfectly-executed 2-on-1 rush. Jake Dowall, a left-handed shooter, rushed up the right side, pulled the puck back and snapped a pass across the slot, where Andy Brandt, a right-handed shooter skating up the left side, one-timed it past Parise at 11:05. It looked good, but for Brandt, a little-used fourth-line junior from Wausau, Wis., it was his first goal of the season and second of his career.

The Sioux responded quickly, but it took several minutes of generating momentum before they broke through on a power play at 18:07. The goal looked surprisingly easy, as Ryan Duncan walked in from the right point to the top of the circle, and fired a wrist shot over ElliottÂ’s glove and into the upper right corner.

“I thought we had made as many plays as they did when we were down 2-0,” said Hakstol. “Duncan’s goal was a major turning point, and then we got one in the last minute of the period.”

That one came with 58 seconds left in the first period, less than a minute after Duncan’s goal, when Matt Watkins passed the puck out from the end boards on the left of the net to Kaip – who was playing his 38th game of the season at right wing, despite never having scored. Kaip let go with a wrist shot from the left circle to tie the game 2-2.

“We got ahead 2-0, then we became kind of complacent,” said Pavelski. “We had a number of chances to make it 3-0, and to put them away, but we weren’t desperate all the time. We need every guy going out there.”

The Sioux seemed to like the momentum, and they resumed it when the second period began. Rastislav Spirko, a sophomore from Slovakia who counts as a veteran on the youthful Sioux team, came out from behind the net on the left just in time to deflect OshieÂ’s wide shot past Elliott at 4:10.

A succession of penalties – and successful penalty kills – filled the middle period until the 18:24 mark, and then Kaip struck again. This time, he looked like a veteran goal-scorer instead of a kid getting his second collegiate goal. A shot by Chris Porter had been blocked and caromed to the right circle, where Kaip caught it on his stick blade. Instead of shooting the wide-angle shot immediately, he coolly stepped ahead, and shot a wider-angle shot high into the net for a 4-2 cushion.

Wisconsin got a power-play chance before the middle period ended, and Robbie Earl made it click, waiting in the slot for a perfect feed from Pavelski, deep in the left corner, then one-timing a low shot between the pads of Parise as he dropped to the ice at 18:59.

That set the stage for a wild third period, but the Fighting Sioux managed to prevent any more scoring, with Parise turning acrobatic to stop all 12 Badger shots in the final session.

“We got off to a good start, which we wanted to do, but North Dakota stayed with it and got themselves back in the game,” said Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves. “The third period was pretty even, we just couldn’t get the tying goal. We seemed to be disconnected; if one guy was forechecking, another would be holding back instead of supporting him. It’s a learning process, and individuals learn at different rates. So do teams.

“The question we have to face is do we have the mental toughness to get it done? Even when we were playing so well earlier in the season, one thing we haven’t had to deal with is coming from behind.”

The Badgers almost pulled it off, but Parise’s brilliant finish stymied them. “Wisconsin came at us hard, especially down the stretch in the last four or five minutes,” said Hakstol. “As he’s done all year, Jordan was there. The guys play extremely well for Jordan, and he came through for them.”

Lexus plans to divide and conquer with ES350, GS450h

LAS VEGAS, NEV. — Just like the model-designation numbers, Toyota just keeps on coming up with new and better models throughout its lineup, and the 2007 Lexus ES350 and the Lexus GS450h are the latest niche-fillers in ToyotaÂ’s upscale Lexus line.

There are differences, make no mistake. Toyota models are basically for normal folks, who want trouble-free driving from the time they sign their installment contract until, three or four years down the road, they buy a new one; Lexus buyers are decidedly upscale, desiring or demanding more luxury, more features and more power, and willing to pay for it.

Together, Toyota and Lexus are like an enormous city, with diverse neighborhoods and cultures all coming together in a prosperous society. Toyota has the Camry, the nation’s No. 1 selling single automobile, and Lexus has the ES level, which starts out based on the Camry platform but filled with upgrades everywhere. Interestingly, Toyota further crowds its own “entry-luxury” line with the Toyota Avalon, a stretched version of the Camry and/or the ES350, and the first car from the corporation to ride on the new platform. Meanwhile, Toyota also has the Prius hybrid, and has just introduced the Camry hybrid, but it doesn’t have a performance-oriented sedan, while Lexus gets two of them – the IS and the larger GS.

While renovating its whole line, Toyota and Lexus are set to take on the world – literally – and are inexorably moving up to overtake General Motors as the largest auto-builder in the world. The ES and GS lines in Lexus are merely the most recent examples.

The ES350 is the newest entry-level sedan from Lexus, introducing that model would be a trip by itself. Lexus chose to also introduce the GS450h – a hybrid version of the performance GS line – in a dual intro that sent waves of automotive journalists driving from the Ritz Carlton Hotel on the outskirts of Las Vegas out to Hoover Dam and Lake Mead and back. They were informative driving courses, and both vehicles performed admirably.

Critics of too many models may think it’s a gamble to produce so many, but if so, Las Vegas was the perfect location to launch them. Then Bob Carter, the vice president and general manager of Lexus, described the Lexus strategy, and it all made sense.

“The single largest segment in the luxury-car market is what is called ‘entry luxury,’ and there are two different parts to it – sporty-performance, and luxury-comfort,“ said Carter. “Most companies try to stretch a model out to try to do both, and we at Lexus have separate cars for both. In the sports-performance category we have the IS, and the larger GS; and covering the luxury-comfort part, we have the ES and the upscale LS.”

Further evidence of Lexus market research is that ES customers tend to move up to the LS luxury brand, rather than to the GS performance side. So instead of having a car for each niche, Toyota divides and conquers each niche within a niche. The LS is the biggest Lexus, loaded with luxury and all sorts of high-tech features. The ES350, however, now emerges as a slightly more compact luxury version, but with the clearcut wintertime advantage of front-wheel drive.

The IS sedans are hot little numbers, with two engines in very sporty, if more compact, bodies, so the GS has stepped in as the big brother, V8-powered high-performance sedan. So offering a hybrid technique to the GS may seem curious, but it isnÂ’t, because the electric power supplied to complement the gasoline engine makes the GS450h an even higher high-performance sedan.

ES350

When the ES350 was first unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, the crowd of media was such that I couldn’t get a clear photo, so I waited a couple of hours and double-backed to the Toyota display, then proceeded to photo about 25 photos of different angles of the new ES350. When I got around to the rear, however, I was surprised to notice that the emblem said “LS” not “ES” – I had mistaken the big papa luxury LS for the so-called entry-level Lexus ES350. That startled me, and maybe it should concern Lexus luxury sellers, but it also should thrill those who can buy the ES350, save a chunk of thousands, and drive a front-drive sedan that closely resembles the high-priced spread.

Estimates are for the ES350 to be priced at about $35,000, which is right in there in a segment that is hotly contested among the Acura TL, BMW 5-Series, Mercedes E-Class, and Cadillac STS. Carter didn’t want to say that the ES might draw customers from the new LS, but he did say: “We believe that the new ES is better invirtually every way than the original 1990 LS flagship,” and he noted the new ES350 is quicker, more powerful, quieter and almost as roomy as that first LS400.

Overall length of the ES350 is unchanged, but there are a couple more inches in wheelbase, which expands the interior room, and a bit more width and track further enhance interior room.

The company’s new 3.5-liter V6 has 272 horsepower at 6,200 RPMs, and 254 foot-pounds of torque at 4,700 RPMs, thanks to the chain-driven dual overhead camshafts Toyota has been perfecting for two decades, and variable valve timing. The slightly expanded car is only 108 pounds heavier than its predecessor, and the new engine shoots it from 0-60 in 6.8 seconds – swifter than the original LS400, with its 4-liter V8. The power is dispersed via a six-speed automatic transmission, with a sports-shift gate for manual control. The transmission is shared with Camry.

Improved suspension and a whole raft of LS-like features include electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist to augment the antilock four-wheel disc brakes, and both stability control and traction control are standard. Cruise control uses radar to maintain intervals, and the back-up camera has guidelines to help park. That, and all the safety elements of surrounding airbags make the ES350 safer than ever.

Carter explained that most of the dozen or so Lexus competitors have focused in on the sports/performance end of the luxury segment, leaving a large opening for the ESÂ’s comfort/luxury aim. So the ES350 will be trying to coax conquest buyers from Acura, BMW and others, while also attracting buyers looking to move up from compact sedans.
{IMG2}
GS450h

The GS carries out several Lexus philosophies, while crossing some boundaries toward Toyota, yet keeping its distance. “It will be the industry’s first truly high-performance hybrid,” Carter said, and he explained how it also is the first rear-drive hybrid sedan, and, the quickest Lexus. The 3.5-liter V6 (sound familiar?) has 292 horsepower and 267 foot-pounds of torque in the GS form, tuned to coincide with the two electric motors for a total output of 339 horsepower.

Carter said: “The GS450h will go 0-60 in 5.2 seconds and 30-50 mph passing bursts of 2.7 seconds, with a top speed of 131 mph. Estimated fuel economy is 25 city, 28 highway.” Carter says that will make the GS450h quicker than the BMW 550, the Infiniti M45, the Audi A6, the Mercedes E500, or the Lexus GS430 – the same car with a V8 engine.

The only Lexus with a hybrid so far is the RX crossover SUV, a slick vehicle called the 400h. Carter said that the RX models account for 109,000 sales a year, and 25 percent of those RX buyers are buying the 400h hybrid. “When one-fourth of the buyers of you single highest-volume vehicle choose an option packagte [hybrid] that costs about $5,000 more than the base model, you know you’ve made an impact.”

So Lexus officials think the GS hybrid will be similarly attractive, because it earns its power without larger displacement of a V8, or a turbocharger or supercharger, yet gets the fuel economy more likely to be obtained by a four-cylinder.

The system has the strong V6 and two electric motors – one called MG1, which controls engine output to the rear wheels, and the other MG2, which strictly powers the wheels. The RX400h has the front wheels driven by gas-electric combined, and a separate electric motor for the rear wheels. There areno plans for an all-wheel-drive GS450h, which essentially uses the gas engine for power and to replenish the juice for the electric motors.

Driving the GS450h is smooth, with seamless interaction of the gas and electric sources. While powerful, it also produces 17 metric tons less CO2 over 150,000 miles of driving, and is eight times cleaner in emissions than “one highly-touted diesel luxury car.” Toyota claims, in an unsubtle swipe toward Mercedes.

The GS450h will not be aimed at mass sales, the way the RX400h is, but will be a rare high-performance selection, with only 2,000 produced, and base priced at $54,900. At that price, all sorts of features, including adaptive headlamps, electronic sonar for avoiding items in the way, and electronically controlled brakes will be standard.
If it seems a lot to do about only a few vehicles, it seems unwise to question Toyota or Lexus these days. Besides, when someone asked Carter if Lexus would produce more GS450h cars than 2,000 if demand warranted it. He said, “Yes.”

Mercedes GL jumps into full-size SUV segment

CALISTOGA, CALIF. — Mercedes-Benz has been a major automotive topic in the United States in recent years, for such ventures as taking over Chrysler Corporation and turning it into DaimlerChrysler, and for building a plant in Alabama to build a crossover Sport Utility Vehicle, the ML-Class. Reaction varied from snickers to scorn about GermanyÂ’s leading luxury car builder trying its hand at the American SUV market, but the idea worked so well that Mercedes is now after bigger game. Literally.

The Mercedes GL pretty well covers all of its objectives. It is large, at 200.3 inches long, 121.1 inches wheelbase, 76 inches wide, 75.6 inches tall, and weighing 5,300 pounds. It is powerful, with a new V8 churning out 335 horsepower and 339 foot-pounds of torque. It is high-tech, with the 4.6-liter engineÂ’s 32-valve, dual-overhead-camshaft layout featuring variable valve-timing on both intake and exhaust valves and a 7-speed automatic transmission with fingertip manual controls.

It is strong enough to tow a 7,500-pound trailer. It is rigidly safe, with the worldÂ’s first unibody chassis on a full-size SUV, featuring 60 percent high-strength steel, and all the latest traction and stability control features, plus eight airbags surrounding all occupants, including side-curtain head protection for all three rows.

While the ML vehicles are stylishly attractive with their aerodynamic slopes and contours, they also are quite compact. Mercedes still makes the aging G-Class large SUV, and when it tried to eliminate the 27-year-old pre-Hummer squareish G, protests became so plentiful that the company decided to keep making it, for military and niche-sale use. Between those extremes, Mercedes introduced an all-new R-Class a few months ago, and it is a unique people-hauling wagon that might best be described as an “on-road SUV.”

So the GL jumps into the mix as something of a more rugged, more masculine, off-road-capable complement to the family on-road R-Class. In case anybody wonders why Mercedes seems to be intend on expanding its SUV presence, Mercedes officials point out that the GL, M, and R classes, and that those three vehicles will account for one-third of all Mercedes sales. All three vehicles are being built in the expanded and adjacent two-plant facility in Vance, Alabama, located midway between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. One plant will build the M and GL, and the other will build the M and R.

With a price yet to be determined, estimates run in the “high-$50,000” range, which puts the GL into my usual category: The best German vehicles are expensive, and, based on quality and technology, worth every penny.

When I first saw the GL at the Detroit Auto Show, and again at ChicagoÂ’s show, I was curious. It was clearly larger than the ML, as if some giant robot had stretched and enlarged an ML from every dimension. Still, it retains some stylish contours at the front and along the sides, but I wasnÂ’t sure what Mercedes was aiming at with the vehicle. After the chance to drive some early production vehicles on freeways and highways northward from San Francisco, and through the hilly wine country of Napa Valley, the GL creates and fills its considerable space.

The Mercedes GL was unveiled to the worldÂ’s motoring press this past week at a very interesting and very exclusive new resort in the heart of Napa ValleyÂ’s wine country, and while planning a late-winter gathering in California seems logical, this particular week included almost constant rain, which has drenched the countryside north of San Francisco with the kind of puddles and mud that only grapes can appreciate.

Still, what could be better for test-driving a new SUV – the first full-size SUV built by any European company? The big beast had impeccable road manners, and the seats are comfortable and supportive enough that I quickly adjusted from feeling that I was sitting too high to feeling comfortably in full control. That was true on the freeways leaving San Francisco, and the two-lane highways selected to prove handling capabilities on the switchbacks in the mountain ranges flanking the Napa Valley. Having passed the normal-routine driving requirements with ease, the GL later proved its worth on some muddy stretches and off-road adventures as well.

“We didn’t want the just enter the full-size segment,” said GL-Class manager Ron Mueller. “We wanted it to be the Mercedes of big SUVs.”
After the presentation, someone asked what specific vehicles Mercedes was aiming the GL at, although it seemed an easy answer, because the only “full-size” SUVs in the industry are basically four vehicles — the General Motors cluster of Suburban/Tahoe/Envoy/Escalade that are variations on one essential vehicle, the Ford Expedition, the biggest Lexus LX470/GX470, and the top Range Rover.

Mercedes officials, however, didnÂ’t name any competitors, saying simply that any utility vehicle priced above $40,000 would be a competitor. They also said they donÂ’t use any other companyÂ’s vehicles as benchmarks, because they have a specific, and quite rational plan. And they donÂ’t expect to lose ML buyers, just offer them an alternative.

“We won’t take away ML buyers, but we will stop ML owners from going elsewhere for larger SUVs,” said Geoff Day, director of Mercedes communication. “Our only benchmarks are internal – our customers’ expectations. The key is, after two kids, compact SUVs just are not big enough.”

In styling, the ML looks compact, the R looks long and slinky, and the plan for the GL was to look more rugged, to convey the sense of size and girth. It comes with 18-inch wheels, but 19 or 20 inchers are available. Along with superb suspension and handling characteristics for the driver, all seven occupants have a lot to like about the GL.
{IMG2}
The three rows of seats not only seat seven, but they will seat seven adults in comfort. The second row is the key, because it will seat three, and has a 60/40 fold-down arrangement. Hopping into the far back third row seats is easy, and the third row’s two seats are split 50-50, and, at the touch of a pair of side-wall-mounted switches, either the right or left, or both, seat cushions drop down just enough and the backrests fold down on top of them, leaving a flat, carpeted stowage floor. Mercedes claims “zero-to-flat” in 4.9 seconds. Of course, the folded down area meets the folded-down second row to create a huge space, measured at 83 cubic feet.

The keys to comfort in the third row are that passengers have a roomy footwell, and a large skylight that is similar in size to the sunroof that opens for the front and middle passengers. Dual rear video screens, rear audio controls, and a 440-watt harmon-kardon audio system can be set to play iPod or MP3 or those old-fashioned CDs on separate controls, so rear-seat occupants can listen to something completely different from mom and dad up front.

Four-corner air-suspension facilitates adjustable ride height, which can be lowered three inches for serious off-roading, and which lowers itself a half-inch for optimum freeway aerodynamics.

While anyone seeking a vehicle in the over-$50,000 category will find the basic GL well-equipped, there are some upgrades available in the GL that set it apart. Options include the power rear liftgate, pushbutton-start keyless entry, rear videos imbedded in the backs of both front headrests, a rear-view back-up camera, full heated leather seats, and burled walnut trim.

The R-Class has the same platform but with stretched wheelbase, and while it has full-time 4Matic all-wheel-drive as well, it is not considered a “full-size SUV,” which allows Mercedes to call the GL the only unibody full-size SUV. Taking all the attributes of the R, the GL adds some rugged off-road features to assure capabilities beyond people-hauling. A two-speed transfer case, for example, with locking differential, adaptive damping, and higher ride-height adjustment from 3 to 4.5 inches.

Less than 2 percent are projected to choose the off-road package, which about mirrors the normal tendencies SUV owners have shown for serious off-road ventures. The R has fulfilled a lot of needs, but the GL takes most of the RÂ’s assets and expands on them.

“We are looking at traditional families who still want and need a full-size SUV,” said Mueller. “Our research shows that among all full-size SUV buyers, 30 to 35 percent own a Mercedes-Benz sedan.”

So if ML owners need more room, theyÂ’ve always had to look elsewhere. Now they can look at the GL and stay within the Mercedes realm. And if some Escalade, Expedition or LX470 buyers check out the GL, Mercedes probably wonÂ’t mind a bit.

GTI makes aggressive bid to reclaim hot hatch image

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. — For those who remember the glory days of the GTI, VolkswagenÂ’s new “Mk. V” – to designate the fifth generation of the quick, compact hatchback – signals a return to VWÂ’s most impressive venture into hot performance on a budget.

The details are impressive, because the new GTI uses the company’s impressive new 2.0-liter dierect-injectiuon four-cylinder, which is one of my favorite engines in the entire automotive world. It comes with a low-pressure turbocharger, and is shared with the Audi A4 and A3, where I got 32 miles per gallon with it. It is also shared with the new Jetta, which, in reality, means there is one platform for the Jetta and Golf, so the Jetta is basically a four-door Golf with a trunk – just like in the old days.

Also just like the old days is that the GTI is the hottest version of the Golf, and it has a sister ship in the GLI, which is the hottest performer in the Jetta line. It is interesting that Volkswagen has carefully introduced the Jetta, the GLI, and the GTI in separate ceremonies.

Consider that the Honda Civic was introduced all at once, and it became the overwhelming choice of auto writers as the 2006 North American Car of the Year, primarily because it includes a great four-door sedan, a trick, high-mileage Civic Hybrid, and a couple with a sizzling Si sports version. It was a lot to digest at one function, but it contributed to winning the award. If VW had used that strategy, we might have been introduced all at once to the Jetta as the four-door model, the Jetta TDi turbodiesel as the super-high-mileage model, and the GTI and Golf as the two-door hatch and hot-performer.

NobodyÂ’s complaining, though, because having a full day to appreciate everything the new GTI can do was impressive and satisfying. The car is tight, rock-solid in handling because of its new independent rear suspension setup and razor-sharp electro-mechanical steering. Plus, thereÂ’s that engine, which turns out 200 horsepower from 5,100 to 6,000 RPMs, and 207 foot-pounds of torque from 1,800-5,000 revs. VW claims 0-60 times of 6.8 seconds, and it is electronically limited to 130 mph top speed.

The continuously-variable intake and exhaust valves on the transverse-mounted four-cylinder is operated by either a six-speed manual or an automatic, which also is a six-speed DSG unit with switches on the steering wheel – click the right switch to upshift and the left switch to downshift. The automatic has a two-clutch arrangement, which, as you rev, already has engaged the next gear, so when you hit the switch, you get instantaneous upshifts as it disengages from the current gear.

At $21,995, the GTI flashes back into a more receptive world that seems to enjoy strong performance on a budget, with all the safety structure (15 percent stiffer dynamically, and up 35 percent in torsion rigidity) plus front, front-side, and head-curtain airbag complements. It drives, handles and performs like a sports car costing far more, and two adults can sit in the back seat, with surprising storage space under the hatch.

The isolation of the GTI introduction is being accompanied by an advertising campaign that is certain to stir up some controversy. The object of the campaign, kicked off on telecasts of the Winter Olympics, is something called a “Fast” – as in: “Make friends with your Fast” — because it implies an attempt to encourage those hooligans who might drive aggressively to be out there zipping around and even screeching the tires now and then.

More people will be startled to see Helga, a very German blonde woman, enticing folks – presumably young men, or at least men of youthful spirit – to hustle on down to a dragstrip and blow the doors off the winged Japanese-based tuner car alongside it. And still more might take offense at Wolfgang, a very German man who ridicules other tuner “Whatchamacallits” by suggesting they should “unpimp their auto,” and, at the touch of a button, demolishes their overdone tuner cars with a wrecking ball, squashes them flat with a huge weight dropped from the ceiling, or flings them to early destruction with a giant catapult – replacing them with shiny new GTIs as their worthy replacement.

Even some of the automotive journalists attending the introduction of the new GTI expressed dismay over the campaign, as if we should all keep it secret that some people truly like and want strong-performing, good-handling, high-tech, but rock-solid cars.

In one upcoming tv commercial, a young man orders a pizza, and when the shop says, “Pick-up, or delivery?” the guy looks out at a monsoon-like rainstorm, and hesitates. The next frame shows him jumping into his new GTI, turning on the lights, and roaring away, while a voice says: “My Fast thinks ‘delivery’ is for the weak.”

None of that bothered me. But then, I’ve always put a premium on the “fun-to-drive” category of car-buying and car-driving. Anyone who would be offended by the racy ads is not in the market for a GTI, while those who are either too young to remember the car’s heritage, or are aware of it but might be unaware that the new GTI has recaptured that competence, will enjoy the ads and will find their interest rekindled in a very impressive car.

To me, there are all kinds of cars, some better than others, some more reliable than others, but if all things are equal, the car that is a hoot to drive around a cloverleaf, or to turn rush-hour gridlock into a satisfying stretch of time with an enjoyable ride, IÂ’m all for it.
It doesn’t mean you have to speed or break the law. All it means is that Kerri Martin, who was hired last spring to come up with a provocative campaign for the car, hit her target broadside. Her purpose was to reinvigorate the image of the GTI as the original “pocket rocket,” and of Volkswagen as a brand, in general. “Íf the Beetle is the heart of Volkswagen,” said Ms. Martin, “then the GTI is the soul of Volkswagen.”

She explained that the weird little gremlin-like “Fast” souvenir, which every GTI buyer will receive shortly after they’ve taken delivery, is an emblem of the GTI, which requires “one heavy foot, and 10 white knuckles.” She said that the new GTI can rekindle the interest of those of us who remember the first GTI as a simple, functional but excessively fun-to-drive hatchback, and that VW also wants to attract the tuner culture, which has been seeking out inexpensive sports coupes, mostly Japanese, and loading them up with performance chips, trick suspensions, exhausts, wings, wheels, paint-jobs, and audio systems.

Volkswagen first gained fame with the original Beetle, then the Rabbit, which was a departure from rear-wheel-drive air-cooled to front-wheel-drive hatchback. The Golf followed. The first GTI, Volkswagen says, came to the U.S. in 1983. I thought it was before that, because I believed the GTI was the car that started the “pocket-rocket” trend of the early 1980s. However, I owned a 1979 Dodge Colt hatchback, made by Mitsubishi, which had a two-range gearbox with its four-speed stick, meaning you could shift eight times if you were quick enough, or had three hands. But that little bumblebee-yellow-and-black Colt’s 1,600-cc. engine could screech the tires in the first three gears and still deliver 42 miles per gallon in town. That car remains the reason I’m cynical when new subcompacts come out “boasting” of great fuel economy that falls shy of 30.

My first trip to Germany was in 1989, and I drove an Audi quattro coupe on the autobahn, with no speed limit, flat-out at 210 kilometers per hour on the speedometer — 135 miles per hour in our terms. At that speed, moving up swiftly to pass you would be big BMWs, Mercedes sedansÂ…and every once in awhile a Volkswagen Golf GTI with a 16-valve four-cylinder engine. I was impressed.

Years later, VW committed a grievous blunder. The company decided to make a cosmetic version of the GTI — a “base” version GTI that only seat and trim upgrades to give the illusion it was special. The price was kept low that way, but the resale plummeted on all GTIs, and VolkswagenÂ’s reputation nosedived along with it.
{IMG2}
The GTI regained its capabilities, if not its stature, in recent years, going to a stronger V6 engine and other upgrades. But the tuner crowd, particularly favoring very good Japanese coupes, has gone elsewhere.

That’s why I applaud VWÂ’s marketing effort. The new car is all-new, and it is outstanding. Sharing a drive through the mountains east of San Diego, my co-driver and I put both the stick and automatic through their paces with some degree of aggressiveness. I love stick-shift cars, and in almost every case a stick is preferable to any automatic for performance driving. In the GTI, however, I had to concede that the DSG automatic, switched into sport-mode, and controlled by the little paddles on the steering wheel, was quicker-shifting that the stick.

At one point, I zapped around two or three tight curves with amazing precision, and came up behind a slower moving vehicle. It took a couple more miles before we came to a stretch of dotted line rather than the prevailing double-solid-yellow non-passing lines. Now, I never advocate illegal speeding, but when I pull out to pass, I believe the quicker you can pass, the less time and less hazard you are in the oncoming lane. So I downshifted and hit the throttle. Smoothly and swiftly, we pulled out, swept past the other car, and eased back into our lane.

With no tight turn ahead, I glanced at the speedometer, and as I glanced back up, I realized there were three digits on the left of the needle. I did a double-take, and, to both of our amazement, the needle was pointing at 120! It was exhilarating, and it also was unintended, but it was so smooth and easy we both thought I was somewhere between 80 and 100.

The things we do in the name of comprehensive evaluation.

Later, I spoke to Kerri Martin again about the ad campaign. “We take safety very seriously” she said. “We’re just having some fun with this.”

With EPA fuel economy estimates of 23 city/32 highway with the stick, and 25 city/31 highway with the direct-shift gearbox automatic, the GTI is set off – same as the GLI among Jettas – by a red underline on the grille. A mysterious “Dr. Keller” points out in another ad, that if you see that red grille stripe in your mirror, it means, “Schnell! Move over, dumbkopf – you’re going too slow.!”

6th generation Camry expands on No. 1 stature

If you are a car manufacturer, and you build the top-selling car in the United States for seven of the last eight years, how do you approach building the all-new replacement for that car?
Carefully. Very carefully.

In a word, “careful” might best describe the Toyota Camry, regardless of whether you mean the one that carried Toyota’s nameplate to the No. 1 slot, the one that boosted sales to hold the No. 1 slot, or the entirely new sixth-generation 2007 model that was introduced at last week’s Chicago Auto Show, and which will go on sale this spring all across the country.

That made the Chicago Auto Show enormous for Toyota. The Camry is impressive by itself, but the rest of ToyotaÂ’s 2007 arsenal includes the outstanding new FJ Cruiser SUV, and, a worldwide introduction of the new Tundra pickup, which is expanded from the original to challenge the biggest of the full-size Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge or Nissan pickups, and the new Yaris, a more compact compact than the venerable Corolla.

The Tundra was arguably the most impressive vehicle at the Chicago show to me, but thatÂ’s only because I already had been able to get a preliminary test drive of both the FJ Cruiser and the Camry, on a trip to Greenville, S.C.

The Camry may be a careful car, for families who value the basic fundamentals of car-ownership – efficient and cost-efficient family transportation, with style, comfort, and legendary dependability – but it has been criticized for being so careful that it is almost boring. In a good way, of course. There are no surprises with a Camry, and if it backs off a little from cutting-edge performance, making all its compromises toward the center, it is a criticism that hasn’t bothered the masses.

For 2007, the Camry is less careful, if that works. The styling takes an upturn, with a nose that slopes only so far, then takes an abrupt downturn, to a grille that has an enlarged Toyota emblem that takes up much of the upper center area of the trapezoidal grille. The rear is sleek and comes together stylishly.

Go back to 1983, when the first Camry sold 52,651 models, to 2004, when 424,803 Camrys were gobbled up by an appreciative populace. Overall, 6.5 million Camrys have been sold in the U.S. through its first five generations, and 10 million altogether, in 104 different countries. In its never-ending duel with the Honda Accord, Camry finished its current run with 458,000 2005 models, and the new car should boost calendar-year 2006 sales.

Larger and roomier than its predecessor, the new Camry takes a technological leap forward with five models, including a well-planned hybrid version that could cause Honda to rehink its Accord Hybrid.
Toyota is taking great pains to inform everyone that the new Camry is more emotional, more passionate, than it used to be. That’s an interesting ploy, but it’s a lot like a hockey player choosing to tell his coach that he’s hustling, when it remains up to the coach – and the teammates and fans – to determine that.

Without question, though, the new Camry is more performance-oriented and more fun to drive than Camrys have been known for. To give the North American media the chance to experience the car, Toyota brought us to Greenville, S.C., and let us drive on Virginia International Raceway, a neat, and fast, road-racing circuit.

I went right for the sportiest model, the SE, and found it could be shot around the race track quite well, with fairly firm, but not quite stiff, handling and cornering, and good steering response, as well as good acceleration from the 268-horsepower 3.5-liter V6, which also has 248 foot-pounds of torque. That engine, which also serves duty in the RAV 4 and Avalon, has variable valve-timing on both intake and exhaust valves of the 24-valve powerplant.

The six-speed automatic transmission has a manual gate for those who want to shift for themselves, but if you leave it in drive, it will hold the revs higher, and will even downshift, as a computer tries to gauge shift points according to how youÂ’re driving.

The basic four-cylinder also has four-valves per cylinder and dual overhead camshafts, with a five-speed automatic, but no sport-shifter. That engine is standard in the base CE, which Toyota projects will account for 5 percent of sales. The mainstream LE, with more features, of course, will account for 60 percent.

The SE sporty version should take 10 percent, and the luxury XLE is expected to account for 17 percent. That leaves 8 percent, and Toyota chalks them up as Camry Hybrid buyers.

The hybrid, with ToyotaÂ’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, uses the 2.4-liter four-cylinder, which gives Toyota a large edge in the duel with Honda, because the Accord Hybrid uses the V6 instead of HondaÂ’s excellent VTEC four, because Honda wanted to prove it could make a more powerful sedan, above the high-mileage Insight and Civic. The result is that the Accord Hybrid shows 40 miles per gallon on EPA estimates, but gets closer to 30 in real-world driving.

The Camry Hybrid looks identical to the rest of the Camry fleet, and shows EPA estimates of 43 city, 43 highway, and 40 mpg combined. Curious, that is, because if you get 43 city and 43 highway, shouldnÂ’t your combined city-highway be right in there at 43? Ah, well, thatÂ’s why its past-due time for the EPA to change its evaluation system to more closely resemble real-world driving.

The point is, a four with an electric combined motor will get more power than the four alone, and better fuel economy. Toyota uses an Atkinson Cycle treatment on its 2.4-liter four, which allows it to elongate its firing timing for more thorough fuel burning, and reaches 147 horsepower on its own.
{IMG2}
Coupled with the 47-horsepower equivalent electric motor that recharges off regenerative braking and the gas engine, the Camry Hybrid shows 192 combined horsepower, and has 8.9-second 0-60 times.
When we were at the race track, and I had driven the XLE, SE and LE models, I finally got a chance to get behind the wheel of the Hybrid.

A colleague was on the track about a fourth of the way around the road course when they let me out in the Hybrid. I wanted to see how hard I could push the Hybrid, and see if I could get within sight of the Camry ahead just to compare our paces, but remarkably, I overtook my friend in one lap. I actually slowed down in order to avoid embarrassing him for being caught by the hybrid.

The new Camry uses more high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel in the construction, with an ever-expanding eye on vehicle safety. Wheelbase has been lengthened more than two inches while overall length stays the same. Stock wheels are 16 inch, with the sporty SE getting 17-inchers. Toyota says it anticipates the SE will attract some younger buyers, and the new car could lower CamryÂ’s average age buyer from 55 to 53. Or so.

The look of the new Camry is interesting. I think it looks good, but IÂ’m not thrilled with the beak. To me, enlarging the Toyota emblem at the top center of the grille looks like the Camry is trying to copy the Mazda6 a little. Not that thereÂ’s anything wrong with that, but otherwise, I like the looks of the car.

It is comfortable, with a well-laid out and impressive interior, boasting good ergonomics and attractive features. But is it more passionate? More emotional? I wouldnÂ’t call it a breakthrough in that regard, although the SE is more fun to drive by a twitch. But in reality, it doesnÂ’t matter.

For an entire generation of U.S. car-buyers, the family car best remembered from youth is a Camry or an Accord, more than a Chevy or Ford. For 2006 and 2007, Ford is making some major strides toward recapturing some market share, and Chevrolet is talking as if it plans to do the same, weaning itself away from dependence on truck sales. But the 2007 Toyota Camry wonÂ’t make their challenge any easier.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

• About the Author

  John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
  
  For those who want to keep up with John Gilbert's view of sports, mainly hockey with a Minnesota slant, click on the following:
  
  Click here for sports
  
  

• Exhaust Notes:

  PADDLING
  More and more cars are offering steering-wheel paddles to allow drivers manual control over automatic or CVT transmissions. A good idea might be to standardize them. Most allow upshifting by pulling on the right-side paddle and downshifting with the left. But a recent road-test of the new Porsche Panamera, the paddles for the slick PDK direct-sequential gearbox were counter-intuitive -- both the right or left thumb paddles could upshift or downshift, but pushing on either one would upshift, and pulling back on either paddle downshifted. I enjoy using paddles, but I spent the full week trying not to downshift when I wanted to upshift. A little simple standardization would alleviate the problem.
  
  

  SPEAKING OF PADDLES
  The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution has the best paddle system, and Infiniti has made the best mainstream copy of that system for the new Q50, and other sporty models. And why not? It's simply the best. In both, the paddles are long, slender magnesium strips, affixed to the steering column rather than the steering wheel. Pull on the right paddle and upshift, pull on the left and downshift. The beauty is that while needing to upshift in a tight curve might cause a driver to lose the steering wheel paddle for an instant, but having the paddles long, and fixed, means no matter how hard the steering wheel is cranked, reaching anywhere on the right puts the upshift paddle on your fingertips.
  
  

  TIRES MAKE CONTACT
  Even in snow-country, a few stubborn old-school drivers want to stick with rear-wheel drive, but the vast majority realize the clear superiority of front-wheel drive. Going to all-wheel drive, naturally, is the all-out best. But the majority of drivers facing icy roadways complain about traction for going, stopping and steering with all configurations. They overlook the simple but total influence of having the right tires can make. There are several companies that make good all-season or snow tires, but there are precious few that are exceptional. The Bridgestone Blizzak continues to be the best=known and most popular, but in places like Duluth, MN., where scaling 10-12 blocks of 20-30 degree hills is a daily challenge, my favorite is the Nokian WR. Made without compromising tread compound, the Nokians maintain their flexibility no matter how cold it gets, so they stick, even on icy streets, and can turn a skittish car into a winter-beater.