U.S. accepts learning curve of women’s bandy event
The Winter Olympics are well underway in Turin, Italy, but in Roseville, Minnesota, another world competition is taking place. The United States lost 2-0 to Finland, then 7-0 to Russia, but despite the early results, the American players are totally satisfied with their performance, because for them, the WomenÂ’s World Bandy Championships are a learning experience.
ItÂ’s the same for North Americans all across the continent, who have no idea what bandy is, or of the great interest there is in the game in Scandinavian countries and Russia, where it is more prevalent than hockey.
The tournament is being conducted at the John Rose Oval adjacent to Roseville Arena in the northern suburb of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Bandy is played on skates, without contact, and using a light but hard ball instead of a puck, and short, curled-blade sticks. The team is more like a soccer team, with a goaltender, sweeper, two fullback defensive players, maybe two halfback defenders, three midfielders and two attacking forwards, and it is played on an ice surface the size of a soccer rink. So the interior of the speedskating oval is the only place in Minnesota that can house the tournament.
“We’re trying to get more nations playing the game to elevate it to an Olympic sport,†said Leif Klingborg, chairman of the Federation of International Bandy (FIB), and was coach of the Swedish men’s team in 1994 and 1995, which won the World Championship, also held at the Roseville facility.
With Russia, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Canada and the United States participating in this weekÂ’s tournament, the sport may not be far away. There are not that many more teams playing womenÂ’s hockey, which is being played for the third time in the Winter Olympics. While Canada and the U.S. are far ahead of the rest of the field in hockey, and have played in every gold medal game of every world and Olympic tournament, in bandy Sweden is the power, with Russia next, and then Finland and Norway, while the U.S. and Canada are in the learning phase.
It turns out, the 2-0 loss to Finland, on goals by Katri Niemela and Paula Niskanen, was an outstanding performance by Team USA, which contained the Finnish attack with strong and disciplined defensive play.
“We knew they were a lot better than we were, so losing 2-0 was really good for us,†said Heather Pritchard, U.S. alternate captain and a defensive player who was named the team’s player of the game against Finland.
“Bandy is the No. 2 sport to soccer in Russia,†said Klingborg. “In Sweden, it also is a big sport, second to hockey. There is women’s bandy all over Sweden, and there is not much hockey for women yet. In Finland, bandy is big, but not as big, and hockey is more popular. In Norway, though, bandy is bigger than hockey.
“The U.S. and Canada are getting better all the time, but right now, Sweden and Russia are the two most dominant teams. This is the second World Championship for womenÂ’s bandy. There is some bandy played in other countries, like Hungary and Poland, but weÂ’re trying to get more nations started in the sport.Ââ€
Klingborg has coordinated the tournament closely with Magnus Skold, a Swede who now lives in Minneapolis, and is a vice president of the executive board of FIB. Skold is responsible for getting bandy a foothold in the Twin Cities region, where men and women play, and youth bandy programs also have begun. The absence of purposeful body contact, and the free-skating style with very little equipment makes it a stylish and feasible sport for some who are concerned with the more physical style of hockey.
Many of the top Russian players dating back to the Soviet Union days were great skaters because they grew up first playing bandy. The sport is particularly popular all across Siberia, where itÂ’s not unusual to attract crowds of 20,000. In Moscow, there is an enormous, ultramodern indoor bandy and skating arena, which reportedly cost the equivalent of $2 million.
The WomenÂ’s World Championships continue with all six teams seeded off preliminary round-robin results for games at 9 a.m. Friday for the fifth and sixth ranked teams, followed by Friday night semifinals with the No. 2 team facing No. 3 at 5:30 p.m. and the No. 1 playing No. 4 at 8 p.m. The third-place game will be at 12 noon Saturday, with the championship at 3 p.m.
Badgers lose WCHA lead but regain flowing style
Wisconsin should have been able to celebrate a season highlight by beating Ohio State 4-2 in a memorable Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic at Green Bay’s flooded and frozen Lambeau Field. After all, four different Badgers scored – Adam Burish, Kyle Klubertanz, Andrew Joudrey and Robbie Earl – and the Badgers dazzled a crowd of 40,890, and reached the 20-victory plateau at 20-7-2.
But while the Badgers took a week off from the WCHA battles, they also slipped from first to third in the WCHA. The real highlight for the Badgers is that they seem to have gotten their game back in order. A little consistency now, and coach Mike Eaves will be satisfied, going into playoff time.
The Badgers seemed to have everything disintegrate by losing goaltender Brian Elliott to a practice knee injury, and then promptly losing four straight at home, and five of their last six WCHA games. But indications are that the wheels are back on and the Badger Express is ready to speed away from its pit stop.
The loss of Elliott signaled the end of a dominant Wisconsin runaway atop the WCHA, but strong play most of the way by freshman Shane Connelly since then has made Elliott only a convenient excuse. Eaves knew what happened, and it went from subtle to serious.
The Badgers had a free-wheeling offense, characterized by a quick-passing game that featured not only making the simple direct passes but also the ability to lag soft passes ahead to where only teammates could get the puck. With Elliott out and Connelly in, the offense suddenly stopped. That doesnÂ’t make sense, on paper, but several factors gathered to make it happen.
They may have had full confidence in Connelly, but there also seemed to be a psychological factor that may have caused them, as a group, to decide they had to be extra protective of their freshman goalie. When that subconscious factor became real, Wisconsin lost 1-0 to Denver, at home. A 1-0 loss doesnÂ’t mean the goaltender was a problem, but it does raise questions about the vanishing offense.
“Losing Brian changed our whole dynamics,†said Eaves. “We have a very talented young group, and we had to grow up and mature quickly. The same went for Shane.
“We put it on the table for him and said we didnÂ’t just drop him in the deep end, we dropped him in the Pacific Ocean. But after losing four games, we told him he was a better goalie now, and if he keeps improving, weÂ’ll win as a team.Ââ€
The result of that pep-talk was a 7-2 romp at Minnesota-Duluth. The free-wheeling offense was back, with the neat passes and instant ability to pounce on mistakes and capitalize. Tom Gilbert, Andrew Joudrey, Robbie Earl, Ross Carlson, Adam Burish, and the final two by freshman Ben Street lifted the Badgers from a 1-1 standoff, and a close 4-2 second-intermission toll, to a runaway victory.
“We had been missing a little something,†said Connelly, after that victory. “But we got it back tonight. We played a lot smarter.Ââ€
Wisconsin’s 7-2 victory came on the night UMD retired Brett Hull’s No. 29 at the DECC. Back on top of the league standings, the Badgers found out what the rest of the WCHA has been learning all season – nothing follows conventional routine.
The second game of that series saw UMD come out of the chute to take a 1-0 lead in the first period, then, after Joe PavelskiÂ’s power-play goal offset Tim StapletonÂ’s opening tally for a 1-1 tie, the Badgers seemed ready to take command. But UMD freshmen Mason Raymond and MacGregor Sharp connected for goals to boost UMD into a 3-1 lead later in the second period, and Nick Kemp, yet another freshman, clinched a 4-1 victory with a third-period goal.
It wasnÂ’t exactly back to Square 1, but it was a two-steps-forward-one-step-back pitfall. The Badgers trailed just 2-1 midway through the game, but they were clearly off their smooth-flowing game after only one day back on it. “It doesnÂ’t matter how you played last night, youÂ’ve got to be consistent,†said Gilbert, WisconsinÂ’s All-America candidate defenseman and captain. “We ran around as if we had no idea where we were goingÂ….It was frustrating to watch.Ââ€
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If everything had gone according to form, Wisconsin, Denver and Minnesota would be going into the final stretch-run in a three-way tie for first place in the WCHA. But that would be “conventional†form, dating back to the time when teams respected the tradition of home-ice advantage.
Two weeks ago, the teams were in a three-way tie, mainly because Wisconsin ran afoul of the home-ice rule. Cruising through the league with only one loss – that at home to then-last-place Michigan Tech – the Badgers returned to the huge but comfortable homesite of Kohl Center, only to lose twice to Denver, and then twice to Minnesota. Four straight home losses raised Denver and Minnesota to the three-way tie.
A sweep at Duluth would have lifted the Badgers to a four-point lead, but the split left them only two ahead of Denver and Minnesota. So Wisconsin went into its weekend off from WCHA action, and won a 4-2 empty-net outdoor victory over Ohio State, before 40,000 people at Green BayÂ’s flooded Lambeau Field, but the BadgersÂ’ frolic was with a wary eye back at the standings theyÂ’d left behind.
Sure enough, Denver whipped Minnesota State-Mankato and Minnesota won at Michigan Tech to forge a three-way tie for the lead. Denver won again, for a sweep, but Tech rose up to sting Minnesota with a 2-2 tie at Winter Carnival. So Wisconsin won a nonconference game before a record crowd, and dropped from first to third.
Denver, the two-time defending NCAA champs, has a 15-5-2 record for 32 points and first place; Minnesota is 14-5-3 for 31 points and second place, and Wisconsin stays 14-6-2 for 30 points and third.
The other altered view is the upcoming schedule. Minnesota and Denver collide in an enormous series that could ultimately decide the championship this weekend at Mariucci Arena, and while Denver also has North Dakota coming to Denver, and a home-and-home set with Colorado College, Minnesota must still play at Alaska-Anchorage and at home against Minnesota-Duluth. Wisconsin has been conceded the easiest closing schedule all season, playing at Michigan Tech, at Minnesota State-Mankato, and at home against St. Cloud State – but that all changed in the past month.
Tech, Mankato and St. Cloud all have come to life in the second half. Tech, while only eighth, did beat the Badgers already, and come off a spirited 2-2 tie with Minnesota to face the Badgers. Mankato has had a strong second half, until losing twice at onrushing Denver last weekend, but the Mavericks are seventh and still have a fleeting shot at home ice. If they fail to get it, their final home games will be Feb. 24-25 against Wisconsin. And St. Cloud State had been the hottest team around. The Huskies lost to Colorado College last Friday, but bounced back to gain a split. St. Cloud State now stands fourth, just ahead of CC and North Dakota, both of whom have surprised everyone by struggling at or near the .500 mark, and both of which are in jeopardy of losing home ice for the first playoff round. So St. Cloud could be going for a strong finish in the season finale at Wisconsin.
But all of that, and even the frantic scramble for the WCHA title, seem secondary to the carefully plotted course Eaves has set for the Badgers. Getting them back to playing well has been accomplished, and now getting them to play that way with the consistency they showed in the first half of the season is the main factor in WisconsinÂ’s playoff and NCAA tournament scheme.
Dodge takes higher Caliber shot at changing segment
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — The desert of Arizona doesnÂ’t have much in common with Chicago in midwinter, notwithstanding some pretty elaborate McCormick Place simulations during the Chicago Auto Show, which started with February 8-9 media previews. But there was a significant connection this year.
Chrysler showed that its most compact commuter vehicle will be of a higher Caliber as a 2007 model when it held media introductions in Arizona, then proved in Chicago that along with the rest of the automotive world, Chrysler Group might be adding distance in another direction from General Motors and Ford, its United States competitors. The vehicle in the middle of that breakaway is the new Dodge Caliber, which is a combination downsized SUV and upgraded sedan/wagon, with a completely flexible and fun-to-drive conglomeration of the best assets of both.
Upon first examination, at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, and again at DetroitÂ’s Auto Show in January, I was dazzled by the looks of the Cobalt, and I assumed it might be a personal/luxury crossover that might cost from $25,000-$35,000. I was surprised to learn the base SE model Caliber starts at $14,000. Then I got to drive one at the media introduction in late January in the mountains surrounding the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, and I am convinced that as a project, the Caliber is of extremely highÂ…ahÂ…caliber.
I predict that the Caliber will prove enormously popular by both what it isnÂ’t and what it is — first, being NOT enormous in size; second, being surprisingly a kick to drive; and third, being remarkably inexpensive to operate, and particularly to buy.
Flash forward to media days at the Chicago Auto Show, and Jason Vines, Chrysler’s unceasingly clever public relations coordinator, pulled on a wig portraying “Wink Jasondale†to play a Dating Game parody called Driving Game, and unveiled three vehicles – first, a new Nitro R/T; last, a new Dodge Rampage concept pickup; and between the two, the new SRT-4 – which is a turbocharged, 300-horsepower version of the Caliber.
On either side of Chrysler’s introduction, General Motors and Ford both unveiled their newest large trucks – GM with the new Chevrolet Avalanche and Ford with a redesigned Lincoln Navigator. Let’s see, now…two new large trucks, from two companies that are in financial crisis-mode because of the serious dropoff in large-truck/SUV sales. Hmmmmm.
Meanwhile, the rest of the automotive world seems to have realized that smaller, more compact “crossover†SUV sales are going right past the big-truck versions in 2006, and are scrambling to enter that more rational compact-SUV segment, the Dodge Caliber seems to be another blast out of the park for Chrysler. Caliber fulfills all the requirements of larger SUVs with the obvious assets of a compact crossover SUV, but if it’s a crossover, it’s coming from the compact sedan driveability end, more than the truck end. It is being built in the Belvidere, Ill., assembly plan, right on I90 as you drive westward from Chicago.
Going against the flow has become a standard for Chrysler, from days of the Prowler, to the Viper, to the PT Cruiser, to the 300, Magnum, Charger and upcoming Challenger. For now, it is the Caliber. “We monitor the industry,†said Chrysler Group product communications director Rick Deneau, “and when everybody else goes right, we go left.Ââ€
Consider that the Neon was ChryslerÂ’s successful little compact/subcompact that had a good life but has now disappeared from ChryslerÂ’s product list. The Caliber, actually, is the replacement for the Neon. And yet, at $13,985 (including destination), it starts $410 below the Neon, with huge upgrades in content. It may meet all responsibilities of a compact family car, but with its Dodge cross-hairs grille, hump-backed wagon-back roofline, and flexible utility inside, the Caliber crosses over to cover virtually all features that people have been getting from outrageously expensive SUVs.
ChryslerÂ’s recently arranged collaboration with Mitsubishi and Hyundai on engine-building pays off with a World Engine variety for the Caliber. Hyundai first came up with a design, which Chrysler officials didn’t think was workable, so Hyundai created a totally redesigned idea six weeks later, and Chrysler officials considered it perfect for their U.S. application, as well as on the worldwide stage.
Built in a new plant in Dundee, Mich., but also being built in Japan, South Korea, and elsewhere in the world, the base 1.8-liter engine has 148 horsepower, the 2.0-liter has 158 horsepower, and the 2.4-liter has 172 horsepower. All three are from the same family, but the days of simply boring out an engine are gone. Computer-selected optimum sizes for balance and refinement meant varying bores and strokes on all three, but they share concept, chain-driven dual overhead camshafts, and variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust sides of their four-valve-per-cylinder layouts. (The just-announced SRT-4 takes the 2.4 and turbocharges it up to 300 horsepower and 260 foot-pounds of torque, but thatÂ’s a later story.)
Calibers start out as front-wheel drive, and the top R/T comes with all-wheel drive. Transmissions range from a five-speed manual up to a second-generation continuously-variable transmission (CVT), which can be selected with an AutoStick feature that simulates manual choice of six automatic gear stops. All Calibers built with 40-percent high-strength steel throughout the body cage, plus magnesium and hot-stamped steel reinforcement beams for side-impact protection and hydroformed front and upper cross-members for further structural rigidity. Standard side-curtain airbags augment the other safety features.
The 1.8 engine is standard in the SE and SXT. In the $13,985 SE base model, options include the 2.0, with the CVT. Same as the $15,985 SXT model, which adds more interior versatility, including a 115-volt household electrical outlet, and an expanded option list that includes heated leather seats, power sunroof, 17-inch alloy wheels, foglights, and electronic stability control. The top R/T model has all that the SXT offers, plus electromagnetic all-wheel drive at $19,985, and has the 2.4-liter engine standard, along with the CVT with the added AutoStick feature, plus antilock brakes, sport suspension, performance steering ratio, foglights, 18-inch alloys, and a chrome grille.
There is no resemblance to the Neon, but whatever the Caliber is, it takes care of those folks who wouldnÂ’t consider the Neon, or any subcompact, because of diminutive size. The Caliber is 4 inches taller, 1 inch wider, and 1 inch shorter overall than the Neon. It also measures 5 inches longer and 2.5 inches lower than the PT Cruiser. With a rear floor that is easily removable for cleaning, and split fold-down rear seats, it has enough interior room to appeal to a universal array of buyers. Chrysler intends to sell Caliber in 98 countries, and designed it to also handle right-hand-steering.
Every manufacturer is trying to attract the 20-something segment, and Caliber has certain appeal there, but with marketing projections of 50-50 male-female buyers, itÂ’s a logical contender for any commuter, any small family, any second-car seekers, and even for those looking for an inexpensive but safe car for an offspring reaching driving age.
The kind of details that can set a vehicle apart from competitors also are available in the Caliber. A rechargeable flashlight, for example, is a handy and useful feature. A second glove compartment, one high and one low, are also handy, and the lower one has a chiller box that will hold four 20-ounce pop or water bottles. The household electrical outlets, first seen on the Toyota Matrix, is a brilliant addition – no more searching for a cigarette-lighter adaptor.
And then thereÂ’s the audio system, which can be upgraded to a nine-speaker, 458-watt blaster. When youÂ’re at a picnic, or tailgating, swing open the rear and you can fold a little hinged boombox comes down from the ceiling aimed outside, to fire off your tunes for the conversationally-challenged.
The Caliber designers seemed to think of everything, including all kinds of parts intended to help satisfy the potential for after-market tuners, who will find an unlimited playground for personal alterations.
Badgers lose just-found edge to split at UMD
Minnesota-DuluthÂ’s power play came alilve for three goals and goaltender Isaac Reichmuth played one of his strongest games to frustrate Wisconsin and give the Bulldogs a WCHA split with a 4-1 victory over the WCHA-leading Badgers, before 5,370 fans at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.
The Badgers broke a four-game losing streak with a 7-2 victory in FridayÂ’s first game, getting its high-octane offensive flow running smoothly in a return to sole possession of first place. But UMD, which had been in a seven-straight-loss tailspin, giving up seven goals a game twice in succession, played opportunist to return to the persistent hustle that made the Bulldogs look like a contender early in the season.
UMD, which hadn’t been scoring power-play goals or many goals of any variety in recent weeks, won their first home game since Thanksgiving weekend against Yale, and prevented the Badgers (15-6-2 WCHA, 19-7-2 overall) from gaining a four-point hold on first place in the WCHA – a pivotal opportunity for Wisconsin, which takes a WCHA break in the weekend coming up. It also was the first time the Badgers had lost on the road after 10 victories and a tie.
The only even-strength goal of the game was scored by UMD freshman Mason Raymond early in the second period, and it was a big goal — breaking a 1-1 tie and standing up as the game-winner. Otherwise the Bulldogs (6-13-3 WCHA, 9-17-4 overall) depended on Reichmuth, who stalled the Wisconsin power play at 1-for-6 while UMD went 3-for-6. The Badgers outshot UMD 32-21, including 26-15 through two periods, before the Bulldogs calmly held the third period to a 6-6 standoff in shots.
“He (Reichmuth) did a great job of making the first save, then they cleared the puck well,†said Wisconsin captain and senior defenseman Tom Gilbert. “We got running around and looked like we had no idea where we were going. My hatÂ’s off to them – they got their shots through on the power play, and they got guys in front. It was just frustrating to watch from our end.Ââ€
As usual, Gilbert was involved in the heaviest action at both ends. He was called for the only penalty of the first period, which led to Tim Stapleton capitalizing for the only goal of the opening session. Stapleton moved from right point to center point and fired a screened power-play slapshot that beat freshman goalie Shane Connelly at 7:55. Otherwise, the Badgers outshot UMD 11-7 for the opening period, but ReichmuthÂ’s play gave UMD the upper hand.
Early in the second period, Jack Skille appeared to tie the game 1-1 when he circled out from behind the net and fired a high shot from the left circle at 1:14. The puck caromed straight back out, and referee Scott Zelkin, at the right of the net, immediately pointed at the net, signaling goal. Zelkin then went over for a video review and reversed his decision, saying the video showed it hit the upper right joint of the crossbar and right post and ricocheted back out without ever entering the net.
Undismayed, the Badgers settled for a power play chance and tied it 1-1 just 30 seconds later, when Reichmuth blocked GilbertÂ’s power-play point shot and Joe Pavelski made quick work of the rebound from the left side.
But at 4:01 of the middle period, UMDÂ’s Raymond rushed up the left side and scored what looked like a shaky goal on ConnellyÂ’s part, but the 40-foot shot from outside the circle grazed a defensemanÂ’s stick and the slight misdirection eluded the Badger goalie for a 2-1 UMD lead.
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The Bulldogs never came close to dominating, in fact Wisconsin outshot UMD 15-8 in the second period, so it was up to Reichmuth and the bunching Bulldog defense to weathered some heavy Wisconsin pressure. But when UMD got another power-play chance, the Bulldogs clicked for a 3-1 edge. A pair of freshmen collaborated on this one, as Matt Niskanen shot from the left point and MacGregor Sharp knocked in the rebound from the left edge of the crease at 12:19.
Wisconsin increased the pressure early in the third but Reichmuth his hustling teammates seemed to disrupt the Badger flow. Suddenly passes started to miss targets, Badgers started overskating the puck, and the offensive flow that the Badgers had found Friday night vacated the premises in the third period Saturday.
UMD killed off a Wisconsin power play to start the final period, and when Gilbert was whistled for cross-checking at 11:23, the UMD power play clicked for the third time in the game. This time two more freshmen did the job, as defenseman Jason Garrison blasted from the left point and Nick Kemp deflected the puck past Connelly at 12:56.
UMD coach Scott Sandelin said: “We played better defensively and cut off the lanes better. All I know is, we beat a real good hockey team, and it felt damn good.Ââ€
Gilbert added the final message for the Badgers. “It doesnÂ’t matter how well we played last night – weÂ’ve got to be consistent.Ââ€
Porsche Carrera 4 with right tires is stylish ‘anti-SUV’
Four-wheel drive is an impressive feature, even though sport-utility vehicles have faded in popularity recently, as the populace has grown weary of gas-guzzling when gasoline costs $3 per gallon, and top-heavy and unwieldy handling for safety reasons. But the ability to have all four wheels pulling you through foul weather is an unequivocal asset, whether for getting to work, to the Mall, to the hockey game, or on any other appointed rounds here in the Land of the Wind-chill Factor.
IsnÂ’t there any alternative, something that could hit the highs without the lows, and soothe your midlife crisis blues at the same time? OK, itÂ’s a loaded question, because I already have the answer.
Call it the “Anti-SUV.Ââ€
The Carrera is what we all used to call a 911, and 911 is still its official name. It’s that little, low-slung, teardrop-shaped bullet that is the closest thing in the automotive industry to being a real race car built to drive on the streets and highways of real life. It looks great, even if it doesn’t look much different from the 911 of another era, almost another lifetime. At a glance, you could park any vintage Porsche 911 – say, a well-maintained 1975 model – across the street from a brand new 2006 Carrera, and many passers-by would think both of them are the new model.
Just like the old days, the new Carrera is absolutely uncompromising when it comes to driving performance, which includes handling and durability as well as top speed and acceleration. Grudgingly, there are cupholders in the new car, but you donÂ’t see fancy frills in place of pragmatic, hard-core driving assets. Gauges are big and bold, white on black, with a large tachometer dominant and the 200-mph speedometer smaller and over to the left. The tach is what matters, because if you go too fast you get a ticket, but if you over-rev the engine, dumbkopf, you could ruin it.
Porsches are costly, because such performance capabilities are expensive. A car like the yellow Carrera 4 I test drove for a week has a base price of $77,100, and you can add options to that, such as bi-Xenon headlights, that light up the road but have a sharp cutoff to keep the light low on the roadway. Porsche buyers are about as uncompromising as the cars themselves, and so is their performance.
Seats are firmly bolstered and designed to cling to your body no matter how hard you push the Carrera 4 around the tightest turn. The shifter fits your hand, for short-throw gear changes that put you in charge of 325 horsepower, distributing that power through six gears with the deft moves of an orchestra-leader.
Turn the key and the engine, a flat-opposed six-cylinder with 3.6 liters of displacement, doesn’t just murmur to life, it snarls – sort of what it must be like to awaken a slumbering bobcat. Crack the throttle, and the snarling instantly transforms to a higher pitch, but it’s still a snarl. Provoke it with the gas pedal, and it snarls, but if you provoke it without care, it could turn on you with a sudden viciousness.
From the driverÂ’s seat, you look down the steeply sloping nose and you see highway, and if you look straight ahead, you see the horizon. It is a horizon that both beckons more, and arrives sooner, than when you are behind the wheel of an ordinary car. The 325 horses peak at 6,800 RPMs, and 273 foot-pounds of torque reach their maximum at 4,250. Tests have shown 0-60 runs at between 4.5 and 4.8 seconds, with a top speed of about 175 miles per hour. See how long your horizon stays away at those speeds! Of course, you need a race track or an autobahn to fully appreciate such potential.
Porsches always have been about much more than speed, of course. The Porsche prototypes that used to dominate at places like LeMans run at top speeds of something beyond 200 mph, and theyÂ’d do it for hours on end at the 24-hour endurance classic. As a small performance-oriented sports-car company in Germany, Porsche has always built fantastic race engines, and they always have either put those engines to work in production cars, or let the same technology trickle down to smaller production engines. In all-out racing, cars must go fast, but they must go fast for long stretches, and they also must be durable and fuel-efficient.
As the Carrera has evolved, so has Porsche, adding a lower-priced alternative, called the Boxster, and it came out with an SUV, called the Cayenne. If it seems out of character for the worldÂ’s most impressive sports car company to build an SUV, the Cayenne is an impressive performer as well, and it is a popular, high-profit vehicle that allows Porsche to make enough money to keep building fantastic sports cars.
There are more powerful Porsches than the Carrera, such as the turbocharged version, and the new exorbitantly priced Porsche GT, and all 911s or Carreras share the familiar rear-engine, rear-wheel drive attitude that made Porsche famous. But the mainstream vehicle in the line is the Carrera.
Porsche lovers, of course, notice quickly whether the little script name plate on the rear flank says “Carrera†or “Carrera 4†– and it is the Carrera 4 that is my recommended solution for midlilfe crises, having a chunk of disposable income, or having a friendly banker with a liberal liking for your spending intentions.
Because the Porsche Carrera 4 is an all-wheel-drive Porsche, meaning all four wheels whirl into action whenever you move it. That should mean improved traction in Great White North wintertime, but the low-profile and high-performance tires that come mounted on those big alloy wheels look better suited for wet or dry pavement than for ice and snow.
That was where my biggest surprise came. I was in Minneapolis when a couple of inches of snow hit. Gingerly, I crept onto a residential side street and feathered the throttle, and the Carrera 4 stuck very well. Surprisingly well. So surprising that my son, Jack, got out and looked closely. To our amazement, those thin little bands of rubber wrapped around those huge 18-inch wheels, which were 8 inches wide up front and 11 inches wide at the rear, were Nokian WR tires.
As a long-time advocate of the Finnish Nokian tires, because they are constructed of a tread compound that stick like glue, and maintains its flexibility in the cold – to also stick almost like glue in freezing weather – I was both surprised and impressed. Forget the gingerly driving, I went back at it with nice-weather verve, and found the Carrera 4 churned through any amount of snow, handled well on varying degrees of iciness, and turned the dry-weather demon of a car into a foul-weather pleasure to drive.
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Later in the week I drove the car up I35 to Duluth and the North Shore of Lake Superior, where the beast was right at home in the mid-January chill.
Normal high-performance tires would spin wildly on ice, but the Nokians give even the snarling Porsche Carrera 4 SUV-like tendencies turn it into an anti-SUV. There are some other good all-season/winter tires out now. I recently was impressed with a set of Michelin Pilot all-season tires, in stark contrast to the regular high-performance Pilots, which are only worth using in winter if you have them siped. But if the premier winter/all-season tires are Nokians, I had never seen a factory car with Nokians mounted, which tells more about PorscheÂ’s great attention to detail.
The latest Carrera restyling is subtle, but effective. The flared rear fenders are flared 1.73 inches more than its predecessor, allowing those wider, 18 by 11 inch rear wheels and tires to fit handsomely. With an overall length of 175.63 inches, on a 92.52-inch wheelbase, the 3,157-pound Carrera 4 carries a wind-cheating 0.30 coefficient of drag. Fuel economy is 18/26 by EPA estimate for city/highway driving, and I got 23 miles per gallon on a combined city and freeway tankful.
Automatic Slip Regulation (ASR) joins PorscheÂ’s Stability Management system to keep you headed the right direction, and the MacPherson strut front suspension and multilink rear, with their springs and stabilizer bars, give the Carrera 4 its legendary flat-attitude handling, even if you exercise the razor-sharp steering.
If there is a drawback to a Carrera 4, it is the cruel joke of a rear seat, which is only good for the tiniest of occupants, and the luggage space. However, the luggage space is larger than anticipated, because, of course, it is not in the rear, where the engine is mounted, but under the front bonnet, where a deceptively deep cubicle can take a couple of decent size suitcases.
Ordinarily, I would say that foul-weather grip might be another weakness, but the Nokian WRs took care of that. So the only drawback to winter driving is the morality of allowing such a beautiful car to become covered with the glop of salty residue slush and snow that are prevalent in winter. But if you can afford a Carrera, it might be a greater crime to leave it parked during the winter months. Now you donÂ’t need to worry about that. And besides, car-wash operators also have to make a living,
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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