V10 diesel boosts Touareg beyond normal SUVs
It may be difficult to think about diesels as being technically advanced, but just wait. In about a year, weÂ’re going to see a whole fleet of high-tech, diesel-powered cars descending on the United States, and we will embrace them and seek them out in large quantities.
Welcome to the rest of the world, U.S. of A.
If you want a glimpse of future potential as well as current performance, take a test-drive in a Volkswagen Touareg with a V10 turbo-diesel. The Volkswagen Passat, Jetta, Golf or New Beetle with the four-cylinder turbo-diesel set new standards of economy, durability and performance, and the Touareg, with its new V10, goes to extremes that seem impossible to highway denizens in this country.
I recently wrote about the Jetta TDI, which delivers 54 miles per gallon on the EPA’s highway driving cycle, ahead of the hybrid Toyota Prius and second only to the Honda Insight hybrid among all vehicles available in the U.S. Subsequently, I test-drove the larger Volkswagen Passat GLS wagon with the 2.0-liter turbo-diesel, which was impressive. Now comes the Touareg, which is good with the 2.3-liter V6, better with the Audi A8-based 4.2-liter V8 – and mind-blowing with its optional new 5-liter V10 turbo-diesel.
The Passat wagon has an easily attainable 38-mpg highway EPA figure, with 134 horsepower and 247 foot-pounds of torque, peaking at 1,900 RPMs. As a solid and substantial station wagon, the relatively small diesel propels the Passat from 0-60 in about 10 seconds, and can easily run right up beyond any legal speed limits. On a deserted stretch of level rural freeway, I did computer checks that showed 51 mpg at 70 mph; 42 mpg at 75 mph; and 39 mpg at a brief stretch of 80 mph. For a tankful, I got 38.2 miles per gallon on a freeway trip.
What makes it a prize is that the Passat wagon costs $24,000, only about $200 more than the normal gas-engine version.
Impressive as the Passat is, those hungry for more power might imagine the Touareg. With its sturdy SUV build, all-wheel drive, exceptional interior amenities for comfort, the ability to turn a switch and raise the chassis five inches from cruising lowness to off-road height, VW now adds its new 5-liter V10 turbodiesel. The result is almost incomprehensible.
The V10 has 310 horsepower, and 553 foot-pounds of torque, which is amazing. More amazing, the torque peaks at only 2,000 RPMs, which means that barely above idle, you are launching at full torque. In real-world performance, the 5,825-pound Touareg surges from 0-60 in 7.5 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 130 mph, plenty for an SUV. Speed, of course, should not be a priority in a rugged SUV, but if you want to tow something: The TDI Touareg has a tow capability of 7,700 pounds. Its EPA estimates are for 23 mpg on the highway; I got 26.
VolkswagenÂ’s diesel technology has developed an advanced electronic fuel-injection system with Bosch that puts separate unit injectors on each cylinder, better atomizing the fuel and electronically metering the dose going into the combustion chamber at the incredible pressure of 29,733 pounds per square inch. Twin turbochargers have electrically actuated turbine blades, furthering the precision of the V10 beyond the capability of common-rail injection systems.
The Touareg’s V10 is like two five-cylinder engines joined, joined mechanically at the crankshaft but with separate intake and exhaust systems. All the pumps, alternator and other hardware bits are nestled in the “V†under a slick, crackled alloy intake manifold. Volkswagen’s industry-leading technology is costly, with the V10 Touareg TDI priced at $57,800. Nobody, however, will question whether it’s worth it.
As Volkswagen has proven, its dieselsÂ’ capability for everyday work is as blue-collar as their technology is exotic. We have to overcome our feeling that diesels donÂ’t seem at all exotic when you are stuck in traffic, inhaling second-hand soot from that smoke-spewing diesel truck or bus directly ahead of you. ThatÂ’s why in the U.S. we dismissed them after a brief fling 30 years ago or so. Who wants a car that is loud, clattering, smelly, smoky, and slow, besides?
The VWs, regardless of which diesel engine you try, donÂ’t have the smell, sound and rudeness associated with diesels. The scenario will only get better. Volkswagen is the only company that offers diesel cars in the U.S. for 2004, although several more are about to be introduced this fall as 2005s, and a virtual battalion of other top diesels are awaiting 2006, when U.S. diesel fuel regulations will greatly reduce sulfur content — from over 320 parts per million sulfur to 15 ppm. In Europe, diesel fuel is limited to 12 ppm.
Meanwhile, since driving all three VW diesels, IÂ’ve learned about diesels, particularly a few things I previously misunderstood. For example, all diesels are four-stroke. Because of the sound, and the fact diesels accomplish so much on one stroke, I thought some might be two-strokes. Not true. Like gas engines, diesels are four-stroke, drawing air in on one downstroke of the piston, compressing it on the return, firing back down upon ignition, and returning up to expel exhaust.
Diesels donÂ’t use spark plugs or conventional throttle action, and while gas engines use the upper portion of the cylinder as a combustion chamber, diesels have a combustion chamber hollowed into the top of each piston. Diesels eliminate the need for a spark-plug-induced explosion of a gas/air mix by using extraordinarily high compression to cause the air molecules to heat up enough to ignite as soon as a metered dose of diesel fuel is injected.
For a thorough explanation of the differences between gas and diesel engines, I went to the top, and contacted Volkswagen project leader Stefan Krebsfanger.
“Most gas engines breathe and compress a homogeneous fuel/air mixture up to around a 10:1 ratio, which is ignited by the spark plug,†Krebsfanger explained. “So engine power is governed by the throttle, which regulates the amount of fuel/air mixture that the cylinders inhale.
“Diesel engines breathe and compress fresh air. Diesel fuel is injected into the compressed air in the combustion chamber and self-ignites due to the high compression pressures – a ratio of around 19:1. Engine power is governed by the amount of diesel fuel which is injected into the fresh compressed air in the combustion chamber. Since there is no throttle, the fresh air amount which the cylinders inhale is always about the same.Ââ€
Diesel fuel is capable of producing far more energy than gasoline, but the problem, over the years, has been that foul sootiness and pollution. But not because of diesel technology. Our laws have allowed fuel refiners to sell greasy, black, sooty, smelly stuff of over 320 parts per million sulfur, so the sooty, smelly, foul exhaust is more attributable to the fuel than to the diesel process. The cleaner, more refined European diesel fuel has allowed companies like Volkswagen, Renault, Mercedes, Volvo, BMW and others to develop high-tech diesel technology. In Japan, Toyota, Nissan (through its connection with Renault), and Honda have developed fantastic new diesel engines. They just donÂ’t send them to the U.S., because of our fuel, and because of our emission laws.
But in 2006, when the laws drop the sulfur content, those high-tech diesels will undoubtedly meet or beat the emission rules. And, as Volkswagen’s current cars prove, diesels already have conquered our most optimistic performance and economy wishes.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews and can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Focus is on driving — and entering — ’05 ZX4 ST model
SAINT PAUL, MN. — What could be better than gazing at a bright red, all-American, 2005 Ford Focus ZX4 on Fourth of July week? About the only thing that would be better than looking at the new Focus is to drive it. Curiously enough, I was so impressed driving it that I wound up outside, looking at it.
The ZX4 ST model requires a lot of letters, but it’s hot enough as an upgrade to the basic Focus that the red-hot Focus SVT has been discontinued. That saddened me, when I heard the news, but only until I got to drive the new ZX4. The new 2.3-liter four-cylinder is so strong that you have to think back to how impressively quick the outgoing Focus SVT was, and you realize that this “non-SVT†might be every bit as quick.
After being impressed for several days, I was driving the Focus ZX4 past Maplewood Imports in suburban St. Paul, and I stopped in to see if, by chance, any of the 2005 Mercedes models had arrived yet. My old friend and salesman George Andeweg said that some had shown up, and he volunteered to take me for a short drive in the all-new E-Class CDI turbo-diesel, letting me drive it back. Afterward, I motioned over to the bright red little Focus and told George that this was more than just a garden-variety Focus, because of its new engine.
George asked for a ride, so I agreed, and to make sure he was properly impressed, I suggested he drive it up the highway and back. As we got in, by chance, it started to rain, so we closed the sunroof and the windows. George ran it gingerly up through the five-speed gears for a couple of blocks, and as we came back, he was smiling at how impressive the engine was. He pulled up at the main entrance to his Mercedes dealership, and said, since it was still raining and he knew I had to leave, he was going to hustle inside. So he left the motor running, hopped out, and ran inside.
I climbed out of the passenger seat, walked around the carÂ…and found, to my surprise, that the driverÂ’s door was locked. That George; how could he have even hit the power-lock switch as he got out? Of course, he hadn’t, but I wasn’t sure of that as I chuckled, walking back around the car to the passenger side, only to find out that the passenger-side door was also locked! All four doors and the trunklid all were steadfastly locked, and they had apparently locked themselves, as the 2.3-liter engine kept humming merrily along at idle.
It was of small consolation that the rain stopped right about then, because there I was, standing there where I could do nothing but admire the bright, red looks of the new Ford Focus ZX4, while being totally helpless about getting back inside it. I summoned George, and he was very apologetic, but of course, it had nothing to do with anything he had done. And a lot to do with either an electrical malfunction of the power-lock gizmo, or else some ill-advised scheme of an over-zealous feature designer who went one step too far down the road of sophistication.
Two or three Mercedes service guys, along with George and I, struggled to work a “slim jim†and a coat hanger into the upper corner of the doors on both sides. After a half-hour, one fellow managed to hook the hanger around the inside passenger door handle and unlatched it. What a relief. George cracked the passenger side window about four inches and, as he slammed the door, I yelled: “Wait! DonÂ’t close it!Ââ€
He laughed, but said it wouldnÂ’t lock this time, and besides he had cracked the window. Then he tried it, and, amazingly, the Focus had again locked itself. Luckily he could reach his arm in and unlock it this time. But I was left with the realization that technology has clearly gone too far. The fancy remote devices on the key fob are great, and power locks are wonderful, but who ever heard of doors that would lock themselves?
I imagined a scenario, during one of our frequent late-night trips between the Twin Cities and Duluth, when I might suggest to my wife, Joan, that I was a little sleepy, so maybe she should drive for a while. In those cases, she complies, I pull over on the freeway shoulder when no traffic is approaching, put the car in neutral with the emergency brake on, or in park, then we jump out, circle the still-idling car, and take off. Almost like a pit stop. It would truly be the pits, however, if we did that somewhere between Sandstone and Moose Lake and found that both of us were locked out. Being left standing on the freeway shoulder in the middle of nowhere at 1 a.m., with no way to get into the still-running car, is not a pleasant scenario, although being stuck anywhere in that condition isnÂ’t very appealing.
Because Fourth of July weekend was fast-approaching, I couldnÂ’t locate anybody in FordÂ’s Chicago or Detroit offices for a potentially logical explanation, which means I was left without any explanation, logical or not.
I recently had a Volkswagen Passat for a test drive, and while my wife and I were making several stuff-carrying trips, she went inside with the key. With my arms full, I wasnÂ’t sure she was going to make a return trip for the last couple of items, so I tried to lock the doors, just in case. I pushed the lock switch and the doors clicked to lock, but when I closed the door, it unlocked. It would be impossible to lock that car WITHOUT the key. Maybe thatÂ’s what Ford intended, but they just got it backwards. When I finally reached the always-helpful Tom Larson in Ford’s Chicago regional office, he was surprised to hear my tale and said he’d try to find out if any such design was in place, but strongly suspected a malfunction.
I donÂ’t like locks that lock you inside a car, for whatever security reasons, without you pushing some button to order it. But I find it incomprehensible that any car would lock itself automatically, with nobody inside and the car running, with the key, obviously, still inside.
The whole incident was off-putting, which is too bad. It makes for a good column, but the Focus ZX4 ST deserves a column-full of accolades. Ford’s arrangement with Mazda is paying rich dividends, and the ZX4 is just one of those. The previous Focus engine was a 2-liter “Zetec†four-cylinder, which was adequate, and the Special Vehicle Team (SVT) gang reworked to deliver 170 horsepower and 145 foot-pounds of torque – far more than adequate in the SVT Focus. As usual, the SVT treatment also doctored up the suspension and shocks to make that model handle with fabulous sportiness.
For 2005, Ford takes Mazda’s slick, new 2.3-liter four-cylinder – the base engine in the Mazda6 and the available engine in the new Mazda3 and the Ford Escape – and stuffs it into the Focus. The Mazda engine is a dual-overhead-cam, world-class beauty, with chain-driven cams and four valves per cylinder. It has 151 horsepower, which seems light next to the SVT Focus’s 170, but it adds a robust 154 foot-pounds of torque, topping the SVT’s 145. The bottom line is the new Focus ZX4 four-door runs 0-60 within one-tenth of a second of the SVT in most car-magazine tests.
In addition, the new Focus ZX4 gets the SVTÂ’s firm-set shock absorbers, and even though the new car is softer sprung, the performance is decidedly improved over the current Focus, and just a tad more comfortable for everyday driving than the uncompromisingly stiff Focus SVT. The ST upgrade to the ZX4 adds some neat sporty trim to the interior, and even fully loaded with every possible option, the price stays around $18,000.
Alloy wheels and a five-speed work smoothly, and the Mazda heritage dovetails well with the 2,816-pound Focus. The 2.3-liter engine not only has potent, free-revving power, but it also burns clean. Ford officials claim the new engine is twice as clean as the ULEV (ultra low emission vehicle) standards call for, and it burns one-third cleaner than the 2004 Focus.
Externally, the new Focus has a revised nose, more smoothly coordinated in the same manner that the new Ford 500 sedan will be when it is introduced in a couple of months. Altogether, the Focus remains FordÂ’s economy-car challenger, and in base form it measures up well. In ZX4 form, with the 2.3-liter upgrade, it more than measures up against most imports. And in full-boat, ZX4 ST gear, itÂ’ll make you eager to climb inside and drive the heck out of it.
If, that is, it lets you get inside to drive.
Power Wagon breaks new ground for Dodge in 2005
CHELSEA, MI. — Chrysler Group introduced all of its 2005 car and truck models at a large-scale opportunity for automotive journalists to put the vehicles through their paces at the companyÂ’s Chelsea Proving Grounds. It was a hectic and eventful day, to say the least, but right in the middle of it, at 11 a.m., everything came to a halt and we were all summoned to a location right amid the three test tracks at the facility. The occasion was a groundbreaking, we were informed.
Virtually all the assembled journalists were similarly cynical. I mean, there are cars to drive, cars to photograph, and inside the huge tent there were snacks and refreshments to consume, so why are we wasting out time at a groundbreaking? Every auto manufacturer on the planet is competing to build the best cars and trucks, and all of them also are battling to do the best job of promoting their new – as well as their old and outdated – vehicles.
But when it comes to the standard of clever and creative ideas for new-vehicle introductions, Chrysler stands alone. So this, we assumed, was payback time. Chrysler entertained us by dropping new minivans from the ceiling at the Detroit Auto Show several years ago, and the company has continued to dazzle the assembled writers every year since, including last year when it rolled a fire-breathing Viper-powered motorcycle out on a raised runway. But a groundbreaking? Do we cynical journalists care about a groundbreaking? Let us go into the tent for one more cup of coffee and send us a message with whatever building you plan to build, OK?
Cynical or not, we all dutifully trooped over near the handling road-course because Dieter Zetsche, the impressively German president and CEO of DaimlerChryslerÂ’s so-called Chrysler Group, was about to hold court. As he strode to the podium, we noticed the enormous dirt pile behind him, with an earth-moving loader up on top of the pile. Whatever they were going to build obviously was going to be built right about there.
Zetsche talked about what a monumental point in history this was, because it is the 50th year that Chrysler has test-proven its cars at the Chelsea Proving Grounds. He introduced the mayor of Chelsea, and he talked about the legendary cars from ChryslerÂ’s past, such as the 300 letter-series Chryslers, the Dodge Charger Daytona, and the current Dodge Ram SRT-10, which set a Guinness Book of World Records standard for a measured speed of 154.587 miles per hour over a flying kilometer right out there on the Chelsea facilityÂ’s high-banked oval.
Such groundbreaking performance, Zetsche suggested, made it fitting for this groundbreaking moment. With that, Zetche walked around to the front of his podium, picked up a shovel that was planted in a pile of dirt. He picked up the shovel, and as he held it poised above the dirt pile, he turned each way, striking a hokey pose for any interested photographers who might want such a photo.
As he posed, Zetsche said, “Today, we reach another milestone with a groundbreaking expansion…†And with that, a huge, red pickup truck burst straight out from the middle of that giant dirt pile, which, obviously, was a dirt pile enclosing a little garage-like hiding place in which this huge truck could be stashed, and from which it could erupt. It was the new-for-2005 Dodge Power Wagon.
No question, the whole thing was astounding. Twenty-five years ago, Dodge built a super-heavy-duty truck, the kind of truck that could tackle any rugged task imaginable. You might say it was an SUV-type long before SUVs were the norm. So after returning to prominence as a valid contender for the top Ford and Chevy pickups with the imposing Dodge Ram, Dodge is reincarnating the Power Wagon as its heavy-duty, bring-on-the-Hummer vehicle.
It is built, Dodge says, for “the road less traveled.†It has power from the 5.7-liter Hemi, with 345 horsepower, a large and beefy stance, towering over us at 80.6 inches tall, and with huge 33-inch BF Goodrich all-terrain tires mounted on 17-inch by 8-inch forged aluminum wheels. It can be had in either normal cab or Quad-Cab four-door form, and its custom wheel flares set it off as something special.
A solid front axle with coil springs, and a single stage leaf spring rear suspension with softer spring settings allow for what Dodge claims is the best wheel articulation in its class. Bilstein monotube high-pressure gas shock absorbers keep all four corners planted, and 4.56 gearing assures immediate takeoff when you step on the gas.
Another big-time feature is a 12,000-pound custom winch, which Zetsche claimed was so that Power Wagon drivers could lend a hand to those less-fortunate souls who might have gotten stuck in their off-road endeavor before the big Dodge could arrive to yank them out.
No question, the Power Wagon offers the ultimate macho look to the whole Ram family, which already led the world in macho image stuff with that bold grille and super power.
As if that wasnÂ’t enough, around the handling road course came another red flash, and another bright red Dodge truck pulled into the area. It was the Dodge Ram SRT-10 Quad Cab, which is all new for 2005, too. The SRT-10 made its debut for 2004, as the swiftest pickup truck in the land, with its closed-course speed record and all. So for Â’05, you can have your race truck and four full-size doors.
The SRT-10 signifies that the truckÂ’s scoop-laden hood covers an 8.3-liter V10 engine out of the Viper sports car. It has 500 horsepower, 525 foot-pounds of torque, and a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds.
With that, we were all released to go back to the refreshments, and back to the test track. On the track, we drove all the new stuff, but Chrysler issued strict rules of an information embargo: We had to promise we would not divulge any information about the style, or the performance, or the driving impressions, of any of the 2005 models.
The large majority of Chrysler/Dodge stuff came out as 2004 models, however, such as the Chrysler 300, Crossfire Roadster, Dodge Magnum, Neon STR-4, the Dodge Ram SRT-10, etc., and there isnÂ’t all that much thatÂ’s remarkably different for 2005. The new Power Wagon, and the SRT-10 Quad Cab definitely are new, and we were given the go-ahead to talk all we want about them.
What isnÂ’t new — but never gets old — is Chrysler’s ability to make any introduction clever and creative. Even the most cynical auto journalist has to be blown away when a simple or mundane introduction turns into high entertainment.
Honda S2000 takes sports car to high-tech levels
The Honda S2000 is both a throwback and a thrust into the sports car future. There are several ways for the S2000 to put you into a reflective mood, recalling the dreamlike wonders of true, pure sports cars of the 1960s. Fortunately, there are more elements of the S2000 that make you realize that it might be the perfect conveyance to carry sports-car zealots into the new century.
To begin with, the reflective stuff.
First, put the top down and let the wind blow. Sure, thereÂ’s an audio system, but who needs it when itÂ’s summertime and the sunshine and wind can heighten all your sensory feelings to overload status.
Second, hit the start button and let the engine roar to life. ItÂ’s a little engine, as engines go, but it has the bright, zappy sound that lets you know it means business every time you crack the throttle to run the revs up.
Third, as you run up through the gears, feel the punch of each shift as the engineÂ’s power takes charge over the carÂ’s lightness and gives you a thrill as it presses you back into the bucket seat.
And fourth, find a winding piece of roadway or at least approach intersections and sharp corners the way you always have, only this time donÂ’t bother hitting the brakes. Just turn and the S2000 slices around those corners and curves without even leaning. ItÂ’s a thrill, just as it always was in a pure sports car, and never was in a stuffy, overweight sedan.
Those feelings of enjoyable nostalgia can cause a person’s sports-car blood to warm up immediately, the same way they did if you were back in the ‘60s, driving an MGB, or a TR4. No, we aren’t looking for high-powered sports cars here, so Corvette, Jaguar and Porsche 911 owners can’t quite relate; we’re talking the affordable sports cars that were built to allow maximum pleasure without having to break the speed limits to reach nirvana.
Ah, but now letÂ’s let the S2000 take us instantly up to modern standards.
First, that top doesnÂ’t require any gymnastics, scuffed knuckles or foul language to operate. Unlatch the two front connections at the top of the windshield, then push the switch on the console, and the fabric top whirs back and disappears behind the two bucket seats in four seconds. You could go back to the trunk and pull out the stiff tonneau cover to truly hide the top if you knew you were going to drive that way all day, but that takes more work, and far more than four seconds. Besides, if the top is out of sight itÂ’s good enough, and in the Upper Midwest itÂ’s always reassuring to know that if the weather changes in a flash, or the sun goes down (as it is wont to do) you can close the top in four seconds without leaving the cockpit.
Second, the start button. The S2000 has a key on the right side of the steering column, but you need to hit a large, round, red start button on the left side of the dash to start the car. That allows you to be sure you have the clutch in and all in proper order, which is good in case the S2000 is your second car, and youÂ’ve developed careless habits while starting your automatic with the car in “Park.Ââ€
Third, going through the gears has rarely been so much fun. There are six of them, to start with, and the shift throw is short and precise, with smooth clutch engagement. The 2.2-liter four-cylinder revs freely up to its 8,000 RPM redline, and if you run it up there in second gear, youÂ’ll be going 55 miles per hour. Still under most speed limits, and with four gears to go, yet. If you cruise the freeway, you can easily go 70, but if you want to keep up with the endless chain of trucks and SUVs, youÂ’ll find yourself cruising closer to 80. At that speed, the tach might read 4,500 RPMs, which is high, but the redline is 8,000, remember.
Fourth, away from the freeway and on twistier roads, notice how the taut suspension seems to let the S2000 anticipate what you want it to do, almost as if it is so ready to react to your input that you need very little input to generate a positive response. The S2000Â’s razor-sharp suspension has been enhanced for 2004, and complemented by adding 17-inch alloy wheels for wider, low-profile, hard-sticking tires.
For those who recall those wonderful old sports cars, the deal-breaking feature of the new S2000 is that it doesnÂ’t leak oil, doesnÂ’t blow smoke, doesnÂ’t need the constant pampering and nurturing that used to provide old-time sports-car folks with a forced education in engine maintenance. It runs like a Honda, which means if you want to maintain a good rapport with your favorite service guy, youÂ’ll want to stop by for lunch, because it simply wonÂ’t need “old-time” sports car maintenance.
The S2000 for the 2004 model year has undergone some significant changes, with HondaÂ’s intention to make the car better for more mainstream buyers in everyday driving chores. ThatÂ’s probably a good idea, considering that at its price of $33,460, the S2000 faces severe competition from roadsters such as the Porsche Boxster, the BMW Z4, the Nissan 350Z, and MazdaÂ’s two-pronged sports car approach of the Miata and the RX-8. All of those are impressive, fun to drive, and very functional in everyday driving.
But I must also pause to indicate that the move to more mainstream was not without compromise. I read with some humor an ad for a General Motors sedan with the Stage III 3800 V6, which has 200 horsepower and was praised for having far more power than the base Honda Accord four-cylinder. Seems absurd for GM to boast that its 3.8-liter V6 has more power than Honda’s 2.4-liter 4-cylinder, but you do what you have to, in the ad-biz. Anyhow, the superb “base†engine in the S2000 is a 2.2-liter gem with 240 horsepower.
Those 240 horses hit their stride at 7,800 RPMs and the 161-foot-pounds of torque peak at 6,500 RPMs, with that red line of 8,000 (which is unheard of in any GM product, the Honda debate team might suggest). But still, that represents a compromise. Until 2004, the S2000 had a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, with the same 240 horsepower at 8,300 RPMs, and 153 foot-pounds of torque at 7,500 RPMs, but that previous 2.0 engine had a red line of 9,000 RPMs. Talk about being edgy – that engine was absolutely no-compromise, Formula 1-inspired edgy. When it first was introduced, I wrote that it was possibly “only dogs can hear 9,000 RPMs,†because the note was so spine-tingly shrill.
Honda decided that lowering the revs, maintaining the horsepower and increasing the low-end torque would help its driveability, and I canÂ’t disagree. But I can still sigh about the compromise.
The new engine stretches the length of the stroke of the sensational 4-cylinder engine to go from 1997 cc to 2157 in displacement.
It retains its all-aluminum, dual overhead camshaft, 4-valve-per-cylinder design, with variable valve-timing. Almost every company with a high-performance yearning has now adopted variable-valve timing, itÂ’s just that Honda took that concept off its Formula 1 championship engines and adapted it to its street vehicles over a decade ago. You can find the VTEC system now on everything from Civics to Accords, to its upscale Acuras such as the NSX, TL, RSX and TSX, with the valve-timing tuned for economy or power. In the S2000, it is definitely for power, although I got over 25 miles per gallon overall, and 28 miles per gallon on a highway-mostly trip.
As impressive as the over-achieving engine is, the S2000 body is also a work of art, being built of aluminum for strength and light weight. The fact that it weighs only 2,800 pounds adds to its “throwability†feeling, and the immediate response of the powertrain allows you to instantly be headed in the right direction wherever you throw it. The ease of driving is enhanced at night, with high-tech headlights that beam brilliant light but with a sharp cutoff that prevents you from offending oncoming drivers.
The color? Well, IÂ’m not one who wants to own a yellow car. I like them for other people, but I donÂ’t want one myself. The S2000 test-carÂ’s yellow is a highly metallic work of art, however, with brilliant little metallic highlights shining through to make it practically iridescent. When the sun is shining on it directly, it almost hurts your eyes, and it does odd things to a cameraÂ’s automatic light-setting.
From every angle, the S2000 is an eye-stopper. True, if youÂ’re used to sedans, the S2000 might feel a little tight, although the trunk is surprisingly spacious for a 2-seater. But the contoured bucket seats and firm suspension are not harsh enough to jolt you on a long trip. And when you put the top down, hit the big red button, and run the gears up to the red line, a long trip is about the only fantasy remaining unfulfilled.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews and can be contacted at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
Jetta TDI drives diesels back into U.S. mainstream
It finally happened, in the past week, the price of a gallon of regular gasoline completed its inevitable vault past the $2 hurdle throughout the Upper Midwest. Fortunately, I hardly noticed it, because I spent much of the week test-driving a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which accelerated smoothly on and off freeways, and zipped down residential streets, right past all those service stations where the dreaded “$2†was the first digit listed on the big service-station signs.
I did have to stop at one of those stations one time during the week, but it wasn’t for the $2 regular or $2.50 premium gasoline. No, the “TDI†on the rear of the Jetta’s name and trunklid means it’s a diesel. Diesel fuel was $1.79 at the station where I stopped, although I subsequently saw it for less. It took 10.9 gallons to fill, but the car had 470 miles on the trip-meter, with over a quarter of a tank remaining. Doing the math, it delivered 43 miles per gallon.
Having driven hard enough to check the acceleration in city driving, and cruising freeways, not only at 70, but occasionally up to keep pace with faster passers at 80 mph – just in the interest of science, you understand – I still got 43 mpg. Had I been driving to squeeze the optimum mileage out of it, in a much more mellow manner, I thought (I often think in alliteration) I probably could have hit 50 miles per gallon. It was both a pleasant and timely thought.
The Jetta TDI makes you to forget everything U.S. consumers have known, and disliked, about diesels for decades. We knew diesels as big trucks and buses, along with the very few diesel cars weÂ’ve seen, and they share the tendency to be loud, crude, smoky, smelly and slow. Strangely enough, in Europe, where over 40 percent of all cars are diesel-powered, they arenÂ’t loud, crude, smoky, or smelly.
The Jetta TDI eliminates all those old stereotypes in the most subtle fashion. From the look of it, the 2004 Volkswagen Jetta TDI looks like any other Jetta, in the usual basic, mainstream manner. Unchanged in overall appearance from recent years, the Jetta looks strong and durable in a contemporary sort of way. Climb behind the wheel and it also looks pretty normal. No surprises in Volkswagen’s interiors, from comfortably supportive seats to easily operated ergonomic controls. The radio is in the middle of the center stack with the heat-air controls below, as a series of three rotating knobs – you want more heat, more fan, just turn the knob more.
Start the car, and the Jetta TDI still doesnÂ’t tip its hand. The engine whirs to life, quietly, and then put the 5-speed stick in first, let out the clutch, and off you go, swiftly and surely. The basic Jetta has always been an adequate performer, with higher-performing versions like the GLI adding potency and more fun. The 1.9-liter Jetta TDI doesnÂ’t have the verve of the GLI, but it does take off as quickly and forcefully as the optional 1.8-liter turbocharged gasoline-powered 4, and maybe with more punch than the basic 4-cylinder gas engine. Tests IÂ’ve read elsewhere say Jetta TDI performance is stodgy, but those were with the automatic transmission. The test car with its stick could never be called stodgy.
The key thing here is that thereÂ’s no smoke, no clatter, no foul smell, and swift acceleration. The TDI model of the Jetta costs about $1,200 more than the standard Jetta, coming in just over $20,000. The diesel engine not only provides hybrid-like fuel economy but durability that is off the scale, routinely operating trouble-free beyond 200,000 miles. For a gas engine, the power sounds unimposing at 100 horsepower at 4,000 RPMs, but the torque is what matters with a diesel. The 1.9-liter 4-cylinder turbodieselÂ’s 177 foot-pounds of torque hold at that peak from 1,800 to 2,400 RPMs.
The compression ratio is 19-to-1, which compares to 8-to-1 or 10-to-1 ratios of normal gas engines. That also recalls the difficulties some U.S. companies had when they tried diesel applications back in the 1970s. Taking an existing block and slapping diesel heads and systems on it caused them to explode like popcorn kernels from the pressure of such greatly increased compression. Volkswagen did it the other way, building the block solid enough to handle the 19-to-1 diesel force, which made the same block virtually bullet-proof as an overachieving gasoline engine.
In a diesel engine, there are the same four strokes as in any four-cycle engine (intake, compression, ignition and exhaust), but combustion is created by squeezing the air molecules to the point of heating them up, then precisely injecting fuel into the combustion chamber, which is imbedded into the top of the piston. The mixture explodes without need for a gas-engine’s spark plug, and the diesel fuel is capable of producing far more power than gasoline.
Diesel fuel has two distinct emission problems – oxides of nitrogen and that black, cruddy soot. High-tech catalysts and advanced intake technology allow the Jetta TDI to slip past the problem. The biggest difference between diesels in Europe and the U.S., however, is embarrassing to our country, which prides itself on being environmentally wise but has allowed the sulfur content of diesel fuel to be incredibly foul.
The sulfur in diesel fuel is what leads directly to all that soot from diesel exhausts. For comparison sake, diesel fuel in Europe is restricted to 10 parts per million of sulfur content; in the U.S., it averages around 340 parts per million! WeÂ’ve blamed diesels for the foul-running that is forced upon them by our poor-quality fuel, and therefore weÂ’ve made diesels foul-running and unacceptable in the U.S.
Help for all engine technology is coming, however, with laws calling for cleaner diesel fuel and gasoline by 2006, when fuel-refining companies also will have to restrict the sulfur content of U.S. diesel fuel to 15 parts per million as of 2006. Still not up to German and Swedish standards perhaps, but sufficient so that Volkswagen, Mercedes (and therefore Chrysler), Volvo (and therefore Ford), and Toyota are poised and ready to bring their high-tech diesels into the U.S. We can only hope the clean fuel allows clean enough diesels to meet ever-tightening standards on oxides of nitrogen.
Until then, the VW brigade of Beetle, Golf, Jetta and Passat have the diesel market alone in the U.S., where it almost seems to be under the radar scanners of the media and the populace. The media has been properly impressed with hybrids, and the people are only now realizing the benefits of doubling their fuel economy. Honda, Toyota and now Ford, with its Escape SUV, have made great strides with gas-electric hybrid technology, and it is expanding by the year.
Europe has been slower to pursue hybrids, only because European diesels parallel hybrids in fuel-efficiency. In the Environmental Protection Agency’s listing, the Honda Insight ranks first among all cars available in the U.S. at 51 overall miles per gallon, the Toyota Prius is second, with an overall combination of 44 mpg. But right behind those two hybrids is the Volkswagen Golf TDI, ranking third with 41 combined miles per gallon – just three less than the car-of-the-year Prius.
The Golf is the two-door hatchback version to the Jetta four-door sedan, and it came out even better in the highway portion – the closest the EPA gets to real-world performance. In the EPA tests, the Insight got 66 mpg, and the Golf TDI got 54, placing second ahead of the car-of-the-year Prius, which got 50. So diesel technology is a viable alternative to hybrids in a world where any alternative to lousy gas mileage and costly fuel is welcome.
Mary Ann Wright, chief engineer of FordÂ’s Escape Hybrid that will hit showrooms by late summer, said she is well aware of the benefits of diesel power and her mind is already concocting ways to combine a small turbodiesel with an electric motor in hybrid fashion, which could create enough power to improve the performance of even large trucks or SUVs. At the other end of the scale, Ford hasnÂ’t yet decided to expand its hybrid plans to the Focus, but is already planning to put a turbodiesel into that popular compact.
In Europe, Volkswagen builds other diesel engines, including a tiny turbodiesel for a subcompact called the Lupo, which, in competition, surpassed 100 miles per gallon. ThatÂ’s far beyond the Jetta TDI, or anything else currently moving four-wheeled vehicles anywhere. But right now, and right here, with fuel prices over $2 per gallon, and the U.S. urge for capable performance still in place, the Jetta or Golf TDI are real-world factors for 2004.
(John Gilbert writes weekly auto reviews. He can be reached at cars@jwgilbert.com.)
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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