Pacifica Pinnacle recalls Dylan, Indy, road-trips
Filed under: Weekly test drives, Autos
Pacifica has added a top-of-the-line Pinnacle, which conjures up visions of road trips past, present and future.
By John Gilbert
As we age, memories seem to either fade away or become more vivid with passing years. In those cases, something may have to ignite that recollection, and the 2021 Pacifica Pinnacle is a perfect example, in this last week of May, 2021. It brought back an assortment of memories of road trips I’ve made over a few decades and ties them all together conveniently.
The new Pinnacle model of the Pacifica is loaded with luxury features that would make it perfect for a long road trip with family or good friends, and, in fact, it might take a jet airliner to approach — but not surpass — the ingredients Chrysler has loaded into the flagship version of the Pacifica. But its everlasting assets remind me of all the decades since Chrysler invented the minivan craze with its Caravan and Voyager, which became the ultimate family haulers.
The refinement of different mininvan models contributed to numerous road trips for our family, and this particular week, my review will be branching off into reveries encompassing timely looks at the music of Bob Dylan, trips by van from Duluth to the Indianapolis 500 nearly four decades ago, and even pre-minivan road trips home from college to Duluth.
During many years covering the Indy 500 for the Minneapolis Tribune, I had pretty well perfected a variety of methods of making that trip, and in 1987, circumstances broke just right so my younger son, Jeff, and UMD men’s hockey coach Mike Sertich, and his son, John all came along on my annual jaunt. It might be impossible for four humans to have such a crazy time, filled with enough laughs to last a lifetime. We laughed all the way down and all the way back in the 1987 model of the Caravan, eating a few pounds of yogurt-covered raisins as we cruised down and back, and exchanging good-natured one-liners with pedestrians on the streets while we were in Indianapolis to observe sensational racing, and the amazing act of getting 400,000 race fans into and out of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That race fits with the Pacifica review because while the 100th running of the Indy 500 is nowhere near the attraction it once was, it is this Sunday, May 30, 2021.
The newest Caravan back then had a 3.0 V6 supplied by Mitsubishi that made those vans run for up to and over 200,000 miles. A highlight was on race morning, police block off 16th Street, for several miles, turning all six lanes of two-way traffic into a well-regulated, one-way, six-lane conduit. There are no shortcuts and you can spend two or three hours in that nose-to-tail crawl. They do run a few motorcades of dignitaries into the place behind police escorts, however, and as one of them passed us, I seized a weird urge and pulled into a break in the flow, crossing the median to fit in behind the long line in what had been the oncoming lane. Amazingly, nobody saw us, and we fit right in, cruising along within the motorcade, passing an estimated 5,000 cars, and following right into the entrance. As we turned in, I simply gestured to my media pass on the windshield, and they waved us in, and once inside I turned left to head for the press parking area. We had reduced the three hours in congested traffic to about 10 minutes. Sertie talks about that adventure to this day. As well as my eclectic taste in music down and back.
Beautiful; Velvet Red paint houses roadworthy vehicle for trip to Indy 500, or 18-speaker audio to celebrate Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday.
Among the refinements in the evolution of the Caravan as it morphed into the Pacifica is the potent 3.6 V6 and refined transmission and suspension.
Of course, my infatuation with all things automotive means my road-trip history precedes minivans, back to the 1960s when I had transfered from UMD to the University of Minnesota to study journalism, and I had obtained a 1956 Studebaker Power Hawk coupe I found on a Duluth car lot, which was both dependable and fun, if a bit rusty. Perfect for dashing from a campus apartment a block from Dinkytown to visit mom and friends and a special girlfriend back home in Duluth. I’d leave as early as possible after classes on Friday afternoon, returning to Minneapolis Sunday night.
That was about 1962 or ’63, before Interstate 35 connected the two cities, and about the time a singer-songwriter named Bob Dylan, a couple years older, was performing at places such as the Scholar, a coffeehouse less than two blocks from the house where four of us roomed. I grew up loving music, but, as it turned out, I found Dylan’s voice too whiney and raspy, although one of my roommates, a fellow named Ron Leskinen, was consumed by Dylan. I refused to go across the street with him to watch Dylan perform, and before I realized my shortsightedness, Dylan was gone, to New York and overwhelming fame as the greatest songwriter in U.S. history.
I learned my mistake and changed my life thanks to a road trip, when I agreed that when I drove Ron home to Duluth one weekend, I would go inside his house on 4th Street and Lake Avenue, and sit down and listen to the words of an entire Dylan record album — “The Freewheeling Bob Dylan.”
That was Dylan’s second album, and we listened to songs like “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” In Ron’s living room on that afternoon, Dylan’s words made their own road trip off the vinyl and directly into my consciousness, my brain, my heart and my soul. And they’ve never left.
Quilted leather seats and finely-fitted interior components plus AWD give Pinnacle luxury beyond $55,000 sticker.
Everyone is picking out their favorite Dylan song this week, but most of those selecting aren’t old enough to have ever even listened to his earliest half-dozen albums — which contain the most riveting and lucid wordscapes of all. That becomes relevant in this last week of May, 2021, because Dylan’s 80th birthday was celebrated worldwide on Monday, and to paraphrase one of Dylan’s earliest songs, “I never thought we could get very old.”
Some of Dylan’s early songs brought depth to the tough life on the Iron Range when he grew up in Hibbing. He chronicled a dream, about “riding on a train going west,” and falling asleep, dreaming about many of his first friends he’d never seen again. Another song issued a request that “If you’re traveling to the North Country fair, where the wind hits heavy on the borderline, remember me to one who lives there, for she once was a true love of mine.” And there I was, listening to those words while coming home and going away again, visiting my mom, then departing, leaving behind a true love among so many good friends who meant so much to me, and many of whom I’ve never seen again.
The irony is that as we sat in Ron’s house listening to those words, we were about six blocks from the hillside house where Bob Zimmerman’s parents lived when he was born, and where the family resided until moving to Hibbing when he was 6.
Everyone points to his top classics, like “The Times They Are A-Changing,” but my favorites were some of the less-known among his hundreds of songs, those which I recorded, first on 8-tracks and then cassettes, and then MP3s, for replaying on future road trips. Some of them are: “Girl of the North Country;” “Bob Dylan’s Dream;” “Just Like a Woman;” “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue;” “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry;” plus two of his angriest, “Masters of War;” and “With God on Our Side.” All, or most, of his more recent ventures have produced great entries, such as “Tangled Up in Blue,” but nothing can dislodge those early classics from their Pinnacle, so to speak.
Another fellow we went to high school with at Duluth Central was Louie Kemp, who wound up becoming Bob Dylan’s closest friend. At an early high school reunion, Louie and I talked and after he learned how much I admired Dylan, Louie said, “Would you ever want to meet him?” I assured him I would, and he said, “Would you want to just meet him, or write about him?” I wanted to meet Dylan under any circumstances, but I wasn’t about to reject the idea of writing about him, and when I told Louie that, he said well then he couldn’t introduce me to him, for the sake of Dylan’s privacy. I’ve never forgotten that, but I’ve made due with recordings, and seeing him in concert various times, including at Bayfront Festival Park in 1999, when he made a rare and memorable trip to his birthplace to perform with Paul Simon in an unforgettable concert under a canopy of what was either fog or a low-handing cloud, at about Aerial Bridge height..
Those reminiscences vault to the surface this week while listening to Dylan tributes on satellite radio, and thinking about road trips we could make in the Pacifica Pinnacle, where we could hear all those songs on the 18-speaker-and-subwoofer Harman Kardon audio system. It would be perfect to fill its caramel-colored leather seats with six people and lure them away from the wi-fi streamable video screens on the backs of the front bucket headrests for some meaningful music on a trip to, say, Indianapolis.
Restyled rear of Pacifica Pinnacle shows full-width LED taillight halo.
This test-Pacifica has come a long way from the earliest Caravans and Voyagers that captured the hearts and budgets of American consumers, and have continued to hang onto a diminishing but valid segment of the market from the SUV-crazed buyers who settle for less efficiency and spend considerably more money for luxury SUVs.
The Pacifica Pinnacle comes loaded, meaning its base price of $53,390 goes up only to $54,885 with the addition of destination cost. That price includes all the creature comforts you might want, with the leather seats, video screens, and even a hideaway vacuum cleaner stashed in the rear wall, as well as all the safety features and stability devices. They include lane departure alert and warning, and the ability to detect and avoid anything in the way up front or behind. It also has Park Assist, which will give you a no-hands parallel or perpendicular parking job better than you can do yourself.
This Pinnacle’s 3.6-liter V6 has variable valve-timing, and will allow the Pacifica to cruise at the EPA estimated 25 miles per gallon highway, even with all-wheel drive. The 3.6 is operated by a slick rotating knob on the console, governing the 9-speed automatic transmission, aided by paddle shifters on the steering wheel to ease manual overriding. The Pacifica launches forcefully and with 20-inch all-season tires on alloy wheels, everything comes together in perfect harmony with the vehicle, engine and transmission.
Quilted leather seats will house six, and note the video screens and leather cushions on the rear buckets.
The Pinnacle came in Velvet Red Pearlcoat, which set off the contrasting caramel-color quilted leather seats with class. The second-row buckets, accessed through sliding side doors, are heated and cooled like the front seats, and they fold forward and slide to make it easier to get into the way-back, which has split folding backrests that fold down flat, or tumble backwards into the neatly designed storage bin at the extreme rear. You could put a week’s groceries or a lot of luggage into that low, scooped out rear compartment if the seats are upright.
The sliding side doors open and close with only the slightest touch. If that isn’t enough opening for you, the sunroof is comprised of three separate panels, offering a new definition of the term panoramic. Everything fits tightly and securely, making the Pacifica Pinnacle the perfect conveyance for a couple of generations to make a road trip together, Sheltered from the Storm while cruising in optimum comfort perhaps on Highway 61 Revisisted, and enjoying a session of meaningful, or whimsical, songwriting at its timeless best.
We could even bring a sack of yogurt-covered raisins.
VW gives ID.4 ‘Fair’ Minnesota intro — with corn dogs
Filed under: Weekly test drives, Features, Autos
A pair of Tiguans flank the entrance to the Twin Cities Auto Show, at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
By John Gilbert
SAINT PAUL, MN. — As I drove around some of the interior streets of the mostly-deserted Minnesota State Fairgrounds in a remarkable new Volkswagen ID.4 that can only be described as electrifying, an inescapable thought hit me. The annual Twin Cities Auto Show and the Minnesota State Fair, were two Minnesota institutions that were among all the things cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic in the past year. But brilliant ideas can arise out of such unfortunate circumstances.
That is the case this year — or at least this week — when any interested Minnesotans can act hastily and capitalize on both before May 23. No, the state fair hasn’t been moved from fall to the beginning of summer, but the auto show has moved from the wintry throes of mid-March to mid-May by taking over the spacious state fairgrounds from May 15 through Sunday, May 23.
The ID.4 is Volkswagen’s new all-electric compact SUV, with power, range, technology, and affordably prices about $40,000.
That is the reason that I was able to get a brief and impromptu drive in the new all-electric Volkswagen ID.4, although the usual advantage an auto media guy might have over the normal consumers is eliminated because anybody can sign up to test drive any of assorted electric vehicles that are not only on display but parked in position where official chaperones can accompany you on a mile or two drive around the city within a city that is the fairgrounds.
It turns out, the coincidence is that the official “car of the show” this year is the Volkswagen Tiguan, which is an interesting choice because right during this week, Volkswagen held a Zoom introduction of the new Tiguan Allspace, a redesigned pair of SUVs that are sure to become big sellers. A couple of the current Tiguans are paried under the arches at the north entrance to the show at the fairgrounds.
But while the Twin Cities dealers put on the annual show in Minnesota, and allow all sorts of customized and detailed specialty models that a manufacturers show such as Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles or New York would never allow, and they continue to push hard for big trucks and SUVs, insisting Minnesotans prefer those to haul trailers to cabins, there is no overlooking the charge — you should pardon the expressiuon — toward electriic vehicles (EVs).
Another irony of the whole scene is that while there were all sorts of fabulous big trucks all over that segment of the expansive fairgrounds grounds, Ford was unveiling its new Lightning, resurrecting the name to define its new all-electric model of the top-selling F-150 pickup. There were none to be found, nor were there the Tesla pickup, or the new GMC electric pickup. But they’re coming.
Ford stopped making cars, other than th eMjustang, but it cleverly made a sleek 4-door electric model called the Mustang-e.
Around various corners there were some interesting new vehicles, and we wanted to spend a couple of hours examining them. But the electric cars stole the show. Ford has several of its new Mustang-e models, all of which look better in person than in pictures, and you could make a special trip to the Ford exhibition to sign up to drive one of the low, sleek 4-door Mustangs. Meanwhile, various EVs were on display near the main sign-up booth where you can choose which one you want to drive, and after a short wait has a short line and then you get a call when your turn is due.
Available when we were there were a few high-tech hybrids, but there also were some pure EVs: Kia Niros, Mitsubishis, and the one I was waiting for, the Volkswagen ID.4.
The Kia Niros parked end to end can be hybrid, plug-in hybrid or pure EV.
First advice is to be prepared for a surprise. Electric power hits full torque at 0 RPMs — as in, zero — which is why they are so swift taking off. The battery packs add weight, but if placed right can enhance weight distribution and actually make the heavier car handle better.The VW ID.4 we drove had its engine in the rear, and was 2-wheel drive, with those 2 being the rear wheels. The coming model with all-wheel-drive will be a huge hit in Northern Minnesota.
The new VW ID.4 is a high-styled compact SUV that is out now, and it looks sleeker and more stylish than everything from the VW wagons to SUVs.
After I climbed behind the wheel of the ID.4, the fellow assigned to keep signees waiting their turn for the ID.4s got into the passenger seat and my wife (and assistant) Joan climbed into the spacious rear seat. This was not a normal VW, which I could tell as soon as I got behind the wheel. You don’t need a key, you don’t even need to start the engine, because there is no engine.
You just grip the wheel and go. When it’s electric power that is moving your car, it’s a “motor,” not an “engine,” thank you.
“How do I shift?” I asked. Easy. Just twist the end of the knob protruding fro the right of the steering column. Twist it this way and you get Drive, twist it that way, Reverse. And in the middle is Neutral. To put it in Park, you stop, then push in the knob on the tip of the same stalk.
“You’re all set to go,” our guide said. I turned the steering wheel, pulled out, and stepped on the “gas” pedal, and zip, we were off. Silently. He gave us strict directions around the fairgrounds streets, stopping here, turning there. “And when you get to that stop sign, take off as fast as you want,” He said. I wanted. I stepped hard on the pedal anticipating what would happen. Zap! We took off swiftly, but silently. The ID.4 steers and handles well, and it is really fun to drive.
My test-drive was brief, but it was one of several you could sign up for if you visit the show at the fairgrounds. With any luck, this week’s show will start a trend, and move to the fairgrounds every year henceforth. Much better timing than mid-March, the same week as the state hockey tournament.
The idea was to bring in all the new cars and trucks and SUVs the industry has to offer, and place them strategically inside the fairgrounds. Naturally, it wouldn’t take up that much of the fairgrounds, just a couple small areas near the grandstand.
Nissan has redesigned the compact SUV Rogue, its top-selling vehicle.
The best idea was to invite a few concessionaires. Yes, if you love going to the fair, one of the main reasons might be the food. You can compare Pronto Pups and Corn Dogs, because they have both open. And Sweet Martha’s hot chocolate chip cookies with ice cold milk, as well as a few other concession stands. Although, once you have corn dogs and hot cookies, who cares about the other stuff?
But we do care about the cars, and I was pleasantly surprised at how many people were lined up at the gates to get in as soon as the Saturday morning media-day hours ended and the show opened.
There is one other great idea involved: Free Parking! Yes, if you drive onto the grounds and follow the gents in their outfits, waving flags, you will be directed to a couple huge free parking lots, from which you can stroll into the grounds and do some serious car scrutinizing.
The electric cars and high-mileage hybrids blend in well with the normal vehicles, but this is the year of transition. Some of the more conservative Twin Cities dealers guys may not be too thrilled about it, but you can’t stop progress. A couple years ago, show decided to take a big truck and SUV focus, because we buy more of those on a percentage basis than anywhere else in the country, to haul our boats and camping gear. As all the ideas in the world go, that was one of them. Reaction was OK, but even then customers were mostly curious about the newest alternative energy vehicles and the approaching electric-car revolution.
There has even been grumbling that our Minnesota dealers will never sell electric vehicles, because they can’t get enough of them, and the infrastructure isn’t there. But it’s coming. Most electric vehicles are sold in California and on the coasts, but Governor Tim Walz has the right idea to go after the infrastructure for Minnesota. People who fear the EV arrival don’t realize how much demand there already is for them. Charging stations and high-speed charging stations are already in place or going in, right here in flyover land.
Beyond that, battery makers are making enormous technological advances, and automakers are building higher tech cars and SUVs and, yes, pickup trucks, to catch up.
Toyota’s traditional lead in hybrid technology is now being swarmed by competitors who are vaulting right past hybrids to pure EVs. Tesla, of course, is up front in that chase, but the onrushing concepts of Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Volkswagen, Audi, Nissan, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, Mini, and Fiat are coming on fast.
That’s why the Twin Cities show is so timely. In a nod to past tradition, the “Car of the Show” this year is the Volkswagen Tiguan — a compact but conventional SUV that is sturdy and durable for family use, and it leads in perfectly — if unintentionally — to Volkswagen’s incredible future.
Volkswagen is a German company that makes some of the most durable and potent and efficient engines in the world. The company’s 2.0-liter 4-cylinder is good as it sits and fantastic if you turbocharge it. It has been tweaked to power the GTI hot-rod hatch version of the Golf, and it also can be used in the Jetta 4-door, the Passat midsize near-luxury sedan, and on into the Arteon, and the SUVs like the Tiguan.
While also building a strong and unique VR-6 when more power is needed, VW has built a smaller 4-cylinder, at 1.4 liters, that is both adequately powerful with a turbo and extremely fuel-efficient in, say, the Jetta.
Every time you climb into any Volkswagen, you eel as though you’ve surrounded yourself in solid, German engineering. They are strong, durable and can be tased around like sports cars, if you choose.
Hyundai has redone all its SUVs, and the compact Tucson is just about to be introduced.
The new design of the Jetta places it among the bsst entry-level sedans, and it will never feel entry level. The Passat is a willing challenger to any highway-cruising near-luxury car, at a bargain price. And the people’s-car company also owns Audi, which is more of a luxury car-maker, and also advances the corporate engineering and efficiency. The new Audi e-tron is the sleek sedan you see being advertised on satellite TV broadcasts of the Stanley Cup hockey games.
The Tiguan was always a bit stubby, so VW elongated it and added interior room and seating, and for the last couple of years they continued to make the shorter one, too. You can get it with the 4 or V6, but drive one with the 4 before you decide on the larger engine. And the new Allspace is about to hit the market.
All of that is worthy of columns and reviews, but this year, the move is electrifying. Volkswagen, like General Motors, Ford, Jeep, and everybody else, is looking for the most efficient way to go electric. Volkswagen has found the answer with a new and progressive technical company that is building a unique new battery pack and propulsion system, and it is going to build a futuristic plant near Silicon Valley in California for its new facility. Someone asked how they could afford such a fabulously expensive facility, and they said they had strong backing. Someone asked who their chief backer was, and they said, “Volkswagen.”
After the new all-electric ID.4 gains traction, so to speak, VW also will have its new Golf-e and a new version coming of the Microbus in all-electric form. The concept is that the new battery system will consist of low, horizontal plates that can be stacked on top of each other, resulting in tremendous range — over 300 miles on a charge, I’m told — and incredibly fast recharging time.
So I enjoyed the Twin Cities show, seeing the Mazdas, the Lexus models, the new Hyundai Tucson, which isn’t introduced yet, and the new Nissan Rogue, also yet to be introduced, as well as the Mitsubishi comeback vehicles, like the Outlander, Outlander Sport and Cross-Sport. Some of those will be electric, too.
Mazda’s new idea isn’t out yet, but should be a super-hybrid, with a battery pack that will run the car for a lot of miles, and then a “range extender” — which is auto-speak for the gas engine in a hybrid — that will be the return of Mazda’s legendary little rotary engine. That will be a neat stepping stone toward all-electric.
The 2021 Passat has evolved to be a near-luxury bargain sedan for Volkswagen.
We also know that there are pickup trucks coming from General Motors and Ford, and next Hyundai, that are propelled by electric power. They’re coming, and we should be embracing the clean-air, low-cost travel we’re going to be faced with.
As of now, the Twin Cities car show has information noting the presence of the VW ID.4, the Mustang-e, the Niro, Outlander, Volvo XC-40 Recharge, Jaguar I-Pace, Mini Cooper-E, Nissan Leaf, Porsche Taycan, Tesla S and Y models, Auto e-tron, BMW i3, and the Chevrolet Bolt.
That’s a pretty good start, and I’ve driven several of them. But I hadn’t driven the VW ID.4 before last weekend, and now I want one for a week, even more. For a promotion, maybe they should offer free corn dogs with it.
Without AWD, Kia K5 survives winter wonderland
Filed under: Weekly test drives, Autos
Looking back at winter’s adventure with a K5 is a request for AWD.
By John Gilbert
T’was the day before Christmas Eve, and it sticks in my memory because it was perfect time for a blizzard. We were feeling a bit coddled up here in Duluth, Minnesota, which often is the prototypical Great White North by Christmastime, but during the strange year of 2020, we were informed that we had only a total accumulation of two-tenths of an inch of snow, as of December 23.
By chance, two test-drive vehicles had arrived two days earlier, a gigantic and luxurious Cadillac Escalade and a sleek and racy-looking Kia K5 — redesigned to be racier than ever, so racy that the name Optima doesn’t work any more, and Kia has changed it to K5. That sounds more like a model of Rossignol downhill skis, which was also appropriate, it turned out.
When the fellows from Chicago’s press-fleet agency dropped the two vehicles off at myour country home, I nodded toward the K5 and asked, “Is this all-wheel drive?” and one of them said “Yes.” I took a quick little warm-up spin in the K5 and found it handled as well as I’d anticipated, although it felt a little squirmy, as though it might not be all-wheel-drive. Oh well, front-wheel drive with good tires creates a vehicle that can get you through almost anything in the toughest winters. Almost, being the operative word.
On Christmas Eve, a nasty snowstorm hit St. Paul, delaying our older son, Jack, on his venture north to visit us. We’re a couple of hours north of the Twin Cities, and it was 39 degrees at our place, and drIzzling rain. I suggested to my wife, Joan, that it might keep drizzling all day, and she should drive the K5 the short distance to her work. It also was Sapphire Blue, a very neat shade of dark-medium blue. After examining it throughly, I realized the K5 did not have AWD, although it is available this year on the K5, but we both know that FWD with the right tires can handle everything without difficulty. And I could give that Escalade a good wringing out. She did, and said she thought the K5 handled very well.
I tried all sorts of things with the Escalade, but couldn’t find any switch that would engage all-wheel drive, or lock it in 4×4. I got out and checked all four corners and realized that this $100,000 Escalade was loaded with luxury, but did not have AWD!
i had a lot of writing to do that day, but I also realized that the rain was turning to snow, which soon was “really coming down.” Except that it wasn’t coming down at all. It was coming over. The wind had been blowing a little, but now it was blowing in gusts of 50 mph, they said later, sending the heavier and heavier snow on a horizontal plane across our area of the North Shore of Lake Superior.
Sapphire Blue and slick K5 styling can be obscured in a North Country Christmas blizzard.
When I drove home from my short venture in the Escalade, I drove up our road the 2 miles required to get to our final hill and turned into our driveway, on the east side of our rural road. I was chuckling at our luck, that the wind was blowing hard enough so that as the rain turned to snow, it blew clear and didn’t allow any of it to settle onto our driveway, pretty much blowing it northeasterly toward Two Harbors.
After finishing a writing project, I looked outside, and our small deck and staircase was still blown clear. A couple hours later, it was still the same, but out toward the end of our sidewalk near our parking area and garage, it looked like it was gathering pretty well. So I got into my warmest boots, pulled on a knit cap that was a souvenir of a Land Rover expedition to Iceland a few years ago, and pulled on the down parka and gloves.
Top-rung Ford F-150 adds hybrid power
Filed under: Weekly test drives, Autos
The 2921 Ford F-150 adds a new high-tech model with hybrid power.
By John Gilbert
What would you get if you crossed the concepts of the largest-selling vehicle in the world — the Ford F-150 half-ton pickup truck — with, say, a Prius? If you guess a tiny pickup, you’d be wrong; if you guess a gigantic super-powered hybrid pickup, you get a gold star.
The competition among top pickup manufacturers has never been more ferocious, even though the F-150 continues to hold serve for four decades as the top-selling vehicle in the country, and the world. The new Chevrolet Silverado is making a move up to regain the runner-up spot it yielded to the Ram 1500 a year ago, but the Ram was just awarded Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year for 2021, an unprecedented third straight year for Ram to win that honor.,
If you keep track of such things, you might have found it curious that Motor Trend ran the Ford Super-Duty heavyweight F-250 and F-350 against the winning Ram, but for competition it only offered the 2020 F-150. That’s because Ford was preparing to unveil the new 2021 F-150, and it was cloaked in some secrecy along the way. It came out just in time to win the North American Truck of the Year competition.
The opportunity to spend time with an F-150 PowerBoost for a week provided convincing evidence that the big Ford is also staking claim to the title of highest of high-tech pickups. My first suspicion was when I saw the plaque on the side that said “PowerBoost,” which is different from EcoBoost, Ford’s name for its turbocharging process on various engines. I had heard that Ford was thinking about adding a hybrid version to its vast array of F-150 models, so I followed up, and, sure enough, the PowerBoost is the new hybrid. Read more
Right tires go beyond all-wheel-drive security
Filed under: Weekly test drives, Autos
Both 2021 Pacifica, left, and Mercedes AMG E53 sedan have all-wheel-drive available, but the tires make huge difference on ice.
By John Gilbert
How many people do you know who have had to call Triple-A to get their car extricated from a bad situation? A lot, I imagine. But how about from their own driveway? Now we’re getting somewhere, he added, raising his hand at his own question.
When springtime comes to the Great White North, we all shift into a celebratory mood, having conquered another round of winter for another year — albeit the weirdest year of our lives. But sometimes we, and the auto companies we know and love, get outflanked when they take Mother Nature for granted.
March arrived like a lamb in Duluth, Minnesota, as we broke a hundred-and-some-year-old record for the warmest temperature on that date, reaching 55 degrees. The two agencies that bring me new vehicles to test drive brought me a succession of three cars. One brought a Mercedes AMG E53 Sedan, and a new Chrysler Pacifica, the Limited version van with an S package. They both, by chance, had all-wheel drive.
The other delivery outfit brought me a new Mazda3, a very neat subcompact with the company’s new 2.5-liter turbocharged engine and, believe it or not, all-wheel drive. I joked to my wife, Joan, that here we were, breaking temperature records for mild weather and we have three AWD cars.
Upgraded Pacifica could be perfect — and escape my driveway — with ice-beating tires.
I was going out to catch a Division III women’s college hockey playoff game, and I decided to drive the Mazda3. I scoffed at the warning of possible snow, but wanted to keep the Mercedes pristine, and the stunning blue Pacifica also out of any weather risk. It did start snowing, gigantic flakes, and they came harder and harder, causing me to leave the game halfway through. The Mazda3 and I slid around a disturbing amount in the deepening and unplowed snow, but I made it home up our rural hill on the North Shore of Lake Superior, and drove in the 100 yards of my straight driveway, parking at an odd angle to allow our incredible neighbors space to work their plowing magic.
Next morning, we were buried under 7.5 inches of the heaviest, cement-like snow I’ve ever shoveled. And shoveled. And shoveled. Joan had to get to work, and she’s an excellent all-weather driver, but I suggested I’d drive her the 10 miles to work, and pick her up. My choice was the Pacifica, being higher off the ground, and a good opportunity to test its new limited-slip all-wheel-drive system, which uncouples the rear axle when the computer tells it there’s no risk of losing traction.
Versatile Pacifica seats fold or disappear into deep rear space.
I backed around the two parked vehicles and got the Pacifica aimed to back straight out of the driveway, and as I started, I figured I’d better get some momentum going for the highway snowplow’s inconvenient pile at the road. I hit the gas, and in an instant, the Pacifica shot sideways — 6 feet to the right and just enough to put the right wheels over the edge of the asphalt lip of the driveway, nestled down into the snow. I was amazed at how the limited-slip concept was overwhelmed by my unlimited-slip snow-covering, resulting in the Pacifica possibly spending the rest of the winter at our home.
I already knew the Mazda’s Bridgestone Turanza tires were not the grippiest, so I said we should take the Mercedes. Its $82,370 sticker priced was no assurance of passing this severe test! We climbed aboard and I set the mode switch to “slippery,” got it onto the straight part of the driveway and I built the speed gradually as we kept moving, churning smoothly to the end of the driveway and through the plowed pile. I turned left to head down the hill, and we drove to Joan’s workplace without ever even spinning a tire. Read more
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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