Autoshow Season - Dodge Hornet
Well, this answers that question.Ever since the BMW group resurrected the Mini Cooper, people have been conjecturing what DaimlerChrysler will do to counter.
There have been suggestions that a version of the Mercedes A-Class might be the answer. Others have suggested that a variant of the Smart brand's cars would do the trick.
Also, there have been suggestions that any answer would have to be sold through an existing Chrysler group brand in the US in order to not sully Mercedes inexplicably high reputation in this country.
Well, in one fell swoop, we have answers to all of these questions with the Dodge Hornet concept.A B-Class (this is a size designation equivalent to the US 'subcompact' - not a Mercedes class a-la C-Class, S-Class, etc.) vehicle that looks like a much more modern and in many ways 'angrier' Mini Cooper.
Powered by a supercharged 1.6l 4-cylinder (hmmm, where have I seen that configuration before?)...and seating 4.
Expect this car in the next 2 years to help Dodge expand into the very popular B-Class in Europe and likely be released in North America to go head-to-head with entry-level vehicles from Chevrolet (Aveo), Honda (Fit), Toyota (Yaris), Nissan (Versa), etc. Dodge does appear ready to maintain its performance image by making a supercharged, SRT-ish variant available to go against the Cooper S.
Looks like Mini isn't going to be the only game in town much longer.
Autoshow Season - Opel GT
GM unveiled the third variant of their new Kappa small rear-drive chassis at the Geneva auto show...or did they?Since Opel and Saturn are now closely linked, it should come as no surprise that the Opel GT (a name we haven't seen since the 70's 2-seat coupe that Opel once sold in the the US) is little more than a Saturn Sky. Only this time with the Solstice GXP's turbo 2.0l Ecotec 4-cylinder (making this a twin to the Saturn Sky Redline - which GM will likely officially announce at the New York autoshow in April).
Opel GT prices start at 29,900 Euros.
Autoshow Season - Uh oh! Toyota's new Tundra
Detroit...we have a problem. Where Nissan dared tread, but did so with a funky looking full-size that didn't appeal to the die-hard full-sized truck buyer...Toyota has aimed at exactly what these buyers want and delivered.Amazing what being profitable does for your ability to bring out a product as broad of scope as a full-sized pickup in the domestic makers' vein. The new Tundra will be available with 3 engines (4.0l V-6, 4.7l V-8, and a new 5.7l V-8 of unspecified hp and torque - but expected to be the most powerful V-8 in any full-sized pickup). Towing capacity is stated to be up to 10000 lbs.
Inside is a stylish, functional, and otherwise typical Toyota car-like interior with a heavy layer of butch added to make it appeal to the buyers of competing full-sizers.In case you were wondering how this new, bigger Tundra stacks up against its competition...here's how it looks to us (stats are currently only available for the Tundra 4x4 crew-cab - so that's what we used to put together this chart). We ignored the Dodge Ram Mega-Cab since that beast is a class of its own (we used the 4x4 quad-cab instead).
| Toyota Tundra | Nissan Titan | Ford F-150 | Chevy Silverado | Dodge Ram | |
| Length | 228.7 | 224.2 | 235.8 | 230.2 | 227.7 |
| Width | 79.9 | 78.8 | 78.9 | 78.5 | 79.6 |
| Height | 76.4 | 76.7 | 76.0 | 78.5 | 76.5 |
| Wheelbase | 145.7 | 139.8 | 150.5 | 143.5 | 140.5 |
| Bed Length | 78.7 | 67.1 | 78.8 | 69.2 | 76.3 |
| Bed Width | 65.0 | 63.8 | - | 61.9 | 66.4 |
| Width between wheelwells | 50.0 | - | 50.0 | 50.0 | 51.0 |
| Bed Depth | 22.3 | 19.9 | 22.2 | 19.5 | 20.2 |
Unfortunately, it remains to be seen exactly how the interior room, hp, fuel economy, and other stats (like price) stack up against the competition.
Autoshow Season - Lincoln Navigator and MKZ
At this year's Chicago Auto Show, Lincoln had a couple announcements.
First up, is further proof that Lincoln is committed to an alpha-naming system for their cars. So much so, that the just released Lincoln Zephyr is the Zephyr no more. Now, we have the Lincoln MKZ. Stylistic changes appear to be slight, if any, to go along with the new name.
Announced, however, was the future availability of all-wheel drive and Ford's 3.5l V-6 that packs 250hp (and more torque than the 3.0l that is standard in the Zephyr...er...MKZ).
Now, with all this alpha-naming goodness, you'd be sure that the new Navigator would be something like the MKN or some such. Well, Lincoln's having none of that. Showing that they have no nerve to go their own way, they are keeping the Navigator name - as if to say 'Cadillac kept Escalade, can we keep Navigator, huh? huh?'
Navigator packs mostly the enhancements we've come to know and love from the Expedition (in standard and EL) trim. In a move that further shows Lincoln's lack of trend-setting-ness, we have the new Navigator ESV (er...L). It's heartwarming to see Ford getting hay from canceling the Excursion just to replace it with not 1 but 2 extra-big SUV's ain't it?
Interior styling on the Nav carries forward Lincoln's retro-70's styling theme with square gauges and switches that seem somehow reminiscent of buttons I haven't seen since the early 80's.
And, as if to answer my MKX post where I hammered Lincoln for using the new cheesegrater style grill there and there alone (even beside a MKS concept sedan that had a grill like that on the Zephyr)...we now have the mother of all cheesegrater grills on the new Navigator. Whether Ford will have the nerve to carry this grill to the MKZ and the upcoming MKS flagship remains to be seen.
First up, is further proof that Lincoln is committed to an alpha-naming system for their cars. So much so, that the just released Lincoln Zephyr is the Zephyr no more. Now, we have the Lincoln MKZ. Stylistic changes appear to be slight, if any, to go along with the new name.Announced, however, was the future availability of all-wheel drive and Ford's 3.5l V-6 that packs 250hp (and more torque than the 3.0l that is standard in the Zephyr...er...MKZ).
Now, with all this alpha-naming goodness, you'd be sure that the new Navigator would be something like the MKN or some such. Well, Lincoln's having none of that. Showing that they have no nerve to go their own way, they are keeping the Navigator name - as if to say 'Cadillac kept Escalade, can we keep Navigator, huh? huh?'
Navigator packs mostly the enhancements we've come to know and love from the Expedition (in standard and EL) trim. In a move that further shows Lincoln's lack of trend-setting-ness, we have the new Navigator ESV (er...L). It's heartwarming to see Ford getting hay from canceling the Excursion just to replace it with not 1 but 2 extra-big SUV's ain't it?
Interior styling on the Nav carries forward Lincoln's retro-70's styling theme with square gauges and switches that seem somehow reminiscent of buttons I haven't seen since the early 80's.
And, as if to answer my MKX post where I hammered Lincoln for using the new cheesegrater style grill there and there alone (even beside a MKS concept sedan that had a grill like that on the Zephyr)...we now have the mother of all cheesegrater grills on the new Navigator. Whether Ford will have the nerve to carry this grill to the MKZ and the upcoming MKS flagship remains to be seen.
Autoshow Season - Dodge Caliber SRT-4
Okay, let's cover the most important bases first...
300hp
260lb*ft
2.4l (not the 2.4 that was in the Neon SRT-4)
6-speed manual
Limited slip diff
19" wheels
Front drive
3 hood scoops
and...
We don't know the price yet.
The price is probably a close held secret since it looks like this is not going to be the inexpensive pocket-rocket the Neon based SRT-4 was.
On the standard equipment list are things like:
Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
Brake Assist (system that gives you max braking if you hit the brakes partially but quickly - like in a panic stop)
Front, Front Knee, Side, and Head airbags
Backup-Assist system
Power adjustable pedals
Keyless entry
Seatbelt pre-tensioners
'Smartbeam' headlights that adjust their light to ambient lighting
Tire pressure monitor
300hp260lb*ft
2.4l (not the 2.4 that was in the Neon SRT-4)
6-speed manual
Limited slip diff
19" wheels
Front drive
3 hood scoops
and...
We don't know the price yet.
The price is probably a close held secret since it looks like this is not going to be the inexpensive pocket-rocket the Neon based SRT-4 was.
On the standard equipment list are things like:
Electronic Stability Program (ESP)Brake Assist (system that gives you max braking if you hit the brakes partially but quickly - like in a panic stop)
Front, Front Knee, Side, and Head airbags
Backup-Assist system
Power adjustable pedals
Keyless entry
Seatbelt pre-tensioners
'Smartbeam' headlights that adjust their light to ambient lighting
Tire pressure monitor
Autoshow Season - New Expedition
Ford chose truck country to unveil the replacements for the Expedition and Excursion at the highly renowned Houston (!?) Auto Show.
What? You heard that Ford had seen the light, and in all their hybrid-loving enlightenment decided to discontinue the Excursion? Well, that's partially true. The Excursion name is no more. Allow me to introduce you to the new Excursion, er...Expedition EL. The EL is to the Expedition just like the Suburban is to the Tahoe over in bowtie country.
This time around, the Expedition twins have butch sheetmetal that resembles a variant of the Superduty pickup much more than a scaled-up Explorer.
You'll also notice the same 'bags-under-the-eyes' headlight treatment that Ford just unveiled in Detroit on the Ford Edge cross-over. It's distinctive, but certainly not what I'd call attractive.
In place of the tri-bar grill that the Fusion and Edge carry, you'll notice a version of the motif on the Expedition where the bars are aped by the air inlets in this grill. I have to give Ford additional credit for sticking to this theme better than ones past. Let's hope they can at least get the whole line-up refreshed before someone in Dearborn decides to go another route (a la 'New Edge').
Interior styling appears to be cribbed straight from the new-ish F-150. Not a bad thing at all considering the F-150 has, arguably, the best truck interior in the business.
This may not be enough to knock GM off its full-sized SUV pedestal, but it certainly keeps Ford in the hunt.
What? You heard that Ford had seen the light, and in all their hybrid-loving enlightenment decided to discontinue the Excursion? Well, that's partially true. The Excursion name is no more. Allow me to introduce you to the new Excursion, er...Expedition EL. The EL is to the Expedition just like the Suburban is to the Tahoe over in bowtie country.This time around, the Expedition twins have butch sheetmetal that resembles a variant of the Superduty pickup much more than a scaled-up Explorer.
You'll also notice the same 'bags-under-the-eyes' headlight treatment that Ford just unveiled in Detroit on the Ford Edge cross-over. It's distinctive, but certainly not what I'd call attractive.In place of the tri-bar grill that the Fusion and Edge carry, you'll notice a version of the motif on the Expedition where the bars are aped by the air inlets in this grill. I have to give Ford additional credit for sticking to this theme better than ones past. Let's hope they can at least get the whole line-up refreshed before someone in Dearborn decides to go another route (a la 'New Edge').
Interior styling appears to be cribbed straight from the new-ish F-150. Not a bad thing at all considering the F-150 has, arguably, the best truck interior in the business.This may not be enough to knock GM off its full-sized SUV pedestal, but it certainly keeps Ford in the hunt.
Autoshow Season - New Avalanche
Pics are starting to be released in advance of the Chicago auto show next week.Here we have the first official picture of the Chevrolet Avalanche. In standard GM fashion, looking quite a bit like a Tahoe with a bed in place of its covered cargo hold.
This does not bode well for any styling surprises when Chevrolet unveils the Silverado.
CX-7 NOT a platform mate with Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX
The Car Connection is reporting today something that we've been hearing rumored for a while.
The CX-7 is not built on the same platform as Ford's Edge and Lincoln's MKX.
According to Jay Amestoy - via thecarconnection.com - the CX-7 is on a 'platform unique to Mazda' with a front structure based on the Mazda6/Mazdaspeed6 but the main structure from there back is based on the Mazda5 micro-van, which is itself based on the structure of the Mazda3.
Kind of confusing, but logical given the sportier mission of the CX-7.
Daily Edition: Jan. 20, 2006 - The Car Connection
The CX-7 is not built on the same platform as Ford's Edge and Lincoln's MKX.
According to Jay Amestoy - via thecarconnection.com - the CX-7 is on a 'platform unique to Mazda' with a front structure based on the Mazda6/Mazdaspeed6 but the main structure from there back is based on the Mazda5 micro-van, which is itself based on the structure of the Mazda3.
Kind of confusing, but logical given the sportier mission of the CX-7.
Daily Edition: Jan. 20, 2006 - The Car Connection