The auto industry.
They make sport-utility vehicles, don’t they?
For an industry that’s supposed to be dominated by SUVs, there sure is a variety of new machines for the 2000 model year.
To be sure, there are lots of new sport-utes, ranging from the petite Isuzu VehiCross and Nissan Xterra to the luxurious BMW X5 to the massive Ford Excursion, which comes thisclose to being a bumper longer than your traditional garage.
There also are redesigned sport-utes, such as the Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe and the GMC Yukon XL (the new name for the GMC Suburban) and Yukon.
And there are a variety of new cars from this model year, from the Chrysler Neon, Toyota Echo and Ford Focus with an emphasis on high mileage to the Audi TT, Volvo S40, Honda S2000 and Mitsubishi Eclipse that concentrate on excitement and performance.
And, of course, there’s the usual ensemble of luxury vehicles such as the Lincoln LS, Jaguar S-Type, Cadillac DeVille and Mercedes S-Class, not to mention a new truck (Toyota Tundra) and mini-van (Mazda MPV).
High style, high performance, high mileage–a little bit of everything.
Here’s a rundown of the new machines in or on their way to showrooms. Get familiar with this crop quickly, because starting in January a host of 2001’s will arrive.
BMW
The long-awaited X5 sport-activity vehicle debuts, a vehicle that more strongly resembles the BMW family than the ML sport-ute resembles anything else in the lineup at Mercedes.
The X5, which is 6 inches shorter than a 5-Series sedan, yet slightly wider than a 7-Series sedan, features all-wheel-drive, dynamic stability and braking control, and initially will be powered by a 4.4-liter V-8, with a V-6 to arrive next spring.
The 7-Series makes standard a premium package that includes a navigation system, Xenon headlights and premium audio system with digital sound processing and six-disc CD changer; offers optional adaptive ride control with self-leveling suspension and electronic damping control; makes rain-sensing wipers standard; and adds heated rear seats to the optional cold-weather package.
The 5-Series makes Steptronic clutchless manual/automatic transmission optional on all models, adds rain-sensing wipers and makes all-season traction/dynamic stability/dynamic brake control standard; the M5 with its 5-liter, 400-h.p. V-8 comes with 6-speed manual, 18-inch wheels, navigation system, traction/stability/brake control and a two-day driving program through BMW.
The Z3 roadster gets traction/stability/brake control (Z3 coupe, too), analog clock, and 4-speed automatic optional. The M roadster and coupe get traction/stability/brake control.
The 3-Series sedans get 5-speed Steptronic as an option and traction/stability/brake control as standard. The 3-Series coupes have been redesigned, with the 323Ci featuring a 2.5-liter, 170-h.p. in-line 6, the 328Ci a 2.8-liter, 193-h.p. in-line 6 and optional Steptronic and standard traction/stability/brake control.
Next spring, BMW will bring out a Z-8 roadster that will share the 400-h.p. V-8 with the M5.
DAEWOO
The Nubira is offered only as a four-door sedan with a modest front-end appearance change.
DAIMLERCHRYSLER
Chrysler
Big change comes next spring when the PT Cruiser arrives, a subcompact, 4-cylinder Neon-sized sedan/wagon/SUV hybrid machine that looks like it stepped off the pages of a ’30s buff book.
Other changes at Chrysler division find the 300M with new optional 16-inch chrome wheels and a four-disc in-dash CD changer; Cirrus gets upgraded radio and wheels and optional emergency trunk release; Concorde is offered refined touring suspension and speed proportional steering and an optional moonroof on the LX; LHS chrome side window moldings and a four-disc in-dash CD changer; and Sebring convertible an upgraded suspension.
The Town & Country mini-van line has a lower-priced version that starts at less than $27,000, which some see as evidence that the Town & Country will come in even lower-cost flavors to pick up the slack once the Plymouth brand, and thus the Voyager mini-van, is phased out.
Dodge
The Caravan mini-van gets AM/FM stereo radio with cassette player as standard and is offered in 11 short/long/two-wheel-drive/all-wheel-drive versions to help cover whatever loss in the Voyager segment the Town & Country can’t pick up.
Intrepid gets an optional sunroof and a new lower priced ES version. Shortly after the first of the year a new R/T model comes out with a high-output 3.5-liter, 242-h.p. V-6 teamed with Autostick, the automatic/clutchless manual transmission, sports-tuned suspension and 17-inch wheels.
The Stratus goes with the 2.4-liter 4 as standard like the Breeze and adds a lower-cost SE model; and the Viper adds a new steel gray exterior color while the GTS coupe adds an ARC (American Racing Club) option package after the first of the year limited to 250 to 500 copies.
In trucks, Dodge discontinues the 8-foot box on the compact Dakota, but in January adds a four-door or Quad Cab with a 5-foot box. It also adds the 4.7-liter, 235-h.p. Magnum V-8 in the Dakota and Durango sport-ute while dropping the 5.2-liter V-8 in Durango; the full-size Ram drops the 1500 Club Cab with 8-foot box and all 2500 Club Cabs.
Jeep
The Cherokee gets a minor facelift before getting an all-new design for 2001. The Grand Cherokee is carried over with such minor changes as front seat belt pretensioners. The Wrangler Sport gets AM/FM cassette stereo and a 19-gallon fuel tank (up from 15 gallons) as standard.
Mercedes-Benz
All-new S430 and S500 sedans (Cartalk, May 16) bowed this year while an all-new CL500 coupe is slated to debut in the first quarter of next year.
Also coming in the first quarter is a 340-h.p. ML55 high-performance version to join the ML320 and ML430 sport-utility vehicles.
This fall a four-seat CLK430 Cabriolet joins the CLK320 Cabriolet and CLK320 and CLK430 coupes.
Also worth noting: side air-bag curtains are now offered in the S-Class, CL coupe and all E-Class sedans; side air bags are standard on the M, S, E-Class and CL coupe; electronic stability control to prevent spins or skids is standard on all models except the SLK roadster; TeleAid emergency calling system launched with S-Class in spring is now standard on all models except SLK and M-Class to summon medical or mechanical help when needed; and prices on most models are unchanged from 1999 or down fractionally.
Plymouth
The subcompact Neon (Cartalk, Feb. 14) has been redesigned and re-engineered with larger dimensions. The compact Breeze offers the previously optional 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine as standard to replace the 2-liter 4. Breeze, which could exit the Plymouth lineup after 2000, also gets a power driver’s seat at no charge and an AM/FM cassette stereo as standard.
Prowler, the jewel in the Plymouth crown, has revised suspension spring rates to soften ride as well as a new silver color that replaces the original passion purple. Black and red also will be offered, yellow is axed.
Voyager adds a special low-cost “T-Plus” model and removes the “Plymouth” name from its sheet metal. DaimlerChrysler said was a “cost-cutting move” though it didn’t spread to Dodge or Chrysler, which keep their namebadges.
FORD MOTOR CO.
Aston Martin
The DB7 coupe and Volante now sport a 5.9-liter, 414-h.p., 48-valve V-12 for the first time.
Ford
The Taurus (and Mercury Sable) get fresh sheet metal to quiet critics who say the 1996 redesign was too radical and saddled both with terminal droop. Drooping tails have been replaced with 4-inch higher decklids, 2-inch wider trunk openings and enlarged taillamps.
Also, the 3-liter Vulcan and Duratec V-6 engines have been revised to increase horsepower and torque for better off-the-line movement.
Taurus (Sable, too) offer dual-stage air bags with driver-seat position, seat-belt and crash-severity sensors to determine the energy level of air-bag deployment in a frontal collision–or whether deployment is necessary; emergency trunk-release system with a handle to prevent children from getting trapped inside; head and chest side-impact air bags for front-seat occupants; power adjustable accelerator and brake pedals that move up to 3 inches toward the driver so those of short stature can remain far enough from the steering wheel hub–and the air bag.
All-speed traction control combined with anti-lock brakes is now available while standard 16-inch radial tires replace the 15-inch treads. Side-impact air bags are new.
Focus (Cartalk, Sept. 5) arrives in sedan, coupe and wagon form to eventually replace Escort as Ford’s entry-level vehicle. The compact Contour has been reduced to a single SE Sport model before production is moved to Mexico to make room at the Kansas City plant for a new compact sport-ute hybrid; Escort remains but the wagon is dropped; Mustang gets new 16-inch tires and wheels as an option on the V-6 appearance package to improve handling; and the Windstar mini-van gets power adjustable pedals, a video entertainment center and two power sliding side doors.
Ford boasts the biggest SUV in the market, the nearly 20-foot-long Excursion (Cartalk, Aug. 15), which will be limited to 25,000 copies for 2000 though Ford has 40,000 customer orders. Expedition gets power adjustable pedals and sonar sensing to detect unseen objects when backing up and is preparing a satellite-to-vehicle subscription radio service near the end of the model run; Explorer gets the reverse sensing system. Later in the year, a redesigned two-door Sport arrives along with a new Sport Trac, with a pickup bed. The F-150 series adds a limited edition Harley-Davidson model with a four-door Super Crew Cab model arriving in the first quarter of next year as a 2001.
Jaguar
The first offspring from the marriage of the British automaker and Ford Motor Co. is the 2000 S-Type sedan, which shares platforms with the 2000 Lincoln LS sedan and will provide the platform for the 2001 Ford Thunderbird and ’02/’03 Ford Mustang, and, perhaps in modified form, for a new Jaguar roadster for 2003 powered by V-6 or V-8 engines.
Following on the success of its new small S-Type luxury sedan (Cartalk, May 23) that bowed this summer, Jaguar is bringing out the XKR coupe and convertible this fall, a high-performance model based on the XK8 sports coupe powered by a supercharged 370-h.p. version of the 4-liter V-8 offered in the XJR sedan that’s teamed with a 5-speed automatic.
The XKR boasts a zero- to 60-m.p.h. time of 5.2 seconds (5.3 with convertible), the fastest Jaguar in the stable, with a respectable 16 m.p.g. city/23 m.p.g. highway mileage rating considering the power.
The XKR features a wire-mesh grille, functional hood louvers, decklid spoiler and 18-inch alloy wheels with Z-rated Pirelli performance tires, along with Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS, as on the S-Type) that provides computer controlled damping adjustments to maximize ride and handling, teamed with Servtronic II steering for sure-footed cornering, along with the typical Jaguar burl walnut and leather interior treatment.
Other standard equipment includes traction control, navigation system, heated seats, power headlamp washers and rain-sensing windshield wipers.
Still to come from Jaguar is an even smaller luxury sedan about the size of a BMW 3-Series for the 2001 model year.
Lincoln
The LS (Cartalk, June 13) with V-6 or V-8 has given the luxury automaker a new entry-level sedan.
Among other changes, the Navigator SUV now offers climate-control seats that can heat or cool through a ventilation system in the seat surface, and adds Sonar Parking Aid which beeps to alert the motorist when an unseen object is in the path when backing up, as well as a navigation system; Continental and Town Car add an emergency trunk release. Still to come, the Lincoln Blackwood for 2001, a Lincoln Navigator sport ute with an enclosed pickup truck bed in back.
Mazda
The MPV mini-van has new sheet metal as well as dual sliding rear doors with power windows; standard ABS; optional side-impact air bags; and a 2.5-liter, 170-h.p. V-6.
The 626 sedan now offers higher-output 4-cylinder engines (130 h.p. up from 125 h.p.), new front- and rear-end styling, front seat side-impact air bags added to the ABS option on the 4-cylinder LX and ES models and side-impact bags added to the ABS/traction control option in V-6 models.
Protege adds side-impact air bags and ABS with electronic brake force distribution to the LX and ES Premium packages; Millenia adds a Millennium edition; Miata adds power steering, antenna, windows and mirrors as standard, and the B3000 regular-cab compact pickup adds SX and SE models.
Mercury
Sable is redesigned with a host of new equipment; Grand Marquis gets the emergency trunk-release lever; and the Villager mini-van Sport and Estate models get auxiliary air with rear-seat controls, power rear vent windows, power driver’s seat and flip-open liftgate window as standard. The compact Mystique has been discontinued except fleet sales.
Volvo
The major change for 2000 is the addition of a low-cost ($22,900) compact S40 sedan (Cartalk, Sept. 12) and V70 wagon powered by a turbocharged 4-cylinder.
GENERAL MOTORS
Buick
An early arrival was the resized (slightly shorter) and redesigned 2000 LeSabre that bowed this summer (Cartalk, April 25) on the same platform as the Park Avenue and Pontiac Bonneville.
LeSabre (optional) and Park Avenue (optional base model, standard Ultra) get StabiliTrak from Cadillac, which helps maintain vehicle control on slippery roads or sand and gravel.
LeSabre and Park Avenue also get standard side-impact air bags, and LeSabre “catcher’s mitt” seats to pocket the occupant in a rear-end collision to prevent whiplash.
Century adds a special turn-of-the-century edition with blacked out grille, body-colored facias and side moldings and special badging all over. All Century models get a 15 h.p. boost with a revised 3.1-liter V-6.
Regal gets an optional driver’s side impact air bag when equipped with leather seats and a split folding rear seat for hauling long items.
Riviera is gone, but coming soon for 2001 is the Rendezvous, a sedan/sport-ute hybrid.
Cadillac
DeVille, the division’s volume leader, redesigned, and introduces Night Vision, a $1,995 option that uses infrared heat imaging (Transportation, May 23) so you can see objects in or near the road ahead regardless of darkness, heavy rains, snow or fog.
DeVille comes on a 1.5-inch longer wheelbase, but is two inches shorter than the former model and is now built on the same platform as the 2000 Pontiac Bonneville and 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora.
DeVille, which comes in base, DHS and DTS versions, also offers Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist in which sonar in the rear bumper serves a beeping warning when approaching an unseen object when backing up. DeVille also gets an on-board navigation system and the DTS gets StabiliTrak, which uses a number of sensors to take into account vehicle speed and steering wheel turning angles as well as road surface conditions to keep the vehicle moving in the direction pointed without slipping and sliding.
Other changes find the NorthStar V-8 revised for quieter operation and better fuel economy using regular rather than premium fuel; all Cadillac models offering a push button system to use OnStar emergency communications system; and the introduction of Communiport in the Seville, a “mobile multi media” radio that can be used for e-mailing or text messaging, or remote control of vehicle features.
Modest front-end facelift for Catera as well as upgrades to the Sport version including 17-inch all-season tires. Eldorado gets modest new cosmetics on the ETC coupe, Eldorado and Seville get StabiliTrak, upgraded for 2000 to include roll and lateral motion control. Seville also gets the same sonar parking assist system and navigation system as DeVille, and the Escalade sport-utility gets vertical swing-out vertical rear doors as a no-cost option to those who prefer that to a standard horizontal tailgate. Escalade gets a redesign for 2001.
Chevrolet
Impala returns, Monte Carlo is redesigned, Cavalier a cosmetic makeover, Suburban and Tahoe sport new styling and engineering and a four-door Silverado is on the way. The Corvette Z51 package gets a suspension upgrade and Malibu drops the underpowered 4-cylinder in favor of a 3.1-liter V-6 with 20 more h.p. Still to come, a Lumina phase-out as Impala production rises and eventual demise of the Camaro.
Oldsmobile
A redesigned Aurora comes out in January as a 2001 model. Until it arrives, Olds will sell the ’99.
For 2001 there will be two editions, one with a 3.5-liter, 215-h.p. V-6, the same engine offered in the Intrigue, and one with the 4-liter, 250-h.p. V-8 offered in the ’99. With V-6 Aurora will sport 16-inch tires, with the V-8 17-inch treads.
The 2001 Aurora will be built on the same platform as the Cadillac Seville, Buick LeSabre and Pontiac Bonneville, with a shorter wheelbase (112.2 inches from 114.3) and length (199.3 inches from 205).
The most noticeable styling change finds the half moon, or arched, deck lid with its horizontal lamps raised and flattened and giant Lincoln-like taillamps stuck in the corners to make the vehicle appear wider and bigger.
Intrigue offers a new electronic vehicle control system with four-wheel speed sensors, steering angle sensor, integrated yaw sensor and a hydraulic control unit that all work automatically to help maintain driver control in heavy braking or obstacle-avoidance maneuvers.
The system monitors lateral acceleration, individual wheel speeds, and steering wheel angle and yaw, or lateral movement, and increases or decreases the level of braking power to individual wheels to regain the desired path of travel. The system differs from Cadillac’s StabiliTrak in that it functions on all four wheels, whereas StabiliTrak works on the front.
Also, the Intrigue GX adds optional traction control, the GLS power and heated seats as standard.
There’s a new 5-speed manual in the Alero (standard GX, optional GL), the GLS performance suspension is now optional on the GL and a gold emblem/badge package is optional on all Aleros.
The Bravada sport-ute offers the OnStar emergency communication system as optional as does the Silhouette mini-van, which had its wheelbase extended to 120 inches and now offers seven-passenger seating as standard.
The 88 and Cutlass have been dropped.
Pontiac/GMC
Bonneville now comes on the same and slightly larger platform as the Cadillac Seville. SSEi version gets StabiliTrak from Cadillac which monitors steering wheel speed and yaw, or the rotation of the car around its center of gravity, to maintain control and keep it pointed in the direction you are headed.
The OnStar emergency communication system will be added in January. Other changes are a freshened Sunfire and a 15-h.p. boost on Grand Prix base V-6. A limited-edition (2,000 units) Daytona Pace Car Replica Firebird with Ram Air gets 17-inch tires; Grand Am a new 5-speed Getrag; and the Montana mini-van gets OnStar.
At GMC, the Yukon XL (extra long) is the new name for the old Suburban. XL and regular Yukon get a design overhaul along with new more powerful yet more fuel-efficient engines.
Saab
A new high-performance 9-5 Aero sedan is powered by a 230-h.p. 4-cylinder engine. Traction control and sunroof now standard on all 9-5 models. The 9-3 gets new five-door and convertible Viggen models, and all Saabs get GM’s OnStar emergency communication system as an option.
Saturn
A larger plastic-body midsize LS sedan and LW wagon joins the lineup with a choice of 2.2-liter 4 or 3-liter V-6 engines.
The compact S-Series sedan, wagon and coupe get new interiors, while the sedan and wagon get modest lower body panel changes. Sedans get revised ABS with less chatter. The coupe gets a more extensive redesign in January when it comes out as a 2001. The three-door coupe stays in the lineup. S-Sernies sport-ute still on target for 2002.
Ferrari
The F355 coupe is replaced by the 360 Modena with its 3.6-liter, 395-h.p., 40-valve V-8 and a $138,225 price tag with conventional 6-speed manual, $147,725 with Formula 1 6-speed shifter.
HONDA
Acura
On the safety front, the side air-bag sensor system introduced on the RL for 1999 has been added to the TL for 2000. Sensors determine the size and position of the front-seat passenger to decide whether or not to deploy the side bag in an impact. The front passenger air bag in both RL and TL has a dual-stage inflator that regulates deployment force based on the speed and severity of impact.
The 2000 RL is the first Acura to add Vehicle Stability Assist, which uses traction control and ABS to enhance vehicle dynamics on slippery surfaces.
In RL and TL the navigation system has been upgraded with a Digital Video Disc system for faster usage, a larger screen with a glare-reducing cover.
The 3.2 TL adds a new 5-speed automatic and intake manifold for increased low-end torque; and the NSX/NSX-T get new perforated leather seats.
An all-new CL coupe will arrive in the spring, while the SLX sport-utility vehicle, basically an Isuzu Trooper with an Acura namebadge, has been discontinued for 2000 (Cars, July 29).
A luxury Acura SUV, probably with a new name, will reappear for 2001.
Honda
The debate over whether to offer a roadster as a $30,000 Honda or a $40,000 Acura has been settled with the introduction of the $32,000 Honda S2000, powered by a 2-liter, 240-h.p. 4-cylinder engine teamed with a 6-speed manual that boasts a zero- to 60-m.p.h. time of less than 6 seconds.
Moving from fun to function, Honda brings out the Insight, a gasoline/electric hybrid that uses a 1-liter, 3-cylinder engine and a nickel-metal-hydride electric motor. The economy claim is 70 m.p.g.
Unlike some electric hybrids, Insight doesn’t run on gasoline some times, on batteries at others. The batteries only provide a power boost when needed, such as at start from the light or when passing or climbing a hill. By assisting the gas engine when it needs more power, Insight can use a very small gas engine to move the load and conserve fuel and boast of lower emissions. Insight comes out in December. No firm price other than an “under $20,000” promise for the 4,000 units to be shipped here.
The Odyssey mini-van adds a navigation system; all Accords add dual-stage air bags that adjust front passenger bag deployment speed based on impact severity and whether seat belts are being worn. All V-6 sedans and coupes and 4-cylinder EX sedans and coupes with leather trim get side-impact air bags with sensors that monitor passenger size and positioning to deactivate the passenger bag if the occupant is too small or out of position. The Passport SUV gets new front- and rear-end treatment, while spare tires are stowed under the EX and EX-L models and all models get larger 16-inch tires.
HYUNDAI
Kia
Carryovers, with a new compact Sephia hatchback coming out early next year as a 2001, a sporty Rio subcompact sedan smaller than Sephia coming out in mid-2000 as a 2001, a new midsize sedan larger than Sephia next fall as a 2001, and a Sedona mini-van coming out for 2002.
Hyundai
The subcompact Accent gets an all-new design with more of a European flair, while the wheelbase has been stretched by about 2 inches. The sporty Tiburon gets a facelift with a new four-headlight design. The base-level Elantra has been dropped and only the GLS offered for 2000. Prices are unchanged on all models except Tiburon.
ISUZU
The VehiCross sport-ute has a couple of mid-year changes planned, the addition of 18-inch wheels to replace the 16-inch wheels now offered and offering automatic air conditioning as standard next spring.
The Trooper full-size sport-ute adds a 4×2 version with a grade-sensing automatic transmission, while all models get new front- and rear-end treatment.
Rodeo adds Intelligent Suspension Control with sport and normal driving modes and while dropping a 5-speed manual in the 4WD LSE. Amigo adds Intelligent Suspension control and new front- and rear-end styling and drops the 4WD softtop version with 4-cylinder and 5-speed manual in favor of a 4WD softtop with V-6 and automatic only.
Hombre pickups get higher torque versions of the V-6 engine.
LAND ROVER
All 4.0 SE and 4.6 HSE Ranger Rover models get automatic dimming outside mirrors to reduce headlamp glare at night, along with body-colored bumpers and new round headlamps and foglamps. On the Discovery II, rear-seat air conditioning is offered as a stand-alone option and a compass has been incorporated in the rearview mirror.
LAMBORGHINI
A new 650-h.p. racing version only Diablo GT comes out early next year.
NISSAN
Infiniti
The I30 sedan (Cartalk, Sept. 19) is all new for 2000. Built off the same platform as the Nissan Maxima, the I30 has larger exterior and interior dimensions and a V-6 with a 20 percent increase in h.p.
The remainder of the Infiniti line will undergo change soon. The next generation Q45 arrives in January 2001 as a 2002 model. It will offer a 4.5-liter, 300-h.p. V-8 teamed with a 5-speed automatic transmission to replace the 4.1-liter, 260-h.p. V-8.
A slightly revised QX4 SUV comes out in January as a 2000 model with a few styling changes to make it look less like a Pathfinder, as well as a new 3.5-liter V-6 to replace the 3.3-liter V-6 plus full-time all-wheel-drive. The next generation QX4 is scheduled for 2003, when the new Pathfinder that shares the same platform arrives.
The next generation G20 sedan comes out in the fall of 2001 as a 2002 with new engine and transmission and a novel feature that Chrysler has been hinting at for months, the ability to plug your owner’s manual into an onboard computer. If a tire goes flat, you press a few buttons and step-by-step changing directions will be displayed.
Nissan
The Japanese automaker has a raft of new products for the 2000 model year, most of which started arriving this summer.
New for 2000 are the Xterra sport-utility built off the Frontier pickup platform, the Frontier Crew Cab pickup with four, forward-hinged doors, the Frontier Desert Runner pickup with a 4 or V-6 engine but in 2WD and with two doors only, along with a redesigned Maxima sedan, and a facelift and suspension upgrade for better handling for the Altima sedan.
An all-new subcompact Sentra sedan arrives after the first of the year along with a Pathfinder sport-ute offering a larger 3.5-liter V-6 with 50 to 60 more h.p. than the 3.3-liter V-6 it will replace.
Nissan also plans to unveil a Frontier concept truck on the auto-show circuit next year that provides a peek at styling changes coming in 2003 when Frontier also gets wider.
Nissan last year showed its concept Sport-Utility Truck on the show circuit, but it looks like the automaker would rather wait a couple of years and build the truck/SUV hybrid off the next-generation, larger Pathfinder platform in 2003 than the smaller Frontier platform that the SUT concept and compact Xterra SUV is built on.
Maxima (Cartalk, Sept. 26) sports new sheet metal and larger dimensions plus a higher output V-6 for 2000; Altima new front- and rear-end treatments and more of the same look as Maxima, with which it will share platforms in the 2001 to 2003 time frame, with 2003 looking more promising; the restyled Sentra will drop the 1.6-liter 4 and offer a 1.8- or 2-liter 4.
Nissan still offers the Quest mini-van built with Mercury, but now that Nissan has partnered with Renault of France, it appears the Quest will be replaced by a Renault design in 2004 at the earliest.
Nissan will bring back the sporty Z coupe in spring 2002 as a 2003 model. A concept version that reportedly is dead on with the production version will bow at the New York Auto Show in April. The original Z was introduced in New York in 1969.
PORSCHE
Boxster is joined by the Boxster S. Boxster gets a new 2.7-liter, 217-h.p. 6-cylinder to replace the 2.5-liter, 201-h.p. 6. Boxster S gets a 3.2-liter, 250-h.p. version of the engine, along with the 6-speed manual and brakes from the 911 Carrera.
The 911 Carrera and 911 Carrera 4 get a new exhaust system that helps boost h.p. to 300 from 296; the 911 gets the stability management control as optional that’s now standard on the Carrera 4, and all 911 Carreras get soft-touch grain instrument panels and trim plus charcoal odor filters.
SUBARU
There’s an all-new Legacy sedan and wagon, a new Impreza 2.5RS sedan to join the 2.5RS coupe and a new Outback Limited sedan and wagon, the latter the hybrid sedan/SUV that started the craze toward hybrids and SUV offshoots when it came out dubbed the Impreza Outback Sport wagon in 1994.
The all-wheel-drive Legacy sedan and wagon have been restyled and wheelbase increased by about an inch, overall length by about 3 inches. Suspensions have been upgraded for more sure-footed ride and handling. The Outback Limited sedan replaces the Legacy sport-utility sedan. Throughout the lineup, Subaru’s 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine has been designed for more low-end torque.
TOYOTA
Lexus
The ES300 gets new front-end styling with optional High Intensity Discharge headlamps, and Brake Assist is offered with the optional Vehicle Skid Control that bowed in ’99. Brake Assist detects panic braking and, if the driver hasn’t stepped on the pedal hard enough to activate ABS, does so.
The GS300/400 get Brake Assist as standard as does the LS400 and the LX470 sport-ute adds vehicle skid control that applies ABS when wheel spin is detected and Brake Assist as standard, along with a new four-wheel traction control system that applies ABS and regulates fuel flow to control wheel spin.
Next year Lexus adds the IS rear-wheel-drive sport sedan with V-6 positioned below the GS series.
Toyota
A host of new entries from economy to luxury to sports models. The full-size Avalon sedan gets a sheet metal makeover with more low-slung rather than standup and formal styling as well as an inch wider cabin for more comfort and an inch higher roof and an inch higher front seats for better down-the-road visibility. The dash also has been moved forward 4 inches to improve cabin room. The V-6 engine gets a boost to 210-h.p. from 200.
Celica, which bowed in ’71, enters its seventh generation with a redesign and a new 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine that generates 180 h.p. in the GT-S and 140 h.p. in the GT. The GT-S comes with E-shift buttons on the steering wheel to allow clutchless “manual” shifting similar to Formula 1 race cars.
For youthful buyers or those on a budget, Toyota brings out the ECHO, designed as a simple yet functional car priced below a Corolla, yet a step up from an entry-level model. Echo is powered by a 1.5-liter 4 that gets 34 m.p.g. city/41 m.p.g. highway.
Still to come at midyear is the subcompact Prius gas/electric hybrid designed to run on gas or battery power alone or in tandem when a power boost is needed. The batteries recharge while the car is running so there is no need to stop to plug into a socket. About 12,000 will be shipped here next year.
VOLKSWAGEN
Audi
The only thing suddenly accelerating at Audi is sales. The A4 line features only minor changes, but the S4 is a new high-output sports model featuring full-time four-wheel-drive and a 2.7-liter, 250-h.p. bi-turbo V-6 that claims a zero- to 60-m.p.h. time of 5.9 seconds with its standard 6-speed manual. Tiptronic, the clutchless manual/automatic transmission, is optional. Audi calls the S4 a “silken rocket.”
The TT coupe, as successful for Audi as the Beetle has been for Volkswagen, adds a 180-h.p. all-wheel-drive model this fall, and a 225-h.p. Quattro model in the spring with a TT roadster with a choice of 180- or 225-h.p. engines and front- or all-wheel-drive.
The A6 line adds a 2.7 T sedan with the same 250-h.p. bi-turbo V-6 in the S4, and a 4.2 sedan with a 4.2-liter, 300-h.p. 40-valve V-8. The A8 undergoes its first styling change since unveiled in 1996 and adds a 310-h.p. version of the new 4.2-liter, 40-valve V-8.
Volkswagen
The Golf gets minor updates such as brake-wear indicators; the GTI and Jetta get Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR), a form of traction control, and the Cabrio gets a non-smoking package.
Beetle adds ASR plus an optional cold-weather package on the GLS with cloth seats; Passat gets ASR on the GLS version; and the EuroVan adds dark tinted glass on the sides and rear, remote central locking, optional single seats to replace the second-row bench (GLS only).
For the first time an 8-speaker Monsoon audio system will be offered as standard or optional on Golf GLS, GTI, Jetta and Passat.
Prices on most VW’s will be unchanged from 1999, except those that add ASR and the Monsoon as standard, while the optional luxury package consisting of sunroof and alloy wheels on the Golf, Jetta and Beetle goes up by $175, to $1,175.
ROLLS-ROYCE/BENTLEY
A new Rolls and a new Bentley are coming in December, but the company is mum on details.
