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Carmakers love to talk big about their products, and occasionally their PR or marketing arms do a great job of convincing the public that they can have their cake and eat it too.

Claims about normally conflicting qualities such as ride and handling, performance and efficiency and build quality and price are often made but the only way to provide the customer with both is to spend money on R&D and let the engineers rather than the accountants steer the company. You the consumer can’t get something for nothing unless the manufacturer’s footing the bill…

In an age when companies are spending more on marketing than engineering, I found it noteworthy that Volvo has decided to spend $1.3 billion on developing technologies to increase fuel economy.

the [M coupe] feels like a centerfuge with the rest of the car pivoting around the nose, emphasizing the feel of squat upon acceleration.. The Cayman is like a toy top, rotating on its axis… – Motor Trend, August ‘06

Commentary: The more I drive cars the more my enjoyment of them seems to come down to where the engine and the driver’s seat are placed in relation to the wheels – the closer each is to midway between the front and rear wheels the less you have to try to make up lost ground elsewhere in the chassis and the better the driver can feel what’s happening to the body and at the four contact patches. Read the rest of this entry »

subtle “de-contenting” has crept into (or out of) the Civic, and some of its exceptional driving dynamics, once due to its unique double-wishbone front suspension, have been lost to the more cost-effective strut-type hardware… the Civic isn’t off the pace as much as we anticipated—on paper. The lack of steering isolation, the way bump-steer affects the car, and the Civic’s less assertive turn-in, however, are noticeably changed. Most people probably won’t notice in everyday driving, nor would they have the opportunity to drive the 2000 and ‘01 Civic back-to-back, but there’s definitely a difference. It’s too bad, because sporty handling was one of the Civic’s hidden talents and secret pleasures. If one liked an active, sportier driving experience, it was always easy to recommend the Civic over more common strut-suspended cars. Now, there’s less to rave about, and little to distinguish itself from the crowd. – Motor Trend

the test car, to our great surprise… had some major rattles, and the metallic paint had more shady spots than the Coconino National Forest. We thought the panel gaps were rather wide, too, and certain details of the dash fit poorly… the ride has gotten harsh. Noisy, too. The engine, as well, is plenty loud in the high revs, and wind noise is apparent at speed. Moreover, path control on the freeway is nowhere near as sharp as Civics used to be. – Car and Driver

Given the greatness we’ve come to expect from Honda, we have been disappointed that the seventh-generation Civic is not quite the step forward we’d usually expect from such a veteran. We[‘ve] chastised Honda… for some bad decisions made with this Civic; the rear suspension, its trailing arm discarded in the quest for better space efficiency, doesn’t feel as well planted as the great setup on the previous car. The steering is also light to the point of precluding much communication of what the tires are doing. In both the 2000 test and this one, we found the car less confident through tight turns than both the previous Civic and, more importantly today’s opponents… small dimensions, a lack of power, an uninspired interior, and suspension faults have taken this car out of the spotlight. There are simply more exciting cars than the Civic at this price. – automobile

As predictable as this sounds, Porsche is upping the power in both Boxster models in the coming months… The S adopts the 3.4 L from the Cayman S (previous Boxster Ss used a 3.2) and the base model gets a higher output 2.7 that was developed for the base Cayman. More important than the change in peak power is the fact that the changes come from the addtion of VarioCam Plus – the real difference won’t be in foot the the floor peak figures but in part throttle sharpness underfoot.

The Cayenne will get a boost in power this fall as well with all models jumping by about 20 horses. This means of course that the V6 well be less slow and the V8 will be even less likely to approach its redline in the hands of the average Cayenne driver. (I’m more excited about the restyled exterior and upgrades interior materials).

UPDATE:

The Boxster… is 5bhp more powerful at 245bhp. The added power and torque shaves 0.1sec off the 0-62mph time, which now stands at 6.1sec, but fuel consumption is improved 1mpg to 30.4mpg. Top speed is also extended by 1mph to 160mph. The Boxster S… engine has been increased in size from 3.2- to 3.4-litres and is 15bhp more powerful at 295bhp. The sprint to 62mph is cut by 0.1sec to 5.4sec, while top speed is 2mph faster at 169mph. Fuel consumption increases slightly by 0.6mpg to 26.6mpg. – what car?

UPDATE 2: This piece in Motor Trend goes into more detail. (The optional automatic transmission has also been revised).

There’s not much wrong with the Pacifica – actually as a freeway cruiser there’s a lot about it that’s right – collaboration with Mercedes Benz engineers resulted in an almost Germanic 6 passenger vehicle. But one thing that was hugely lacking was the engine – a leftover 3.5L that you might remember from the now deceased Chrysler Concorde, etc.

By the time the engine’s power made it through the long ratios of the 4 speed automatic, the opportunity to accelerate was often gone. If you see a Pacifica being driven sedately it’s probably because the driver has given up on going faster or is tired of whipping the reluctant motor for more.

Now the Pacifica’s going to get a new 4.0 V6 that’s bound to be an improvment – my only concern is that a 6 cylinder of this size is bound to be rough at high revs (try to think of a 4.0 V6 that’s ever been smooth – getting smoothness out of more than 3.2L is difficult to achieve).

In other Chrysler news the new Cirrus is about to take flight; the car loks like a cross between a 300C and a Nitro and will feature heated and cooled cupholders and a MP3 storing 20 GB hard drive. Hopefully it will be more like the 300 and less like the Nitro to drive (unlikely given its front drive roots).

One of the first things you notice when you climb into the new Volkswagen Passat is its vast interior space. The previous-generation Passat shared its platform with the Audi A4 and A6; by extension, it shared those cars’ longitudinal engine configuration. This latest Passat, however, is based on the Golf/Jetta chassis and as such uses a transverse engine layout that grants more interior room, especially for rear-seat occupants. The new platform also allows front-wheel-drive Passats to use an independent rear suspension that is as sophisticated as those on the all-wheel-drive 4Motion examples. (Previously, front-wheel-drive cars made do with a torsion-beam rear setup.) – automobile

Commentary: Remember the Passat of the mid 90s? The one with the limo-like back seat, original VR6 engine and the Corrado-like chassis? Reliability aside, I envy those who’ve had one to this day…

That back seat was made possible by a transversely mounted engine. When VW and Audi started to share more in the late 90s, the Passat got a longutudinally mounted engine mounted ahead of the wheels meaning much of the body length was devoted to the car ahead of the windshield – not as much of the car’ length was available for passengers to it was long by neccessity. And only 4motion models had a rear suspension that didn’t cry uncle at the first sign of a corner or a bump (torsion beams have comparatively poor lateral location and short travel).

The newest Passat returns to transverse engine mounting but sadly the body has grown even larger and the suspension is just as lax.

I wonder if the GLI’s suspension bits bolt right in…

Often when a new model is released, the press is so caught up in what’s been improved and is so taken in by the wining and dining they’ve just enjoyed that they say exactly what the manufacturer wants them to.

Then, come the first comparison or long term test the truth comes out. Sometimes – if the writer’s especially astute – it doesn’t take that long for someone to go against the marketing grain. Here’s an all-too-rare example:

The steering, despite having more feeling than ever in a big Merc, is still as tactile as glue. The big, shiny override paddles behind the wheel may be made of alloy, but the box still takes its own time to react, so you end up trusting the auto to do its thing and not bothering to flex your indexes… So the E63 is a mixed bag. A much better car than the E55, but not quite the car that makes people not want an M5… – Top Gear

The press is so giddy about AMG’s incredible new engine that they’re fawning over anything its dropped into. It’s important to remember that despite the fact that this is a completely AMG engine and Mercedes Benz is blazing a detail oriented comeback, the cars that are out now (SLK excepted) are conceived as passenger cars first, driver’s cars second.

It’s the connectedness that impresses. You tap into what’s going on at the road surface through the meaty steering and the seat of your pants… The further you drive, the faster you go, the more impressive the X5 becomes. It actually does feel like a sports car on stilts – and sounds like one too. It shrinks around you until you almost forget what you’re driving. – evo

note: This only applies to cars equipped with the Sport package and 18” wheels or the 4.6 and 4.8is models (20” wheels, Bilstein dampers). The Sport package 4.4i’s 19” wheels are too much for the Sachs-Boge dampers to handle and the base model’s softer front suspension and smaller rear swaybar make it feel less like a BMW and more like your average SUV.

As the old saying goes, “people buy power but they drive torque” and this is especially true when your engine is teamed with an automatic transmission. This fact, when combined with rising fuel prices have made many including myself portend that the modern turbodiesel rather than the hybrid is what America needs right now. Reading a piece like this comparison of a 2.5 liter gas engine and 3.0L turbodiesel you’ll see why.

Here’s an excerpt:

Maybe it’s torque that adds excitement… This is more fun; press the accelerator and this BMW just thrusts forward, usually without bothering to change down, because there’s no need and the gearbox knows it… More urge, less effort. And here’s the clincher; the engine is almost as smooth as the 325i’s. It emits hardly any diesel rattle, and it has a voice. A proper note; deep, authoritative, six-cylinderish. This is not just a great diesel. It’s a great engine… this isn’t about buying a diesel to save money and suffer pain. It’s about buying a diesel because you’ll have more fun with it.

But just as diesel prepares for its walk onstage and play up its efficiency advantage, engineers are finding ways to squeeze even more power and efficiency out of gasoline engines, and strangely enough its by mimicing certain aspects of the diesel such as direct injection and high compression ratios.

That’s what BMW is set to do with their engine line in the coming years… The VALVETRONIC technology quietly introduced in this generation of engines will soon be augmented by direct injection. The twin turbocharged engine in the 335i coupe is the first to get the technology, but it will make it into the normally aspirated engines soon…

The result:

Peak output for the new DI engine is up from 265bhp to 272bhp… the new engine has real bite and punch, feeling a touch more aggressive than today’s 330i unit despite the official figures. At this stage of the development there’s a subtle but clear change in engine note, too. It’s less of a turbine hum and a tad gruffer – put it down to the new injection system… relaxed driving in stop-start conditions would return around 40mpg – virtually the same as offered by the diesel 330d. – Autocar

It’s true what they say: competition does improve the breed…

NOTE: At this point in time its not the engines but the fuel that’s a limiting factor – both technologies require lower sulphur content than we currently have available.

I recently stumbled upon an article I wasn’t aware I had been quoted in over a year ago. The topic: the prospect of Porsche building a Cayenne Hybrid using Toyota technology and the potential of an 5 hybrid. Here are the excerpts…

According to [the] founder of auto research firm carcounsel.com, the Cayenne already suffers an identity crisis. “It’s no secret Cayenne is a way to make a quick buck, a necessary evil so Porsche can afford to further develop their performance cars without having to become mass market, as BMW is doing,” he said. “But from a company that claims there is ‘no substitute’, it’s difficult to imagine where a Toyota-powered Cayenne fits in.”

“BMW has a tradition of waiting to learn from the mistakes of first generation products rushed to market by other companies,” Chanduwadia said. “Witness the X5 itself – it trailed the Mercedes Benz ML to market but made it look antiquated in comparison.” He said he expects BMW, with its “more long-sighted approach” to put hybrid technology in the next generation of the X5 model [at earliest].