It’s official: Japan’s automakers are in catch-up mode

 

 

 

 

 

 

The big stink south of the border this week was the launch of the new 2012 Toyota Camry family sedan (above left). A “big stink” because like Honda’s compact Civic sedan (above right) up here in the Great White North, the midsize Camry has been the perennially best-selling non-pickup new car for something like 13 of the last 14 years. So it’s an important car for Toyota U.S.A. to get the car "right".

The family sedan class the Camry competes isn’t as big a deal in Canada. With only 5,968 examples sold through the end of July, the Toyota sits behind the Hyundai Sonata (10,429) and Ford Fusion (12,619) in its class. While the Civic and Hyundai Elantra compacts are battling it out for the overall car title, each selling over 29,000 units each so far this year.

But the launch of the new 2012 Camry is a good indication of not only the health of the Japanese automaker, but also of the type of new product Toyota thinks will resonate with car buyers. And—sadly if you’re a fan of Japanese cars— when you look beyond the PR prattle that Toyota is pushing hard in the U.S. (check out the out-of-context TV ad below), you’ll find Toyota’s idea of what it calls “new” is shocking similar to the same-old, same-old approach Honda took with its so-called “all-new” 2012 Civic I drove in April.

Let’s start with the “new” looks of the Camry and Civic. Now, not uncommon in the industry, automakers get about eight years out of a platform. So the 2012 Camry and Civic reside on essentially the same architectures (dimensions, suspensions, etc.) that debuted for 2007 and 2006, respectively. Any gains in interior space are incremental. Any styling changes are essentially cosmetic. When compared to the more forward-looking cars coming from Hyundai-Kia Motors and Ford, in both cases the new Camry and Civic are steps back in exterior design. In fact: the 2012 Camry’s simplified lines remind me eerily of the tapioca pudding look of 2002-2006 versions…

But what about what’s underneath this pair of one-time sales emperors' sheetmetal and plastic? Unfortunately, while both Toyota and Honda have been racking up sales with these two cars, not much money has been put back into innovative powertrains. Except for mildly updated low-volume hybrid versions, the new Camry and Civic continue to offer essentially carryover engines and transmissions. So while rivals offer direct-injection and turbocharging under the hood or dual-clutch automatic transmissions,  Honda and Toyota still think their loyal customer base will be happy with last year’s (and the year before that, and the year before that…) engineering.

Now, with all this time in between new versions, one could think Toyota and Honda would respond to the competition in regards to the growing sophistication of ride and handling that’s sweeping the industry. Well, erm, not exactly.

I’ve only had firsthand experience with the 2012 Civic. And somehow (maybe in an attempt to make it “grown up”?) Honda has managed to take all of the fun out of what was previously a nimble and alert car to drive. I haven’t had any seat time with the 2012 Camry yet. But reports in the U.S. suggest that it remains the sensory depravation chamber its customers seem to enjoy. If you want a fun-to drive family sedan, better stick to a Fusion, Mazda6—or my current fave—the Kia Optima.

At least for the legions of loyal Civic and Camry owners, there are few surprises with this pair. In the end, both Honda and Toyota have made incremental improvements on what were admittedly decent cars. But if you’re looking for cutting-edge styling, engineering innovation, or a joie de vivre driving experience, the “new” 2012 versions of the Civic and Camry are not those cars.

But do you think this is good enough?

Do think Toyota and Honda have done enough to keep their respective best-sellers at the top of the charts?

Or have these Japan’s automakers moved into catch-up mode?

How Ford can save Lincoln. No, really...

Ever since the 1990s Ford Explorer/Firestone tire fiasco, Ford Motor Co. has made much ado about nothing with its Lincoln luxury brand. Ford was ready with a bunch of rear-wheel-drive products that would separate Lincolns from the more plebeian front-drive Fords. But then the tire crisis nearly did Ford in financially, killing the unique RWD platform in the process, with Lincolns ending up as restyled Fords ever since.

But in the future, there will be no more stinking re-badges for Lincoln. That's according to Ford grand poo-bah of new products, Derek Kuzak in a recent Automotive News piece.

For the first time in recent memory, Lincoln is getting its own design team, its own powertrain engineers, and a list of exclusive features (push-button shifting controls; fully-retractable, all-glass roofs; continuously controlled damping; all-wheel drive in all models) that, apparently, will make sure customers can tell the difference between a Ford Fusion and a Lincoln MKZ.

Lincoln has been pimping its Ford Focus-based 2009 Detroit auto show C Concept (above) as evidence of just how different Lincolns will be from Fords in the future. If Lincoln can make the production car anything like the concept, that’s a start. But I’ve seen some spy shots of the next-gen European Ford Mondeo-based 2012 MKZ sedan over at Car and Driver. And like the current car, it doesn’t look that much different than the next Fusion to warrant its expected extra cost.

Sorry Derek. But that’s probably not enough. No, what Ford needs to do with Lincoln is the hard work that Nissan has done with its Infiniti brand. And more close to home, what General Motors has been doing with Cadillac for the past decade: unique styling, unique powertrains, AND unique body styles.

Now let’s assume the next Mondeo will continue to be offered as a four-door hatch and wagon. Why not offer the North American MKZ (which, for gawd’s sake Lincoln, needs to renamed the Mark Z, right?) with those body styles. In fact, you could call the hatch the Mark Z Continental. You know, just like those fancy-pants European luxury brands like Audi (A5 Sportback, A7), Porsche (Panamera) and Mercedes-Benz (CLS Shooting Brake) sell.

And instead of the expected Lincoln-badged Ford Escape replacement, how about a Mark Z Estate?

Of course, this strategy would be riskier and harder than just slapping on a toothy-grille on a bunch of Fords. But it may be Lincoln's only survival tact.

Do you think Ford is really serious about making Lincoln a real move up from mainstream Fords?

Or do you think Lincolns can survive as restlyed Fords?

Sources: Automotive News, Car and Driver

Prince Edward Highlander - The Wrapup

SPRINGBROOK, P.E.I. – The concept of a hybrid crossover seems perfect for the modern family vacation vehicle. Crossovers offer the all-wheel-drive practicality of sports-utility-vehicles. Being car-based, though, they drive nicer, weigh less, and tend to be more space and fuel efficient than SUVs.

Now throw in the promise of even better fuel economy with the only three-row mid-size crossover gasoline-electric hybrid on the market, as in the refreshed-for-2011 Highlander Hybrid 4WDi on loan from Toyota Canada for our two-week Prince Edward Island vacation, and you potentially have the perfect family vacation set of wheels.

Well, maybe…

We picked up the Highlander Hybrid (base price $42,850, loaded $51,650) right after our flight into the provincial capital city Charlottetown airport touched down. Immediately, we encountered a compromise any SUV-mimicking crossover suffers compared to a more capacious minivan. For our family’s summer holiday, we’ve rent a house in rural Springbrook, P.E.I., just east of tourist infested Cavendish on the Island’s north shore.Last year, we managed to get our four-person crew, luggage (including a hard case for my golf clubs) and the first few vacation days of grocery and liquor supplies crammed into our borrowed 2011 Toyota Sienna. But the less space efficient Highlander forced us to drop off our belongings, and then go get our supplies.

You can only drive so far in P.E.I. before things start getting wet. From its westernmost tip clear across to the eastern end of the Island, by road it only takes about the same time as if you were driving from Toronto to Ottawa. So instead of huge daily mileages, we tend to pile our lot into the car and daytrip to) the beach, if the weather is passable; b) grab the rain gear and go for a hike, play golf, or visit relatives.

Kind of like an “away stay-cation”.

Over the course of this year’s two-week holiday, we managed to average over 150 km per day in the Toyota. And during those klicks, we discovered the Highlander’s interior to be one of its strongest attributes. While the pair of third-row seats are better suited for children than full-sized humans, the roomy second-row is the preferred place to be: plenty of room all around, and great sight lines to see the rolling Island scenery pass by.

However, know that Toyota’s gimmicky second-row middle-seat solution means two passengers will be happier than three. The middle throne is essentially a large armrest that stays down the majority of the time to provide some storage space for the two outboard passengers in their much comfier captain chairs. Another interior beef: This generation of Highlander has been around since the fall of 2006. It shows in that the USB/AUX plug-ins seems like afterthoughts. If the autobox is in P, it’s near impossible to attach an iPod connection without pulling the gearstick back towards in D.

Our longest single round-trip was to the northwestern shores at North Cape, about 240 km. To get there, we drove one of P.E.I.’s few major thoroughfares, Highway 2, primarily a two-lane, 90 km/h speed limit route, allowing for some rare passing opportunities in the Toyota. For a “hybrid”, the Highlander combined gas and electric motors (each driving either the front or rear axles when required) deliver descent power. With the move to the larger 3.5-litre gas V6 from the last model’s 3.3L unit, the Toyota now sports 280 hp. That’s less juice than all comparably-priced gas V6 rivals. But the relatively lighter Toyota can scoot from zero to 100 km/h in about 7.5 seconds—about two seconds faster than Lexus’s so-called sporty hybrid, the CT200h.

When not being pressed, the Highlander’s drivetrain is silky smooth and eerily quiet. But when said passing maneuvres are requested, the interior gets noisy. Fast.Blame the continuously variable transmission. Like every other CVT I’ve tested, it likes to get to maximum revs (i.e. maximum noise) as quickly as possible.

I had no aspirations of the Highlander Hybrid as a sports sedan. And neither should you. With typically Toyota light steering and non-stop understeer, but with a relatively quiet and smooth ride (you still get too much side-to-side head toss over less-than-perfect pavement) the Highlander is a “passenger-first” proposition. Yet for a car costing north of $40k, how much would a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a more supportive driver’s seat add to Toyota’s  bottom line?

Considerate the above the price you pay for the Highlander Hybrid’s relatively excellent 8.3L/100 km fuel consumption average we experienced. All totaled, I drove the Highlander 2,138 km over 14 days, filling it four times, using 177.53 litres of regular fuel that cost on average $1.28 per litre, for a total of $226.73. But in regards to long-term costs, the cost savings may not come as easy.

While you’ll save on fuel costs over a gas-only crossover, like every other hybrid (and diesel) vehicle, you’ll also pay more upfront. In the Highlander Hybrid’s case, its base price is $7,100 more than an Highlander V6 AWD, $9,851 more than a Ford Explorer V6 AWD. No doubt, you’ll have to drive more than 2,000 km and own the Toyota longer than two weeks to get your money back.

The 2011 Highlander Hybrid didn’t end up as the LeBlanc family’s  “perfect” family vacation vehicle. To make it so, I’d like see the Toyota eschew its SUV-wannbe tall riding height and driving characteristics. Open up some more length behind its second-row of seats for my golf clubs. Maybe even add a nicer-feeling steering wheel and descent front seats.

And heck, while I’m asking, price it like the gas-only model.

Total kms: 2,138

Av. L/100 km: 8.3

Older entries:

Days 12 & 13: Fueling around

Days 10 & 11: Highlander definitley a "passnger first" proposition

Days 8 & 9 - Chasing windmills

Day 7 - To Basin Head and back

Day 5 & 6 - Rain delay

Day 4 - Backseat driving

Day 3- Greenwich beach time

Day 2 – Cavendish National Park’s scenic Gulf Coast Drive

Day 1 - Settling in

 

 

 

Prince Edward Highlander / Days 12 & 13 – Fueling around

Rain, or the threat thereof, kept our day tripping during the remaining days of our Prince Edward Island sojourn to close-by destinations. But after nearly two weeks behind the wheel of our loaned 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, I now have a decent idea of what kind of fuel economy this large-ish crossover can obtain.

Keep in mind, the type of driving we’ve experienced here on the Island may not match your daily grind. Except for trolling around the provincial capital of Charlottetown one day, we never experienced stop-and-go traffic, where the Highlander H’s stop-start system has a big advantage. And because the lack of four-lane express routes here, highway driving is primarily in the 80 km to 120 km speed range. 

As you’ve heard for decades, your mileage may vary, blah-de-blah. After over 2,000 km, though, I'm avaeraging 8.2 L/100 km in the hybrid Toyota. But based on combined city/highway ratings, how does the $42,850 (all MSRP starting prices) Highlander Hybrid’s projected overall running costs compare to the regular $35,750 V6 AWD Highlander and one of the more fuel efficient gas-only rivals, the new $32,999 2011 Ford Explorer V6 mit AWD?

Based on fuel costs alone (using what seems to be the new normal price of regular gas, $1.25 per litre), over the course of an “average” 24,000 km in one year of driving, the Highlander Hybrid definitley comes out on top. It’s combined 6.9L/100 km rating results in $1,656 in gas used annually. The gas-only Highlander—rated at 9.0L/100 km combined—comes in at $2,700. The Explorer (based on my own calculations with a combined rating of 10.0L/100 km) will cost you an even $3,000 in fuel costs.

So, yes. The Highlander Hybrid will sip less fuel than its gas-only rivals. But like all hybrids, its initial price premium means how much you drive and how long you keep your car need to be considered.

Total kms: 2,088

Av. L/100 km: 8.2

Older entries:

Days 10 & 11: Highlander definitley a "passnger first" proposition

Days 8 & 9 - Chasing windmills

Day 7 - To Basin Head and back

Day 5 & 6 - Rain delay

Day 4 - Backseat driving

Day 3- Greenwich beach time

Day 2 – Cavendish National Park’s scenic Gulf Coast Drive

Day 1 - Settling in

 

Prince Edward Highlander / Days 10 & 11 - Highlander definitley a “passenger first” proposition

August 3 / Taking advantage of some sun and a high of 27 C, we spent the last few days of our Prince Edward Island holiday racking up the klicks in our loaned 2011 Highlander Hybrid. On Monday, we zigzagged from our homestead just east of Cavendish on the north shore, to a 5 km charity run/walk in Seacow Head, near Bedeque on the Northumberland Strait coast. We then returned to an afternoon on Stanhope Beach, on the St. Lawrence Gulf side, finishing up the day up at the Brackley drive-in, taking in a Smurfs/Friends With Benefits evening double-bill (left).

Going into this two-week road test, I had no expectations that our Highlander was going to be a "driver’s car", that is to offer the ride and handling that an enthusiast—who also happens to have a family to lug around—would enjoy. First off, the Highlander (and rivals in its midsize crossover class) has been designed as a passenger-first proposition. On top of that, I’m driving the fuel economy-first Hybrid version. And finally Toyota, seemingly, hasn’t made a fun-to-drive car since the last millennium.

Knowing all that, you more than likely won't be surprised when I say that the Highlander H’s ride quality is relatively smooth and quiet, but definitely mitigates any attempts at spirited driving. The updated-for-2011 version seems much less floatier than the outgoing 2007-2010 models. But you still get too much side-to-side head toss over less-than-perfect pavement. In the FTD Dept., the Mazda CX-9 does a better job overall. Plus the Highlander (like most Toyotas) offers little feedback or off-centre feel when turning its tiller. And it doesn’t help that its cloth driver's seat offer little lateral support.

In regards to handling, you also shouldn't be surprised when I say that the Toyota’s combination of part-time all-wheel-drive, 18-inch all-season rubber, and high-in-the-saddle suspension means permanent understeer at any corners faster than walking speeds. And all the bits that make it sip less fuel than non-hybrid rivals—like the rev-happy CVT and a grabby regenerative braking system—won’t have you looking for your string back gloves when grabbing the keys for this CUV.

Like I said, none of the above should come as surprise.

Total kms: 1,802

Av. L/100 km: 8.2

Older entries:

Days 8 & 9 - Chasing windmills

Day 7 - To Basin Head and back

Day 5 & 6 - Rain delay

Day 4 - Backseat driving

Day 3- Greenwich beach time

Day 2 – Cavendish National Park’s scenic Gulf Coast Drive

Day 1 - Settling in

Prince Edward Highlander / Days 8 & 9 - Chasing windmills

JULY 31 / If you think of the shape of Prince Edward Island like a giant horse saddle, but angled clockwise about 30 degrees, North Cape is in the left-top (northwest) corner. It’s about a 240 km roundtrip from our holiday home base, just east of centrally-located Cavendish. After a rainy, low-mileage Saturday, we piled into our loaned 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid and headed off to North Cape on a less precipation-filled Sunday.

Why go there? North Cape (left) is said to have the longest rock reef in North America, sedimentary rock reaching two kilometres offshore, marking the melding of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Northumberland Strait. The other feature of North cape is a farm of wind turbines the P.E.I. Energy Corporation has been installing since 2004. Plus its cool to drive out to its red rock edge and know you're literally at the end of the road (above).

Mainly, to get to the Cape, you need to drive the Island’s only major thoroughfare, Highway 2. Its primarily a two-lane, 90 km/h speed limit route that stretches lengthewise across P.E.I. But the long, straight stretch between Summerside and Tignish allows for passing opportunities, which gave some measure to the hybrid Highlander’s performance.

For a “hybrid”, the Highlander H’s combined gas and electric motors deliver descent power. With the move to the larger 3.6-litre gas V6 from the last model’s 3.3 unit, the Toyota now sports 231 hp and 215 lb-ft of torque. Like I said “decent”. But less juice than all comparably priced gas V6 rivals. That said, the Highlander Hybrid can scoot from zero to 100 km/h in about 7.5 seconds. Or about two seconds faster than Lexus’ so-called sporty hybrid, the CT200h.

When not being pressed, the Highlander’s drivetrain is buttery smooth and luxuriously quiet. But when said passing maneuvres are requested, its gets noisy. Fast. I’ll blame its continuously variable transmission, which, like every other CVT I’ve tested, likes to get to maximum revs (i.e. maximum noise) as quickly as possible.

Consider it the price you pay for the excellent 8.0L/100 km fuel consumption average we’ve been experiencing more than half way through our two week trip.

Total kms: 1,431

Av. L/100 km: 8.0

Older entries:

Day 7 - To Basin Head and back

Day 5 & 6 - Rain delay

Day 4 - Backseat driving

Day 3- Greenwich beach time

Day 2 – Cavendish National Park’s scenic Gulf Coast Drive

Day 1 - Settling in