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Jay Leno talks about his restored Chrysler Turbine at the Woodward Dream Cruise
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 18, 2024
Pontiac — The Woodward Dream Cruise is where people from all over North America bring their unique automobiles: classic milk trucks, 1,500-horspower dragsters, Batmobiles.
This year, Jay Leno brought his rare Chrysler Turbine car.
The comedian was at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Saginaw Street on Saturday afternoon doing what all Cruisers do: meeting fellow gearheads, taking pictures and talking about his latest find. Dressed in his signature jeans, the Hollywood celebrity feels more at home at the Cruise than at the ritzy Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California this weekend.
Jay Leno and his Chrysler Turbine automobile at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Pontiac, Michigan on Aug. 17, 2024. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
“If you to California, you meet one guy with a hundred cars. Here you meet 100 guys who each own one car,” Leno said in an interview. “And, for a lot of them, it’s a car they bought before they got married and it’s been sitting in the garage and they are waiting for the kids to graduate from college so they can finish the project they started in high school. I love that part of it.”
Leno’s latest project is the root beer-colored 1963 Turbine, a car that he first saw as a kid at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.
“I grew up at a time when people said: ‘By the time you’re adults, cars will fly and you won’t have to eat a meal and take a pill and we’ll all wear silver suits that never get dirty,” Leno said, getting animated. “Kennedy was saying we could have a man on the moon — GET OUTTA HERE! — and have jet cars — GET OUTTA HERE! — and both of those things came true. It was an era when there was nothing America couldn’t do.”
Interior of Jay Leno’s Chrysler Turbine automobile at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Pontiac, Michigan on Aug. 17, 2024. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
Chrysler built 55 of the Turbines — all painted Turbine Bronze — in 1963-64, the pinnacle of a turbine engine program that had begun after World War II. Eventually destroying all but nine, Chrysler held on to two. Six of them are in museums, and Leno owns one.
“I managed to get one that ran,” said the comedian. “I was driving one day and — XXXXHT! — the engine just melted down. I called Chrysler, but the (turbine program) guys there were all retired.”
Well, sort of.
Jay Leno’s Chrysler Turbine automobile, with the turbine under the hood, at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Pontiac, Michigan on Aug. 17, 2024. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
Leno knew that one of the original Chrysler turbine engineers was Sam Williams (1921-2009), a genius engineer who went on to found Pontiac-based Williams International, a world-renowned jet engine manufacturer. Williams’ son Gregg is the current CEO.
“I knew the Williams connection, so I contacted Gregg because I knew his dad’s connection to the car,” said Leno. “They gave us a clean room and found 60 guys from the original Chrysler team — all over the age of 80. It looked like the movie “Cocoon” — one guy was 94, sharp as a tack, knew every statistic. We couldn’t have done it without him.”
Williams International got the band back together, and, using modern manufacturing technology like 3D printing, they restored the historic A-831 Turbine engine to life.
“My father, Sam, started his career working for Chrysler in Highland Park — working on a turboprop engine for World War II airplanes,” said Gregg Williams, sitting next to Leno at the Dream Cruise. “And when the war came to an end, they took those engineers and put them to work with this revolutionary thought that they could built a gas-turbine powered car. It was a thought way ahead of its time.”
More like the Batmobile, Jay Leno’s Chrysler Turbine automobile is a sight to see at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Pontiac on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
After Chrysler pulled the plug in the 1960s (and the Indianapolis 500 regulated turbine race engines out of existence), jet turbine cars were shelved. Until Leno came along.
“Instead of throwing out the blueprints, they kept all this stuff,” smiled Leno. “And I come around 50 years later, and (imitating an old codger’s husky voice) — here’s the chance to do it again!
Continued America’s most famous car buff: “Now, to hear it start up — mmmMMMMHHH! — at 22,000 RPM, it’s smooth, quiet. It’s a real testament to what we could do. You realize how much knowledge is there — and it’s lost technology.”
Williams isn’t so sure it’s lost — and that there still may be a future for the turbine-powered car.
In the 1960s, he explained, “The tech just wasn’t there to make it efficient enough to be competitive. With today’s technology and the new super-alloys, we could actually make a hybrid turbine vehicle very efficiently with very low emissions. The beauty of a turbine is you can feed it with just about any fuel — natural gas, hydrogen, renewables, any fuel that burns in oxygen.”
Any fuel?
“I’ll run mine on Jet A,” laughed Leno, referring to the fuel that commercial airliners use. “But back in the day when (Chrysler) took it to France, they ran it on Chanel No. 5. When they took it Mexico, they ran it on tequila. So any fuel works. You could put liquor in there.”
An experimental project, the Italian-designed Chrysler Turbine, Leno recounted, was given to 203 drivers in 133 cities for three months apiece to keep a diary. “To this day, I contact people whose dad or mom were on the original program and want to ride in it again.”
Maybe he’ll give them all rides at next year’s Dream Cruise.
“I like Detroit … it’s not all Ferraris and Lamborghinis,” said Leno. “It’s guys with Chevy Novas and Plymouth Furys — stuff you don’t see every day and that’s what’s fun. I like talking with some guy about his Slant-6 Valiant. It’s not worth a lot — but it is to him. And its free! I like Pebble Beach, but it’s $1,500 a ticket.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Dream Cruise Saturday: Families, ‘Vettes, EVs flock to Woodward
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 18, 2024
Royal Oak — Saturday afternoon brought out everything on Woodward including first-time Cruisers, veterans, lowriders, even milk trucks. A rainstorm hit at about 3 p.m. during the 2024 Dream Cruise but didn’t deter the diehards.
Son of a Milk Man
Pontiac – The milk truck is back. A staple of American neighborhoods in post-World War II America, milk trucks delivered the precious liquid to homes everywhere. Dave Kerby grew up as the son of a milk man when his father returned to Detroit a decorated war hero and drove a truck for Twin Pines Dairy.
Years later, Dave made a barn find in California – purchasing and restoring a 1965 milk truck made by the Detroit Industrial Vehicles Company (Divco for short) – and restoring it in Twin Pines livery.
Dave Kerby and 1965 Twin Pines Dairy milk truck. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“It’s the last of a dying breed,” said Kerby at M1 Concourse in Pontiac where it was mobbed by fans. “I drove it my dad’s house on his 100th birthday and surprised him.”Located in Detroit, Divco made trucks for dairies, breadmakers and other delivery companies from 1926 to 1986. Few remain.
“Twin Pines had a lot of milk trucks in Detroit – about 1,200 running around – because they had a Saturday TV show with Milky the Clown that made them super popular,” said Kerby. “I’ve been cruising Woodward this week and people come up and tell their milk man stories.”
The advent of the supermarket put an end to milk deliveries beginning in the 1970s. “ Kroger and WalMart came along and it was cheaper to pick it up at the grocery. But people still loved the milk man because milk tastes better in a bottle,” laughed Kerby.
Kerby is wring a book titled “Son of a Milkman.” He plans to donate his truck to the Henry Ford Museum when he joins his father in the great dairy in the sky.
Queen of the Lowriders
Pontiac – All hail the Queen.
Debbie Sanchez, the subject of a coming film, “Queen of the Lowriders,” led an army of modified vehicles to the Dream Cruise this year. The hydraulically-operated cars are non-stop entertainment with the ability to move side-to-side, three-wheel, and hop – sometimes over six feet into the air.
“We have between 16 and 18 cars this year,” said Sanchez, sporting a colorful purple mane at M1 Concourse. “They get out there and hitting switches and moving around. It’s very complicated. The heart of the lowrider is in the trunk where the pumps and the batteries are that power the hydraulic systems.”
Olivia Cancel and her 1955 Chevy Bel Air lowrider. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
To withstand the vehicles’ dance moves and added hardware, lowriders frames are reinforced, increasing a sedan’s weight by as much as 40%. Among this year’s attendees are a pair of classic Chevrolet Monte Carlos, a Cadillac, and a 1955 Chevy Bel Air piloted by Sanchez’s daughter, Olivia Cancel.
Lowriders have their roots in Mexican car culture.
“They originated in California,” said Sanchez who started building cars in 1995. “The story goes that a guy was working at the airport and stole some hydraulics – then he put them in his car.” Crowds gathered at M1 to watch the vehicles perform, and some lowriders took the show to Woodward.
A Chevy Monta Carlo lowrider goes three-wheelin’. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
First Cruise
First-timers James and Kim Graf, both 43, of Baltimore, Ohio, found out about Detroit’s Dream Cruise last year before making the roughly four-hour trek north this year to show off their blue 1923 T-Bucket hot rod, a modified version of a Ford Model T. The Grafs have other vehicles, including a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro and a 1978 Malibu, but wanted to bring the show-stopping hot rod with a gleaming, can’t-miss-it blower that connects to the engine to give it more power.
Dream Cruise traffic crawls along Woodward in Royal Oak during an overcast afternoon Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. Kalea Hall, The Detroit News
“We stand out a little more with this,” James Graf said. “Everybody loves the Camaros and the Malibus and the Mustangs, but when you have this, it just hits different.”
Veteran Cruisers Shelby Westergaard, 30, and Chris Palmer, 44, of Algonac, also enjoyed standing out in the crowd with their boat-sized, pale yellow 1965 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser filling a large piece of parking lot at the corner of Catalpa Drive and Woodward.
First-time Cruisers James and Kim Graf, both 43, of Baltimore, Ohio, show off their blue 1923 T-Bucket hot rod, a modified version of a Ford Model T. Kalea Hall, The Detroit News
“I love having all of the looks,” Westergaard said. “Everyone has a memory associated with this car or something similar.”
This was the first time the recently engaged couple brought the classic station wagon out to cruise after buying it three weeks ago. They like showing off the Vista’s curved skylight windows, which are unique to the car.
“She said she wanted an old wagon, and her favorite color is yellow,” said Palmer, who hasn’t missed a Dream Cruise since 1996.
khall@detroitnews.com
hpayne@detroitnews.com
Dream Cruise Saturday: Families, ‘Vettes, EVs flock to Woodward
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 17, 2024
Pontiac — The Thomas family was out at the crack of dawn for Saturday’s Woodward Dream Cruise.
“You have to be here early so you can get your spot on Woodard,” said Bob Thomas, 43, of Waterford Township, standing next to his 1966 Dodge Dart at the corner of Pike and Woodward in downtown Pontiac. Bob is the son of Mike, 64, the first of three generations of Thomases who religiously attend the Dream Cruise each year. The third gen is Mike’s grandson Hunter, 19, who just bought a Mazda Miata to restore.
Restoration is in the blood. Mike, who has been coming to the Cruise since its inception in 1995, arrived this year in a 1968 Chevy Camaro that he restored six years ago.
“I’m a first and second-generation Camaro fan,” said Papa Thomas. “I’ve restored more Camaros than I can count.”
One of his first was a 1970 model that he used to drag race on Woodward as a 16-year-old. The car was briefly impounded when he was caught racing twice on the same night. “I didn’t see the cop was behind me at Woodward and 13,” Mike said, laughing. “But I’m not into that anymore.”
The Thomas family (l to r): Mike, Hunter, Bob got an early start at Saturday’s Woodward Dream Cruise on Aug. 17, 2024. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Woodward’s legendary drag days are a bygone era, and Bob and Hunter (who brought his 2002 Chevy Silverado to this year’s Cruise) had no similar stories to share. Instead, they look forward to legal drag racing at Roadkill Nights in Pontiac the weekend before the Cruise each year.
ICE ‘n’ EV
Royal Oak — Lounging next to his red, mid-engine, V-8-powered Chevy Corvette C8 on Woodward, Kevin Kicinski sported . . . a Rivian shirt.
“I have the best of both worlds,” said Kicinski, a service manager for the electric brand. A fan of both internal combustion engines and electric vehicles, Kicinski keeps a Ford Mustang Mach-E next to his Corvette at home in South Lyon.
But he prefers his ICEs loud and his EVs silent. “I’m not a fan of that sound,” he said of the recently introduced, electric Dodge Charger Daytona Banshee’s artificially-generated V-8 exhaust note. “If you’re going to go electric, then be electric. If you’re going to be a muscle car, be a muscle car.”
Kevin Kicinski of South Lyon brought his Corvette C8 to Woodward for the Cruise on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, but the Rivian service manager also loves electric vehicles like his Mustang Mach-E. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Kicinski knows his muscle. He’s owned a Dodge Charger as well as two fifth-generation Corvette C5s.
“This is my third Corvette. This one is really special to me, because it’s the first time I flew out to purchase a vehicle,” he said of the sleek, 495-horsepower beast next to him. “I bought it online, flew out to New Hampshire and drove it back. That was a fun-filled day just bringing it home.”
Kicinscki loves the variety of cars on Woodward, from his favorite custom cars to V-8s to EVs. “The EV market is still trying to find its legs,” he said. “Rivian’s doing well and there is opportunity for us.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Heavy metal: The Dream Cruise is thundering down Woodward once again
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 17, 2024
Ferndale — The rolling feast of nostalgia known as the Woodward Dream Cruise returns Saturday to the birthplace of the American automobile.
Tens of thousands of classic cars will be parked or meandering along a 16-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue.
The bevy of customs, classics, exotics, muscle cars and hot rods will do their yearly roll call in all their twin-turbo, gold-rimmed, chrome-plated, four-on-the-floor glory.
More:Dream Cruise Saturday: Families, ‘Vettes, EVs flock to Woodward
Sharon Vanover, Dennis Vanover, Beth Parsons and Johnny Parsons stay under the tent and umbrellas, watching the classics go by, as rain falls on cruisers on ‘the loop’ of Woodward Avenue in Pontiac, Michigan on August 16, 2024. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
The Cruise, billed as the world’s largest single-day auto event, pays noisy tribute to good ol’ American auto power.
“I love it. How can you not?” asked Stephanie Raymond of Southfield. “You can see every model and year all in one spot.”
The Cruise isn’t a single-day event for Raymond. It’s a weeklong love affair. She and her red 1955 Corvette showed up Monday and returned every single day.
Her fiery passion for all things Corvette matched the fire-engine red of her vehicle. She’s a walking Wikipedia of the car and its history.
Did you know the 1968 Corvette was patterned after the Mako Shark II concept car? You do now.
“I scare my friends, that’s for sure,” she said about her vast knowledge. “They say I need a hobby. I say I got one.”
Greg Csernai covers up the engine on his supercharged 1967 Ford Mustang as the rain comes down Friday along Woodward in Pontiac. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
Besides American muscle, the flotilla of chrome and steel along Woodward on Saturday will feature Mustangs, Chevys, Camaros, Dodges and Firebirds.
Cindy McGraw of Royal Oak spent most of Friday driving up and down Woodward and will do so even longer on Saturday. She loves to show off her blue 1965 Chevrolet.
Like Raymond and her Corvette, McGraw described a bond with Chevrolet that rivals the one she has with her husband.
Then again, he’s a big fan of Chevrolet, too, so the marriage is a happy one.
“We’re big fans, but I might be a little bit more,” she said about the car. “We love to meet other people who share the same love, and just talk about it.”
Raymond and McGraw won’t be the only roosters of the roadway showing off their stuff on Saturday. There will be plenty more tail fins, exposed engines, oversized grills, suicide doors, scoops and spoilers
It’s only natural that Shay Stephenson of Marlette has a thing about cars. After all, he’s a mechanic.
Stephenson was showing off a sky-blue 1966 Dodge Charger but he knows about a lot more than that. Watching the procession of cars in Ferndale, he called out the make and years of cars as they passed by.
It’s an annual sport for him. Once in a while, he’s stymied by a passing vehicle but, usually, he knows them all.
“I’ve worked on a lot of them over the years,” he said. “It’s pretty hard to trick me up but it happens once in a while.”
Michael and Leanne Babbage came all the way from Australia to attend the Dream Cruise with the Woodward Tri Five Cruisers — for the fifth time since 2012. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Since its debut in 1995, the Cruise has attracted classic car owners and fans from around Michigan, the Midwest, the country and even other continents.
Take Leanne and Michael Babbage. This weekend’s M1 extravaganza is the sixth time they’ve journeyed from their home in Surfer’s Paradise, Australia, to be part of the festivities on Woodward.
“There is nothing else in the world like the Dream Cruise,” said Leanne Babbage.
Back home in Queensland state, the couple are minor celebrities in the hot rod world with a gorgeous 1957 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe that has graced magazine covers and won awards. Leanne even competes with it on the drag strip. The biggest classic car show in Queensland?
“The Cooly Rocks On Festival on the Gold Coast is the biggest event we have with 1,400 cars,” said Michael. “The first year we came to the Woodward Dream Cruise in 2012 there were 40,000 cars and 1.2 million people.”
They were addicted and have come back five times since, including this year. Naturally, they’ve hooked up with the Woodward Tri Five Cruisers — a local club founded by Roger Posey that celebrates Chevrolets from 1955-57, an era in which the GM brand made big strides in engine engineering. Some 46 Tri Fives from all over the country are gathering this weekend in Memorial Park at 13 Mile and Woodward.
“Our countries share a passion for big horsepower V-8s,” said Michael, noting that GM produced muscle cars under the Holden brand name in Australia for years. “We have a lot of space in Australia like the U.S., and you can really put your foot down.”
Back home, the Babbages have a garage full of classics, including a 1959 Cadillac, 1973 Chevy Camaro, and 1973 Pontiac Firebird. But the cost of shipping one of them to Michigan’s Cruise (about $8,000 roundtrip) is prohibitive, so they ride Woodward in other Tri-Five members’ Chevys.
“One year, we rented a Mustang, but it was hard to get all our luggage into it,” Leanne said with a laugh. This being wintertime Down Under, the Babbages take an extended vacation in Detroit, Las Vegas and anywhere else they can ogle V-8s.
In Birmingham, as a parade of Ford GT supercars rumbled past Friday morning, Doug Newhouse, 63, looked up from the T-shirt stand at Maple and Woodward that was already doing brisk business.
Newhouse and his wife, Laurie, came all the way from Holland in their beautiful Meyer Manx Dune Buggy. The Buggy’s flat-4 Volkswagen engine can’t compete with the Ford GT’s for visceral thrills — but the GTs can’t climb sand dunes.
“Oh, yeah, we’ve had our Buggy in their natural habitat on the Silver Lake Dunes,” said Doug, referring to the famed sand park that overlooks Lake Michigan. “We’ve driven this thing everywhere.”
Cruise veterans, they come here every year in their original Manx that they bought years ago on a whim from California. The Buggy shares their classic car attention with a 1941 street rod.
fdonnelly@detroitnews.com
hpayne@detroitnews.com
Ford GTs, DMAN charity rides kick off rainy Dream Cruise
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 17, 2024
Bloomfield Hills — Friday morning on Woodward, the Hills were alive with the sound of music.
Ford supercar music, that is.
Twenty gorgeous Ford GTs — their thundering V-8s and screaming, twin-turbo V-6s in full song — rolled out of the Kingsley Inn at Long Lake and Woodward at 8:15 a.m. for a cruise south down Woodward. Destination? The mother ship in Dearborn.
Rich Brooks, 50, of Monroe with his Ford GT, which joined a parade of the supercars starting on Woodward in Birmingham on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, ahead of Saturday’s Dream Cruise. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“This is our second year getting together. We’ve got GT owners from Florida, Seattle, Texas — from all over the country,” said Rich Brooks, 50, of Monroe. The group are staying together in a block of rooms at the Kingsley, a traditional hive of Cruise activity.
Hearkening back to the legendary Ford GT40 that won Le Mans in 1966 — a feat immortalized in the hit movie “Ford v Ferrari” — Ford Motor Co. built two production versions of the GT from 2005-06 (powered by a V-8) and from 2017-2022 (twin-turbo V-6). Both versions are included in the Brooks’ Ford GT parade, including his own 2005 car.
“We get a lot of waves from people up and down Woodward,” said Brooks, who visited M1 Concourse in Pontiac for some track laps Thursday. “I’ve been coming to the Cruise for years in everything from a ’55 Chevy to a Mustang, but the GT is Ford’s iconic supercar.”
Charity rides
Birmingham — The intermittent raindrops didn’t deter the DMAN Foundation Friday afternoon.
The charity gives rides to people with disabilities every year at Long Lake and Woodward on the day before Dream Cruise Saturday. Owners of convertible muscle cars — Camaro, Firebirds, Corvettes, and more — volunteer their time and line up to give DMAN members a thrill ride down Woodward.
Joseph “Big Country” Cadwallader, 36, of Pontiac uses a wheelchair, having lost use of both legs. It’s the seventh year he’s participated in the event and he was looking forward to a ride in a convertible Camaro or Mustang.
Ziad Kassab, 41, of Rochester Hills (left) founded the DMAN Foundation after his brother, Danny, a quadriplegic, passed away in 2009.Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“The volunteers here are incredible,” said the Pontiac native, his tight arm tattooed from shoulder to wrist with a rippled American flag. “Paraplegics are usually transported while strapped into the back of a van. This experience helps us feel something normal.”
DMAN — short for Danny’s Miracle Angel Network — is the brainchild of Ziad Kassab, 41, of Rochester hills. His brother Danny was paralyzed from the neck down at age 7 and ultimately passed away in 2009. Shortly thereafter, Ziad — who had entertained Danny by taking him for drives — created D-Man in his brother’s memory to bring that thrill to others. In the ensuing years, D-Man has expanded to include vacation trips, helicopter trips and regular music therapy for those with physical disabilities, brain injuries, cerebral palsy and more.
Joseph “Big Country” Cadwallader, 36, is paralyzed from the waist down but enjoyed a ride down Woodward courtesy of the DMAN Foundation. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Members like Big Country are loaded into convertibles with a crane. As a sinister, black, fifth-gen Camaro peeled out of the loading tent and onto Woodward, Big Country smiled.
“I like the classics,” he said. “The metal, the roar, the horsepower!”
Waitin’ out the wet
Birmingham – Big slicks mean big trouble in the wet, so Jim Pranis and his Pittsburgh pals waited out the rain Friday afternoon.
“Vinnie has 18-inch slicks on his Chevy Bel Air, and I have 16-inch,” said Pranis, 62, standing in the doorway of a Birmingham store front with Vinnie Deluca, 68, while the rain came down. Pranis brought his wicked-looking, black 1968 Dodge Charger over from the Steel City for the Dream Cruise.
Jim Pranis, 62 (left), and his friend Vinnie Deluca, 68, of Pittsburgh waited out the rain Friday afternoon. Their Dodge Charger and Chevy Bel Air hot rods have been heavily modified with fat, slick rear tires. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Heavily modified with a 600-cubic-inch (9.8 liters!), 1,500-horsepower, supercharged Hemi V-8, the Charger won the Roadkill Nights Big Tire Dodge drag race competition in Pontiac three years running from 2018-2021 (skipping the COVID 2020 year) with Pranis at the wheel.
But the big, sticky, slick tires are useless in the rain. As are those of friend Deluca, whose ’55 Chevy boasts huge trunk modifications to accommodate the wide, rear rubber.
“There is nothing like this in the world,” said Deluca.
The Pittsburgh-based pair are Cruise and Roadkill regulars, though they skipped this year’s Roadkill at M1 Concourse in Pontiac. They have also attended the popular Beaver Falls Car Cruise north of Pittsburgh, which attracts about 3,000 classic cars a year — a fraction of the estimated 40,000-60,000 that descend on Woodward.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Class of 1998: The new Dream Cruise classics
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 15, 2024
Thousands of Dream Cruisers are descending on Woodward this week for America’s annual auto reunion, and this year we celebrate the great class of 1998.
In honor of surviving 26 years, ‘98 model cars are now eligible for Michigan antique plates (You thought 25 made your ride antique? The Secretary of State disagrees). The honor means you just have to pay $30 every 10 years for vehicle registration — not to mention the insurance savings. In return for the special plate, your antique can’t be used as a daily driver — only for special occasions like, well, the Dream Cruise.
As the world rushed to the 2000 millennium, 1998 was a memorable year. Google was founded, “Titanic” dominated the Oscars, the hit TV series “Seinfeld” wrapped up, President Bill Clinton denied having an affair with intern Monica Lewinsky, Israel celebrated 50 years of statehood, John Glenn became the oldest person to travel to space at 77, 15-year-old American skater Tara Lipinski became the youngest Olympic gold medalist in history, the Red Wings annihilated the Washington Capitals to win the Stanley Cup, Shania Twain crooned “Still the One,” Pamela Anderson divorced Tommy Lee, Daimler bought Chrysler, and a gallon of gas cost $1.06. Whew!
Here are the 1998 models that left a mark.
Chevy Camaro
The 1998 Chevrolet Camaro SS. Chevrolet
By 1998, the fourth-generation Camaro had already been on the road for five years. For the ’98 model year, the Camaro fascia was refashioned with bigger peepers to replace the brooding, scalloped headlights of the previous model. Engineers also went rummaging in big brother Corvette’s toy box, which was all-new the year before.
The result? Chevy stuffed the same, 5.7-liter LS1, V-8 engine in Camaro as Corvette. That made the Chevy the first aluminum-block Camaro since the 1969 ZL-1. Operated by both manual and auto transmissions, the ‘Maro produced an impressive 305 horsepower.
Pontiac Firebird
Oh, how we miss Pontiac. The Firebird was Camaro’s twin and received similar upgrades for its 1998 model year including a new fascia and that sweet LS1 mill. The dramatic new wardrobe would carry the Firebird to the end of its life in 2002. The anteater nose got twin, menacing nostrils sandwiched by retractable headlights. Dressed in black and it made you jump if you saw one looming in the rearview mirror. The new model returned the ‘Bird to its ground-pounding roots (after the regulatory detours of the 1970s and ’80s) but with sophisticated features including standard dual airbags and anti-lock, four-wheel disc brakes.
Jaguar XJ
A 1998 Jaguar XJ8 sits atop a display stand in the Jaguar exhibit at the North American International Auto Show 06 January in Detroit, MI. The auto show is scheduled to run through 19 January. MATT CAMPBELL, AFP Via Getty Images
Jump in the time machine and Jaguar was part of the Ford stable in the late ‘90s. The XJ was the Brit brand’s four-door icon. You knew it by its signature, four headlights. For 1998, it received a major update with leaner, more rounded lines while ditching the 12-cylinder powerplant for a 4.0-liter V-8 engine. The V-8 was further enhanced with a supercharger for the earth-pawing, 370-horse XJR performance model. Modern electronics came into play as well with a computer-controlled active suspension. Media raved about the new sedan, including a Top Gear talent named Jeremy Clarkson who remarked that XJ was “faster, in the real world, than a Ferrari F355 (and the) fastest saloon I’ve ever seen.”
Porsche 911 (996 generation)
The new 1998 Porsche 911 Carrera on display at the North American International Auto Show on Jan. 6, 1998, in Detroit.MATT CAMPBELL, AFP Via Getty Images
Heresy! The 996 was the first generation of the iconic sportscar to ditch its air-cooled, flat-6 engine. Purists grumbled … at first. Armed with its modern circulatory system, the 3.4-liter flat-6 engine pumped out nearly 300 horsepower, launching a new era of power culminating in today’s Herculean, all-wheel-drive, 640-horse Turbo S. Not so enduring, however, was the 996’s controversial headlight design. The new chariot ditched the traditional, simple, oval headlights and integrated them with amber indicator lights. Really? Derisively called “fried egg” headlights, the design didn’t last long.
BMW Z3 M Roadster
BMW added to its iconic lineup of performance sedans and coupes with the wee Z3 Roadster in 1996. The car was a joy to drive topless with its smooth, inline-6 engine and short wheelbase. Like night follows day, an M performance model was introduced in 1998. The drop-top boasted a steroid-fed, 240-horse, inline-6 ripped from the M3. The lighter M Roadster was more nimble than the M3 and could pin you back in your seat reaching 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds. You’ll know it by its quad exhaust under the rear bumper.
Oldsmobile Intrigue
Lincoln Navigator
The Dream Cruise is not just a celebration of muscle cars, it also pays homage to land yachts that have plied the highways going back to 1960s Lincoln Continentals and finned Cadillac Eldorado Broughams. Mega-utes like the Navigator are the new, 21st-century land yacht and Navigator pioneered the segment in 1998. It stood tall on the Ford F-150 truck chassis shared with the Expedition. Navigator added luxury goodies like rear-seat entertainment and air suspension, and customers gobbled ‘em up.
Dodge Durango
The Dodge Durango three-row SUV debuted for the 1998 model year with a choice of two V-8 powerplants. Dodge, Dodge
Dodge introduced its own three-row land yacht in 1998, built — like the Navigator and Expedition — on a truck chassis, this one shared with the Dodge Dakota. To accommodate eight passengers, the Durango fitted the third-row seat backwards so that passengers were looking out the back window. V-8 engines are in Durango’s blood (see the outrageous, 710-horse Hellcat engine that powered the ‘23 Durango SRT) and the OG was powered by a pair of eight-holers.
Check out all the classics at the cruise this Saturday.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: What’s a brand worth? BMW X5 xDrive50e vs. Hyundai Santa Fe
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 12, 2024
Brighton — BMW makes a state-of-the-art, all-wheel-drive X5 SUV for $87k with a curved 37-inch dash screen, color head-up display, 21-inch wheels, twin wireless phone chargers, leather seats, Level 2 driving assist, WiFi onboard, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto navigation and panoramic roof.
So does Hyundai. For $51k.
The gap between luxury and mainstream has been shrinking in the electronic age, and Hyundai’s latest Santa Fe SUV is a luxury car hiding behind a mainstream badge. Badges still matter and BMW’s X-ceptional midsize model will continue to justify its rich sticker price with smooth power and that signature twin-kidney grille. But buyers of the Santa Fe can take comfort that they get the same value — in all the areas that matter — for a little over half the price.
The Alabama-made Hyundai even matches the South Carolina-built BMW’s value in offering three-row seats, clever console amenities and bold styling. Yes, styling.
The Santa Fe turned heads around town. The brand has crafted daring wardrobes since the 2009 Sonata sedan (followed by the Elantra compact, three-door Veloster and Ioniq 5 and 7 electric vehicles), and Santa Fe continues the trend. With its upright, blocky stance and horizontal accents, the ute looks like a LEGO married an Ioniq 5.
Look past the Goldfinger-like flat-bronze paint scheme and an H-theme emerges. It’s echoed in the headlights, lower grille and rear taillights that bracket “SANTA FE” stamped across the hatch.
Like Hyundai, BMW has taken the opportunity of a new EV model line to introduce radical new styling — but it’s limited to “I” models like the iX. My BMW xDrive50e (alphabet soup translation: “xDrive” for all-wheel drive, “50” for model, “e” for plug-in hybrid) brings a familiar, muscular Bimmer look with swollen fenders and blacked-out fascia to convey power.
That power is where the price difference lies.
As I merged onto I-96 West, the 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-6 engine cleared its throat and the Bimmer blew by traffic on the way to cruising speed. The 50e is a battery-assisted, plug-in hybrid system, but the eight-speed transmission still must find its cogs, so don’t mistake it for the instant acceleration of the sister all-electric iX (yours for a further 12 grand premium).
Dropping into a highway cloverleaf, I unleashed SPORT mode, the seat bolsters gripping my torso for the anticipated kick of 483 horses from the combined gas engine and 194-horse AC motor. Complicated? You bet. Pricey? Of course. And heavy.
All that plumbing means X5 tips the scales at 5,573 pounds — just 150 shy of the iX, which carries around 106 kWh of battery. X5 goes XL.
Charge the X5’s onboard, 19.2-kWh battery overnight on a 220-volt home charger (which adds a couple grand more to your $87K bill) and my Bimmer had an indicated 38 miles of pure battery range on tap for a morning appointment in Sterling Heights.
In ELECTRIC mode, I cruised quietly down Telegraph Road, but don’t expect drag-racer acceleration like iX from the small battery. The X5 eased out of stoplights before hitting I-696 west. My 16-mile journey sucked 30 miles of range off the battery as I pushed the big brick through the air at 75 mph. Better to use HYBRID (gas plus electric) mode on highways and leave ELECTRIC mode for neighborhood chores where aerodynamics are less taxing. As governments force the industry to go all-electric, expect the difference between brands to shrink even more dramatically.
The Hyundai gets you around with a simple turbo-4 cylinder powerplant.
No electric motor, no modes, no charger box on the wall. Just the occasional quick stop at the pump to fill to 513 miles of range (the X5 gets 418 miles on gas alone). For further value, the Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers 10 years/or 100,000 miles compared to the BMW’s four years/50,000 miles.
Hyundai is so proud of its turbo-4s that its electric Ioniq 5 N attack rat can replicate its sound on demand. Santa Fe’s 277 ponies are plenty of giddyap and I merged quickly onto the I-696 race track.
That’s all the performance most midsize SUV drivers require. I flogged a BMW X5 M around Autobahn Raceway a decade ago and it was a hoot, but I’m weird like that. If you want to do track days, buy a sportscar.
Indeed, without the BMW’s extensive powertrain weaponry, the Hyundai is a remarkable 1,000 pounds lighter and I felt it immediately. Some of that added Bimmer heft also goes to sound-deadening. The BMW is one quiet ride even when I put the cane to the inline-6.
Otherwise, the Santa Fe interior is the BMW’s peer in all the ways passengers appreciate.
The twin digital screens in both cars are crisp, quick to the touch. BMW offers a rotary controller so you can manipulate the infotainment screen remotely if you like, but it has the drawback of cluttering the center console — sharing space with Bimmer’s compact, cool Chiclet shifter.
The Santa Fe, by contrast, assumes the smartphone generation will be satisfied with the touchscreen — then offers you two huge charging pads for phones. The BMW, too, offers twin charging pads, but they are harder to access in the forward compartment of the cluttered console. Hyundai further improves console ergonomics by using a steering wheel-mounted shifter stalk and superior, tactile buttons on the elegant, art deco steering wheel that you can operate without diverting your eyes from the road.
The icing on the cake — er, console — is a double-hinged door that is accessible to the rear as well as the front seats. The Bimmer goes with a fashionable (if less useful) butterfly door. Both second rows are comfortable for six-footers and both have individual, seatback USB-C ports so passengers can charge their phones. Both second-row seats will recline, and both offer third-row seat options (of my testers, only Hyundai had the third row).
In these high-tech cocoons, both brands offer a blizzard of goodies in the infotainment screen to entertain you on your drive, including Level 2 driver assist. My favorites? The Hyundai offers special first-to-third-row communication and programmable FAVORITES buttons on the steering wheel (for, say, a shortcut to the phone screen). The Bimmer options automatic lane change while in driver-assist mode and its head-up display can scroll your favorite music stations.
The pair even boast clever storage items. The BMW sports a lower tailgate to help keep backstop items in the boot. The Hyundai offers a second, secret, dashboard glove box for extra storage — maybe where you can stash the 35 grand you saved by buying this fashionable family SUV.
Next week: The new Dream Cruise antiques
2024 BMW X5 xDrive 50e
Vehicle type: Front engine, all-wheel-drive, six-passenger SUV
Price: $74,275, including $995 destination fee ($87,745 as tested)
Powerplant: Turbocharged 3.0-liter, inline-6 cylinder mated with 19.2-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and electric motor
Power: 483 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.6 seconds (mfr.); towing, NA
Weight: 5,573 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 22 mpg city/23 highway/22 combined (as tested); 38 miles on battery alone (mfr.)
Report card
Highs: Multitalented drivetrain; lovely interior
Lows: Crowded console; gets pricey
Overall: 3 stars
2024 Hyundai Santa Fe
Vehicle type: Front engine, front- or all-wheel-drive, six-passenger SUV
Price: $35,365, including $1,415 destination fee ($51,715 Calligraphy model as tested)
Powerplant: Turbocharged 2.5-liter, inline-4 cylinder
Power: 277 horsepower, 311 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.2 seconds (mfr.); towing, 4,500 pounds
Weight: 4,487 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 19 mpg city/26 highway/22 combined (XLT as tested)
Report card
Highs: Distinctive style; clever interior touches
Lows: Ummm …
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
How EV depreciation is clouding the electric future
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 12, 2024
As Ferrari pumps out its first electrified automobiles, it is offering customers a full battery replacement. The battery warranty is intended to maintain not just the car’s performance, but its resale value.
The Italian automaker’s guarantee is the latest sign that electric vehicles have a growing challenge — and it’s not just cost and range anxiety relative to their gas-powered peers. EV residual values are cratering compared to their gas-powered peers, harming resale value for owners who have otherwise enjoyed lower ownership costs due to EVs’ low maintenance and refueling expenses.
Experts say the reasons for EV depreciation vary from the flood of new models in the market to battery degradation after years of charging. A recent study from iSeeCars.com found EV residuals fell 31.8% over a year ago (a value loss of $14,418) compared to 3.6% for gas engine vehicles. Yet, while EV deprecation is sour news for owners, lower EV values — combined with higher government incentives — could open the opportunity to a wider demographic of buyers to try EVs as manufacturers try to meet government sales mandates.
“Vehicle deprecation over the initial years of ownership is the most expensive part of owning a new car,” said Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars.com. “As more EV buyers become aware of that fact, the fewer will be interested in ownership.”
Concerned over owner backlash, some luxury automakers are taking action. To protect residual values critical to its brand’s reputation, Ferrari — which has been making hybrid-electric supercars like the SF90 Stradale and 296 GTB/GTS since 2019 with its first, fully-electric vehicle coming at the end of 2025 — has launched an extended, $7,530 battery replacement warranty so owners can replace the batteries on plug-in hybrid models without facing a high repair bill.
The so-called Warranty Extension Hybrid and Power Hybrid programs cover battery replacements in the eighth and 16th year of a vehicle’s life (a five-year warranty is already offered) and is intended to “preserve the performance and excellence” of hybrid cars, according to Ferrari.
The Ferrari SF90 Stradale, the brand’s first plug-in hybrid, is covered by a battery replacement warranty the automaker introduced to preserve the value of used models. Ferrari
“In case of future developments in battery technology, the replacement (battery) will be a new, state-of-the-art component that will ensure the same performance as the original one,” Ferrari said.
Brauer says value retention is particularly important to the Ferrari brand, whose owners expect their $350,000-to-$500,000 purchase to appreciate over time. But the iSeeCars analyst says the depreciation factor is a problem at the mainstream end of the market as well.
“There are a lot of factors causing the devaluation of EVs,” he continued. “There are too many new EVs coming into the market and not enough buyers; a lot of EVs are coming off three-year leases into the used market; and Hertz has dumped thousands of EVs into the used market because customers weren’t renting them.”
According to the iSeeCars study, used EV values in June 2023 were 25% (over $8,000) more than the average used gas car price. Fast forward to June 2024, and they were over 8% ($2,657) lower than the average used gas car.
Mainstream EVs like these Hyundai Ioniq 5s face steep depreciation. Henry Payne, The Detroit NewsEVs are relatively new to the U.S. market (the best-selling Tesla Model Y, for example, has only been on sale for five years) compared to internal combustion engine peers. But, as they age, battery degradation will threaten to cause further depreciation.
As owners of laptops and smartphones know, battery performance degrades over time. But where laptop users can replace their batteries for $50-$200, car owners are facing a much bigger bill — estimated at between $15,000 and $22,000, depending on the model.
That depreciation was famously illustrated by Finland’s Tuomas Katainen, who owned a 2013 Tesla Model S with a battery that expired. The $22,500 estimate to replace the battery was prohibitive, reported CNN — so Katainen strapped 66 pounds of dynamite to his car in 2021 and blew it up on a YouTube video that went viral.
Katainen’s dramatic display underscores the U.S. government’s regulatory requirement that manufacturers provide at least an 8-year/or 100,000-mile battery warranty. Tesla claims its batteries will retain at least 70% of charge over eight years, but a report from battery-data firm Recurrent studying real-world driving range found that Tesla batteries degraded on average to 64% of their EPA-rated capacity over three years.
Seeking Alpha auto analyst Anton Wahlman notes that the average age of U.S. vehicles is 12.6 years in 2024. Most are powered by gas engines that cost $4,000 to upwards of $10,000 to replace.
“There are a lot of cars that are on the road longer than eight years. What happens as soon as your EV is past the eight-year warranty?” Wahlman said. “A replacement battery could be a $15,000 or greater part. It’s a ticking time bomb, and a fundamental problem for all buyer demographics.”
In a three-year cost-of-ownership analysis studying comparable Ford and Hyundai EV/ICE vehicles in the market today, Car and Driver looked at maintenance, refueling and deprecation costs while driving 15,000 miles a year. The study found that the Hyundai Kona and Ford F-150 EVs out-performed their ICE peers in the cost of fuel and maintenance, but that depreciation was the EVs’ Achilles heel.
“It’s clear that EVs depreciate quicker than their gas counterparts,” the study’s authors conclude, reporting the Kona ICE depreciated by $9,795 compared to $15,305 for the Kona Electric. And the Ford F-150 depreciated by $13,981 while the F-150 Lightning EV lost $15,738.
A three-year cost to own analysis by Car and Driver found the Ford F-150 Lightning lost more value than its gas-powered sibling. Photo Courtesy Of James Sweeney
Given the price and deprecation challenges of EVs, Wahlman says that “there is no end in sight” to $7,500 government subsidies to level the playing field for EV buyers.
If EV residuals continue to drop, iSeeCars analyst Brauer says that a wider demographic of buyers is likely to look at EVs — especially in the used market. A search of Edmunds.com, for example, finds numerous 2021 model year Model Y Long Range models ($50K when new) with 70,000-80,000 miles for the same $25K price as a new 2024 Chevy Trailblazer.
“Prices are dropping because the market is getting saturated for the luxury, first-adopter car buyers that have been attracted to EVs,” said Brauer. “The price delta to capture a mainstream buyer is much lower, which is why prices are dropping. But the driving lifestyle is also very different because the mainstream buyer needs the EV for local and long-distance travel.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Mercedes GLC Coupe is easy on the eyes — and my back
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 1, 2024
Charlevoix — I love the lines of the Mercedes CLE coupe. Low-slung body, long snout, fast back. But my back liked the Mercedes GLC Coupe SUV better.
Argh. I managed to torque a disc in my lower back on the tennis court this summer and, all of a sudden, the idea of folding my 6’5” frame into low-slung, long-snout, fast-back coupe seemed less appealing.
This, of course, is the fundamental appeal of SUVs — with five-inch higher hip points than their car stablemates, they are easier to slip into. Add their command position seating position for better road visibility, and SUVs have come to dominate the auto market over the last two decades.
But (groan), Payne, they all look so boxy!
Enter SUV Coupe models like the BMW X4, Audi Q5 Sportback and Mercedes GLC. Like its German peers, the 2024 GLC Coupe takes the boxier GLC to the plastic surgeon and gives it the ol’ nip/tuck — flattening out the roof to look more like the CLE. Except, um, the GLC Coupe is jacked up off the ground.
No bother, it’s still more attractive to the naked eyeball — while still accommodating my (creeeeak) back. Rather than bending uncomfortably low into the seat, I simply slid sideways into the GLC Coupe cockpit and … BONK!
Well, not so simply. That raked roofline means I still had to duck my fat noggin under the tight cockpit opening. Happily, seat memory controls are on the door, so I could adjust the seat rearward if, say, wee Mrs. Payne had been driving the Merc before me.
The GLC Coupe is one of a blizzard of Mercedes SUVs and sedans that make the German brand so hard to compete against in the marketplace. While U.S. brands like Cadillac and Lincoln have reduced their model choices to accommodate all-SUV lineups, Merc and BMW still produce gorgeous sedans and coupes as their portfolio halos — even if their sales have declined compared to the more utilitarian utes.
That translates, not into just more customer choice overall, but into more choice for SUV models as designers adopt coupe styling cues. Seen a Cadillac XT4 Coupe? Nope. My GLC Coupe tester featured the expected attractive grille and headlight/taillight display found on other Mercs. The brand’s signature star may anchor the front end, but the ducktail and rear horizontal taillights are this model’s best angle. Toggle the rear logo (just like a VW GTI), and the hatchback rises to offer more utility than you’ll ever find in a CLE.
Slip inside (watch your head) and the style gets turned up to 11.
Mercedes has embraced the big screen era — not with Silicon Valley, Tesla-like simplification — but with Hollywood excess. The lush, graphically-rich hoodless instrument and infotainment displays are complemented with high style. My $67,450 AMG line model wrapped the center console in a tunnel of carbon fiber from which the 12-inch screen rises like an ocean wave — before its topped with rose-shaped air vents. Oooh, it’s a lovely landscape.
But the form requires certain, um, compromise of function.
Maintaining the carbon-fiber tube means that cupholders and a recessed wireless charger are accessed via a sliding door that pinches center console storage room. Buttons to access the 11.9-inch center display? Fugettaboutit.
Back in 2013, Cadillac rolled out the third generation CTS sedan and it was a similar work of art. Putting style on a pedestal, Caddy eschewed knobs for haptic swipe controls. It was lovely, and drove customers like my pal Dicran mad. The current generation GLC (and siblings) are Son of CTS.
Ten years on, electronics are sharper and quicker, no doubt, but swipe controls remain a hit-and-miss distraction. Merc has added a redundant strip of touch controls below the screen, but there are no rotary dials for volume and temperature lest they interfere with the artistic form. Heck, even the panoramic roof was controlled by swiping.
There are redundant steering wheel controls for volume — but Merc has made these swipe controls as well to maintain the smooth, sculpted surface of its twin-spoked wheel. I turned on the radio with a punch of the right steering spoke, then used a slider to adjust the volume. Same for adaptive cruise control.
At speed on I-75 North, I engaged ACC with a pinch of the left steering spoke, then used a slider to adjust the speed in 1-mph increments. It was a hit-or-miss exercise, and will drive some customers screaming from the cockpit.
At this point, I didn’t bother to adjust the temperature. Instead, I tried voice commands:
Hey, Mercedes, adjust the temperature to 70 degrees.
Done. I tried it for radio volume as well.
Hey, Mercedes, turn down the volume.
Success. Alas, ACC is not supported by voice commands.
Owners will figure out the shortcuts that work best for them over time, of course. Then they can enjoy the comfort, style and high tech of the interior, including rear seats that have ample legroom for us tall people. This is what separates luxury today: fine materials, fine details and a fine ACC system that would automatically change lanes when I toggled the turn signal.
Sliding into the Merc on July 4, I punched the starter button, then immediately turned off the annoying STOP-START button next to it. The infotainment screen burst into a fireworks display, wishing me a Happy Independence Day. Ah, luxury.
Though you wouldn’t know it from the drivetrain. In this age of Big Nanny, emissions regulations are forcing brands to the same small-displacement turbo-4 cylinder drivetrains (just wait until nanny requires the same, quiet electric drivetrains).
The Merc’s 2.0-liter four-banger is plenty punchy — aided by a 48-volt battery (which also helps power all those big displays). But its 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque are no more remarkable than a similarly-sized Mazda CX-5 costing $30K less.
Exiting I-75 for the M-32 two-lane headed to Lake Michigan, I selected SPORT Drive Mode for a little fun through the twisties.
Not too much fun, though. Though the GLC Coupe sports a lovely sportscar roof, it still has a healthy 52.6 cubic feet of cargo room with the seats down (and a spare tire beneath should you get a puncture in the wilds of northern Michigan). I had packed the rear cargo area with luggage, sports equipment and electronics for the July 4 weekend —and I didn’t want to break anything.
Including my back.
2024 Mercedes GLC Coupe
Vehicle type: Front engine, all-wheel-drive five-passenger SUV
Price: $58,150, including $1,150 destination fee ($67,430 4Matic AMG Line as tested)
Powerplant: Turbocharged 2.0-liter, inline-4 cylinder
Power: 255 horsepower, 295 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.2 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 130 mph
Weight: 4,450 pounds (est.)
Fuel economy: EPA 22 mpg city/30 highway/26 combined (as tested)
Report card
Highs: Big, family-size proportions; loaded with value, standard goodies
Lows: Quirky shifter, rotary controller
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Corvette ZR1 drops mic with 1,000+ horsepower
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 26, 2024
Sterling Heights — Corvette has blown past the 1,000-horsepower marker.
Chevy introduced its fastest, track-focused, 2025 ZR1 model Thursday with a twin-turbocharged, 5.5-liter V-8 engine that makes a stratospheric 1,064 horsepower — the first ‘Vette to hit quadruple digits. The number puts the mid-engine sportscar in elite, million-dollar-plus hypercar territory along with European rocket ships like the 1,063-horsepower Mercedes-AMG One and 1,160-horse Aston Martin Valkyrie. Yet the Corvette will cost a tenth of these exotics at an estimated $150,000 when it goes on sale this fall.
The staggering power number is the highest-rated V-8 made by any automaker. It raises expectations that the hybrid-electric, all-wheel-drive version of the eighth-generation (C8), mid-engine car — reportedly called the Corvette Zora, may approach 1,500 horsepower — eye-watering territory occupied by exotics like the Bugatti Chiron Sport.
“We are looking to connect with Ferrari and Lamborghini customers with these performance numbers,” said Harlan Charles, Corvette marketing manager. The ZR1 was introduced at an event in Miami, but The Detroit News got a preview of the car with its product team in Sterling Heights earlier this summer.
Impressively, the ZR1 puts its 828 pound-feet of torque to the ground with same 8-speed transmission and 13.6-inch, rear-wheel-driven tire setup as the 670-horspower Z06, the fastest, normally-aspirated Corvette ever made. Strap twin turbos on the race-developed, screaming, 5.5-liter, overhead cam V-8 (internally referred to as the LT6) in the Z06, and Chevy engineers achieved hypercar power numbers with a redline of 8,000 RPM.
While performance numbers have not been finalized, Chevy says the ZR1 has a top speed of in excess of 215 mph and will blow through the quarter mile in less than 10 seconds.
You’ll know the ZR1 by the deep air extractor in the front hood — similar to that found on the C8.R race car that competes in the global GT3 series. Like the C8.R — which won IMSA’s stop at Virginia International Raceway last weekend — the hood scoop helps keep the nose on the ground when the ZR1 summons its stampede of horsepower.
Out back, the ZR1 features a split window — both an homage to the iconic 1963 Corvette and also to help feed more air to the beast amidships. Air inlets have been added to the top of the rear fenders as well. In keeping with ZR1 tradition, the badge’s signature blue trim can be found on the LT7 engine intake.
In keeping with ZR1 tradition, the badge’s signature blue trim can be found on the LT7 engine intake. Inside, a Blue Stitch option is available along with blue brake caliper colors and other accessories.
The ZR1’s cockpit gets unique ZR1 badging on the sill plates and steering wheel, and a boost gauge in keeping with the first turbocharged Corvette in the nameplate’s storied history.
In order to bring the ZR1 to a stop, the ZR1 will come standard with 15.7-inch carbon ceramic brakes in front, 15.4-inch out back. The ZR1 goes from 80-200 mph and back to 80 mph in just 24.5 seconds — 22% quicker than the previous-gen, C7 Corvette ZR1 — and 53% quicker than the C6 ZR1. Options include a high-downforce, winged ZTK package with sticky, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires, carbon-fiber wheels (reducing rolling weight by 40 pounds), and a convertible model. At full chat, the ZTK aero-package will produce 1,200 pounds of downforce.
As The Detroit News first reported in April 2020, the ZR1 will be the ultimate, track-focused version of the eighth-generation, mid-engine Corvette C8. What The News underreported was that the so-called LT7 engine would propel the “track monster to over 800 horsepower.”
The 1,064-horse figure eclipses supercars like the Lamborghini Revuelto (1,001 hp), Tesla Model S Plaid (1,020 hp) and Dodge Demon 170 (1,025 hp).
The ZR1 is the third of four performance variants of the C8, with the Zora still in the wings. The C8 supercar debuted as a 2020 model, followed by the 2023, 670-horsepower Z06 packing a dual-overhead cam V-8 inspired by the C8.R race car that competes in international sportscar racing. Chevrolet also introduced a grand touring-focused version of the C8: the 2024, all-wheel-drive hybrid E-Ray, which is the first Corvette to be electrified.
The mid-engine ‘Vette has been a hi,t with sales on course for over 32,000 units this year at an average transaction price of over $101,600.
Historically, the ZR1 badge — fondly referred to by fans as the “King of the Hill” — has represented advancements in engine technology, including a dual-overhead-cam V-8 in 1990, supercharged V-8 in 2009 and now the twin-turbo monster for 2025.
The ZR1 is the swan song of Corvette Executive Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter, who is stepping down this year and will be remembered for realizing the first mid-engine — and 1,000-horsepower — Corvette. The ZR1’s introduction was pushed back to a 2025 model from a 2024 due to COVID delays.
“We went into the ZR1 program with lofty goals, but even our first development tests on-track showed the teams were already exceeding them,” Juechter said.
The Detroit News expects a fourth, mega-performance version called the Zora — likely pushing $200,000 — which will incorporate the LT7 engine and the electric motor in the front axle of the E-Ray for a mega-horsepower, all-wheel-drive hypercar.
The last ZR1 had front-engine architecture and ended production after the 2019 model year. It was the last model of the seventh-generation Corvette. Despite making a staggering 755 horsepower, the last ZR1’s LT5 mill was literally bursting at the seams — its supercharger poking through the hood like Hulk’s muscles through a too-small shirt. By going mid-engine, the eighth-generation Corvette gave the development team better rear-wheel traction and the flexibility to put an electric motor up front to complement the gas engine.
The standard, 495-horsepower C8 has an old-school, normally-aspirated LT2, 6.2-liter push-rod V-8. The last-generation, front-engine ZR1 started at $122,000 — expect the new model to push $150k when it rolls out of Kentucky’s Bowling Green Assembly in 2025.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Ford Explorer ups game with interior remake, BlueCruise
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 26, 2024
Dexter — Like America’s No. 1 movie, Ford has gone “Inside Out” to sell tickets.
The handsome Explorer exterior now has interior toys to match. On course to load up on cider ‘n’ doughnuts at Jenny’s Farm Stand and Cider Mill in Dexter, I poked the BlueCruise button on my $50K 2025 tester’s steering wheel and the midsize ute drove itself down I-94. Look kids, no hands! No one does driver assistance better than Ford’s BlueCruise and GM’s Super Cruise — not even luxury leaders like Tesla, Mercedes and BMW.
Jenny’s has lots to see, but if one of your tots gets tired, the Explorer’s tablet screen interface is as familiar as a smartphone. Tap the left margin’s square icon and the touchscreen reveals familiar avatars for Spotify, Google Maps and so on. Want a game to play? Search in the Google Play Store.
So ferocious is the midsize SUV piranha tank that segment pioneer Ford is throwing all its weapons into the fight. Ford has surrounded the luxury-class Blue Cruise with a premium interior incorporating elements of the Lincoln Navigator. Gone is the uninspired, plastic, did-this-come-out-of-a-2010-Fusion? interior. Gorgeous, hoodless 12.3-inch digital instrument and 13.2-inch infotainment displays complement a nicely trimmed dash. The displays pop with Unreal Engine-based computer graphics from gaming developer Epic Games.
That should impress gamers who have grown out of their wee Fiesta ST hatchbacks, tied the knot and now need room for kiddies. But they don’t have to leave ST behind.
Like BMW bringing its famed M performance badge into its midsize $68K X5 SUV with X5 M performance and M Sport style trims, the Explorer offers sporty ST and ST Line badges. ST fondly recalls the playful Focus ST and Fiesta ST hatchbacks that Michigan motorheads still bring to weekend autocross courses.
So coveted is the ST experience that 20% of sixth-generation Explorer sales since 2020 have gone to the ferocious 400-horespower, V6-powered ST model despite its pricey sticker. For thousands less, let me recommend the new ST Line for 2025.
Starting at $46K — the next step up from a base $41K ACTIV model — ST Line brings all the style of the ST, but substitutes the big, longitudinal V-6 with a sippier, still potent, 2.3-liter turbo-4 cylinder. So potent that you might not notice you don’t have a six under the hood.
The 2.3-liter, after all, is the same 300 horsepower/310 torque beast that powers the saucy Mustang coupe. I buried my size 15 foot through Hell’s twisties and the engine growled like a cornered badger. The Explorer’s handling is no match for a Mazda CX-90, but most buyers will be content with the three-row family SUV’s authoritative voice and strong interstate merge.
More significantly for a family mule, Ford has taken a page from Asian rivals and loaded ST Line (and all models) with standard connectivity and safety features, including wireless Apple Car Play/Android Auto, adaptive cruise control, lane centering, blind-spot assist, heated seats and USB ports in all three rows.
One of the things I love about mainstream vehicles versus their luxury betters is their ergonomics. While luxe brands (looking at you, Merc) try to wow with clean, button-free displays, Explorer gives you nice, raised steering wheel buttons so that you can easily adjust speed and volume without taking your eyes of the road. That said, the Explorer’s rotary shifter is clunky — with PARK just another point on the dial, rather then making it an easy push button in the middle. Sigh, beware situations where you have to do quick REVERSE/FORWARD maneuvers.
The Chevy Traverse also has good ergonomics (and a better steering wheel-mounted shifter) and standard features. The Motown rivals are two of the most compelling affordable vehicles in the segment.
GM pioneered Super Cruise on the Cadillac CT6 six years ago and now offers it on a mainstream ute. GM has been at this game longer and Traverse will go hands-free (like Tesla) on designated secondary roads as well as divided highways. But it’ll set you back an extra $3,280.
Ford practically gives BlueCruise away on the ST Line trim (and above) for $700 and a one-year trial. I’m betting most SUV owners will find non-highway hands-free driving as useful as a bicycle for a fish, and will only use BlueCruise on, say, interstate drives up north. Rather than plunk down $3,280, they’ll prefer Ford’s one-month $80 subscription plans, like my Tesla-owning friend Chris, who pays the monthly fee whenever he plans a long trip.
I dialed up SPORT mode and the hoodless instrument display lit up with rich, red graphics. To my right, I downloaded Webex on the infotainment screen. The video conferencing application can be played with full video when the car is stationary — or you can hold an audio-only conference call when driving. Ford uses Webex internally and says similar Zoom and Microsoft Teams should follow as well as a variety of games and other apps.
That’s because Explorer’s tablet is run by the same Android operating system you’ll find on a smartphone. Tap the left margin’s square icon and the touchscreen reveals familiar avatars for Spotify, Google Maps and so on. Want more? Search in the Play Store like your phone.
Attention to detail is everywhere in the cabin, from the double-pull hood release (so you don’t have to fish for the release under the hood) to dash graphics for the skylines of Detroit and Chicago (where Explorer is assembled) to the two-shelf storage console (so you don’t need cupholders for storage).
SUV pioneers Ford and Jeep have a natural customer base given their segment longevity, but they can no longer afford to be unaffordable. Standard features and premium interiors are the norm. Explorer has evolved from a truck based-ute to one of the sportiest high-tech utes in segment.
It’s a segment with enormous variety. Toyota complements its two-row Highlander with a three-row Grand Highlander. Chevy hit a home run with Traverse. Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, Nissan Pathfinder and VW Atlas have jumped into the three-row ring with notable models. Even sporty Mazda has gone big with a three-row CX-90 that can give a BMW X-5 a run through the twisties.
If you’ve read this far, you might ask if I’ve left something out.
Payne, is there a hybrid or off-road Explorer on offer?
Yes and no. Hybrids are trendy, but Explorer found little demand. Its hybrid version is now made exclusively for police forces who value its long range. As for the off-road Timberline model, it was axed (along with Limited, King Ranch and XLT) as Explorer simplified its lineup for ‘25 — a curious choice given the popularity of rugged badges from competitors like Traverse Z71, Pilot Trailsport, Telluride X-Pro and so on. Expect Timberline to make a comeback.
Loaded with all-wheel drive and other goodies to $50,350, my ST Line tester is one of the most competitive SUVs in segment. And with 483 miles of gas range, three rows, BlueCruise and an exhaust note like a Mustang, it’s an engaging trip companion.
2025 Ford Explorer
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and all-wheel-drive, six- or seven-passenger SUVPrice: $41,350 base, including $1,595 destination fee ($50,350 ST Line as tested)
Powerplant: 2.3-liter, turbocharged inline-4 cylinder; 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 300 horsepower, 310 pound-feet torque (turbo-4); 400 horsepower, 415 pound-feet torque (V-6)
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.0 seconds (Car and Driver, turbo-4); towing capacity: 5,000 pounds
Weight: 4,565 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est. 20 city/27 highway/23 combined (turbo-4 AWD); 18 city/25 highway/21 combined (V-6 AWD)
Report card
Highs: Pleasing interior upgrades; stout turbo-4
Lows: Clunky rotary shifter; no head-up display
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Dream Cruise week: Roadkill Nights, Dream Show, more coming Aug. 10-17
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 19, 2024
Pontiac — Here comes the Cruise.
A month out from Metro Detroit’s renowned automobile celebration, the Woodward Dream Cruise, the week’s festivities have firmed up for Aug. 10-17. Motor Trend’s ninth annual Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge will open the carpalooza Saturday, Aug. 10 with drag racing — returning to M1 Concourse after its 2023 diversion to downtown Pontiac. The week culminates with the Saturday, Aug. 17 Woodward Dream Cruise — the world’s largest one-day car show.
M1 Concourse, a private car club that hosts public auto enthusiast events throughout the year, has become a focus of the Cruise, anchoring the northern, Pontiac end of the 16-mile route at South Boulevard and Woodward. Ferndale anchors the south at Nine Mile. Additional participating communities include Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak and Pleasant Ridge.
Brands and charities have embraced the Cruise, which is estimated to attract 1 million people. In addition to Dodge’s presence at M1, corporate sponsors include Ford with Mustang Alley at Nine Mile and Chevrolet at the Old Woodward/Woodward Avenue triangle between Webster and Haynes streets.
“For nearly a decade, Roadkill Nights has brought horsepower enthusiasts together for a celebration of performance like none other,” Dodge brand CEO Matt McAlear said this week. “In addition to drag racing, we have surprises in store this year that are sure to send a charge through all Roadkill Nights attendees.”
Roadkill Nights brings street legal racing to Woodward, but the addition of a Michigan turn lane outside of M1 scrambled the event in 2023 — forcing organizers to move the event to downtown Pontiac. Without M1’s adjacent, 87-acre property — which complemented the street racing with a sprawling car show, Dodge thrill rides, and food vendors — the event fizzled.
While details are still forthcoming on the dragstrip’s configuration, the event will be back at its traditional M1 location this year with the signature Direct Connection Influencer Grudge Race where hot rodders compete for a $10,000 prize. This year, six influencers — including Sick Media’s Tom Bailey, “Torque N Tungsten” YouTube channel’s Morgan Evans, and Herman “Demonology” Young — will move on from Dodge’s V-8 era and build dragsters around Dodge’s new, twin-turbo, inline-6 cylinder Hurricane engine.
Opposities: Roadkill Nights Grudge Match finalists from the 2022 showdown at M1. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The Dream Cruise feeds on nostalgia for youthful drag racing — complemented by blaring music and Motor City steel roaming the Woodward highway.
M1 Concourse keeps the motors running by extending its Woodward Dream Show event to Wednesday, Aug. 14 — rebranding the Pontiac event the Woodward Dream Show & Festival.
Corvettes on Woodward moves to M1 Concourse on Aug. 14 during this year’s Dream Cruise week. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“The Woodward Dream Show’s traditional third weekend in August was from Friday to Saturday. This year, we’ve introduced an all-Corvette event on Wednesday — the traditional Corvettes on Woodward event (formerly held at the Kingsley Inn at Long Lake and Woodward) — is now coming to M1 because the facility lends itself to automotive events,” said M1 CEO Tim McGrane in an interview. “We also have an activity Thursday (morning) with 30-40 Ford GTs on track. Then Friday, we’re celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Pontiac GTO, and Saturday we have a tribute to the year 1964. Art, music, history fashion — we’re making it a big, fun-filled festival.”
The 1964 cultural celebration will include a NASA exhibit with Gemini space suit, three live bands playing ‘60s music, and a history of the miniskirt.
In addition to hot rodding, the Dream Cruise draws its energy from the heritage of road-side drive-ins captured in films like “American Graffiti.” Woodward hangouts like Ted’s, Suzie Q’s and Big Boy were the places to be seen back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Today, enthusiast groups — with monikers like The Flaming Pistons, North Oakland Bowties, DeLorean Motor City Club and American Road Thunderbird Club — and spectators fill every inch of the route from the Donut Cutter parking lot in Berkley to curbside spots in front of the Roseland Park Cemetery to Hunter House Burgers in Birmingham.
A Dodge Charger smokes out its tires during a burnout contest Friday at the fifth annual Roadkill Nights in 2019. This year, the event returns to M1 Concourse after a one-year detour to downtown Pontiac. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
When they aren’t catching up with friends, fans are ogling street rods, big block V-8s, classic Caddys, European exotics, and Batmobiles cruising just feet away on Woodward.
Ford Motor Co. will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Mustang at its traditional Mustang Alley venue at Nine Mile in Ferndale. The Blue Oval will showcase other models at Kruse & Muer restaurant on Woodward.
Chevrolet will also present numerous vehicles between Webster and Haynes streets on Woodward. Look for V-8 beasts like the mid-engine Corvette, the electric Silverado and Colorado ZR2.
TThe Cruise has its roots in charity, beginning with a 1995 fundraiser by Nelson House that attracted 250,000 people to raise money for a Ferndale soccer field.
That tradition continues. Corvettes on Woodward on Aug. 14, for example, will raise funds for Open Hands Food Pantry. Just below Long Lake and Woodward on Aug. 16, Danny’s Miracle Angel Network (D-MAN) offers free, convertible muscle car rides to the physically impaired.
Mustang Alley on Nine Mile in Ferndale on Saturday was the place to see under the hoods. David Guralnick, The Detroit News
The official Dream Cruise kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16 in Ferndale with the Dream Cruise Ribbon Cutting Ceremony — followed at 5:30 p.m. by the Lights & Sirens Cruise Parade.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Stylish Hyundai Sonata punches above its class
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 19, 2024
Pontiac — I’m old enough to remember the tin cans with roll-up windows that Hyundai displayed at the Detroit Auto Show in 2000. You’ve come a long way, baby.
The Hyundai Sonata has been one of the most stylish mainstream sedans in the U.S. market since its breakout, sixth-generation 2010 model — alongside the most stylish mainstream compact in the market, the Elantra. For the 2024 model year, Sonata has turned up the volume again. The 2019 model strutted down the runway with big front headlights and accompanying LED extensions that ran dramatically up the side of the hood. For 2024, Sonata changes spectacles for a more sci-fi look — think Cyclops from the X-Men superhero movies.
The LEDs run horizontally across a big black grille anchored by twin flying buttresses. Almost lost in the design are the small, mid-mounted headlights that recede into the dark corners of the fascia. It’s quite a piece of work and a real departure, not only from the last-gen Sonata but from sedans in general with their anthropomorphic front ends. It’s the first time I’ve seen a car mimic the mid-fascia headlights of bigger, more upright vehicles like GM SUVs and pickups.
The visual drama continues rearward across deeply scalloped side sheet metal that sweeps to a lovely rear deck wrapped in horizontal, red LED taillamps. The rear facia, too, has been updated with hip light graphics that made a nice light show as I walked up to my upper-trim N-line tester after dark.
My N-line adds to that drama with a 100-horsepower steroid shot — a boost from the base SEL’s 190-horsepower turbo-4.
On slick roads leading south of Pontiac, I floored the throttle and the front wheels spun like tops trying to channel the extra grunt. Strange, the Sonata offers all-wheel drive on the base 190-horse model — but not the 290 horsepower N-line, where it’s really needed. Product planning ain’t easy.
Into the twisties I toggled SPORT mode on the console and the Sonata labored through S-turns — a B student compared to class leader Honda Accord and its tight chassis. Here, all-wheel drive would also help the Sonata, especially since the Accord has ditched its high-horsepower model — optioning only a turbo-4 and hybrid in order to meet onerous fuel economy rules.
The Sonata, on the other hand, gives you more choice with turbo-4, hybrid and my N-line on ‘roids. But without AWD, the N-line falls shy of its potential.
That’s not the case for the interior, which gets major upgrades to match that of some luxury vehicles. How premium? The dash looks like BMW 3-series with its twin 12-inch gauge and infotainment displays housed under one piece of curved glass that arches across the dashboard. It’s a Hyundai signature and is repeated on models from Elantra up to the luxurious Genesis GV60 electric model that I recently had in my driveway.
To step above the Sonata, the GV60 adds fancy bits like a floating console and shifter that rotates from a glass glob to a rotary shifter when you enter the vehicles. OK, these are pretty cool features. But my point is the Sonata does a nice imitation of a premium interior.
That premium feel is aided by a gear shifter that has been relocated to the steering column, opening up more console space for goodies like a wireless charger for your phone.
The wireless charging complements wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — which will drain your phone battery over a long road trip. Hyundai offers its own navigation system, of course, but it is inferior to Google’s. For all of its physical panache, the Hyundai system is a little slow, lagging industry-best systems from Ford and Stellantis (speaking of which, looking forward to the next-gen Dodge sedans!).
Better is the Hyundai’s multiple gadgets that make the car more fun, taking advantage of the digital wizardry that we all love about our phones.
Two of my favorites:
—A configurable instrument display so that I could, for example, use a digital tachometer. Shifting at 6.5 (x 1,000 RPM) with the paddle shifters is kinda’ cool compared to a familiar round analog display.
—Customizable steering wheel button that can be programmed to, say, turn media on/off, or go into Quiet mode, or (in my case) use as a shortcut to driver assistance settings, which I like to play around with.
Digitization has also made column shifters much easier to use (I remember me mum’s wrestling match with her ‘60s Pontiac’s column shifter!). The Hyundai is as simple as turning a tab for DRIVE, NEUTRAL, REVERSE. Park? Just push the end of the stalk. Mercedes and Tesla made column shifters cool again, and the Hyundai is better for it.
Better than the average sedan is the Hyundai’s palatial front legroom at 46 inches, which will make tall drivers happy. That comes at a sacrifice of legroom behind the driver though — 34.8 inches — which is less than class competitors (the Accord is truck-like 40.8 inches). Nonetheless, I could still sit my 6’5” frame behind myself with no problem.
Cargo space is a generous 10 cubic feet and Hyundai adds helpful levers in the rear boot so you flatten the rear bench and pass long items through the cabin. In an SUV world, clever features like that make the sedan utilitarian — to go with its knockout looks.
Auto segments are funny these days with SUVs and EVs ascendant. EVs are considered a luxury item yet my gas-fired $37K Sonata N-line blows away a $60K, 248-mile-range Genesis GV60 with 509 miles of range. What’s more, the Hyundai won’t keep you waiting, filing up in one minute compared to one hour for the Genesis. What’s luxurious about being made to wait?
At $37k, the Sonata offers not only range, but practicality compared to the small, similarly priced two-door electric Fiat 500e. The Fiat may be a fashion statement, but the stylish Sonata will dart from 0-60 mph while carrying six-footers in the back seat.
Hyundai has come a long way with its tech-tastic Sonata, but it’s also kept its eye on the fundamentals.
2024 Hyundai Sonata
Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger sedan
Price: $28,650 base, including $1,150 destination fee ($36,100 N Line as tested)
Powerplant: 2.5-liter inline-4 cylinder; 2.5-liter turbocharged, inline-4 cylinder; hybrid 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder combined with electric motor
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic (SEL, N Line); 6-speed automatic (hybrid)
Power: 191 horsepower, 181 pound-feet torque (standard SEL); 290 horsepower, 311 pound-feet torque (N Line); 192 horsepower (hybrid)
Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.0 seconds (Car and Driver est.); top speed: 155 mph (est.)
Weight: 3,534 pounds (N Line as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est. 25 city/36 highway/29 combined (SEL); 23 city/32 highway/27 combined (N Line); 44 city/51 highway/47 combined (hybrid)
Report card
Highs: Upscale style inside and out; drivetrain choices
Lows: Laggy screen; AWD with performance N Line model, please
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
2025 Cadillac Escalade unveiled: More tech, more screens, more bling
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 19, 2024
The blingtastic Cadillac Escalade is an American icon, the perennially best-selling mega-ute in a segment it defined. For the 2025 model year, it’s not sitting on its laurels.
The Escalade gets a major mid-cycle refresh with a upgrades like a 55-inch curved dash screen, auto-opening doors, and updated exterior lighting. The new features come as the Escalade competes, not just against Motown rivals from Jeep and Lincoln, but also against European SUVs at a similar, six-figure price point.
Where the Detroit Three have separated themselves from their European competition is in size — putting luxurious top hats on ladder-frame truck chassis with towing and cargo numbers that foreign models can only dream about. To complement its inherent advantage, recent models of the Escalade, Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Lincoln Navigator have also reached into the same toolkit as German luxury brands with gorgeous materials and digital goo-gaws.
The internal-combustion-engine Escalade is the second of two major reveals this year as Cadillac has also introduced an electric Escalade IQ into the portfolio. The SUV’ share interior features — but the IQ adds a big frunk for storage where the engine would be in ICE models. Cadillac has said the brand will eventually go all-electric, but for now the EV replaces a diesel-powered Escalade as an alternative drivetrain for the lineup.
“The Escalade franchise has defined Cadillac for five generations,” said John Roth, vice president of Global Cadillac. “As the best-selling luxury full-size SUV in North America since 2014, the expansion of the portfolio to include a refreshed Escalade and the all-new all-electric IQ positions the brand well to offer an Escalade that meets the needs of all customers.”
Like those big Mercedes screens? The Escalade ups the ante with its pillar-to-pillar 55-inch jumbotron that wouldn’t be out of place in a movie theater. The jumbotron contains the 35-inch instrument/infotainment driver displays and 20-inch passenger screen. It is complemented by two more screens — a head-up display that projects information over the hood in the driver’s line of sight, and an 11-inch console screen within easy reach for climate controls.
Second-row customers fly first class with a central tablet controller as well as 12.6-inch personal entertainment screens when the Executive Second Row package is optioned. That package includes stowable tray tables, dual wireless phone charging pads, massaging seats, headrest speakers and a stewardess (kidding about that last one). With all three rows deployed, the mega-ute can seat up to eight passengers.
Enjoy rolling out the red carpet? Like the BMW 7 series and other exotic sedans, the Escalade’s four doors will open automatically with a touch of a screen button. The driver’s door goes one better — it senses an approaching operator’s key and swings open automatically. Once seated, the driver may touch the brake pedal and the door will automatically close behind them.
If that isn’t enough, the Escalade’s air suspension will kneel like a trained elephant to make ingress easier.
Like European power? The Escalade brings V-8 grunt from GM’s toolkit — the reliable, 6.2-liter beast that also motivates the Chevy Corvette supercar. If you need more horsepower, a 683-horse supercharged V-8 is on offer in the V-Series trim.
Like your luxury over the top? The Escalade will drive itself with standard, hands-free Super Cruise on divided highways, at which time you can pop open a cold soda from the console’s (optional) fridge and turn up the volume on the 40-speaker AKG Studio sound system.
Manhattan penthouses never had it so good.
This opulence is wrapped in an upgraded exterior with new front and rear fascias. You can tell the new Escalade from the 2024 model by its mid-mounted headlights — a design trend established by its Chevy Tahoe, Suburban and GMC Yukon stablemates. The vertical mid-lights are complemented by LED “eyebrow” running lights. Though based on a truck frame, the Escalade rides like a magic carpet on its magnetic shocks and independent rear suspension.
Other blingtastic details include a standard illuminated front crest and — on the V-Series and Premium Luxury Platinum trims — an illuminated grille surround. There are six trims on offer, and, for the first time, Escalade will offer outrageous 24-inch wheels.
“Escalade is about being bold, arriving with style, and making a statement. The 2025 Escalade continues the design story introduced in the 2021 Escalade, but with thoughtful and dramatic updates,” said lead designer Vicente Beire.
The Escalade has been a favorite of celebrities over the years and Cadillac leans into its Hollywood tradition. “Entourage” actor Jerry Ferrara drove an Escalade in the 2015 movie. He will post content this week paying homage to the movie and his character, Turtle.
The 2025 Escalade starts production later this year at GM’s Arlington Assembly plant in Texas.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Auto sales ’24: The market’s biggest winners, losers and movers (so far)
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 12, 2024
Like a game of Twister, the auto industry is stretched in all different directions these days.
Manufacturers must pump out popular, internal-combustion vehicles to meet customer needs even as they satisfy government demands for electric vehicle sales. American consumers love big SUVs, but high gas prices and interest rates demand smaller cars. And automakers are keen to sniff out the latest enthusiast trends even as they commoditize vehicles on common platforms to save dollars.
Six months into the 2024 model year, we have sales data. Here are the latest winners, losers and trendsetters.
The best sellers. The Top Ten models have remained largely the same since 2023 with one exception. America’s perennial best-seller, the Ford F-150 pickup, leads the way, followed by: 2) Chevy Silverado 3) Toyota RAV4 4) Tesla Model Y 5) Honda CR-V 6) Ram 1500 7) Toyota Camry 8) Nissan Rogue 9) Honda Civic and 10) GMC Sierra.
Left out? The Jeep Grand Cherokee dropped from the Top Ten to #12 after a 15% sales decline — representative of a tough six months for the brands of Stellantis NV.
The Ford F-150, here in Raptor form, remains the nation’s best-selling light vehicle. James Lipman, Ford
The bottom dwellers. Big luxury sedans, hydrogen cars, electric vehicles and sports cars are the market’s basement furniture. Manufacturers have predicted for three decades that hydrogen power is the fuel of the future, but model intros have been few and focused on California, where they generate big regulatory credits. The Hyundai Nexo was the lowest-selling vehicle in the United States through June with 77 units sold, while the Toyota Mirai was the fourth=worst at 245 units.
The wee Fiat 500 has been reborn as a fashionable, big city electric commuter (plug it in, go to work) — so its 203 unit sales (second to last) are no surprise. Sleek sedans have fallen from favor, even among luxury buyers. The Audi A7, Audi A8, Volvo S90/V90 wagon and Genesis G90 all struggled for sales in the Bottom Ten.
Most mainstream brands have kicked big sedans to the curb and the VW Arteon (the 12th-worst seller at 923 units) is being discontinued after the 2024 model year. Sports cars are brand halos but sales laggards and the BMW Z4 (13th worst) and Nissan GT-R (2nd worst) anchor the segment.
The biggest movers. With average vehicle transaction prices hovering near $50k and interest rates over 7%, consumers seem to be downsizing to entry-level segments. Chevy’s stylish, remade, $21.5k Trax subcompact received rave reviews in the media — and in the showroom. Trax sales are up 230%, rocketing it to the best-selling vehicle in its class at 90,462 units so far this year. It’s not alone.
Other affordable subcompacts SUVs have also gained strength, including the Honda HR-V (up 41%), Toyota Corolla Cross (up 59%) and Mazda CX-30 (+33%). Even in the luxury subcompact class, the class-leading, $41k BMW X1/X2 gained a whopping 500% in sales.
The 2024 Chevy Trax has been a huge sales hit as shoppers migrate to more affordable vehicles. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The trend continued in compact sedans, a segment that the Detroit Three automakers have abandoned. The class-leading, $25k Honda Civic gained 38% to 129,788 units sold while runner-up Toyota Corolla gained 25%. VW’s compact Jetta and Golf siblings were up 107% and 62%, respectively.
Compact pickups are a class of one, but the $25.5k Ford Maverick maintained the affordability trend with a 113% gain to 90,375 units.
Ford Maverick sales were up more than 100% in the first half of the year. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The biggest losers. It’s been a tough year for some market icons. While the Civic and CR-V SUV (up 20%) have excelled, the Honda Accord has lost nearly 20% in sales even after the introduction of an all-new model. Despite price cuts, Tesla Model 3 sales slowed 40% — in part due to the continued success of its Model Y SUV stablemate, but also because other EVs have come to market (more on that later). It’s also suffering in an SUV-made market where the Tesla Model S (off 50%) and Kia K5 (-59%) also took big hits.
The Tesla Model 3 suffered a big sales drop in the first half of the year. Patrick T. Fallon, Bloomberg
Jeep’s iconic Wrangler lost 9% of sales, leading a Stellantis rout. All Jeep models lost sales over a year ago with the exception of the all-new Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer mega-utes, which roared out of the gate and appeared to steal sales from their GM and Ford competition. Dodge suffered as its Challenger and Charger icons rode into the sunset, and even the mighty Ram pickup saw sales decline 20%.
EV sales. Tesla’s cooling numbers are consistent with the EV segment as a whole, which has stalled at 8.4% of the market, according to JD Power. Tesla still accounts for just over 50% of sales, but the feds’ $7,500 cash on the hood for new EV transactions has helped close the gap between EVs and their legacy-brand, gas-powered peers.
Mustang Mach-E sales accelerated by 58% through June to 22,234 units, while the Cadillac Lyriq got its act together and pumped out 13,094 units — a whopping 465% increase over a year ago. Volkswagen has touted the ID.4 EV as its most important vehicle since the Bug, but its sales were squashed by 28% to just 11,857 units.
GMC’s Hummer EV saw sales surge in the first six months of 2024, along with some other battery-powered models. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Other mainstream brands were more successful, with the Toyota bZ4X hitting 9,468 sales (a 159% bump) and the Nissan Ariya up 80% (9,346 units). The biggest gainer? The $100k GMC Hummer Pickup/SUV sold 4,598 units for a 6,974% jump.
Pickup wars. Even as the redesigned, hybrid Toyota Tundra gained a healthy 31% in sales, its six-month 78,454 unit tally is about what Ford F-Series sells in a month. The tables are turned in the midsize segment, where the Toyota Tacoma has long dominated.
The Chevy Colorado and its midsize pickup sibling, the GMC Canyon, saw healthy sales gains as Toyota Tacoma production was being changed over. AP
But with the switch-over to the new-generation Tacoma at its Mexican assembly plants, Toyota has opened the door for competitors. Tacoma sales plummeted from 116,845 to 69,437 (a 41% drop), which has benefited the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon dynamic duo which saw sales rise 30% (to 58,658 units). The Nissan Frontier also sold 39,964 units — a 17% gain. American muscle. The Ford Mustang is the last pony car standing as the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger coupes have been sent out to pasture. Still, leftover ‘23 Challenger sales showed the badge’s resiliency — moving 21,216 units, just shy of the Mustang’s 27.4k sales.
The Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger are history but the Corvette keeps rolling along, with sales up in the first half of this year. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
And despite a $68k sticker price more than double the ‘Stang, the Chevy Corvette boasted 17,914 in sales, a 5% increase.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Towing across the Canadian wilderness in the Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 12, 2024
Waubaushene, Ontario — When I arrived at Quiet Waters Sailboats on Georgian Bay from Detroit, owner Rick and I met each other with exclamations.
“Man, you poor guys are paying $6 a gallon for premium gas!” I blurted.
“Man, that Jeep Grand Wagoneer is the biggest thing I’ve ever seen!” Rick said.
I had just filled up the Grand’s 30.5-gallon fuel tank (91 octane recommended) at a cost of $2.05 Canadian per liter — a total of $183 American. Ouch. But Jeep’s mega-ute was the perfect mule to deliver a Precision sailboat from Quiet Waters to a friend’s boat club in Charlevoix, Michigan.
The Jeep’s massive tanks and corresponding 610-mile range could complete the 447-mile trip across the top of remote Georgian Bay’s wilderness without stopping for gas. Its 9,450-pound towing capacity could easily shoulder the boat-and-trailer’s 1,350 pounds and high aerodynamic drag. And the Jeep’s palatial interior could easily swallow the boat’s accessories while comfortably hosting me (and passengers, if necessary) for 7.5 hours.
I opened the Grand Wagoneer’s automatic hatchback and dropped the third-row bench seat. Then Rick fed the 9.5-foot-long boom into the interior. And fed, and fed.
“Wow, we can get the entire boom through this thing with room to spare,” said Rick as the boom slithered between the second-row captain’s chairs, coming to rest on the back of the front center console. “I think we can get everything in the Jeep and nothing will be rattling around in the boat for your trip.”
Can’t say that about a pickup.
Pickups move the world, but even the longest-available eight-foot box on Rick’s Chevy Silverado pickup couldn’t fit the Precision’s boom without dropping the gate and sticking a red flag on it. Detroit automakers figured out years ago that they could take the rugged ladder-frame chassis of their trucks, bolt on a SUV top hat and offer customers pickup-like capabilities with the convenience of a sheltered cargo bay and three-row family comfort.
The Jeep Wagoneer and my (more luxurious) Grand Wagoneer tester were late arrivals to this universe, following hugely successful fleets of Chevy Tahoe/Suburbans, GMC Yukons, Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators. Like its luxury peers from Lincoln and GMC Denali, Grand Wagoneer is posh, available in a long version, and can quickly eclipse 100 grand.
My $120K Jeep was loaded to the gunwales with the latest tech and features. That’s a lot of coin, but if the bank repossesses your house, you can just move into The Grand. Standard features include trip essentials like tow hook, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot assist and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Google and I talked a lot.
Hey, Google, navigate to Waubaushene, Ontario.
Without missing a beat, or stumbling over my West Virginia accent, she mapped the way. If you’re a frequent road-tripper (guilty), I recommend the L for its added cargo room behind the roomy third row. The base all-wheel-drive Wagoneer L starts at $75K.
We loaded the boat’s outboard motor, sails and rudder into the back of the Grand — plus my suitcase, tennis bag and computer case with room to spare. So ginormous is the Jeep that I could have added my family of four and their luggage.
I was on my way — land yacht trailering sailboat.
As government regulations force the elimination of new gas vehicle sales in the next few years, I am mindful of electric vehicle limitations on tow journeys. Halfway up Georgian Bay I tried an experiment.
Hey, Google. Find a gas station.
In the middle of Canada’s remote, pine ‘n’ rock wilderness, Google found four nearby.
Hey, Google. Find an electric charging station.
The closest result? Petoskey, Michigan, 356 miles away. Oh. If I were driving my Tesla Model 3 (or a Cybertruck), I could have accessed three Tesla Superchargers on my route. But towing’s weight and aerodynamic challenges also favor gas vehicles.
The Grand was a tow champ.
Though I could have made the trip on one tank of fuel, I navigated to one of the nearby service stations in the harbor town of Pointe au Baril off Route 400 North. Like Michigan with Marathon stations, Ontario’s lake-side highways are peppered with big Esso drive-thru service stations to accommodate truck and boat trailers. Just my luck, I chose a Shell station that seemed to date from the 1950s.
My loooong boat and trailer took up all three pumps — an inconvenience that would have caused a riot at an EV station, where vehicles need to charge for long periods. My mule quickly topped up on 5 gallons of gas (another $30 drained from my wallet). I popped into the station for a washroom (Canadians call restrooms “washrooms”) and was on my way in minutes.
Remarkably, that five gallons would take me 75 miles — and the full tank 455 miles — at 15 mpg. That’s just a 21% degradation off the Grand’s EPA-advertised 19 mpg. When I towed a similar Precision boat to Charlevoix from Detroit with a Ford Explorer Wilderness, mileage degraded by 65% (to 9.5 mpg of its advertised 21 mpg range. The Ford Lightning EV, meanwhile, suffers 70% range degradation when towing (as tested by my friends at TFL Truck).
I was hardly soft-pedaling the Jeep’s 510-horsepower, twin-turbo inline-6 cylinder Hurricane engine while pulling the tall boat up Georgian Bay’s tall grades at 75 mph — keeping pace with Canadians who (like Americans back in the bad ol’ days of the 55-mph speed limit decree) ignore their 60 mph speed limit.
Indeed, with its 500 pound-feet of torque and independent rear air suspension, the Jeep didn’t feel like a truck-based vehicle at all. More like a luxury Merc cruising the Autobahn.
Which is what the Grand is meant to be. Forget the rugged Wrangler brand halo, this Jeep is on par with the world’s finest luxe-mobiles. With four screens of digital information up front (including a head-up display and a passenger screen), three more in the second row and a camera monitoring the cabin, I might have been living in a New York penthouse.
The center console even had a fridge — keeping my favorite Snapples cool for the journey. I crossed the majestic Mackinac Bridge and arrived in Charlevoix at 8 p.m. feeling refreshed. I unhitched the boat, unloaded the accessories and had a late dinner. Piece of cake.
Next time, maybe I’ll deliver a boat across Saskatchewan.
Next week: 2024 Hyundai Sonata
2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and-four-wheel-drive, six- or seven-passenger SUV
Powerplant: 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged, inline-6 cylinder
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: $93,945 base, including $2,000 destination fee ($121,350 as tested)
Power: 510 horsepower, 500 pound-feet torque
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.7 seconds (Car and Driver); towing capacity: 9,450 pounds
Weight: 6,704 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est. 14 city/19 highway/16 combined (14.7 mpg observed on towing trip)
Report card
Highs: Luxe ride, luxe interior; impressive towing range
Lows: May not fit in your garage; few can afford
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Mazda goes big with CX-70
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 4, 2024
Rochester Hills — The Mazda CX-70 SUV is big. Big length at nearly 17 feet. Big weight of 4,863 pounds. Big 21-inch wheels. Big panoramic roof. Big as sibling CX-90 because CX-70 just means it has two rows compared to the 90’s three. Bigger than any other vehicle the Japanese brand has produced.
Yet CX-70 still thinks it’s a wee Miata sportscar.
Braking into a clover-leaf turn, the two-and-a-half-tonner rotated with minimal body roll. The big, leather-wrapped wheel in my hands felt rooted to the ground — encouraging me to feed more throttle until the tires began to squeal in protest. On exit, the silky, inline-6 engine roared with delight as I merged into traffic. Yup, it’s a Mazda.
Mazda’s latest ute has big ambitions to go with its big proportions. From its roots as a ZOOM ZOOM! sportscar and sedan company, Mazda has transitioned to a premium SUV maker with twin offerings in the compact and midsize segments, not unlike European luxury brands. The CX-5 and CX-50 anchor the high-volume compact segment while CX-70 and CX-90 double up in the midsize segment.
As with its offerings in the subcompact (CX-30), and compact car (Mazda3) segments, the CX-70 (as well as the three-row CX-90) offers one of the industry’s best values. Along with that Miata DNA in the handling department, the CX-70 comes loaded with standard features starting at $41,700: forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, front-and-rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, and seat eject with parachute (kidding about that last one).
Jump up to my tester’s desirable Premium trim and you’ll be showered with goodies like 21-inch wheels, pano-roof and head-up display. Yet, the Premium CX-70’s bottom line is still an impressive $47,335 — $24K south of a comparably-equipped BMW X5 XDrive 40i with similar, longitudinal inline turbo-6, eight-speed tranny and rotary instrument screen controller.
Heck, all that style even clocks in at two grand less than the hybrid Toyota Crown Signia I recently piloted with a droning CVT transmission and no head-up display.
CX-70 buyers will be flattered by the Bimmer comparison — especially the way the Mazda hangs with the German in the twisties despite being a half-foot longer. The Mazda’s bigness translates to some of the best cargo and legroom numbers in class. Value does come with some shortcomings, however.
I’ve raved about the Japanese brand’s smooth six-speed automatic trannies in the CX-5 and CX-50 models at a time when other automakers have adopted complicated eight- and 10-speed boxes for their EPA-focused mpg benefits. For CX-70/CX-90, Mazda has chosen an eight-speed and the SUVs feel hesitant — like a fawn trying out its new legs.
Floor the pedal off that highway cloverleaf and CX-70 felt uncertain, hunting for the right gear. Once engaged, the inline-6 clears its throat with an authoritative BLAAAT! (especially in SPORT mode), but the transmission is a mismatch for the I-6’s smooth power.
So is the clunky shifter. A trendy monostable design, it’s clumsy to operate with a two-step jig to get out of PARK and into REVRSE-NEUTRAL-DRIVE modes. Competitors like Toyota and VW not only have more compact shifters, but they are more intuitive. ZOOM ZOOM? ZOOM CLUNK.
BMW and Audi pioneered the remote rotary controller, and Mazda covets that luxury vibe. But Audi has abandoned the rotary to appeal to the smartphone, touchscreen generation and BMW — while maintaining its i-Drive controller — has complemented it with redundant touchscreen capability. Not Mazda.
It has stubbornly stuck with its wonky rotary. Mazda owners (my son, for example, who owns a Mazda3) learn it, but shiver when it comes to sharing the car with a spouse who must adapt to the system’s quirks.
CX-70 at least enables touchscreen commands for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone apps — a welcome nod to popular consumer tastes. But my tester still dated itself by requiring a tether for Android Auto, rather than the wireless systems of competitors.
Also wonky is the butterfly center console. I know, I know, butterfly telegraphs luxury, but in a family vehicle like CX-70, I value ease-of-access, and there’s nothing like a good ol’ pull-top console — especially when you need to attach that Android Auto USB-C wire to your phone.
It’s hard to be mad, though, when all this hardware is wrapped in Mazda’s elegant red-leather interior. Shared by subcompact siblings CX-30 and Mazda3 hatchback, this lush cabin style is one of my favorites in the industry. Mazda offers other colors, but I find rouge leather to be irr-red-sistible.
Like learning that Schwarzenegger and DeVito are brothers in the movie “Twins,” I’m not used to a Mazda having such big back seats. CX-70 siblings Mazda3 and CX-30 are cramped and the Miata, of course, has no back seat at all. But I could sit behind myself in the CX-70 with kneeroom to spare. Cargo capacity is a healthy 39.6 cubic feet with the back seat raised, and a palatial 75.3 with the seats down.
The CX-70 complements that with sub-cargo storage where the third row would otherwise be in the CX-90. Were it up to me, I’d opt for the CX-90 instead of the CX-70 (they are priced the same) because the third row comes in handy when you need to ferry people as in, say, my extended family of in-laws.
CX-70’s sub-storage is accessed via a clever, folding cargo mat, and is the right size for, say, kids’ muddy soccer shoes. But it’s still a stretch to reach from the back bumper and may go unused over the lifetime of the vehicle.
As much as I enjoy carving corners in Mazdas, midsize SUVs will ultimately be driven for long periods of time. On adaptive cruise control. On interstates. For such bus-driver chores, the Mazda is first-rate like another one of my class favorites, the Hyundai Santa Fe.
Hyundai offers multiple ways to check your blind spot and so does Mazda — from mirror-embedded triangle lights to instrument control graphics to graphics in the head-up display. I toggled driver-assist on the steering wheel and the Mazda dutifully centered in lane, even hugging long interstate corners hands-free. If Mazda still has work to do on its eight-speed tranny, the attention to digital details is welcome.
My favorite detail? A DRIVER PERSONALIZATION SYSTEM that measures height (I’m 6-foot-5, Mrs. Payne is 5-foot-5) then automatically adopts that setting depending on which of us is in the driver’s seat.
Oh, now that’s big.
Next week: Towing across Canada with the Jeep Grand Wagoneer
2025 Mazda CX-70
Vehicle type: Front engine, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV
Price: $41,700, including $1,375 destination ($47,335 Turbo S Premium as tested)
Powerplant: Turbocharged 3.3-liter, inline-6 cylinder; 2.5-liter inline-4 cylinder mated to 17.8 kWh lithium ion battery and rear electric motor
Power: 280 horsepower, 332 pound-feet of torque (turbo-6); 340 horsepower, 369 pound-feet of torque (turbo-6 S); 323 horsepower, 369 pound-feet of torque (plug-in)
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.5 seconds (Turbo-6 S, mfr.); towing, 5,000 pounds (I-6), 3,500 pounds (plug-in)
Weight: 4,863 pounds (Turbo-6 S as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 23 mpg city/28 highway/25 combined (as tested)
Report card
Highs: Big, family-size proportions; loaded with value, standard goodies
Lows: Quirky shifter, rotary controller
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
e-IndyCar: Chevy-Honda hybrid race engines debut at Mid-Ohio
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 4, 2024
Behind the intense competition of professional racing, motorsports is a showcase for automakers’ technology and marketing trends.
This weekend at the IndyCar 200 at Mid-Ohio race course near Lexington, IndyCar will become the latest racing series to move to hybrid powertrains following Formula One and the MSA SportsCar Championship.
The move is a priority for the series’ two engine suppliers, Chevrolet and Honda. The two brands have been among the most aggressive automakers in pushing electrification — and they want the IndyCar racing teams they supply to reflect that ambition. At a time when the industry is under historic pressure from governments to adopt battery power, electrification initiatives also help insulate motorsports from political pressure.
While both Chevrolet and Honda promise fully electric model lines by 2040, the move to hybrid IndyCar drivetrains dovetails with current production trends. Manufacturers and their government partners oversold EV adoption and are pivoting to gas-electric power plants as a more realistic market solution.
Similarly, North American racing series do not see EV racing as ready for prime time.
“We certainly have no aspirations of being a fully electric series. We’re fast, loud and authentic,” said IndyCar President Jay Frye in an interview ahead of the IndyCar 200. “This is something that is very relevant . . . in passenger cars. We think the hybrid program is the way to go into the future. I certainly don’t see IndyCar becoming a full EV series.”
IndyCar’s hybrid focus dovetails with Formula One and IMSA, which have also moved towards hybrid drivetrains — but ultimately see synthetic fuels as the answer to internal sustainability goals requiring zero-carbon emission machines. As governments force manufacturers to zero-emission vehicles, automakers hope synfuels development in racing will become a viable commercial alternative to power a new generation on internal combustion engines.
“Look at the manufacturers and what’s important to them: electrification and hybrids,” said President Bud Denker of Penske Corporation, which owns IndyCar. “It’s important for us also to be sustainable from a series standpoint. We were the first series in North America to have renewable fuel — an ethanol, bio-based product.”
Formula One, too, sees renewable fuel as its future, targeting synfuels for use in its 50-50 gas-electric hybrid missiles in 2026.
“(Formula One) will never go electric,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore last year. “Zero emissions can be achieved without having to change engines or throw away the entire fleet of vehicles that already exists.”
Chevrolet and Honda jointly developed the hybrid power unit that will be paired with their 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, V-6 gas engines. The engines in turn are fueled by Shell ethanol fuel derived from sugarcane waste.
While Chevy and Honda have committed to produce only battery-powered EVs by — respectively, 2035 and 2040 — they both used the IndyCar announcement to tout their current hybrid vehicles.
Honda’s latest, 2025 Civic Hybrid will pace the IndyCar field to green.
“Hybrid is that bridge in electrification to where we’re maybe in the future 10, 15 years out,” said Wayne Gross, manager of trackside engineering for Honda. “Honda has been pretty heavily into the hybrids for a few years now with CR-V and Accord and now the Civic.”
At Chevy, Corvette has become the new hybrid brand halo. “We’re definitely getting some hybrid cars,” said Mark Stielow, General Motors Co.’s director of motorsports competition engineering. “I drove a (hybrid Corvette) E-Ray for a while, and it was a great experience. We’re going to keep adding more (hybrids) to our portfolio, and we’re learning more about it in racing.”
GM and Honda had already worked together on the hybrid system for IMSA sportscar’s GTP prototype class. Their Cadillac and Acura GTP racers have been a success, with fans flocking to races from Daytona to Detroit to Atlanta to watch the world’s greatest brands go toe-to-hybrid.
IndyCar hopes its new hybrid formula will also be a fan favorite by introducing another tool for drivers to use in the series’ tight, competitive racing.
“We delayed (the new powertrain) for a few months because we (wanted) to be sure that, when we are racing that product, that it’s bulletproof. Because we have great racing now,” said Penske’s Denker. “We have the most competitive racing in the world. So many different people can win a race on any given weekend. So much passing going on that we want to make sure we don’t mess that up.”
The IndyCar system is geared to performance with a lightweight solution assembled by Ilmor that adds about 100 pounds to the 1,680-pound race cars. Utilizing electric capacitors instead of a heavy battery, the power unit will offer drivers up to 60 more horsepower to shoot by competitors – or they can use its regenerative capabilities to save fuel and outlast their rivals.
“We want it. . . to be used by the drivers to make the racing more dynamic and more interesting for the spectators,” said GM’s Stielow. “So this is another tool that we’re bringing to the drivers to enable there to be a little bit better competition, a little more passing.”
The 48-volt system also promises to be safer and less complicated than the high-voltage, 800-volt systems in IMSA GTP sportscars – systems that require executive track briefings to avoid potential electrocution if a race car is mishandled.
The Whelen Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R prototype won the Motul 100 at the Daytona Roar Before the 24. The win puts the Caddy on pole for the Rolex 24 on January 30. IMSA
“They’re totally different systems, architected way differently,” said Stielow. “Nothing in my program is shared between the two of them.”
There’s palpable excitement from the manufacturers for the weekend ahead.
“(The Hybrid tech) is why we were so excited to get involved in this project. It’s engaged all of our engineers. It’s very relevant to the road cars,” said Honda’s Gross. Hybridization “has been core to Honda’s DNA for many years now. It’s relating what we do on the racetrack to selling cars. Race on Sunday, sell on Monday.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
Put on your boots: Tread Lightly Day Michigan hits Holly Oaks ORV Park
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 4, 2024
Put on your boots, roll up your sleeves, and shove your off-roader into all-wheel drive.
Michigan’s spectacular nature parks are a national treasure, and this weekend national nonprofit Tread Lightly! is hitting state trails with a first-ever stewardship day. The mission, called “Tread Lightly! Day Michigan,” will include the Detroit area’s Holly Oaks ORV park, one of the Midwest’s premier vehicle off-road playgrounds.
Sponsored by onX Offroad, Tread Lightly! crews will hit Holly Oaks’s 260 acres of hills, dirt tracks, trails, valleys and ridges from 9 a,m. to 3 p.m. Saturday for grooming, repairs, safety enforcement and recreational fun. A sort of outdoor open house, the event encourages members of the public to help maintain the off-road treasure. Carved from the carcass of a former sand and gravel mine, Holly Oaks features 250 feet of elevation change across winding trails on the backside of Holly Oaks ski area.
Jeep Wrangler surveys the landscape at Holly Oaks ORV Park. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Other state parks on Tread Lightly’s to-do list Saturday include Mio, the Hiawatha National Forest, the Ottawa National Forest and Sand Lake Recreation Area. Organizers encourage participants to bring their vehicles, mudder shoes and long pants for the day’s chores.
“I’m thrilled to give back to my home state through this work and encourage Tread Lightly! supporters in Michigan to do the same,” said Mike Sype, marketing chief for the Utah-based Tread Lightly!
Holly Oaks ORV Park opened in 2020 and dovetailed with the U.S. overlanding explosion — a trend turbocharged by the COVID pandemic as Americans went virtual and took to the roads and outdoor recreation areas. In addition to its daily off-road offerings, the park has become the site of the annual, nationally-known Detroit 4Fest off-road event as well as a venue for automakers to introduce their latest off road-focused machines.
Jeeps, Ford Broncos, Toyota 4-Runners, pickups — as well as side-by-sides and dirt bikes — regularly crawl the park’s trails while families enjoy the scenery. Sections of the park are modeled after Utah’s famed natural off-road attractions, such as Potato Salad Hill and Hot Tub.
The front of the property includes manicured areas like a closed dirt track for speed runs as well as Darlene’s Ridge, which tests vehicles’ vertical acumen. The “North 60” acres of the property are a more free form “scramble area” in which riders are free to make their own paths. Holly Oaks is jointly operated by Oakland County Parks in a partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Tread Lightly partner onX Offroad offers GPS-based smartphone app that provides current and accurate mapping information for trail exploration.
4Fest fun. Wranglers and Broncos and side-by-sides line up to climb Darlene’s Ridge at Holly Oaks Park. Henry Payne, The Detroit News Detroit
“OnX Offroad understands the vital importance of conservation and protection of public lands and motorized trails,” said the company’s senior brand manager, Becky Marcelliano. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership through Tread Lightly! Day Michigan and beyond.”
Z Performance, a local off-road events company, helped organize the Holly Oaks event. The ORV park is located off I-75 (Grange Hall Road Exit 101) and Dixie Highway.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Toyota Crown Signia. Move over Lexus.
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 28, 2024
Charlevoix — Rather than offering one midsize crossover, Toyota is offering a shelf-full of products for different tastes: Highlander, Grand Highlander three-row, electric Bz4x, Land Cruiser off-roader. If your taste leans to an upscale road tripper, the midsize Crown Signia fits like a favorite pair of jeans.
Roomy, good looking, durable. Slip into Signia and you forget you’re wearing it, so easy is it to drive. Well, until someone gives you a compliment.
“Wow, I like that Toyota,” said a gas station attendant in Charlevoix County as I entered his store after a long trip up north for the weekend. “It really looks nice.”
Never heard that about the vanilla Venza that Signia replaces. Toyota has built its brand as a leader in reliability and value, but its reputation for style and technology has not come as easily. With the all-new 2024 Crown Signia, Toyota steps up its game to compete with midsize, two-row segment leaders like the Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda Passport, Chevy Blazer and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Once the class geek, the 2024 North American Car of the Year Toyota Prius is now class prom queen, its fashionable wardrobe the halo for the brand’s model lineup. Its simple, timeless lines and slim fascia are mirrored in the Camry, Crown and Crown Signia models. Gone are the huge, sperm whale maws that looked like they could swallow an ocean of fish.
Indeed, I prefer it to the polarizing, look-at-me stylings of the Lexus RX, its luxury stablemate that costs a cool 5 grand more. The Lexus is the bell bottom pants from fashion week compared to the Signia jeans.
The Toyota crossover is as easy to operate as it is on the eyes.
Cargo space is generous and dexterous. For my trip north, I needed the latter. I was carrying a Honda Motocompacto electric motorbike that folds up into, essentially, a 40-pound card table that has to be laid flat. I arranged a carry-on suitcase next to it, then laid flat one of the second-row seats to accommodate a long tennis bag as well.
With the second-row seats up, legroom is generous and can fit six-foot basketball players with room to spare. We were the easy choice to shuttle friends during the week on the way to large gatherings.
“I have the best seat in the house,” marveled pal Kay from the backseat, lounging beneath the full-length panoramic roof and generous side windows. Though she noted the panoramic roof was an issue with my 6’5” giraffe neck stuffed into it. Anyone taller would have an issue.
Front-row seating was comfortable with lush leather appointments and trim that rivaled its Lexus peers.
I had no issue with the controls, a welcome relief as both Toyota and Lexus brands have strayed toward the unconventional in past models. Toyota has experimented with guitar-shaped consoles in the Highlander and mousepad infotainment controls in Lexus. Crown Signia, by contrast, is built for comfort. Dare I say, its ergonomics even rivaled Chevy, the segment standard.
The Toyota shares features with other automakers to provide a superb driving experience in this electronics-rich age. Like current Chevy models, Signia deploys dual digital screens set high on the dash. That made for easy operation as I cruised I-75 on a busy weekend — periodically adjusting Google Maps to check for traffic backups as well as choosing Spotify playlists.
Those latter features are courtesy of wireless Android Auto, a technology Toyota initially resisted but has nicely integrated into the midsize ute. Also nicely integrated are steering wheel-based volume and channel controls so that, as with Volkswagen products, you can adjust your radio without your hands leaving the steering wheel
Toyota has evolved with monostable electronic shifters, and the Crown Signia has one of the best in the business. Compact, intuitive and shared with Lexus, it operates on a single vertical track between DRIVE and REVERSE so that I never had to look down at the shift pattern. Backing in and out of tight spaces was a cinch.
Unfortunately, Toyota does not translate this clever design into more console room like other makers. Signia offers compartments for phone charging and drink bottles, but little else.
Following Prius, Crown Signia’s drivetrain is optimized for fuel economy. Toyota, of course, was the darling of the Left back in 2003 for hybrid drivetrains but has become corporate non grata for refusing to follow the other lemmings over the all-electric cliff. You won’t see Leonardo DiCaprio driving up to the Oscars in a Crown Signia, but families will love its 475-mile range.
I drove to Charlevoix and back with a single 5-minute stop at the gas pump to refuel — the Signia averaging 36 miles per gallon, which is not far off the 2003 Prius’s 41 mpg. It’s also a healthy 10-15 mpg north of class competitors.
Your penalty is a droning, continuously-variable transmission which Toyota has — absurdly — complemented with paddle shifters, which are destined to be the most underutilized paddles in autodom. I never touched them. Still, the powertrain was competent at propelling the big crossover about town, and its excellent, lightweight, 4,200-pound chassis responded well to my lashing through M-32’s twisties in northern Michigan.
Toyota has also come a long way in the technology department. Short of ambitious self-drive systems from Tesla, GM and Ford, Hyundai’s Santa Fe has impressed with a lane-centering adaptive-cruise system that allows relaxed driving with minimal steering input on divided highways.
Crown Signia’s ACC is similarly competent, though it will nanny you every 15 seconds if you don’t have at least a finger on the wheel. More good ergonomics pepper the wheel. Want to set your speed? Just push the ACC button once. Want to return to your previous speed? Finger RESET.
It sure beats Lexus’s distracting ACC system, which is run through a head-up display. Indeed, as I cruised past a 2024 Lexus RX on I-75 on my way back to Detroit, I wondered if the luxe badge was nervous.
Similar infotainment system, shifter, hybrid drivetrain, interior appointments — plus better looks, better value.
If your blue jeans are comfortable, why pay the premium for a designer brand?
2025 Toyota Crown Signia
Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, six- or seven-passenger SUV
Price: $44,585 base, including $1,095 destination fee ($49,085 Limited as tested)
Powerplant: 2.5-liter inline-4 cylinder hybrid combined with nickel-metal hydride battery and electric motor
Transmission: Continuously variable
Power: 420 horsepower
Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.0 seconds (Car and Driver est.); towing capacity: 2,700 pounds
Weight: 4,210 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA est. 39 city/37 highway/38 combined
Report card
Highs: Prettier than Lexus; sippy on fuel
Lows: CVT drones; tight headroom for six-footers
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.