With SUV Sales on the Wane, Domestic Automakers Are Bolstering Their Conventional Vehicle Offerings

HEREHERE COMECOME THETHE 20062006 DOMESTICS!DOMESTICS! BY PAUL WEISSLER With SUV sales on the wane, domestic automakers are bolstering their conventional vehicle offerings. The tech quotient is high, even on lower priced models.

lthough manufacturers Pontiac convertible called the Solstice an entry-level luxury model, is some- of domestic vehicles and the Cadillac DTS, a replacement what softer than for the others. have had a good run for the De Ville. The transverse front-drive power- with trucks and SUVs, Here are the particulars on these im- trains, however, are the same as in the they’ve recognized the portant 2006 models: Mazda6—the 160-hp version of the need for cars that will 2.3L four-cylinder (vs. 151 horses last compete against the import nameplates. Ford year) and an upgraded Duratec 3.0 V6 AThere are a number of important en- All three new Ford vehicles are based that produces 221 hp, a 20-hp boost tries for the 2006 model year, including on the same platform—a longer, over other Ford applications. The V6, a trio from Ford—the Fusion, the Mer- wider version than that used in the bolted to hydraulic engine mounts in all cury Milan and the Lincoln Zephyr. Mazda6. The Fusion, Milan and three applications, is the standard en- Chrysler has the Dodge Challenger, a Zephyr are built on a 107.4-in. wheel- gine in the Zephyr. On both engines, sports sedan built on the Chrysler 300 base and are just over 190 in. in over- the horsepower boost is based on use of platform introduced in 2004, and a all length. In an era when so-called variable intake valve timing Neon replacement called the Caliber badge engineering is unacceptable, and a wider rpm range. So coming early next year. General Motors each car has a lot of unique sheet peak horsepower in has a new Buick—the Lucerne—a new metal and interior design, with the both cases is at over Chevy Impala, a PT Cruiser competitor upscale Zephyr featuring real wood 6400 rpm, vs. 5750 called the Chevy HHR, a low-priced trim. Suspension tuning for the Zephyr, revs with fixed

20 November 2005 Ford Fusion Buick Lucerne

Dodge Caliber Cadillac DTS

Chevy HHR

November 2005 21 HERE COME THE 2006 DOMESTICS! Illustrations courtesy Ford Motor Co. Motor Ford courtesy Illustrations Left: A 2.3L Four is the base engine on the 2006 Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan. It’s a 160-hp engine with variable intake valve timing, and charge motion valves (arrow) in the intake manifold to improve low-rpm air/fuel mixing. Right: The Duratec 3.0 V6 is the optional engine in the Fusion/Milan, and standard on the Lincoln Zephyr. This version has variable intake valve timing, which helps boost horsepower from 203 (on the Ford 500) to 221. However, as on the Ford 500, package issues required relocating the water pump to the rear of the engine (arrow), where it’s driven by its own belt. valve timing. Although torque is about tion valves (throttlelike butterflies con- The a/c condenser appears conven- the same as last year (150 ft.-lbs. on the trolled by an electric motor), which im- tional, but if you look closely, you’ll see a 2.3 Four, 205 ft.-lbs. on the 3.0 V6), the prove low-end air/fuel mixing and hose connection from the power steer- torque band also covers a wider rpm torque. The Duratec V6 has a flywheel- ing system. Yes, part of the condenser range. So the car performs more like a end-mounted belt-driven water pump really is a power steering oil cooler— European sedan. for packaging considerations, as on the something to remember if a flying rock The 2.3L Four also has charge mo- Ford 500/Freestyle. punches a hole in the condenser. Photos: Paul Weissler Paul Photos: The front suspension on Ford’s new trio shown in the photo on the left is a double-arm, coil-over-shock design. The lower control arm (right photo) has a double-ball-joint setup, a premium design that improves vehicle handling.

22 November 2005 HERE COME THE 2006 DOMESTICS!

Left: The intake manifold for Chrysler’s new 2.4L Four has equal-length chambers running from the throttle body to each intake port. Below: The butterfly valves used in the Chrysler intake manifold have flutes engineered into them to optimize air/fuel mixing IfIf thethe chartchart at low rpm. atat rightright isis missing,missing, pleaseplease circlecircle #40#40 onon thethe ProductProduct InformationInformation Photos: Paul Weissler Paul Photos: Ford has three transaxles—a manual gages in 3rd, 4th or 5th gear. The six- Card on five-speed (only for the 2.3 Four) and speed has a torque converter that may Card on two new automatics (a five-speed for engage at any time, because it’s con- the 2.3 Four, a six-speed for the 3.0 V6). trolled by a duty-cycle solenoid. That The automatics use different transmis- means it can be eased on for greater pagepage 65.65. sion fluids—FNR5 ATF for the five- smoothness, and allowed to slip slightly speed, Premium XT8-QAW ATF for under some operating conditions. the six-speed. Ford warns that the fluids These different clutch applications are are not the same, and that another new a key reason for the use of different fluid, the Motorcraft chain-type CVT ATF formulas. ATF, also is not recommended for ei- The failure mode for each automatic ther of the new automatic transaxles. is different. If the five-speed suffers an Better add another shelf on your shop electronics blowout, the system defaults wall for ATF stock. to 3rd gear in Drive, 2nd or 1st, the The fluid issue should make it clear torque converter clutch doesn’t engage the six-speed is not a five-speed with and the powertrain warning light goes one more gear ratio. The five-speed on. In addition, if the transmission oil has a torque converter clutch that en- gets very hot (or the temperature sensor continued on page 33

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misbehaves), the electronics default to a If the electronics die on the six- an independent type multilink, similar fixed shift schedule, and the clutch speed, the transmission defaults to to the much-praised Control Blade could engage in 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th. maximum line pressure, and the fluid design Ford has used on the Focus. Under these conditions, the transmis- pressure circuits are used to provide The Fusion, Milan and Zephyr have sion warning light should go on, indicat- either 3rd or 5th gear in Drive, and no camber adjustment in front but ing that something other than an elec- Reverse, if manually selected. As on one in the rear, which you perform by tronics failure is at fault. the five-speed, if oil temperature is turning a cam bolt. The torque converter clutch doesn’t very high, the transmission computer The three new models out of the engage until the transmission oil has will engage the torque converter Ford camp have a full pass-through be- warmed up, so if the oil sensor incor- clutch earlier. tween the trunk and passenger com- rectly reads low, the clutch won’t en- The front suspension is not a partment. That represents a major engi- gage and fuel economy will suffer. In MacPherson strut type (surprise!), but neering achievement because the chas- extreme cold (or a sensor reading sub- a short-arm/long-arm design with coil sis also has torsion and bending stiffness zero), the transmission won’t shift over shocks and dual lower ball joints. numbers that are the near equal of higher than 3rd. That’s a premium layout. The rear is some sports sedans that have a very small pass-through (built into a structur- As illustrated in al “plate” across the C-pillar area). Ford this engineering drawing, the designed a sophisticated bracing sys- bellhousing tem, including a structural package tray mounting flange (it’s a box section) to restore the rigidity for the 2.4L four lost by the large opening. is rounded for All-wheel-drive will be available on 360° bolting, to this Ford trio of vehicles for the 2007 provide a rigid model year, and a hybrid edition is on connection to the the schedule for 2008. transmission to quell unwanted Chrysler vibrations. When Chrysler introduced the 300 sedan in 2004, you knew it wouldn’t be long before the Dodge dealers would want more than the Magnum wagon from that platform. Now they have a stylish sports sedan called the Charger,

Illustration courtesy DaimlerChrysler courtesy Illustration which is basically a 300 moved one level up. That is, the 2.7L V6 base engine from the 300 is not available. The Charger starts with the 3.5L V6 and of- fers the 340-hp 5.7L HEMI V8 as the move up, with a 425-hp 6.1L HEMI also available in SRT performance models. The Mutliple Displacement System (MDS), the cylinder deactiva- tion introduced by Chrysler in 2004, is on the 5.7L only. The Charger suspension is basically the same as the Chrysler 300C with sporty tuning. Chrysler also is continuing to up- date the PT Cruiser. A freshened version of the convertible features some new trim and badging and a more powerful version of the turbo engine, up from 220 to 230 hp and from 220 to 245 ft.-lbs. of torque. An important vehicle coming this Photo: Paul Weissler Weissler Paul Photo: The powertrain compartment on the new Pontiac Solstice houses a 177-hp spring is the Dodge Caliber, a so-called version of the 2.4L Ecotec engine. The extra performance for this sporty ap- crossover vehicle. It’s a five-door plication comes from variable intake and exhaust valve timing. hatchback with wagonlike characteris-

November 2005 33 HERE COME THE 2006 DOMESTICS! tics, that eventually will spawn a couple Chrysler products shortly. In fact, you take advantage of the economies of of Jeep derivatives—a 2007 “soft-road- already can see a version of the engine scale. It’s worth knowing more about er” that won’t be trail-rated and, later on the new Hyundai Sonata, because this engine, but just realize there are on, a ruggedized version that will get the base engine was developed by differences among the manufacturers. the off-road rating. Hyundai. It will also be used on some For openers, all we know is that the The engine is a 2.4L four-cylinder Mitsubishi models. There will be 1.8 Sonata has a 2.4L version with variable that Chrysler just put into production, and 2.0L versions of this engine, with intake valve timing and that it develops so you might even see it on some other total production of about two million, to 162 hp. And that Chrysler also will use that displacement, but with variable timing on both the intake and exhaust, to produce 170 hp. There’s another major difference between the Chrysler and Hyundai versions of this engine (and likely from the version that Mitsubishi also will use): a speed density calibration instead of mass airflow. So although you’ll see a MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor on both the Hyundai and Chrysler engines, you won’t see a MAF sensor on Chrysler products. Chrysler is the only company that has managed to meet all the emissions regulations while match- ing the competition on performance and fuel economy with speed density, through the whole OBD II era to date. It’s a tougher calibration job, but Chrysler never abandoned speed density, which is an inferred form of airflow measurement, so it saves the cost of a

Photo courtesy GM courtesy Photo MAF sensor and all its wiring. And it A 505-hp V8 powers the Corvette Z06. Although it’s 7.0L, it’s very compact, thanks avoids the service issues that may arise. to the pushrod design. Labeled LS7, it’s the first production pushrod to rev over The plastic intake manifold has 7000 rpm. The base V8 for the new Corvette displaces 6.0L and develops 400 hp. equal-length paths to each intake port, which smoothes out the airflow and eliminates any rumbling noise. Like many other engines, it has butterfly- shaped flap valves (called charge motion Filler valves by Ford), but unlike others, these Cap have flutelike paths engineered into them, which Chrysler says creates more Dipstick intake air tumble for better mixing with the injected fuel. The desire for smoothness got atten- tion. The engine has a twin balance shaft module (which includes the oil pump) nesting in the oil pan, to reduce medium- to high-speed shaking forces. The pan itself is a steel-sandwiching- fiber design for reduced transmission of vibration. The bellhousing is a circular design, so the 360° bolting from engine to transaxle makes a rigid connection. The engine will be mated to a contin-

Illustration courtesy GM courtesy Illustration uously variable transmission (CVT), but The Corvette Z06 engine features a “dry sump” lubrication system, so the oil we haven’t heard the tech details on fill and dipstick are located in a remote tank, not on the engine. whether it will be a chain or belt type.

34 November 2005 HERE COME THE 2006 DOMESTICS! Illustrations courtesy GM courtesy Illustrations Installing the 5.3L small-block V8 in the Impala/Monte GM’s cylinder-disabling system, called Displacement on De- Carlo and Grand Prix required shortening the engine. GM mand, uses one solenoid per cylinder to apply oil pressure accomplished this by converting from two belts to a sin- to collapse the intake valve lifter on four of the cylinders in gle belt for the accessory drive. The water pump had to the 5.3L V8. This engine is on the new Chevy Impala/Monte be moved to the front side of the engine and connected to Carlo SS models and on the Pontiac Grand Prix GXP. the water jacket by a special coolant transfer manifold. General Motors Like the competition, the Ecotec en- secret that the stylist for the PT (who’s The so-called excitement cars from gine has twin balance shafts in the oil now at GM) was in charge of the HHR General Motors are the Corvette, of pan to reduce medium- to high-rpm development. course, plus a not-nearly-so-potent rear- shaking forces. Although these are The Corvette continues to prove that drive convertible called the Pontiac Sol- heavier than those in the 2.2 Four, the modern two-valve pushrod engines can stice. Why the excitement over the Sol- 2006 oil pan itself is the same as the one do just about anything a multivalve stice? Simple: The price is just under on the earlier engine. Both bolt to the overhead cammer can—maybe more, $20,000. The platform is a new one, lower part of the transmission case to and certainly at lower cost. The small- which will be shared with another con- produce a more rigid powertrain. block V8 engine, legendary for its fuel vertible called the Saturn Sky (due the The accessories are direct-mount- economy (no gas guzzler tax on following year), and the powertrain is ed to reduce vibration, and there are Corvette), is up from 5.7 to 6.0L from a the familiar four-cylinder Ecotec. In this hydraulic engine mounts designed to boreout (99 to 101.6mm; stroke re- case, the engine has a 2.4L displace- absorb much of whatever vibration is mains at 92mm). Along with modifica- ment and a rating of 177 hp and 166 ft.- emitted. tions to the intake and exhaust and a lbs. of torque, numbers slightly higher GM’s PT Cruiser-fighter—the Chevy larger throttle body (up from 75 to than the same engine in several other HHR (for Heritage High Roof)—is be- 90mm in diameter), the engine rating 2006 GM vehicles, including the new ing called an SUV, but it’s based on the goes up from 350 to 400 hp. And with a HHR. The chain-driven DOHC engine Cobalt, has the same two engines and revised mounting so it sits an inch far- has phasers to vary the valve timing on looks carlike to us, so we’re including it ther forward, the small-block has closer- both the intake and exhaust camshafts. in our domestic car report. All-wheel- fitting catalysts on the exhaust, a setup This is a new version of the 2.2L Ecotec drive reportedly is in the works. The that should meet emissions regulations from last year, with a larger bore and HHR has under-the-skin familiarity, but through to 2008. longer stroke. The stroke change didn’t with its tall-box construction and “hold If you don’t think 400 is enough involve a new block, just a redesigned lots of stuff” design, it does outweigh horsepower, there’s the Corvette Z06 crankshaft and new connecting rods. the 2800-lb. Cobalt by about 400 lbs. with a 7.0L version of the small-block However, the block was reworked to Does the styling say “retro” and remind that develops 505 ponies at 6300 rpm beef up the bulkheads (the area of you of a 1949 Suburban? Chevy thinks and has a 7100-rpm fuel shutoff, a first the main bearing caps’ attachments). so, hence the Heritage name. But it’s no for a pushrod engine. And you can trust

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Variable valve that control oil flow to the special valve timing comes lifters are in a single add-on assembly. to the pushrod Turning the small-block sideways engine with a for the transverse front-drive installa- cam phaser 1 tion required shortening it by ⁄2 in., us- (arrow) installed on the ing a single serpentine belt instead of GM 3.5 and 3.9L the Corvette-type two-belt arrange- 60° V6 engines ment. This required moving the water (which date pump to the left side of the engine back to the and making a front-of-engine casting 2.8L X-car V6 in that connects the pump to the engine the late 1970s). coolant passages. Intake and Pushrod engines also can use variable exhaust valve valve timing, a technology that can timing are broaden the torque curve, increase adjusted in tandem. horsepower and often eliminate the use of an EGR valve. Two GM pushrod V6s will have that technology in 2006—the 3.5 V6 used in the Chevy Malibu and Pontiac G6, and the 3.9 V6 in the Im- pala and Grand Prix. There’s only one camshaft and a single timing phaser on the front, so the phaser must make the same change (in degrees) on both the intake and exhaust. With careful camshaft design, however, most of the advantages of VVT can be obtained. Illustration: David Kimble David Illustration: The powertrain computer controls oil that horsepower number; it was the first First, there’s no engine dipstick. Instead flow through two passages—one to re- to come from a new program where the there’s a stick in the remote oil tank at tard timing, the other to advance it (up testing, done under SAE guidelines, is the passenger’s side rear of the engine to 25°). If the computer detects a signif- independently witnessed. With a lot of compartment. Second, never check oil icant difference (8° for more than 8 sec- other engines, you may see lowered level cold because oil could have seeped onds) between what it commands and numbers from previous years if the back into the engine and the stick the actual timing, it logs a code P0011. manufacturer is willing to retest. would read low (or even be dry). Warm If there’s a circuit failure, it may log any This engine is a hint of high-perfor- up the engine, shut it off and wait at of several codes, including P0010, mance pushrod things to come, al- least five minutes, then pull the stick. which indicates an open or short. though the pricey titanium valves and The displacement of a pushrod en- The 3.9 V6 was modified for DOD, connecting rods (among the 7100 rpm gine is not size-comparable to an and will get it in 2007. At this displace- enablers) are likely to be among the OHC. Pushrods are physically more ment and with other changes, the en- parts reserved for special occasions. compact, so these 6.0 or 7.0L pushrod gine will be able to stay in three-cylin- Both bore and stroke are increased (to V8s take a lot less space than DOHCs der mode far longer than other V6 en- 104.8 and 101.6mm, respectively), by in the 4.5L range. gines, according to GM. That should the use of larger cylinder liners and re- And when it comes to improving fuel provide a big boost in fuel economy. shaping the inside of the block for them economy, they’re less costly to equip However, DOHC V8s have a luxury to fit. To improve oil control at high with a cylinder cutout system, which image, and so Cadillac introduced a su- rpm and in hard cornering, the lubrica- GM calls Displacement on Demand percharged 4.4L version of its North- tion system is the dry sump type. This (DOD). It has been introduced on a star V8 for the STS sedan and means most of the oil is scavenged by new 5.3L version of the small-block for Corvette-based XLR convertible. This one stage of a dual-gerotor oil pump the Chevy Impala SS/Monte Carlo SS engine produces 469 hp in the STS and delivered to a remotely mounted and Pontiac Grand Prix GXP. (“only” 414 in the XLR because of reservoir. The second stage of the pump The 5.3 V8 is rated at 300 hp, but is packaging issues), making it competi- pulls oil from the reservoir, circulates it expected to get at least 12% better fuel tive with some engines in more expen- through an oil-to-air cooler and then economy from DOD. The cylinder dis- sive European cars. The base V8 en- delivers it to the engine. abling system operates in a way similar gine for the STS sedan and XLR con- Dry sump changes all the rules about to that of the Chrysler MDS, but be- vertible is the 4.6L naturally aspirated checking oil level and changing oil. cause it’s an add-on, the solenoid valves Northstar, rated at 320 hp.

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The displacement change was a bore air-to-coolant intercoolers in a housing hood line would had to have been change, from 93 to 91mm, as part of a bolted to the top. The whole assembly raised, creating a driver vision issue, so a block redesign that basically closed the is very compact, important because of longer set of Roots-type rotors was de- open deck for rigidity. And compression the great physical size of the Northstar veloped. Each intercooler tube is an as- ratio was lowered from 10.5:1 to 9:1. DOHC. GM couldn’t buy a super- sembly in which the fins are 360° and But the most technically innovative fea- charger with enough airflow off the cut from the tubing, a manufacturing ture is the combination intake manifold shelf, so it had to develop one, and did technique that isn’t new but produces a with a Roots-type (meshing rotors) su- so in collaboration with Eaton. There very efficient heat exchanger. percharger and a line of four tubular was a height limit on the engine, or the Buick’s new model—the Lucerne, which replaces the Park Avenue and LeSabre—is built on an upgraded GM front-drive chassis. The base engine is the pushrod 3800 V6 (will it live forev- er?), now in Series III and rated at 200 hp. GM, to its credit, keeps the inex- pensive engine as up-to-date as feasible, and the 2006 edition has improved side gaskets for the intake manifold and new water pump gaskets to extend its life. The pistons are polymer-coated to dampen vibration. Lucerne and the Cadillac DTS share the same front-drive platform. The Lucerne’s optional engine is a 275-hp version of the Cadillac Northstar 4.6 V8 that’s standard on the DTS. To package the engine, it had to be shortened, and as on the small-block V8, this was done with a switch to a single serpentine belt. To reduce overall height, Cadillac’s 4.4L Northstar V8 supercharger is inte- This required moving the a/c compres- grated with the intake manifold, and the air-to-coolant intercooler is bolted sor, power steering pump and alterna- to the top. The coolant fill cap for the intercooler is shown removed. tor. The primary difference between the Lucerne and DTS versions is in the electronic throttle strategy. On the Lucerne, throttle response is designed for a sporty feel; on the DTS, that audi- ence wants smooth and sedate. There is no powertrain control module (PCM) for the engine and transmission on these models (possibly a change you’ll be seeing across other GM models). Instead, there’s an engine control module (ECM) and a transmission control module (TCM), which may simplify differentiation between the vehicles. Both models have the MagneRide shocks, a first for Buick. As GM equips more and more cars with this magne- torheological system for shock control, the aftermarket obviously is going to have to consider supplying replacements for these and many other electronic suspension system components. Photos courtesy GM courtesy Photos The upper and lower sections of the 4.4 Northstar supercharger assembly are split in this photo so you can see the intercooler with the tubes and their Visit www.motor.com to download full-circle fins in the housing at the bottom. The supercharger rotors are in a free copy of this article. the section at top, only slightly visible through the V-shaped opening.

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