MOTOR page- 11/8/04 3:26 PM Page 1 Chevy Corvette 20 November 2004 MOTOR page- 11/8/04 3:27 PM Page 2 CARS ARE BACK! Tech Preview of the 2005 Domestics BY PAUL WEISSLER Chrysler 300 After a multiyear infatuation with SUVs, the domestic automakers have ‘rediscovered’ the automobile. Our annual report covers several all-new models that have resulted from this new marketing direction. ord is calling 2005 the Year of the Car, and is introduc- ing brand-new cars and carlike “crossover” vehicles. But Fit’s not alone, as General Motors and the Chrysler Group also are focusing on the passenger car for 2005. At Ford, the new Mustang gets the most head-turning looks, of course, but the new Ford 500 and Mercury Montego sedans, and the Freestyle “almost SUV,” are a higher volume group. At Chrysler, the in-your-face 300 and Dodge Magnum wagon are getting plenty of attention. And GM has several significant new Dodge Magnum cars—the compact Chevrolet Cobalt (which replaces the Cava- lier), Pontiac G6 (replacing the Grand Am), Buick LaCrosse (replacing the Regal and Century), Cadillac STS (replacing the Seville) and the Corvette, which is irreplaceable. Let’s delve further into it and see what the three domestic camps are offering for 2005. Ford The Ford 500 and its sister Mercury Montego clearly are cars, but what’s the Freestyle? The North American Car of the Year jury placed it in the truck/SUV category (it has suspension modifications to increase ride height and a wagon-type body with three-row seating), but it’s technically very close to the 500. So we’ll save the truck report for the real trucks and less carlike SUVs, and cover the Freestyle and similar vehicles here. The 500/Montego/Freestyle is built on a Volvo S80 platform with a Ford Duratec V6 engine and a ZF-designed CVT (con- tinuously variable transmission). But if the buyer has a thing against CVTs, there’s a six-speed automatic made by Aisin (which is also used by Toyota) that’s a no-cost alternative on Ford 500 front-drive versions of the 500/Montego. November 2004 21 MOTOR page- 11/8/04 3:27 PM Page 3 CARS ARE BACK! TECH PREVIEW OF THE 2005 DOMESTICS The engine is the 3.0L Duratec V6. ratio for decent acceleration—the bigger? It couldn’t. The engine was en- It develops just 203 hp and 207 ft.-lbs. 500/Montego does 0 to 60 in just about larged from 2.5L and 3.0 is as big as it of torque, which may seem like margin- eight seconds, which matches the new could go. There’s a new V6, starting at al power. However, combined with the Chrysler 300 with a 3.5L V6. Why 3.5L and presumably going to over 4.0, CVT—which provides a tall overall gear didn’t Ford just make the 3.0 Duratec that will be out soon and eventually will go into these cars. Other Ford V6s, such as the 4.0L single OHC in the Ranger and Mustang, are cast-iron, two-valve units that produce no more power and are just not suitable and too heavy for the transverse mounting. Even the Duratec wasn’t an easy in- stallation in the new powertrain com- partment. Ford had to relocate the wa- ter pump to the rear, and direct-drive it—which means no pulley and belt— off the back of the camshaft. The Ford/ZF CVT uses a chain, and is a design somewhat similar to that used by Audi. This contrasts with the steel-link belt used by most other mak- ers, including Nissan and Honda, and that was used by GM until this year. The Duratec 3.0 V6 is the one and only engine for the Ford 500/Mercury Mon- The AWD system is the Haldex design tego and Ford Freestyle. However, even this engine posed packaging issues. In- also used in the Volvo XC90, except for stalling the water pump on the rear of the engine and driving it directly off the minor calibration differences. An elec- camshaft solved the fitting-it-in problem. To facilitate flush & fill services, an tronically controlled hydraulic pumping air bleed is installed on the top of the coolant hose attached to the pump. system applies a multidisc clutch to re- 1 spond to slippage in as little as ⁄7 of a Developed in wheel turn. Europe and The new Mustang chassis is really made by ZF, the new—no more reworking of the 27- Ford CVT uses a chain drive year-old Fox platform. Its chassis is rather than somewhat akin to the one for the Lin- the steel-link coln LS/Thunderbird platform, but un- belt of other like the independent-suspension rear- CVTs. It per- drive LS/Thunderbird, Mustang contin- mits a large ues with a solid rear axle. The base en- ratio spread— gine is the 4.0L single OHC V6, a two- 6—which en- valve overhead-cam 60° engine that de- ables Ford to velops 210 hp and 240 ft.-lbs. of torque, have tall gear- heavily reworked to make the move ing for accel- eration, and from the F-150 to a car. It’s a quantum good 0-to-60 improvement over the 3.9L 90° pushrod numbers with V6 previously used, which developed a relatively 190 hp and 220 ft.-lbs. of torque. Two- lower-perfor- thirds of Mustangs are V6-equipped. mance engine However, the muscle comes from a for the vehicle three-valve version of the 4.6L SOHC size class. V8, which produces 300 hp—same as the 5.4 V8. The three-valve head de- sign, adapted from the 5.4L V8 in the F-150, also has variable valve timing, charge motion valves in the intake man- 9 ifold and uses the ultra-thin ( ⁄16-in. hex) spark plugs. Photos: Paul Weissler Paul Photos: If Ford can produce 300 hp with the 22 November 2004 MOTOR page- 11/8/04 3:27 PM Page 4 CARS ARE BACK! Photo courtesy Ford Motor Co. Motor Ford courtesy Photo The three-valve cylinder head (two intakes), with a single overhead camshaft, is an engineering feature in the new 4.6L Mustang V8 that was adapted from the Ford F-150 truck engine. Like the truck’s 5.4 V8, the Mustang’s 4.6 V8 develops 300 hp. IfIf thethe chartchart same systems in the 4.6 V8, you may used for lateral stability, and the longer wonder why it didn’t get more horse- leg at the rear, where a softer (hydraulic) power with the larger displacement 5.4 bushing both absorbs road vibration and atat rightright isis V8. The reason is that the 5.4 V8 pro- controls chassis fore & aft movements. duces the 300 hp at 5000 rpm and 365 The three-link rear suspension fea- ft.-lbs. of torque at 3750 rpm. The high- tures a massive center-mounted torque missing,missing, strung 4.6 V8 develops its 300 horses at control link attached to the top of the 5750 rpm, and 320 ft.-lbs. of torque at banjo, a design prominent in racing cir- 4500 rpm. cles. There’s a trailing arm at each side please circle The Mustang has an advanced design and a stiff rod (called a Panhard rod) please circle MacPherson strut front suspension that from one end of the axle to the chassis uses a reverse L-shaped lower control at the other end, to maintain lateral lo- arm. The lightweight steel design cation of the axle. #40#40 onon thethe weighs about the same as cast alu- Five-speed manuals are standard— minum. The reverse L-shape isolates specific ones for the two engines—but the control bushings. It puts the shorter the engines share a five-speed automatic. ProductProduct leg at the front, where a firm bushing is Gone is the 2.0L, 110-horse base InformationInformation CardCard onon pagepage 65.65. Photo: Paul Weissler Paul Photo: The charge motion valves in the intake manifold on Ford’s 4.6 V8 create an air swirl at lower engine speeds, promoting better fuel mixing in the cylinders. The valves are on a shaft with a computer-controlled linkage. 24 November 2004 MOTOR page- 11/8/04 3:27 PM Page 5 CARS ARE BACK! TECH PREVIEW OF THE 2005 DOMESTICS four-cylinder in the Focus, a pickup from the retired Escort. It’s been re- placed by another 2.0L Four that devel- ops 136 hp. It’s a shorter-stroke version of the 151-hp, 2.3L Four that’s the op- tional engine, and in 2004 was the PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) engine used in California. For 2005, the 2.0 Four is Ford’s PZEV entry. Chrysler The new Chrysler 300 has been out since the spring, so its in-your-face grille should be a familiar sight by now. Same with the Dodge Magnum, a station wagon built on the same new rear-drive platform. All-wheel-drive is optional on both vehicles. You’ve probably heard about the 340- Photo: Paul Weissler Paul Photo: hp, 5.7L Hemi pushrod engine, but The reverse-L lower control arm on the new Mustang is a lightweight steel most 300s and Magnums will go out the design (comparable to aluminum). The rear pivot is in a hydraulic bushing. door with one of two OHC V6s. There’s the base engine, a 190-hp, 2.7L V6 from the discontinued L/H front-drive cars (Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler Con- corde, etc.).