This Is the Year that Was

No Top 10 list from me this year. Every big auto story in 2009 was connected to the vast economic earthquake that will forever change the way we buy cars and trucks. It’s about the way General Motors, for 80 years the world’s biggest automaker thanks to such Alfred Sloan inventions as a brand for every purse and purpose, planned obsolescence and model years, has become a much smaller, different kind of car company. Of how GM’s first effective reorganization came about only as part of our country’s shift from 25 years of supply-side Reaganomics back to FDR-style Keynesian economic policy. Of how its replacement as the world’s largest automaker, Toyota, has begun its own fall after just two years, giving way to Ferdinand Piech, and his masterful manipulation of Volkswagen AG and Porsche.

Whether you’re a Reagan supply-sider or a Keynesian, you can’t deny that GM would not be here today without the U.S. Treasury giving it $50-billion-plus in loan guarantees in exchange for 60 percent equity in the newly slimmed-down automaker. Someone, either nascent Chinese automakers or Fiat, would be picking apart remains of Chevrolet and Cadillac right now, while Russia’s GAZ would be running Opel/Vauxhall. Holden would be a remote, dying outpost, like Australia itself in the 1959 film, “On the Beach.”

If you read my decade-in-review post from last week, you know that I’ve seen Old GM, under then-CEO Rick Wagoner, announce several “reorganizations” in the past 10 years. It took Steven Rattner, Ron Bloom and the rest of the Obama administration’s Automotive Task Force to cut dealerships, slash employment levels and get rid of Saturn, Saab and Hummer, and bring about meaningful change.

The salient issue was GM’s wreck of a financial department, even with ex-chief financial officers Wagoner and then, briefly, Fritz Henderson, leading the company for years.

To us car guys, the closing of Pontiac seemed like a burned bridge too far. Don’t dwell on this one, dear reader. Pontiac changed from the eight-cylinder Chevy of the ’30s, ’40s and early ’50s to grandma’s car to the affordable performance division under Bunkie Knudson. Those glory years lasted roughly from the 1957 model year to the mid-’70s, depending on what you think of Nova/Ventura-based GTOs and ‘Screaming Chicken’ Trans Ams. The Pontiac of the ’90s and ’00s was the Grand Am/G6, the volume model, thanks largely to Hertz and Avis. There is no performance car Pontiac could have done in the next decade that couldn’t be a Chevy SS.

More importantly, the kinds of corporate downsizing that GM and Ford Motor Company brought to a head in 2009 should make them both more profitable while selling much lower volumes in the coming years. The 1965 calendar year was a high watermark for U.S. car sales, having breached 15 million for the first time. Through most of the ’00s, U.S. sales were in the 16- to 18-million range, until falling to 13.2 million in 2008 and about 10.3 million in ‘09 (we’ll get a more accurate number when automakers report December and calendar ‘09 sales Tuesday, January 5). North American production capacity through most of the ’00s totaled about 23 million cars and trucks. Even in the 17 million-unit years, GM, Ford and Chrysler struggled to maintain capacity utilization and make money.

Early this year, Wagoner claimed GM would be able to make money on the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze in North America - though GM has consistently lost money on small cars since the ‘60 Corvair — and that reduced legacy costs would virtually equalize the company’s labor costs with Toyota’s in the U.S. That’s before the ATF forced GM and Chrysler to renegotiate agreements with the United Auto Workers even further, to the detriment of Ford, which was unable to get the same concessions.

If GM makes money on the Cruze, it’s a testament to the profound reduction of GM’s size and weight in 2009. I’m about half the age of GM, and I’m still trying to comprehend the way GM’s North American operations have been cut in half, to Chevy, GMC, Buick and Cadillac.

It’s not hard to grasp the idea that Chryslers and Dodges will soon be rebadged Lancias and Fiats. Chrysler has struggled as the least healthy of what we once called The Big Three since the 1960s and looked good only in comparison to the struggling company that built its cars just 45 miles south of where I grew up. Fiat’s takeover looks much to me like Chrysler’s takeover of AMC some two decades ago. I can’t help believe that by the end of the coming decade, Fiat will have retained Jeep (just as Chrysler did with AMC) and maybe Ram, which it otherwise inexplicably broke off into a separate division in ‘09.

While GM shrank in half, Piech’s VW just about took control of Porsche in ‘09, and tied up with Suzuki. I have no doubt, as VW AG expands its small car lineup, it will pass and stay ahead of Toyota in global sales for the foreseeable future. Toyota, Honda and Nissan are losing traction here while the Japanese home market languishes. Toyota’s and Honda’s latest designs have gone off the rails a bit (as a CRX fan, I’m dubious about the CR-Z, at least until I drive one), though under scion Akio Toyoda, a rediscovery of enthusiasts’ models ought to bring that company a quick rebound.

So that’s how I see 2009 - a year that will reduce our automotive choices to better suit our demand. Early indications are that young drivers produced by the echo-boom are less interested in cars than my generation is. Until recently, I was convinced that a number of factors, including production costs, would return us to the pre-Model T days, and make the automobile a luxury item once again. I’m not sure, but I think it’s still possible.

Since we use even recent history to predict the future, here’s how I see 2010 and ‘11:

1. If the economic recovery doesn’t speed up, the Obama administration will consider reviving Cash for Clunkers, maybe for summertime. This time, I hope, it will be less complicated, with the administration targeting demand and not fuel economy. It surely will offer smaller tax rebates.
2. GM should avoid issuing an IPO in 2010. The company quickly cranked up product development after its summertime bankruptcy, and it needs to build equity in itself and launch more of those future models before it goes public. GM execs will just have to bite the bullet and take low, six-figure salaries.
3. When it does issue an IPO, GM is likely to change its name to the Chevrolet Motor Company. There is precedent for this - Chevrolet, under William Crapo Durant, bought GM in late 1915.
4. Successful (relatively) as it is, Ford will have to start turning good product into profit and start paying down about $27 billion in loans or it’s facing financial problems.
5. I don’t know what to make of Fiat-Chrysler.

Farewell 2009: A Few Disappointments, and Looking Toward Next Year

Okay, so you’ve seen the list of the cars that impressed me during 2009. But what about the cars that disappointed me; the cars I wanted to love, but instead let me down?  There were a few, and they’re on this list because they could have — should have — been better.

Chevy’s Camaro was the most-hyped launch of the year, and while the car was good enough to beat both Mustang GT and Mustang V-6 in our comparison tests — better engines and a more sophisticated rear axle counted — I was bitterly disappointed with the relentless understeer when you started pushing it hard, especially as I expected more from a car using most of the hardware from Holden’s neat-handling Zeta platform. I’ve been told changes made to the suspension geometry are the problem, and they’re not easily fixed, though GM is working on a new suspension and tire package in an effort to get the Camaro’s handling closer to that of the Mustang GT Track Pack.

Ford product development supremo Derrick Kuzak reckons the 2010 Mustang GT Track Pack is the car he’s proudest of in terms of suspension development. And rightly so, for it is a remarkably well sorted chassis, with the best steering I’ve ever experienced in an American car. But every time I drove the Mustang GT this year I couldn’t help wondering how truly great it might have been had Ford not cheapskated and switched the S197 platform to an independent rear suspension setup instead of the live rear axle. The move, championed by Kuzak’s predecessor Phil Martens, was supposed to save $100 a car. But here’s the kicker: a well-placed source closely involved with the program says by the time the NVH and driveline angle issues were solved, the live axle ended up costing $98 a car more. Sigh.

The Ford Taurus SHO was another disappointment. Blame the weight of expectations - and, perhaps, the portly 4405 lbs it carried — but against cars like the Cadillac CTS-V, the SHO felt more like a quietly competent full-size sedan than a ball-tearing bitumen burner. Honda’s loud and flimsy Insight seemed an unduly cheap and cynical effort from a company usually more engineering-led, as did Mercedes-Benz’s disappointingly ordinary E550 Coupe. Both cars were based on hardware from a segment below (the Insight on the Fit, and the E550 Coupe on the C-Class), and it showed. The Ferrari California: why, why, why, oh why did it have to look like that?

The great thing about this business is there’s always the promise of next year, and new cars that will be better, faster, more stylish, more interesting than last year’s offerings. So what cars do I most want to drive in 2010? Here’s the short list:

Aston Martin Rapide — will it be a true four seat GT, or just a glamorous show-pony?

Bentley Mulsanne — it has a turbocharged pushrod 6.75-liter V-8 because, well, that’s what traditional Bentleys have had for the past 20 years. But will that be a reason to own it?

2011 Buick Regal – will this be the breakthrough Euro-style, American branded car that banishes the ghost of Merkur forever? And will it make Buick relevant to buyers under 60 again?

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe — the current CTS-V is one of the greatest American sedans ever built; can Caddy repeat the magic with the Coupe?

Chevrolet Volt — it’s conceptually the most interesting car from GM since the Corvair, but will it really work, and will America get it?

Ferrari 458 Italia — it’s the most exciting new Ferrari since the Enzo; you need to ask why I want to drive it?

2011 Ford Mustang – will the new 412-hp V-8 and 305-hp V-6 engines comprehensively crush Camaro?

McLaren MP4-12C — can it beat Ferrari and Lamborghini out of the box?

Yes, it’s going to be an interesting year, and I hope you’ll come along for the ride. Happy New Year.

2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S, an AW Drivers Log:

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: Simply a joy to drive. I’ve said this 58,490,358,903,458,390 times, but it remains true: No other car gives the tactile sensations, the driving pureness, that a Porsche does, and a 911 is perhaps the best example of that.

It’s hip to be Cube: Kicking off a year with Nissan’s funky box:

Square cars are nothing new to the United States, with the Scion xB and the Honda Element being available for a number of years.

The 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S, an AW Drivers Log:

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: Simply a joy to drive. I’ve said this 58,490,358,903,458,390 times but it remains true: No other car gives the tactile sensations, a driving pureness that a Porsche does, and a 911 is perhaps the best example of that.

Farewell 2009: A Few of My Favorite Cars

It’s been a rough year for the auto industry. But for all the turmoil and upheaval on the business side, it’s been a good year for great cars. So, as the Year That Everything Changed draws to a close, these are the cars I enjoyed most in 2009.

Audi R8 V-10. I thought the two extra cylinders and 105 extra horses wouldn’t be worth the money. I was wrong. The 5.2-liter V-10 amps the R8 experience up into true supercar territory without compromising the 24/7 usability that makes it a genuine alternative to a Porsche 911 Turbo as an everyday driver. Its one weakness? Transmissions. The clackety-clack faux-Ferrari metal gate slows shifts in the regular manual, while the R-tronic single clutch automated manual is outclassed by the newer dual clutch transmissions. But rest of the car is so damned good, complaining about the trannies is a bit like dissing Heidi Klum for having a bad hair day.

BMW M3. Every time I get into our long term M3, I fall in love all over again. There is so much that is just so right about this car, from that glorious high-revving V-8 up front to the sublime steering, indestructible brakes, quickfire seven-speed dual clutch manual transmission, and finely balanced chassis. Our M3 is a plain vanilla white sedan, with dark finish 18in wheels, instead of the usual coupe on shiny 19s. While the practicality of the extra doors is nice, what I like most about our M3 is how it tends to run under the radar in blinged-up LA traffic. It’s perfect for pouncing on loafing 911s.

Buick LaCrosse. Buick’s glory days ended decades before I arrived in America, and until this year my experience with Buick cars had been limited to the Lucerne and previous generation LaCrosse, both relics of a Detroit mindset that believed American automakers could get away with foisting hopelessly outclassed machinery on Americans too patriotic — or dim-witted — to buy an import brand. A front drive luxo-cruiser, the new LaCrosse is not my sort of car. But it looks sharp inside and out, and is — in top of the range V-6 form, at least - very pleasant to drive. Better than a Lexus ES350? Probably. I climbed in a skeptic, and climbed out impressed.

Cadillac CTS-V. It’s vanquished the BMW M5, and taken down Jaguar’s XFR. Make no mistake, the Cadillac CTS-V is a benchmark sport sedan. Even now, after a lot of miles in CTS-Vs over the past 12 months, I find it astonishing I can write that sentence. The CTS-V’s supercharged V-8 delivers a tidal wave of power; the steering is crisp and accurate; the chassis balance superb; ride and refinement first rate. The CTS-V shows the American auto industry is capable of building a no-excuses, world-class automobile when it puts its mind to it. Is it good enough to beat the impressive new Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG? Log on to motortrend.com next week to find out. But win, lose or draw, the CTS-V will remain one of my all-time favorite American cars.

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. From a blog I wrote back in June: “I’m still tingling from this morning’s 300 mile cross country-blast in the Corvette ZR1. I didn’t go over 140 mph, but Lordy, what a car! Punch the gas and the LS9 bellows like a lion kicked in the balls, delivering a surge of pure, weapons-grade thrust… The massive Michelin Pilot Sport tires grip like leeches, the steering is accurate and nicely weighted, and the huge carbon brakes are simply bulletproof, hauling the ZR1 down from unfeasibly fast velocities time and again without a hint of fuss and fade. This is without doubt the most accomplished Corvette ever; the first that could be considered a true Ferrari rival. I adore it, so much so I can forgive its cheap-looking, made-by-Mattel interior and the faint whiff of Dogtown surf shop when I open the rear hatch.” Says it all, really…

Ford Fusion. Of course we auto writers love driving all the fast and dangerous stuff. After all, most of us are only car guys who’ve been lucky enough to parlay our passion into a profession. But we also love cars that are great all-rounders; the honest and accomplished everyday cars that deliver a dash of inspiration as well as transportation. The heavily reworked Ford Fusion, our 2010 COTY, is one of those cars. The fuel efficient Fusion Hybrid is a more refined and entertaining drive than a Toyota Prius, and the headline grabber in the range. But in many ways the star car is the entry-level SE four banger with the six-speed manual transmission. It’s great fun to drive; peppy, and light on its feet, like Honda Accords used to be before they got fat and ugly.

Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. Trying to turn pickup trucks into muscle car alternatives never made much sense. Sure, rigs like the GMC Syclone, F-150 Lighting, and Ram SRT-10 were great fun to drive. For about 15 minutes. Then you realized you’d bought a pickup truck that wasn’t actually as fast and buttoned down as a proper muscle car, and wasn’t much use as a pickup truck. Okay, the F-150 Raptor isn’t a real load lugger, either. But it can do something no muscle car, sport sedan or supercar could ever do - charge flat out across desert whoop-de-dos like a genuine Baja racer. This is the pickup truck world’s answer to a Porsche 911 GT3 — a properly engineered, race-focused ride you can drive everyday on the street during the week, and hammer on — er, make that off — the track on the weekend. Forget the anemic 5.4-liter version, though. Go for the new 411-hp 6.2.

Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce. Ever since the white-on-white LP500S Countach, big-banger Lambos have always exuded a faint aura of gold chains and chest hair, and whispered threats of grievous bodily harm if you dared tried to drive them as fast as they looked. The LP670-4 blows those stereotypes out of the water. It’s still big, and it’s still ohmigod fast when that 661-hp V-12 starts shrieking towards redline. But it’s more balanced, more communicative, more… trustworthy than any big-banger Lambo in history. It looks like a supercar, sounds like a supercar, and makes the driver feel like Superman.

Land Rover LR4.I’m driving one right now, and very nice it is, too. The LR3 was our 2005 SUOTY thanks to its unique combination of stunning off-road capability and remarkable on-road refinement, plus clever packaging that allowed a truly useable third row in a relatively compact vehicle footprint. The LR4 builds on that basic goodness with an upscale new interior, and a punchy new 375-hp 5.0-liter V-8 that has banished the old LR3’s slightly lazy rolling response. It’s like driving a more practical Range Rover. And despite all those luxury goodies, it’s still one of the most capable rigs you’ll ever take off-road.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. I got some wheel time in this a couple of weeks back, on Abu Dhabi’s incredible Yas Marina F1 circuit. It’s stunningly fast without being fearsome, and feels utterly bulletproof, like a proper Mercedes should. That mighty AMG-built 6.2-liter V-8 thunders like a WWII fighter plane on a strafing run when you nail the gas, the steering has same wonderful clarity as the new E63 sedan, and the brakes feel like they could stop a freight train. You could argue the 1950s Gullwing-inspired SLS walks a fine line between homage and parody in terms of styling, but I love the fact it’s not another formulaic mid-engine supercar. It oozes character and presence, and is a car only Mercedes-Benz could have built.

Nissan GT-R.Speaking of character, here’s an excerpt from a blog I wrote after hustling our long-term GT-R from LA to Vegas — the long way — for the SEMA Show last month: “The coolly calculated Nissan GT-R may not have the rosso romance of a Ferrari Daytona, the charming idiosyncrasy of a Porsche 911, or the aw-shucks muscle of a Corvette ZR1. But in form and function it is a supercar that deftly defines both its era and its origin. All gigabytes and manga, GT-R is a supercar like no other; a supercar that only Japan could have created. I’d call that character.” And as for the performance… No matter how often I drive it, the GT-R’s supercar-slaying capabilities never cease to amaze me. It is the world’s best bang-for-the-buck performance car. Period.

Porsche Cayman S PDK.The Cayman S PDK nailed our 2009 Best Driver’s Car award, beating a quality field that included Audi’s R8 and the ZR1 Corvette. How? Because it’s one of the most beautifully balanced sports cars ever built. Everything — everything — in the Cayman S PDK works in harmony, delivering a rare combination of useable performance, accessible handling, and driver-friendly design. This is a car with a multidimensional personality that will delight and reward the enthusiast driver on any road at any time, regardless of weather and traffic conditions. A Ferrari is out of my reach. But I keep thinking that once the last of the kids are through college and gainfully employed, I might just be able to accumulate the Benjamins to actually own one of these.

Rolls-Royce Ghost.I love the Rolls-Royce Phantom. It’s an in-your-face, ultra-luxury car that captures the essence of the stately Rolls-Royces of the 20s and 30s, and reworks it for the 21st century. So perfectly wrought is the Phantom that conjuring a follow-up act, especially one that’s intended as an “entry-level” sibling, would seem an almost impossible task. But BMW, surely the best interpreter of classic British brands ever, (better, I would argue than the Brits themselves, given a resume that includes the new Mini, current Range Rover, and even the misunderstood Rover 75) has pulled it off with the Rolls-Royce Ghost. The Ghost puts spirit into the Spirit of Ecstasy with a powerful twin-turbo V-12 and adroit handling, yet it oozes down the road like warm chocolate down Penelope Cruz’s …er, you get the idea. This might be the best riding car ever built.

Volkswagen GTI.Volkswagen invented the hot hatch with the original GTI back in 1976. Like the sainted original, the sixth generation GTI is a car that’s greater than the sum of its parts. There are hot hatches with more power and more driven wheels, but none has quite the same sweet balance of performance and handling as the GTI. It’s a blast to drive, especially when the 200-hp 2.0-liter turbo four is hooked to the lighting-fast dual-clutch six speed automated manual. It looks great too, thanks to Walter de Silva’s new wide-screen VW corporate grille, and an interior that’s classy enough for an Audi. I loved the new GTI, so much so that I’ve just traded Mrs. Mackenzie’s Mini Cooper on one. It’s dark grey metallic, with 18-in wheels, DSG tranny, no nav, and no sunroof.  And plaid cloth interior, of course.

2010 Lincoln MKZ, an AW Drivers Log:

SENIOR WEB REPORTER GREG MIGLIORE: My initial impression is that this car fits in with the MKS and even the MKX in drive character, and establishing a behind-the-wheel identity is a good thing for Lincoln.

The 2010 Mazda 3 S Sport 5-Door, an AW Drivers Log:

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT JONATHAN WONG: Without taking into account the Mazdaspeed, Si and GTI models of the class, the Mazda 3 is hands-down my favorite player in the compact-car field.

Suzuki/Garmin–Nav Done Right

 I just had the chance to try out the 2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara which now comes standard in all trim levels with a built-in Garmin navigation device, making it the least expensive SUV equipped with navigation. The unit looks very similar to my Nuvi 760. I’m a big fan of the Garmin Nuvi series for its ease of operation, clear graphics and general user-friendliness. So I was inclined to appreciate Suzuki’s approach of providing a built-in docking station for the Nuvi (it folds down into the top center of the dash when not in use), and providing some rudimentary integration (a Suzuki logo appears onscreen when you power up and voice prompts interrupt the vehicle’s sound system). The Grand Vitara’s base price increased by just $500, which primarily covers the nav, splitting the difference between the lower-end aftermarket, sucker-on-the-windshield, cords-a-danglin’ Nuvis and the $1200-$2000 custom in-dash units most other manufacturers offer.

Other bonus features: The SD card slot makes database-updating a snap and allows most of the same photo/music playback functionality as found on my Nuvi. It can be detached for on-foot navigation or to connect to your laptop for direct internet-based system and map database updates. The unit comes pre-loaded with American, Brit, and Aussie male or female voices, and presumably one could download Homer Simpson’s voice and others offered by Garmin for ultimate personalization. Oddly, although Garmin offers a number of vehicle icons for download, the one adorning this mini-offroader’s screen looked like a pink sportscar.

A number of features seem to have been upgraded since my 760 was minted, including speed-limit information for more than just major state and interstate highways (it’s displayed as a speed-limit sign located very near the readout of your current GPS-determined speed, which itself is a useful double-check of the car’s speedometer reading, especially if you’ve mounted taller off-road tires). More detailed graphic depictions of intersections and off-ramps including signage helps remove some of the guesswork with tricky directions. Arrival time (or remaining driving duration of a trip), the direction of north, and the map scale are also shown on screen.

But the green-geek in me really delighted at a new Eco Route feature. Enable it, and the system begins monitoring your rate of acceleration and braking, as well as your speed, and grades your eco-driving performance. A leaf changes color from red to yellow to green depending on your driving style at the moment, and then a screen indicates your scores for acceleration, deceleration, speed, and an overall composite score at the end of the trip. The system is pretty stingy with A-grades, even for hypermilers, unless the journey’s speed remains low (it doesn’t seem to pass moral judgment on your velocity relative to the posted limit, it just wants you to go 40-45 mph for optimal aerodynamic drag to get a good grade). One of my best runs was an early-morning ride to the airport. Because there was nobody on the road to impede, I kept my speeds below the limit and drove with imaginary eggs on the pedals and still ended up with an 84. Harumph.

The system is not perfect. It inexplicably zooms in and out at random, giving you the 10,000-foot view when you’re just rolling along, then swoops in for a close-up when direction changes are coming up. I’d generally rather set a level of zoom and have the system stay there–or at least zoom back to there after the intersection close-up. I also was unable to shut off voice commands using only my wits and my experience with the 760, but I confess to not having opened the manual.

In any case, I believe the future of in-car electronics is open architecture that can be upgraded as the years roll by. Ford’s Sync telematics platform is heading in that direction as are others. Suzuki’s removable nav is another great step in that direction.

The 2010 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 Convertible, an AW Drivers Log:

MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: Iand#8217;d put this car on about the same plane as the Corvette in terms of some of the best bang for your buck available to enthusiasts of high horsepower, high-performance sports cars.