TECH OVERVIEW OFTHE 2005 IMPORTSTECH OVERVIEW OFTHE 2005 IMPORTS

20 December 2004

BY PAUL WEISSLER

Cylinder deactivation, direct fuel injection, broader

hybrid applications, variable valve lift and timing

and several other innovations are described

in this year’s import report.

BY PAUL WEISSLER

Cylinder deactivation, direct fuel injection, broader

hybrid applications, variable valve lift and timing

and several other innovations are described

in this year’s import report.

Audi A6

21December 2004

The Year of the Car, it turns out,doesn’t apply only to the 2005domestic cars (see last month’stech report). Import name-

plates have their own lists of new of-ferings, and although some of thetechnology on the various makes andmodels is similar, there also are majordifferences.

Subaru has new-generation Lega-cy sedans and Outback wagons withmajor new powertrain and chassisdesigns to go with the new styling.

Subaru Legacy

Honda Odyssey Mercedes-Benz SLK

Honda has a new Accord hybrid andOdyssey minivan, and its Acura linemoves the RL further upscale. Volvohas introduced a new S40/V50 series,based on a Ford world platform alsoused by the Mazda 3, but with a Volvopowertrain and trademark safety fea-tures. Audi’s new A6 has its first direct-injection gasoline V6 for the U.S. mar-ket. The Mercedes SLK may be a famil-iar nameplate, but the 2005 model hasthe company’s first V6 with variablevalve timing. It also gets the seven-speed automatic transmission intro-duced last year on the E-Class.

And there’s more, as you’ll see.Here’s what’s coming out of the im-port camps for 2005.

HondaOf immediate interest to independentshops is that the new Odyssey becomesthe first high-volume vehicle to haveMichelin PAX System (so-called run-flat) tires, which have a run-flat struc-tural insert and a special bead attach-ment. Other vehicles, such as theDodge Viper, Corvette and CadillacXLR, use a different technology, whichadds stiffness to the sidewalls. Accord-

ing to Michelin, PAX tire punctures canbe repaired with conventional patchingand plugging, and the tires can be

mounted and removed with many exist-ing changers with a new adapter kit(available from Hunter, Corghi and Ac-cu-turn at this time). Furthermore,Michelin has distributed to all Hondadealers and designated independent re-pair shops the Odyssey “hatboxes,”which are plastic containers containinga complete assembly—tire and wheel—ready for inflation and mounting.

All 2005 Odysseys are equippedwith a 255-hp, 3.5L V6, an engine withvariable valve timing and variable lift.However, that engine in the Touringand EX versions also is Honda’s firstwith cylinder deactivation. It runs onjust three cylinders in deactivationmode, when the rear bank is disabled.This choice was made because thetransverse engine’s front bank can becooled more effectively when it’s run-ning solo. The method is unique toHonda, which builds on the variablevalve lift system using a hydraulic cir-cuit with a dual feed through a three-way solenoid-type spool valve.

Normal operation is all six cylinderswith variable valve timing and variableintake valve lift, using Honda’s three-rocker intake valve system with oil-pressure-controlled pistons switchingthe valve operation from individuallift profiles to the rocker with greaterlift at high rpm. With cylinder deacti-vation, the pistons switch the intakeand exhaust valves to rockers with ze-ro lift cam lobes. Because cylinder de-activation occurs at relatively low rpm(vs. high rpm for the increase in valvelift), it takes a new oil pumping sys-tem to provide the pressurized oil.

A three-cylinder engine could benoisy and rough at low rpm, so Hondatook two innovative steps—front andrear vibration-canceling, electronicallycontrolled, fluid-filled engine mountsand active noise cancellation (ANC).The powertrain computer calculatesengine vibration for the rpm and a so-lenoid-controlled metal diaphragm ineach engine mount creates a counter-vibration against the fluid to cancelthe engine vibration. Similar mountshave been used by Lexus and Hondato improve idle smoothness, but theHonda system is the first to work overa wide rpm range. ANC is an out-of-

22 December 2004

TECH OVERVIEW OF THE 2005 IMPORTS

The Subaru Legacy’s new 2.5L intercooled four-cylinder “boxer” turbo devel-ops 250 hp. Engine internals are based on the 300-hp engine in the ImprezaWRX Sti, and include variable valve timing. The double-overhead camshaftsare belt-driven on this engine, vs. chain-driven on the 3.0L six-cylinder.

This cutaway of a PAX System tireshows the structural plastic sup-port that enables it to run after lossof air pressure. A special beadmaintains the joint. The first high-volume production application is onthe Honda Odyssey minivan (joiningDodge Viper and Cadillac XLR). Thetire also can be repaired with stan-dard patches and plugs.

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phase “noise” broadcast by the soundsystem to mask any engine boomingnoise that is not controlled completelyby the engine mounts. The counter-acting noise also is broadcast as theengine is started and is idling.

Does this lead into a change in atechnician’s thought processes for di-agnosis of engine roughness? Obvi-ously, because if it occurs at idle or inthree-cylinder mode, it might not becaused by spark plugs, valves, etc.,but by a malfunctioning enginemount or even a problem with the ve-hicle’s sound system.

Cylinder deactivation is combinedwith a hybrid electric powertrain sys-tem on the Honda Accord hybrid,which uses a 3.0L version of the 240-hpV6. Honda does not produce a “truehybrid,” because the Civic and now Ac-cord versions (along with the originalInsight) do not run on electricity alone.The Integrated Motor Assist providesan acceleration boost for the gasolineengine. But in the real world, our testsdemonstrated that the fuel economy isthere; the Civic hybrid electric got 45mpg in mixed driving, mostly highway.The EPA ratings for the Accord V6 hy-brid electric are 30 city/37 highway,which are more typical of four-cylinderengine numbers. This model also willbe equipped with an electrically oper-

ated hydraulic power steering pump,eliminating the belt drive.

AcuraThe new RL is designed to move upto the lower rung of what is now called“luxury,” i.e., about 50 grand. And al-though the 3.5L V6 has been boosted75 hp to 300, it’s still not a V8, which iswhat the higher priced brands use.However, the RL is obviously a luxurymodel, with all-wheel drive standard.In fact, the version in the RL is calledSH-AWD (“SH” stands for Super-Handling). That term refers to a rearaxle with a gearset and clutch packthat not only distribute rear torque ac-cording to traction, but “overdrive”the outside rear wheel in hard corner-ing. In fact, virtually all rear torquecould go to that wheel, while the innerwheel effectively freewheels.

The extra performance comes froman engine that’s freer-breathing andhigher-revving to develop the peakhorsepower (at 6200 rpm vs. 5200 forthe 2004 model), plus variable-flow ex-haust, and a compression ratio boostfrom 9.6 to 11.1:1.

SubaruThe 2005 Legacy and Outback stillhave the horizontally opposed (“box-er”) four- and six-cylinder engines, but

24 December 2004

OVERVIEW: THE 2005 IMPORTS

The steel main bearing cap (shown separated here in foreground) is cast intothe aluminum engine block using a new process developed by Subaru.

If the chartat right ismissing,

please circle#14 on the

ProductInformation

Card onpage 65.

If the chartat right ismissing,

please circle#14 on the

ProductInformation

Card onpage 65.

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Cap Cast-In

Steel Cap

aside from the basics (including one offive types of AWD), these are dramati-cally new vehicles. They’re designed tofeel slick and drive slick in order tocompete against only slightly more ex-pensive AWD models from BMW andInfiniti.

The base four-cylinder engine still is2.5L and develops 168 hp, up a modest3 ponies from 2004. However, there’salso an “everyday” turbocharged, inter-cooled 250-hp version with variablevalve timing that’s standard on theLegacy GT and Outback XT. External-ly, the only noticeable change in thefour-cylinder is use of a plastic intakemanifold, but the powerplant is basedon the Impreza WRX Sti version, andthe new internals go beyond the valvetiming. The rear main bearing is a steelform that’s cast into the aluminumblock, a first-ever design of this type.It’s a technique with a purpose: The in-sert and the steel crankshaft have thesame heat expansion ratio, so the clear-ance remains the same and the engineruns quieter. The flywheel is a dual-mass type for improved vibrationdampening.

The front end, including the enginecompartment, was redesigned to re-duce weight for improved handling.The front bumper beam and hood arealuminum, and the underhood weightwas redistributed. Seemingly smallchanges, like angling the battery rear-ward, were among the things thatmade a difference.

A lowered center of gravity alsocontributes to improved handling onthese new Subarus. The engine ismounted almost an inch lower, thefront differential about 3⁄4 in. And eventhe washer reservoir was lowered,which means now a dipstick is neededto read the level.

The Legacy also has a new steeringgear with a so-called cannon mount,which holds its position better than theU-clamp it replaced. This is designedto make the steering more responsive.

The Outback’s optional 3.0L six-cylin-der boxer engine was substantially re-designed, which raised it from 210 to 250hp without a turbo. The big change isvariable lift to go with variable valve tim-ing. The H-6 has no rockers, so the

34 December 2004

TECH OVERVIEW OF THE 2005 IMPORTS

This photo of the Subaru 2.5L four-cylinder engine shows that the battery atthe driver’s side is angled toward the rear. This is one of many steps Subaruhas taken to reduce front-end bias for improved handling.

Subaru’s six-cylinder engine doesn’t have rocker arms, so changes in valvelift occur by locking the inner lifter section (which bears against the valve) tothe outer section (which bears against the higher-lift cam lobes).

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This view of the Subaru six-cylinder camshaft shows the two narrow lobes(for the high-lift outer lifter section) sandwiching the low-lift lobe.

Low-Lift Lobe

High-Lift Lobes

change in timing is performed by two-section lifters (inner and outer sections)and computer-controlled solenoid-typeoil pressure valves. In normal lift opera-tion, the two sections are operated byseparate cam lobes, but only the innersection (low lift) operates against thevalve. For high-load, high-speed opera-tion, the computer opens a solenoid andoil pressure pushes a pin to lock the twolifter sections together. Because the outersection is positioned against a high-liftlobe, the valve now opens further.

One of the two intake valves actuallyhas slightly less lift than the other in thelow-lift mode. So the incoming air/fuelmix comes in as a thin jet stream. Thiscreates a swirl pattern in the combus-tion chamber, which improves fuel mix-ing for better combustion.

The Outback also offers the 2.5L tur-bo Four, which is rated at 250 hp. Butthe torque curve is different from thenaturally aspirated H-6, and the two en-gines perform differently as a result.

SaabIf you lift the hood of a new Saab 9-2X,you may think it looks very much like aSubaru. It should. Except for body pan-eling front and rear and some interiortrim, it’s based on the Subaru Impreza,with the same naturally aspirated 2.5Lfour-cylinder (rated at 165 hp) and the2.0L four-cylinder turbo (rated at 227)as in the Impreza models.

VolvoThe Volvo S40 sedan and V50 wagonare the newest versions of Ford’s newworld small car platform (the Mazda 3introduced last year was the first entry),offering strong proof that there’s moreto a car than the platform. If you didn’tknow the two cars shared one, you’dnever be able to tell from their perfor-mance and interior design. The newS40/V50 models are actually about 2 in.shorter than their predecessors, at 176in. overall.

The S40/V50 have Volvo transverselymounted five-cylinder engines, eitherthe naturally aspirated 2.4L that devel-ops 168 hp or the 2.5L turbo that devel-ops a hearty 218 ponies. These enginesare also used in other Volvo models, butin the S40/V50, there are important dif-

ferences, typically intended to enhanceVolvo’s safety image.

Most significant is that the engine ismuch narrower fore/aft by almost 8 in.The exhaust manifold is reshaped tocant downward instead of more rear-ward, and on turbo-equipped models,the turbo is cast into the manifold. Ac-

cessories were relocated to nest moreclosely to the engine. So don’t be sur-prised if service access on these modelsis somewhat tighter than others with thesame basic engine.

Sure, the narrowing stiffens the ac-cessory mountings for a quieter engine,but the real objective was to increasethe amount of free length in the com-partment for a crush zone in case of afrontal accident. With the extra 8 in.,the S40/V50 have as long a crumplezone as larger Volvos. In addition, theVolvo S40/V50 have a U-shaped mem-ber across the rear of the powertraincompartment, as a positive engine stopin case of a very severe front crash.

There’s also almost 3 in. of clearancebetween the top of the engine and thehood, to give the hood room to crumplein case of a frontal accident. The intakemanifold is primarily plastic, but the in-jectors are mounted in an aluminumsection—a more rigid, safer location.

A tubular beam across the underdasharea ties the A-pillars and lower sidemembers together, which is likely to ad-versely affect underdash access. But atleast you know it’s there to improve thevehicle’s performance in a side-impactcrash.

There’s a six-speed manual transmis-sion standard on the S40/V50 of Volvo’s

36 December 2004

TECH OVERVIEW OF THE 2005 IMPORTS

This photo of the Volvo S40 chassis shows the engine stop member just for-ward of the cowl, and the tubular beam under the dash. The beam ties the A-pillars together for better side-impact crash performance.

The exhaust manifold of the VolvoS40/V50 five-cylinder has a down-ward slope as part of a redesign tomake the engine narrower, increas-ing safety “crush” space in a crash.

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ExhaustManifold

EngineStopMember

DashboardBeam

own design and execution—the sameone used on the high-performanceS60R and V70R models—and an op-tional five-speed automatic. The previ-ous models were strictly automatictransmission. The Haldex electronicAWD is optional. The electrically oper-ated power steering pump runs off thebelt drive.

The S40/V50 headlamp assemblieshave a novel mounting. Instead of hav-ing to loosen retaining screws, you sim-ply pull out a wedge sleeve and slide theassembly right out.

AudiAudi’s new midsize A6 sedan is, asyou’d expect, a powerful luxury car.But it’s also a technologically ad-vanced one, with the first direct-fuel-injected V6 engine sold here. The3.2L engine (increased in displace-ment from 3.0L last year) is built onthe same architecture as the 4.2 V8.It has a 90° bank angle, so youshouldn’t be surprised to know it hasa balance shaft. Unlike the five-valveV8, however, it has a four-valve head.

Direct fuel injection provides agood balance of performance (255 hp,243 ft.-lbs. of torque), emissions andfuel economy. It has a 12.5:1 com-pression ratio, yet runs on 91 octane

premium fuel. The injection system isalmost diesellike. It’s a common-railtype, and the pump is a single-pistondesign that develops pressures up toapproximately 1500 psi. That’s not inthe diesel class, but is clearly manytimes higher than for a gasoline en-gine with port fuel injection.

The A6 Quattro uses a six-speedZF automatic transmission, with aTorsen center differential built intoits rear end. The axles have electronicclutches, so even if only one wheelhas traction, the car will not be stuck.Next year, when a front-drive A6reaches the U.S., it will be offeredwith the Multitronic continuouslyvariable transmission, which was in-troduced two years ago on the A4.

The A6 gets Audi’s first applicationof adaptive headlamps, an optionwith xenon lights. The headlampspivot through turns in response tosteering angle and road speed. Thecar also has keyless entry and starting.

Toyota/Lexus/ScionIt’s a carryover year in the car depart-ment for Japan’s largest automaker, pri-marily because of delays in the intro-duction of the Lexus RX 400h andToyota Highlander hybrids. They re-portedly will be out next spring, and willfeature larger versions of the full-hybridsystem used in the Prius. However,they’ll be teamed with the 3.3L V6 and,as Honda is doing with the Accord hy-brid, will be touted as vehicles with theperformance of a V8 and fuel economyclose to that of a four-cylinder.

37December 2004

A wedge sleeve holds the front lamp assembly on the Volvo S40/V50. Lift outthe sleeve and the front lamp assembly can be removed, as shown.

In the Audi A6 3.2L V6, the injectors spray directly into the combustion chambers,a design that improves fuel economy and performance. Although it’s a larger carwith a larger engine (the 3.2 replacing the 3.0 V6), the mileage figures for theA6 are 19 city/26 highway, vs. 18/25 for the previous model. The 3.2 produces255 hp (up 35 from the 3.0) and 243 ft.-lbs. of torque (30 more than the 3.0).

There is one new model, howev-er—the Scion tC, the sport coupe—a small sporty car with a low baseprice (about 16 grand) and lots ofroom for personalization. The engineis a 160-hp version of the Camry 2.4Lfour-cylinder. Four-wheel discs withABS, a five-speed manual and a/c arestandard. Toyota Racing Develop-ment will be promoting a dealer-installed TRD turbocharger to boostoutput to 200 horses. TRD loweringsprings and 18- and 19-in. wheels alsowill be among the dealer add-on op-tions.

And for the impatient, Toyota’snext new entry will be the 2005 Ava-lon, which historically has been astretched, upscale V6 Camry. WillToyota move it further away from theCamry? We’ll see in February, whenthe new model is scheduled for intro-duction.

The Lexus SC 430 hardtop con-vertible gets run-flat tires for ’05. Theobjective was to eliminate the sparetire so there’s room for at least a deckof cards when the top is down andfolded into the trunk.

JaguarIt’s basically a carryover year forJaguar, with one noteworthy excep-tion: a sport wagon built off theAWD X-Type. The wagon is newfrom the B-pillar rearward, and isavailable only with the transverse-

mount, 227-hp, 3.0L V6. The X-Typeis based on the current version of aFord European platform, and front-drive-only models with the 2.5L V6are available in Europe. It’s Jaguar’sfirst-ever wagon, and at 37 grand, it’sjust $2000 more than the sedan.

38 December 2004

TECH OVERVIEW OF THE 2005 IMPORTS

In Infiniti’s lane departure warning system, a camera takes a picture of theroad ahead, and a computer identifies lane markings. This composite imageshows the location of all system components.

You’re drifting across the lanes,perhaps because you’re be-

ginning to doze or are simply dis-tracted. There’s a lot of electron-ics technology in developmentthat could force your car back in-to lane, but no one has figuredout how to positively sort a doz-ing driver from one who’s per-haps moving over intentionally.Therefore, the first lane depar-ture system you’ll be seeing isnot going to analyze too deeply.

Unless you signal for a lanechange, it will provide a “friendlywarning,” an inoffensive, light-

toned, three-beep that should alertyou, just in case. Offered on the newInfiniti FX45, the system uses a cam-era to produce a digital image that’sanalyzed by an electronic controlunit. Its software interprets the im-age to determine lane markings,and even is able to distinguish“ghost” marking from new ones,rumble strips, HOV lanes, even thoseraised lane markers called “Bottsdots” (which also may serve as a kindof wake-up call). The system also willgo into the MX45 next spring. It’s al-ready been used successfully on big-rig trucks in Europe.

A ‘Friendly Warning’

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SuzukiSuzuki is quietly expanding its line. It’sadding another Korean-built transversefront-drive car, the Reno five-doorsubcompact, to compete against theMazda 3, Ford Focus and Scionsedans. At 169 in. overall, it’s 8 in.shorter than the Forenza, with which itshares a 2.0L four-cylinder that devel-ops 126 hp. The top-of-the-lineVerona gets a 2.5L V6 rated at 155 hpas standard equipment. Only the Aerio(called a “premium compact” at 171 in.overall length) and Aerio SX“crossover” are Suzuki cars built inJapan. Also built by Suzuki in Japan arethe Grand Vitara SUV and itsstretched version, the XL-7. Suzuki’ssales target is 200,000 vehicles by 2007.

KiaAnd still another Korean five-doorsubcompact hits the market for ’05—the Kia Spectra 5. If you didn’t real-ize how closely to one another allthese cars are spec’ed, this one also isa transverse front-drive 2.0L four-

cylinder. But at 138 hp, it’s the perfor-mance leader of the Korean crowd.Overall length is also 171 in.

InfinitiA lane departure warning system, whichprovides a soft chime when the carseems to be drifting across highwaylanes (for instance, when a driver startsdozing or even is just inattentive), hasbeen introduced as an option on the2005 Infiniti FX45. It also will be avail-able on the MX45, coming next spring.A camera takes a picture of the roadahead and sophisticated software ana-lyzes what is seen, picking out lanemarkings. It’s even able to sort out“ghosted” lanes that are no longer usedand focus on the new markings, identifyHOV lanes, even Botts dots (the raisedinserts used as lane-marking indicatorsa driver should feel). Unless the driversignals for a lane change, a control com-puter sounds the chime—a better-safe-than-sorry strategy. This system was in-troduced on big trucks in Europe andits effectiveness demonstrated.

Reflecting Mercedes precision en-gineering, the intake valves have ashaft diameter of just 6mm (under 1⁄4in.), so they pose virtually no restric-tion to airflow.

You may think all European carsalready have rack & pinion steering,but the new SLK gets it for the firsttime, replacing the previous recircu-lating-ball design. And if you thinkdouble-wishbone suspension is theonly way for a premium car, the newSLK comes with MacPherson strutsand a three-link system.

The SLK is a luxury car, and whenthe convertible hardtop is down andthe weather turns brisk, an AirScarfcan be actuated with the press of abutton. Using a PTC (positive tem-perature coefficient) ceramic heaterand a fan in the seat backs, it pro-duces a flow of warm air through theheadrests.

39December 2004

The new Mercedes SLK 3.2 V6 is a departure from the three-valve, two-spark-plug combustion chamber. It’s a chain-driven DOHC four-valve design that provides a horsepowerincrease from 215 to 272, and improves fuel economy.

An AirScarf is a new feature on the SLK. A PTC (positive tem-perature coefficient) ceramic heater and fan in the seatback blows warm air through the headrests, so the car canbe driven comfortably in brisk weather with the top down.

Visit www.motor.com to downloada free copy of this article.

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Mercedes-BenzUnlike Mercedes’ usual evolutionaryapproach, the 2005 SLK roadstergoes into a lot of new territory for thiscompany. The engine is a 3.2 V6, butvery different from the 215-hp three-valve version long used. It’s a four-valve design with variable intake andexhaust valve timing, which develops272 hp. Surprisingly, it’s the firstMercedes V6 with those features (infact, Mercedes’ only previous four-valve was a four-cylinder).

The emissions control system fea-tures a linear oxygen sensor, whichwill require different service tech-niques. The intake manifold has com-puter-controlled flaps for a two-air-flow-path system (a long path for lowspeed, a short path for high), and so-called tumble flaps, also called chargemotion flaps, which produce a tum-bling mixture movement into thecylinders for improved mixing andtherefore better combustion. Thattranslates into smoother idle and im-proved fuel economy.