Dan Neil, Los Angeles Times
Posted 3/1/2004 12:00:00 AM

BMW'sbigger, better Rolls

Caught up in theCrossfire: A lighted fuse of polished elegance and high ambition,Chrysler's latest riff on the history of car design is bound to hold upwell over time

Toyota'sspark of genius

What would Gulliverdrive?: Nissan's super-sized Pathfinder Armada is aimed squarely at Detroit'smost profitable piece of the SUV segment. But do bigger ends justify biggermeans?

Thinking insidethe box: The xB from Toyota's Scion brand is a kind of stereo on wheels,aimed squarely at Japanophile Gen-Y buyers barely old enough to drive. Parentswon't get it,but that's the point.

BMW'sbigger, better Rolls

Sept. 17, 2003

By Dan Neil
Los Angeles Times

Not since torch-wieldingpeasants chased Frankenstein's monster through the town square has such anoble spiritbeen so mercilesslytaunted. One critic compared the new $320,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom toa coffin maker's "Executive Slumber Series"; another called it theworld's most majestic air conditioner.

Allow me to pile on.

Man, this thing is ugly.

Yet from the driver's seat, the Phantom is a sensationalautomobile. There's magic and mystery here, fistfuls of romanticmotoring. I could drive it to the crack of doom.

Like Shelley's maledicted hero, the styling of the 2004Rolls-Royce Phantom is something of a cut-and-stitch job.Rolls-Royce's chief stylist for exterior design, Marek Djordjevic,scoured the company's picture books for design cues and proportionsthat he considered elemental to the marque -- a visual vivisection,if you will. The long hood, the short rear deck, a rising sill line,the convergent hood lines, all poised over a long wheelbase andfronted by a chrome rictus of a grille. These elements he sewedtogether to form the Phantom, the first new Roller produced underBMW's ownership.

For example, Djordjeviclifted the massive "blind quarter" of thenew Phantom -- the broad sheet-metal pillar aft of the rear window --from the Hooper-bodied Phantom limousines of yore (in the glory daysof Rolls-Royce, buyers would send the bare chassis to coach builderssuch as Hooper to be fitted with a custom body).

Djordjevic also decided that the new car needed classic coachdoors, hinged at the rear. The blind quarters and coach doors combineto create one of the new car's signature pleasures: Open a rear door,which feels as heavy as one of Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise, and stepeasily into the spacious rear compartment, barely ducking your head,then settle back in the leather banquette, secluded in aristocraticprivacy behind the blind pillar. So, point to Rolls-Royce. Jolly goodshow on the coach doors.

Other quintessential double-Rdesign elements in the Phantom are the blade edge of the front fenders; theheadlightassembly set highin the "catwalk" between the Greek temple grille and the fenders;andthe round fog lights situated just above bumper level (the simulacraof polished Lucas lamps).

But certainly the features that have most thrown viewers are thecar's oppressive bulk and its crazy face. This new slab-sided Phantomis more than 19 feet long (longer than a Ford Excursion) and wellabove 5 feet tall, possessing something of the visual grace of acontainer ship. Djordjevic based his design, and its scale, onRolls-Royces pre-1972. These were some awfully big cars, and in thecurrent context, the Phantom reads almost comically big.

And then there's the car's front. It looks like the face of one ofthose robotic pet dogs they sell in Japan.

What could have possessed Djordjevic? I spent an evening with theyoung designer in Santa Barbara some months ago, and he seemed tohave had all his marbles. What gives?

To begin, ask what exactly did BMW buy when it purchased therights to the Rolls-Royce name from Vickers (the parent company ofRolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd.)? Rolls-Royce was a shambles by the timeBMW came along in 1998. The Museum-of-the-Industrial-Age Rollsfactory in Crewe, England, was dirty and dim. The cars were awful.The only thing in the pipeline was soot.

Rolls-Royce's single salableasset was its history, its book of myths and legends lavishly illustratedwithgorgeous cars dating toEdward VII. For the Phantom, BMW built a brand-new factory in Sussex,on the Earl of March's Goodwood property, and started from scratch.In fact, there is no "Rolls-Royce" in the sense of a continuousbusiness enterprise started by Hank Royce and Chuck Rolls. To thinkof the new Rolls-Royce as anything other than the high-tech,super-luxury brand adjunct to the Bayerische Motoren Werke is towillfully suspend disbelief.

But some fictions are fun, even necessary. And for the fiction ofRolls-Royce to remain operable, BMW needed to make the car moreBritish than King Arthur Pendragon, more aristocratic than LordMountbatten, more Rolls than Henry's dear old dad.

My guess is that the styling was driven over the top by the designteam's anxiety over authenticity. What began as a paean to the pastwound up looking like it had bolts in its neck.

What's it like to drive? I'm tempted to say it drives like aRolls-Royce, but that too may be a sort of wishful back formation, atrick of memory. No Rolls-Royce of the former regime was half soluscious or so purely seductive.

The pleasure begins with the way the car situates itself aroundyou. The driver's seat is more like a driver's throne, with acommanding view outward, the long reach of the hood stretching intothe scenery. The eye position is as high as in many SUVs. The centralconsole between the seats pairs with the door bolsters to createarmchair-like support at the elbows -- though it is easy toinadvertently pop open the console's compartments. Also, thepower-seat controls are secreted in the console, so adjusting theseat position takes some attention.

One of the direct draftsfrom parent BMW is the Rolls "Command" panel, a dumbed-down versionof the notorious I-Drive system operating the navigation, DVD and telephonesystems.The rotarycontroller deploys from a compartment at the base of the seatconsole, while the white-face analog clock on the dash slips away toreveal the display panel. Mercifully, the basic climate and audiocontrols are available as rotary dials flanking the dash-mountedunits.

The new Rolls carefully observes the tactile proprieties oftradition. The dashboard vents are opened and closed withsterling-silver organ stops, while the window controls are theclassic violin key design. The large-diameter steering wheel isultra-thin, like Brit cars of memory, and the steering wheel centerhas a glossy, piano-black roundel with the double-R emblem. Thestarter is a push- button affair. The woodwork isorchestra-instrument quality, with a buyer's choice of figured woods,from burr walnut to black tulip. Cabinet-style marquetry, inlays andcrown-cut veneers are optional, but the lambs'-wool rugs and cashmereheadliner are standard.

The rear compartment is likewise luxe, with lots of welcomeextras, including adjustable ambient lighting, Jazz Era-style readinglamps and umbrellas hidden in compartments in the doors. Even so, theRolls is not so thoroughly accessorized as the rear compartment inDaimlerChrysler's Maybach 62, which is nothing quite so much as acorporate jet.

No, the Rolls is definitelya car, a motorcar, with all the stately advance the word implies. Rolls haslonginvoked the term "waftability" to describe the cars' effortless, nearly levitatingacceleration and deep reserves of power. The word dates to 1907, froma motor journalist's happy phrase about a Rolls "wafting" down theroad. But this powertrain -- comprising a 60-degree, multi-valve,6.75-liter V-12 buttoned to a six-speed ZF transmission with shift bywire -- has waft coming out its ears.

The stroked version of BMW's 6-liter V-12 features state-of-theart combustion technology, including direct injection, and infinitelyvariable valve timing and lift. Long gone are the days when anengine's inherent torque characteristics were fixed by metalparameters. The engine has been calibrated to produce an oceanliner-like 531 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm, but 75% of thatgrunt is available at a mere 1,000 rpm, lending the Phantom atsunami-like surge upon acceleration. Horsepower tallies aconsiderable 453.

It's enough to launch the 5,600-pound Rolls to 60 mph in less thansix seconds; meanwhile, the thrifty direct injection gives the car animpressive fuel mileage of 14/24 miles per gallon, city/highway.

Over the road, the Phantom has all the glycerin smoothness andcathedral quiet you could hope for. The body structure is a spaceframe built up of aluminum and magnesium castings, riveted and gluedalloy panels and exotic steel sub-frames. It is one of the stiffestchassis in production. The Rolls uses air springs at all fourcorners, double wishbones up front and multi-link suspension in therear, all fastened to steel sub-frames.

There is no denying that this is a big car, and it drives big,particularly if you push it on a country road. There's a fair amountof body movement before it acquires its stance in a corner, and itfeels a little ungovernable at high speed. But for the most part, theride-and-drive is phenomenal. The Michelin PAX run-flat tires are --get this -- 31 inches tall, centered on 20-inch rims. That's 11inches of sidewall, which makes for a pillowy soft, if predictablyelastic, ride. The brakes are monsters, and then some, at allcorners.

Rolls-Royce was once a kind of shorthand for excellence, forstately British cars with unsurpassed engineering, bespoke quality,craftsmanship and superb good taste. Now, in an odd quirk of fate, abig German company has rescued the marque -- reanimated it, if youwill.

Skeptics, put down your pitchforks.

Caught up in the Crossfire: A lighted fuse of polished elegance and high ambition,Chrysler's latest riff on the history of car design is bound to hold up wellover time

Oct. 1, 2003

By Dan Neil
Los Angeles Times

Like many great beauties -- Marilyn Monroe, for instance -- the newChrysler Crossfire has a faintly tragic air about it. And like manyconsumers of beauty -- Frank Sinatra, for instance -- I'm only toohappy to exploit it.

The 2004 Crossfire ($35,570 as tested) joins Chrysler's recentportfolio of low-volume, high-zoot production cars -- including thePT Cruiser and the Prowler -- that riff on the history of car design.The PT Cruiser and the hot-rod-inspired Prowler are not reallyserious cars but fun and frothy exercises in nostalgic styling,rendered with a kind of Toontown exaggeration that gives the viewer awinking nudge in the ribs. Alas, one's ribs get sore pretty quickly.These days, the PT Cruiser strikes me as insufferably twee. Both itand the Prowler look destined for the nearest Shriners parade.

The Crossfire, on the other hand, is deadly serious, a lightedfuse of polished elegance and high ambition. It's a small car, only159.8 inches long sitting on a 94.5-inch wheelbase. But the Crossfirehas tremendous visual presence, with its wide body raked overrelatively huge 19-inch rear wheels and 18-inch front wheels. Theglassed-in part of the car, the greenhouse, is low and narrowed,giving the car a sloe-eyed allure.

The most distinctive part of the Crossfire profile is itsboat-tail hatchback, formed as the edges of the roof converge into akind of teardrop shape, leaving the rear fenders to flare out overthe rear wheels. It's a wonderfully organized form -- romantic andrational at the same time. But what makes the Crossfire work is itssurface detailing: the Art Deco fluting, polished strakes, raisedspine and sculpted surfaces, which make the car look like a piece ofprecision-milled machinery.

This is the kind of car that makes you set your alarm clock earlyso you can go stare at it in the driveway. It's gorgeous.

As a "halo" product, the Crossfire is crucial tothe Chrysler brand's effort to move upmarket, to be a premium brand in thesameleague as Lexus or Cadillac. This is not an easy thing to do.Consumers have a pretty definite idea of how much they are willing tospend on a Chrysler, no matter how swell it is. The Crossfire arguesits case well.

So what's so tragic? Only that it's not really a Chrysler. Underthe artful skin of the Crossfire is the running gear of aMercedes-Benz SLK, right down to the crankshaft in its 3.2-liter V-6(the car is assembled by Karmann in Germany). This is the first carto come from the DaimlerChrysler merger that gene-splices Chryslerdesign and Mercedes engineering.

Although few could complain about the results, I confess to alittle wounded nationalism; it would have been great for such awonderful car to be American to the bone. Chrysler, more than anyother American car company, could justify a revival of streamlined,Deco- flavored styling. Chrysler's Airflow sedan in the 1930s wasAmerica's first streamlined mass-production car, and what it lackedin functional aerodynamics it made up for in the expressive,streaking styling of the Machine Age. The most exciting car of theyear is made of leftover Mercedes.

And there is a degree of insincerity to the Crossfire. In the sameway that Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, is anelaborate titanium blossom surrounding more or less rectangularspaces, the Crossfire's exterior design, as beautiful as it is, isn'tessential to the car.

Of course, a few laps around the neighborhood will wring suchdoubts from your mind. The Crossfire is wicked fun to drive. In thetransition from the SLK's open top to a fixed roof, the chassis hasbecome substantially stiffer. The car has all the flex of a cast-ironsink and that lovely feeling of deep soundness that Benzes, at theirbest, have. It feels as if you have a good leg under you at alltimes.

Commuters, be advised: The Crossfire's suspension tuning favorshandling over comfort. The ride is pretty choppy in thatshort-wheelbase way, and there's a steady diet of zings transmittedthrough the steering wheel and seat from the huge Michelins.

On the other hand, the car handles far better than I expected,with a nice even balance in S-curves that gradually and gracefullytransitions to understeer. Toss it from corner to corner and theCrossfire recomposes itself without fretting, with little body rollor ungainly rebound.

Thanks to the car's low weight and its yards of high-qualityrubber, the Crossfire has lots of lateral grip. The car has anti-lockbrakes and traction and stability control, but on dry pavement thesesystems allow enough slip and slide to have fun.

Our test car was equipped with Benz's five-speed automatictransmission mated to the 215-horsepower V-6 engine. A six-speedmanual is available, though most Southern California commuters willshun it. The car was pretty quick, returning zero-to-60-mph times inthe neighborhood of seven seconds, though adding more power would bea beautiful thing.

It's expected that Chrysler will avail itself of the superchargedversion of this engine, which in the SLK produces 349 horsepower -- alot of ponies, by anybody's reckoning. I just don't see whereChrysler will put the supercharger. The Crossfire's hood ispractically on top of the engine cover.

One curiosity is the motorized spoiler that deploys from thecam-back at speeds above 60 mph. In mixed city driving, where oneoften goes above and below 60 mph, the spoiler cycles continuallywith a very low-tech-sounding motor whine. However, consideringAudi's experience with the TT -- the humpback car was quietlyredesigned to include a spoiler after some Autobahn accidentsrevealed that the rear was lifting at high speed -- the Crossfire'sspoiler is probably a good idea.

Life inside the Crossfire would be cozy. Tall drivers may have alittle trouble getting comfortable because the car has limited legroom and little recline available behind the deeply bolstered seats.Yet for a car so closed in, outward visibility is quite good (you arenever far from a window in a small car), and the sculptured rearfenders create open sightlines through the side mirrors.

The car's instruments are sensibly arranged; indeed, given theirvintage, they have a comforting simplicity: More fan? Turn the knobto the right. More volume? It's the knob on the left. Technophobesmay like the car solely for its refreshing lack of digital interface.The central console and all the switch gear are coated with a shinymetallic finish, as in the less expensive Mercedes C-Series, a sortof acrylic that is strangely warm to the touch. The same materialcovers the shifter. The comforts of home include heated power seats,a 240-watt Infinity stereo with two subwoofers and six speakers,keyless entry and dual-zone climate control.

Composed and compelling, precise and polished, the Crossfireis a singularly appealing car. Unlike a lot of design-intensive cars,whose appeal is so perishable they ought to come with a "best-if-used-by" stamp, the Crossfire has a bearing that should holdup well over time.

The Shriners will have to look elsewhere.

Toyota's spark of genius

Oct. 13, 2003

By Dan Neil
Los Angeles Times

If you ever despair that the U.S. auto industry is whirling, slowlybut with gathering momentum, down the tubes of history, thesecond-generation Toyota Prius will give you no comfort. This is acar Detroit assures us cannot be built. No way. No how. A spacious,safe and well-appointed mid-size four-door with practical performancewhile returning more than 60 miles per gallon? For $20,000? Are you,like, high?

Well, there it sits in my driveway, looking like a set piece froma Kubrick film but in other respects a straightforward piece ofengineering. And it shames the domestic automakers and the Bushadministration.

As recently as this summer, during the Big Three's annualassassination of higher mileage standards proposed in Congress,industry shills argued that the proposed increase for cars -- 40 mpgby the year 2015 -- would be impossible to meet. The technology wouldbe far too expensive; the weight reductions needed would createflimsy death traps; consumers simply would not accept the anemicperformance such high mileage requirements would impose.

Moreover, the automakers argued, requiring such increases wouldtie up capital, intellectual and otherwise, that Detroit needs todevelop fuel-cell technology. The Bush administration and the BigThree are touting the Freedom CAR initiative -- a program to bringhydrogen fuel-cell vehicles to market, which received $1.2 billion inthe Energy Department's budget for 2003 -- as a visionary alternativeto the dreary incrementalism of federal mileage standards.

Have faith, America, and take another toke off your asthmainhaler. On some as-yet-unspecified date, on the golden horizon ofthe hydrogen economy, Detroit will deliver the ideal car, clean andpowerful, trailing only clouds of noblesse oblige.

Forgive me if I'm skeptical. The most optimistic estimates put themass marketing of fuel cells more than a decade away. It makes zerosense to give Detroit a pass on improving emissions and fuel economynow for some promised land of milk and money in the future.

Freedom CAR replaced the Clinton administration's fig leaf ofhypocrisy, the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles, whichdoled out $1.5 billion to a consortium of automakers, universitiesand suppliers for nearly a decade and likewise was used to stallefforts to increase mileage standards. The Bush administration pulledthe plug on the partnership last year, citing its failure to reachits goal: developing an affordable family sedan that gets 80 mpg.

Well, the Prius (pronounced PREE-us) gets 60 mpg -- the highestfuel mileage of any mass-production car sold in the United States --and Toyota did it without subsidies from the federal government andmuch less posturing than the Big Three's promising to save the worldwhen they get around to it.

I can live with the scandal embodied in a national energypolicy that is actually reducing tax benefits for clean-fuel cars (Priusbuyers can claim a $2,000 tax deduction on cars placed in servicebefore Dec. 31) while offering tens of thousands of dollars in taxcredits to "small business" buyers of H2 Hummers.

What boggles my mind is the wasted business opportunity. Consumerswant high-mileage cars. In Los Angeles, the entertainment industry'spretty young things are lining up for the Prius. The first generationof the Prius sold a modest 5,600 units in the United States in 2000.Toyota already has taken more than 10,000 orders for thesecond-generation Prius ahead of its launch this month and is addingcapacity to meet demand of 36,000 units in the States and 76,000units worldwide. If the Prius doesn't outsell Pontiac's new GTO inthe 2005 model year, I'll eat a box of General Motors product guruBob Lutz's Partagas Robustos.

Anybody who has ever turned a wrench will marvel at this car. Evenbefore you look under the hybrid's hood, consider the body structure:a four-door hatchback on a 106.3-inch wheelbase, with interior roomonly slightly less than that of the Toyota Camry and a huge trunk(16.1 cubic feet) made all the more usable by the hatch and foldingrear seats. Its coolly futuristic, maglev-like styling accounts forits slippery aerodynamics, 0.26 coefficient of drag, among the loweston the market. And the car weighs only 2,890 pounds, 300 pounds lessthan a four-cylinder Camry automatic.

The Prius is spacious and comfortable in both front and backseats. I'm 6-foot-1 and I had no trouble getting comfortable in thecar. Outward visibility is excellent; the car's hatch features lowerglass panels to improve rearward sightlines. Toyota's use oflightweight materials for upholstery, door panels and other surfacesgives the car the feel of expensive, lightweight camping equipment.When you close the door you notice it doesn't have the thuddingauthority of upscale Toyota products, and the seat cushions andarmrests are thin, but overall the car has nice tactility and warmth.

What makes it a "hybrid" is its powertrain -- theHybrid Synergy Drive System -- that tandems a small and high-tech 1.5-litergasolineengine (76 horsepower) with an electric motor with peak output of 50kilowatts (67 horsepower) and a whopping 295 pound-feet of torque.

The system's computers and controllers blend the output of bothpower sources for optimum efficiency so that, for instance, instop-and-go traffic the car often runs on electric power stored inits 202-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery. At cruising speeds, theengine output does double duty, driving the front wheels while alsoturning a generator, whose voltage then powers the electric assistmotor. Under heavy acceleration, power from the battery comes onlinetoo. The total output of 143 horsepower is enough to accelerate thePrius from zero to 60 mph in about 10 seconds.

The Prius employs a continuously variable transmission -- nostepped gearing -- so that a foot-on-the-floor maneuver produces onlya supple and drama-free gathering of speed and a whirring tenorengine note. I drove the car for a week in freeway traffic and it wasquite willing until about 75 mph, above which I had to go to the whipto accelerate.

Dynamically, the car is about what you'd expect from an economycar on 15-inch tires. Competent and agile enough to get out of itsown way -- independent strut suspension is used up front, while atorsion beam holds up the rear -- the Prius has a light and reactivefeel in its power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering and secureassurance in the front-disc/rear-drum brakes with ABS assist. Butthis is an earnest commuting appliance, albeit one with more than 370engineering patents to its credit.

You never plug in the Prius. During braking, the electric motorbecomes a generator that recharges the battery, thereby recoveringkinetic energy that would otherwise be lost as heat in the brakes. Ifthe battery levels get low, the gas engine is summoned to top off theelectrons. You can keep up with all this activity on two dash-mountedLCD displays: one, a flowchart, the other, a bar graph indicatingrecovered kilowatts and other arcana of fuel efficiency.

Most consumers, I suspect, will watch the graphs for a day or soand then flip over to the audio or climate displays, with the peaceof mind that comes with knowing they are part of the solution, notthe problem.

In fact, it is not the Prius' stark differences -- its fetishizingof thermodynamics -- that make the car marketable, but its sameness,the transparency of the hybrid system. The car uses an electronic key-- a small plastic module that slips into a receptacle on the dash --that activates the start button on the dash. Put your foot on thebrake and press the button; it takes about a second for the car'scomputers to boot up the instrument display, located near the leadingedge of the windshield. The gearshift is a joystick-like unit on thedash, behind and to the right of the steering wheel. Put it in driveor reverse. The park position is engaged by a push button above thegearshift.

There is very little to remind you that the Prius is differentfrom any other economy family car, and quite a lot to suggest it is,in fact, a commuter with upscale aspirations. Standard equipmentincludes anti-skid brakes and traction control; keyless entry; powerwindows and locks; heated side mirrors; steering-wheel-mounted audioand climate controls; alloy wheels; CD player; and the multi-functionLCD display.

The options list includes high-end blandishments like a navigationsystem; six-disc CD changer; stability control; and curtain andside-impact air bags. The Prius would be a nifty family ride evenwithout the virtue-intensive powertrain.

But how's this for an incentive: The dead governor walking, GrayDavis, has asked the federal government to grant the Prius -- whichis a super-ultra-low-emissions vehicle according to the CaliforniaAir Resources Board -- an exemption allowing solo drivers to use thecar pool lanes on California freeways. A decision from the Departmentof Transportation is pending.

Given that the world trembles on the edge of fossil-fueleddisaster -- from the Mideast to the melting ice caps -- it's hard notto see the Prius as anything less than a manifesto (the termrevolutionaries once used for a "vision statement"). Lamentably,evenas Toyota leads the way in hybrid powertrains, it is increasing itsproduction of gas-thirsty sport utility vehicles for the Americanmarket.

But Toyota is pouring marvelous amounts of its treasure intoefficiency research, and its achievements in mass-production hybridtechnology haven't precluded work in other directions. The companyhas a project with UC Davis and UC Irvine to develop fuel-celltechnology and infrastructure. By year's end it will have leased sixof its experimental fuel-cell vehicles to the universities and givenmillions to fund research just in California.

It is also true that GM, for one, has a robust advanced technologydivision, which will deliver "mild" hybrid vehicles to market earlynext year. GM also will soon roll out its displacement-on-demandsystem, which promises to significantly improve fuel consumption andemissions on the thirstiest and most popular of vehicles -- that is,pickups and SUVs. It also is making strides in diesel and injectiontechnology.

But fully a third of GM's research budget goes toward thefar-fetched future of fuel cells. As a matter of policy, the companyregards hybrid powertrains as merely an interim solution. The companymay yet be rewarded in the marketplace. As a matter of energy policy,Congress should not allow attainable gains to be held hostage totomorrow.

Meantime, people are queuing up to buy the Prius today.

What would Gulliver drive?
Nissan's super-sized Pathfinder Armada is aimedsquarely at Detroit's most profitable piece of the SUV segment. But do biggerends justify bigger means?

Nov. 23, 3003

By Dan Neil
Los Angeles Times

It has taken years of analysis and reverse engineering, but theJapanese automakers are now able to build vehicles just as big andstupid as the Americans.

This is a troubling development for Detroit, which has long had alock on big and stupid. Indeed, the popular big-stupid segment hasbeen a godsend to General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co.: Full-sizesport utility vehicles, built on the same platforms as full-sizepickups, offer the highest profit margins of any car or truck andrepresent about 853,000 in annual unit sales in North America.

Toyota Motor Corp. was the first Asian automaker to pan for goldin the big-ute stream when in 2000 it began selling the Sequoia,built on the Tundra pickup platform.

Now comes the 2004 Pathfinder Armada from Nissan Motor Co.,another SUV built on a big-pickup platform (namely, the steelladder-frame underpinnings of the forthcoming full-size Titan) in theUnited States. Both Toyota and Nissan breed their Brobdingnagians atAmerican plants: Indiana and Mississippi, respectively.

The Armada is the Double Whopper with Cheese of SUVs. Exceptingthe Chevy Suburban/GMC Yukon XL twins -- and the Hummer H2, which isbig-stupid sui generis -- the Armada is longer (206.9 inches) andtaller (77.8 inches) than anything else in its class, which includesluxury lorries like the Ford Expedition and Chevy Tahoe. It is aswide (78.8 inches) as the widest in the class (Tahoe) and has thelongest wheelbase (123.2 inches) and highest ground clearance (10.7inches) in its segment. The Armada's pricing is competitive with thatof the domestic barges; our loaded-to-the-gunnels test vehicle pricedout at $41,550 (a luxury LE edition with sunroof, power liftgate andDVD entertainment system).

But, clearly, Nissan's designers believed that gawdamighty sizealone would not be enough to guile Americans away from their beloveddomestics. It had to look scary. Thus the Armada's case-hardenedstyling -- vast slabs of steel and glass soaring above the wheelwells, with fender flares punched out at discontinuous angles to giveit a muscular look, though it looks to me less muscular thanglandular. The chrome bumper insets look as if somebody swiped thedoors off a Vulcan gourmet oven.

This isn't design, it's pornography.

The dimensions give theArmada a distinctly bus-like gestalt. Grab hold of the chrome door leverand pull.The door swings open likethat of a side-by-side refrigerator (how long before the Armada ischeekily nicknamed the "Amana"?). The seat height is apants-splitting 34 inches from the ground, and once you hoistyourself aboard you find yourself dwarfed by the Armada. Well, atleast I did. I'm over 6-feet-1 and 180 pounds, and I felt as if I waswearing Shaq's warm-up suit. I dropped a piece of paper on the floorahead of the front-passenger seat, and I could not reach it from thedriver's seat.

The Armada, a seven- or eight-passenger vehicle depending onconfiguration, has vast amounts of room allotted to second-rowseating with a full three inches more legroom than any of itscompetitors. Armadas with the second-row bench can be quicklyconfigured in such a way that, when the second and third rows arefolded, the cargo floor is flat from the liftgate all the way tofront seat backs, creating 97 cubic feet of space. Vehicles with thesecond-row captain's chairs require you to remove the console.

As in the Toyota Sequoia, the Armada's second-row seats flipforward for easy access to the third-row bench seat, which is raisedstadium-style to improve sightlines and reduce the consumption ofDramamine.

As all this suggests,Nissan is pitching the Armada as a family vehicle. Consider the tag line: "Liberate your family." Ibet that plays well in Utah.

Consider, also, the various means available to distract the kidson the long drive from Provo to Orem. The LE model test vehicle wasequipped with dual-media playback that allows the front-seatpassengers -- the adults -- to listen to the stereo through the10-speaker Bose premium sound system, while the kids tune to whateverCD-DVD-MP3 they desire with wireless headsets. A flip-down LCDmonitor is situated in the ceiling for watching or video gaming.

In addition, the Armada is awash with cup holders, cubbies andbins, including an overhead console for reading lights, air vents andyet more storage.

The other thing the Armada has in abundance is power. Under thebroad hood is a 5.6-liter V-8 with dual-overhead cams and four valvesper cylinder -- the same engine in the Titan pickup -- producing 305horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm. That issufficient to give the Armada class-leading towing (9,011 pounds) andpayload (1,949 pounds) capacity. My test model had two-wheel drive; afour-wheel drive model also is available.

Meanwhile, thanks to the Armada's five-speed automatictransmission -- the only one in its class -- the vehicle has unholyacceleration. Car and Driver magazine clocked an Armada from zero to60 mph in seven seconds flat. The nearest class competitor is morethan a second slower. A Mercedes-Benz E320 sedan requiresthree-tenths longer to reach 60.

So then, the ideal customer for this vehicle would be ... who? Afamily of Masai warriors towing their 30-foot cabin cruiser to LakeVictoria for the weekend?

Unfortunately, this vehicle will find its way into the hands oftoo many suburban moms and dads who will use it as a short-rangecommuter and mall runner, tasks for which it is excessive. Evensetting aside fuel economy (13/19 miles per gallon city/highway,according to the EPA), there is the Armada's sheer unfriendly bulk.You need the ground crew from Lakehurst, N.J., to park this thing.And every mall parking deck threatens to skim the roof racks rightoff it. The center of the Armada's headlamps is approximately 38inches from the ground, which puts them at a perfect height to fusethe retinas of drivers ahead of you.

This is where SUV enthusiasts and I have irreconcilabledifferences: If you need such a vehicle -- and that means you havefive kids, live in Idaho and tow a boat the size of a Spanish galleon-- fine, by all means. If you don't need one, what, pray tell, is theupside? And if you live in the Los Angeles area, may I mildly suggestyou get out of my way?

It's not as if the Armada offers thrilling handling or a luxuriousride to compensate for these inconveniences. I found the ride qualityover anything but smooth pavement to be fretful, with lots ofjostling over surface imperfections and fairly uncontrolled bodymovement as it thundered over uneven concrete and asphalt patches.

On California 2 heading north to Glendale, the Armada fairlybounded over the evenly spaced expansion joints in the highway. Overjolts big and small, the interior fittings rattled lustily. Thecentral dash panel twittered. The rear bench shook. When I wentlooking for the source of the rattles, I instead discovered lots ofshoddy upholstery stitching.

Sales of full-size SUVs are down 17% from a year ago, and this isanything but a growth market. In part that reflects automakers'offering crossover vehicles more finely tuned to the real-world needsof urban and suburban customers. Nissan's Murano and Infiniti FX45are excellent examples.

It further reflects the rate at which people are abandoningfull-sizers because of their wearying nuisances.

The Armada, as vainglorious as its name, is inanely bigger, whenwhat the world needs now is better.

Thinking inside the box
The xB from Toyota's Scion brand is a kind of stereoon wheels, aimed squarely at Japanophile Gen-Y buyers barely old enough todrive. Parents won'tget it, but that's the point.

Nov. 5, 2003

By Dan Neil
Los Angeles Times

After spending a week driving a Scion xB -- the ice-cube-shapedflagship of Toyota Motor Corp.'s new youth- directed brand Scion -- Iwould like to publicly apologize to Volvo for all the times I accusedits products of being boxy. Clearly, I didn't know from boxy.

Styled with a T-square,a plumb bob and a cheese cutter, the Scion xB takes the concept of boxinessand sexesit up to new, almostplatonic levels. You can well imagine somebody in Plato's cave seeingthe xB's shadow on the wall and saying, "What the heck is that? ...Oh, silly me, it's just a box."

If for some reason youfind the isometric design of the xB displeasing, Scion's under-25 demographichasa message for you: "Yo,old guy, get on home now, you're missing, like, 'Friends.' " This caris aimed squarely at the most subversive subset of Gen-Y,trendsetters who are abandoning the sport compact movement as it goesmainstream, a la "The Fast and the Furious."

The xB is to the sleek-and-low styling of sporty imports whatchainsaw sculpture is to the Italian Renaissance.

The Scion brand was launched in California in June. (The brandwill bow in the Southern and East Coast markets in February.) Thusfar, the xB has outsold its more conventionally styled stablemate,the sport-hatch xA, by almost 2 to 1. And though the xB is the mostradically styled, chunky monkeys including the Honda Element and theSuzuki Aerio SX also have found an audience.

So how did square get to be so dope?

It all started with theJapanese market kei mini-cars -- urban runabouts that are limited to 660-cubic-centimeterengines and narrowenough to squeeze through Japan's tiny streets. (The governmentencourages the use of kei cars by levying lower owner taxes and highfuel taxes.) The boxy shape -- called "tall wagon" in Japan -- wasthe natural result of seeking maximum cabin space over the cars'minimum footprint.

Kei-class cars constitute about half the Japanese vehicle market,and some of them -- the Honda Life, Nissan Cube and Suzuki Wagon R --are wickedly clever little transportation gadgets. Besides beingsuper-practical and dirt cheap, the cars appeal to the Japanese tastefor a particular sort of goofy anti-styling, a kind of gothiccuteness and precious edginess.

The xB, built on the sameplatform as the 1.5-liter Toyota Echo, belongs to a larger class of vehicle,but thestyling vocabulary isright out of the kei playbook. And considering how Asia-centricGen-Y's tastes are -- whether for anime, electronics or "Kill Bill" --perhaps it was just a matter of time before the mad-boxy style jumped the oceanto California.

"It's so ugly it's cute," mygirlfriend, Tina, observed. (Almost makes you wonder how the Pontiac Aztekmissed, doesn't it?)

The xB is, in fact, awarmed-over Japanese market car called the bB (for "Black Box").There is talk already at Nissan Motor Co. that it might bring its Cube, scaledup by afactor of 1.2 or 1.5, to theU.S. market. If the xB hits, imitators won't be far behind.

If you have read MalcolmGladwell's "The Tipping Point" youunderstand the so-called Law of the Few: the select group of peoplewho discover a new idea -- be it shoes or a band or a car -- andtranslate it in such a way that it becomes acceptable to a much wideraudience. Old-school marketers call them "thought leaders." Theexistentially boxy xB is aimed right at this mandarin group insideGen-Y, and the Scion brand rollout, first in California, reflectsthis staged assault on the command-and-control structure of DubNation.

Having grown up in a maelstrom of mass marketing, Gen-Y isnaturally suspicious of ordinary advertising. Almost three years ago,Toyota approached the Los Angeles-based Rebel Organization (themarketing arm of URB magazine, the Rolling Stone of hip-hop, dub andunderground music) to help the automaker connect with Scion's targetaudience.

"Peer-to-peer word of mouth is really key to these consumers,"says Josh Levine, president of the Rebel Organization. "They are moreinterested in companies that they've heard about than those that getpushed on them from TV."

Rebel's under-the-radarmarketing of Scion includes putting "street teams" at events like Hot Import Nights -- the Lollapaloozaof the tuner world -- as well as supporting deejay contests,nightclub events, fringy art gallery showings and carwashes. Theidea, Levine says, is to "put Scion where its audience wants to be."

The ironies abound, startingwith the oxymoronic flavor of the name "Rebel Organization." Andmaybe it's just me, but there is something slightly sinister about an enormouscorporation usingunderground music -- ever the secret-decoder ring of youth culture --as a conduit to push its products. Imagine the Sex Pistols at CBGB,brought to you by Coca-Cola.

In any event, music is key to Scion's car-as-lifestyle message.The standard audio system is a Pioneer six-speaker AM-FM-CD-MP3player pre-wired for satellite radio and sound-processing technologythat will rattle your teeth with bass. A six-disc CD changer and asubwoofer system also are available. The cabin construction isextensively soundproofed.

The Scion is what theycall "mono-spec," which is to sayeverything is included for the base price ($13,680 for models with afive-speed manual transmission, $14,480 for automatic-equippedmodels). Included are air conditioning; power windows, door locks andoutside mirrors; rear wiper- defroster; anti-lock brakes withtraction and stability control as well as brake assist; halogenheadlamps; remote keyless entry; privacy window tinting; full "groundeffects"-style body valances; and that monster sound system.

Our test car -- with automatic transmission, security system andan alloy wheel upgrade -- went out the dealer's door at $16,403. Aspart of Scion's effort to build an emotional bond with Gen-Y, therewill be no haggling on price.

Scion does offer nearly 40 aftermarket-style accessories so thatbuyers can personalize their vehicles: three styles of alloy wheels,carbon-fiber-style body trim, clear tail lamps, Yakima roof rack,rear spoiler, aluminum cross-drilled sport pedals, LED interior lightkit and lots more.

For those furious few who want to slam the xB, Scion has aone-stop solution: a Toyota Racing Development performance package,including 18- or 19-inch Hart wheels; Pirelli P-Zero tires; loweringsprings kit with struts and shocks; front strut brace; sport mufflerand quick-shift kit with performance clutch; and cold-air intake. Allsupported by the factory's 36-month warranty.

Meanwhile, the aftermarket elves have been hard at work too.Toyota provided designs of the xB to members of the SpecialtyEquipment Market Assn., whose sprawling trade show is taking place inLas Vegas this week.

What with all the context, it's easy to overlook what the Scion xBis actually like to drive. The answer: It's OK. The interior has allthe spatial nuance of a handball court, with the nearly verticalwindshield pretty far away. The techy-looking instruments arecentrally located, leaving the area behind the steering wheel as akind of catchall shelf.

I'll say one thing for it. It's got headroom. I wonder whether thexB might presage the return of, maybe, stovepipe hats. Also, becausethe car is so narrow and the sides are so high, it's initially hardto judge where the curb is when parking. The first few times Iparked, I was a foot or more away.

The doors are big and swing wide for easy access. The rear cargohatch swings neatly out of the way to reveal a pretty good storagearea of 21.2 cubic feet. With the 60/40-split rear seat folded, thenumber climbs to 43.4 cubic feet -- about the size of a comfyloveseat. Oh, right, sorry, I'm showing my age. I mean, about thesize of a double turntable and mad PA system.

The least interesting part of the xB -- at least when it comeswith the automatic transmission -- is the driving. The 1.5-liter,108-horsepower inline-4, with variable-valve timing, is certainly acompetent engine and clean too (low-emission vehicle status withEnvironmental Protection Agency-rated mileage of 30 miles per gallonin the city, 34 on the highway).

Unfortunately, the automatic transmission smothers torque. The caris lively around town, but it labors at L.A. freeway speeds.Otherwise, it handles pretty much as you'd expect, with crisp butby-no-means- razor-sharp reactions to inputs in the steering; firmand insistent brakes (front disc, rear drum); and stable posture incorners but with a front-driver's modest appetite for hard cornering.

Aftermarket performance parts are often a waste of time, actuallymaking factory- developed cars slower and dodgier in reliability. Butthe xB -- which tips the scales at a bantamweight 2,450 pounds --just screams for kit.

Cheap, stuffed with content,the xB is a perfect starter-kit car for 16-to-24-year-olds. Naturally, manyofthese kids will need Momand Dad's help to buy a car, and it's an open question whetherparents will look at the xB and say, "I'm not buying you that, thatthing! It's hideous!" Parents are not likely to get it, and that'sthe point.

But I suspect there are a lot of boomers out there who will buythe xB too. You can't beat it for value and practicality, and there'sno law saying you have to use it to go clubbing with your friends.That the Scion might reach across demographic boundaries will nodoubt strike Toyota as exceedingly dope.

Stories copyright 2003 Los Angeles Times. Reprinted with permission.