This squat crossover previews future VW styling—and maybe even future hybrid tech.
Following a rich automaker tradition of building concept cars targeting the millionaire entrepreneur/weekend decathlete market, Volkswagen has unveiled the Cross Coupé concept at the Tokyo auto show.
Keep Reading: Volkswagen Cross Coupé Concept – Auto Shows
Prior to the Tokyo auto show, Honda showed us a number of its upcoming technologies (including its new direct-injection engines), and one of the most promising is Electric SH-AWD. To review, SH-AWD stands for Super Handling All-Wheel Drive and, on current Acura products that bear the label, it signifies a four-wheel-drive powertrain that can route engine torque to either of the rear wheels to improve cornering.
Electric SH-AWD operates on a similar principle, and will be found on at least one upcoming Acura in the near future (pay no mind to the fact that the demonstration vehicle pictured here is an Accord). Instead of sending a driveshaft to the rear wheels and proportioning the power via clutches in a differential, the rear wheels simply use two electric motors. It’s a deceptively simple idea, and one that’s popped up in one form or another from various automakers (the Porsche 918 Spyder and RSR concepts feature something similar, for example). We’d have thought of it ourselves but were too busy looking for Asimo, Honda’s walking robot. He never showed.
The rear electric motors are only part of an overall hybrid powertrain concept. Up front is the latest development of Honda’s 3.5-liter V-6, now with direct injection and an output of at least 308 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a Honda-built seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with a 40-hp DC electric motor integrated into the housing. Unlike Honda’s current IMA hybrid system, this new setup allows the engine to decouple from the electric motor. The benefit is that, during electric regeneration, all of the energy can flow through the motor (acting as a generator) into the batteries; no energy is used to spin the gasoline engine. Similarly, no battery power is wasted spinning the engine during EV-mode stints, which currently is the case with Honda’s hybrids. Interestingly, EV mode actually uses the rear motors to propel the car, which brings us back to SH-AWD.
Connected to each rear wheel is a 27-hp DC motor, either of which can deliver torque to its respective wheel or create drag through electric regeneration. The system works just like a mechanical torque-vectoring system but with much less hardware and, incidentally, less weight. When the car enters a corner, the system will send power to the outside rear wheel and drag on the inside rear wheel. In this scenario, the dragging motor can send electricity directly to the assisting motor in real time. As the car progresses through the corner, the inside rear motor will switch to electric assist to provide optimum traction. And if the lithium-ion batteries are depleted, the electric motor in the front of the car can act as a generator to make sure the SH-AWD system still operates.
With this system, Honda claims V-8 levels of acceleration and four-cylinder levels of fuel economy, without providing any specific numbers. Before you go adding up all the horsepower figures, remember that electric motors make most of their power at low speed, so the total system output is somewhere above the gasoline motor’s 308 horsepower, but we’re not sure how much higher. Both the power and economy claims might be a little ambitious. Still, we’re glad to see Honda taking a new approach to hybrids, especially one focused on performance as much as efficiency.
Despite Honda’s reputation for building great engines, the Japanese automaker has been slow to adopt direct injection (DI). The technology is now commonplace in all segments of the market, and allows for higher compression ratios and therefore improved efficiency. At an event surrounding the Tokyo auto show, Honda has told us that it is finally ready to add this feature to its engines. Besides DI, the engines also will feature a stop/start system.
At the top of the line is a redesigned 3.5-liter V-6, which features cylinder shutdown and a two-stage oil pump. With at least 308 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque, this engine delivers more power than Honda’s existing 3.7-liter engine and should yield a fuel-economy improvement of about 10 percent.
Another highlight of the lineup is a new 1.6-liter turbo-diesel, which is meant to replace the current 2.2-liter oil-burner found in markets outside of the United State. It’s claimed to be as light as a gasoline engine; the all-aluminum design features an open-deck block, which shaves pounds but is less stiff than the closed-deck design normally seen on diesel engines. Still, Honda claims the weight savings come without any long-term reliability concerns, thanks to new high-strength aluminum alloys, a stiff head design, and optimized cooling. Output figures of 118 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque are impressive for the downsized displacement. Alas, Honda executives are silent on whether or not we’ll ever see this engine in North America.
We also saw a 2.4-liter inline-4 that makes at least 181 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. Compared to the current, port-injected 2.4-liter four in the new CR-V, those numbers represent a drop of 4 hp but an increase of 14 lb-ft; the differences are negligible enough, however, that we’d expect similar performance with better fuel economy. The outputs of Honda’s DI-equipped 1.8-liter and 1.5-liter fours are likewise similar to their current port-injection equivalents.
You Can’t Spell Continuously Variable Transmission Without Three of the Letters in “Honda”
Honda also announced a new series of continuously variable transmissions that supposedly reduce the annoyances we expect of this type of gearbox. The new CVTs—one is intended for mid-size and compact cars, the other for Japanese-market microcars—promise quicker response to throttle inputs, which should mean smoother acceleration and less of the irritating rubber-band feeling that occurs when the engine revs climb before there’s any noticeable change in speed. It’s a story of incremental gains here, made mostly through a wider belt (30 millimeters versus the current Honda CVT’s 24 mm) that reduces surface pressure, redesigned grooves in the pulley that better retain transmission fluid, and more precise control of the hydraulic pump. The ratio spread also is increased for better fuel economy.
When exactly we’ll see these engines and transmissions in showrooms hasn’t been announced, but we expect them to start entering the lineup sometime in the next two years. In typical fashion, Honda won’t make any claims about actual efficiency numbers or performance relative to its competitors, but we suspect that these updated powertrains will burnish Honda’s engine-building reputation and put its cars near the top of the fuel-economy heap.
Starting now, expect to hear more from Nissan’s performance division.
Nissan’s performance division has had a fairly narrow scope in the U.S. of late—a NISMO-badged 370Z here and a few upgrade parts there, but little else. Nissan wants that to change, and plans to expand NISMO’s influence to more road cars in the future. To show the performance potential hiding in its everyday products—and to signal its intent to broaden its NISMO offerings—the automaker brought this Juke concept to the Tokyo auto show.
Keep Reading: Nissan Juke NISMO Concept – Auto Shows
This is the first of four behind-the-scenes looks at our 2012 10Best Cars competition. Don’t forget to come back next Tuesday, December 6, to see the list of this year’s winners.
Since 1983, the end of summer at C/D has meant gathering at an undisclosed location in the hinterlands of Michigan to determine the 10 best cars available for purchase in a given year. To choose the 2012 winners, we spent four days performing what’s become ritual: flogging dozens of cars—some in several different trim and powertrain combinations—over twisty, hilly, and pockmarked roads, and in weather that ranged from sunny and splendid to gray and soggy. How well a car performs its intended task is just as important as how well it handles, goes, and stops on our 14-mile loop, and drives always end with the editor fiddling with gadgets, testing the back seat (if one is present), and poking around in the trunk.
On the first day, we’re confronted by a couple of acres of brand-new cars—68 in all—which we have to evaluate in a relatively short time. It requires a Zen-like clearing of the mind, a conscious effort to purge any preconceived notions, and the utmost professional detachment. It also takes a lot of coffee, as well as doughnuts from Washtenaw Dairy. On the first day, the sustenance is late—“I thought you were getting it!?”—and we get rather cranky. What’s more important, however, is that every car is at the test site, fueled and clean, and ready to hit the loop, thanks to our indomitable road warriors.
This year’s field is large, but not unusually so compared to previous 10Best sessions. The stack of metal includes the 2011 10Best winners (among them the BMW M3 and 335i coupes, Cadillac CTS-V, Chevrolet Volt, Ford Mustang GT, and Honda Fit); models that were substantially updated for 2012 (including the Audi TT RS, Hyundai Genesis sedan, and Mercedes-Benz C-class); and all-new cars such as the Audi A7, Buick Regal GS, Fiat 500, Hyundai Veloster, and Toyota Camry. (The full list of nominees will be published with the winners next week.)
The 2012 test sees a larger-than-typical representation in two major categories: economy cars and family sedans. Neither segment generally raises our pulse rates very much; we are, of course, performance enthusiasts. That said, these segments account for two very large slices of the American automotive pie and are evaluated with the same keen eye as everything else. Plus, if we need to blast the cobwebs from the corners of our brains, Detroit muscle, V-8–powered German techno-barges, and semi-exotica like the Lotus Evora S are just a few feet away.
Let’s do this.
Day 1 Standouts: Audi TT RS, Porsche Cayman R, Chrysler 300 V-6/8-speed auto
Its shape isn’t very thrilling, but the new Subaru/Toyota rear-drive sports car has us plenty excited.
Forty-eight months after first getting wind of the Toyota/Subaru/Toyobaru/Subayota sports car, we know more about the collaboration than we do Kim Kardashian’s marriage to and divorce from whatsisnuts. We know that it’s powered by a flat-four, it’s rear-wheel drive, and that it will offer six-speed transmissions—heck, we’ve already driven a prototype of the Subaru. We also know what both manufacturers will be calling their versions of the car. (The Toyota will be sold as a Scion in the U.S.; its name is still unconfirmed.) About the last thing to do is see officially released photos. At the Tokyo auto show, both Subaru and Toyota are finally unveiling the final, production-ready cars.
Keep Reading: 2013 Subaru BRZ – Official Photos and Info
Mazda recently introduced a new kinetic-energy recovery system it calls i-ELOOP—a play on “intelligent energy loop.” i-ELOOP is very similar to BMW’s EfficientDynamics setup in that neither system sends recovered energy back into the powertrain for a small power burst, as do hybrid systems.
What makes Mazda’s version different from BMW’s is how it stores energy. When a car equipped with i-ELOOP is decelerating, a variable-voltage alternator (12 to 25 volts) pumps electricity into an electric double-layer capacitor (also known as a supercapacitor). When the car comes to a stop, Mazda’s engine stop-start system—branded i-stop—takes over and shuts the engine off. At this point, all auxiliary vehicle functions (radio, HVAC, headlights, etc.,) are powered by the supercapacitor; its 25-volt output is stepped down to 12 volts by a DC/DC converter. There are times that the supercapacitor will recharge the 12-volt battery, too. Rather than a supercapacitor, BMW’s EfficientDynamics uses an expensive glass-mat battery; the glass-mat battery is used because it can be reliably discharged to a lower state of charge than regular lead-acid lumps.
If there’s an argument against the i-ELOOP approach, it’s that supercapacitors self-discharge fairly rapidly and only store electricity temporarily, meaning that they must be topped off before each stop. But this isn’t actually much of a problem, as it takes just a few seconds to fully charge the capacitor. And, unlike batteries, supercapacitors have an extremely long life (millions of cycles) and likely will never have to be replaced.
It sounds a bit complicated, but the payoff, we suspect, is that the air conditioning and other auxiliary devices won’t force the engine to run at idle as often, ultimately saving a few gallons of gasoline. For its part, Mazda claims i-ELOOP is good for a 10-percent fuel-economy improvement in stop-and-go traffic.
As for i-ELOOP’s U.S. prospects, our understanding is that the system is likely to be offered here, but not for some time.
The wait is (just about) over for Scion’s first rear-wheel-drive sports car.
No more spy shots, no more concepts, no more leaked brochures. A production version of the joint Toyota/Subaru rear-wheel-drive sports car has finally been revealed. The U.K.-market Toyota GT 86, which will be identical in the U.S. save for its Scion badges and correct steering-wheel placement, will be shown at the 2011 Tokyo auto show.
Keep Reading: 2013 Scion FR-S / Toyota GT 86 – Official Photos and Info
Last week, after the start of the East African Safari Rally Classic in Kenya and Tanzania, it looked like a Porsche would finally win what is regarded as the toughest rally in the world. And, it did happen but it was a close call in what many old hands say was the toughest, wettest and muddiest Safari Rally since 1977.
Bjorn Waldegård and his son Mathias Waldegård took the checkered flag in a 1971 Porsche 911 prepared by Tuthill Porsche in the UK and sponsored by Steven Funk’s Race4Change charity.
In the first few days it looked like the battle for victory would be between Ian Duncan, a five-time Kenyan champion rally driver in a Ford Capri, five times WRC champ Stig Blomqvist in a Ford Escort, Geoff Bell in a Datsun 260Z and Grégoire de Mévius in a Kronos Vintage Porsche 911. At one stage or another each won stages and took the lead for a while.
By the middle of the 2,500-mile, nine-day event the Waldegårds had built up a healthy 40-minute lead, but their rally nearly came to an end after they slid into a truck stuck in mud and damaged the roll cage. This dropped them to second place behind Bell, but he too suffered problems and Waldegård regained the lead two days before the finish. The podium was rounded out by Bell and Blomqvist.
It was a very satisfying win for Waldegård as his first ever (pre-WRC) International rally win was in a Porsche 911 S on the Monte Carlo Rally in 1969. Later he finished second in the 1974 Safari Rally in a Porsche 911. He eventually won the Safari four times, once in a Ford Escort RS1800 and three times in a Toyota Celica, before retiring from the WRC series in 1992. Recently he has competed in several classic rallies, including a win in the East African Safari Classic Rally in 2007, driving a Ford Escort. How appropriate that Waldegård should finally give Porsche its first win in the Safari, 42 years after his first major victory in a similar vintage 911.
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Following on its electric initiative first launched in 2009 with the i-MiEV and the Minicab-MiEV coming this December in Japan, Mitsubishi unveiled the PX-MiEV II concept vehicle at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. Based on the company’s Outlander, the plug-in hybrid SUV combines electric technology learned from the i-MiEV with a range-anxiety-destroying conventional engine. Mitsubishi claims this combination is good for 60 kilometers per liter, or an incredulous 141.1 mpg. Range is estimated at 800 km, or 497 miles.
The PX-MiEV II Concept will have several driver-selectable modes, depending on the state of charge. In Battery Drive mode, the PX-MiEV II Concept can cruise up to 50 kilometers, or approximately 31 miles, on pure electricity. In Battery Charge mode, the gasoline engine turns on to recharge the batteries. If necessary, the gas engine can drive the wheels.
Keeping to its SUV roots, the PX-MiEV II Concept will include S-AWC (Super-All Wheel Control), Mitsubishi’s all-wheel-drive system found on the Lancer Evolution models. Augmenting the 2.0-liter inline-4 engine are two 60-kW electric motors, giving the PX-MiEV II a torque profile similar to that of a V-6.
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Full Coverage: 2011 Tokyo Auto Show >>
Photos: Best of Tokyo 2011 >>
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From wacky to practical.
Nissan’s third in a series of electric concepts takes a more conventional approach to design while still being cutting edge when it comes to technology. Previous iterations had such features as a revolving cabin that allowed you to pull into almost any space, turn the cabin around and drive out without backing up.
This version looks more like a conventional city car but will park itself in a lot and automatically recharge itself and then find you when beckoned by smart phone! Neat stuff.
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Full Coverage: 2011 Tokyo Auto Show >>
Photos: Best of Tokyo 2011 >>
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It’s fitting that the demise of the Maybach brand came during the Tokyo Auto Show. It was at the same event in 1997 that Maybach was relaunched to great fanfare with a concept that now sits forlorn in a Stuttgart warehouse near the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Always seen as more of a super Mercedes S Class than a stand alone make like Rolls-Royce, the car never quite took off.
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Full Coverage: 2011 Tokyo Auto Show >>
Photos: Best of Tokyo 2011 >>
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