Motorweek; 2320

This time on motor week America's auto show for show and an L.A. B for the US S.. So come with us now. With. TV's original automotive magazines buy. What are you looking for in. A month or so. Your host for Motor Week. John Davis. Well hello and welcome again to motor week. We're glad to have you with us. The spike gains by import brands Detroit Michigan remains the center of America's auto industry. So naturally it also hosts North America's premier auto show. But this is not just a show for Motown favorites. The world's car makers bring their best and brightest to labor for Detroit's car hungry crown. So let's all get a taste of what's new at the

2004 North American International Auto Show. It's all about cars or so it seemed at the 2004 North American International Auto Show Detroit's Cobo Center is home to America's most important automotive event. And this year the most important of the some 65 new production and concept debuts were not trucks or utilities but cars innovative expressive even sensual cars beginning with the sixth generation Chevrolet Corvette and the first all new Ford Mustang in a quarter of a century looking like a rejuvenated 67 Mustang Fastback. They own five pony car coupe is totally true to its bringing powerful engines sporty interior live axle rear suspension and affordable boat the 200 to horse power for leader of the six and three hundred horsepower four point

six leader V8 will go for under $20000 but you'll have to wait till fall to saddle up and ride. And what's a new Mustang without a new Cobra. But this one is more like the original two from the legendary master of American performance Carol Shelby the new Shelby Cobra. Like the first Cobra 40 years ago this is a stripped down roadster with big biceps a six point four leader v 10 pumps out six hundred five horsepower. We'll know within a year if it's for real and we bet it is. Now this is for real archrival Chevrolet took the wraps off only the six total redesign of America's premier sports car in 50 years. The 2005 Chevrolet Corvette also begins rolling into showrooms this fall. Evolutionary and muscular describe the smooth coupe and convertible that sport their first exposed headlights since 1962. Under that power dome body lies a 400 horsepower 5.7 leader LS to the eight with an available Z fifty one performance package and try to

make six speed manual. It's hard to imagine a better bet experience the new C6 not to be outdone but not quite ready for sale. Was this surprise from Chrysler. The Emmy for 12 this mid engine for Turbo 12 cylinder super car concept successfully stole some of the mustangs and Corvettes thunder with its eight hundred fifty horsepower six liter be 12 seven speed double clutch tranny carbon fiber body and all around deliciously evil appearance. But with so much sizzle you might ask where's the beef. Well plenty of real new cars for real people are here too. We think the all new 2005 Ford 500 is more than a safe bet and reenergizing the number two automakers passenger car lineup midsize outside full size inside with European styling fine craftsmanship high seating positions a trunk big enough for eight golf bags advance suspension CVT transmission and available all wheel drive. This B6 sedan could be

as important to Ford as the original Taurus when it reaches dealers in the fall along with the companion Ford Freestyle crossover sport utility sharing much of the 500 mechanicals this tall Explorer style people mover will handle a family of seven and three rows of seats. About a year later Lincoln will get a premium version of the freestyle. The second generation aviator. Lincoln is still exploring the possibilities of a new specialty flagship this Marc tan roadster is the latest concept using a Thunderbird chassis the marked styling ques of the 60s Continentals with a modern convertible hard top that when stowed doesn't reduce luggage space. The Chrysler Group is breaking with a recent Detroit tradition and launching two passenger car set on a big rear wheel drive chassis on sale this spring the Dodge Magnum sports wagon and Chrysler 300 C sedan will also mark the return of the Hemi V-8 to cars sharing some hardware with a Mercedes E-Class both cars will have a V-6 standard but both the

340 horsepower himi and all wheel drive to tame it are options more new cars in the Chrysler Group stable for the coming year include the just too cute 2005 P.T. cruiser convertible and about $20000 it will be among the least expensive drop tops available. Want something even more expressive. How about the 2005 Chrysler Crossfire roadster due this summer this dreamy boat filled beauty loses its power fabric top under a hard boot. More of a dream is this dodge slingshot concept based on Europe's tiny smart car the removable top 3 cylinder roadster sporty driving with crowded city realities. General Motors is well underway with its car renaissance. Their latest effort is the all new 2005 Pontiac G-6 replacing the grand this sleek four door sedan grows in size and performance with a fully independent rear suspension an optional V-6. Production is not too far

away for the Pontiac Solstice roadster only two years after it appeared as a concept priced under twenty thousand dollars its new cap of rear wheel drive chassis was also used on two new concepts for play Chevrolet nomad sort of an American Mini Cooper and a potential super charged sports car for Saturn. The curb. Now the big three didn't completely abandon the truck market at this year's show. Indeed in many ways it's back to the basics of utility like this Ford Bronco based on a Brazilian model this turbo diesel piece of equipment could be just around the corner followed by the biggest Jeep ever of the rescue. I think Hummer H2 rival and you get this concept picture complete with folding windchill removable doors and thirty seven inch tires coming sooner as the 2004 and a half Jeep Wrangler Unlimited stretched 15 inches for more rear leg room and cargo room. This is the off road party animal of the decade. But if you insist on toughness and the lap of luxury

then prepare to hit your trailer to the 2006 Lincoln Mark Ltd pickup. Unlike the poser Blackwood this F-150 based truck can haul with the best and it will even offer a four wheel drive when it arrives next year. But that's only the domestic brand side of the 2004 North American International Auto Show. We'll have all the new import brand Premier's later in this edition of Motor Week. Craig Singh Haas has been off road in Baja ontrack in everything from formula to funny cars and even taking to the skies in a P-51 Mustang. But his latest trip down the high road is in a battle dress Green Machine packs more punch than anything he's ever driven before. 60 years ago the U.S. military used vehicles like this and 20 stag hound to seek out in the stroy the enemy. When the new millennium the enemy is changed. But the mission remains the same. Be the eyes and ears of the infantry.

This is the L.A. v. 25. Now L.A. V stands for a light armored vehicle and it's the primary ground reconnaissance vehicle of the United States Marine Corps. Motor Week was privileged to have a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Jeremy Levesque show us the ins and outs of this. General Motors produced vehicles as they have behind us is a light armored vehicle 25. Basely L A V 25 for short. Typically these are attached to a light armored vehicle. L.A. our battalion led our own rekon which tense rekon is the purpose of the vehicle as far as them for truth telling goes as the mission of the LAPD. In a world of spy satellite technology there are still no substitute for live reconnaissance and this fast in mobile vehicle provides the Marines with firsthand information about enemy locations. It's a wheel vehicle and it has a bill is going it will drive a four wheel drive it does have the

capabilities to swim in our talk and those women from these operations we're talking creeks lakes rivers streams. We're not talking the ocean we're talking anything less than a 24 inch swell max speed on Hardball on Actually road paved road is sixty two point five miles an hour. It's a multi-purpose vehicle in a sense it has independent suspension as MacPherson struts especially up front and torsion bar control arm suspension in the rear. On Hardball it is like driving your regular car a regular pickup. When you actually get off road. It's like driving your vehicle off road. It's all more of a balance low rougher ride. Also a bit more punch than most SUV. You see this version of the LAPD comes with a 25 millimeter chain gun options package. This rapid fire cannon can throw 25 millimeter armor piercing or high explosive shells way down the road. I was granted the privilege of firing a few rounds at the U.S. Army Aberdeen test center range. While I would like to take full credit for my marksmanship it was mostly the work of the sophisticated optics and control system.

Besides it's easy to shoot well when no one is shooting back at you. Of course the name of the game in reconnaissance is movement. With its 275 horsepower Detroit diesel engine and five speed Alice an automatic transmission. The L A V is fast and agile. Riding high and dry well above all the mess. I was surprised at how comfortable the ride was the commander gunner and driver have a reasonably decent driving experience. Of course if you're one of the four gyrating rifleman riding shotgun sealed up in the back it's quite a different experience so there's no there's no way back here there's no air conditioning so you get when you open the hatches you have your AC which means in the Iraqi desert this thing is hotter than hell. Of course that's also why the Marine Corps isn't for wimps. Still the Marines have grown quite attached to their El avi's. Been in business since 1984 and to this point it's proven itself in combat in

different operations throughout the world. As far as Marines Marines love it it's a big asset you could turn on the nose and actually do that. But it's a very reliable piece of equipment. Been in business for over 20 years and still in business. So it looks like L.A. The has lived up to the Marine Corps motto of Semper Fidelis always faithful. Our thanks to the men and the women of the U.S. Army. Aberdeen Test Center. And to all the U.S. Marines work ever they may be we at Motor Week say thanks. And. If you're a Buick fan have we got a book for you. The Buick a complete history is a massive and incredibly thorough work by Terry Dunham Lawrence Augusten and the staff of automobile quarterly. It contains everything that you could possibly want to know about General Motors

other luxury brands and offers a wealth of historical photos to boot weather for the reference shelf or coffee table. This one's Oh must worry. The 2004 North American International Auto Show is just too big to cover in one go. So let's go back for more of what's new and exciting at the Motor City's biggest party of the year. While Detroit is the showcase for the big three domestics a large number of introductions by import brands to miss the true international appeal of the show that this is a global venue was evident from the first event of the press days with the 2004 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards the best selling vehicle in the world and America's favorite pick up the Ford F-150 hauled away the truck honors while the very green second generation Toyota Prius hybrid gasoline electric drove off with the car awards. The avalanche of new products from European and

Asian brands continues for 2004 albeit at a somewhat more measured pace with a good mix of both new cars and trucks. The largest import brand Toyota actually surpassed all domestic nameplates in cars last year. Now they want a bigger slice of trucks and this oversized anti-X pickup concept is proof Toyota is putting everyone on notice that its next tundra due in 2005 will not be an almost full size truck. Also that the new Tundra may join domestic pickups in offering a V-8 electric hybrid version. Hybrid SUV these are the highlights of Toyotas near-term plans. The 2005 Lexus are x 400 H will be the first luxury hybrid SUV when it launches this fall. It will be followed early next year by a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Both combine to drive three point three liter V-6 with a powerful electric motor for near 30 mpg economy on the highway will drive models and an electric motor for their rear

wheels. Lexus Also while the audience with its 2006 G.S. luxury sports sedan with a more racy shape power will be from a new 3 liter V-6 and the current car's 4.6 liter V8. While Lexus appeals to mostly mature buyers Toyota hopes its latest Cylon will attract more Gen wires to the pole. This is the 2005 TC hatchback coupe power is a 160 horsepower two point four leader which can be boosted to 200 horsepower with a dealer installed super charger. Sales start this summer. Honda didn't need a super charger to get everyone boosted about its long awaited pickup truck. This Honda SUV concept is very close to the production truck that arrives in 2005 built on the pilot platform. Its unit Ty's chassis will include all wheel drive. This weekend a hauler has a short five foot cargo box but it's unusually wide Inupiat passenger cabin is unusually comfortable. Honda car news was limited but did include word that a V-6 hybrid powered Honda

Accord will go on sale this fall. Nissan never seems to be short on news of late and Detroit was no different. Both an all new 2005 front here pickup and 2005 Pathfinder midsize SUV are coming later this year from tear King cabin crew cab to almost mid size looking like a mini Titan. Frontier power is a 250 horsepower poor leader V-6 the new Pathfinder gets the same robust looks and power but adds an independent rear suspension for a better ride in handling stability control and side curtain airbags will be an option. But a third row seat is standard. Nissan is also looking at the compact crossover utility market. This shapely Dick lifestyle concept could be one result novel features include three across seats with the middle folding into an armrest and lots and lots of glass on the ceiling. Mitsubishi is always good for advanced concepts and they had to do with this support truck concept could be their variation of the next Dodge Dakota. It includes four barn doors and a

split glass and gate between the cargo bed and crew cab. Open them in the rear seat slides outside for a better view. This outrageous Mitsubishi concept e-sports coupe is more than wishful thinking. The brand says this is a thinly disguised fourth generation eclipse. It's also a test bed for a powerful V-6 hybrid power train. Subaru got in on the hybrid movement with its benign SC sports car concept. Unlike other hybrids it uses the electric motor for primary propulsion. Other interesting concepts from Pacific Brands include the Mazda M-x micro sport based on the European Mazda to be the brand new youth oriented cyan fighter Hyundai's latest sporty concept is the 8 CD 8. But this is likely to be the design direction for a new larger Tiburon that will arrive in 2007. Hyundai sister brand left no guesswork about their next spectra Compaq arriving late spring. It too is larger and will be the lowest priced car with standard side

curtain airbags. Suzuki says you can stuff a lot of bags inside their new 2005 Reno 5 door compact crossover and we believe them. The brands third car from Korea's Daewoo is also aimed at Scion fanciers with prices beginning around $13000. European brands fielded plenty of hardware at a higher level of sticker shock. We bet the 12 cylinder Audi A8 l 6.0 Quatro is impressive to drive as it looks. It borrows the 450 horsepower w 12 already available in the Volkswagen Feiten. Now don't let this Volkswagen concept t fool you. This 21st century dune buggy tells us that VW is planning a compact crossover SUV that is more exciting than anything else in the sandbox. BMW debuted a new way to look at the stars with this dreamy 645 S.I. convertible due to arrive here along with the coupe in March. The 645 sea eyes low profile soft top has a

power glass back like they can be raised and lowered independent of the top. We'd like to be independently wealthy enough to afford this Aston Martin volante convertible while another of Ford's British brands Jaguar unveiled a beefier look to their s time Mercedes Benz provided this near production ready vision Grand Sports Tourer similar in its three rows six passenger crossover theme to the Chrysler Pacifica. But based on the E-Class sedan this new art class series will be made in Alabama alongside the next in-class SUV. The concept also sported hybrid power although here the V8 runs on diesel rather than gas a completely different take on coming SUV these was provided by off road expert Land Rover. This three door rainstorm or concept is as much sports car as sport ute. Finally Ferrari the team promoter chose Detroit to unveil its new six 12 scale Yeti while named after the famous coach builder the styling of this 540

horsepower be 12 2 plus 2 is pure opinion for Arena and a departure from other recent Ferrari models. Exciting cars make for an exciting auto show and the 2004 North American International Auto Show really took the prize. The legend of the Porsche 911 is of a car that even brave men should fear. But in recent years Porsche has tamed its hairy beast as today's 9 11 is the most user friendly super car on the road. To this that means that the old school Porsche experiences dad. Well not as long as the Porsche 911 three exist. It has back to basics as a modern Porsche can get with performance that requires even the best driver to keep an extra firm grip on the steering wheel. But it's not just pure velocity that makes the 2004 Porsche 911 GTA 3 a challenge to drive. There's also the fact that the GTA 3

carries few of the electronic savior but systems that modern Porsche pilots have grown accustomed to. There's no traction control no stability in spend control. In fact any lock brakes on the only concession that the rear drive GTA 3 makes to the 21st century. What the GTA 3 does offer is everything that made earlier Porsche so appealing to the serious driver. Starting with our GTA 3 is propelled by a heavily modified race developed version of Porsches three point six liter flat six engine spinning out three hundred eighty horsepower 65 more than the base 9 11 and two hundred eighty four pound feet of torque. Potent power parts include lighter Pistons crankshaft and valves longer titanium connecting rods and sharper cam profiles less component weight and variable valve timing allows the engine to spin up faster and punch the GTI 3 to 60 in only 4.5 seconds.

The quarter mile is flattened in a mere twelve point nine seconds at one hundred twelve miles per hour and asked a metric controlled limited slip differential allows it to leap off the line with minimal wheel spin. Full power is available from almost idle to redline with an extra hit around 5000 rpm. The six speed manual the only transmission for the GTA 3 has a shifter that feels a little rubbery but the gears are perfectly spaced and includes an oil cooler for added durability to feed power to the road the GTI 3 wears 18 inch wheels shod with Big C R rated tires at the front or 235 forties while the rears measure of a squat 295 30. Wheel movement is controlled by stoutly to MacPherson struts up front and a multi link coil rear. The GTA 3 shares its suspension with the two and that means adjustable anti-roll bars height adjustable front spring plates and metal support bearings. This allows owners who race the car and plenty do to fine tune the suspension

for different tracks. But it also means a short nervous run in on the street but super quick turn in. Fortunately the high speed rack and pinion steering delivers healthy feedback. The twitchy front end and big rear wheel power demand careful balance throttle control hammer the go pedal to horrid out of a tight corner and you'll quickly be reading your own license plate too timid and an overload of understeer is the rule. This is a car that requires you to put down the cell phone turn off the radio and drive like you mean it and when it comes time to stop only 114 feet are required to bring the GTI 3 down from 60. Our tester wears optional ceramic composite brakes. The ceramic stoppers provide a standing power and feedback but the price is substantial brake noise at normal road speeds. Helping the GTA 3 stick to the road are carefully tuned aerodynamics. The front facia wears a deeper lip spoiler than the base 9 11 to reduce under car airflow composite panels close off the under body to reduce lift the rear wing

unlike those found in high school parking lots actually performs while rear body airflow is optimized by reshape site sills and wheel spoilers and some of the GTA threes character is reflected in a familiar Porsche 911 cockpit that wears an abundance of GTA 3 logo but the 9 11 is expected child size rear seat has been deleted to save weight and save it does to the point that the three ways into this phone three thousand forty three pounds. And get this EPA fuel mileage estimates are 15 City 23 highway. We actually average 19 miles per gallon. All of this and almost economical too. And so are the prices that is compared to other rare 911 with prating gas guzzler tax. RG T3 carries a base sticker of one hundred one thousand nine hundred sixty five dollars. That's $15000 less than a turbo and eighty one thousand eight hundred dollars less than the GTI to pile on options like a thousand dollars for ceramic brakes

an RG 83 comes to rest at one hundred twenty thousand nine hundred sixty five dollars. The Porsche 911 GTA 3 may have an old school character but at maximum performance it's pure cutting edge. It delivers an unmatched pure Porsche driving experience both the highway and the raceway. As long as you keep your eyes on the road and an extra firm grip on the wheel. While He'll join us next week for more motorway counties are a six and a half more sports classically citing more getting our own way. I'm John Davis. To learn more about motor with TV's original automotive magazine. Visit PBS online at PBS daughter want. To order a video cassette of this program Call 1 888 7 3 6 1 5 4. Motor Week has been brought to you by.

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