Small crossovers typically provide more utility than a wagon, better gas
mileage than an SUV, and more fun than a big sedan. And sales show no
sign of slowing down. Segment sales climbed 9.3 percent in 2012, and all
of this year's test vehicles are selling strong. The Toyota RAV4's
sales jumped 30 percent last year; the Ford Escape (last year's compact
crossover winner) and Subaru Forester had modest increases; and the
Mazda CX-5 sold 43,000 units during its first year.
The newest crop of CUVs makes the case that
utility can still be fun to drive. Their firm suspensions, powerful I-4
engines, and quiet rides provide as much athleticism as some sporty
sedans.
Outside of Santa Barbara, California, we put four such small crossovers
to the test, traversing highways, twisty roads, and even a little dirt.
Our group consisted of the all-new Subaru Forester 2.5i Touring, which
comes standard with all-wheel drive, and front-drive versions of the
Toyota RAV4 Limited, the upgraded 2.5-liter Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring,
and the reigning champ, the Ford Escape SE 1.6 EcoBoost, which last
go-around defeated the Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, CX-5 2.0, and VW
Tiguan.
All our top-trim CUVs cost about $30,000,
including navigation and Bluetooth connectivity, and each is rated at
over 30 mpg highway, making them ideal for a cross-country tour with the
Grateful Dead or Phish. Sad to say, those fun and footloose college
days are long past. It's time to revisit the reality of responsibilities
-- carrying people and stuff in quiet comfort -- without completely
surrendering the driving fun of that GTI you drove in college. Viewed
through that lens, which is the best small crossover?
"On one hand, it has entertaining qualities (nice set for such a tall
vehicle, decent steering response, quick and predictable reflexes),"
noted associate online editor Nate Martinez. "Yet it provided a bumpy
ride that families would likely not find ideal."
"I like the Escape's looks a lot. Its
connectivity is tops, and its driving dynamics are solid," added
technical director Frank Markus. "But there are corners cut, low-cost
evidence in some places (cargo hold), and wasted investment in others
(soft-touch but cheap-look dash)."
These inconsistencies moved last year's compact
crossover winner to this year's basement. Many testing numbers confirmed
our suspicions about the car's underwhelming performance. The Escape
tied with the Subaru Forester for the worst 0-60 time at 9.0 seconds,
had the worst passing time of 5.3 seconds to go from 45 to 65 mph, and
took the longest distance -- 126 feet -- to stop from 60 mph.
It also got the worst gas mileage of all the vehicles tested -- 21.1 mpg. The other three CUVs averaged at least 3 mpg more.
However, I thought the Escape provided the best
second row of the bunch, complete with a 115-volt outlet for kids to
keep their cellphones and games fully charged. The seats in both rows
were well-bolstered, firm, and comfortable. Then again, the Escape had
the least amount of passenger space in both rows. See? Yin and yang in
the least complimentary form.
The Escape's second row has a 115-volt outlet for kids to keep their cellphones and games fully charged
For those of us whose job or hobby it is to gripe about all things
automotive, here are the facts. The 2014 4Runner continues with
body-on-frame construction and is powered by a 270-hp, 4.0-liter V-6. A
five-speed automatic matches to the engine with a choice of rear-wheel,
all-wheel, or four-wheel drive. Control arms suspend the front corners
and a four-link rigid axle handles the rear wheels (coil springs all
around, of course). The long-standing SR5 trim name retains its
entry-level position. The midlevel, 4WD Trail edition soldiers on with
Multi-Terrain Select, low-range crawl modulation, and the optional
Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System. The topline 4Runner Limited takes on
greater passenger-coddling responsibilities with its X-REAS
self-adjusting suspension and longer list of comfort and convenience
features. An available third row enables a seven-passenger seating
claim.
It all sounds too familiar, right? Our
presumption for the familiarity: In 2010, Toyota announced it would
offer a 157-hp, 2.7-liter four-cylinder in the then-new,
fifth-generation RWD SR5 (with a four-speed auto). It got exactly 1 more
city mpg in the EPA ratings than the comparable V-6 model. And see how
long that lasted.
So what exactly is new about the 4Runner? Let's go through those 16 "new" points.
1. "New 2014 4Runner Features Rugged Exterior Design To Match Its Authentic Off-Road Heritage"
This is the press release title. Makes sense, yes?
2. "…and the redesigned 2014 4Runner receives a rugged new exterior design…"
See point number 1.
3. "The Trail grade features new color-keyed bumpers and overfenders…"
Just when we had gotten used to the black ones.
4. "In addition to the distinctive new grille…"
Toyota updated the 4Runner's front and rear
fascias for a bolder appearance, which meant modifying the graphics,
front grille, and the light housings. The redesigned, smoked headlights
switch from halogens to projector-style illumination, and LEDs are
incorporated into the head- and retouched taillights. The Limited goes
heavier on chrome-plated trim pieces.
5. "Both the SR5 and Trail grades will ride on 17-inch alloy wheels with a new wheel-design for both…"
The Limited model rides on 20-inch wheels (now
painted black). Maybe that's why they're paired with the X-REAS adaptive
shock 
The controller cost $230, and there was already a space in the dash for
the controller. We followed along as the installation took place, a
process that took about an hour. The installer unbolted the bottom of
the center stack, which freed the center console. He unbolted that,
removed it, and set out of the way. He also unbolted the dash, exposing
the areas where the wiring had to go. There had been a cover behind the
dash where the controller wiring would connect to the truck, and once
the installer removed that, he could plug the controller wiring in
place. The unit itself, at least the interface that the driver would
use, slid right into place on the center stack. Then he reassembled the
interior, and the truck looked just as nice as when we brought it in,
except for the new addition. But there was one more step to the
installation. The electronics had to be programmed so the controller
would work. After connecting a computer at the OBD II connector under
the dash, the installer found the right program on the computer, and set
it to run. We saw the gauge needles quickly blip from left to right (0
to max) and back, twice, and then the trailer brake controller
installation was complete. He toggled through the menu within the gauge
cluster to prove that the controller was set up correctly -- he checked
to make sure that adjusting the gain was now an option (and it was), so
his job was done. And now our long-termer is ready for towing heavy
loads.
| Our Cars | |
| Service life | 8 months/21,476 miles |
| Average fuel economy | 14.2 mpg |
| CO2 emissions | 1.37 lb/mile |
| Energy consumption | 237 kW-hr/100miles |
| Unresolved problems | None |
| Maintenance cost | $107.58 (2 x oil change, tire rotation, inspection) |
| Normal-wear cost | $0 |
"This is an overall awesome rig to take up to the mountains: It stuck
well to the snow-covered surfaces, and rarely felt like it was going to
lose traction. Driving at about 50 mph up Minaret Rd, the chassis would
occasionally lose grip, but the traction system would quickly actuate,
catch and correct any sliding. At one point, I approached a turn too
fast and began sliding, but only for a moment, as the tires promptly
gripped the snow, allowing the brakes to quickly bring us to a halt. I
was a bit nervous pulling into six inches of fresh snow on the driveway
of our rental cabin, but the Evoque plowed right through without
hesitation. I drove with the snowy/icy surfaces mode engaged most of the
time until the end of the weekend when all the snow had melted off the
roads. And even then I drove over some large ice patches with the
regular mode engaged, but the Evoque glided over them without incident,
proving that the stability system is reliable even if the proper mode is
not engaged.
Room is not very generous inside, either. We had small and large
suitcase, a medium duffel, three snowboards, and a few other small bags
stacked inside, minimizing the already compromised rearward visibility.
My backseat passenger was more then a bit cramped, but be kept his
complaints to a minimum, and in fact, over the course of a few days grew
to love the car's design and style - his eyes were opened to the
benefit of small SUV with lots and lots of luxury amenities. He was also
was charmed by the multi lens camera system and thought all the
different views were a great novelty.
Overall, the Evoque's condensed size and
sure-footed stability system make it a great weekend runner to where the
payment ends and the lifts begin."
| Our Car | |
| Service Life | 8/20,566 miles |
| Average Fuel Economy | 21.7 mpg |
| CO2 Emissions | 0.89 lb/mile |
| Energy Consumption | 155 kW-hr/100 mi |
| Unresolved problems | None |
| Maintenance cost | $0 (oil change, inspection, cabin-air filter, engine-air filter) |
| Normal-wear cost | $0 |
Now that the Cadillac CTS has a baby brother to cover the 3
Series/C-Class market properly, it's free to move up in size, style, and
stature to confront the 5 Series/E-Class segment head on. To that end,
Cadillac design director Mark Adams says his team was guided by "the
three Ls: longer, lower, leaner." Hence this third-generation car is
lengthened by 5.0 inches, with only 1.1 inches of that in the wheelbase,
and much of it in rear overhang. It's also lowered by 0.8 inch, and
thanks to extensive use of aluminum and savvier use of high-strength
steel, the base car is 250 pounds lighter (V-6 models weigh around 175
pounds less) for a claimed best-in-class curb weight of 3600 pounds.
The impressive 7 percent weight savings is
attributable to myriad savings, large and small. Cadillac's first use of
aluminum doors saves 55 pounds all around, while the 8-pound front
bumper beam saves 13.1 pounds, and the rear suspension cradle drops from
69 to 54 lbs. Other tricks include tailoring the B-pillar sheetmetal
thickness to vary from 1.4mm at the top to 1.9mm in the middle,
scalloping away the metal in between the spot welds, and fitting
aluminum brake calipers all around.
To ensure that the lighter weight makes the new CTS one of the most
agile cars in its class, Cadillac equipped it with a longer-armed
version of the ATS' front suspension. It locates the front struts using
separate arms that are bushed to isolate ride events (fore/aft) softly
and handling ones (laterally) more rigidly. This new geometry (plus
wheels with a 0.4-inch greater offset) help widen the front track by
almost 1.9 inches (the wheels widen the rear track by 0.8 inch).
Magnetic Ride Control will be offered for the first time on the base
suspension (with upgraded 18-inch wheels -- 17s are standard). All CTS
models will get Brembo brakes all around, with an up-level package
available on more performance-oriented versions.
When it goes on sale later this summer (production starts in July), the
328d will be offered in both sedan and wagon bodystyles with all options
available on the gasoline models (including xDrive all-wheel-drive),
with one exception -- no manual transmission. The take-rate was just
deemed too small, and it would have presented the conundrum: Bring the
super-wide-ratio Euro box that would blunt performance relative to the
eight-speed automatic, or bring the performance-oriented ratios that
might kill that 40-mpg number?
To meet U.S. NOx emissions regulations, the
engine uses a selective-catalytic-reduction (urea) fluid. The onboard
tank is not expected to require refilling between oil-change intervals
(typically 6000-10,000 miles), unless it's being operated a lot in very
cold weather or at higher altitudes.
On the eve of the New York auto show, BMW offered brief test drives
around its New Jersey headquarters, which revealed the new engine's more
earnest earth-hugging mission. This 328d sedan seems to strike a better
balance between performance and fuel economy, and as such it comes off
as better optimized for drivers inclined toward obsessively Tweeting
their fuel economy. Nevertheless, floor the throttle in Sport+ mode and
it surfs the waves of 280-lb-ft torque, merging smartly with freeway
traffic or easily jumping ahead of a line of dawdlers for the
right-hand-turn lane when necessary. Yet, it feels more at home in the
EcoPro transmission setting. Leave it there, and you'll never feel
either edge of the torque plateau as the car wafts from ratio to ratio
seamlessly. The four-cylinder's firing pulses are enough farther apart
than the six's that it sounds a bit more 
Death Valley is a huge place filled with layers and layers of desert
grandeur, lots of which can be accessed by well-kept, twisty ribbons of
asphalt. These roads are perfect for zipping up and over with the
Evoque's sticky rubber and grip-happy suspension, but I wondered how
those same tires and suspension would do when we'd leave the asphalt?
Our destination was the Barker Ranch via the
Goler Wash. Getting to the mouth of the wash meant slithering down a
fast, gravel-compacted road, then driving a few miles up a large
alluvial fan to the start of the canyon. The Evoque handled all with
ease but not without audible fuss. The low-profile tires result in
plenty of rough road noise drumming into the cabin -- the price you pay
for such big rims.
As we neared the mouth of the canyon, I began to notice that the terrain
looked recently disturbed. Sure enough, the canyon was completely
washed out. Two weeks prior to our arrival, a strong thunderstorm
appeared to have wreaked havoc on the canyon, allowing Goler Wash to
live up to its name. The Evoque wasn't about to go up it, and even the
more capable FJ began to shiver in its boots. Rather then risking
getting stuck, we instead used the newly created terrain at the mouth of
the canyon to learn more about Evoque's Terrain Response System.
Toggling through the settings, then rolling through the boulders and
sand allowed my spotters to see how each setting tackles the terrain
with a different approach. Though none of the setting were going to
change the Evoque's lack of robust tire tread or underbody clearance, I
now have a better understanding of the sort of terrain the Evoque is
capable of tackling. An FJ it is not, but it's ability to click off
triple digit speeds on the asphalt while also zipping down the majority
of unpaved roads makes it a unique crossover offering and (mostly)
perfect for visiting a big, vast place like Death Valley.
Now, the good news. Lexus bills the latest IS as having "[kicked] it up a
notch with true sport sedan driving dynamics, state of the art onboard
technologies, and an all-new design that makes it look fast even when
it's standing still." The design certainly plays a big role in an
attempt to shake things up in the world of sporty luxury sedans. The
cabin's modernization brings a familial but fresh take to the center
stack and console. Neat electrostatic switches (a first for the brand,
says Lexus) manage the dual-zone automatic climate control's temperature
settings, perfect for the generation used to finger-swiping their
smartphone touch screens. The F Sport tachometer needle's color can be
changed to red, white, or blue.
Backseat space in the 2013 model was laughable.
For 2014, the IS is noticeably more spacious for passengers astern, with
0.2 inch more headroom, 0.3 inch more hip room, 0.7 inch more shoulder
room, and, most conspicuously, 1.6 inches of additional legroom. Only
time will tell if the exterior design -- with its aggressive stance and
fascias, elongated wraparound taillights, and enormous, pinched front
grille -- will age as gracefully as the safely styled IS 300 and IS 250,
but there's no doubt the 2014 car has attitude. The big(ger), bad(der)
IS 250 F Sport has its wolf's clothing.
Another oddity in the car was the Snow button below the Drive Mode
Select dial (Eco, Normal, and Sport) and stability/traction control
switch on the center console. Pressing it didn't start the car in second
gear, but then again, we didn't have the all-wheel-drive IS 250. To
make sure we weren't part of some funny game, we checked for half-shafts
behind the front wheels, and there weren't any.
These two head-scratcher moments brought variety to this First Test
before we headed to the track. Flat-footing the accelerator and brake
pedals (not at the same time) and timing the paddle shifts just right
(tap early to cover the shift delay, right before bouncing the rev
limiter) on the dragstrip yielded no surprises, with 0-60 mph clocked at
7.2 seconds, the quarter mile at 15.6 seconds with a trap speed of 89.4
mph, and a stop from 60 mph in 113 feet. The last 2011 IS 250 F-Sport
we tested did 0-60 mph in 7.2 seconds, the quarter mile at 15.6 seconds
in 89.6 mph, and braked from 60-0 mph in 114 feet. Both cars are powered
by a direct-injected 2.5-liter V-6 with 204 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of
torque and share identical gear ratios in the six-speed automatic
transmission. The 2014 IS 250's axle ratio is about 5 percent taller and
its curb weight is 93 pounds more, but no measurable effect from the
differences was found here. Under acceleration, the engine pulls
smoothly, but the thought of the IS 350's 306-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 is
always in the back of the mind. There's greater induction noise at
higher load and revs as a result of the F Sport intake sound generator,
but it's nowhere near as obnoxious as it is in the Ford Focus ST.
The 2014 car gives up nothing in terms of sensation and feedback from
the driver's seat. It slices and dices and feels planted all the time.
The steering is direct, predictable, and communicates enough information
to the driver. No one would call this sedan overpowered, especially not
with 255mm meats in the rear. It'll lift-throttle oversteer if forced,
but should drifting be your IS 250 obsession for whatever reason, you'd
probably be better off with a square-stance model.
| 2014 Lexus IS 250 F Sport | |
| BASE PRICE | $39,000 (est) |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $42,000 (est) |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan |
| ENGINE | 2.5L/204-hp/185-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve V-6 |
| TRANSMISSION | 6-speed automatic |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 3594 lb (53/47%) |
| WHEELBASE | 110.2 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 183.7 x 71.3 x 56.3 in |
| 0-60 MPH | 7.2 sec |
| QUARTER MILE | 15.6 sec @ 89.4 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 113 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.85 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 27.1 sec @ 0.65 g (avg) |
| EPA CITY/HWY FUEL ECON | 21/30 mpg (est) |
| ENERGY CONS., CITY/HWY | 160/112 kW-hrs/100 miles (est) |
| CO2 EMISSIONS | 0.80 lb/mile (est) |
