The Continental: Design Talk, Powertrains from Europe, and Praise for Jaguar

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. A Take on the WRX Subaru is removing the WRX from the Impreza lineup, as further evidenced by the WRX concept that debuted at the New York auto show. It is shorter than the Impreza sedan, but features a far longer wheelbase and way more style. For me, though, the proportions don't work. The heritage of the WRX is that of a rally car, not a long-distance cruiser, where directional stability takes precedence over agility. The ultra-low roof makes the fuselage look extra boxy, but at least it evokes the characteristic 1970s to 1990s Japanese hardtop sedans. Not that a WRX should really pander to that legacy. In fact, a large part of the car's traditional appeal is that it's a perfectly normal sedan, heavily modified and turned into a missile. The WRX has not only exposed the potential hidden in every Impreza, it also has kept the original model's practicality. I think the new car is fine, but as a successor of the Impreza WRX, it is difficult to accept. Hopefully Mitsubishi sticks to the proven formula with the next iterations of the Lancer Evolution, but I am not holding my breath. GM's German subsidiary, Opel, is launching a major powertrain offensive. The company plans on launching three new engine families by 2016. One is a 1.6-liter diesel with 134 horsepower that replaces the current 1.7-liter and 2.0-liter turbodiesels. The second is a 1.6-liter, direct-injection gasoline engine that makes either 168 or 197 horsepower. And the third engine is a "small-displacement gasoline engine," details of which will be unveiled later. Opel also has a fresh transmission strategy, which includes replacing the current six-speed automatic with an eight-speed autobox. The expected gains in efficiency amount to a meager three percent. For the tiny Adam and Corsa, Opel will offer an automated single-clutch five-speed transmission—a decision I find surprising. This cheap solution has clear comfort disadvantages compared to a torque-converter or dual-clutch automatic. Chinese-owned carmaker Volvo also is communicating new powertrain technologies. A new diesel four-cylinder diesel will replace its current five-cylinder engine. The diesel's so-called "i-ART" technology features a computer on top of each injector; injection pressure is extremly high at 2500 bar (over 36,000 psi). Down the road, the brand is hedging its powertrain future solely on four-cylinder engines; currently, it offers a gasoline inline-five and a straight-six. Until recently, a nice Yamaha-supplied V-8 was offered as well. Says Derek Crabb, the brand's chief powertrain engineer: "Our four-cylinder engines will offer higher performance than today's six-cylinder units and lower fuel consumption than the current four-cylinder generation. On top of that, electrification will bring us up into power figures in today's V8-territory." Volvo's press release does not fail to lecture us that "V-8s are dinosaurs." Volvo's "less is more" mantra does not pertain to transmission technology: The brand plans to launch an eight-speed automatic. Notes on Jag The Jaguar XJ is my favorite luxury sedan: It is the lightest and most futuristic of the whole segment, and its supercharged V-8 engine sounds better than anything offered by the competition, perhaps with the exception of Mercedes-Benz's brutal AMG models. I spoke about it with Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar brand director, and I asked him why the top-of-the-line model carries neither the Daimler designation, which Jaguar would be allowed to use in many markets, nor the equally classic Vanden Plas moniker. Hallmark indicated that they don't resonate with today's customer anymore, but he agreed that the Ultimate moniker now used to designate Jaguar's top-of-the-line XJ is weak. It won't be used again. Ultimate, in fact, is just about as lame as the Platinum trim level designation used by Cadillac, as Peter De Lorenzo thankfully pointed out this week. Leave these nameplates to carmakers and marketing executives without imagination or heritage. A note on wheels—for some reason, customers avoid disc-shaped wheels like the plague; Jaguar's 20-inch "Amirante" wheel has sadly been dropped from the XJ lineup. Fourteen other multi-spoke wheels are still available on the XJ Supersport; good luck telling them apart. But this is not meant to single out Jaguar: Virtually every carmaker has dropped the style. I believe these disc-like wheels will make a comeback – not least because they are aerodynamically superior. The Maserati Quattroporte's 20-inch "Crono" wheel is a step in the right direction . . . A few weeks ago on the U.S. East Coast, I was able to sample some of Hyundai's current offerings. The Santa Fe Sport was thoroughly impressive, well-built and nicely executed—a competitive alternative to the Japanese and American crossover offerings. The Veloster Turbo is a curious little coupe with one door on the left and two on the right side, and it is surprisingly spacious. It also gets optitronic instrumentation and a rather technoid dashboard surface. It's also quick, thanks to a 201-horsepower 1.6-liter turbocharged four, which (in the car I drove) was mated to a solid-feeling six-speed manual gearbox. I was less impressed with the structural integrity of the body; road bumps sent violent shudders through the Veloster, and the 18-inch wheels didn't help. But if your neighborhood is free of potholes, please accept my congratulations, and I recommend you give this Korean turbo a try. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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