Auto Q & A
Auto Q & A
By: Dr. Wheels
Topics:
Posted by editor Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 1165 times
0 responses 0 comments Dear Q & A: I appreciated your brief comparison of the Honda Fit with other small cars in its class last week. If you could do the same for slightly larger cars, the Scion xB, the Element, and the Aztek, I’d be much obliged.
— Courtn.
Dear Courtn: Those Honda Elements and Toyota Scion xBs you’re seeing so much of lately (a lot of people call them “funny looking”) are selling very well. Their un-sleek boxy appearance really appeals to teens and twenty-somethings, but as it turns out, they’re practical too. Fuel economy is very good on the Scion, all three hold way more stuff than the average sedan or coupe, and all offer pretty good value for the money. These three vehicles are not really comparable, however. A look at the specs will tell you why.
All three were deliberately designed to be homely, by contemporary esthetic standards. The Aztek’s grotesque looks evidently turned off enough buyers to kill it, and 2005 was its last model year. But here are the numbers for all three, in case you’re considering buying used.
Pontiac Aztek. Weight 4,043 pounds. Engine 3.4-liter V-6, 185 horsepower, 210 pound-foot torque. EPA mpg: 18 city/24 highway. Zero-to-60 time N.A. Price (MSRP) $21,530 to $24,445. Length 182.2 inches, wheelbase 108.3 in. Cargo capacity 95 cubic feet.
Honda Element. Weight 3,508 pounds. Engine 2.4-L, 156-hp, 160 pound-foot torque, four cylinder in-line. EPA mpg 21 city/24 highway. Zero-to-60 time 8.0 seconds. MSRP price $17,750 to $22,325. Length 169.3 inches, wheelbase 101.4 in. Cargo capacity 77 cubic feet.
Toyota Scion xB. Weight 2,415pounds. Engine 1.5-L, 103-hp., 101 pound -foot torque, four cylinder in-line. EPA mpg: 30 mpg city/33 highway. Zero-to-60 time 9.8 seconds. MSRP $14,030 to $14,830. Length 155.3 in., wheelbase 98.4 in. Cargo capacity 43.4 cubic feet.
Dear Q & A: Is the day of the factory-built limousine coming back? For decades now, if we wanted a true seven passenger limo we had to buy a big sedan or SUV off the assembly line and take it to a stretch shop to have it cut in half and lengthened. I hear Chrysler is about to come out with a stretch sedan you can buy right from the dealer. True?
— Big Al
Dear Big: Seems so. This fall a longer Chrysler 300 is due to become available in dealers’ showrooms. With more than 46 inches of rear-seat legroom, it should provide space for the built-in folding “jumper seats” that used to be a feature of factory-built limos from Chrysler, Ford, and GM until the 1950s. Good for Chrysler. They’ve got an imaginative management unafraid to innovate, even if it’s back to the future. Or would that be forward to the past?
Dear Q & A: Wasn’t there an American car back in the 1940s that had headlights that turned with the front wheels to “see around corners”? Why haven’t car makers caught on to this great idea? Out in the country, where I live, we drive a lot after dark on roads with a lot of turns, and something like this would be very useful.
— David
Dear David: The Tucker car of 1948 (which was a sad failure or a scam, depending on how you viewed Preston Tucker, the man behind the project) is probably the one you’re thinking of. But cheer up. Some new Lexus models have headlights that pivot up to 15 degrees as the vehicle turns. It does seem like an overdue good idea.
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