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Issue - June, 2005
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Crash Course
Vehicles—even economy models—get safer every year
By Tony Whitney
Any automobile salesperson will confirm that customers (and especially fleet buyers) are asking about safety features almost before they check on performance, convenience items and fuel economy.
It’s true that many of the safety systems we take for granted nowadays were originally the result of federal legislation both in Canada and the US, but automakers have been ahead of the lawmakers for years now.
The field of automotive safety technology is in a continuous state of improvement and anyone involved in vehicle marketing will tell you that safety really does sell.
Most of the safety features buyers are likely to find, even on moderately-priced vehicles, are the result of fast-paced advancements in the area of automotive electronics. While these features first appeared on upscale vehicles, they’ve now filtered down to products priced at under $20,000. These safety aids are part of ever more complex systems that on some models, could involve more than 70 tiny computers.
Taking over control
Most recently, automakers have been working on electronic safety systems that virtually take over control of the vehicle in an accident situation. Mercedes-Benz pioneered this approach with its Pre-Safe technology, which has become standard equipment on several of its products over the past couple of model years.
The basic idea of Pre-Safe is to detect an accident in advance, and activate pre-crash protection measures which ensure occupants are seated in the best possible position at the moment of impact. The prime aim is optimum deployment of the various air bags to avoid—or at least minimize—personal injury.
When the vehicle’s computers decide that an accident is about to happen, seat belts are tensioned a split second in advance of the crash so the occupants get the best possible protection from the air bags. As has been widely reported, air bags (especially first-generation units) can be as injurious as the crash itself if passengers are slouched in their seats and not firmly strapped in.
Mercedes’ new safety system actually adjusts the (powered) settings for front seat backrests and cushions and power-adjustable rear seats. If a skid is detected, the system automatically closes the sunroof too—preventing injuries that can occur when passengers’ arms are thrown upwards towards the open roof.
According to accident researchers, there is a fairly lengthy time lapse between recognition of an impending collision and the collision itself. Mercedes says it’s using this “time window” to protect occupants in a crash situation.
The system can decide which of several air bags to trigger on the basis of both accident severity and occupant weight. Pre-Safe is linked to the car’s anti-lock braking (ABS), brake assist and electronic stability program (ESP) technology.
All new vehicles now have “second-generation” air bags, which deploy at different rates according to the severity of the impact, and have dramatically reduced bag-related injuries. A low-speed impact only brings a mild response from the bag system, while a high-speed crash will see the bag deploy at full speed and pressure.
As soon as dual air bags became common up front, automakers began fitting side bags to further protect front seat occupants. These bags deploy from behind the door trim, or sometimes from the sides of the seats themselves. They are very effective in protecting people from side impacts, but concentrate their protective powers on the lumbar region or rib cage.
Not long after front side bags became popular, upscale automakers started fitting side air bags in the rear compartment of the vehicle to protect passengers located there. In case you’re counting, we’re now up to six air bags per car.
Of course, the most vulnerable part of the body in a side impact is the head. That’s why “curtain” air bags are now common on all kinds of vehicles, mainly in the prestige segment. Curtain air bags deploy along the entire length of the passenger compartment and protect the heads of all occupants who are seated in “outside” locations.
More recently, automakers like Lexus (with its 2006 GS models) have been adding knee air bags.
Traction control
One of the simplest and most common safety aids is traction control, now standard at even very low price points. On a simple two-wheel drive car, traction control selects the wheel with the most grip in a loss-of-grip situation and gives it more power.
The process can switch back and forth between driving wheels very rapidly, enabling the driver, for example, to accelerate quickly and in a straight line, even in very slippery conditions.
Anti-lock brakes, commonly known as ABS, are available now on just about every car line offered in North America. One of the earliest forms of electronically-assisted safety benefits, ABS preserves directional stability and steering during emergency (read panic) braking maneuvers. Put simply, an ABS system transfers braking capability to the wheel where it can do the most good, swapping from wheel to wheel as the situation demands.
A step beyond ABS are electronic brake assist systems now offered by several automakers. One manufacturer’s brake assist technology was developed after the company discovered that even experienced drivers may not apply full braking force in an emergency.
The brake assist technology adopted by Mercedes-Benz and other automakers learns each driver’s braking habits by using electronic sensors to monitor every movement of the brake pedal and feed the information to a small computer. The result is the system instantly recognizes when the driver stabs at the brake pedal quicker than normal.
The computer is able to recognize the signs of an emergency and quickly apply an electronic valve on the brake booster for full braking. It uses the benefits of the ABS technology to prevent lockup and as soon as pressure on the brake pedal eases, normal operation resumes.
As with so many current electronic safety aids, stability control systems have surfaced under a variety of names, according to the automaker’s branding policies. Basically, ESP (Mercedes-Benz), DSC (BMW), and StabilTrak (Cadillac) achieve similar aims, as do comparable systems offered by many other manufacturers.
A typical stability control system uses sensors to constantly monitor individual wheel speed, steering angle and lateral acceleration. Also monitored on many systems is “yaw,” an aspect of aircraft technology automakers have learned from.
All this information is gathered in by the computer, which determines whether or not the vehicle is headed in the direction the driver intends. If the car becomes unstable and begins to skid or spin, the computer applies brake pressure at one or more wheels, something no driver could ever do.
One interesting aspect of electronic stability control that’s not usually considered is its ability to reduce the extent of accident severity. Since systems like ESP stabilize the vehicle in a skid, the risk of side-on collisions with trees, hydro poles or other such objects is very much reduced. The vehicle is brought under control and stopped in a straight line, aided by the anti-lock brakes and brake force distribution, which is usually part of any stability control system.
According to Mercedes-Benz, once stability control was standardized, vehicle roll overs involving its products have decreased by around 12 per cent.
Roll overs
Volvo admits SUVs are more likely to roll over, thanks to their high centre of gravity when compared to a passenger car. With the company’s XC90 sport ute, efforts were made to keep the centre of gravity as low as possible.
An electronic detector in the vehicle, jointly developed by Volvo and Ford, senses when a roll over may be caused by an extreme maneuver and reduces engine power and applies the brakes to one or more of the wheels until stability is regained. The system, which uses a gyro-sensor, is coupled to the traction control and anti-lock braking units.
To aid the unfortunate occupants if the vehicle does roll over, Volvo has included special reinforcements of a special steel (claimed four or five times stronger than ordinary steel) to the body structure. A sophisticated seatbelt system with multiple air bags was designed to keep occupants’ heads from contacting the roof panel or sides during a roll over.
Today’s safety technology gets more effective and less expensive with each new model year. Few industry observers doubt that new breakthroughs could be just around the corner. car
Tony Whitney is a Vancouver-based automotive and technology journalist.
Roughing it with the Ridgeline
Nice look, moderate power, good space
Honda’s new pickup, the Ridgeline, has a heated wiper zone that melts the ice and slush off the windshield wipers in as little as five minutes. Nice, but I expect no less from Honda.
Is that fair? That thought skittered through my mind as I listened to the Honda technical staff rhyme off feature after feature here in San Diego. But I realized that I can’t help it. This launch has been hyped for two years and with some companies, like Honda, I do expect more.
Mostly because that’s how they’ve been selling themselves and their products to me. Whether it’s cars, ATVs, outboard motors, generators, snow blowers, watercraft, or even roto-tillers, I know many Honda owners who swear they are the best. In fact, the company is counting on customers making this leap of faith, assuming the Ridgeline will be as bulletproof as the other Honda products they’ve been using for years.
It’s a good plan—lead with your strengths. But this reputation is going to come at a premium. The three trim levels of the truck will be priced from around $35,000, rising to about $45,000. But, if you’re just interested in getting into a plain pickup, there’s no cheaper option.
That may be where Honda loses some market share. For instance, the new Dodge Dakota and Toyota Tacoma, both virtually new for ’05 and both good trucks, start almost ten grand cheaper. Is reputation going to be enough?
So, that’s my frame of mind as a Honda presenter drops the new catch phrase; “tough, capable – but made smarter.” They said it, but after waiting two years, I get to be the judge.
The introductory drive, held here in southern California, is not an ideal location for ice melting windshield wipers, but back in Alliston, Ont., where the Ridgeline went into production last month (sharing components with the new Odyssey minivan) those wipers will come in handy.
But, not for me today. It’s a balmy 22 degrees C as I head off inland to a horse ranch where I’ll do an off-road course prepared for this event. The truck is quiet, the engine power is delivered smoothly and in general, it just feels nice and tight in the corners and through the potholes.
Dash layout is good and I realize after an hour or so that I’m reaching for various controls as if I’d been driving the truck for months. Switches, dials, gauges all seem to be where I intuitively expect them to be.
The Ridgeline is a purpose-built truck aimed at the middle market. Put another way, Honda has been careful not to build a niche truck; but can one truck be all things to all buyers?
For now, with only one model, it has to be. What they’ve built is a four-door crew cab design, using a high output V6 engine, five-speed automatic transmission, a four-wheel drive system with a half-ton payload and a tow rating of 3,000 kg. To that end, the truck also comes with extra cooling for the transmission and power steering pump, a dual fan radiator, heavy-duty brakes and a wiring harness for both four-pin and seven-pin electrical connectors.
But, the trailer hitch itself is still optional, which seems goofy, particularly in light of how much effort they’re putting into promoting the towing ability of this truck.
Integrated trunk
Ridgelines have ample safety features, such as four-wheel anti-lock brakes, front airbags, side curtain airbags with rollover sensor, vehicle stability assist and traction control—but only one engine choice.
This 3.5-litre VTEC V6, puts out 255 horsepower (at a pretty high rpm of 5,750) and makes 252 foot pounds of torque at a lower range of 4500 rpm. Along with the five-speed transmission and the VTM-4 four-wheel drive system (upgraded versions of the MDX powertrain), Honda is betting this one combination will be right one for everyone.
Well, on the paved portion of my drive, the power was mostly adequate. But this is a 2,043-kg. vehicle, so even with a punchy V6 acceleration, it’s just mediocre on freeway ramps and off-road, and it lacks the low-end grunt that slow-speed rough trail driving demands.
In fairness, Honda did give us some challenging hills to climb (the steepest being about 30 degrees) and the truck did negotiate them, if I took a run at them. At low speed though, with the VTM-4 system locked (another standard feature) it couldn’t muster enough torque to get up the nastiest hill at the governed speed—that being up to 30 km per hour in first or second gear.
Where the Ridgeline will score big is with its really fresh ideas, such as the integrated trunk space under the cargo bed, four load lights, six tie-down points, a dual action tailgate all covered in a SMC (sheet moulded composite) truck bed. Honda says this design relied heavily on focus groups of truck owners.
Crawling around the back, I can see that. The trunk is a weather-proof, lockable container that can hold 8.5 cubic feet of cargo. There are drain holes in the bed and trunk space, indents in the front of the box that fit dirt bike and ATV wheels and a coating on the composite bed that prevents slips.
This composite material is really tough. It resists dings and dents, even from a bucketful of rocks I watched being dropped by a Bobcat into the bed from a height of 1.5 metres.
But, this is not a new, from the ground-up truck and that’s where some compromises come in, such as the five-foot bed (6.5 feet with the tailgate down). The bulk of the available frame length has gone into building a good-sized cabin.
That’s the choice Honda made but they were able to keep a four-foot wide space between the wheel arches, which means you can carry that timeless yardstick of pickup truck practicality—the sheet of plywood.
The Ridgeline has seating for five. The two front power adjustable seats are separated by a sizable multi-function armrest with storage. The seats themselves are firm, comfortable and the bolsters were nicely spaced.
The rear seat I spent an hour riding in has ample legroom, a good seatback angle, and a flip down armrest with storage and cup holders. The rear bench seat is a 60/40 split that folds upwards to free up inside cargo space. A single pivoting leg on this seat also offers a substantial amount of under seat storage when in the down position—enough for a full set of golf clubs.
The outside body is 100 per cent unique with a nice look. Its length is just 44 cm shorter than a current Ford F150. This is not a small truck and its look seems to convey the competence that comes with size. Though unique in its shape, some things will feel familiar to most truck owners. The prominent square hood in particular, as seen from the driver’s seat, will convey a classic truck feel.
Angular look
The look of the Ridgeline is angular with sharply drawn edges and sweeping lines. Chief among them are the box sides that rise to meet a rear facing sheet metal C pillar. A feature similar in profile to the Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck, but another similarity I only noticed a few hours after starting my drive, is the lack of separation between cab and box.
This body style is integrated with the unibody frame to stiffen the entire package, says Honda. This rigidity was evident during my drive. There was no feeling of chassis flex, and later at the off-road track, this again proved to be the case.
This brings me to what will probably be a love it or hate it feature–the four-wheel independent suspension. There will be some buyers who won’t be able to accept something other than the traditional solid rear axle, but after driving the Ridgeline on-road and off, I’ll weigh in with a positive vote.
The truck corners extremely well. It offers a low centre of gravity that feels especially good when loaded. There was very little squat to the suspension even on the potholed off-road.
But best of all, with the beefy sway arms and the multi-link connections the truck experienced (with a load on and while towing a 3,000 kg trailer) there is almost zero bounce and wiggle associated with tall coil springs and rear leafs. Now, the ground clearance of these components (and the under slung tailpipe) is poor compared to a solid axle but the ride quality more than makes up for it.
With the suspension as the low point on the truck, the large trunk, which drops below the bed, is still out of harm’s way. On the off-road course it never came in contact with the ground, regardless of the inclines I drove the truck on.
The three trim levels will be the base LX, the EX-L and the EX-L Navi, which as the name implies will feature an LED screen navigation system. The base model truck wasn’t available for the drive but the EX-L which I drove (Honda figures it will make up about 65 per cent of trucks sold) was very well appointed with all the power and entertainment features you’d expect at this price point.
Honda’s target for this first year of product is 45,000 units for the US and Canada. car
Howard Elmer is an automotive journalist based in Brampton, Ont.
Tweaking the Tacoma
By Howard Elmer
The new 2005 Toyota Tacoma was voted best new pickup truck (from a field of four) by the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada in December.
Introduced in 1995 using the Forerunner chassis, Tacoma was a compact truck and it never really changed much. But, coming into the 2005 model year, we’re seeing its first full model change. It’s jumping firmly into the mid-size category, with all new versions getting larger.
Double Cab models with automatic transmissions are 515mm longer than the previous generation, while shorter Access Cab models are anywhere from 154mm to 279mm longer than the Xtra Cab models they replace. A 1,880-mm cargo bed is standard on every Tacoma except the Double Cab 4x4 that has a 1,550-mm bed.
Around the Ottawa area (where I drove the Tacoma) I got a good mix of dirt and pavement with some towing thrown in for good measure. The first thing I noticed is the new Tacoma’s ride really benefits from the longer wheelbase, as well as the outboard, offset rear shock positioning. Suspension travel was stiff without being harsh and feedback through the wheel was minimal.
Toyota has also done a good job of offering a wide choice of build options; a fact reflected in the pricing. A base 4x2 Access Cab retails for $22,125. From here, prices will rise according to model and options to the mid 30s for a 4x4 Double Cab, automatic version of Tacoma. (With the Sport Package you can spend even more).
For power, there are two choices. First, an all-new 4-litre, V6 (replacing the 3.4-litre engine) that makes 240 horsepower (a boost of 50 hp over the old engine) at 5,200 rpm and 282 ft. lb. of torque at 3,800 rpm. The standard engine on the 2WD Access Cab has also grown into a new 2.7-litre four cylinder engine that develops 164 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 183 ft. lb. of torque at 3,800 rpm.
This new truck’s rigid boxed frame, longer wheelbase and extra power also means higher towing capacity than previous models. On the 4WD V6 version, the new tow limit is 2,268 kg, up from 1,587 kg. When pulling a boat out of water, I felt the suspension settle a bit, but evenly. It had good road manners, adequate power and the front ventilated discs and rear drum brakes (with ABS) did a fine job of managing the weight.
The rear seats in the Tacoma Double Cab reflect a nice balance between comfort and practicality. The 60/40 split seats tumble forward to expose under seat storage bins and plastic-lined cutouts in the rear bulkhead.
But even with this setup, the seats have a comfortable recline angle, integrated headrests and the potential to seat three across. In and out is accomplished through a full-size rear door that opens to almost 90 degrees.
The power front bucket seats are separated by a large armrest/storage console just behind the gated shifter, but the dominating feature in the new cab is the squared centre stack that houses the audio system and HVAC controls. Finished in a matte metallic colour, it’s a point of contrast regardless of interior colour. It matches the trim rings on the instrument gauges and is the only ostentatious feature in a subdued, efficient interior.
The V6 engine can be had with a six-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission while the four-cylinder comes with a five-speed manual standard or a four-speed automatic optionally. These transmissions (in part) will help Toyota achieve its touted fuel savings with the new Tacoma. Particularly at highway speeds, these gearboxes are very frugal with engine rpm.
Tacoma features an available part-time 4x4 system with a two-speed transfer case that offers lockable high and low range settings. It uses an electric actuator, which is controlled by a dashboard rotary switch.
Locking drive features are vital for low-speed maneuvers, like pulling a boat out of a gravel launch. Slip and grab all-wheel-drive setups don’t cut it in these situations—something to remember regardless of the brand you consider.
An interesting feature is Tacoma’s new cargo bed, made of a composite material that’s lighter than steel and more durable, says the company. It resists impact damage, it won’t rust and it will stand up to commercial abuse. It will give more than a few buyers cause to consider that the Big Three have offered precious little in the way of improvements to their cargo beds. car
Howard Elmer is a Brampton, Ont.-based automotive journalist.
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