December 1995

Earlier this year, luxury-car maker Lexus announced it would sell a sport-utility vehicle. The decision might have sparked the sort of snickering that would follow Spielberg launching a sitcom, or Rolex peddling a $39 watch. Why attach a premium name to a commonplace product?

Might have, but didn’t. By 1995 even casual auto observers understood: Sport-utes are where the action is. From the market’s low end, where standard equipment may exclude so much as an enclosed roof, to the new, upper reaches occupied by Lexus, buyers want both the sport and the utility of sport-utiility vehicles (SUVs).

Perhaps more significant, it seems most everyone craves the active, outdoorsy image that accompanies all that utility. So it came as no surprise when similar announcements emanated from Infiniti, Acura, and Mercedes. By this time next year, all three will offer upscale SUVs with pricetags topping $40,000.

Choices are expanding at the field’s low end as well. Suzuki, whose Samurai launched the mini-SUV craze a decade ago, now offers an intriguing hybrid sport-ute/sports car called the X-90. Korean maker Kia sells its Sportage (pictured) for less than $14,000. Enduring mid-range entries such as the Pathfinder, 4Runner, and Bravada are being re-introduced as quickly as their makers can revamp them.

If another theme pervades this year’s automotive advances, it is horsepower. Manufacturers now commonly boast of 10 or 15 percent yearly gains, as engineers exploit low-friction materials and improved air-intake plumbing. In passsenger cars as well as SUVs, more mountain-leveling muscle is always welcome.

In passenger cars, Japanese luxury imports such as the Lexus LS 400 (pictured) continue after narrowly averting what would have been a category-killing tariff. Ford’s ubiquitous Taurus gets a major overhaul, and a more daring look. Audi’s new small sedan, the A4, is one of only a handful of passenger cars left with four-wheel drive (4WD). Minivans serve skiing families better than ever, and Chrysler reigns as the minivan king.

What’s clear in model year 1996 is this: Vehicle buyers who ski have even more good choices. What’s further obscured, in a process that began in model years long past, are the lines that divide cars from trucks, sport-utes from sports cars, and sedans from minivans.

Best illustrating the SUV field’s maturity are the four-door GMC Yukon (pictured) and Chevy Tahoe, unveiled mid-year in 1995. Shortened versions of GM’s sizeable Suburbans, these brutes offer still-generous interior space in a "garageable" package. Seating is for six, with enough leg, head, and shoulder room for the Shaquille O’Neal family. They’re among the toughest trucks around, but with car-like amenities including power seats, rear heat vents, and available leather.

Truck people want power, and the Tahoe/Yukon twins deliver. The base V8 produces 250 hp, which is 50 more than last year. An optional turbo diesel engine boost tow capacity to 7,000 pounds. Most buyers chooose 4WD, but a new 2WD two-door model is also available.

With the burgeoning market for upscale SUVs, Tahoe and Yukon twins could have been configured as opulent luxury liners. GM, to its credit, considered, then declined, creating a Cadillac version, to avoid cannibalizing sales from Chevy and GMC. The base price was held to a sensible $22,886. A well-equipped Tahoe with 4WD can be had for less than $26,000.

The compact Chevy Blazer and GMC Jimmy were redesigned last year. This year, its the Oldsmobile Bravada’s turn. Built on the Blazer/Jimmy platform, the five-year old Bravada reflects GM’s early recognition of the demand for upscale utes. With its rich leather, deep-tinted glass, and proprietary colors, Bravada looks and feels a cut above its GM cousins. The so-called Homelink transmitter will open your garage door and light the lamps in your living room. The permanently engaged 4WD system features a rear-locking differential for superior traction in extreme winter conditions.

The undisputed sales leader of the SUV class is Ford’s Explorer. Attribute that to tasteful styling, exceptional versatility, and the enormous manufacturing capacity of Ford’s St. Louis and Louisville plants. Explorer, like Blazer, enjoyed a major revamp last year. Its neat rear liftgate can be swung open in its entirety from the top hinges, which is great for sit-down ski boot wrestling. Or you can open the upper glass portion only.

This year, Ford answers the main gripe about Explorers--sort of. Lack of a V8 has driven who-knows-how many potential buyers elsewhere (expecially into Grand Cherokees). The ‘96 Explorer offers eight cylinders as an option, but for now, only in rear-drive, automatic-transmission XLT models. Stilll, the standard V6 accelerates better than most. Lincoln-Mercury dealers soon will sell an Explorer, called Mountaineer.

Jeep’s tri-part SUV offering includes the Wrangler, Cherokee, and Grand Cherokee. The Cherokee will change little. Wrangler goes on hiatus for a year as it is revamped for ‘97. The Grand Cherokee gets dual airbags. What was already the classiest interior in the business gets better. The Command-Trac 4WD system is dropped, leaving shift-on-the-fly Selec-Trac system and Quadra-Trac, which is permanently engaged.

Shift-on-the-fly, or lack thereof, was the rap against Isuzu’s otherwise excellent Rodeo. This year that lack is remedied. A rebadged Rodeo will continue to pass as the Passport, Honda’s SUV entry. The fancier Trooper, which also gets shift-on-the-fly, will double as the Acura SLX in ‘96.

This much is known of the new Lexus sport-utility, the LX 450: It’s due at dealerships in early 1996. It will be built with the same indestructible body and steel frame as Toyota’s top-shelf Land Cruiser. Included will be the Cruiser’s three driver-activated locking differentials, which allow all four wheels to be locked together, creating "true four-wheel drive." That capability, combined with the luxury of a Lexus, should make for an impressive off-road and snow machine. By mid-year, Toyota’s 4Runner will be revamped as well, in a design based on the Tacoma pickup. It will be larger and more powerful than its forerunner--er, predecessor.

Expect Nissan’s redesigned Pathfinder by January. It too is bigger and stronger than the old model, with a new 168-horsepower V6. With Pathfinder, Nissan has always strived to emulate passsenger cars more than trucks. That hasn’t changed. An adjustable strut suspension permits a sporting ride on the road, and softer damping on the trails. The part-time 4WD system must be disengaged on dry pavement. The Pathfinder will serve as a base for an SUV from Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury division.

Model year ‘96 gives rise to some clever, economical mini-utes. The Korean-made Kia Sportage perhaps best represents the genre. It is small: 159 inches long, the same as a four-door Suzuki Sidekick. But steps were taken to make it "drive big." Its 15-inch wheels are pushed out to the corners, a design reminiscent of Chrysler’s "cab-forward" styling. The resulting long wheelbase provides a less jarring ride than expected. The interior minimizes the penned-in feeling inherent to such vehicles. An available 139-horsepower engine gives the Sportage a higher power-to-weight ratio than most sport utes, big or small. A roof rack accommodates bikes or skis. Kia says its dealerships will be located in 26 states by mid-1996.

While the Sportage is built on ladder-type steel frame, the new Toyota RAV4 features a car-like unitized body. The RAV4 (Recreational Active Vehicle with 4WD) prioritizes quiet, using a liquid-filled engine mount. Rack-and-pinion steering and a strut-type front suspension further clarify the RAV’s passenger-car tendencies. Yet it offers 7.5 inches of off-road ground clearance. An optional all-weather package includes a heavy duty heater and a rear-seat heat duct.

Suzuki goes farthest in blending sport utes with sport cars, with the two-seat X-90. Its rear spoiler and removable T-top seem to suggest urban use, but its 6.5 inches of clearance and 4WD system suggest otherwise. Inside are dual cupholders and dual airbags. Additional safety features include four-wheel antilock brakes and superior side-impact protection. Continuing are Suzuki’s two- and four-door Sidekicks, which now are both badged by Chevrolet’s Geo division, and titled Tracker. The Sidekick Sport is an all-new, slightly larger vehicle.

A year ago, Ford Motor Company was making all the news in minivans. Following a decade of dominance by Chryser Corporation, Ford unveiled the Windstar. It was a quiet, comfortable front-driver with a clear edge over the aging Chryslers. Ride and handling were superior, and thanks to its sporty looks, young couples were no longer embarassed to be seen in minivans by their friends. This year, a 200-horsepower V6 makes it this planet’s most powerful minivan.

But Chrysler quickly shot back with another generation ot its wildly popular Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager, and Chrysler Town & Country. With four engines, two wheelbase-lengths, and front drive or permanently engaged 4WD, the Chryslers simply do more things for more people. They are the Swiss Army Knives of minivans.

Most welcome is a new sliding fourth door on the driver’s-side rear, for easier passenger entry and exit. A folding/reclining middle row bench can be fitted with integral child seats, replaced by buckets, or removed altogether. Climate control is dual-zone in the front, with both floor- and armrest-level ventilation to the rear. Designers took styling cues--the swoopy shape, the curved off corners--from other Chrysler products such as the handsome Cirrus sedan. Full-body-length side windows minimize the boxy look inherent to minivans. A roof rack is standard on the Town & Country LXi, optional on the others.

Mazda’s MPV--more of a scalpel than a Swiss Army Knife--has also been reworked for ‘96. Despite its modest 155-horse V6, the MPV may be the minivan of choice for trailer towing, thanks to its standard rear-drive configuration. Permanent 4WD is also available. Smaller than even Chrysler’s shorter-length minivans, the MPV has also added a fourth door, though its doors are hinged, not sliding. The Toyota Previa offers 4WD as well. Honda has gotten into the minivan act with the new Odyssey, which lacks both 4WD and sufficient engine power for serious mountain use.

Ford this year is again a newsmaker. The car that inspired a styling revolution 10 years ago, Taurus, is dramatically restyled for ‘96. The new Taurus is aerodynamically shaped of rounded windows and elliptical headlamps. Such stylistic chance-taking comes as a surprise in what has been called "Everyman’s Sedan. Even more dramatic is the new Taurus wagon and its Mercury counterpart, the Sable.

Inside the sedan is 17 percent more space than last year. The wagon is also enlarged. A patented front bench can carry three passengers with seatbelts; or its center section can fold down as a clever armrest/console. The sedan’s rear seat splits-folds for trunk access and ski stowage. Both of the available V6 engines can go 100,000 miles without a tune-up. By mid-year, Ford will offer 240-horsepower "SHO" versions of both the Taurus sedan.

Honda’s Accord continually battles Taurus for honors as the nation’s best-selling vehicle. The Accord sedan is a foot shorter and almost 500 pounds lighter than the new Taurus. Unlike the Taurus, it continues to offer a manual shifter. The package makes for a nimbler, livelier drive, even with the standard four-cylinder. An enlarged trunk in the sedan and coupe is accompanied by a new a pass-through for skis. A wagon is also available.

Another noteworthy wagon is the Volvo 850 Sportswagon Turbo. Traction control helps keep the front-driven tires planted, while a turbocharger wrings a remarkable 220 horsepower from five cylinders. The result is one of the most sensuous driving experiences around, in a wagon that can haul two-by-fours 12 feet long. Volvo’s unique side-impact airbags are standard on the Turbo model, optional on the non-turbocharged 850 wagon and sedan.

Similarly satisfying form and function come from the Audi S6 wagon, which will be sold as a ‘95 model through mid-1996. The S6 is a turbocharged version of Audi’s A6 wagon, with permanently engaged 4WD standard. Heated seats and a tough interior ski sack help reinforce Audi reputation for capable ski cars. Price is $47,940, which tops the A6 wagon’s price by about $14,000. BMW’s 5-series wagons play in the same market, but don’t offer 4WD. An all-new 5-series line will arrive in 1996 as ‘97 models.

Few passenger-car makers do any more, but another is Subaru. Its Legacy Outback wagon, new in ‘95, features added ground clearance and an optional, new, stronger engine. The Outback sports a bolder, more truck-like look than other Legacy models. Subarus of the past may have emphasized function over form, but the current Legacy wagon and sedan are handsome specimens. Another 4WD stalwart is Mitsubishi’s Eclipse coupe, along with its Chrysler Corporation cousin, the Eagle Talon. For skiers who can live with a hatch and a miniature back seat, they’re great fun and affordable prices.

Among the most refined of current 4WD cars is Audi’s new A4. Successor to the previous 90 sedan, the A4 has proved exceptionally safe in crash testing. An electronic five-speed automatic transmission is programmed to select from more than 200 shift strategies, according to driving conditions. Audi’s permanently engaged 4WD system, called Quattro, is now a self-standing option, adding about $1,500 to the car’s cost. On non-4WD models, a new type of steering geometry reduces "torque steer," the tendency of front-drive cars to pull to one side upon acceleration. The A4 precedes the expected introduction of Audi’s A8, an aluminum-bodied supercar expected here next year.

Audi admittedly occupies a market niche below premium German imports from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. But while Americans await the A8, they can revel in two equally impressive rear-drive wundercars from the competition. The E-class cars of Mercedes--one of past decade’s most acclaimed vehicles--have been redesigned for ‘96. Their decidedly unMercedes-like look includes ovoid headlamps and a coupe-like profile. A new electronic system monitors "yaw"--the speed at which the car changes direction--and induces corrections using the antilock braking and traction control systems. Side-impact airbags are standard.

Most any BMW could be nicknamed "Sport," but the company’s two new arrivals are titled the 318ti Club Sport, and the 540i Sport. Officially, both are "late ‘95" models. Each borrows from BMW’s M-series of street-legal race cars. The 540i gets its heavy-duty brakes, adjustable-damping suspension, and sport seats from the M-series. A choice of six-speed manual or five-speed automatic accompanies the 282 horsepower V8. An all-new 5-series will appear in mid-1996 as a ‘97 model.

When German imports are called "Lexus fighters," the Lexus in reference is the LS 400. In its second year after a redesign, the Lexus flagship will change little. A V8-powered rear-drive sedan, it uses high-tech traction control to maintain grip. Its understated appearance, ironically, resembles the previous-generation E-class sedan from Mercedes.

In the summer of 1995, the U.S. government threatened a tariff on Japanese luxury cars which would have effectively ended their sale in this country. The tariff was quashed, and the Lexus continues. Dollar for dollar, in the eyes of some, the LS 400 reigns as the world’s most perfect car. It’s hard to guess what may dethrone it--except perhaps a Lexus sport utility vehicle.