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Concept cars and new model introductions are to an auto show what the sizzle is to a steak. You don't need them to have a great auto show, but they really put the razzmatazz into the spectacle. The 1999 Washington Auto Show has pulled out all the stops to not only display an extensive list of exciting one-off concept cars, but also an impressive array of model year 2000 prototypes. At this year's show, everyone can check out the first new wheels of the new millennium.
Pontiac Rageous
Outrageous is the only way to describe the Pontiac Rageous concept car. While your eyes are first taken by the 22-inch tires and extremely aggressive styling of this low-slung V-8 powered machine, your mind may be taken aback by its amazing versatility. Actually, Pontiac is testing the public's reaction on ways to make sporty coupes as useful as a sport-utility vehicle. To begin with, the Pontiac Rageous is a 4-door coupe. Besides normal front doors, there are also two pickup-style rear access panels. In the Rageous you no longer have to crawl into the rear seat, you step-in much like a sedan. Yet, once the rear doors are closed, the Rageous retains all the smooth shape of a futuristic Firebird Trans Am. The more doors concept of offering better access to the rear seat of a coupe is so promising that Saturn has already added a third door to its SC2 Coupe for 1999. But, the Rageous goes even further than just extra doors. Open the huge glass hatch, and fold down the rear seats, and there is enough cargo room in the Rageous to carry home 4X8 sheets of building materials. The Pontiac Rageous is one sporty coupe that works as hard as it plays.
With a stable full of capable 4X4 designs from the open air Wrangler, to the compact Cherokee, to the all-new mid-size Grand Cherokee, you might think Jeep has the off-road market covered. But, this pioneer in family four-wheel drive is always looking to the future, and with the Jeep Dakar, also to its past.
While 4-door sport-utes are increasingly civilized, Jeep is testing the public need for a ready for- anything Wrangler-style model with a solid steel roof and the convenience of four-doors. The Dakar concept is just that - a Jeep wagon that is sized for narrow trails and for those hard to get to hideaways. The kinship between Dakar and the Wrangler is obvious with its square fenders, exposed door hinges and hood latches, and a stamped grille. Designers threw in a tubular roof rack for a look of adventure, but the top mounting of the spare actually looks promising for normal use. Carry a full-size spare inside or under the floor of smaller SUVs really robs cargo space. The Dakar's other unique touches include a folding shovel integrated into the front fender, and jerricans in the rear tailgate. Dakar also uses Wrangler power, Jeep's tried and true 4.0-liter inline-6. All told, the Dakar looks ready for any safari, urban jungle or otherwise.
Putting pizazz in a family car is not always easy. So, when you have a hit roadster like the Plymouth Prowler, you can excuse designers for trying to transplant some of that style into a family vehicle. The outcome just might well be something like the quirky Plymouth Pronto concept car.
The Pronto has a lot of hot rod Prowler in the grille and front end. Behind that, however, the Pronto is an ultra-contemporary front-wheel drive family car. Pronto uses a two-box design to provide the maximum interior space and flexibility for the least length. Front seats are bucket-style while the split rear seat folds flat giving the hatchback Pronto the versatility of a small wagon. Pronto power is straightforward, a 2.0-liter 132-horsepower 4-cylinder with an automatic transmission.
But, one of the missions for Pronto was to inject some driving fun into a family car. So, Plymouth designers included a large, folding, fabric sunroof that exposes all seats to the joys of almost open air motoring. Further, the interior has a sporty and international theme with all controls and even gauges housed in a long center stack and console. Making either left or right hand drive Pronto models would be a snap. Obviously, the Plymouth Pronto is a tall sedan that neatly fills the tall order of finding a cure for the common car pool.
One never boring production car making its debut at the 1999 Washington Auto Show is the latest version of America's original pony car, the Ford Mustang. Formally unveiled just prior to the show's opening, the last new Mustang of this century has adapted some of the styling cues of the original. Purists will love the galloping pony properly corralled in chrome at the center of a new honeycomb grille. The hood scoop is back too, as well as bolder side scoops and more familiar tri-bar taillights.
Fitting the Mustang heritage, this latest thoroughbred is also as much go as show. Even the tamest Mustang pumps out 190 horsepower, and that's from a seriously revised 3.8-liter V-6. Torque is up to 220 pound-feet. Mustang GT sports a stronger 4.6-liter SOHC V-8 with a 35 horsepower boost to 260, with 302 pound-feet of pulling power torque. Both engines pass power to a performance ratio 3.27:1 rear axle.
Mustang improves on its sure footed nature by offering traction control for the first time, along with optional anti-lock brakes. Cornering stability jumps handily with a wider rear track and more suspension travel.
Another place more track is appreciated is inside, where the driver's seat track has improved fore-aft travel along with new 6-way power adjustments. The top stereo continues to be a MACH 460 unit with a pair of dedicated amplifiers. So, in the new Mustang, if you do get stuck in traffic, you can at least entertain everyone around you.
2000 Jaguar S-Type
Shown for the first time at the recent Birmingham Motor Show, and due to go on sale in America in late spring, the Jaguar S-Type is a watershed sport-luxury sedan. With styling closely linked to the original 1963-68 S-Type, and unmistakable Jaguar wood and leather interior cues, the middle-weight feline promises to be a true driver's car. Suspension is fully independent, with numerous weight saving aluminum components, and a stability control system is optional. S-Type standard wheels and tires are beefy 16-inch size.
Under this posh sport sedan's bonnet purrs both V-6 and V-8 powertrains, each attached to a crisp shifting automatic with traction control. The AJ-V8 is the same DOHC 32-valve engine that powers the larger XJS sedan, with ratings of 281-horsepower and 287 pound-feet of torque.
While the S-Type's exterior favors Jaguar's illustrious past, the design of the interior is totally up to date. One of the many unique features inside the S-Type is a voice activation system that controls climate, stereo, and cellular phone. The thinking at Jaguar is that your hands will be too busy at the wheel of the S-Type to worry about grabbing anything else. Passengers, however, can have a GPS navigation system to play with so they too will never get bored in the new S-Type.
2000 Lincoln LS
Lincoln is readying a dynamic entry into the mid-size international luxury sedan market with the all-new Lincoln LS. This rear-wheel-drive player sports not only a high level of standard luxury refinement, but the kind of driving refinement that premium import sedan buyers demand.
This global design begins with a solid foundation, an ultra-stiff chassis, fully independent suspension, all-disc anti-lock brakes, and 16-inch cast wheels shod with 60-series tires. 17-inch tires are optional. Next a choice of world class DOHC engines, a 3.0-liter 24-valve V-6, or 3.9-liter 32-valve V-8. While power is delivered through a 5-speed automatic transmission, optional SelectShift allows the driver to manually flip through the gears for more highway entertainment. Electronic traction control and a yaw-sensor stability program are two more state-of-the-art LS performance features.
Inside the LS is a full-up mixture of old world appointments with deep wood tones and fine fabrics, plus contemporary luxuries like dual-zone climate control and a killer compact disc stereo. LS draws a bead on drivers, and their associates, that not only want the finer things in a luxury car, but also insist on a driving experience that would be at home on the world's most challenging roads. The LS hits the mark in both respects.
2000 Isuzu VehiCROSS
Isuzu is the top import brand sport-utility seller and for good reason. They have consistently kept tabs on what Americans want in an advanced SUV. Isuzu also has history using the Washington Auto Show to test future sport-ute concepts. But this year, they are announcing the public introduction of an advanced sport-utility vehicle that only a short time ago was an auto show curiosity. The limited edition VehiCROSS gets its name from its ability to easily make the switch from pave to unpaved roads, from daily commutes to weekend adventures, without compromising comfort or handling in either case. Most current sport-utility vehicles force buyers to sacrifice some on-road comforts for off-road prowess. That's not the case with the Isuzu VehiCROSS.
Powered by a 3.2-liter DOHC V-6 engine, the VehiCROSS is bristling with technical advances like Torque-On-Demand 4-wheel drive. This electronic 4X4 system senses road conditions and automatically adjusts torque balance from the front to the rear wheels in any ratio that is required.
The VehiCROSS suspension contains aluminum shock absorbers with a "piggyback reservoir". The shock design separates oil from gas and delivers greater damping efficiencies by eliminating the spongy transitional feeling of conventional shocks. The system also keeps the shocks cooler during aggressive driving or on rough terrain for more uniform operation.
Inside, the VehiCROSS instrument panel looks a lot like a home computer with a large control video display that monitors a variety of functions including the sound system. In addition, there is a global GPS satellite based navigation system. Highly desirable creature comforts have not been overlooked either. VehiCROSS includes automatic air conditioning and sport seats, so this ride of the future will be as comfortable as today.
2000 Toyota Tundra
The Toyota Tundra is a true full-size pickup truck produced by an import brand manufacturer. However, the Indiana-built Tundra has been designed to meet the versatility needs of American buyers who want a pickup that performs like a work truck during the week, and a family hauler on the weekends. Tundra styling is modern, but with plenty of beefy bulges around the wheelwells. Under the power dome hood are two capable engines, a 190 horsepower 3.4-liter 24-valve V-6, plus a 245-horsepower 4.7-liter V-8. The V-8 is capable of towing over 7,000 pounds. Both V-6 and V-8 will be available with 4-wheel drive.
The Tundra is a full-size cargo hauler too with the regular cab's standard 8-foot cargo box, and a 6-foot bed with the extended cab. Each box has two-tier loading, and can be sectioned. The cargo box is bolted directly to the frame.
The Tundra's extended-cab is known as the Access Cab. No wonder, four-standard doors mean no waiting. And, no fumbling for the outside rear-door release latches either. They're on the outside where door handles are on cars. The Toyota Tundra, like the other new introductions, as well as the one-off auto show concept cars, are really the cream of any auto show. They dazzle and delight everyone who sees them, and this year's great crop helps makes the 1999 Washington Auto Show an exciting way to spend your automotive day.
Copyright @ 1998 John H. Davis Comm.
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Jeep Dakar
Plymouth Pronto
1999 Ford Mustang