Fuel Infection
Automotive Reviews
2001 Nissan Maxima
Jun 19th
It’s hard to say what makes a car “about” one thing or another. You just know. Some cars are about being appliances, about getting from point A to point B. Some are about style. Some don’t know what they’re about at all. And some, like the 2000 Nissan Maxima SE, are about driving.
You can’t always tell just by looking, but there’s something in the way certain cars respond to the road that makes the simple act of driving a pleasure in itself. With relatives like Nissan’s 300ZX, 240SX, and the early Nineties Maxima (which Nissan proudly labeled “4DSC,” meaning “four-door-sports car.” The latest Maxima has a sporty heritage, and it shows in Nissan’s new-for-2000 flagship.
Designed at Nissan’s California styling studio, the new Maxima is a break from the nameplate’s traditionally conservative designs, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. With round taillights inside black crescents and crisply sculpted fender arches, the Maxima is distinctive from the rear. The new nose doesn’t work as well. The slanted headlights and an almost square grille look have the subtly aggressive look that’s par for the course among sports sedans, but the grille drops into the bumper line in a way that emulates some newer Chryslers, for a Sixties hot-rod look that isn’t particularly memorable or attractive. But that’s okay; if you drive the Maxima like it wants to be driven, most other drivers are only going to see the back of it anyway. Apart from the nose, the Maxima is a handsome, well-proportioned car. Details like ellipsoid side-marker lights are pleasing to the eye. We ran hot and cold on the optional 17″ wheels; from some angles they looked good, and from others we thought they looked cheap.
Inside, the influence of the legendary Nissan 300ZX is apparent. The wide, flat dashboard and deeply sloped center console offer the driver a good view of the world in front of the car and make it seem wider than it is. The hood looks long from the driver’s seat, a subtle homage to the long-hooded, short-decked Z-cars in Nissan’s past. The window sills are somewhat higher, but otherwise the driver’s-seat feel is similar to that of the Maxima’s sports car ancestors. The sloped dashboard also creates a feeling of spaciousness inside. At first glance, the Maxima looks larger inside than it actually is. That’s not to say it isn’t roomy; even with the wide console there’s plenty of space for front-seat passengers. A height-adjustable console armrest is a cool innovation. The lower seat cushions aren’t quite long enough to support the legs of tall drivers, a common Nissan shortcoming (no pun intended). One other gripe; the knobs for the stereo volume control and climate control are the same size and texture, and they’re too close together. This frequently results in a sudden blast of hot air when you’re trying to turn the radio down. With a thunderous Bose audio system available as an option, you might be doing that more than you think.
Nissan has dialed more than a bit of fun into the newest Maxima, as well. The 3.0-liter engine under the hood has been massaged for an increase in horsepower and refinement. The resulting 222-hp V6 motivated our test car, and mated to a racy five-speed transmission the car was happy to oblige any request for speed. The manual is smooth, and made us wish that more companies were willing to equip their sports sedans with sticks. The Maxima is a large car, but it doesn’t feel heavy when accelerating from a halt thanks to variable intake and exhaust manifolds which allow the engine to breathe better when more power is demanded.
Thanks to big tires and a curve-ready suspension, it doesn’t feel ponderous in turns, either. Nissan’s Multi-Link Beam suspension reduces the wobbly-tailed feeling that many large sedans are prone to during hard cornering. Nissan has taken a page from the handbook of the late Ford Taurus SHO, and improved upon it. The Maxima is easy to place and control, thanks both to sports-car like visibility and the grip of those big wheels we didn’t always like the looks of. Even when you’re not driving ludicrously fast, this means that the Maxima never feels like it would rather plow straight ahead instead of changing direction. Large sedans seem to be most at home on America’s freeways, and the Maxima is no exception. That sense of being “about” driving is strongest at the bottom of an on-ramp; the big Nissan accelerates confidently to speed and heads eagerly for the horizon, as if it’s hoping that every trip will be a long one.
Four-wheel antilock brakes are standard, and traction control is also available. Listed from bottom to top, Maxima is available in GXE, SE, and GLE models, as well as the 20th Anniversary SE. Pricing starts at $21,049 for a base GXE, and it’s a fun alternative to a Camry or Accord. Our test vehicle was the sportier SE model, and it featured the Bose sound system, sunroof, leather interior, and the larger wheels. It stickered for $28,295.
It’s unusual to find a sedan that’s all about driving, especially if it’s not a BMW or an Audi, but Nissan’s done a good job with its latest “four-door sports car.” The price premium over a comparably equipped Chevy Malibu or Honda Accord goes toward the Maxima’s sporty spirit. For people who like to drive, it’s worth it.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2001 Nissan Maxima SE, which we tested.
Length: 190.5 in
Width: 70.3 in.
Height: 56.5 in.
Wheelbase: 108.3 in.
Curb weight: 3199 lb
Cargo space: 15.1 cu.ft
Base price: $23,649
Price as tested: $28,295
Engine: 3.0 liter DOHC V6
Drivetrain: five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Horsepower: 222 @6400 rpm
Torque: 217 ft/lb@4000 rpm
Est. mileage: 21/27
6/2009 update: The ’01 Maxima remains my favorite, from a styling standpoint. The big-car sporty handling was entertaining, and more recent Maximas, including the latest, have seemed a bit soulless.
2000 Saturn LW2
Jun 19th
Once upon a time, station wagons were the nerds of the automotive world. No self-respecting teen wanted to be caught dead in one, and most adults shouldered them like yet another burden of family life, like trips to the orthodontist and dirty diapers. Then the minivan came along to fill that role, and station wagons gained a sort of anti-chic style that appealed to hip families and practical-minded iconoclasts. These days, wagons are starting to get the same performance modifications as the sports sedans, or they’re sprouting SUV-like styling cues and playing in the mud. Yes, it’s true. Station wagons have gotten cool.
But way back in the corner there, still acting all mousy and respectable, is the new Saturn LW2 wagon. Looks like someone forgot to tell it that it’s part of the in-crowd now.
Saturns have always taken a beating in the media for being a little, well, dull. Unfortunately, such is the case with the new, mid-size Saturn range as well; it’s a decent car without much of an identity. Conceived to broaden Saturn’s lineup beyond the subcompact class, the LW (and its companion LS sedan model) is available with four- or six-cylinder power, and translates Saturn’s unassuming competence into a larger vehicle. Not a bad thing, except that Saturn’s projected competition for the LW2 includes the Volvo V40 and Audi A4 Avant, European vehicles which are equal parts competence and personality. The LW2 tends to fade into the woodwork, and it’s going to need personality in the much smaller, newly-fashionable wagon market.
At curbside, even the recently subdued Ford Taurus wagon has more presence than the LW2. The LW2 shares a family look with the smaller Saturns, with its smoothed-back, grilleless nose and generally slab-sided look. The rear end is tall and squared off, hearse-style. European-style roof rails run from front to back rather than side to side and give the car an upscale look; a roof-mounted antenna contributes to the European mien. Saturn’s family look doesn’t translate as well as it could from the smaller car to the larger one, however. Where the small Saturns look conservatively, neatly dressed, the LW looks faceless and slightly awkward, as if it’s wearing last year’s fashion. Parked next to a Subaru Legacy, it’s positively frumpy.
Our test vehicle had upholstery the color of sweet and sour sauce, but that didn’t detract from the fairly standard layout within. White-on black gauges are large and easy to read. The LW2 is slightly smaller inside and out than a Ford Taurus wagon, but there’s plenty of elbow and knee room. The LW2′s cabin is plush in comparison to its cheaper-feeling Ford and Subaru competition. In the family-station wagon tradition, the front buckets are soft and supportive enough for day-long road trips. Cargo ability is slightly hampered by rear seats that don’t fold completely flat, but it’s still sufficiently cavernous back there to swallow large loads.
The LW2′s V6 is powerful enough to get the job done…but not much more. Downshifts are handled with more harshness and noise than in competitors from Ford and Volvo (although the Volvo doesn’t offer a V6), but once underway the Saturn doesn’t want for power. The LW2′s three-liter V6 makes 182 horsepower and enables it to keep up with all but the sportiest of the other wagons out there. A 2.2 liter, 137-horsepower four-cylinder is also available; we would opt for the larger six to avoid a terminally sluggish ride.
A suspension shared with GM products in Europe provides a decent, if unremarkable ride. MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link independent rear suspension (rather than the rougher-riding beam often found in front-drive wagons) give the LW2 a family-friendly and confident connection to the road. With its European heritage, we expected something a little sportier and more responsive, but the LW2 proved to be overpoweringly ordinary when the road got twisty. It’s no slouch, but it won’t satisfy closet racers with families the way that other European wagons will. The LW2 is happiest going about its business as a station wagon, and not bothering with any attempts at road racing.
The LW2 leaves the dealer nicely equipped, with power windows and locks, air conditioning and cruise control standard. Our test vehicle featured the optional ABS and a power driver’s seat, and Saturn’s no-haggle policy ensures that it would leave the showroom floor at the $22,820 listed on its window sticker. That price isn’t extravagant, but it does put the LW2 into competition with cars like Volvo’s V40, which isn’t particularly exciting by itself, but has the charm of a movie star when compared to the Saturn.
In the end, the LW2 is a decent wagon whose biggest shortcoming is a lack of character. It’s the pocket-protectored nerd in a class of dorks-turned-cool, like the stylish wagons from Volvo, Subaru, and BMW.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2000 Saturn LW2, which we tested.
Length: 190.4 in.
Width: 69.0 in.
Height: 57.3 in.
Wheelbase: 106.5 in.
Curb weight: 3229.8 lb.
Cargo space: 29.4 cu.ft (seats up); 71.3 cu.ft (seats folded)
Base price: $21,360
Price as tested: $22,820
Engine: 3.0 liter DOHC V6
Drivetrain: four-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Horsepower: 182 @ 5600 rpm
Torque: 190 @ 3600 rpm
Fuel capacity: 13.1 gal.
Est. mileage: 20/26
6/2009 update: Station wagons may have gotten cool (even if they don’t admit it: “crossovers,” my left foot), but the Saturn L-Series never caught on. Quality issues cropped up, and the cars’ faceless nature meant that it vanished without much of a trace. File this one with the Eagle Summit and the last Dodge Monaco.
2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
Jun 19th
One of the first things you notice upon entering the Mitsubishi Montero Sport is the grab handles–sometimes known as “uh-oh” bars, or by even more colorful names. There are seven of them all told, which seems a little excessive for a four-door, five-passenger vehicle. Is this truck planning to have you clutching at as many grips as you can find for dear life?
Don’t bet on it. In spite of all the grab handles and the other design elements that mark the Montero Sport as a dune-hopping, mud-slogging off-road beast, the smallest Mitsubishi SUV is as docile and domesticated as a golden retriever. It’s more at home in the suburbs than in the wild.
Introduced in late 1996, the Montero Sport gives the red, three-diamond Mitsubishi logo a spot in the lucrative mid-size sport utility market. The Montero Sport is based on the same chassis as the larger, more expensive Montero, whose rugged heritage dates back to the early days of the SUV class. The big Montero has since taken its desert-rally fueled reputation upmarket, to the luxury sport-ute class, and the Montero Sport steps in to fill the void. With its tank-on-wheels design and the respected Montero nameplate, the truck has been a big hit since its introduction. For easy reference, think of it as a Japanese Ford Explorer. A minor design reshuffling, new rear suspension, bigger brakes and a new optional limited-slip differential are the major changes to the Mitsubishi Montero Sport for 2000.
The Mitsubishi Montero Sport greets the world with an aggressive, “Mitsu-beastly” face. A big diamond-patterned grille with a six-inch high red Mitsubishi logo boldly declaring the truck’s heritage rides up front, between crystal headlamps and ringed with heavy chrome on our Limited test model. (Lesser Montero Sports have a black grille surround.) The Paris-Dakar desert rally look is a strong theme as well; visible cooling fans behind the grill, skid plates, a small round foglights make the Montero Sport appear ready to ford streams and leap over dunes. The Montero Sport’s overall look is that of a solid box with the corners sanded carefully off. It’d make an easy pinewood derby design. A deep crease runs up the side, accenting big wheel arch flares which stand out aggressively, especially on two-tone models. A proportionally low greenhouse and high sides are accented by an unusually long wheelbase to give the Montero Sport a sleek, 4×4-limousine-like profile. The 16″ wheels’ twisted-spoke pattern looks powerful. The side steps spoil the tough, blocky profile, but short passengers will need them to get in! From the rear, the Montero Sport’s aggressive stance is also strong. The planed-off look is continued with taillights that are flush with black trim running across the back of the truck. The whole unit blends into the lower edge of the back window. The spare tire’s visible hanging underneath. Although roof racks tend to add a touch of burliness to most sport utes, they don’t do justice to the Montero Sport’s slick design.
Inside, Mitsubishis tend to be a little bit cluttered with regards to controls placement, and the Montero Sport is not an exception to this rule. A clean, easy to read instrument panel greets the driver with white on black gauges, but not much else falls so quickly to hand. The steering wheel feels nice, but looks cheap, and it hides scattered dash buttons no matter how the tilt column is adjusted. The control work well; they’re just poorly placed. Worst of all are the switches for the optional heated seats, which are invisible and nearly inaccessible under the console armrest. By contrast, the overhead console is refreshingly simple. There’s no fussy sunglasses holder, garage door opener, or tissue box; just a digital clock and a pair of map lights. The Montero Sport’s design makes the windshield a little narrower than it could be, which makes the blind spot created by the rear view mirror noticeable (not as noticeable as in the aforementioned Explorer, however). Drivers will appreciate the tall side mirrors in a market full of SUVs with car-sized, blind-spot creating mirrors. Rear-seat passengers will appreciate the luxury-car-inspired cupholders in the Montero Sport’s rear armrest, and everyone will enjoy the impressive eight-speaker sound system. Behind the rear seat, the cargo area features a rollaway cover (which was required some wrestling to operate on our test vehicle) and convenient panels that lift out of the floor to reveal shallow plastic storage trays. They’re sized perfectly to keep small loads from tumbling, and sticky loads from fouling up the carpet. Visibility to the rear could be better, but that’s a common SUV complaint.
Once on the road, the comparison to a Ford Explorer comes to mind again. The Montero Sport handles much like an Explorer, in that it’s more suited for city life than the boonies, but it improves on its competitor by performing with a degree more composure. Thanks to a long wheelbase, the Montero Sport doesn’t pitch violently over road irregularities, as shorter SUVs do. The long-travel independent suspension and new three-link coil spring setup in the rear ensures that on the freeway, it’s not as prone to wandering as the Ford. The Montero Sport’s more composed over washboard and dirt surfaces as well. There’s much less steering bounceback from the tires. That said, it never feels completely stable. It’s got a wobbly, tippy feel on the road, which is of course common in sport-utes, but the Montero Sport is less sure-footed than most. For comparison, a Nissan Xterra is an inch or two wider-tracked, and is as steady as sport-utes come.
The four-speed automatic transmission shifts with a smoothness normally found in luxury sedans, but the Montero Sport feels a bit underpowered, even with a 3.5-liter, 200-hp V6 under the hood. Long freeway grades had us dropping the gear selector into second to keep from losing too much speed–and that was with no load and the AC off. Four-wheel-drive is selectable by a console-mounted lever, and unlike the Ford Explorer the Mitsubishe features a low-ratio “creeper” gear for inching down hills and crawling through extremely difficult terrain. Other concessions to hostile terrain are standard tow hooks and skid plates to protect the fuel tank and oil pan. One-piece side stampings for the body improve the Montero Sport’s durability, and the truck feels solid. Also assisting with traction is a limited-slip differential, which allows the power to go to the wheels with the most grip. It’s optional on the XLS model and standard on the Limited.
Yet, for all of its 4×4 trappings, the Montero Sport is happiest on pavement. The limited outward visibility makes for a vehicle that’s hard to place, even though the narrow track should make it more trail-friendly. The Montero Sport also needs more power if it’s going to climb boulders.
Back on the positive side, the Montero Sport has absolutely fantastic braking for a sport-ute; there’s very little pitch and no wandering or wiggling from the front or rear during even the hardest panic stops. ABS is standard.
Mitsubishi Montero Sports are available in four trim levels, starting with the two-wheel drive only ES. The next step up is the LS, then the XLS, and the Limited rests at the top of the heap. The Montero Sport Limited features a 3.5-liter V6 which is shared with the larger Montero, while the lower trim levels have a 3.0-liter V6. Our test vehicle was a Limited, and it was equipped with a keyless entry, sunroof, fog lamps, an “Infinity” sound system with cassette, and color-keyed side steps. The only option on our test vehicle was a leather interior with heated front seats. It was on par with a loaded Ford Explorer Limited, and close to the same price: our Montero Sport stickered at $33,047. Montero Sports start at $22,527 for an ES. Four-wheel-drives start at 26,807 for an LS.
The Mitsubishi Montero Sport is going to be happiest if it doesn’t see hard off-road duty–but unlike some of its competitors, it is in fact capable of making folks reach for one of those many grab handles.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport Limited, which we tested.
Length: 181.1 in.
Width: 69.9 in.
Height: 68.3 in.
Wheelbase: 107.3 in.
Curb weight: 4260 lb
Cargo space: 43.4 cu.ft. (seats up)
79.3 cu.ft.(seats folded)
Base price: $31,357
Price as tested: $33,047
Engine: 3.5 liter SOHC 24-valve V6
Drivetrain: four-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Horsepower: 200 hp @ 5000 rpm
Torque: 228 lb/ft @ 3500 rpm
Fuel capacity: 19.5 gal.
Est. mileage: 15/18
6/2009 update: The Montero Sport never seemed to catch on. It was a decent truck, but missed the mark somewhere along the way. They’re uncommon today.