Detroit, We Have a Problem By JAMES G. COBB

December 28, 2008
Detroit, We Have a Problem By JAMES G. COBB

WHEN Toyota, the auto industry's financial Godzilla, forecasts its first operating loss in 70 years, you know times are tough. When senators suggest that General Motors (of "What's good for the country..." fame) should be left to collapse, you know the ground has shifted.

Partly this is because many of us still nurse grudges over '79 Skylarks that stranded us and '86 Sables that wouldn't start. Partly it's because of decades-long resentment over automaker attempts to block safety, pollution and economy rules (which, it's often forgotten, foreign automakers usually opposed, too).

But this year the industry has been battered by other factors. Gasoline marched toward $5 a gallon, turning Hummers into white elephants with running boards, then collapsed below $2, sending Prius sales into a tailspin. Credit markets froze; potential customers lost their jobs.

Next year may be worse, but when the perfect storm finally ends there will be better, more relevant cars to buy. Frugal clean diesels are coming to market, along with a flock of new hybrids. Smaller European models are heading this way. And two of the cars that impressed me the most this year, one that runs on diesel and one on hydrogen, suggest that the future may turn sunny.

Here are my favorites of 2008:

1. HONDA FCX CLARITY No, you can't buy one of these hydrogen fuel-cell cars (though if you live in Southern California, there's a slim chance you can lease one of about 200 available). But the FCX Clarity is notable for the fact that if hydrogen should suddenly become widely available at reasonable prices, Honda is ready to roll with a most agreeable car. The FCX Clarity is stylish, roomy, comfortable, whisper-quiet and, yes, pretty cool in a welcome-to-the-future sort of way.

2. BMW 123D The smaller, simpler 1 Series has become my favorite line of BMWs, and the winsome 128i convertible could easily have made my list. But a too-brief fling at the wheel of the diesel-powered 123d hatchback made me forget the gasoline version. The twin-turbo 4-cylinder produces rocketlike thrust, and the handling is close to sublime. The 123d's fuel economy approaches 50 m.p.g., proving convincingly that enthusiasts have no reason to dread the arrival of greener cars. On the down side, the 123d isn't sold in the United States, but it ought to be.

3. PONTIAC G8 An Australian-built sedan with American big-rump accommodations and European road manners, the G8 is the sort of well-rounded, rich-feeling, reasonably priced sedan that G.M. had long seemed incapable of building. Too bad the G8, like several other impressive new G.M. cars, may have landed too late to pull the company out of its deep financial hole.

4. HONDA FIT The genius of this second-generation subcompact is not that it's small or economical. It's that the Fit manages to feel spacious, comfortable and well-thought-out. I especially like the second-row seat that folds flat with one hand, headrests included, even when the front seats are all the way back — a small detail that is seldom done right.

5. NISSAN GT-R Given all the hoopla over this supercoupe, a video-game superstar that Nissan never before imported to the United States, I was inclined to dismiss this exhibitionistic overachiever as a bauble for boy racers. But a few minutes at the wheel won me over. Civil around town and a beast when unleashed, the GT-R is now on the short list of cars I'd like to own.

6. DODGE CHALLENGER SRT8 Another car that turned out much better than expected, the Challenger is bigger and more substantial than its namesake of the early 1970s, and its sharp handling makes the iconic originals feel like antiques.

7. FORD FLEX Even with a prosaic drivetrain — fortunately, a promising new engine is coming — the Flex feels fresh. Inside the big-block body, so boxy it's slick, there's a cavernous interior that shows attention to detail. Yes, the Flex is essentially a minivan, but that can be our little secret.

8. CHEVROLET TRAVERSE I've been a big fan of G.M.'s larger car-based crossovers like the GMC Acadia, and this new Chevy may be the best version yet. Although the styling and interior are more conventional than the Flex's, the Traverse's driving dynamics are superior.

9. VOLKSWAGEN CC Remember the Phaeton? Probably not, given that it, like VW's other attempts to go upscale, ended up as a historical footnote. But this fancy variation on the Passat, with a swoopy roofline, stylish interior and 280-horsepower VR6 engine, had me wondering if VW was trying to make the Audi A4, the CC's cousin, obsolete.

10. BMW M3 When I tested the M3, premium unleaded was selling for more than $4 a gallon and I felt guilty taking it up the street to Target. And, truth be told, 414-horsepower supercoupes probably don't have a bright future. But as much as I wanted to scorn the M3 — for its thirst, for its price, for its electronic fussiness, for its unapologetic V-8 excess — it won me over by providing a driving experience that puts most sub-$100,000 cars to shame.

Didn't Make the Cut

1. BMW X6 It has street presence, for sure, and it's powerful and expensive. But I still can't figure out what the high-riding hunchbacked X6 is supposed to be and why anyone would want one over an X5 or BMW's terrific 5 Series station wagon.

2. HONDA PILOT The original Pilot's carlike qualities added to its appeal. The new one tries to pretend it's a truck, including a blunt and homely new face, and right now trucks are damaged goods.

3. INFINITI FX50 The original FX still turns my head, but the new one lacks its predecessor's athletic lines and lean demeanor. The FX now has more power, more features and more heft, but sometimes more is just too much.

4. CHEVROLET TAHOE HYBRID I'm not opposed to hybrids or better fuel economy, but a hybrid should make economic sense. G.M. is charging thousands of dollars more for the hybrid than for the regular Tahoe, meaning it will take a very, very long time to recoup your investment.

Not in My Garage

1. SMART FORTWO As a toy, it's kind of fun. As a car, it leaves much to be desired. For starters, I desire a transmission that shifts gears without dancing the Jerk.

2. KIA BORREGO This truckish sport utility isn't awful at all, though it brings nothing new to the party. Still, the Borrego has one big problem: it arrived at the worst possible time for a big S.U.V. Hey, Kia, the party's over.

3. JAGUAR XF Many critics love it, but the new midrange Jaguar seems rather unexceptional to me. For starters, a Jag sedan has to be drop-dead gorgeous, and the styling of this one suffered from so many compromises it could pass for a Japanese near-luxury car. Jaguar desperately needs help, and this car isn't special enough to save the day.

4. NISSAN ROGUE Maybe it's not so easy to make a crossover on a budget, but for prices that can approach $30,000, a buyer expects a vehicle that isn't coarse and tinny. Other companies, including Toyota, Ford and Honda, are managing to deliver them.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/automobiles/28COBB.html?ref=automobiles&pagewanted=print

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