Playboy's Automotive Report

If you're in the market for a new car, this is the year to consider buying American. It looks as though General Motors is finally getting its act together. Ford has some top sellers, including the highly rated Taurus. Chrysler is introducing three new four-door sedans-the Eagle Vision TSi (pictured overleaf), the Dodge Intrepid and the Chrysler Concorde. These new models (designated LH cars) are the kind of product Chrysler needs. The challenge now is to ensure a consistent level of quality and to improve dealer service. We've been given a preview of the Vision, Intrepid and Concorde, and the good news is that they're not just a mishmash of recycled, outdated components. The engineers combined a cab-forward design with a radically dropped hoodline to create substantially more interior room and excellent visibility. An option for all three models is a 3.5-liter, 24-valve single-overhead-cam V6 engine coupled to a four-speed automatic transmission with overdrive. Zero-to-60 times are about eight seconds, with a top speed of 125 mph. And thanks to a state-of-the-art fully independent suspension system and extra-wide Goodyear Eagle GA tires, the handling is remarkably better than anything Chrysler has previously produced (excluding the Dodge Viper). Four-wheel disc brakes and dual air bags are standard equipment on all models; antilock brakes and electronic traction control are standard on some models, optional on others.

Other Top Born-in-the-U.S.A. Models

If you like sports coupes, check out the peppy Saturn SC. Saturn's engineers have reduced the high noise levels of earlier models, and the company's one-price policy (about $12,000) means no haggling. In 1993, Saturn will offer an optional air bag and a slick new station wagon.

Although Ford's Probe is a joint venture with Mazda, it has the 75 percent local content necessary to qualify as a domestic car. This aerodynamic 2+2 shares its front-drive platform and four-cam V6 engine with Mazda's latest MX-6, but the resemblance stops there. The 1993 Probe is a rough-and-tumble GT with stiff suspension, aggressive looks and a sports orientation.

For 1993, the greatly improved Chevrolet Corvette LT-1 and the blindingly fast ZR-1 remain America's reminders that there's no substitute for cubic inches. In a class by itself is the ultimate born-in-the-U.S.A. two-seater, the Dodge Viper RT/10, which we covered in detail in our May Automotive Report. Nobody argues with 400 hp, ten cylinders and 450 foot-pounds of torque. Money is no object? Take a look at Cadillac's greatly improved 1993 Allanté. Recently, we drove the $60,000 convertible back-to-back with a 500SL Mercedes-Benz and a Jaguar XJS and came away impressed. On uneven surfaces, the Cadillac's electronic suspension and speed-sensitive steering were superior to both imports. What's more, it's the first (continued on page 141)Auto Report(continued from page 86) Cadillac equipped with the powerful 290-hp, four-cam Northstar engine. Best news? It's only half the price of a Mercedes 500SL. Subtle styling changes accentuate the beauty of its Pininfarina-designed body. Two other Caddy alternatives: the smooth-handling Eldorado Touring Coupe and the Seville STS. Both will have Northstar engines in 1993.

Ford's Crown Victoria and its sister sedan, the Mercury Marquis, are good values at about $19,000 each. We also like the Crown Victoria LX with the handling/performance package-the closest thing to a police car a civilian can buy.

Buick's supercharged Park Avenue Ultra is another muscular front-wheel-drive car that continues to impress us. Frequently compared to a Jaguar, the top-of-the-line Buick combines a curved body and posh interior with exceptionally smooth performance. Pontiac's sporty SSEi is also a good choice, as is Ford's lightning-fast Taurus SHO, which will come equipped with an automatic transmission in 1993.

Sports Utilities in High Gear

Americans bought nearly 1,000,000 four-wheel-drive sports utility vehicles in 1991. And while most people never use the actual off-road capability of their mounts, they like the personal statement the brawny trucks make.

The Jeep Cherokee was a top seller for five years, but when Ford's handsome Explorer debuted in 1990, it took a piece of Cherokee's market.

Why? The Explorer was based on a truck platform, but Ford's designers ensured that it rode and drove more like a passenger car. Their research had shown that sports utility buyers wanted a luxurious vehicle that felt like a sedan. Similar results in Chrysler's minivan research indicated that families would buy a Voyager or Caravan if they were more car like. Chrysler heeded the advice and its minivans were highly successful.

The latest application of this logic is the new Jeep Grand Cherokee. Although any vehicle with a Jeep badge has to be a capable off-roader, Chrysler's engineers took advantage of the Grand Cherokee's rigid construction to build a vehicle that's a strong, quiet and capable off-roader yet sedan-smooth and comfortable on the street.

We drove the new Grand Cherokee in rugged Texas hill country, back-to-back with the Explorer, and discovered that the Cherokee is more than a match for the Explorer on pavement. Its longer suspension travel, shorter wheelbase, greater ground clearance, lighter weight (by about 400 pounds) and horsepower difference (190 hp vs. 155 hp) give it clear off-road and touring superiority. (When the 235-hp V8 Grand Wagoneer bows this fall, Jeep claims it will tow a 6500-pound trailer load with ease.) Best of all, the newest Jeep is the only vehicle in its class with a driver's-side air bag. Our prediction: The Grand Cherokee will quickly reclaim much of Jeep's lost market share.

Of course, the Japanese haven't been napping. Mitsubishi is unabashedly attempting to corner the sports utility market with its new $18,500 V6 Montero, a rugged Japanese copy of Britain's luxurious Range Rover-complete with optional leather seating, push-button ride control and a fine CD stereo.

Isuzu's totally restyled, 190-hp, four-cam V6 Trooper LS is another tough contender. Leading the import sports utility brigade, Isuzu has sold more than 333,000 Troopers in the U.S.-but the only similarity between its new truck and the older model is the badging. The powerful new Trooper can haul a 5000-pound trailer and also stop safely thanks to optional four-wheel antilock brakes (rear-wheel-only ABS is standard). The Trooper has a new streamlined look and a new price (about $25,000 with automatic transmission).

Credit Range Rover for elevating luxury sports utility vehicles to a class by themselves. Although Britain's Rover Group Ltd. failed here with its Acura Legend-based Sterling sedans, careful market research, extensive product testing and memorable ads helped Range Rover achieve sales of more than 4000 units annually in a few years. Now Range Rover is changing its name to Land Rover North America. To emphasize the Land Rover's proud military-and exploration-vehicle heritage, the company is importing the Defender 110, a muscular throwback that would have been right at home battling Saddam Hussein's Republican Guards.

There's also AM General's $44,000 Hummer. The toast of Desert Storm, this three-ton military monster truck is now available in civilian clothes. Fittingly, Arnold Schwarzenegger bought one of the first ones. Like Arnold, the Hummer is slightly smaller than a light tank and impossible to ignore.

Lastly, Lamborghini is closing out its V-12 LM002-a rakish vehicle designed as a high-speed, desert-warfare personnel carrier for Saudi Arabia. You'll get little change from $158,000, but at 125-plus mph, you'll own the fastest, most powerful sports utility vehicle available.

What's Ahead for Japan?

Despite political pressure and "buy American" sentiment, many consumers feel that Japanese automakers still set the standard for quality, reliability and features. In the past five years, luxury makes such as Lexus, Infiniti and Acura have captured a significant portion of sales from former leaders BMW and Mercedes-Benz. And if and when the Japanese decide to compete in the bigger pickup truck category (as they have threatened to do for years), you can bet they'll offer a highly competitive vehicle right from the start.

Still, we predict that the road ahead for Japanese automakers will be one of cautious progress. Higher prices on Japanese cars, coupled with an increased demand for hot new American models, will diminish Japanese import volumes here and encourage Japanese car companies to sell more of the cars they actually make in the States. To help restore lost profitability, Japan will begin to lengthen product life cycles. If a new model lasts only three years before being replaced, consumers are less likely to trade in their existing cars. The Japanese learned this lesson the hard way in the motorcycle business. New product proliferation turned off riders, who chose to keep their old bikes and, in turn, caused the market for new cycles to shrink.

Japan is a country that looks at business from a long-term perspective. In the U.S., most companies still focus on quarterly results. It would be unheard of for an American firm to sacrifice market share for a year or two in order to stabilize a political situation. But the Japanese recognize the precariousness of their position. They know it's unlikely that consumers in Japan will develop much interest in buying American cars, but they don't want to give up their hard-won U.S. advantage, either. That means they'll bide their time, increase their American manufacturing capability, export cars built in the States overseas and wait out the bad trends.

In the meantime, domestic automakers have a terrific opportunity to hold their pricing and entice more Americans to try their greatly improved models.

Eagle Vision Tsi

"Mitsubishi is unabashedly attempting to corner the sports utility market with its new $18,500 Montero."

Wheels to Watch

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Chrysler's billion-dollar investment in the new Grand Cherokee was well spent. Excellent off-road and smooth on the highway, the $19,000 Grand Cherokee is the first sports utility with a standard air bag and four-wheel antilock brakes.

Mazda MX-6

The restyled 1993 MX-6 LS represents the grand touring side of the Mazda/Ford partnership. Priced at $18,000, the V6-powered MX-6 shares the Probe's basic suspension yet offers more subtle settings for comforatable long-distance cruising.

Oldsmobile Achieva SC

Oldsmobile's Achieva SC is an eonomical (22/31 mpg) sports coupe with styling panache, a 180-hp Quad Four engine and standard antilock brakes. The SCX version (about $17,000) packs another ten hp and a high-performance suspension package.

Volkswagen Corrado SLC

The powerful 174-hpVR6 engine in Volkswagen's new $22,000 Corrado SLC Coupe lets drivers clock zero to 60 in under seven seconds and hit a top speed of 140 mph. Antilock brakes are standard; options include leather seats and a sunroof.

Infiniti J30

Infiniti's $34,000 J30 sedan includes some features left off the bigger Q45, such as a discrete oval grille, handsome interior wood trim and twin air bags. You can also choose an optional touring package for a sportier look and feel.

BMW 325is

The definitive small sports sedan, BMW's 325i now has a companion: the 325is. This stylish $29,000 2+2 has the same platform and 189-hp, six-cylinder engine as the 325i but adds stiffer shocks, multilink read suspension and sportier seats.