Import Lovers? Us? Bmw

     

Two recent stories generated more comment than we’ve seen in quite a while here at Motor Trend — my column about Ford running scared of us comparing a Mustang GT with Hyundai’s Genesis Coupe, which ran in the May issue of the magazine, and the Camaro V-6 versus Genesis Coupe test we rolled out last week. Among other things, we were called biased, import lovers, and un-American. Most of the comments were much less polite.


They were also plain wrong. We’re not import lovers. We’re not domestic lovers, either. We simply love good cars and trucks, no matter where in the world they are made, and we call ‘em as we see ‘em.

Check our headline story today. A year ago nobody would have mentioned a Cadillac sedan in the same breath as BMW’s storied M5, much less lined them up for a comparison test. But, as you’ll read, the new CTS-V is more than capable of taking on one of our all-time favorite sport sedans. It is one of the most accomplished fast four doors built anywhere in the world. Period. That’s why we picked it over the BMW. Not because it was made in the good ol’ USA.

The new Camaro is a nice piece of work, too — mature, sophisticated, charismatic. The V-8 powered SS is the best pony car ever built, as at home on twisting two lane blacktop as it is on the dragstrip. The V-6 version is a surprisingly good ride, and outstanding value for money. Only a little too much mass, a legacy of the Zeta platform being over-engineered to ensure five star performance for the Holden Commodore in Australian NCAP tests, stops the Camaro from being a world beater.

And just to clear up all the misconceptions surrounding our take on Camaro, Mustang, and Genesis: The Camaro SS trumps the Mustang GT, because it’s a faster and more refined handling car than even a GT with the optional Track Pack. That the SS is cheaper than a Track Pack equipped GT is a nice bonus, too. The MuV-8 powered stang GT with Track Pack trumps the V-6 powered Genesis Coupe with Track Pack because it’s quicker, more charismatic, and more fun to drive, even though the Ford is $3000 more expensive. And the Track Pack-equipped Genesis Coupe trumps the Camaro V-6 because it’s lighter, crisper, and more nimble than the Chevy.

One of the sadder ironies of the Meltdown in Motown is that it’s come just as Detroit was getting its automotive mojo back. The Detroit Three may not have been in great shape as companies. But they were starting to build great cars again. We enthusiasts should be celebrating. Instead, we’re wondering whether American cars like the ones mentioned above are a tantalizing glimpse of a lost future.

The Meltdown in Motown means you’ll never see the Zeta-based large Chevy sedan I once saw drawn on the wall of a GM design studio. The small, rear drive Cadillac intended to take on BMW’s 3 Series looks a goner, too. As we’ve already reported, the 556-hp Camaro Z/28 is on indefinite hold; there’s been no word on when we might seen the stunning Cadillac CTS-V coupe, either.

Over at Chrysler there’s a bunch of new cars designed under the direction of Ralph Gilles that will likely never see light of day. The svelte Chrysler 200C unveiled at the Detroit Show gave us a glimpse of what a rear drive Sebring replacement might have looked like. The launch of the glamorous next-gen 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, based on sophisticated Mercedes-Benz ML hardware that gives it independent, ride height adjustable suspension, depends on how Jeep comes out of Chrysler’s bankruptcy.

Ford’s thinking small, which means we’ll get the same Focus as the Europeans next time ’round, and the 2011 Ford Fiesta, which I think is a huge gamble for a country with relatively cheap gas, lots of wide open space, and a population notoriously reluctant to spend money on a small car, no matter how well styled. But by 2011 the only rear drive Ford car available in the U.S. will be the Mustang, as the doddery Town Car, Grand Marquis and Crown Vic trio, all built on the 30-year-old Panther platform, (even the Model T only lasted 19 years!) are finally pensioned off, and not replaced. A new Mustang is due 2014, but without other rear drive cars to share the development cost, it may not get the modern independent rear suspension it needs.

What worries me most is that as Detroit scratches for pennies, the beancounters are back in force, swarming all over those model programs that have survived, looking for ways to further cut costs. The era when Bob Lutz could boast he’d persuaded GM to spend 100 bucks more on the interior of a Malibu just to give it that showroom wow factor has ended.

My fear is this renewed emphasis on financial engineering means the product engineering of American cars is going to suffer. And isn’t that how we ended up in this mess in the first place?