JP/YZATNI2/
JP/YZATNI2/
Gas-guzzlers and variable engine displacement
Zatni Arbi
Contributor/Jakarta
This year we saw a new era emerge in the automotive industry. We
began the year with engines getting larger and larger.
People flocked to dealers to check out the latest SUVs.
Suddenly, we had a worldwide oil crisis and the price of gasoline
skyrocketed. Right away, the sales of gas-guzzling cars, trucks
and SUVs plummeted, even in the U.S.
So car buyers now look for smaller cars or family sedans that
do not compromise too much on interior space and utility. They
were so pampered with the spaciousness of full-sized SUVs, but
now fuel economy reigns supreme.
Here in Indonesia we used to think that diesel engines were
cheaper to operate. As the government hiked the price of diesel
fuel (known as "solar" locally) to Rp 4,300 per liter, the price
difference was no longer significant.
If you included cleanliness, noise and, most of all, the
faster depreciation of diesel-engine cars, it would no longer be
attractive to have one. Its fuel consumption, however, still
beats the average miles per gallon (mpg) of a gasoline-powered
car, though.
Hybrid cars, which automatically shut down their internal
combustion engine and use an electric engine when traveling at a
low speed, when coasting or when idle, were still a premium in
2005.
Ford's Escape, the first hybrid SUV, was joined by others
including the Lexus RX400h and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid. In
the compact segment, Toyota and Honda have been selling the
hybrid Prius, Insight and Civic in the U.S. for a couple of
years. Most car buyers are still waiting for the time when the
price differential between the hybrid and non-hybrid versions
drops substantially.
Whether hybrid cars can be used in Jakarta remains to be seen,
as the water level on the road rises so quickly during a short
downpour. Remember, even the energy from the brakes is
transformed into electrical current that will recharge the
battery.
By the way, hybrid technology has also been implemented in a
RST-V (Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Targeting Vehicle), the
battleground SUV that inspired the Hummer. It combines a diesel
engine and one electric motor on each wheel to push it to more
than 100 kilometers per hour (kph), and during a surveillance
mission it can travel silently into enemy territory.
Blurring of distinctions
One clear trend in 2005 was the expanding range of car
designs, which makes it more difficult for us to continue using
the conventional categories. If you see a new model on the
street, is it a subcompact, a compact, a full-size, an estate, a
van, an MPV, an SUV, a crossover, a truck or just a sports car?
It's not easy to decide.
Today, as car buyers begin to abandon the large SUVs, they are
setting their eyes on the smaller wagons with a high roof.
Consumer Reports calls them "microvans" or tall wagons". They
have a high seating position, can accommodate up to six people
and are equipped with fuel-efficient engines.
They are not a sports car that can take you off from 0 to 100
kph in under 10 seconds, but they can take you to the supermarket
in comfort. One example is the Chrysler PT Cruiser, which has
been around for some time and may soon see the streets of
Jakarta.
Talking about the PT Cruiser, car buyers in the U.S. will
certainly be reminded of Chevy's HHR. The van, which has been
designed with a retro look and reminiscent of those fabulous
Chevrolet trucks of the late 1940s and early 1950s, has been
accused of being a copycat of the PT Cruiser. (Take a look at the
accompanying picture.)
By the way, the HHR stands for Heritage High Roof. Quite a
show of the need for more creativity, but you may also know that
Chevy launched a retro-looking truck/roadster/sports car under
the name SSR in 2003.
More carmakers are coming up with seven-seater, family-car
models. While this configuration has been quite common in Asia
for some time, the European and American carmakers are just
beginning to introduce theirs in more varieties. One of the
latest arrivals is the new Mercedes Benz B-Class.
It can take a family of three generations on an outing and
spoil them with a lot of the creature comforts. From the U.S.,
there are the Ford Freestyle and Jeep Commander. The latter is an
off-roader rather than a family hauler, though.
There is also a trend of replacing the metal roofs with
hardened glass. Here, in Indonesia we first saw the panoramic
roof in a Peugeot 307 SW a couple of years ago, but now they are
common in many models-including the Land Rover LS3. The new
midsize SUV -- also a seven seater -- has three separate
sunroofs, one for each row of seats.
If the sun becomes too hot, you can cover your head with its
built-in drape. The new Jeep Commander has one sunroof for the
front row and a pair for the second row seats. And, of course,
Maybach has the most versatile glass roof panel.
What about the tranny?
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is what Ford used
in its 2005 Escape Hybrid. It was also used in the relatively new
Ford Freestyle SUV/car crossover. Other carmakers actually
started using the CVT on their models much earlier, and we can
expect this type of transmission to become more common in new
cars and SUVs as it generally increases fuel economy.
VW, however, has developed its own solution for reducing fuel
consumption. Currently implemented in the Audi 3, VW's DSG six-
speed gearbox is actually a dual-clutch transmission. It is said
that this is more effective than the CVT, the manual transmission
and, certainly, the conventional torque converter automatic
transmission.
Drive-by-wire is also being adopted in a growing number of
cars. The mechanical link between the steering wheel and the
front wheel is based on electrical current, and speed variable
means that the faster you go the heavier the steering wheel will
be. The result is a lighter vehicle, and it translates into a
better fuel consumption.
Following the trend in the last two decades or so, car engines
have become much more reliable. Some engine makers claim that
their products are maintenance-free: Even the spark plugs can
stay in for over 20,000 km.
However, no matter how good an engine is, it will not remain
trouble-free for long if we feed it with the low quality,
kerosene-mixed gasoline that some of our unscrupulous Pertamina
gas station operators pump into our tanks.
On the horizon
In the not-so-far future, more cars will have many more active
accident avoidance systems. General Motors' Opel Vectra, for
example, will have some kind of automatic pilot. Provided the
markings on the pavement are clear, the car will be able to
navigate through a turn at speeds up to 90 kph.
Called the Traffic Assist, the system relies on laser sensors
to keep you a safe distance from the vehicle in front. Mind you,
however, this car will not work in Jakarta, where drivers seem
adamantly opposed to even observing the lane markers.
Looking forward, more and more vehicles will leave dealers'
lots with some kind of navigation system. I also believe that, as
the ceiling-attached DVD screen and the headrests on the rearmost
seats block the rear view mirror's line of sight, more cars and
vans should be equipped with rear-facing cameras so that the
driver will always be aware if a driver fro hell in a Kopaja bus
is just one inch behind him.
Night vision will also become more commonplace to complement
increasingly effective headlights. What I think should also be
implemented in new cars is a sensor that detects the driver's
physical condition. The sensor should emit an alert or disable
the car altogether if the driver is drunk or sleepy.
A year ago, we talked about the ability of the engine to shut
down some of its cylinders to save fuel. General Motors has also
implemented a similar system in its 3.9-liter, V6 engine used in
its Impala. I believe that, in the future, this variable engine
displacement method will be used in more engines to achieve
better fuel economy.
At any rate, cars will become more fuel-efficient, safer and
more comfortable. They will come in a wider variety of shapes and
sizes.
The problem is, there will be just too many of them around.