The Mercedes-Benz SL500 is the first new-generation SL in 12 years. It is powered by the same 5-liter V8 as its predecessor.

Mercedes Introduces Rakish SL500

By Ann M. Job
For The Associated Press

Not just any car would lure comedian Jay Leno away from his TV job.

But the 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL500 — the latest generation of the most well-known Mercedes in the world — isn’t just any car.

And Leno, host of NBC’s Tonight Show who joked he had to skip out of work to help 
unveil the new SL at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show early this year, isn’t just any celebrity.

He’s also a knowledgeable car collector and aficionado.

Mercedes officials said knowledgeable and very upscale consumers like Leno have been waiting patiently for this, the first, all-new SL in 12 years.

With new, more rakish styling and slightly larger size than its predecessor and a host of high-tech features, the SL is designed to retain current SL owners as well as attract new buyers who might be tempted to seek out a Jaguar XK8 convertible or Lexus SC 430.

Certainly, no other production car has the SL’s electronic brakes that operate by computer, rather than through a mechanical connection.

The new SL also does away with stabilizer bars, thanks to an active suspension system that capably manages body movement in milliseconds.

The SL’s power hardtop, which swiftly converts this two-seater from a convertible to coupe, also is fascinating to watch as the rear glass window rotates and 11 hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic pump operate.

And packing items in the trunk, under the stowed roof, is made easier by a new Easy Pack feature that raises the folded roof by some 20 degrees.

Thus, the test SL500 — which had a starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, of $86,665 — had a nice combination of comfort-enhancing amenities and high technology.

I liked the cushy seats. which weren’t hard, like those in some other German cars.
But I did have to drop down onto the SL seats as this car sits somewhat low to the ground.

The SL’s intriguing gauges, with half-circles of deep blue coloring, caught my eye behind the wheel.

Mercedes said the instruments ‘‘have adopted a classical chronometer design,’’ but alas, once I put on my sunglasses, I found the blue was washed out.

Seats aren’t exactly sumptuous or prissy; they have more of an all-business appearance in the SL.

But this year, Mercedes added some trendy silver-colored accents to the interior — at the vents and around the gauges as well as on the pedals. Matched with the optional, shiny burl wood trim on the center console in the test car, it seemed to send mixed messages about whether this is a sporty or luxury car.

Mercedes kept the same 5-liter V8 that was in the previous SL500, and it produces the same 302 horsepower and 339 foot-pounds of torque as low as 2,700 rpm.

Mated to a five-speed automatic with new control system, the engine responded readily and smoothly, whether in city traffic or the highway passing lane.

Most of the time, the V8 was subdued in its sounds. But I could select the gears, sans clutch pedal, for more aggressive moves, if needed, and it was at those times that I heard the V8 the most. It wasn’t raucous, but a deep, confident sound.

Other than that and some wind noise from around the driver-side outside mirror, the SL with top up was an eminently quiet car. And even with the top down, I held conversations in a normal tone.

Remember, this two-seat SL is not a lightweight car. In traditional Mercedes fashion, it weighs in at some 4,000 pounds and the solidity, especially for a convertible, is notable.
Over railroad tracks and big road bumps, I could detect no cowl shake, with top up or down.

On twisty roads, the rear-drive SL moved as a solid-feeling, single piece of metal. Steering this year is speed-sensitive, rack and pinion, rather than the previous recirculating ball.

Overall, the ride was so smooth that I couldn’t really say the SL conveyed a distinctive, sporty personality. It was untiringly capable, more refined than sporty, and left its occupants unfatigued.

Though I suspect a lot of SLs are valet-parked, if a driver ever does park this car in a lot, he should watch out for the sizable doors, which could whack other vehicles.

And the pillars at the sides of the SL windshield are so thick, they can keep a driver from seeing a pedestrian or bicyclist during a turn, I discovered.

Safety is one reason for the structural thickness of those pillars, which can help support the car during a rollover crash. The SL also continues with a rollover bar, capable of popping up in 0.3 second, as well as a host of other safety items.

A new option is a tire pressure monitor that reads the air pressure of each tire as well as air temperature, which can affect tire pressure.

Mercedes has high hopes for the new SL, projecting 10,000 sales this year and 11,000 next year. Last year, some 9,700 were sold in the United States.

Seventy percent of buyers are men, with an average age of 52, a Mercedes official said. Household income is in the $375,000 range.

They are very loyal Mercedes buyers, with 70 percent of SL owners buying another Mercedes and 40 percent of them buying another SL, the company said.

The 2002 Lexus SC 430 has a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $61,630 while the 2002 Jaguar XK8 convertible starts at $74,975.

Because the 2003 SL500 is a new model, Consumer Reports does not list owner trouble complaints.

The new 2002 Subaru Outback Sport has a
 discernibly different look from its predecessor.

Subaru Adds New Twist to Outback Sport

By Warren Brown
(c) 2002, The Washington Post

Talk about upward mobility! When Subaru introduced its first Impreza Outback wagon/car/SUV in 1994, it was a relatively basic crossover vehicle distinguished primarily by its all-wheel driving system.

Exterior design of that original model, to put it mildly, was eclectic — a diverse mixture of the ugly and modestly cute that appealed to ascetics and reverse snobs.

The interior was Kmart-stylish in a deep-discount sort of way. There was nothing about it to make you want to stay inside a second longer than you needed to be on the road.

By 1997, Subaru had heard enough of those complaints. It gave the Impreza Outback several upgrades, including a new name, the Outback Sport. The little crossmobile received an improved engine and suspension, improved interior materials, more comfortable seats, and more consistent exterior styling.

In the latter category, it was no longer eclectic. It was either perfectly ugly or cuddly cute, depending on your perception of beauty.

Now, for 2002, Subaru has done it again. It says it has ‘‘completely redesigned’’ the Outback Sport, though it is easy to argue with the company’s definition of ‘‘complete.’’ Subaru, as happens with other automakers, uses ‘‘completely redesigned’’ to describe a substantially reworked vehicle that also includes some carry-over components from previous models.

But the new Outback Sport is discernibly different from its predecessor. It has a larger, more comfortable interior, outfitted with more attractive plastics (trim painted to resemble aluminum) and better fabrics (medium-gray woven cloth upholstery, in this case).

There are more standard amenities, including a 12-volt power outlet in the cargo area, a cargo-area light and four tie-down hooks, carpeted floor mats, cruise control and fog lights.

But the biggest change is under the hood, where Subaru installed a horizontally opposed, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 165 horsepower. The new engine replaces a 2.2-liter, 144-horsepower boxer-four.

The engine change is notable for another reason. The Subaru Impreza and its initial derivatives were conceived as economy rides. But consumers, perhaps seduced by low gasoline prices, demanded more power. Subaru could have done what some might regard as the environmentally noble thing and refused to give in to those consumer demands. Competitors doubtless would have taken advantage of that refusal, as indicated by power upgrades in models such as the 2002 Honda CR-V crossover vehicle.

Companies are in business to make profits, not policy. Politicians are charged with policymaking. It would be smart of the politicians to start with a serious analysis of why consumers choose the vehicles they choose. To do otherwise is to come up with policies that are both senseless and ineffective.

Please pardon the lecture. The bottom line is that the new Outback Sport is a competitive entry in the increasingly competitive crossover vehicle market. Even its exterior styling, accented by lovable, bug-eyed oval headlamps, is attractive. It will definitely get more buyers than some politicians will get votes in the upcoming congressional elections.

By Alan Vonderhaar
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Q: Talk to us about ‘‘cheap’’ gas — does it matter if we buy ‘‘brand’’ names like Shell or BP, or will the cheap gas at the convenience stores do, so we can save some money?

A: Do you realize the oil giants have roving bands of hit men?

Nobody ever found the body of the guy who invented the 100-mpg carburetor, and you want me to cross those wonderful folks who go to so much trouble to bring us fuel for our vehicles?

Well, the question is almost moot at today’s prices, which bounce around like Crazy Balls but are still almost absurdly low. I’ve seen the big-brand station on the corner near me selling the stuff for less than the pop-and-slop across the street lately.

Generally speaking, however, you can use the cheapest stuff your car finds agreeable. There are two issues here: octane and aroma.

Despite the labeling on pumps, my experience is that octane varies slightly from one brand to another. Certain 87-octane brands will consistently allow pinging on my heap, which is a sign of octane insufficiency. Others do not. The pingy stuff might be as labeled, and the other a bit higher than nominal, but my suspicious mind suggests a more sinister explanation: octane shorting. The weights and measures folks are pretty good at checking pumps for quantitative honesty but lack the resources to monitor octane very closely. Let your car be the judge.

On the issue of aroma: Some gasolines make for stinky exhaust in some cars. I have not seen a consistent pattern in this, but I suspect it has something to do with the refining process, the nature of the crude and the additive package. Often experimentation — running the tank to near-empty and then refilling at a different outlet — is the only way to solve this problem.

As for those additive packages — dozens of them have been certified by the Environmental Protection Agency, which requires their use in all retail gasoline.

The point is to keep intake valves and fuel-injection orifices clean so that engines can run as cleanly as possible.

Many of the oil biggies offer numerous differently labeled formulations, though all must adhere to the EPA’s minimal standards.

One might reasonably assume that some additives are more efficient than others — i.e., they exceed the federal standards. One might also assume that higher grades of gasoline might contain a better additive package, but there’s no way of knowing.

The only company I’m aware of that boasts about its additives — beyond broad generalities — is Chevron, the brand name for Standard Oil of California. It even brags its Techron additive is crucial to the testing the Big Three Detroit manufacturers do. There’s some good stuff on this subject at www.chevron.com.