1998 Ad

Big Three have a lot riding on new cars when trucks are all the rage.

Automaker executives and industry experts are watching very carefully as the 1998 models hit dealer showrooms. In an era when trucks are flying out the door, the success, - or lack of same - of Chrysler s new LH lineup, Ford's two revised full-sized cars and General Motors' new midsizers could influence product strategies and, in turn, dealer offerings into the next century.

Import and transplant automakers likewise are chiming in with new cars while upping the ante in the light-truck segment.

Chrysler is trying to dispel its strong-truck-and-Jeep, weak-car marketplace perception with revamped '98 LH cars, Chrysler Concorde and LHS, Dodge Intrepid and (maybe) Eagle Vision. Their predecessors were important to Chrysler's resurgence, and the automaker says it has fixed all the drawbacks of the originals.

To bolster that claim, there's a long-overdue family of new SOHC and DOHC V-6 engines to power the '98 LHs. The 2.7L, 3.2L and 3.5L V-6s range from 200 hp to 250 hp; on average, they're 24 percent more powerful and 10 percent more fuel efficient than the 3.3L and 3.5L V-6s they replace.

The neo-retro $40,000 Prowler roadster also will arrive sometime in the '98 model year. Despite its lack of a V-8 powerplant, Prowler should still hit the 2,000-unit first-year sales target.

While focusing on the LHs, Chrysler is not ignoring its trucks in '98. Chrysler's ready with a 4-door version of the highly successful Ram full-size pickup which one-ups the 3-door models available from Ford and GM.

Dodge dealers should be licking their lips over the prospects for the '98 Durango, the Dakota "midsize" pickup that's made over into an SUV. Durango's bigger than a Blazer and smaller than an Expedition, which doesn't seem like a bad place to be. Durango carries two versions of the Dakota's 5.9L V-8, one developing 230 hp, the other 250 hp., so there'll be no lack of power here.

Power-hungry SUV customers will find fulfillment in the Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited, a special version of the Grand propelled by that same 5.9L V-8, juiced up to deliver 245 hp and 0-to-60 mph times of around seven seconds.

Ford's largest passenger cars - Town Car and Continental - get new looks for 1998. Continental gets new sheet metal and Town Car is all new.

Town Car, one of the last rear-drive, body-on-frame cars on the planet, looks like a cross between the Continental and the current Chrysler LHS. Most Town Cars are equipped with Ford's 200-hp workhorse, the 4.6-liter SOHC modular V-8 powerplant. A surprising wrinkle on the Town Car option list is a "handling package" that fits a 220-horse version of the 4.6L, a jumpier final-drive ratio and stiffer underpinnings. The traditional Town Car customer presumably need not apply.

Ford is still fiddling with the Continental in the hope of evolving it into a car dealers can sell more easily. A pushy, in-your-face new grille is the centerpiece of the '98 Continental's restyling, highlighting a front overhang reduced by 2 inches. The windshield base also is yanked forward 5 inches for a more rakish profile. There is much chrome embellishment reflecting, we're told, President Jac Nasser's taste in luxury car detailing.

Ford is standing pat with its F-Series and the Expedition/Navigator SUVs. The tweaking for '98 goes into the compact Ranger, which is restyled inside and out.

Under the metal, though, are a raft of improvements: a switch to short/long arm front suspension to replace the previous twin I-beams, a 350 percent increase in torsional rigidity, a larger base 4-cyl. engine (up from 2.3L to 2.5L), a new hub lock system for 4-wheel drive models and a sorely needed 3-inch increase in overall cab length. All '98 Rangers with the 3L Vulcan V-6, by the way, will be flex-fuel models, says Ford.

Contour/Mystique are substantially restyled for 1998, and Ford once again has scooped out more vital rear-seat legroom as it strives to correct the CDW platform's primary liability.

GM has a comparatively limited amount of introduction action for 1998. The high-profile car launch is that of the designed Seville, which bowed in September at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. Other than that, Cadillac is quiet, and the Buick and Oldsmobile divisions are striving to work their new midsizers into the Camry-, Accord- and Taurus-dominated mainstream.

Pontiac's WS6 version of the '98 Firebird, complete with a 320-hp version of the Corvette's LS1 5.7L OHV V-8, is new. Even standard LS1-equipped 'Birds get a Mustang-munching 305 hp. Expect the same power arrangement for the sister Chevrolet Camaro.

Other cross-divisional powertrain upgrades include enhancements for the longstanding 2.2L 4-cyl. engine employed in the Sunfire and Cavalier and a new, heavy-duty 4T65-E 4-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission for GM's larger beasts.

Pontiac's new first cousin, GMC, unloads a restyled Sonoma compact pickup to battle Ford's new Rangers. The same exterior/interior makeover is carried into the Jimmy Suv.

Honda and Toyota are bringing new versions of their hot-selling Accord and Corolla to showrooms this fall. This Accord is the fifth rendition of Honda's top seller. The Corolla has new sheet metal and a new engine on the same chassis as last year's model.

Accord will be available as a coupe and sedan, both completely new. The Accord V-6 will have an all-new, 200-hp, aluminum 3-liter engine. Accord's 4-cylinder powerplant also has been re-engineered for more power, better fuel economy and improved NVH characteristics. All Accords have moro-roomy interiors, particularly for rear-seat passengers.

Toyota says its revised Corolla is larger, lighter, faster and more fuel efficient than its predecessor. The '98 model has a new, in-line 4-cylinder, 1.8-liter, all-aluminum engine with 120 hp, 15 more than the previous engine. In addition, Toyota says fuel economy should improve by 10 percent. On the inside, Corolla's seats are easier to adjust and it has more storage space.

Designed to be the most sedan-like of the minivans on the market, the Sienna is being called the "Camry of minivans" by the manufacturer. That could be due to the stretched Camry platform on which Sienna rides. Toyota designed Sienna specifically for the American market and expects to sell 70,000 of them by the end of its first model year.

Other notable 1998 models from Japanese manufacturers include a redesigned Lexus GS 300/400, and a redesigned Altima and Frontier pickup from Nissan.

Totally new offerings include the Subaru Forester SUV-type wagon, the Volvo C70 coupe and convertible, Mercedes' CLK and M-C, lass all-activity vehicle, Volkswagen's Passat and Saab's 9-5.

Bill Visnic is technical editor of Ward's AutoWorld magazine and managing editor of Ward's Engine and Vehicle Technology Update newsletter. Tim Keenan, senior editor of Ward's Dealer Business, contributed to this report.

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