Toyota and GM twins and cousins

The latest members of the NCV Corolla clan are the Allex/Runx twins, which will serve as the basis of the next-generation Euro Corolla.

Toyota's NCV (New Century Value) compact platform has produced hatchback twins, the Allex/Runx for the Japanese market, on which the next-generation European Corolla hatchback will be based. The NCV platform will also serve two cousins of GM and Toyota families in the U.S.: Toyota's Matrix and Pontiac's Vibe crossover vehicles aimed at attracting the increasingly important youth segment.

The Allex/Runx (hereafter referred to as Allex) share their platforms and mechanicals with the new Japanese Corolla range (AEI, Feb. 2001). The five-door hatchback is on the same 2600-mm (102-in) wheelbase. Its overall length is shortened to 4175 mm (164 in), while the overall width and height remain the same at 1695 mm (67 in) and 1470 mm (58 in), respectively.

Two engine types are offered. The 1NZ-FE DOHC 1.496-L inline four is combined with a four-speed automatic transmission and is rated at 81 kW (110 hp) at 6000 rpm and 143 N•m (105 lb•ft) at 4200 rpm. A slightly detuned version of this engine, at 77 kW (105 hp) and 138 N•m (102 lb•ft), powers all-wheel-drive models.

Styled at Toyota's CALTY facility, the Matrix is based on the new Corolla NCV platform and will be produced at the company's plant in Canada.

The performance engine is the 2ZZ-FE DOHC 1.8-L unit shared with the Celica and sporty Corolla wagon. Its VVTL-i system combines a Honda-VTEC-like intake- and exhaust-valve-lift /-timing system with a continuously variable intake-valve timing system. The engine produces 140 kW (190 hp) at 7600 rpm and 180 N•m (133 lb•ft) at 4200 rpm and can be mated to a four-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission in a front-wheel-drive configuration. The forthcoming European Corolla hatchback will be based on this car.

The Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix crossover vehicles are not identical twins. The two companies like to think of them more as cousins, with the Vibe thoroughly Gen-X Pontiac and the Matrix quite adventurous for Toyota. The Matrix was designed at Toyota's Irvine, CA, Design Center, while the Vibe was largely digitally shaped at GM Design in Warren, MI.

The Pontiac Vibe was engineered by Toyota, styled by GM Design in Warren, MI, and will be built at the NUMMI (GM/Toyota) joint-venture factory.

The Vibe/Matrix was engineered at No. 1 Toyota City in Japan. Because the pair are designed exclusively for the North American market, they are freed from Japanese small car dimensional limits. They are 4365 mm (172 in) long on the NCV standard wheelbase of 2600 mm (102 in), 1775 mm (70 in) wide, and 1600 mm (63 in) tall. They feature four conventionally hinged doors and a tailgate. The platform is shared with the rest of the Corolla family, with front MacPherson strut and rear twist-beam suspension.

The top Allex engine is the 2ZZ-GE DOHC 16-valve variable valve-timing/-lift, 1.8-L inline four.

The base engine is the 1ZZ-FE 1.8-L unit first introduced in the current U.S. Corolla and now adopted across the NCV board. It displaces 1.794 L with 79.0-mm (3.11-in) bore and 91.5-mm (3.60-in) stroke, producing 97 kW (130 hp) at 6000 rpm and 170 N•m (125 lb•ft). The "sports" engine for both Pontiac and Toyota lines is the 1ZZ-GE with unique internal dimensions of 82.0-mm (3.23-in) bore and 85.0-mm (3.35-in) stroke, obtaining one more cubic centimeter than the sister 1ZZ-FE. This engine adopts the VVTL-i combination of variable intake- and exhaust-valve-timing/-lift and continuously variable intake-valve-timing systems. It produces 134 kW (180 hp)—attaining the 100-hp-per-L mark—and 176 N•m (130 lb•ft) at 6800 rpm. As in the hotter Japanese Corollas, the Matrix/Vibe GT powered by the sports motor may be ordered either with the electronically controlled four-speed automatic or the new six-speed manual transmission.

- Jack Yamaguchi

Glazed expressions

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sports Coupe.

Car designers in Europe are now faced with a particular dilemma over ways to express the "character" of new models: to glaze or not to glaze. Some are opting to produce cars that keep the use of glass to a minimum (e.g., Audi TT Coupe), while others are using the material to create styling advances that change not only the look but the whole ambience of a car. The Renault Avantime, due in production this year, is an example of that, and so is the newly arrived, glass-topped Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sports Coupe (AEI, Nov. 2000).

The unconventional application of glass is the most interesting aspect of this four-seat hatchback based on the C-Class sedan. The designers have created a panoramic roof (an optional extra) that stretches continuously from the top of the windshield to the rear spoiler, forming part of the tailgate. And there is even a second "window" beneath the spoiler, which further enhances the light and airy feel of the car's interior and aids rearward vision.

A large area of the front section of the glass top opens to slide rearwards over, rather than under, the rear section, thus avoiding loss of headroom, often a penalty with conventional sliding sunroofs. A glass wind deflector rises as the roof opens to reduce aerodynamic noise. The size of the roof opening is about a third greater than that of a regular system. The roof's framework is comprised of extruded aluminum sections, pre-fabricated to form a fully operational module that is bonded to the roof frame after the bodyshell is painted. Two aluminum trim strips cover the gaps between the bodywork and the glass panels. Polyurethane plastic is injection-molded around the panels to provide protection against glass splintering (the car having undergone "stringent" crash testing, according to Mercedes).

Sequentronic is a transmission option for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sports Coupe and the new C-Class station wagon.

Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun are plainly a potential problem with such a large area of glass in a car, but, Mercedes said, "The 18% light transmission of the green-tinted safety glass ensures effective protection from UV rays for the occupants." The company added that 2.2% of UV-A light reaches the interior, but 100% of UV-B and UV-C light is filtered out. A very neat, roller-action sun blind is fitted. It is in two sections for front and rear and is power-operated. The electronic key for the car's ignition and locking systems is also linked to the sliding roof. If the key's remote opening button is held down, the roof and side windows open automatically for ventilation before a journey, and they can be closed via a similar action.

The other notably interesting feature of the car is a transmission choice that includes a new, automated, six-speed gearbox called Sequentronic. A change-by-wire system, it basically converts driver pressure (a nudge) applied longitudinally to the gearshift to declutch and change gear via a microcomputer and a hydraulic actuator coupled to the central gearshift shaft. A central release bearing operates the clutch. The system uses an electric motor and hydraulic pump with a dedicated reservoir of hydraulic fluid. The reservoir module deploys sensors to maintain pressure at a constant level. The sensor system monitors shift shaft movement and determines which gear is currently selected. A sensor also monitors transmission speed. Sequentronic sensor signals are transmitted to the microcomputer, and the control module also processes information on current engine speed, torque, wheel speed, and brake system functions.

To build up required hydraulic pressure rapidly, the electronic unit is activated immediately after the driver's door is opened and, when the ignition is switched on, the hydraulic unit builds pressure. There is no delay in transmission use after engine start. The system has a fully automatic mode and intervenes on the road when it deems engine speed to be too high or low in relation to other parameters. Benefits of the system include the potential for a 2 to 3% reduction in fuel consumption. Like other automated gearbox systems, driving it smoothly in all circumstances is something of an acquired technique. A six-speed conventional manual or five-speed automatic are also offered.

The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class station wagon.

The Sports Coupe is some 18 cm (7.1 in) shorter than the C-Class sedan but has room for four adults. Its distinctive styling includes a prominent spoiler that serves a legitimate aerodynamic purpose in providing downforce. Front suspension is a three-link with MacPherson struts, coil springs, gas-filled dampers, and an antiroll bar, while the rear uses multilink with coil springs and gas-filled dampers. Steering is rack and pinion. Engine choice includes a 2.0-L, 95-kW (127-hp), naturally aspirated gasoline unit; 120-kW (163-hp), 2.0-L and 145-kW (195-hp), 2.3-L supercharged (Kompressor) units; and a 105-kW (143-hp), 2.1-L turbodiesel with common-rail technology and four valves per cylinder.

Also new to production is the C-Class station wagon. Based closely on the sedan, Mercedes has given it notably stylish rear-end treatment rather than focusing on maximizing load space. Even so, load capacity, depending on interior configuration, is 470 to 1384 L (16.6 to 48.9 ft³) using VDA methodologies, which is better than the previous C-Class wagon. Equipment and power units are from the sedan and, like the Coupe, Sequentronic is an option on some versions. The car is 25 mm (1 in) longer than the previous C-Class wagon but only 15 mm (0.6 in) longer than the latest sedan. Design and engineering differences in the body of the wagon compared to the sedan involve side panels, roof, rear doors, and, of course, the rear. The side panels are one-piece; the roof has nodal connections to the A-, B-, C-, and D-pillars. With the deletion of the sedan's top cross section behind the rear seats, the wagon substitutes this strength by incorporating additional "structural elements" on the rear wheel arches and joining them to the inner shells of the arches. The suspension is similar to that of the sedan with three-links at the front with MacPherson struts and multilink at the rear. Self-leveling is an option.

- Stuart Birch