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Product cycles, they can be long and they can be short. Some cars we hope will never die while others trip and fall right at the starting gate. The following is a list of cars that have been around for far too long and need to go goodbye.
Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon
When these GM mid-size pickups came along in 2004, the largest engine offered was a 3.5-liter inline-five. Four years later, that powerplant received a bump to 3.7-liters but it still needs more torque. Add in an old-school GM interior and this is a perfect example of a vehicle that should die or be fully redesigned as soon as possible.
The future of GM’s mid-size pickup depends on how strong of a market there is for smaller trucks. With fuel prices continuing to rise, maybe there is a need for this type of utility vehicle, only better executed.
Ford Ranger/Mazda B-series
The Ford Ranger and the Mazda B-series make the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon look fresh as a daisy. The present generation Ranger hit the road over a decade ago but the same basic chassis has been used since the introduction of the pickup in 1983. Presently, you can choose between three engines. The largest V-6 can trace its routes back farther than the Ranger itself, to the 1960s.
Unlike all other less than full-size trucks, the Ranger is technically a compact pickup. Rumors continue to float about the death of the Ranger but it will return for at least the 2009 model year. Time will tell if Ford builds another small pickup and, if they do, let’s hope they start from scratch.
Lexus SC430
This Lexus hardtop convertible came along in 2002. More boulevard cruiser than back road dancer, the French Riviera styling is not aging well. As Mercedes offers updated SL models, Lexus sticks with niche versions of the convertible like the Pebble Beach edition. Trunk capacity is virtually non-existent with the metal roof folded but at least the Mark Levinson stereo rocks the house.
The only engine available is a 4.3-liter V-8. It may only have 288-hp but you’re not going to play with other cars on the backroads with this Lexus anyway. Also, if you’re anticipating an “F” version of the SC430 like the IS-F, it isn’t going to happen.
Saab 9-5
2009 will mark the tenth model year the Saab 9-5 is sold in the U.S. market. No surprise, it’s starting to show its age. Sure, the seats are still comfortable (like all Saabs) but ride and handling are not up to spec for this class, or most other classes. Plus, the only engine available is a 260 hp turbo four-cylinder and we’re not so keen on the chrome exterior accents that were recently added.
The good news is that GM is working hard on their all-new 9-5 and we expect to see that for the 2010 model year. We have high-hopes for this car and there are rumors that all-wheel-drive may be part of the package. Kiss torque steer goodbye, finally.
Volkswagen Beetle
This retro mobile was all the rage when it was first shown in concept form at the Detroit Auto Show in 1994. For the 1998 model year, VW gave us the production version and the buzz for the cute little car was huge. Two years later, a convertible came along. But, as the buzz faded, the reality of the two-door VW came to light. It offers very little cargo or rear seat room and the styling hasn’t aged too well.
VW recently updated the car and added the not so smooth or powerful 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine from the Rabbit and Jetta and fuel economy suffered. In the end, the Rabbit is still the smarter choice if you’re looking for a small VW. Plus, you don’t have to deal with keeping fresh flowers in the dash-mounted plastic vase in the more conventional hatchback.

admin Auto Chevrolet Colorado, Chevy Colorado, Compact Pickup, Ford Ranger, French Riviera, Fresh As A Daisy, Fuel Prices, Gmc Canyon, Lexus Hardtop Convertible, Lexus Sc430, Mark Levinson, Mazda B Series, Metal Roof, Mid Size, Pebble Beach, Pickup Rumors, Product Cycles, Size Pickups, Size Trucks, Trip And Fall

Nissan Maximas were not always boring cars; long ago, they were marketed as “four-door sports cars.” They never were sports cars, of course. It’s all but impossible to make a front-wheel-drive sedan handle like a sports car, but Maximas were quick enough daily drivers with their excellent V-6 engines. However, it all drifted away as Nissan overspent and underdelivered. I recall reading that there were more than seventy different steering wheels in production for the Maxima at one time, a microcosmic example of why Nissan was billions of dollars in debt and bound for bankruptcy when Renault stepped in with a pile of money and sent King Carlos Ghosn to straighten out the follies.
A few months ago, Nissan organized a media event called Nissan 360 in Portugal. More than five dozen Nissan products from around the world were on hand for journalists to drive. I chose to try as many vehicles as possible that aren’t available in either the American or western European markets. But the car I most wanted to drive – apart from the incredible GT-R – the 2009 Maxima, was locked up and its keys hidden away. So all I could do was walk around it in the bright sunshine of Cascais and admire – and puzzle over – its complex lines and surfaces.
The new Maxima is a handsome beast, with an exaggerated “Coke-bottle” plan view and some hard lines high on the fenders to emphasize that shaping. The grille is a straightforward, but totally unimaginative, simple rectangle that is flanked by tortured headlamps with a painted arrowhead pointing forward on the outside of the front fenders. There is a similar looping line at the leading edge of the taillights, visually directed artfully up the C-pillar. A moderately dumb-looking optional spoiler on the trunk lid is there to validate the sporty pretensions of the model. After the complex longitudinal sunroof of the outgoing model, I was delighted to see a simple metal roof, one that finally recaptures the fine centerline profile of Nissan’s Arc-X concept car from 1987.
Unfortunately, Nissan has chosen to join the crowd in using the characteristic BMW side-window profile at the C-pillar, but I suspect that this detail is imposed on design departments the world over by marketers who want some of the German brand’s magic aura to rub off on their more mundane products. As in BMWs, the interior is focused toward the driver, and it appears to be extremely well-done. I like the fact that there is no extraneous trim on the body sides, and only enough on the rear to provide a place for license-plate lamps. Altogether it is a very good design, a family sedan to take seriously, but it’s not yet a great one.
1 The centerline profile of the roof is superb, a gentle arc that should keep airflow attached almost all the way to the horizontal rear deck.
2 Yes, this line is just like a BMW’s. No, the Maxima as a whole is not remotely like a rear-wheel-drive sport sedan from Munich.
3 Notice how nicely the curve at the forward edge of the taillight leads up to the upper side-window trim forward of the Hofmeister kink. It is elegant and effective, unlike the similar line on the front fender that connects to nothing at all.
4 This hard line fades in the front door and resumes just aft of the B-pillar. It adds to the sporty aspect of the styling and helps stiffen the skin.
5 Concave sections indented in the rear bumper fascia and the rocker panels are structural stiffeners and reduce the visual mass of the plain body sides.
6 The treatment of the dual exhaust outlets is convincingly sporty and is suitable to a 290-hp engine.
7 The optional tacked-on spoiler is an unfortunate piece, presumably intended to reinforce the “sports car” aspect of the sedan’s styling. It would have been better were it integrated into the deck lid itself.
8 The lower-bumper air intake and the foglight opening is definitely sport-oriented and helps mitigate the massive bluff front end.
9 Headlamps set back into the surface provide a starting point for the front fender crease that emphasizes the body bulges at the wheel openings.
10 This crisp line on the hood gives the impression of more length to the typical short nose of front-wheel-drive vehicles.
11 This hard line rises all the way to the taillight and is unrelated to the rear wheel opening, giving the Maxima a wedge shape to at least suggest rear-wheel drive.
A Apart from the overwhelming darkness, this is a nicely designed and very well-made interior, with serious-looking bucket seats.
B There is little relief from the funereal black of the interior, but at least there’s a bit more brightwork on the steering wheel and the center stack than on the instrument panel.
C These vertical rectangles alongside the information/navigation screen are a nice touch.

admin Auto Boring Cars, Bright Sunshine, Cascais, Centerline, Coke Bottle, Fenders, Follies, Front Wheel Drive, Handsome Beast, Metal Roof, More Than Seventy, Nissan Maxima, Nissan Maximas, Nissan Products, Pile Of Money, Pretensions, Sports Cars, Steering Wheels, Trunk Lid, Western European Markets