Cars Worth Noting

Automotive Industries,  Oct, 1999  

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20XX Ford P2000

When I first saw Ford's P2000 sedan, I thought they blew it. Here was the automotive equivalent of an F22 Raptor fighter plane -- aluminum and carbon fiber structure, hydrogen fuel cell powerplant, electric driveline. But the car's designers wrapped this exciting technology in plain-Jane skin that resembles the offspring of a Mondeo-Taurus liason. Stylistically, it's a snoozer.

Recently, however, I had the chance to drive P2000 at Ford's Dearborn proving ground. The experience made me realize there's sense in the shape of this concept car, the purpose of which is to prove that a fuel cell powertrain can be easily packaged in a humble five-passenger sedan. No need for zoot-suit bodywork to make this important point.

How's it drive? Well, performance is on par with the car's humble exterior. P2000 launches pretty spritely, after a split-second hesitation as the air compressor (which supplies oxygen to the cell stack) spools up, and the car accelerates to speed acceptably fast. In my few laps around the PG, the car performed like a Contour with the base four-cylinder engine. The power is seamless, and there's only one clue that a 90-hp fuel cell, converting hydrogen gas and oxygen into electricity and emitting only water vapor, lurks under the hood. The giveaway is the air compressor, an annoyingly noisy device that sounds like a juice blender. It's a problem that every fuel cell program, not just Ford's, is trying to solve.

P2000 accomplished its initial mission, and development continues. Just remember, it's what's under the skin that counts.

-- Lindsay Brooke

2000 Mercedes A-Class

Oh, please, DaimlerChrysler -- don't bring this tiny car to the U.S.! After driving the innovative A-Class on a recent trip to Germany, I believe the little mini dilutes the prestige of the Mercedes brand.

Yes, the exterior design is urban-cute, and the overall package is cleverly efficient. But as I squeezed behind the wheel, I immediately knew I wasn't in Mercedes territory. It's not that the A-Class is small; it's supposed to be. It's that while driving the car, it feels unnecessarily cramped. The driving position tilts you slightly forward, and a glance backward toward two rear seat passengers is unsettling -- all you see is a mix of shins and knees.

OK, I might have a cultural bias. Americans, particularly this Texan, like big and drive big. In a land of Excursions, Surburbans and pickups, the A-Class would look like cargo. And I'll admit that the $20,000 Elegance model that I steered through Stuttgart is refined for a small car, and probably has Mercedes' traditional reliability. But the three-pointed star also stands for presence, and I couldn't overlook the feeling that, as I pulled out of the automaker's headquarters, I was driving a toy.

It's hard to fault Mercedes for risking something completely new, to lure a new generation of buyers. The company was willing to step out. But in the A-Class' case, it's time to step back. At the least, keep this car on the Continent. America is for real Mercedes.

-- Norman Martin

2000 Ford Taurus

When it was launched for the 1996 model year, the styling for the Ford Taurus was the automotive equivalent of biting into a jalapeno pepper -- really spicy.

As such, sheetmetal changes to the 2000 Taurus are like a big bottle of Maalox -- they quell the heartburn from the previous generation car. Virtually every oval shape has been stripped away, both inside and out. The one remaining oval is the grille, now larger and sitting higher than in previous models.

The story is the same in the back. The rear of the decklid stands four inches taller than the 1999 version. The back-light is now a rectangle, necessitated by a new roofline that adds two inches of head room in the back seat.

A large, flat-surfaced instrument panel anchors the new interior. Even the Integrated Control Panel, with audio and HVAC controls, is now a large rectangular unit that hangs on the front of the IP and has plenty of space between controls (which makes me wonder why the buttons aren't bigger).

Power adjustable pedals, a $120 option, make finding a comfortable driving position easy.

On the road, the new Taurus is solid and tight. That's no surprise -- the car's road manners have been well refined since the 1992 redesign. The styling changes, and added insulation, cut down on wind and road noise. Softer spring rotes soak up road imperfections, while revised sway bars keep things flat in turns.

It all still works like a Taurus -- mild and satisfying without a hint of jalapeno.

-- Dale Jewett

COPYRIGHT 1999 Cahners Publishing Company
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group