Cars Worth Noting - 2000 Nissan Xterra XE, 200 Mercedes CL Coupe, 2000 Chevrolet Impala

Automotive Industries, Nov, 1999 by Lindsay Brooke, Dale Jewett, Gerry Kobe

2000 Nissan Xterra XE

When Nissan announced its new Xterra, the concept sounded great to me. Here was an automaker that wanted to take the sport-utility back to its no-nonsense, affordable roots, proclaimed the Nissan racks. On paper at least, the new SIN promised to deliver what the Jeep Cherokee's been since 1984, but in a package better suited for lifestyles.

First, the pluses. Xterra certainly beats the Jeep in package efficiency and driveline refinement, but given the Jeep's age, it should. Nissan also wisely gave Xterra a commendably tight turning circle, which is a very endearing Cherokee trait in parking lots and off road. And our V-6-powered testers $23,000 sticker beats a similarly-equipped Jeep by about $1,500.

But where Xterra's planners and designers could've really improved the classic 4x4 utility wagon idea, they came up short. Xterra rides like the pickup truck it's based on, and looks and feels cheap. Back seat cushions must be removed to fold the seats up. The much-used fuel filler door has sharp edges like a 1950s Japanese tin toy. The roof rack integrates with the body styling but is virtually useless in operation; owners will be better served with a Yakima or Thule aftermarket rig. And I'd jettison the gimmicky tubular side steps, which only get your trousers dirty, and the first-aid kit in the liftgate. Did customers ask for this crap, or did the product planners simply use 12-year-old skateboarders at the local mall for inspiration?

While Xterra puts serious price-value pressure on Jeep, it does so in cut-rate style.. And that's the image it left with me.

--Lindsay Brooke

2000 Mercedes CL Coupe

With a price tag starting around $85,000, customers have a right to expect a lot from the CL coupe, Mercedes-Benz's new flagship.

Mercedes delivers. The V-8 powered CL500, which reaches U.S. dealerships in December, and the V-12 powered CL600 that arrives next September, are not merely two-door versions of the S-Class sedan. That was the problem with its predecessor.

To start, designers adopted the quad-lamp front-end design from Mercedes' other coupes And to save weight and take advantage of technology, engineers opted for a variety of lightweight materials for the body- aluminum for the hood, door panels, roof and rear panels; magnesium for the inner doors, and plastic for the front quarter panels and deck lid. The material choice allowed engineers to package the antennas for the navigation and audio systems inside the deck lid.

The car's body control system uses high-pressure hydraulics at each wheel and a fast microprocessor to counteract cornering and braking force. Always active, the system can be switched into a sport mode that virtually eliminates body roll on even high-speed turns and noticeably tightens up the steering effort.

The V-12 is also equipped with a cylinder cutout system that automatically shuts down six cylinders under light-load conditions to conserve fuel The CL's powertrain controller always keeps some torque in reserve to mask the changeover.

The new CL may not be perfect, but It'll take an electron microscope to find the flaws.

--Dale Jewett

2000 Chevrolet Impala

If I weren't a grown man I'd cry.

Chevrolet has taken an honored name from the past and completely stripped it of its meaning. This is an Impala? If you believe that, then you probably embrace the notions of Volare-based Road Runners, GTOs sprung off the X-car and Pintos transformed into Mustang IIs through the magic of sheet metal.

But those sins were committed over 20 years ago. This is modem-day blasphemy and I really though we progressed beyond this point.

To be more precise, today's Impala isn't a bad car but it isn't a good one either. That's the problem in fact--it's generic. It's a C-student in a class full of honor roll kids, a hamburger at a steak dinner or a sweater and khakis at a black tie event. In and of itself it's not bad, but put in context it misses the mark.

Chevrolet is in trouble if it thinks that it can sell good names instead of distinctive cars. Sure it handles OK, rides OK and the 3.8L V-6 is a rock. But OK just doesn't cut it anymore. And to put the flagship Impala name on such a "me too" vehicle is icing on the cake.

GM needs to look at what DaimlerChrysler is doing with the Charger nameplate and take notes. A big, beautiful, rear-drive, powerful car that deserves to wear the Charger name. Mark my words, when it comes out it'll sell to the bare walls.

How ironic that it's the same recipe Chevrolet should have followed.

--Gerry Kobe