SUPERCARS, HYBRIDS AND FAMILY VANS
Lorraine Sommerfeld takes a virtual walk-through of what would have been the stars of Vancouver's auto show
You won't be able to go to any auto show now or in the future and escape the overwhelming presence of technology that means even a model year can seem like an eon. As we march toward an electric future, some of us are still wondering if the talk will be matched with the walk.
For the first time since 1974, hundreds of thousands of us in cities across Canada will be missing our traditional new car kickoff: The Vancouver International Auto Show, the Montreal International Auto Show, the Canadian International Autoshow in Toronto and others have been sucked up in the pandemic's wheels, like so many other things we look forward to.
Undaunted, we put together a panel of automotive journalists from Postmedia Driving to provide you with a virtual walk-through of what you would have seen at the Vancouver Convention Centre this spring, in what would have been the 101st Vancouver auto show. Sadly, the centennial celebration was cancelled last year as the pandemic began to rage, but rest assured it will be back with a vengeance a year from now.
We open with the 2022 McLaren Artura, that company's first foray into the hybrid world. It mates a twin-turbo V6 with a battery-electric powertrain. For our supercar specialist David Booth it is one of most exciting two-seaters to come down the road in a very long time.
You won't be able to go to any auto show now or in the future and escape the overwhelming presence of technology that means even a model year can seem like an eon. As we march toward an electric future, some of us are still wondering if the talk will be matched with the walk. Andrew McCredie, our West Coast electric expert and Plugged In podcast host, makes an excellent point about where we are now. There was a time that the only chance consumers had to even test an electric car was at an auto show, or local events held near larger cities. He notes the dreaded waiting times — six months, a year — that people were willing (or stuck with)
waiting to get their hands on a coveted vehicle. Now, as supply finally catches up, showrooms, particularly Hyundai, are offering up ready access to buyers. “When you actually drive one, it's quite an experience,” says McCredie.
At an actual event, the crowds might very well gawk at the 1,000-horsepower GMC Hummer, but the real star, according to McCredie, is Chevrolet's newest addition to the electric family: the Bolt EUV and its realistic price tag. Hyundai's Ioniq 5 is a standout that surfaced just days before our virtual show, and it has a design to stand out and draw attention, whether it was electric or not. Closing the gap on pricing of EVs against traditional gasoline vehicles was always the goal, and we're getting there. Later in the program, McCredie gets into the “sexier” side of things; the Audi RS e-tron GT is a stunner from a company that knows sexy cars, and Porsche's Taycan has taken the auto world — and our panel — by storm.
Jil McIntosh points out the importance of new engine design for the traditional workhorses, the pickup trucks. Hybrid technology in the F-150 has lowered this perennial bestseller's gas consumption to levels that would have been unimaginable even a decade ago. When most
vehicle sales in North America are in the category of big, bigger, and biggest, it makes sense that manufacturers will need to not only offer their most advanced engines but offer them in their bestsellers. “The F-150 hybrid is capable of running on battery alone. It's not going to go that far on it, but it's enough to help with fuel economy.”
Perhaps the biggest consideration for those who buy a truck is what McIntosh points out as the most obvious one: These trucks must be able to tow and deliver torque. They have to be strong, and they are. She also points out a return to form in a different part of the truck market: the mid-sizers that have been overshadowed as their larger siblings get, well, larger. The Nissan Frontier is highly anticipated,
especially with the Titan now gone, and she says these smaller trucks are actually more usable for more people.
News from Toyota that the 2021 Sienna will be hybrid-only is welcome news for Stephanie Wallcraft. Minivans may carry a little baggage in their history, but as Wallcraft points out, they really are the right answer for many families. “At Driving.ca, we've been van-splaining to people for years that minivans really are the most practical and useful family vehicle that you can buy,” she says. A big concern for many Canadians is all-wheel drive, and with Chrysler Pacifica finally adding that to their options list, without losing the coveted Stown-Go seating that made this originator of the Chrysler Dodge minivans famous, Wallcraft sees
an opportunity for buyers to have the best of all worlds. That hybrid Sienna will go a long way to boosting fuel economy, another plus.
Interesting note from Wallcraft: People often tend to buy a vehicle based on a “what if ” scenario; what if I have to take the whole soccer team one day; what if that trip involves the entire family. It might make consumers champ at the bit for something like the forthcoming Jeep Grand Cherokee L — taking its position along with the other three-row titans, like the recent additions of the Kia Telluride and the Hyundai Palisade — but smart buyers will consider what is actually best for their needs.
Mr. Supercar, David Booth, takes a few minutes to lavish some praise on the highly anticipated Nissan Proto Z. He considers it a worthy follow up to the fan favourite 370Z, but he also makes the case for the fast and furious fun cars: Subaru has added more horsepower to its debuting BRZ, the Volkswagens have always headlined in this category and the new Golf R and GTI should continue that reputation, and the Hyundai Elantra N Line, especially mated with a manual transmission, has this hypercar fan marvelling at just how much fun these junior sports cars are to drive.