News

All of the usual suspects are on the top-20 list of Canada's best-selling vehicles for the first quarter of 2005, and the one surprise appearance says a lot about what it takes to really increase a vehicle's appeal with consumers.

For the most part, the list is restricted to the traditional best sellers from the compact car segment, minivans and full-size pickups, and features a lot of familiar names.

But down there in 19th place is the Chevrolet Blazer, an aging, soon-to-be-defunct SUV. The trick to its appearance this year is a hyper-aggressive campaign by General Motors of Canada to sell the vehicle out as it nears extinction, using extremely low prices.

The other change of note is the overall decrease in the sales of large pickups, with all three of the brands on this list taking hits through the first quarter.

The answer may lie outside this list, as that's where you'll find growing sales figures for compact pickups, many of which are much larger than they used to be but with smaller price tags.

BMW 3-Series wagon

on the market this fall

With the first units of the new BMW 3-Series sedan just now coming on the market, the German firm has decided to show off the station wagon version of its newest models.

When the Touring version of the 3-Series arrives in Canada this fall, says Kevin Marcotte of BMW Canada Inc., it will be available as the 325xi Touring. That means it will run on the same 3.0-litre inline-six as the 325i sedan, and have the firm's all-wheel drive xDrive system as standard equipment.

The new 3 Series Touring offers "greater practicality, improved performance, superb handling and a poised ride. It is also more comfortable, roomier and is even more parsimonious at the pumps than the outgoing model," the company says.

Internally and externally the new 3-series Touring is larger than its predecessor. The key measurements of the wagon and its growth (in brackets) from the previous model are: 4,520-mm long (42 mm), 1,817-mm wide (78 mm), 1,418-mm tall (9 mm) and a wheelbase of 2,760 mm (35 mm).

At the same time, the practicality of the Touring model is also improved with the new model offering 460 litres of room with the rear seats in place and 1,385 litres with the 60:40 split seats folded. This represents a 25- and 40-litre increase, respectively, over the former model.

The engine will produce 215 hp at 6,500 rpm and about 190 lb-ft of torque between 2,750 and 4,250 rpm, which is said to deliver a 0-to-100 km/h time of 7.2 seconds.

All engine variants are mated to a six-speed manual gearbox as standard or a six-speed automatic as an option.

Prices have of course not been set, but the previous wagon version of the 3-series with all-wheel-drive retailed for more than $44,000.

Impreza packaging

reduces price for wagon

Subaru Canada Inc. is offering one of those special edition models that comes with a popular group of options and sells for less than they cost individually.

The Special Edition Impreza 2.5RS Wagon gets the normal equipment for that trim as well as a standard moonroof, WRX-type bucket seats, a rear spoiler, a MOMO steering wheel, body-coloured side spoilers and side mirrors, a leather-wrapped brake lever and gear selector, an upgraded stereo and alloy pedals for units equipped with manual transmissions.

In all, says Subaru, the Special Edition comes with more than $4,500 worth of enhancements, but for just $2,000 more than the base model price of $24,995.

Range Rover model

prices for 2006 are set

Land Rover Canada has announced the MSRPs for two variations apiece of the revised Range Rover and the new 2006 Range Rover Sport.

Range Rover Sport in the HSE trim will carry an MSRP of $77,800, while the supercharged version will go for $93,800.

The traditional Range Rover in the HSE trim will have an MSRP of $99,900, while the supercharged model will retail for $118,900. All four models will go on sale this summer.

Toyota prices

Highlander Hybrid

Toyota Canada has released the MSRPs for its Highlander Hybrid SUV, and it will cost consumers $6,645 or $7,305 for a vehicle that gets only 10 per cent better highway fuel economy on Transport Canada's tests than the Highlander with the traditional powertrain.

The Hybrid model did do better on the city portion of the test, scoring a 41 per cent improvement in fuel economy.

Even if you do nothing but city driving and actually meet or better the ratings of Transport Canada, it's going to take thousands of kilometres of driving to recover that kind of price premium.

A five-seat Highlander Hybrid will carry an MSRP of $44,205 when the new models start to arrive this summer, while the traditional five-seat model retails for $36,900. That's a difference of $7,305.

A seven-seat Highlander Hybrid's MSRP will be $53,145, versus an MSRP of $46,500 for a traditional seven-seater, making a difference of $6,645.

The non-hybrid prices are for all-wheel-drive models, by the way, since the hybrids all get that useful safety technology.

On Transport Canada's fuel economy test, the Highlander Hybrid needs 7.5 litres of gas to go 100 city km and 8.1 litres to go 100 highway km, for a combined rating of 7.8.

Highlander with the traditional 3-3-litre V-6 scores 12.7 city, 9.0 highway and 10.9 combined on the Transport Canada test.

That translates into only a 10 per cent improvement in highway driving but a 41 per cent improvement in the city part of the test, for a combined improvement of 28 per cent.

Of course, it's unlikely that anyone will match the Transport Canada test exactly, so actual fuel economy levels will be higher or lower, depending upon individual driving conditions.

Along with the hybrid engine, the Highlander Hybrid models also get various other features that the regular models don't, such as special 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, a diversity antenna, fog lamps, a chrome-accented front grille, a new front bumper, rear LED tail lamps, and chrome licence-plate trim.

Other standard features include air conditioning, cruise control, keyless entry, power windows and locks, and VDIM. From a safety perspective, the most important item is probably the VDIM, which stands for vehicle dynamics integration management and allows the Highlander's various electronic systems to work together to provide the most sophisticated control of the vehicle in extreme manoeuvres or on compromised road surfaces.

alaw@globeandmail.ca

Top-selling vehicles

Top 20 best selling vehicles in Canada with their sales in first three months of 2005, their sales for the same period last year and the percentage change year-to-year.

Type	2005 sales	2004 sales	% change
1. Dodge Caravan	15,680	14,627	+7.2%
2. Ford F-Series	15,018	16,740	-10.3
3. Honda Civic	11,510	10,436	+10.3
4. Toyota Corolla	8,807	7,616	+15.6
5. Chevrolet Silverado	8,052	8,329	-3.3
6. GMC Sierra	7,784	8,771	-11.3
7. Mazda3	7,657	9,913	-22.8
8. Dodge Ram Pickup	7,585	10,148	-25.3
9. Toyota Echo	6,280	6,595	-4.8
10. Pontiac Sunfire	5,556	7,362	-24.5
11. Ford Focus	5,157	5,709	-9.7
12. Honda Accord	4,792	4,904	-2.3
13. Ford Escape	4,485	4,502	-0.4
14. Pontiac Grand Am	4,339	4,773	-9.1
15. Toyota Matrix	4,140	3,598	+15.1
16. Chevrolet Cavalier	4,119	6,521	-36.8
17. Ford Freestar	3,742	4,112	-9.0
18. Chevrolet Uplander*	3,700	-	-
19. Chevrolet S/T Blazer	3,450	444	+677.0
20. Honda CR-V	3,359	3,318	+1.2

*Not sold last year

SOURCE: DESROSIERS AUTOMOTIVE CONSULTANTS