2004 SUV of the Year Engineering & Technology Review

Engineering and Technology
In the making of passenger cars, platform sharing has become a vital engineering strategy for companies eager to find cost-saving efficiencies. Platform sharing among trucks is how the SUV was invented, in that wagon body-on-pickup frame scenario. The blossoming trend now, of course, is for automakers to turn car platforms into crossover SUVs. Usually, this means sharing major chassis pieces, powertrains, suspension bits, seating, and switchgear and hedging the bet by building cars and SUVs in the same billion-dollar plant. The maker can then shift production back and forth quickly and cheaply between variants depending on what's in demand.

Touchscreen puts the operation of the Cadilllac SRX comfort and audio functions within a fingertip's control.

The zoomy-looking Infiniti FX has a close mechanical kinship with the rear-drive G35 sedan and coupe (last year's MT Car of the Year). The efficient Nissan Murano has an engineering link with the front-drive Altima sedan. The Lexus RX 330 is related to the Lexus ES 330 sedan, the Toyota Camry, and even the new Toyota Sienna minivan. Cadillac's SRX shares DNA with both the rear-drive CTS entry-lux sedan and next year's STS (formerly Seville) sedan, expected to be available as a rear- or all-wheel-drive model. The Mitsubishi Endeavor shares its architecture (and Normal, Illinois, assembly plant) with the Galant sedan. Even the BMW X3, VW Touareg, and Porsche Cayenne share pieces with their auto siblings. The narrow-angle, 15-degree, VR6 powertrain used in the Touareg also sees duty in the sporty Audi TT and various VW and Audi cars. Several editors speculate that the Cayenne is in a sense the Porsche four-door sedan that one faction within the company pushed for a few years ago or that it might spawn a four-door car. Chrysler's Pacifica is related to the company's best-selling minivan models.

And then there are the truck-style models with their heavier but rugged full-frame platforms. These include the midsize Buick Rainier, the GMC Envoy XUV, the slightly larger Dodge Durango, and the full-size Nissan Pathfinder Armada. The Durango shares its 3.7-liter V-6, 4.7-liter V-8, and 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 powertrains--but not exterior sheetmetal, chassis, suspension, or interior parts--with the Dodge Ram. The big dog of this roundup, the Armada, holds most of its pieces and $1.43-billion Canton, Mississippi, assembly plant in common with the all-new, full-size Titan pickup, although it has a double-wishbone independent coil-spring rear suspension in place of the Titan's solid axle and leaf springs.

Among the coolest pieces of new SUV technology are the premium magnetorheological shocks in the SRX. With ultra-fast adjustment of jounce and rebound damping, these electronically controlled shocks make the SRX feel like it has yards of cushy wheel travel, but with serious levels of body control to keep roll, squat, and dive in check for precise corner carving. It's the best of both worlds: handling performance and creamy suspension tuning.

The Murano's standard continuously variable automatic transmission is another impressive piece of technology. An off-road environment can challenge any transmission. Now, the Murano (and the Saturn Vue) offers customers this innovative, fuel-efficient, and robust choice.