2000 Ford Explorer

Chevy's Big Block
The Suburban's 454-cube OHV V-8 can trace its lineage back to the 396-cubic-inch carbureted powerplant, which first appeared in the '65 Impala and Corvette. Today, computer-controlled fuel delivery is a key to this ancient design producing an impressive 290 horsepower with low emissions and good fuel economy. The L29's sequential electronic fuel injection employs a separate injector located in the induction port of each cylinder. Previous systems inefficiently squirted gas from an entire bank of injectors (or, worse, a single throttle-body injector), though only one cylinder was ready to accept fuel for an intake stroke. Sequential fuel injection, on the other hand, utilizes the precise timing of its computer to send gas to only the one cylinder whose valve is opening.
-Mac DeMere

Isuzu's Ceramics Class
Automobile manufacturers are continually looking for ways to shorten and make less expensive the development of new vehicles. Isuzu, who several years earlier built a ceramics joint venture company, has been developing the process to produce ceramic dies for stamping and manufacturing. Typically, before a new vehicle goes into production, it's first rendered in clay, then mapped by lasers into a super computer for 3-D modeling where refinements and corrections are made to the body. Finally, cast-iron dies are made at a cost of $1.0 to $1.5 million per die. Combine the time and cost of the 20 to 30 dies required per vehicle, and this process demonstrates why manufacturers are more likely to invest in the less chancy or "safer" designs. By going directly from clay to the die, and streamlining the super computer engineering process, Isuzu's use of ceramic dies for the VehiCross requires only about half the time and money of the traditional method. Other automobile manufacturers are also studying this industry-first revolutionary technology.
-Chris Walton

Jeep's Sweet New V-8
True to form, the Grand Cherokee outperforms in the SUV competition despite a reduction in displacement from 5.9 liters in '98 down to 4.7 for '99. Not only does it offer terrific power, the new engine is special because it signifies a leap in technology to single overhead camshafts and a totally new design. Whereas previous Jeeps have had some rough edges, not the least of which was an engine rooted in the old Mopar A-engine science of yore, the new Jeep is world class beyond the ad hype. For '99 the Grand Cherokee offers high performance and refined quality, making it something special in the evolution of the breed.
-Cam Benty

Honda's Real Time 4WD
Unlike most of the vehicles in this comparo, the CR-V eschews conventional off-roading technology-including a dual-range transfer case-in favor of a simple yet elegant solution to the question of how to maintain maximum grip on any road surface while paying a minimal fuel economy penalty. With Honda's Real Time 4WD, the CR-V functions as a conventional front-driver under normal traction conditions. However, if the system detects the front tires starting to lose grip, it automatically begins transferring torque to the rear axle. At the heart of Real Time 4WD is an interconnected twin-chamber pump that allows hydraulic fluid to freely circulate between its two halves-as long as both pairs of wheels are rotating at the same speed. When the fronts begin to spin more quickly, it creates a pressure differential. This, in turn, opens a valve body that sends fluid to a multi-plate clutch which then engages a propeller shaft connected to the rear differential. One other particularly nice Real Time 4WD feature is that it automatically disengages under braking, allowing the ABS system-standard on the EX AWD -to function in a normal manner.
-Bob Nagy