Motoring Middle East: Car news, Reviews and Buying guides

We Check Out The Latest Flights of Fancy
By Imthishan Giado

Nissan Resonance

We start our roundup of the Detroit Auto Show with an unexpected winner: the Nissan Resonance. A refreshingly edgy, wedgy design from the House that Style Forgot , this concept heralds what Nissan officially calls a ‘new direction’ in crossover design.

But of course, you’re smart enough to know that this is more than just a design study. The Resonance previews the look of the next Murano and I have to admit that it’s a welcome change from the bionic weirdness of the current vehicle. Look closely and you’ll see a prominent ‘V’ theme, starting with the sculpted bonnet and echoing in the boomerang headlights.

Unusually for Nissan these days, they don’t fluff the tail, with all those swage lines and curves neatly finding their way to a Volvo-esque XC60 tail. Strip away the 22-inch wheels, lurid ‘Flare Orange’ paint and pointless all-wheel drive hybrid drivetrain and you can almost see that next Murano peeking through with its brawny 3.5-litre V6 and slushy CVT box.

According to Nissan, the interior is what they imagine ‘the future of space travel to look like’. Methinks they were watching one too many episodes of Star Trek – or judging by all the blue LED lighting, the more recent film.

Why can’t all instrument clusters look this good?

Volkswagen Cross Blue 

This concept’s been picking up a lot of heat in the international press but for the life of me, I can’t think why. It’s a next-generation three-row crossover concept featuring a plug-in electric diesel hybrid powertrain. For the displacement, the power outputs are very impressive; under the hood there’s only a little 2.0-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder motor but it’s backed by twin beefy electric motors for a combined output of 305bhp and 516 lb/fts of torque.

The Cross Blue will do the 0-100kph sprint in a very-respectable 7.2 seconds, go all-electric for 22km at a speed of 120kph and after that, consume diesel at a rate of just 6L/100km. Expect the Cross Blue to turn up next year in production form at a price point above the Tiguan but below the full-lux Touareg. And also to sport some ridiculous ‘T” name by the time it finally gets here.

Honda Urban SUV 

Honda once made some of the finest sports cars (S2000, Integra Type R, CRX) and saloons (Civic Type R, Accord Type R) in the world, and virtually singlehandedly created the concept of the daily driver supercar in the form of the NSX. We are so, so far from those halycon days now, I thought, as I watched Honda President Takanobu Ito feign enthusiasm as he took the wraps off this, the ‘Urban SUV’ concept.

Concept it may be labelled, but this little crossover is a dead cert for production next year. Despite the chunky looks, it’s based on the Honda Jazz platform (so our own in-house Jazz enthusiast Fraser Martin will no doubt want one) so it’s sized well below a CR-V – nine inches shorter, in fact. Expect a small sub 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and a front-wheel-biased all wheel drive system in the final car.

No question that it’s a smart looking thing, borrowing styling elements from big-brother Accord and will make a fine competitor to the likes of the Kia Sportage and Nissan Juke in this growing segment. According to Honda representatives, the final car will be built in Mexico and there’s no word on whether it’ll come to our region, but I see no reason why it shouldn’t make the trip across the Atlantic.

Also spotted on the Honda stand was this tiny EV-STER, a concept pure-electric sports convertible that harks back to the styling of the classic Honda Beat kei-car. Slated for production more than two years ago, there’s little chance it’ll ever come to pass given that Honda is now focusing on hybrids as a solution. That, and the fact that Tesla have already done one properly and put one on sale.

Lincoln MKC

Fading Lincoln is desperately in need of product to draw punters into showrooms. The once-mighty brand is pinning its hopes on the production version of this concept, the as-usual ungainly-titled MKC. No, that doesn’t stand for Mortal Kombat Championship Edition; the MKC is yet another small crossover that’s aiming to move the brand’s image away from huge SUVs like the Navigator or the hotel limo Town Car (RIP).

Underneath the showbiz glitz, this is actually a Ford Escape so it’s pretty much guaranteed to be in production by the end of the year, with Lincoln sources on the stand promising that the final car will be a dead ringer for the concept. No information was available on the powertrains, but our crystal ball says to expect the same engines you find in the parallel Escape. Unlikely to use the base 2.5-litre four cylinder, the final MKC will most likely use the optional 2.0-litre Ecoboost engine which reports for duty in no less than the Range Rover Evoque.

I was very impressed with the design work of the interior, particularly the flowing waterfall-effect centre console – and it all looked production-ready, to boot. To give you an idea of how impressive this car was, no less than Nissan design boss Shiro Nakamura –  and his boss, supreme chief Carlos Ghosn – were standing next to me on the stand checking it out. If Nissan is worried about a Lincoln, you know something’s right.

Hyundai HCD-14

You will find that I’ve taken only one picture of the HCD concept that Hyundai boss John Krafcik displayed at Detroit, because it’s flipping horrible to look at.  This is a ‘blue-sky’ look at what the future of Hyundai may hold and not the styling direction for the next Genesis sedan despite many others have report. It’s also ghastly and proof that not everything coming out of Korea is a slam dunk design. The Darth Vader front grille is the least of its styling sins – the proportions are elephantine, the LED lighting crass and the interior (accessed by suicide doors) an orgy of leather and designer doodling.

Come on Hyundai, come back to Planet Earth!

Ford Atlas

Finally, here’s something that does look good. The Ford Atlas concept was a surprise addition to the Blue Oval stand and showcases a look at a possible design direction for the next round of F-Series trucks. Given that the existing vehicle has been around since 2009 and both the Ram and the Silverado have been completely updated or replaced by new models, it’s time for the boys from Dearborn to come back with their own response.

The Atlas is certainly a fine-looking thing continuing the tough Tonka-toy styling of the Raptor and adding lots of clever touches, like the extending tail gate step that doubles as a cargo carrier, and the ‘smart’ chin spoiler that can alter its angle for better fuel efficiency.

Many of the styling elements such as the double-sized front grille and the freight train ride height can be seen on Ford’s existing Super Duty, while the toddler-friendly ground clearance is pure Raptor. But don’t rush out the door to find your cheque book; the production version is at least a couple of years away.