2009 Car of the Year: Best New Technology

Nov 01, 2008

Special to the Star

Twelve years ago, AJAC's Canadian Car of the Year awards added a category for Best New Technology to address and honour significant new technologies apart from the vehicles in which they are applied.

The voting panel consists of 10 AJAC members with specific technical expertise, including Wheels contributors Jim Kenzie and myself.

Seven technologies were short-listed for presentation to the voting panel at last week's TestFest. The winner of the Best New Technology award will be announced, along with the overall Canadian Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year and the Best New Design at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto in February.

The seven technologies in the running for the Best New Technology award are:

General Motors OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown

This recent enhancement to GM's OnStar safety and security system

is intended to assist in the recovery of stolen vehicles and to reduce the risk of injuries and damages resulting from high-speed pursuits.

If you find that your vehicle has been stolen, contact police and OnStar requesting Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance.

OnStar will pinpoint the location of the vehicle and provide that information to police. Once police have established line-of-sight contact with the vehicle and have advised OnStar that it is safe to slow it down, OnStar will activate Stolen Vehicle Slowdown.

The vehicle will automatically be slowed to idle speed, allowing police to overtake and recover it.

The feature will be offered free on 20 new 2009 GM models as part of its one-year OnStar subscription.

Infiniti Around View Monitor

Proximity sensors and reverse cameras are common on many new vehicles but Infiniti has taken those driver aids to another level with its Around View Monitor system.

Using four high-resolution cameras located in the front and rear of the vehicle and in its side mirrors, it generates a composite image that is combined as a 360-degree bird's-eye view of the vehicle and its surroundings and presented to the driver on its video screen in real time. No more excuses for bumping into things.

The system includes sonar-based audible and visual proximity warnings and predictive path guidance lines to help the driver steer where he or she wants to go.

The Around View Monitor is available on the Infiniti EX and FX. Infiniti Scratch Shield Paint

Tired of polishing out or living with paint scratches from car washes or road dirt? Infiniti's Scratch Shield Paint promises to eliminate them all by itself.

It doesn't prevent scratches, but the clear-coat paint layer atop the colour layers self-repairs fine scratches when exposed to the sun or other heat sources such as hot water.

The result of five years development in conjunction with Nippon Paint, the patented clear-coat layer is an elastic resin with a high-density binding that regains its original shape when heated, thus restoring surface gloss to near its original state.

It is available on 2009 EX, FX, G and M models.Mercedes-Benz AMG Multi-Clutch Transmission (MCT)

In addition to offering seven speeds, the new Mercedes-Benz AMG Speedshift MCT sports transmission, featured in the SL63 AMG, includes a multi-plate wet clutch-pack in place of the conventional torque converter. Accordingly, combined with stronger planetary gearsets, it can accommodate torque loads as high as 737 lb-ft.

It also incorporates five shift modes:

C (Comfort) – comfortable shifts

S (Sport) – shifts at higher speeds with 20 per cent shorter shift time than in "C"

S+ (Sport Plus) – shifts at higher speeds with 20 per cent shorter shift time than in "S"

M (Manual) – must be shifted manually; no automatic upshift even at maximum rpm; shift times just 100 milliseconds (50 per cent faster than in "C")

Race Start – automatic launch control; go through the prescribed procedure; push hard on the accelerator, take foot off the brake and hang on!

Mitsubishi Super-All-Wheel Control (S-AWC)

Featured in the Lancer Evolution MR, this system trumps most all-wheel-drives in both the degree of control it provides and the level of personal adaptation it offers.

Keys to the system are Active Center Differential (ACD), Active Yaw Control (AYC), Sport ABS, and ASC (Active Stability Control) systems, all of which act together as an integrated system to proactively keep the vehicle on the course the driver is steering. It enables five separate levels of intervention.

Unlike many other systems that reduce torque to one or more wheels to help steer the car, the S-AWC system redirects rather than reduces torque to the rear wheels, individually, as needed.

Among the system's driver selectable controls are Tarmac, Gravel and Snow modes, which skew the algorithms for torque distribution.

The combined result is a car that can make the most ham-fisted of drivers look good when approaching the limits, either at speed on the race track or on snow-covered roads.

Mitsubishi Twin Clutch Sportronic Shift Transmission (TC-SST)

Twin-clutch automatic-manual transmissions are not new, but Mitsubishi's 6-Speed TC-SST, exclusive to the Lancer Evolution MR, when combined with the all-wheel-drive system described above, takes the breed to another level.

The two are controlled by the same set of multiple sensors so they work together as an integrated unit, ensuring that, in automatic mode, the gear selected by the transmission is optimal for the speed, yaw, and traction conditions of the instant and the torque distribution path they call for.

The TC-SST features both a console-mounted shifter and magnesium steering wheel paddle shifters and offers manual and fully automatic modes.

Three drive modes are selectable – Normal, Sport and S-Sport – and within each the driver may choose automatic or manual shifting.

Sport mode uses higher shift points (in automatic mode) and quicker shifting for a performance feel or for driving in mountainous areas or when engine braking is required. The S-Sport mode is ideal for track events.

Nissan Distance Control Assist

Think of this feature as a virtual extension of the front bumper. Unlike some other systems designed to maintain a safe distance, it is independent of the Cruise Control system and does not operate when Cruise is engaged.

If its laser rangefinder system senses that you are following or approaching too closely, it provides "tactile feedback" through the accelerator pedal – it pushes back against your foot – to alert you that a "risk" situation exists and action is required. If you release the accelerator but a risk is still assessed, the system will apply the brakes moderately until the risk is averted or you override the action by pressing on the brake or the accelerator. Either action will override the system, and it can also be turned off.

My first choice would be a combination of Mitsubishi's S-AWC and TC-SST technologies since the two are so closely integrated and work well together. But because I have to rank them individually, the S-AWC system gets my nod for first place.

mgmalloy@aol.com

Toronto Star