Ever notice how mixed-breed dogs adopted from animal shelters are often a notch smarter than purebreds? Perhaps theyve inherited the best features from their parents lines, forming a unique and improved type of canine, rather than merely being from a tired old gene pool.


It seems as though the worlds automakers took some lessons from the pound when they designed their 2004 model year vehicles.


Many of the new models are crosses between vehicle types, such as sport-utility vehicles and minivans, or vehicle brands, such as Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler.


04 has been a pretty big year with all of the new crossover vehicles, says Matt Dawson, sales manager for Appleway Automotive Groups Audi operation. Theres a lot of unique stuff.


Automakers also have revamped some sensible sedans, have introduced flashy and fun convertibles and sports cars, and in some vehicles have installed attractive bells and whistles, such as air-conditioned seats and XM Satellite Radio. XM Satellite Radio is a service that offers 100 music and talk channels that are transmitted via satellite, rather than over radio waves.


Crossing over


The Chrysler Crossfires name says it all. The brand-new two-door, two-seat sports coupe is being touted as the first real offspring of the 1998 merger of Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz into DaimlerChrysler. Jay Griffiths, a sales manager for Spokane Chrysler Inc., contends that the Crossfire is a Mercedes-Benz in disguise.


Its built in Germany, and in terms of the technology thats used to build it, it is a Mercedes-Benz, Griffiths says. This is a high-end sports car.


The cars V-6 engine produces 215 horsepower and is priced at $33,600 to $34,700, he says. It comes with either a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic and has rear-wheel drive.


Theres not a tremendous swing in price because the base model pretty much comes fully loaded, Griffiths says.


The Crossfires appearancewith its long hood and bubble-like backsidealso displays its European influence, but its an entirely new product with its own distinct design, he says.


Likewise, the Chevrolet Aveo is the first Korean-designed car that has come out of General Motors Corp.s acquisition of the Daewoo company. The four-door sedan and five-door hatchback both will be priced at $12,000 to $15,000 and the vehicles are expected to be available early next year, the manufacturer says.


It will go head to head with inexpensive Korean cars on the market, such as Kias smaller models, says Mark Jones, a salesman at Park Chevrolet, in Deer Park. Jones says thats a viable market in the Spokane area.


While Appleways Dawson says some automakers are thinking outside of the box, Dick Sperling, a salesman at Spokanes Downtown Toyota, says that manufacturer has designed a car that actually looks like a box.


The Scion xB is an attempt by Toyota to offer a product that appeals to younger drivers, Sperling says. Its a five-door, five-passenger cross between a minivan and an SUV, although it doesnt have the sliding doors of a van. Sperling says the Scion xB looks similar to the Element, which Honda introduced this year.


Its got a back hatch, not a suicide door, like the Element, he says. It doesnt look like a hatchback, though.


Suicide doors, as defined in late-model vehicles, are the double doors on the backs of some vehicles that meet in the middle and open on hinges on the left and right sides, just as French doors in a house would.


As for the boxiness of the car, Sperling says, Toyota really does its market research. It has done a great job of creating different looks for different peoples needs.


He adds, laughing, It doesnt fit any of my needs, though.


A new companion model, the Scion xA also is geared to younger customers, and its similar in style to the xB, but is more rounded and has less of a hip-school-bus feel. It also seats five.


The Scion vehicles are Toyotas new lower-end line and should be available in Spokane this fall, Sperling says. Both will range in price from about $13,000 to about $20,000.


For 2004, Chrysler also has introduced the Pacifica, a six-passenger cross between a minivan and an SUV, Griffiths, of Spokane Chrysler, says. The vehicle, which is available in Spokane now, has three rows of seating, each of which accommodate two people.


The middle and back passengers in the Pacifica ($29,500 to $35,000) are protected by airbags that drop down from the ceiling in the case of a collision, he says. In the front seats, airbags catch passengers and hold them upright in a collision, Griffiths says.


I suppose youd be safer in an M1 tank, but you wouldnt get the comfort or the gas mileage, thats for sure, he says.


SUVs, luxuries, and sports cars


Lots of adjectives can be used to describe some of 2004s new luxury cars. Sleek, sophisticated, and just plain sexy come to mind.


The Jaguar XJ luxury sedan, for example, combines beauty and brawn. Its the first car produced in significant volume that uses whats called an aluminum monocoque body, says Andy Roberts, a salesman at Jaguar-Land Rover Spokane. Instead of being assembled with conventional spot welding of several steel pieces, which is the technique used most often to build a car body, the XJ uses structural adhesives and rivets to assemble the unibody structure of aluminum pressings, extrusions, and castings, the automaker says.


Its put together with 3,500 rivets and adhesives, Roberts says. Its made like an airplane is.


Aluminum makes the 2004 XJ almost 500 pounds, or 40 percent, lighter than previous years models, improving fuel efficiency. At the same time, the cars architecture makes it 60 percent stronger, Jaguar says.


While the Jaguar XJ ($60,000 to $77,000) is constructed like an airplane, it didnt sacrifice its good looks in the process.


It has a lot of the classic Jaguar lines in it, Roberts says.


Nissans new 350Z Roadster is a convertible version of its 350Z V-6 sports car. The 287-horsepower car, which has rear-wheel drive, competes with the BMW Z4 and the Honda S2000, says Scott Christensen, sales manager for Wendle at the Ys Nissan and Infiniti operations.


It will be coming out any day now, he says. The 350Z Roadster, he adds, doesnt require a tuneup until its been driven for 105,000 miles, and its priced at $34,000 to $36,000.


In 2004, Volkswagen will introduce the Phaeton, a luxury car thats much bigger than the Passat, which is the manufacturers top-of-the-line vehicle now. Scott Gookstetter, general-sales manager for Appleway Volkswagen, Subaru, Mazda, and Audi operations, says reviews of the Phaeton so far have compared it with Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and other high-performance automakers cars.


No one has driven it in the states yet, but the magazine guys say if you can get past the name badge, you think youre driving one of the best luxury cars out there, he says.


The Phaeton ($60,000 to $70,000) is due in dealerships here in December, Gookstetter says.


Volkswagen also has caught the SUV bug. The Touareg ($35,000 to $50,000), a luxury SUV that has been selling like hotcakes since it arrived less than two months ago, Gookstetter says.


Weve had a lot of vehicles getting traded in on that, like Mercedes and Lexus models, he says.


Gookstetter says the Touareg competes directly with the Mercedes ML and the BMW X5. Volkswagen says that the Touareg, which comes with either a V-6 or V-8 engine, has a towing capacity of 7,700 pounds.


Audi has completely redesigned the A8L for 2004, giving it a more rounded body, says Chris Scott, of Appleway.


Its a night and day difference between the 2003 and 2004 models, he says.


With a V-8 engine and 330 horsepower, the A8L has a lot of power for a four-door sedan, and its five seats are air-conditioned.


Dawson, sales manager at Audi, explains, Leather gets hot in the summer, so the leather seats are perforated. Cool air comes through the tiny holes in the seat back and bottom. The A8L (mid-$70,000s) was first available here in July, he says.


Last spring, Acura introduced its newest car, the 2004 TSX, a four-door sedan. It competes against Saabs and Audis smaller models, says Harry Mollomo, a salesman with Acura of Spokane. Although he calls the car an entry-level sedan for Acura, it has a V-6 engine and that churns out 270 horses.


Acura has redesigned its TL ($33,000 to $35,000) and loaded it with all sorts of goodiesXM Satellite Radio, OnStar services, and a DVD-based satellite-linked navigation system. The navigation system recognizes about 300 voice commands, such as Find the nearest ATM, the automaker says.


Other sedans, subcompacts


If leather seats, remote-control convertible tops, and satellite radio are nice, but not necessary to you, automakers have plenty of less expensive new models from which to choose.


Mazda is replacing the Protg. Next month, the manufacturer will introduce the Mazda3, a four-door or five-door subcompact that Gookstetter, of Appleway, says will compete directly with cars such as the Toyota Corolla.


Mazda redesigned the suspension, so the Mazda3 has a lot stabler feel than the Protg, he says.


The car, which has a rounded body and slanted headlights that resemble a cats eyes, will sell for $14,000 to $21,000.


Mazda also is introducing the RX-8 ($25,200 to $26,700), a four-door, four-passenger sports car. It comes with either a four-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission. The RX-8 has bucket seats for both the front and back passengers and freestyle doors, in which the front and rear doors open from the center and have no middle pillar, the manufacturer says.


Chevrolet has revamped the Malibu ($17,000 to $25,000), giving it more stability by building it with the same platform as the Saab 9-3 and packing in more features, says Jones, of Park Chevrolet.


They definitely are going after that customer who would normally buy an (Honda) Accord or a (Toyota) Camry, Jones says. It will have a rash of features in it that Chevrolet has never had before in a mid-size car. The V-6 Malibu will have a 3.5-liter engine that churns out 200 horses, the manufacturer says.


Other new models being introduced this year include the Kia Amanti ($25,000 to $28,000), the Pontiac GTO (around $35,000), the Subaru Impreza WRX Sti ($17,900 to $21,300), the Suzuki Verona ($16,500 to $19,500), and the Saturn Ion Red Line ($11,000 to $20,000).


Redesigned models


Meanwhile, Saab has redesigned its 9-3 convertible, which is more of a cross between a year-round car and a summertime funmobile, says Mark Jaremko, new-car manager at Jaremko Nissan Saab.


Saab is very snow worthy, being from Sweden, he says. Its a front-wheel-drive vehicle, and has an insulated convertible top.


With a full back seat and a trunk, the car also is roomier than most convertibles, Jaremko says. It has some built-in safety features, such as a reinforced steel A pillar, which is the steel frame that surrounds a cars windshield, and a roll bar that pops up automatically if sensors determine that the car is tipping over.


The 9-3 convertible (low to high $40,000s) is available in two modelsthe Arc and the Aerowhich are the luxury and sporty versions of the car, respectively, he says. Both have a 2.0-liter engine that churns out 210 horsepower.


In addition to its introduction of the Scion line, Toyota has redesigned the Toyota Camry Solara, a two-door, five-passenger sedan, with a sporty look. Its 2004 lines are sleeker and It looks a lot more like a Lexus, says Sperling, of Downtown Toyota. Lexus is an upscale line of Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.


The downtown dealership began stocking the redesigned Solara ($24,000 to $30,000) about a month ago, he says.


Weve sold every one weve gotten so far, Sperling says.


The Camry Solara comes as either a four- or six-cylinder vehicle and has a 2.4- or a 3.3-liter engine, respectively.


Other cars that have undergone major redesigns for 2004 include the Pontiac Grand Prix ($22,400 to $26,500), the Nissan Maxima ($27,000 to $33,000), and the Mitsubishi Gallant ($18,000 to $24,000).


The Toyota Prius, a hybrid electric vehicle, has a new look and uses an improved hybrid technology, Sperling says. The car is a bit longer this year and now is a five-door hatchback rather than a four-door vehicle. It gets an average of 59 miles per gallon in the city and 51 mpg on the freeway, he says. Thats five and six miles per gallon more, respectively, than the 2003 model.


It has a continuously variable transmission, so you dont feel the car shifting, Sperling says.


The Prius ($20,000 to $23,500) will be available in Spokane in November, he says.


Do you like the fuel efficiency of hybrid technology, but not the smallness of the Prius? Wait until 2005, when Toyota plans to unveil a hybrid Highlander, one of the automakers SUVs, Sperling says.


Toyota really has been leading edge on the hybrid systems, he asserts.


Only minor changes


Honda made only minor changes to some of its lines, says Ray Agnew, sales manager at Downtown Honda.


2003 was a big year, he says. They came out with the new model of the Element, redesigned the Accord, and made changes to the Civic.


After this years semi-hiatus, Honda plans to introduce its first truck in 2005, he says.