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E On the plus side, it has the advan- tage of using truck 4x4 mechanicals right out of the pickup bin making a tttur-wheel-drive MPV relatively sim- ple to engineer. Thus, it was one of the first family vans to offer this fea- Tre, and Canadians responded.The MPV can be purchased withjust two- wheel-drive. But this week's test Vehicle with V6, all-wheel-drive, afuise, electric roof, fbur-speed auto- titanic lockup transmission. and tbpline trim inside and out including (Owing package was just $26,725. Hat's about the same price as a W Quest which only offers front- ttheel-drive. The MPV looks big because it sits high. The same sensa- tion greets the driver and frontseai passenger. The middle seat was a tbo-palace bench (or option three- 'tttX bench), with a three-seat bench Ithind. Of course there are various mixes of captain's chairs and benches : The MPV came about as a clever chmbination of existing parts from tie compact pickup truck it builds, Mig, in tum, results in the MPV sit- ting higher on its suspension than quest/Villager. Mazda claims the MPV (for Multi-Purpose Vehicle) is Canada's best selling imported minivan. which is true. But all the big familyvan guns are now being built here including the new Nissan Quest/Ford Villager. Honda is rumored to have a minivan in the works, and even Mercedes- Iknz is going to build one some- where in North America. If been several years since I've tested Mazda's trusty MPV, and a ot of minivan water has passed under the design bridge in the ensuing period. Mazda 's MPI Minivan offers something for everyone r i _ . 'ii » [l' aafes Cl', F"'. kt8 I ll has I h' . "I. CLEARLY DISPLAYED ON EVERY NEW & USED CAR WINIEHIELD HB0n0MlLINESPECIAIs" REE! jIjijijWlIll"i'i' -'~\ h _itsRd. A - Thebaseengineisal21 hp, 140 Mb tnmsversely-rnounted fbur-cylin- der of 26litres available only with a four-speed automatic with overdrive and lockup torque converter. The other choke, and by far the most pop- ular. is a MMitre V6 with 155 hp and 169 Mbs ofinlque using a fbur-speed automatic but with ekctrrmically am- trolled operation for good fuel The MPV abounds with good ideas to make life a little easier. At the rearyoucangetadoublecargonet. It sure is better than coming to a stop, having your groceries slam into the net. and then boomerang off the back seat.Thete'sa1ockablebinunderthe front seat. I appreciated the new- design seat belt buckles which make affixing and removing child seats so much easier. The test vehicle came with u AWD/4x4 system. In normal ova:- The MPV does not have a sliding door in the middle. It uses a very large door instead. It's not a bad idea. but it can be a handicap in tight places. If that happens, the rear hatch provides a gaping, alternative open- ing. I should note removal of the seats is not a challenge but they are heavy, so those with bad backs should take care when trying to create extra cargo for most family groups " The MPV rides and handles like a big car. Acceleration is more than adequate and braking is certainly aided by 10-inch disc brakes. If you want to get serious. there is a towing package with special trans- mission cooler, a larger cooling fan (standard on the MPV 4WD) and an automatic load-levelling system for stable steering and braking. Anti-lock brakes are standard on the MPV. tion, the MPV is in two-wheel drive. Flick a switch on the column-mount- ed shifter, and it snicks immediately into all-wheel drive. this moves power back and forth, to the wheels which have the most traction. If it gets really muddy, or the snow is deep, you have a switch on the dash- board which lets you lock the centre differential into four-wheel drive so each wheel gets equal amounts of torque. Check all levels r All lights .1 Bells .4 Hoses w Coolant Replace oil, Mer, 4 cyl EXPIRES JULY 30/93 EXPIRES JULY 30193 BRAKES ALL CARS OIL & FILTER TUNE-UP SPECIAL 4 cyl EXPIRES JULY 30193 REMEMBER iijiIljEji SPECIALS IMPORT spttihtfths [l/ii/iii; jiiirri", WESYEND I010” $52953: Wednesday, July 14, 1993 - Automotlvo - "