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An Oakville Beaver Automotive Feature · To advertise in this section call 905-845-3824 or Fax 905-337-5568 \ u : i >M S |).\Y . M A Y 2 I. · I 'a ^ c BEST WHEELS "Ultimate Driving Machine" seriously challenged by Infiniti M45 2003 Has the benchm ark BM W 5 Series met its m atch? The thought occurred to me driving hom e from work late one night when 1 noticed a new BM W 5 S eries go screaming past. Having been impressed with the prowess o f this w eek's tester, the Infiniti M45. I pushed down on the gas pedal just to see what would happen and was surprised to find m yself gain ing. I lifted my foot as 1 try to be a responsi ble m otorist, but the great grunt o f torque the M45 laid down w ith just a feathering o f the gas came as a nice sur prise. Now the 5 jjm Robinson Series BMW is a great car. make no mistake. It is the benchmark everyone, including Infiniti measures against when they build a lux ury sports sedan. Last November, I did drive the M45 but it was at the same tim e as the astounding Infiniti G35 Coupe with sixspeed manual transm ission, that topdraw er 3.5 V6 and the handling pack age. Looking back. I found the M45 fast in a straight line and not unpleasant to look at if you could get past the sheafof-broadsw ords grille. T hat impression shows how wrong you can be during brief ride-and-drives, which auto journalists so prize. But, when push com es to shove, a w eek or more in fam iliar surroundings ca n 't be beat for a succinct assessm ent o f a new car. Returning hom e after my encounter with the 5 Series, I did the numbers not ing that the BM W 540i with 4.4-litre V8 produces 290 hp while the 4.5-litre V8 Your Mercedes Is Waiting In Oakville C-240 CLASSIC ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SEDAN ~H99U (But at this price, not for long) Lease a C 2 4 0 C la ssic All-W heel Drive Sedan for $ 4 9 9 / m o n t h and get no charge for routine scheduled m aintenance for 3 years or 6 0 , 0 0 0 k m ' in the M 45 produces 340 hp. T he w heelbase o f the 5 is 111.4 inches (2830 mm) w hile the w heelbase o f the M45 is about the sam e at 110.2-inches (2,799 mm). However, the M 45 is longer at 197.2 inches (5.009 mm) com pared to 188 inches (4,775 mm). Both are available with a five-speed autom atic transm is sion but the BM W lets you order a m an ual. Price o f the BMW 540i is $74,400 before you add options. Price o f the M45 is S62.(XX). If you add the naviga tion and radar-ranging intelligent cruise control, the M45 is $67,000. The M45 is sum ptuously equipped, with full leather and m id-tone wood trim. It has four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock, traction control and Vehicle D ynam ic Control ( VDS), w hich is pitch and yaw control much like the 5 Series. High intensity Zenon headlights are standard as is normal cruise control, sp eed-sensitive interm ittent w ipers, dual zone climate control, and pow er on every th in g you can im agine. Bose sev en -sp eak er sound system w ith audiophile controls on the steering wheel. The stereo system has sound com pensation, a lire pressure monitor, a full-size spare w ith m atching alloy wheel (does anyone else do this any more?), and rem ote heated mirrors with back up dip feature on the d river's side. As mentioned, this tester cam e with a navigation system that uses a 7-inch LCD m onitor and eight-channel GPS receiver that links to a D V D map cover ing the U.S. and Canada. I usually don't think much o f navi-system s. A fter all, once y o u 'v e program m ed in the CN tow er to im press your friends, about the only tim e y o u 'll ever need it is if you happen to be in another city and do n 't know w here y o u 're going or you lose your jo b and y o u 're delivering pizzas. But the Infiniti system is set up with a bird's eye view that can be zoom ed in as close as 500 m m and up to 64 kms. W hat I liked w as it not only had my lit tle cul-de-sac on it, but also used icons to position gas stations and even cross walks. The styling is also interesting. The M45 opts a noticeable absence o f spoil ers. add-ons. and ostentation. Infiniti (and Nissan) have em erged as the lead ers in the " less is m ore" school o f styling. T he all-tim e record sales they have posted show they have captured the im agination o f the car-buying con sumer. I still d o n 't like the M 45 grille, and 1 w asn 't so taken with it on the Infiniti FX 35 I recently d rove either. N evertheless, every o n e n o ticed the FX 35 and the sam e goes for the M 45 especially in the Em erald Jade metallic paint o f the tester. In term s o f driving dynam ics, and despite the fact that the w heelbase is nearly the same as the 5 Series, the M 45 felt very serene and planted w hereas BM W s are usually "pointy" cars. I do know that that very crisp 5 Series feel ing is met, but I d o n 't think m atched by the M45. W hile it can stop, com er, and scrap it out with the best o f them, the M 45 is very much about enjoyable touring. In this regard, it is m ore like the last gen eration 7 Series. Effortless ground cov ering is what the M45 revels in. So w hile the gang in M unich is not exactly q u aking in trep id atio n , the Infiniti M45 proves that w hat was once the singular province o f the " Ultimate Driving M achine" is now being serious ly challenged. If you w ant the stature o f the blue and w hite roundel, go for the 5 Series. If you want the sam e level o f equipm ent and power, for $12,000 less, the Infiniti M45 may be ju st for you. · D ave A n d rey ch u k S te v e G n o lla E r ic C a ir n s H O C K E YS C H O O L · S c o tt M a c D o n a ld * D ou g M cK ay · J im S c h o e n fe ld Monday, Julv 21 - Saturday, Julv 26,2003 River Oaks Recreation C entre (2400 Sixth lin e) QQE3 H O C K E YS C H O O L 2 H O U R S O F IC E T IM E D A IL Y 1 HOUR OF PROFESSIONAL POWER SK AT1\ l ; INSTRUCTION FEATURING OUR "CONFIDENCE ON ICE PROCR W 1 HOUR OF SKULL DEVELOPMENT FOCUSING ON: A ren't you glad you live in Oakville? POWER SKATING - We will be placing a daily I hour emphasis on specialized powerskating techniques. PUCK HAND U N C AND PASSING Innovative drills are utilized to develop passing and receiving skills at a intensity level. SHOOTING - To provide individualized instruction to improve balance, power and shooting accuracy. The techniques of how and when to use wrist, backhand, snap and slapshots art* demonstrated. CHECK STRATEGY Proper body positioning when playing a man while utilizing strength and intelligence: explanation of anticipation and angles when checking in comers, slot area and along boards. Mercedes-Benz M e ra y M o to rs QEW & Dorval Drive, Oakville · 905-845-6623 w vvw. in e ray m oto rs.co m C 240 Elegance sedan show n. ` Based on 3 6 -m o n th w alk-aw ay lease at 5.9% w ith S 4 .4 7 5 .9 2 dow n o r eq u iva le nt trad e in. 1 8 ,0 0 0 k m /y e a r allow ance, 20 c e n ts /k m in access. Taxes fre ig h t, a d m in istra tive charges and PDI extra. OAC. L im ited tim e offer. T R outine scheduled m aintenance does not include tire s or brakes. TEAM PLAY \ BREAK-OUT SYSTEMS Execution of positional plav in offensive, neutral and defense zones; power play and penalty -killing strategy. GO ATTENDING - Specialized instruction in lateral movement; use of hands, stick, legs and body for catching and blocking. Challenging drills will l>e given to improve V, movement time and hand/eve coordination.