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B2 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday October 2, 2002 Nissan Primera five-door hatchback brings back the fin Showing what may be in the future of Nissan design, the British-built Primera five-door hatch back has been shown complete with vestigial fins. The five-door finned rear was styled at Nissan's technical facility in the Midlands and will be pro duced at the company's Sunderland factory for sale only in Europe. While the fin-back Primera may never come to North America, the central com m and centre instrument panel may see wider use if it catches on. The hatchback shares this extrovert look, being identical when viewed from the front with the rest of the new Primera range. At the rear, though, Nissan's UK design team has given the hatchback a style all of its own. The range of five-door Primeras is as extensive as the sedan's. To which can now be added the 2.0litre engine with six-speed manual, the technical. Below the car's centrally-mounted instrument panel is a unique command centre known as NFORM which was specially developed for ease of operation and sited to fall readily to hand. As a result, there are 50 per cent less switches on the dashboard than an equivalently equipped rival. Less visual information is needed to find the required control with the buttons designed for instinctive use. Nissan's unique approach has allowed all controls for audio, driver information, communication, DVD navigation and climate sys tems to be packaged into one electronically man aged keyboard. The information is displayed on a monochrome screen on the Primera S and a larger colour screen on SE, SVE and T-spec versions. On these models, the screen also acts as the display for the rear view camera - put the car in reverse and a small camera positioned above the rear number plate shows the driver what's hiding behind whether it be another car or a pair of legs. For those buying the topline 2.0-litre engine included wit it is Intelligent Cruise Control or ICC for short. Unlike conventional cruise control, ICC uses a laser mounted at the front of the car to detect the presence of vehicles on the road ahead. Working through drive-by-wire throttle control, the engine management and the braking system, ICC is able to make automatic and smooth adjustments to the car's speed so that the driver neither needs to change speed manually or disengage the system. That's less fatiguing for the driver and improves fuel economy. ICC even allows the driver to input a choice of three distance settings. The UK design studio of Nissan has produced a five-door Primera complete with vestigial fins at the rear. Land Rover launches Defender-based fire tender vehicles Land Rover Special Vehicles has launching its brand new range of Defender-based fire ten der vehicles. The flexible and affordable vehicle was developed by Land Rover Special Vehicles in con junction with fire brigades from around the UK and is based on the Defender Td5. The rugged and versatile Defender has a tradition of engi neering excellence and the capa bility to go where lesser 4x4's fear to tread. The Defender Fire Tender is available with a 110 or 130 inch wheelbase and with single or double cab crew capacity. The ingenious modular format of its fire fighting components means that they can be easily configured to cope with a range of dangerous and testing situa tions. Features and options available as part of the Fire Tender pro gramme include two Collins Youldon hose reels, three inter changeable pressure pumps, a Helpful tips for finding the right mechanic (CCC)-- Rule number one for finding a good mechanic: don't wait until you're desperate for help. Finding a mechanic you trust is like finding a doctor or a minister-- you need to build a rela tionship based on trust and mutual respect. These things don't happen overnight. Most of the business for a repair garage is from referrals. The only way to get referral busi ness is from satisfied customers. So if you are looking for a new mechanic, ask around. Ask your friends, relatives, business associates, church members-- anyone you can think of. You'll probably get a more reliable feel for who's good and who's bad from a consensus of several opinions than from one person. If you get a chance, drop in and meet the peo ple who will be working on your car. Is the shop tidy and well organized? Do they have the latest computer equipment? Is there evidence that the mechanics in the shop take regular training courses in the latest technology? The days o f the mechanic under the hood with a screwdriver, tuning things until they sing just right, are a distant memory. Now, they have to be computer literate technicians, interpreting the communications between the on-board com puter system and the diagnostic computers in the shop. Whether you go to an independent garage, a department store or a franchised repair centre doesn't matter all that much. In the end, it all comes down to trust. You're looking for some body who is willing to tell you which repairs should be made immediately, which can be delayed without affecting safety and which are completely optional for performance upgrades. A good mechanic will also be fair in charging for time-- for example, if he's tracing an electri cal fault and it takes longer than it should because he is unfamiliar with your model of car, he'll reduce the hours. Car Care Canada notes that you can help the mechanic to help you, too. When you take your car in with a problem, tell the mechanic what the symptoms are (not what you think the problem is). Describe whether it happens when the car is warm or cold, at highway speeds or in the city, stopping or accelerating. Get to know your car, too. Read through the owner's manual so you know what to expect. Turn off your stereo once in a while and listen to the sound of your car when it's healthy, so you're * better able to notice when it needs help. And if you're really enthusiastic, sign up for a night course at the high school, or look for a car care clinic at some of your local repair facilities. What you leam could save you quite a few dol lars down the road. The Land Rover Special Vehicles group is producing this fire ten der with go anywhere capailiy. 900-litre water tank and revolu tionary fire fogging system which produces heat absorbing vapour using far less water to much greater effect than conven tional systems. It is designed to cope with fires, floods, chemical spillages even animal rescue for 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. While traditional fire appli ances are trying to get to an inci dent the Defender Fire Tender can get up close and deal with it quickly and at a fraction of the cost. W r Our Biggest ` Summer Sales ^ Event Ever < ' % P^rchase financing for ^ FAMILY IS WHY YOU DO IT ALL. WE LIVE WHERE YOU LIVE. 60 months or up to PAYMENTS fo r 90 days on most 2002 models $3,000 Cash Savings' on selected m odels 7 Years o r 115,000 km engine and tra n s m is s io n w a rra n ty. Plus 24-hour R oadside Assistance.* We allfeel the same commitment to carefor ourfamilies. As your good neighbour agent lean help you meetyour insurance needs. Call me today. , 2002 Chrysler N eon 2002 Jeep G rand Cherokee Andrew Heideman, Agent 2828 Kingsway Drive 2nd Floor Oakville, ON 2002 G rand Caravan 2002 Sebring Sedan See dealer for details 905 829-0018 - andrew.heideman.bdus@statefarm.com t " STATE FA RM G i j e n i ,f v f < II R Y S I E K · C h r y s le r D O 1> G F The place to lease or buy since 1%1 LIKE A GO OD NEIGHBOUR (jm jS jm A IN SUR AN CE STATE FARM IS THERE.TNI J E E P 2388 ROYAL WINDSOR DR., OAKVILLE 905-845-7575 www.glenleven.com Certified statefarm.ca State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company · Canadian Head Office: Scarborough, Ontario