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An Oakville Beaver Automotive Feature · To advertise in this section call 905-845-3824 or Fax 905-337-5568 BEST WHEELS \VK1 )\L-:si).\Y. N(> vem lX 'r lA, 2(K)2 · 1'a g e 1>4 Chrysler Canada has put fire into the belly of the PT Cruiser with a turbo version Fun was had by all last June when Chrysler Canada staged its now annual PT Cruiser drive-in party under the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls. And drive-in sums it up. More than 500 PT Cruisers from lit erally every point in North America and almost all customized in some way or form, arrived for three days of yakking, comparing and generally hav ing a good time. One owner even flew in from Germany. Called to be a judge, along with a group of other auto scribes, I was amazed not only by the loyalty to the but the g o o d b r a n d , naturedness of it a 11. I n keeping with the laid-back atmos phere, Chrysler Canada Jim Robinson also had a display of rare PTs like the original Pronto Cruiser and Cruisers in the pipeline like the PT Convertible and the PT Turbo. I gamely asked if I could drive the Turbo, and to my amazement, they said yes. Having driven the 150 hp stock ver sion, the 215 hp of the Turbo wetted my appetite for a full test drive. The PT Cruiser has arguably been the most successful vehicle at search ing out enduring design elements in its past and melding it in with current technology to produce a car that looks as cool as it goes. Well, in the case of the standard PT Cruiser, cool pretty well describes its acceleration if you are looking for hot rod go to match the PT's hot rod show. At 150 hp (162 lb/ft of torque) the PT has approximately 1,400 kg (3,100 lb.) to haul around. Now a turbo was always part of the plan. After the first variants of the PT (Classic Edition, Touring Edition, and Limited Edition) were let loose on the road, DaimlerChyrsler has since rolled out a number of trim models like the Woodie and Dream Cruiser Series to satisfy the enormous taste for individ ualism as witnessed at last June's PT event -- after all, PT stands for Personal Transportation. But more power remained an issue. The PT people are very adamant about the fact they simply didn't bolt on a turbo to increase power and add electric blue paint and chrome wheels. When you look under the hood of a stock PT, you realize why there isn't a V6. Now they did try at back in the design studio, but the longer nose blew the classic proportions all to heck. Thus, the engineers took the stock 2.4-litre, DOHC four-cylinder and re built it with a new block assembly and cylinder head along with racing style oil squirting to cool the pistons for higher output. Modem calibration of the intake runner air mass flow and integration of the turbo/intercooler make for quicker power delivery and better emission control as a bonus. Acoustic dampers inside the intake manifold quell turbine whine. They even resorted to an old hot rod trick of adding a straight-through exhaust which upped power by an extra seven ponies. The result is 215 hp and (bet ter) 245 lb-ft of torque. With weight split 59/41 per cent front/rear this front-driver has the grunt ready to be put down. Standard transmission on the PT Turbo is a heavy-duty five-speed man ual. Fitted to my tester was the fourspeed automatic AutoStick. This allows the transaxle to be left in drive or you can shunt the shifter all the way back and tap it to the right for manual upshift or to the left for down shift. With the AutoStick, fuel consump tion is listed at 12.4L/100 km (23 mpg) city and 8.6L/100 km (33 mpg) high way on premium recommended fuel. Well, turbos are turbos and when you put down the hammer, fuel is con sumed at a higher rate. I confess, I did just that and with the smallish 57L gas tank, I found myself visiting the pumps about every Chrysler Canada has put fire into the belly of the P T Cruiser with a l\irbo version that adds real go to the show. two days as part of my daily 100 km special radio, driver's seat height turbo whistle and exhaust sound masks commute to work and back. adjust, power sunroof, and leather trim the fact this car (at least the one I test The PT Turbo lists at $27,700 including the steering wheel. The ed) found itself creeping unerringly up which is not that much when you con leather was especially supple, more to 140 kmh where it was happiest. sider the looks and the abilities. Really like that found in the fifty grand luxu After only a few hours, I learned to a small minivan, the rear seats not only ry sedans. check the speedo, not the tach, as I nor fold, but roll out. Even the front pas Besides the silver-face main mally do. With the blazing electric senger seat folds flat for more cargo gauges, the all-aluminum ball shifter blue paint and the flashing chrome room. There are some 30 different was a nice touch that goes well with wheels, the Turbo is already an OPP ways to change the seating. Cargo with the retro looks. attention getter, and if you don't watch the back seats up is 538 litres (19 cu. Added to the list of options was it, a ticket getter as well. ft) which blossoms to 64.2 cu. ft (1,820 $375 for heated front seats and $465 The universe, at least as it applies to litres) with the seats out. And there is for the 17-inch chrome aluminum the PT Cruiser, is unfolding as it still the nifty little cargo tray at the wheels. While the standard 17-inch should. Instead of sitting pat on a win back that can be stowed, placed half painted aluminum wheels are fine, the ner, DaimlerChrysler has continued to way up the trunk area for storage, extra $475 for the chromies really sets widen the audience for the PT and the placed at the top as cargo cover, or the car off nicely. response has been shown on show used as a little picnic table with a fold With the power comes responsibili room floors. With the next generation ing leg deployed. Passenger room is ty and it is easy to get carried away like the California Cruiser under devel great. Loading four for lunch brought with the Turbo. Thanks to performance opment, there is still much to come. remarks from the back seat passengers tires and vented discs front, solid rear In the meantime, the PT Cruiser at the amount of leg room. with standard traction control, you can Turbo fills a significant gap in the My test PT Turbo was fully-loaded. make some serious headway as well model lineup allowing the attraction to Some $2,655 of the $31,196 MSRP are stopping. the car to continue to grow to a wider included the AutoStick, side air bags, But watch the speedo as the lack of audience. AUTOPARK SUPERSTORE 306 PRE-OWNED VEHICLES ON DISPLAY - ALL MAKES & MODELS LUXURY VEH IC LES L ^ B to c h o o s e f r o m i n c lu d i n g SPO RTS VEH IC LES to c h o o s e fro m in c lu d in g I *J K j S * jl| Lincoln, Cadillac, Buick, Jaguar, m m Acura, BMW, Volvo 2001 Mazda Millenia S a n dS a a b Autom atic, 6 cylinder, 36,564 kms, tinted window s, power m oonroof, m ir rors, locks & w indow s, 2.3L, fog lamps, leather interior, prem ium audio system, 4 dr, auto clim ate control, dual air bags, CD player. Stk#1-00110 re fu s e d . reasonable o ffe r M ustang, Cam aro and C orvette 1999 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Autom atic, 8 cylinder, 50,543 kms, spoiler, dual air bags, m ulti-disc CD changer, tinted power w indow s, power m irrors & driver's seat, 5.7L, T-roof, fog lamps, leather interior, chrom e wheels, air conditioning. 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