Wednesday, May 24, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER D7 Affordable Xterra (Continued from page D8) FORD WINDSTAR LX 4-DOOR up. It shares the same suspension, drivetrain and 3.3-litre V6. It makes a won derful place to start a compact SUV because the engine produces 170 hp and 200 M b of torque. And because it sits on the same chassis as the longer wheel base Frontier Crew Cab (2649 mm), it is perfect for a four-door SUV. This fits in well with Hirshberg's theories about those who might buy an Xterra. He says they are a social lot who run in packs therefore four doors is a buying consid eration. In the pursuit of keeping things affordable, Xterra also shares much of the same running gear including the excellent 4X4 arrangement Nissan has turned into a virtue. Like Frontier, a five-speed manual transmission is stan dard, a four-speed automatic optional. Standard equipment includes ABS and a limited slip rear differential that really compliments the Nissan part-time 4X4 system used by Nissan. In terms of looks, well it looks like a Frontier from the front seats forward but after that things change. The roof line is swept up and back over the rear seats, the idea being to raise the seating to give rear passengers "stadium" seating. But the cleverest piece is on the roof. It's a giant aluminum frame roof rack that you can spot from the next province. On the roof over the front seats is a remov able, plastic basket with huge drainage slots at the sides. This is for stowing things like wet suits or what-have-you. Inside, by the way, there are tie downs sewn throughout as well as a storage pocket built into the rear tailgate that can hold odds and ends or an optional first aid kit. With regular gas hitting the 70-cent barrier, fuel consumption on a dedicated 4X4 can be a purchasing concern. According to Transport Canada, the Xterra returned 14.5L/100 km (19 mpg) city and 11.9L/100 km (24 mpg) high way. The average driver, according to Transport Canada can expect to pay about $1,466 in gas annually. The test truck came with the five· speed manual transmission and a very long shift lever. The clutch pedal is heavy, obviously optimized for the · stress of miles of travel in 41o. The engine, unlike the Nissan 3.0-litre V6 found in the Maxima is not silky smooth. It has been tuned for torque and will howl if you get too close to the 5000 rpm redline. But the upside is the way this truck gets moving. First gear simply launches the truck, but second and third are wonderful. On-ramp entry, a white-knuckle event in some of the superlux-SUVs, was almost surgical helped by the high riding seats and sub sequent view ahead. The Nissan Xterra in the week I had it was a happy truck, in that everyone who saw it found it pleasant to look at. And when they found out the price, it became pleasant to contemplate. Even my wife, who is making noises about a minivan, liked the Xterra a lot. EXTENDED LENGTH COMFORT ^ y ^ / / \ /X /x / ^ / /x The Windstar is the only minivan to achieve a Five Star Crash Test Rating for front impact for driver and front passenger, six years in a row!* COMFORTABLE PRICE OUR LOWEST LEASE OFFER OUR LOWEST FINANCING OFFER ** PER M O N T H /3 6 M O N TH LEA S E N O S E C U R IT Y D E P O S IT $3,850 Down Payment Plus 5945 Freight 48 M ON TH P U R C H A S E F IN A N C IN G O N ANY N E W W IN D S T A R A LL TH ESE GREAT FEATURES INCLUDED AT ONE LOW PRICE · Extended Length Minivan · Anti-Lock Brakes · 3.8L 200hp V6 Engine · 4-Speed Automatic with Overdrive · 7-Passenger Seating · Dual Sliding Doors · Air Conditioning · Power Windows · Power Locks · Power Mirrors · SecuriLockTM Anti-Theft System · AM/FM Stereo with Cassette · Tilt Steering · Speed Control · Privacy Glass · Luggage Rack · Floor Mats WINDSTAR LX WITH CONVENIENCE GROUP MORE A MONTH SAME GREAT FEATURES PLUS: QUAD BUCKET SEATS AND REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY www.ford.ca/offers YOUR TORONTO FORD DEALERS. W ISE BU YER S R EA D THE LEG A L COPY: * L e a se a n e w 20 0 0 W in d s ta r LX , w it h L e ft H and S lid in g D o o r a nd U tility G ro u p /2 0 0 0 W in d s ta r L X w it h L e ft H and S lid in g Do or, U t ilit y a n d C o n v e n ie n c e G ro u p fro m F o rd C re d it t o q u a lifie d re ta il lessees, o n a p p ro v e d c re d it. T o ta l le ase o b lig a tio n is $ 1 2 ,8 1 4 /5 1 3 ,5 8 5 . F irst m o n th 's p a y m e n t re q u ire d . So m e c o n d itio n s a nd a m ile a g e re stric tio n o f 6 0 ,0 0 0 km o ve r 3 6 m o n th s a p p lie s . A c h a rg e o f $ 0 .0 8 p e r k m o v e r m ile a g e r e stric tio n a p p lie s , p lu s a p p lic a b le t a x e s . * * 0 % p u rch a se fin a n c in g o n n e w 20 0 0 W in d s ta r fo r a m a x im u m o f 4 8 m o n th s t o re ta il cu sto m e rs, o n a p p ro v e d c re d it. E .g . $ 2 5 ,0 0 0 fin a n c e d a t 0 % a n n u a l p e rc e n ta g e ra t e f o r 4 8 m o n th s, m o n th ly p a y m e n t is $ 5 2 0 .8 3 , co st o f b o rro w in g is $0 a n d to t a l t o b e re p a y e d is $ 2 5 ,0 0 0 . O ffe rs e x c lu d e lic e n ce , in su ra n ce , a d m in istra tio n fe e s a n d a ll a p p lic a b le ta x e s . D e a le r m a y le a se o r se ll f o r le ss. So m e c o n d itio n s a p p ly . O ffe r s m a y c h a n g e w it h o u t n o tic e . L im ite d t im e o ffe r s . O ffe rs a re m u tu a lly e x c lu s iv e a n d c a n n o t b e co m b in e d . D e a le r o rd e r m a y b e re q u ire d . See d e a le r fo r d e ta ils . t T h e h ig h e st fr o n t a l im p a c t r a tin g fo r b o th t h e d r iv e r a n d fr o n t p a ss e n g e r in U .S . g o v e rn m e n t N a tio n a l H ig h w a y T r a ff ic S a fe ty A d m in is tra tio n (w w w .n h s ta .c o m ). * A s co m p a re d t o a sh o rt w h e e lb a s e m o d el a d v e rtise d w it h m o st o th e r m in iv a n s. T o ro n to F D A , P.O . B o x 2 0 0 0 , O a k v ille , O n ta r io L6 J 5 E 4 HYUNDAI of OAKVILLE ive-T im e O a k v ille ...... ...... - ACCENT GS 3-DR S E C U R IT Y D E P O S IT LEASE F R O M Consumer Reports SONATA G L 2000 R4000 SE 4X2 LEASE FR O M ia o o PER M O N T H / 4 8 M O S . A >1950 D O W N P A Y M E N T ] S I A M >AKI > »l All IRIS' M SRP Engine Type Autom atic Transmission A ir C onditioning Po w er W ind o w s Pow er D o o r Locks Heated Po w er M irrors 60/40 Split Folding Rear Seats C ruise Control Roadside Assistance d m «nh/ 4 8 ___ A f PURCHASE FROM /M O N TH S ........ PROGRAM m i 1,9 7 9 one** included) AIR C O N D IT IO N IN G C R U IS E CONTROL IO YO TA CAMKY SI D A N C 4.0L V-6, automatic, air conditioning $ 1 9 ,9 9 5 D O H C 2 .4 litre Standard Standard Standard Standard Standard Standard 36 m th /60,000 km $ 2 2 ,0 5 0 O V H 3.1 litre Standard Standard _ - $ 2 2 ,0 0 0 S O H C 2 .3 litre _ $ 2 2 ,3 1 0 D O H C 2 .2 litre DOWN PAYMENT $ 2 ,8 0 0 OR TRADE EQUIVALENT ON LEASE (Freight/P.D.E. i iiR .i'U PO -- R O R O Si ID L A S S Im S T.i.rjT ANT T P RiT O GT R flfn fart|dk»dUMctre,(a(*rttf Standard _ _ t2000 New Car Preview Feb/00. All specials end May 31"/00. "Freighl/PD.I./Taxes & Lie. extra. Standard - Standard 3 6 m th /60,000 km GNOMEP nUKM H L GftflOUflTE R D 9 ftfln i. nwzwn; ifMnsnu / cause MwogLaiiaiuT fURZDR L fflD f R S H IP U JH R R flnm A d i dwt wr wtiffc| cw iprtfrtsw t ad y>w gtrwwrwly a w y . 3 6 m th /60 ,0 0 0 km 2.9% financing example: $15,000 48-month term payments are $331.35/mth. C .O .B. $904.80, total payments $15,904.80. O A C . Purchase price does not include FR/P.D.E., lie., admin. & taxes. Special purchase offers and special finance rates can not be combined. 48-month lease, down payment or equiv. trade required as noted. FR/P.D.E. included. 1st payment & security deposit due upon delivery. Lie., admin. & taxes extra. 20,000 km/yr. restriction. If exceeded 8c/km applies. O A .C . Other terms available. See Oakville Mazda for details. THE NEW HYUNDAI sUd Uosingprogrambaud on DRIVING IS BELIEVING 20Q Gtaint G SM 9 ?kora SI 1 .W5 2000 Sanaa Gi M Sff tan SI 9,9 HYUNDAI OF OAKVILLE 1071 SPEERS ROAD (Just West of 4lh Line) i m azo a Get In Be Moved l 1291 SPEERS RO AD North side between 3rd Line & 4th Line 9 0 5 - 8 2 7 - 4 2 4 2 Ulhere Good Seruice Is fl Fact. Hot Just R Promise)