D8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, June 21,2000 L M azda's 626 family sedan has always had a sporting character and the looks to match and that continues to be why the 626 remains as popular as it does. With the 2.5-litre V6 and An Oakville Beaver Advertising Feature To advertise in this section call 845-3824 live YOU WOULDN'T TRUST JUST ANYONE TO DRIVE YOUR CAR, SO W H Y TRUST JUST ANT COMPANY TO INSURf IT? Wayne M cGill ««S T 2345'*?m *Ra.»21.aik*at I 847-5671 M AZDA 626: fun for the fam ily M azda 626 a t a glan ce BODY STYLE: Fourdoor midsize sedan, three trim models, two e n g i n e s JIM ROBINSON Road Worthy standard five-speed manual transm ission, you can make a 626 fly. And with the larger wheels and tires for the 2000 model year you can make it handle right up there with the blue and white roundel or four-ring guys. MAZDA 626: family sedan with style andnible handling The 626 first appeared in was a decision not taken M azda buyers expect, and 1979 as a four-door sedan or lightly because it suddenly first-time Mazda owners find tw o-door coupe with rearput them up against Camry, exhilarating. drive and a 2.0-litre four Accord and Malibu. In Canada we get three cylinder engine at the front. There are more than 70 versions - the LX ($23,175), By 1983, the 626 had tra changes to the 2000 model the LX-V6 ($25,580), and the versed the engine through com pared to the 1999 and ES ($30,260). The LX comes 90-degrees and moved drive these include a revamp of the with M azda's 2.0-litre fourto the front to create a won exterior and m ajor changes cylinder that produces 130 hp derful sedan that M otor beneath the skin. (130 ft/lb of torque) but now Trend nam ed as its Import The body appears to be qualifies as an U ltra Low C ar o f the Year. By 1986 m ore m uscular, especially Emission Vehicle (ULEV). M azda was at the height o f its over the rear wheels. The The V6 is the same 2.5perform ance im age phase new signature five-point litre used in the MPV. This is and you could buy the 626 grille is added while jew el the Ford Duratec and it pro with a serious turbo. Alas, the like tail lamps are designed duces 170 hp (167 ft/lb of recession hit and M azda had to remind us o f the earlier hot torque) as it does in the MPV. to pull in its reins, and the rod M azdas like the RX-7. The Duratec is a Ford piece result was a downsizing of The 2000 626 is 24.4 per and one o f the best engines models and people. cent stiffer than the 1999 ver FOM OCO produces. But by 1989, Ford invest sion. The front shock towers Flexibility to soar into the ment was starting to pay off are much stronger and a high revs when merging with with the car being produced in M ichigan. With the fourth stress bar is used to tie the traffic or sticking exactly at rear shock towers together. 3000 rpm on highway cruise generation model introduced Braking requires 20 per cent make this engine stand out. in 1993, som ething like 75 The higher rear deck for per cent of the parts were less effort. As announced in Japan, 2000 makes for 14.2 cu. ft. of N orth A m erican m ade and bigger wheels than the com trunk space that is larger than that meant the 626 was clas petition will be found on all com parative makes like sified as a dom estic car for new M azda offerings from Accord or Camry. The interi the first tim e and was no now on. Ergo 15-inch wheels or is 97.1 cu. ft. spot on longer an import. are standard with 16-inchers Camry. Inside the 626 is a The car we have today available on the topline ES pleasant place to be, begin m echanically was shown in model. The suspension has ning with keyless entry avail 1996 and it was m uch bigger. also undergone a geometry able on all three 626 models. It moved 626 into the midsize rethink to maintain handling A nice touch is the standard category from compact. That and response at a level repeat overhead integrated sun- front engine/ front drive ENGINE: 2.0-Iitre DOHC inline four-cylinder (130 hp, 130 ft/lb), 2.5-litre DOHC V6 (170 hp, 167 ft/lb) FUEL ECONOMY: ESV6 five speed as tested, 21 mpg city, 27 mpg highway. PRICE: LX-I4 $23,175, LX-V6 $25,580, ES $30,260 to normal wear like brake lin ings. And in an era when the governm ent sniffs before renew ing your licence, selected em ission control com ponents are w arranted, for eight years or 128,000kms - fleet buyers please' note. Considering its Ford ow n ership and liberal use o f parts, the 626 also fills an odd void in F ord's Canadian lineup. If you w ant a com pact to midsize Ford with a V6, the Contour and M ystique are no longer offered, leaving the bigger Taurus the only option. This makes a car like the M azda 626 a happy alter native, especially for those who want a little sporting zip as part of the purchase price. So the M azda 626 has a lot to recom m end itself to those thinking about a "dom estic" car with the build quality o f an im port with the room to haul five in comfort. glasses holder. The transm is sion console houses two cupholders with sw ing-up doors. The rear seat armrest, that is standard on all models, has two cupholders and a storage com partm ent for things like the GameBoy and extra batteries. The overall im pression, thanks to the tw o-tone color scheme, makes the car feel richer. One thing that has stayed the same is the oscillating "swing vents" that are a Mazda exclusive and have made many become repeat buyers just for this feature alone. Safety begins with depowered air bags at the front and optional side airbags. ABS is optional on the two LX models and standard on ES-V6 while traction control is available on the ES-V6. Like the Mazda Miata, and no doubt intended by the engineers, is the way the steering feels so positive but also quick and light at the same time. T hat's partially due to an im proved power rack-and-pinion steering sys tem, but I think the stiffer chassis with M acPherson struts (digitally engineered to optim ize road holding) is where the 626 has improved the most. It isn 't overly "pointy" like some of the V8 frontdrive cars on the m arket these days nor does it have a dead on centre feel you can get with front drivers. Mazda is also famous for its warranty o f three years or 60,000 km on every part of the car except those subject HYUNDAI Of OAKVILLE 1 A w a rd L W m n e , [£2 i A w a r d b a s e d on h i g h e s t l e v e l o f c u s t o m e r s a t i s f a c t i o n f o r sal es anti s e r vi c e. SUM M ER SALES EVENT ACCENT GS 3 DOOR LEASE FROM *179 A MONTH/48 MOS. FREIGHT 8. PD.S. INCLUDED DOW NPAYM ENT S500 D riv e r's Side A irb a g (D e -P o w e re d ) T ilt S te e rin g 6 0 /4 0 S p lit F o ld in g Rear Seat S ide Im p a c t S a fe ty Beam s & L o ts M o re . . .... , ,, Accent GS 3 Door MSRP From S11,995** FROM 33 FROM & A MONTH/48 MOS. LEASED y A ir C o n d itio n in g ^ A u t o m a t ic Tran sm issio n v P o w e r winaov W in d o w s ^,TMwer MSRP FROM m $0 SECURITY LEASE ' DEPOSIT FROM FREIGHT ft A MONTH/48 MOS. P.D.S. INCLUDED DOWNPAYMENT SI 895 SECURITY DEPOSIT FREIGHT & P.D.S. EXTRA v C ruise C o n tro l DOWNPAYMENT SI 950 ...8i Lots M o re H Y u n o a i DRIVING IS BELIEVING T o y o t a Q u a l i t y F o r T he tcfcfft fro m H yundai R nanad Services. Loosing program based on new 2000 Accent GS MSRP $11,995, 2000 Mew B arrtru GL Sedan MSRP from $14,875, 2000 B antra W agon G l MSRP $1 5 ,8 7 5 , Mew 2000 H u ro n MSRP from $1 8 ,9 9 5 . New 2000 Sonata GL MSRP from $1 9 ,9 9 5 . S I 7 9 /S 1 9 9 /S 2 19 /S 2 3 9 /S 2 2 8 per m onth fo r a 48 m onth w alcaw ay lease fo r c i m odels. O JLC Downpaym ent o f S 5 0 0 /S 1 8 9 5 /S l 89S /S 1895/S 1 950, plus firs * m onthly paym ent required. Security deposit ($ 0 Accent GS. S O for S ontro GL & W agon. $239 fo r H u ro n , $229 fo r Sonc4o G U , fre ig h t and P 0 5 . fo r A co n t, B antra and H u ro n indoded Freight and P.O.S. fo r Sanala e xtra . Taxes, Icem e and $350 aquw fion lease fee e x tra . 2 0 .0 0 0 tm in h nge oiow ance per year applies. Addh km d km charge o f SO 10 A ! MSRP prices exdude fre i^ tf, ke rn e . PDS. and toons. OX H o m ing ava*ahie fo r B antra, B anlra W agon and Sonato up to 3 6 m onths. 1JSX Hnandng fo r 48 m onths and 3.0% financing fo r 60 m onda. 4.8% financing ovdfabW fa r Accent and H u ro n up to 4 8 m onths and 5.8% up to 60 m onths. See H yundai o f O a k v ie fo r d e late. Program subject to change wRhou! Bates. O ffer expires June 30/D G . o a k v i l l e "#1 Volume Im port D ealer In Oakville f o r 2 Consecutive Yearsm " 1091 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE 842-8400 HA M flJO N QEW 2 TC«O N T HYUNDAI OF OAKVILLE 1 0 7 1 S P E K R S R O A D (Just West of 4th L int) i VISIT US AT OUR W EB SITE AT w w w .oakvilletoyota.com tLease/financing from Toyota Credit Canada Inc. O A C Otters valid on new 2000 models leased/financed and delivered. 4 pm July 31/2000 t t Payments shown are I based on a 36 o r 48 m onth walkaway lease with shown down payment o r equivalent trade plus first payment, security ` license, insurance and applicable t Kilometer allowance of 24.000 km. per year Excess kilometerage applies. Vehicles to be selected from stock o r incoming units. .2.8% financing example: $20,000 fina i t . 2 8 % for 48 m os «$440 92/m o with a COB o f $1.16416 and total obligation of $21.164 16 4 8% financing example $20,000 financed at 4 8% fo r 4 8 m os «$458 78/m o with a COB o f $2,021 44 and a total obligation of $22,021 44 f t t l 9 9 9 calendar year through Toyota Canada Zi SPEERS LAKE SHORE I s _ £ 1 _f I 905-845-7791 c SALES DEPARTMENT HOURS: MON. -T H U R S . 9:00 A M. - 9:00 P M FRI. 9:00 A M. - 5:30 P.M. SAT. 9:00 A M. - 6:00 P.M.