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Wednesday, August 9, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER C8 See m e before you purchase or lease your next vehicle G l e n l e v e n C h r y sl e r CHRYSLER · DODGE · |EEP To advertise in this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 12388 Royal W indsor Dr., 845-7575 Town and Country provides luxurious seating for seven judged. Going back to November 1983 when the Plymouth Voyager and the Dodge Caravan bowed as the prototype Magicwagon, Chrysler has managed to stay a step or two ahead of the competition which is llf t/i snapping closer wllVI t0 Chryco's heels every year. Currently other minivan makers are talk ing about having the most power ful engine or two p o w e r-o p e ra te doors. As this is being written, the RoadWorthy 2001 Chrysler ______________ minivans are ramping up the production line with 253 hp and a power rear liftgate. It's a simple idea, but Chrysler nonetheless came up with it first. The other trend has been to more and more luxury extras. Starting as a basic box on a front-drive econocar chassis, Chrysler began piling in the premium features until 1995 when it raised the bar and introduced the first Town & Country. With leather, full con cert sound, and power everything it was the first luxury minivan and buyers loved them. T&C sales have increased 102 per cent since 1995 and show no signs of ebbing. In fact, Chrysler (oops DaimlerChrysler) still enjoys a 56 per cent market share of all minivans val ued at $30,000 or more, and 42 per cent of the entire North American minivan market. For 2000 the T&C is offered in three versions instead of just one, such is the demand for premium minivans appeal ing to differing tastes. These are the T&C Lxi, the Limited and the Limited All-Wheel-Drive as tested here. Like all Chrysler minivans, T&Cs are front-engine, front-drive. They are fitted with a 3.8-litre, V6 producing 180 C hrysler invented the minivan and remains the benchmark by which all other minivans are ROBINSON The 2000 Chrysler Town & Country minivan with all-wheel-drive is like having a premium luxury car that seats seven all in leather-lined comfort. hp and a solid 240 lb/ft of torque. Four- T&C is just about as top drawer as you physics states that a body in motion wheel anti-lock brakes are standard can get in the segment. likes to continue in a straight line. If the with discs front and rear on the AWD. A bulk of optional extra was the road surface is slippery or wet, having Low-speed traction control comes with $1,995 price of the built-in VCR and the ability of all four wheels to grip sure ceiling-mounted LCD TV monitor. The beats just having power at the nose. the LXi and Limited. Although it is the "base" T&C, the first question I get asked now by my Trying to find traction and turn on a bad LXi is splendidly equipped with kids when I'm bringing home a test car surface where the wheels and suspen leather-faced quad seating, woodgrain is if they can hook up their Nintendo sion are already coping with the mini van's weight and the loads generated by accents, dual-zone climate control, game - it's a sign of the times. quad headlights, integrated fog lamps Also fitted to the T&C was the $295 the suspension moving up and down is and an AM/FM stereo with cassette and trailer tow group, $277 for dealer instal asking a lot. CD Infinity sound system with steer lation of the VCR system, and $35 for The four-wheel disc brakes with the ing-wheel mounted controls. the optional "Smoker's Group" which Limited AWD are also a buying consid The Limited has all of the above most of us still call the cigarette lighter eration in justifying AWD. And that along with 16-inch wheels that are and ashtray. goes double for the low-speed traction made very handsome in optional Another reason for the higher price control. chrome finish. is the all-wheel-drive which really Now with our slush, snow and salt, I The Limited's seats are in Limited should be available in most vans. Why? actually prefer drums at the rear but I'll Preferred Suede and leather and there is Most of the time a minivan is like a take what they've got if it means having the optional $175 child seat that comes sock with a bunch of quarters in the toe. AWD. in one of the second row quad seats on Throw it and it goes toe first in a With Chrysler's Cab-Forward con my tester. straight line. A front-engine, front-drive cept, the total cargo volume with the My tester was the Limited AWD minivan has most of the weight over the second and third seats removed is 4,612 with suggested price of $47,360 with as front wheels. Minivans tend to have litres or 162.9 cu. ft. Even with all the tested price of $50,137. That's a lot of one person aboard and that's the driver. seats up there is 501 litres behind the money for a minivan, but then, the When you have to turn into comer, back seats or 17.7 cu. ft. The seats, too, are among the easiest to remove with the patented dual wheels on the bottom that allow the seats to simply roll out. Another bonus in the T&C lineup is power back windows that open and close to exhaust air. In most cases where you might run the climate con trol to get an even airflow, simply cracking the rear vents does the trick with the bonus of getting fresh, not con ditioned, air. Perhaps the only down side was the girth of the leather-bound enclosure for the VCR that sits between the two front seats. I had trouble with my big hands getting the tongue of the seat belt down into the safety clasp. Despite its sheer size and a weight of over two tons, the big 3.8-litre engine is fairly good on fuel, getting a Transport Canada rating of 14.8L/100 km (19 mpg) city and 9.3L/100 km (30 mpg) highway. Out in the real world among Highway 401 traffic hearing towards Kingston, my pace is now averaging about 120 km. Happily, the big T&C on cruise and a generous wheelbase of 3,030 mm (119,3 inches) is ideal in this setting. Thanks to a beautifully syn chronized four-speed electronic auto matic, the T&C just rolled along. Under cruise, climbing a hill to accelerate, resulted in no jerk forward as the sys tem prodded the throttle. It was all very civilized with the deluxe Infinity sound system wafting in CD jazz while the kids spent most of the time looking out the window not at the monitor for a change. I always like to think of a premium minivan like the T&C as a luxury sedan with seating for seven instead of five in a pinch which seems to be the norm today. And instead of a mere trunk, some thing like the T&C lets you remove the seats and load a cedar chest or brace of bicycles. If utility is the name of your game but you also appreciate a bit of Business Class traveling accommoda tions, the Chrysler Town & Country is hard to beat. Automatic transmission care tips Car Care Canada offers the following tips for looking after your automatic trans mission: Don't shift into park or reverse while the car is moving--come to a stop and then shift Check your transmission fluid regularly, and replace the fluid according to the schedule in your owner's manual. Watch for any darkening in colour or black specks in the fluid--that's carbon and it means your trans mission is taking too much heat. Get it checked before a small problem turfts into an expen sive rebuild. If you do any towing, use the gear selector-- don't just put it into overdrive and for get it. Run mostly in third, or whatev er your highest non-overdrive gear is, except when you're on the high way and really cruising. Even then, help your transmission out in hilly terrain. Consider adding a transmission cooler to keep the trans mission from over heating. Regular check-ups. You go to the doctor, you go to the dentist-- your car also needs preventive mainte nance. Preventive maintenance is just that--you spend a little now so you don't have to spend a lot more down the road. v find your focus forclfocus se sedan · Air Conditioning · Autom atic · 2.0L SPI S O H C 1-4 Engine · R em o te Keyless Entry · A M /F M Stereo with C assette · Dash M ounted Trunk Release · 6 0 /4 0 Split Folding Rear S eat · P o w er Door Locks · M anual Driver's S eat Height Adjust N orth A m e rica n C a r of the Y e a r' Y O U R O N T A R IO F O R D DEALERS. WISE BUYERS READ THE LEGAL COPY: 'Purchase a new 2000 Focus SE Sedan tor $17,995. Taxes payable on full amount of purchase price. Offer excludes freight ($720), licence, insurance, administration fees and all applicable taxes. Dealer may sell for less. Limited time offer. Offer may be cancelled at any time without notice. See Dealer for details. Noted by 47 Automotive Journalists in Canada and the United States. Ontario FDA, P.O. Box 2000, Oakville, Ontario L6J 5E4 hase Financing up to 60 months 2 0 0 0 D odee Caravan ^ any to ® choose from, all colours, Caravans & Grand Caravans. Immediate Delivery 2 0 0 0 N eon M any to choose from , all colours. Immediate D elivery Our overflowing inventory is located in the Country Squire parking lot, off the North Service Rd. Fed free to browse! 2 0 0 0 D o d g e Q u a d C a b 4 X 4 ^ ^ ^ ^ C 2 0 0 0 Jeep G r.C h ero ke e Laredo 4 1o c 1 E 9 C 1 H R Y ~ rVS 00 D L E R 175 W yecroft Road,O akville (b e tw e e n Kerr oc D orvol) 7 w w w .lockwoodchrysler.com r · 'W . 8 4 5 -6 6 5 3