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D8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, December 13, 2000 Rugged makeover By Malcolm Gunn SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER I t's amazing what a few sim ple changes can do for one's image these days. Case in point is the 2001 Frontier. This is the latest in a long line of Nissan pickups that stretches back some 40 years. The Frontier is a truck that, although com petent enough when it counts, looks, well . . . almost too nice to be tough. And today most truck buyers want as much image-building toughness on the outside as they do beneath the sheetmetal. For 2001, Nissan has focused its energies on making the Frontier just as gutsy on the out side as it is on the inside. Interestingly, the Frontier's new lean and mean look is not a result o f major surgery, but the product of some deft cosmetic changes to its existing structure that was last updated in 1998. To start with, a new compos ite nose replaces the Frontier's traditional chrom e grille and bumper. The stubbier front-end is painted the same colour as the rest o f the truck and comes across as downright menacing compared to last year's sedan like face. The other obvious physical change is the addition of extreme-looking front and rear fender flares that appear as though they were pop-riveted into place. Credit for the new bodywork goes to N issan's Californiabased design studio, which has clearly drawn inspiration from those hard-charging, Baja-style desert racing vehicles that oper ate not far from their headquar ters. These alterations were con ducted under the watchful eye of Nissan's chief designer Diane Allen, who says she was also influenced by both sports cars and high-end power tools in determining the Frontier's latest look. Less obvious changes have taken place inside the Frontier's cabin where a redesigned instru ment cluster has been set in place along with new woven cloth coverings for the seats. In addition, the cruise control switches have been moved to the steering wheel and the remain ing control knobs have been enlarged for easier use. Along with its eye-catching -- we would say arresting -- exterior, some real muscle has been added under the Frontier's hood. Available this year is a super- 2001 Nissan Frontier T w o - or four-door 4x2 or 4x4 pickup. A vailable in XE King Cab, XE-V6 King Cab, SE-V6, SC-V6 King Cab and SC-V6 Crew Cab versions. 2 .4 -litre DOHCI4,3.3-litre SOHC V6 and supercharged 3.3-litre SOHC V6 engines producing 143,170 and 210 horsepower, respectively. Five-speed manual, or optional fourspeed automatic transmission. R evisions to the Frontier's exterior have transformed it from cute-looking to brute looking pickup. U n iq u e supercharged V6 engine option backs up the Frontier's tough new image with extra power. W id e assortment of body style, powertrain and accessory combinations give the Frontier buyer plenty of latitude in the options department. B a s e price: $21,000 charged 3.3-litre SOHC V6 engine that develops 210 horse power. This powerplant is available on extended King Cab models, as well as the extra-room y Frontier Crew Cab. You can also order a normally-aspirated 170horsepower version of the 3.3, or keep it basic with the stan dard-issue 2.4-litre DOHC fourcylinder motor (available only in 4x2-configured trucks) that pro duces 143 horsepower. All three engine choices can be ordered with either a five-speed manual, or optional four-speed automatic transmission. The Frontier's lineup consists of XE and XE-V6 King Cab, as well as SE-V6 and SC-V6 King Cab and Crew Cab models. In addition, Nissan offers a specially-equipped XE King Cab 4x2, a kind of imitation four-wheel drive model that offers the same ride height, ground clearance and rugged suspension settings as its off road sibling, but without the extra driveline hardware. Nissan has even added skid plates to protect the engine and fuel tank in case you get carried away and decide to head ofH nto the back woods. For the past 18 years, more than 1.7-million pickups have been shipped to Nissan's North American dealer network from its production facility in Tennessee. Based on the Frontier's latest brute-force facelift and equallyserious optional power, the fac tory should expect an even greater demand for its rugged, revamped hauler. O A K 9JL L E Your First 2 ,se P & y m en On Us!" on 2001 Maxima, der & Altima onlv 1 ·T4o Payments i Interest for 90 Days! A L T IM A G X E Purchase Altima GXE for only on 2001 Maxima, Pathfinder & Altima only. toe Moumdjian \ Sales 4 leasing Lease Altima GXE for 48 months, only S2.3S0 down. 2001 ^ M A X IM A G X E Purchase Maxima GXE with Convenience Package for only 2001 PA TH FIN DER X E Purchase Pathfinder XE automatic for only Bob McIntosh, fleet/Rem arketing M anager $ 3 2 , lO O Lease Maxima GXE w/ Convenience Pkg for only m o. for 48 months, only $4,650 down. $ 3 5 .9 0 0 $ 8 6 8/ Financing from 4 .8 % Lease Pathfinder XE automatic Tom Brannan for 48 months, only SS.4S0 down. Sales S teasing 2001 S E N T R A X E Purchase Sentra X E w ith Value Option Package for only Christmas! No Security Down OR Lease Sentra XE with Value Option Pkg for only 'mo', for 48 months, only $1,632 down. QEW SDeers Rd. Lakeshore Rd. P O o Andrew I Jakobsons Business Manager $ 19 8/ OAKVILLE NISSAN V * c ! MON.-THURS. 9-9, "S CO 03 FRI & SAT. 9-6 Smartpeople diways read the fine print And they always wear their seat belts Limited time offers on 2001 Sentra XF 5-speedmanual with Vahe Option Package (Sentra SI model shown) IC4LGS1BKOOj; 2001 Pathfinder X£ automatic (Pathfinder Sfmodel shown) (50671 AfflO); 2001 Muvna GXEautomatic with Convenience Package (U4K71CKOOL 2001 Altima GXEaut: ~ a: - - · - ; - yjei shown/ (T4BQ71 AiOOi tFinancing examples $20,007 a: : r -. * -v~ ~:.a: J5?' i l :~ month for 36 months COB6 Sl.S14.32 for an obkgam total of S21.S14.32. S20,000 at 5 8% per annum equals $467.87 per month for 48 months. COBis 17.457.76 for an obligation total of $22,457 76 $20,000 at 0.9% per annum equals $56330 per month for 36 months COB is $27880 for an obligation total of $20,278.80 4.8% finance rate for 36 months available on new 2001 Sentra and Pathfinder, 58% fiwce rate for 48 months available on new 2001 Altima See OatvUe Nissan for decaifs financing plans from MksanCanadafinance IrKorporafed on approved credrf donng satesperiod oo^r Ofters maychange iwtfiovr nooce, andcarmof /)e combined nrrt#»ary otfter offers Deaters/wpmayser own on selected te^ides. Moraf w*»des areavaiiabie af af DeafersTifK OBh/fN and the Nissan logo are Nissan trademarks *P1us destination, delivery, tares 8 kense. Ask your sales rep for details 1450 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE 827-1177 4 i 4 i i