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Tuesday, December 21, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER D5 Family Car o f the Year selection proved difficult task By Rob Beintema SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER So many cars, so little time. Every year journalists from across Canada gather at Shannonville Motorsport Park, just outside Belleville, to test the latest crop of new cars and trucks. This year's 14th annual Car & Truck of the Year competition, held by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), featured over 200 automotive entries, vying in categories from sports car to sport ute to everything in between. During the competition, teams of journalists attend brief manufacturer presentations, track test the vehicles, inspect them inside and out and then take to the streets in semi-civi lized fashion, piloting the test vehicles over prescribed road loops with a variety of different driving conditions. Most of the automotive writ ers have already driven most of the vehicles before in day-to-day testing or. at automotive launch es. The real benefit of back-toback team testing is the chance to share impressions and infor mation with other journalists and directly compare competitors under the standardized set of dri ving conditions, while each vehicle's dynamics, its capabili ties and even its character remain fresh in your mind. We've reviewed most of these products during the course of the year but let me touch on one of the largest but often overlooked categories that I was involved in judging - Family Car. With so many cars and a lim ited amount of categories, there's always some contention over which cars should be judged in which category. Even having a "Family Car" category in itself is arguable if you think about it. With the advent of four-door pickup trucks, sport utes, a resur gence of stations wagons and the ever-present minivan, just what exactly is a family car nowa days? Regardless, the Family Car category features all-new fourdoor sedans -- either brand new models or cars that have under gone significant structural or powertrain changes. The catego ry was split into two price ranges. The cars listed here all fall into the under $25,000 cate gory. Below are some of the vehicle highlights, as tested, in alphabetical order. Family Car Under $25,000 Chrysler Cirrus LX At first glance, the Cirrus looks like the biggest bang for the biggest buck in this category, judging from the power ratings. But in performance testing the entry-level Cirrus was outhustled by the Neon. The Cirrus fea tures the now familiar cab-for ward architecture and a conserv ative but well-finished interior. A n d th e w in n ers Eleven 2000 Car of the Year Award category win ners were recently announced by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) at an awards ceremony held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto. AJAC's Gerry Malloy, president of the Canadian Car of the Year Awards, explained that, "the winners represent the best among an excellent group of new cars and trucks for 2000, as selected by a sophisticat ed voting process based on back-to-back, real-world testing." The winners are: Best New Economy Car: Winner: Ford Focus LX Best New Family Car (under $25,000) Winner: Ford Focus ZTS Best New Family Car:(over $25,000) Winner: Nissan Maxima GXE Best New Luxury Car: Winner: Infiniti 130 Chrysler Neon was one of the AJAC Family Car finalists. The seats are smallish and sofa up the size increase, engineering soft. Tilt steering, A/C and 6- and suspension refinements, speaker stereo are just a few of wrap it all up in LHS styling and the built-in features. The Cirrus you get a compact that looks and LX was created as a replacement behaves more like its bigger for the Breeze and Stratus for Chrysler cousins. thrifty Canadians who want to As tested: $22,615. mix upscale refinement with 4Daewoo Leganza CDX 2.2 The Korean-built Daewo cylinder economy. In a sense, the Chrysler Neon has caught up to Leganza looks pretty good for a this intermediary Cirrus in many car that seems to have just respects but the Cirrus still has a arrived out of left field some where. Daewoo boasts a staff of bigger, more finished feel. Mercedes and BMW-trained As tested: $24,940. engineers and brags of LotusChrysler Neon LX Neon owners of the past tuned ride and handling. This loved their Neons almost as upscale version was well outfit much as they loved to complain ted. You have to look hard for about them. For 2000, Chxysler econo fittings like horn buttons, has tried to maintain the spunky goose-neck trunk hinges etc. The spirit while smoothing out the engine is willing, the platform rough edges. This Neon is taller, quite stable. Steering does not longer, wider and bigger overall. push well to the edge of the The chassis is stiffer and the envelope but then this is the fam brakes are larger. Full frame ily car class, after all. The doors and triple seals shore up Daewoo Leganza certainly the Neonfs leaky reputation. offers a new option in the search Suspension and handling traits for economical family trans have all been softened. The 2.0 L portation. engine carries over with a broad As tested: $24,200. er torque curve and the fastest 0Ford Focus ZTS 100 km time in this class. Add Ford has high hopes for their latest world car, a Germandesigned, British-engineered model that is sweeping Europe by storm and is destined to replace both the Escort and Best New Prestige Car: Winner: Audi A6 4.2 Best New Sports Car: Winner: Audi TT Quattro Contour lineups in Canada. The New Edge-styled Focus features Coupe Best New Sports Coupe: Tie Win: Honda Civic SiR and Ford Focus ZX3 Best New Luxury Coupe: Winner: BMW 328 Ci Best New Sports Sedan: Winner Nissan Maxima SE Best New Station Wagon: Winner: Saturn LW2 Best New Sport Utility: Winner Nissan Xterra The 2000 Canadian Truck of the Year Winner is the Nissan Xterra. The overall 2000 Canadian Car of the Year winner, as well as the winners of the Best New Design Award and the Best New Technology Award will be announced on press day of the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto on Thursday, February 17, ... a unique and very modern design. The Focus is a tall car. That translates into comfortable kitchen chair-upright seating and a surprisingly spacious interior. Standards include anti-theft sys tem, rear seat heat ducts, and 4speaker AM/FM stereo. A tilt and telescoping steering wheel is just one of the many options. The standard 110 hp engine is brisk and fun to drive. Bonus points from me for taking a fash ion risk but only time will tell if Canadians accept the radical exterior styling as quickly as their European counterparts. As tested: $20,104. Saturn LSI The much anticipated launch of the L-Series finally gives Saturn owners a car to move up to. Saturn is space frame is mounted on an Opel Vectra plat form and the Euro-style body features Saturms trademark, dent-resistant polymer panels. The Lotus-developed 2.2 L engine is responsive and quick. Despite the cans Euro heritage, enough North American plush ness has been dialed in to keep customers happy on this side of the ocean. I would expect future refinements to the interior but the LS does share one peculiar trait common to all Satums - the more you drive them, the more you like them. And as usual, the Saturn icustomer-comes-firstl philosophy seems as big a selling point as the cars. How do you compete with a company that offers a 30-day money back warranty? As tested: $22,630. Volkswagen Golf TDI The Golf TDI was the odd ball in the group. Volkwagen's entry-level vehicle is not just another econobox. Interior and exterior features include front & side impact air bags, ABS, air conditioning, 8-speaker stereo cassette, anti-theft alarm system, power locks and tilt & telescop ing steering wheel. Tight rear seating makes this an unlikely family car but small families with small kids might be willing to trade a little rear room for hatchback utility and small car nimbleness with a sport sedan flavor. The diesel engine adds adequate acceleration with an economical advantage. Other entries may beat you in the quar ter mile but you'll pass 'em at the pumps A tank of fuel will last you about 1200 km. As tested: $23,300. Whois the winner? Depends on who you ask. But you cam't help but be impressed by the variety of choices. Conservative styles. New age designs. Yet all these vehicles benefit from an evolu tion of increasingly sophisticat ed refinement. After weighing all the fac tors, the teams and individual testers filled out detailed, secret ballots, which were submitted and totaled. The results were announced in early December The category winners will preen, rush the results into advertising copy and smile as if they never had any doubts. The also-rans will grit their teeth, grump a little about uneven categories and unfair weightings and mutter some thing about never entering another car contest. Ever. Or at least until next year. Hope springs eternal. Gift-wrap a new Nissan _with two great choices. 2000. 1 AKima GXE *298, 48 " » «». Oni, $1,500 Jeep a « " Best Entry Midsize Car In Initial Quality In the U.S. 3 Out of the Last 4 Years."' - J.D. Power and Associates Camry and^Accorcl TM mWe «·»" system · 4-speea automatic u ^ m i s s ^ 0 0 " 3" AM/FM/CD a ^ , o · Cruise control · Remo,e keytess e m r? COrKW,0" '"« * Power windows, mirrors door locks 2 d ? T W 'th Panic alarm wood-tone trim · 8 -way a d j u s t a b l e , « trU?k ' elease * Elegant ty mirrors and more... e s seal- dual illuminated vani- for 48 months. Family Car (m ore than $25. AUTOMOBILE ^ 5 " ' A ssociation of C ai Best New JeeR 2 0 0 0 GRAND CHEROKEE LIMITED The ultimate Jeep that combines comfort in a stytish package. Fully loaded. 26K pkg., leather interior, AM/FM/cassette/CD, powr sunroof, memory setting & more. W o- ***** for ig SOOOWN CHOICE $2500 DOW N S35W00WN !' " 5 30 9 '° '° *' *508" 0 n l>Hooo *615" DECEMBER ONLY! wer sunroof, * Bose' is c " " th cassette audio system rack * Remote keyless entry, "c'e Im m obilizer ·' system ***»» sm iss all°rwieefe .P ct'c tran 2 0 0 0 GRAND CHEROKEE U R E D O Fully loaded, AM/FM cassette, security alarm, fog lamps, keyless entry & much more. 2 0 0 0 JEEP CHEROKEE SPORT Automatic, air, cruise control, fog lights, alloy wheels, deep tint, and more. visit our Web site OFFER ENDS JANUARY 3, 2000. I payment or equivalent trade o f $1.1 2000 Pathfinder SE (5CSG70 AEOO). * mum o f 96,000 km with excess km ct Dealers free to set individual selling f, Pathfinder. 3&month term. 00First pa) months. C.O.B. is $ 1.514.32 for an obli£ Altima was the highest ranked entry n U.S. consumer responses indicating o middle sedans, t 'fB a s e d on C akvillenissan.com or call 905-827-1177. 1 2 00 0 Altima GXE (T4RG70 AEOO) (model shown with optional alloy wheels). 4&m onth lease: 6.79% ALR. down xima GXE (U4RG70 CKOO), 48+nonth lease: 7.8% ALR. down payment or equivalent trade o f $3,000; SOOOWN $2500 DOWN $3500D O W N ch o ice SOOOW N $2500 D O W N $3500 DOWN tw « * 4 3 0 * ' *355" *325*' *523M J4 4 6 85 J4 1 6 M f 6.79% ALR. down payment o r equivalent trade o f $4,000. Altima, Maxima and Pathfinder leases based on maxh i. All offers are 0A.C., and exclude destination and delivery ($ 9 1 5 /$ 9 6 6 /$ 9 7 2 ), licence, insurance and taxes, an Dealership for details. *4.8% APR available on Altima, 36m onth term; 5.8% APR available on Maxima and , s after delivery on financed purchases. Financing example: $20,000 at 4.8% per annum equals $ 59 7.6 2 for 3 6 | 5 21.514.32. 00 First payment due 60 days after lease signing, security deposit due a t lease signing. tThe Nissan i. Power and Associates 1996-97 and 1999 U.S. Inrta l Quality Studies 2 T . 1999 study based on a total o f 41,004 " wns during the first 90 days o f ownership, www.jdpower.com. f t Based on comparisons with 2 0 0 0 im port lowery 1 993 through September 1999. G lenleven Chrysler 2388 ROYAL W INDSOR D R .. OAKUILLE 90S-845-7575 OAKVILLE 1450 Speers Road, i N IS S A N L T D . ^ S I I r t t