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C8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 22, 1999 AUTOMOTIVE Nissan Frontier Crew Cab provides car-like com fort By Rob Beintema SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Nissan's biggest little truck is the new 2000 Frontier Crew Cab. This 4-door, 5-seat vehicle combines the practicality of a sport utility vehicle with the cargo carrying capability of a pickup truck. Nissan's Frontier has long been a value leader in the com­ pact pickup truck market, an entry-level small truck with car­ like comfort. In 1977, Nissan took the first step in offering more passenger room in a compact pickup with the extended version King-Cab. Anybody who's ever owned one, however, realizes that, handy thought the extra storage space in back may be, the fold-down jump seats are strictly for occa­ sional passengers only. The Frontier Crew Cab seems a next logical step. A workhorse truck that finally offers family sedan-style seating. C O N V E N IE N C E PA CK AG E GOOD SELECTION OF 1999'$ AVAILABLE AT CLEARANCE PRICES Get in. Be moved. & Ul here Good Seruice Is R Fact, Hot Just R Promise I 1291 SPEERS Oakville m azoa ROAD North side between 3rd Line & 4th Line 905-827-4242 •P/heated side mirrors •P/door locks •P/windows •Overhead console iAi>y c>jaky jiiz )v ̂ J ^ r A d in f la o d l 1 11 STARTING J | E D A M ________ I __ I - I _________________________ YOUR TORONTO AREA MAZDA DEALERS^ A N N O U N C E • V6 • 7 passenger • AM/FM, CD player • Air conditioning • Tumbleunder™ 3rd row seat. • Side by slide™ 2nd row seat. "We think some customers are looking for a new solution to their utility needs," said Ian Forsyth, Nissan Canada's mar­ keting director. "And we think we've got the answer. The Crew Cab has a 'clean' area up front, a passenger area that's roomy and usable and there's a 'dirty' area out back, a metal cargo bed where you can carry just about anything you want." When you think about it, it makes sense. Most of the "utility" has gone out of sophisticated sport utes. You'd hesitate to throw a load of firewood or construction materi­ al in the back of today's leather- wrapped luxury barges. Likewise for the trunk space of the family sedan. But, on the other hand, pickup trucks, while great for carrying cargo, have always had the frustrating limita­ tions of lacking passenger space. It's a wonder we've stood for it for so long. The Nissan Frontier Crew Cab comes in either 2WD and 4WD (actually, both versions are built on the 4WD chassis and suspension system, giving an off-roadable ground clearance of over 9"). Base price for the 2 wheel-drive starts at $24,998 with the 4 wheel-drive version listing for $27,998. All models are powered by a second genera­ tion version of the familiar VG33E engine, the same 3.3 L V6 that powers the Pathfinder, Quest and Nissan's new Xterrra sport ute. The SOHC V6 har­ nesses 170 hp @ 4800 and 200 lb.ft. of torque with most of the power band available at a useful 1500 rpm. The Frontier will tow up to 5000 lbs. A 5-speed manu­ al transmission is standard or you can opt for the 4-speed auto­ matic with overdrive. The 4 wheel-drive system features automatic locking hubs, limited slip differential and shift-on-the- fly up to 80 km/h. The Crew Cab comes in two trim levels. The base XE comes equipped with air conditioning, tilt steer­ ing, variable intermittent wipers, privacy glass, AM/FM Cassette Nissan Public Relations Manager Max Wickens demonstrates the Frontier Crew Cab's optional cargo bed extender. and heavy-duty skid plates. Value option packages are avail­ able or jump up to the SE ver­ sion jazzed up with all the doo­ dads, from CD player to roof rack and titanium step rails, big­ ger 16" alloy wheels and leather wrapped steering wheel and shifter, to name just a few. Dressed to the nines, a top-of- the-line SE will peak at just over $30,000. Open the four front-hinged doors on any trim level and your family will find an adequately roomy cabin with car-like crea­ ture comforts. This is still a compact truck, so even with the additional 18" of space behind the front buckets, the rear bench seating is snug for big guys like me. Perfect, however, for a young family that really needs a pickup. On that note, the Crew Cab also includes provision for the installation of a child safety seat in the rear passenger area. "Wait a minute, "die-hard truckers are probably saying. "Back up a sec' there. Where did that extra 18" of interior space come from anyway? The Crew Cab isn't any longer than the King Cab is it?" Nope, you guessed it. The added 18" was subtracted from the rear cargo bucket, shortening the cargo floor from 74.6" to 56.3" in length. Some autojour­ nalists will get their skivvies in a knot over that one because the standard rule of pickup mea­ surement has always been whether a 4' X 8' sheet of ply­ wood will fit or not. For those that are really bothered by this fact, Nissan offers an innovative flip-over tailgate extension that gains back most of the lost length and lists for about $300. The double­ wall bed still still carries plenty of cargo and offers bed hooks and side slots that allow vertical and horizontal load dividing as well as a removable tailgate. Nissan is also developing a lockable tonneau cover and a roof rack with mounts for skis, bikes and snowboards. The Frontier is an able dri­ ving machine, not exactly a barn-burner in the power depart­ ment but maneuverable, sturdy and quite civilized when it comes to either handling or inside amenities. Hey, I even like some of the funky bright colors. I spent a good deal of time dirt-roading a standout yel­ low version that looked like something out of a Baywatch episode. Em\ not that I ever watch that show, of course. And I like the fact that Nissan asked "why not?" and searched for a different solution to evolving consumer demands. With that kind of continued innovation in the compact pick­ up market and the Frontier's rep­ utation for car-like handling, truck-like toughness and utility, now combined with true 5-pas- senger seating, the 2000 Frontier Crew Cab may be the compro­ mise answer to many customer needs. ^ c O « « e 2000 Altima Thinking Camry, Accord or Malibu? Think about these Altima advantages. mo.t/48 mo. only $1500 down or $239798 purchase price . "Best Entry Midsize Car in initial quality 3 out of the last 4 years - J.D. Power & Associates • 155-HP 2.41 itre engine - that's bigger and more powerful than Camry and Accord ^cylinder w ) models • More front and rear head room than Camry* Wood-tone trim standard _ / ^ • 100-watt AM/FM audio system with Cd player -- m Z b o n * , * • 4speed automatic transmission and air conditioning J L ® • Power windows, mirrors, door locks and trunk release * Remote keyless entry system with panic alarm iml* • Cruise control • And more... Pathfinder SEMaxima GXE Luxury: 100% Performance: 100% Cars like it: 0 Still Canada's #1 selling import V6 SUV >3000 down or $31,600 purchase price 222-HP 3.0-litre V6 engine • Automatic transmission • Automatic climate control air conditioning Power windows, door locks and mirrors • 120watt premium AM/RVI/CD _ with cassette audio system with utemv. t- 6 speakers • Anti-theft system U g f T ' • Remote keyless entry with vehicle immobilizer system • And more... 38,000 purchase • 3.3-litre V6 engine • Automatic transmission and air conditioning • Power windows, door locks I and power heated mirrors | • 150watt Bose AM/FM/CD I with cassette audio system with 6 speakers* Power sunroof • Step rails • Black privacy glass • And more... Frontier Crew Cab2000 Xterra 'This ain't no sports-cute" - Toronto Sun Starting at only $24>998 Front bucket & rear bench seat = room for 5 • 170HP 3.3-litre V6 engine • Air " "T v conditioning • AM/FM with cassette g j j j j audio system • Alloy wheel and w m m 4-wheel ABS • Black D privacy glass £ F / \ / \ • And more... W > 7 • Aluminum bed - r r - extender available ^^g^^^fe^^tarting at only $28,998 ^ • 170-HP 3.3-litre V6 engine M • Air conditioning • Cruise control • 6-speaker -lOOwatt AM/FM audio system player • style seating • Power door locks • * step • * And more... Smart people always read the fine pnnt. And they always wear their seat belts. Umited-time offer, t 48-month lease on 2000 Altima GXE (model shown with optional alloy wheels). A.LR. 6.79%. with down payment or equivalent trade of $1,500; 48-month lease on 2000 Maxima GXE (Maxima GLE model shown, available starting at $34,900). A.LR. 7.8%. with down payment or equivalent trade of $3,000; 48month lease on 2000 Pathfinder SE. A.L.R. 6.79%. with down payment or equivalent trade of $4.000.1st payment and secunty deposit due at lease signing. Altima. Maxima and Pathfinder leases based on maximum of 96.000 km with excesskm charged at $0.08/km. All offers are O.A.C.. and exclude destmabon and delivery ($9l5/$966/$972), licence, insurance and taxes. Limited-time offers on 2000 Frontier 4-Door Crew Cab XE (Crew Cab SE model shown, available starting at $27.798). and 2000 Xterra XE._____________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ OAKVILLE 1450 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE827-117 7 I2lkk*-' *| NO UNDER NEW DRIVEN. OWNERSHIPNISSAN LAKESHORERD AUTOMOTIVE ANNOUNCE 1450 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE827-117 7 NISSAN