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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 5, 2008 - 31 CONSUMERS SHOULD READ THE FOLLOWING: Vehicles may not be exactly as shown. *MSRP for the 2008 Swift+ with MANUAL transmission (model STR48C8)/ 2008 SX4 Sedan with MANUAL transmission (model S3L83J8)/As shown $18,995 MSRP for 2008 SX4 Sport Model/2008 SX4 Crossover JX AWD with MANUAL transmission (model H3N80J8)/ 2008 Grand Vitara JA with MANUAL transmission (model LLN81S8). Destination and Delivery of $1,195 / $1,250 / $1,250/ $1,250 / $1,395 not included in MSRP. Registration, license, insurance, and applicable taxes are not included. **Limited time lease and finance o ers available to qualified retail customers on approved credit (O.A.C.) through FinanciaLinx on a new 2008 Swift+ with MANUAL transmission (model STR48C8)/ 2008 SX4 Sedan with MANUAL transmission (model S3L83J8)/ 2008 SX4 Crossover JX AWD with MANUAL transmission (model H3N80J8)/ 2008 Grand Vitara JA with MANUAL transmission (model LLN81S8). 3.9%/1.5%/1.5%/1.9% lease APR for 60 months. Monthly payment is $179/$205/$225/$329 (including $1,195/$1,250/$1,250/$1,395 destination and delivery). $1,100/$0/$0/$0 down payment or equivalent trade-in, $0 security deposit, $72 + tax PPSA, $350 acquisition fee, administration fee and first monthly payment due at lease inception where applicable. Total lease obligation of $11,845.79/$12,297.17/$13,497.27/$19,733.45 including down payment. 20,000 km total mileage allowance ($0.10/km for excess mileage). ***These o ers cannot be combined with any other o er except for the Suzuki Graduate Program. With the Suzuki Graduate Program, recent university or college graduates may be eligible for an allowance on the purchase or lease of certain models. Fuel economy based on Transport Canada ratings for 2008 models. Use for comparison purposes only. Dealers may lease or sell for less. See participating dealers for details. NEW YEAR. 2008 Honda Ridgeline Continued from Page 30 NEW INCENTIVES. POWER STEERING POWER WINDOWS QUICK NIMBLE PEPPY FUN WOOSH! LET'S GO! MOVIES BALLGAMES ROAD TRIPS PICNICS POWER DOOR LOCKS REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY AIR CONDITIONING OUT OF TOWN IN TOWN AROUND TOWN RALLY INSPIRED RALLY PROVEN EYE CATCHING GOING TO THE BEACH FAMILY OUTINGS AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA PLAYER SPEED SENSING VOLUME CONTROL TACHOMETER HIT THE LINKS HIT THE SLOPES TILT STEERING DRIVER'S FOOTREST ENGINE BLOCK HEATER COOL KID HAULER BORN TO SHOP BORN TO DRIVE RALLY BORN SUNNY DAYS RAINY DAYS SNOWY DAYS WORK DAYS PLAY DAYS WIND IN YOUR HAIR THE ALL NEW 2008 shifter, which was really crappy in the initial 2006 model, seems to have been improved upon. Up front there are bells and whistles aplenty. Standard comfort and convenience items in the Ridgeline EX include air conditioning; tilt steering; power windows and door locks; power sliding rear window; cruise control; keyless entry; automatic heated wiper zone; and a six-speaker, 100-watt audio system with CD player. Although the base Ridgeline comes well-loaded you can bump up to leather and the luxo list with the EX-L trim level, along with other available options like the HomeLink Remote and satellite-linked Navigation. In back, the 60/40 split rear seat flips up for underseat storage or to squeeze a bike across the cabin between the seats. Nice touch. But to get to the real storage innovation, let's move out back to the truck bed. The 5-foot-long (1524 mm) composite cargo bed is dent and corrosionresistant, provides half-ton payload capacity (705 kg) and also features six heavy duty tie-down cleats and four integrated bed lights. And, yes the bed is wide enough for the standard truck qualifier ­ 4X8 sheets of plywood. But now the real trick. Ta-daa, under the cargo floor is the industry's first In-Bed Trunk. A trunk in a pickup truck? Yes, made possible by the less intrusive independent suspension and innovative thinking, much in the same way that adapting undercarriage architecture offered a lowered storage tub and a fold-down third row in Honda's Odyssey minivan. This lockable 240.7 L trunk holds up to three golf bags or tools, equipment, anything you want safely secured out of sight. It can even be used as a cooler itself, equipped with drain plugs for easy rinsing out. Great, but how to get at it when the tailgate flops down between you and the trunk? Well, that's why Honda also designed a dual-action tailgate that either opens down or swings to the side for easier access to the box and trunk compartment. The tailgate itself can also support up to 137 kg (300 lb), which also opens up the possibilities of taking the load of your dirt bikes' rear wheels or other extended tailgate use. Pretty neat tricks, but do they make up for the limitations cited by traditional truck builders ­ the front-wheelbiased VTM-4 drive system, the not-sooff-roadish suspension system, the limited choice of body sizes and powertrain selections? Well, let's run through them. For medium-duty service the V6 engine and suspension seem plenty robust enough. There are rumours of a possible V8 added to the mix and a strong likelihood that the turbo-diesel engine coming to Acura in 2009 might also wind up in the Ridgeline, maybe even in the Odyssey minivan. The Crew cab layout covers just about everyone's needs and the Ridgeline's car-like ride and handling tends to overwhelm any quibbling load concerns. As a matter of fact, I seem to remember that when the Ridgeline debuted, Honda had us run the trucks through a variety of offroad challenges and towing trials, pulling everything from boats to a trailered backhoe. The Ridgeline, which comes standard with Grade Logic Control transmission, beefy brakes, heavy-duty transmission cooler, limited slip rear differential, heavy-duty power steering cooler, heavy-duty radiator with dual fans and trailer pre-wiring, performed well up to its 5000 lb towing limit in both acceleration and braking tests. Throw in other dynamic enhancements like the standard Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system; ABS brakes; brake assist; advanced dualstage, dual-threshold driver's and front passenger's SRS airbags; front side airbags and two-row side-curtain airbags with rollover sensor, and you have a pretty complete package. The Ridgeline was also the first-ever 4-door pickup to receive a 5-star safety rating for both frontal and side impacts. And here's the kicker. You know it's a quality product because it is built here in Canada at the Honda Alliston plant. Winning the AJAC Truck of the Year and Motor Trend's Truck of the Year when it was introduced in 2006, the Ridgeline was a smart move for Honda. It put a pickup on the Honda showroom floor and, in branding synergy, allows Honda customers the opportunity to haul Honda dirtbikes, ATVs or even Honda-powered boats with another Honda product. This is the same logic that has spurred Suzuki to add the 2009 Equator pickup to their lineup. Makes sense. You know, blending passenger and payload priorities in one package is never easy. Just ask Subaru about the Baja. And think of the El Camino design that survived as the Holden Ute in Australia and should never have disappeared here. But we can tip our hats to other innovative products like the Chevy Avalanche and, judging from the current rash of SUTs and new concepts at the Chicago Auto Show, like the Denali XT and Toyota's Ridgeline-like A-BAT, the Honda Ridgeline may not have this lifestyle-oriented segment of the pickup truck market to itself for very much longer. Truck builders seem to be coming around. But while imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it's innovation that still sets leaders apart from followers. SX4 SEDAN Air Conditioning / Power Windows / Power Locks / Power Mirrors / Remote Keyless Entry FINALIST BEST NEW SMALL CAR 2008 $ DOWN PAYMENT 0 LEASE FROM $ 205 @ 1.5% ** FOR 60 MONTHS SPORT MODEL SHOWN COOL KID HAULER BORN TO SHOP BORN TO DRIVE RALLY BORN SUNNY DAYS RAINY DAYS SNOWY DAYS WORK DAYS PLAY DAYS WIND IN YOUR HAIR SUN ON YOUR FACE DUAL FRONT AIRBAGS SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS ABS WITH BRAKE ASSIST AND EBD POWER STEERING POWER WINDOWS QUICK NIMBLE PEPPY FUN WOOSH! LET'S GO! MOVIES BALLGAMES ROAD TRIPS PICNICS POWER DOOR LOCKS REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY AIR CONDITIONING OUT OF TOWN IN TOWN AROUND TOWN RALLY INSPIRED RALLY PROVEN EYE CATCHING GOING TO THE BEACH FAMILY OUTINGS AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA PLAYER SPEED SENSING VOLUME CONTROL TACHOMETER HIT THE LINKS HIT THE SLOPES TILT STEERING DRIVER'S FOOTREST ENGINE BLOCK HEATER EYE CATCHING GOING TO THE BEACH FAMILY OUTINGS AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA SPEED SENSING VOLUME CONTROL TACHOMETER HIT THE LINKS HIT THE SLOPES TILT STEERING DRIVER'S FOOTREST FAMILY OUTINGS 2008 GRAND VITARA 4WD / V6 / Power Windows / Power Locks / Power Mirrors / Remote Keyless Entry / Air Conditioning $ DOWN PAYMENT 0 LEASE FROM $ 329 @ 1.9% ** FOR 60 MONTHS MSRP $25,595* 5* 2008 SWIFT+ Fuel economy: 8.7 L/100 km in the city; 5.8 L/100 km on the highway / AM/FM/CD/MP3 player (4 speakers) LEASE FROM AIR CONDITIONING OUT OF TOWN IN TOWN AROUND TOWN RALLY INSPIRED RALLY PROVEN EYE CATCHING GOING TO THE BEACH FAMILY OUTINGS AM/FM/CD/MP3/ WMA PLAYER SPEED SENSING VOLUME CONTROL TACHOMETER HIT THE LINKS HIT THE SLOPES TILT STEERING DRIVER'S FOOTREST ENGINE BLOCK HEATER COOL KID HAULER BORN TO SHOP BORN TO DRIVE QUICK NIMBLE PEPPY FUN WOOSH! LET'S GO! MOVIES BALLGAMES ROAD TRIPS POWER DOOR LOCKS REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS BORN TO SHOP BORN TO DRIVE RALLY BORN SUNNY DAYS RAINY DAYS SNOWY DAYS $ FOR 60 MONTHS $1100 DOWN PAYMENT. 179 @ 3.9% ** TILT STEERING DRIVER'S FOOTREST HIT THE ROAD CARVE SOME TURNS GOING THERE GETTING THERE FAMILY TIME YOU TIME IN TIME TENNIS ANYONE? ENGINE BLOCK HEATER DUAL FRONT AIRBAGS HALOGEN HEADLIGHTS 2008 SX4 CROSSOVER Intelligent AWD / Power Windows / Power Locks / Heated Power Mirrors / Cruise Control / Remote Keyless Entry MSRP $20,695* MSRP $13,995* $ DOWN PAYMENT 0 LEASE FROM $ 225 @ 1.5% ** FOR 60 MONTHS Suzuki of Oakville 2219 Wyecroft Road, Oakville, ON L6L 5L7 905-469-2429 · Toll Free 1-866-229-3897 fax 905-469-4562 **** SUZUKI.CA