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D2 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, March 21, 2001 B e s t W h e e l s O a k v i l l e Mazda B-Series keeps on trucking M azda has been sell ing Canada's top selling import pickup truck for almost 15 years and for 2001 Mazda has retained its renowned stout build quality and added a new, more powerful 4.0litre engine. The B-Series comes in two trim levels (SX and uplevel SE) in either twowheel (rear) and four-wheeldrive, and Regular cab or extended "Cab Plus." Mazda considers the Cab Plus a four-door. The two rear doors are actually panels with a handle in the door jam b that give access to a rear cargo area. New for 2001 is some thing called the Dual Sport. It marries the SUV-like looks with entry level pick up prices to attract young buyers looking at Toyota Prerunner or Nissan Frontier. The B-Series is further delineated by engine size. A B-3000 has a 3.0-litre V6 producing 150 hp (185 ft/lb of torque). A B4000 indi cates the truck is equipped with a 4.0-litre V6 it shares _ i i JIM ROBINSON RoadWorthy 8 to 8 To All Valued Audi Owners O a kville A u d i Inc. has been an authorized A u d i dealer fo r over 26 years. O u r dealership opens a t 7 :3 0 a.m. for your convenience. Ask A b o u t our G o Train pick-up Service. Please consider us fo r all your parts, service and sales requirements! New For 2001 FULL SERVICE OPEN Mon.-Thur. 8pm -8pm Friday, 8am -6pm Saturday, 8am -4pm Oakville Audi 557 Kerr St., Oakville (905) 844-3285 with the Ford Ranger and Ford Explorer. It produces 210 hp (240 ft/lb). A five-speed manual transmission is standard across the B-Series range. The 3.0-litre is optionally available ($1,400) with a four-speed, electronic automatic. The 4.0-litre, thanks to its Ranger/Explorer connection, is avail able ($1,445) with a five-speed elec tronic transmission. If you opt for the 4.0-litre, a limited slip rear axle ($1,445) is optional on the 4X2 version and standard on the 4X4 version. The four-wheel-drive version also come with a Ford-sourced electronic shift transfer case axle system. It can be shifted from 2WD to 4WD on the fly. The 2001 B-Series retains the ladder-frame chassis with fully boxed rails. Front suspension is double-wishbone with sway bar while the rear relies on leaf springs. All B-Series pickups come with four-wheel antilock brakes and dual de-powered air bags. The pas senger side bag can be turned off by a switch on the centre console stack and is worked by the ignition key. The 4X2 trucks are delivered with P225/7015 all-season radials while the 4X4s have larger P245/75R16 all-terrain tires on 16-inch, three-spoke alloys. Prices for the B-Series start at $16,680 for the 4X2 Regular Cab SX while the 4X2 four door with manual is $20,790. The 4.0-litre trucks start at $24,845 for the SE five-speed manual in 4X2 form (as tested here) up to 2001 M azda B4000 4x2 $28,295 for the all dressed five-speed automatic 4X4 SE. Lying somewhere near the middle is the new Dual Sport and it goes after the drivers who want to stand out from the crowd. With a list price of $22,140. it is the four-door with five-speed manu al transmission. Visually it features body-color front and rear bumpers, fender flares, a dif ferent grille surround and a different lower front fascia treatment. The Dual Sport has a raised suspension and big ger P235/70R15 fires on 15-inch alu minum wheels. Air conditioning is standard on the Dual Sport and the 4.0litre SE, while it is a $1,100 option across the rest of the lineup. Inside, the four doors all come in cloth with a choice of bench or sport bucket seats. The rear swing-out panels have side facing jum p seats. Instrumentation is pretty extensive for ©OakuillemaZDa 2001 Mazda Protege LX OR CASH PURCHASE FROM OR LEASE FROM $ n i a * HEART RACING YET? IT WILL BE. PURCHASE FINANCING FOR UP TO MONTHS ON 2001 PROTEGES, 626'S, JUUENNIRS £ B-SERIES TRUCKST t 36 2 00 1 B-3000 OR CASH PURCHASE FROM OR LERSE FROM H * *1 6 ,7 5 0 * *219: J 1 5 ,9 9 5 * O / O / * . M0MTH 2001 Mazda MPVDX NEWLY REDESIGNED MODEL FOR 2001! · $2,500 down or trade equivalent on leose, freight and P.D.E. included I · New 130-hp. 2.01 DOHC 16-volve 4-cylinder engine · 15" styled steel | I wheels w / full wheel covers · Tochometre · Standard floor mots · flossleading interior room · flM/FM/CD stereo system · 60/40 split rear seats I L r Tinted glass · Tilt steering · Elegant cloth seots · Air conditioning OR CASH PURCHASE FROM OR LEASE FROM an economy truck, with tach, voltmeter along with steer ing-wheel fitted controls for the cruise control. A CD changer with AM/FM radio with four speakers is stan dard on SX and SE. The only other option is Mazda's own premium sound system with 6-disc, in-dash changer. I guess the thinking here is younger people will fit their own systems and that seems to be evolving all the time with MP3 players now part of the aftermarket mix. My test Cab Plus with five-speed manual came with a shift lever that was about two-feet long with the throw to fifth seeming that far too. Considering that the big V6 also has the optional five-speed automatic, I'd probably opt for that. With leaf spring rear sus pension and no weight in the truck bed, I was reminded that the advances in road holding and suspension geometry have yet to con quer the laws of physics. With a high centre of gravity thanks to the 16-inch wheels and high-sided tires, you must remember you are dri ving a truck, not a Ferrari. Having said that, the Cab Plus telegraphs its intentions clearly and well in advance. The steering is surprisingly light and direct. That play in the steering you once accepted as part of owning a pickup truck, is now (thank fully) a thing of the past. Delivered in optional ($105) Silver Frost metallic, the complimentary alloy wheels made this a hand some pickup that really did stand up tall and proud. With the big 4.0-litre engine and ability to tow close to 5,900 pounds, it's a pretty good deal for a compact track. At the same time, the Dual Sport makes a lot of fiscal sense for those look ing for a 4X2 with personal ity. By looking at saving money on content (i.e. fit ting windup windows instead of power windows) and investing that to buyer appeal (the bigger tires and alloy wheels for instance), the new Dual Sport is a play er in a growing market seg ment. In terms of a 4X2 com pact trucks, both the Dual Sport and the Cab Plus each offer a lot in their own way, making a final buying deci sion not as easy as it might appear. Mazda has wisely decid ed to stick with what it does best and that means wellequipped and stoutly built compact pickups offered at enticing prices. It explains why Mazda's B-Series trucks continue to stay so popular. *2 3 ,9 9 5 * *269 PER MONTH _ MAZDfTS MOST POWERFUL B-SERIES LINE-UP EVER!' · $3,000 down or trade equivalent on leaSe, fre ig h t ond P.D.E. included · Payload I I Package w/ heavy duty gas shock absorbers · Engine block heoter and battery I I warmer · 3.0L OHV engine · UBS brakes · Dual air bags · 15" full face steel wheels I · Securilock engine im mobilizer · AM/FM/CD stereo system · Sliding rear window M a z d a B - S e r ie s A t a G l a n c e BODY STY LE : Regular or Extended Cab compact pickup truck NO SECURITY DEPOSIT ON MPV LEASE | · $4,500 down or trade equivalent on leose, freight and P.D.E. included | · Convenience Package with power group included · Cruise c o n tro l« I AM/FM/CD and cassette stereo system · 3rd Row Tumble-UnderTM seats I Iw i t h tailgate position · 2nd row Side-by-SlideTM seats · Air c o n d itio n in g 1.9 mazoa Get In Be M o «d 0 Purchase Financing' for up to 36 months and no security deposit on all mazda 2001 mpv models. Get in. Be moved. R O A D S ID EA SS IST A N C EP R O G R A MA s k a b o u t t h e M a z d fl p e a c e o f m in d p r o m is e n o w s t a n d a r d o n e v e r y n e w M a z d o . M A Z D AL E R O E R SH IP W A R R A N T V 3 y e a r s o r 8 0 , 0 0 0 k m c o m p r e h e n s iv e w a r r a n t y , 5 y e a r s o r 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 k m p o w e r t r a in w a r r a n t y . Oakville mazoa 1291 S P E E R S R O A D North side between 3nd Line & 4lh line | See deaier for details 905- 827-4242 U lh e reG o o dS e ru fc e Is HF a c t. H o t Ju s t RP ro m is e l w w w .o a k viile m a zd a .c o m DRIVE M ETHOD: Front engine, two-wheel or four-wheeldrive ENGINE: 3.0-litre OHV V6 (150 hp, 185 ft/lb); 4.0-litre SOHC (210 hp, 240 ft/lb) FUEL ECONOMY: Dual Cab 4X2 as tested. 4X4, 4.0-litre five-speed automatic, 15.6L7100 km city, 11.5L/100 km highway. PRICE: 3.0-litre trucks, SX 4X2 regular cab, $16,680, SX 4X2 four door five-speed $20,790. 4.0-litre trucks, SE fivespeed manual 4X2 as tested $24,845, five-speed auto matic 4X4 SE, $28,255. Dual Sport $22,140. m m #1 SELUNG VEHICLE IN CANADA 10O O V O O D 'S |0 ' THE ALL NEW Dodge ^ Different. 2001 DODGE CARAVAN XTTTfYVT rN X L W L N 2001 CHRYSLER A SOPHISTICATED AND SPIRITED PERFORMER *512*0 Nicely equipped 28C: · All new 3.SL V6 engine - 180hp · 4-speed automatic transmission · Multi stage dual front air bags · Dual sliding doors · Air cond. · AM/FM radio cassette · 7 passenger seating · Cargo net · Front Sc rear floor mats · Roof rack · Windshield wiper de-icer · Child seat anchor system · 5 yr/100,000kmt powertraincoverage plus 5 yr/100,000kinf roadside assistance N o Charge options valued at $2,000 (MSRP) » Sunscreen glass · Speed control · Tilt steering · Power heated mirrors · Pow er windows & quarter vents · Power door locks Purchase <£ for 'P 22D Package also includes: · 2.0L engine · 4-wheel fully independent suspen sion · Air conditioning · Tilt steering · Sentry-Key® theft deterrent system · Full length centre console · Child seat tether anchors · Next Generation dual air bags · Complimentary tank of fuel · 5 yr/100,000kmt powertraincoverage plus 5 yr/100,000kmt roadside assistance 23,988 r$298 ' a m o n th fo r 36 m onths. Plus $3,807 dow npay m e n t o r equivalent trade, $350 security deposit a n d $940 freight Purchase O Financing 48 or 60 months Purchase Financing 36mth 0.8% 48mth 2.8% 60m th 4.8% &L L1 J g L fm jm l Introducing 5yr/100,000kmf powertrain coverage together with 5yr/100.000kmf roadside assistance on every 2001 Dodge LOCKWOOD O c H R Y S L E R o o o o o O akville's 2000 · 2001 Five Star Certified Dealership rv s le r.c o m w w w .lo c k w o o d c h ry 175 W y e c r o f t R o a d , O o k v i l l G (between Kerr & Dorval) 0 /1 U H -w _ Z. Z. O U v J U O