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Wednesday, July 4, 2001 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER D5 B e s t W h e e l s · O a k v i l l e Knowing the front from the rear O v e r the years, m anufacturers have placed the autom obile engine in three distin ct and different lo ca tio ns, e ach h a v in g its o w n benefits. Tra ve llin g into to d a y 's n e w -c a r lots, yo u 'll find the sam e three variables. L O C A T IO N : In front o f the pas se n g e rs and not a h e ad of the front axle. In so m e e arlie r v an s, the e n g in e s at b e tw e e n the front w heels. T H E P L A Y E R S : By far the most comm on layout for m ost manufacturers. N O T E S : G ood rear luggage and passenge space, especially in front-w heel-drive vehicles where no driveshaft and rear differential are used. The design is usually ham pered by excess weight over the front w heels, which limits braking and handling potential. Perform ance cars with the engine in the front, such as the D odge Viper, C orvette and B M W M 3, m ove the passenger com partm ent and engine further back to better distribute the weight. Mid-engine L O C A T IO N : In front of the re a r axle, but behind the passengers. T his is the choice of m any high-perform ance vehicle m anufactu rers. C o rv e tte and Plym outh Prow ler, w hile having front-m oun ted e n gines, have transm issions m o unted in 1 location. T H E P L A Y E R S : Acura N S X , Porsche Boxster, most Ferraris (except 4 5 6 and F550). The 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser models will offer the factory option of adding tone-on-tone flames rippling over the hood and front fenders. PT Cruiser appearance heats up for2002 with optional flame accent The hottest vehicle on the planet just got hotter, thanks to new flame accents available for the 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser. As a new factory option, customers c a n . order their 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser with sub tle tone-on-tone flames rippling over the hood and front fenders. Coordinating flames are available in four exterior colour choices: fading orange-to-red flames are available for Inferno Red Tinted Pearl Coat PT Cruisers; fading blue to cranber ry flames go with Deep Cranberry Pearl Coat vehicles; dark silver fades in to Bright Silver for Bright Silver Metallic vehicles; and Black PT Cruisers offer fading deep magenta to black flames highlighted with a blue border. The vinyl flames are applied after vehicles exit the paint shop at Chrysler's Toluca Assembly Plant in Toluca, Mexico, and are covered under Chrysler's three-year/36,000mile warranty. The manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for the flame accents is (US) $495. The option is available on all PT Cruiser mod els in Black, Bright Silver Metallic, Inferno Red Tinted Pearl Coat and Deep Cranberry Pearl Coat. O T E S : G ood w eight distribution instates into optimum handling. You usually get one or two small trunks in a m id-engined vehicle, instead of one large one. T h e driver is able to sit closer to the front of the car with the lower windshield for improved visibility. For the most p a r* there's m ore weight over the rear w heels than the front. T H E P LA Y ER S: Porsche 911 models. L O C A T IO N : B ehind the rear axle. T h e m ost uncom m on of all layouts, only a few m anufactu rers h a v e dabbled w ith re a r-en g in e layouts. N O T E S : With the engin e -- and a lot of weight -- behind the rear axle, rear-engined cars have a tendency to be Iwitchy' in tight, fast corners. If the back of the car begins to skid, there usually is no warning and the car 'loops' suddenly and dram atically. Still, Porsche has been able to tam e most of th ese ills over the years. Dodge Caravan ES one reason Chrysler dominates minivan market (Continued from page D6) I mentioned earlier the remote keyfob has a button to open and close the liftgate, but it also has a button for each sliding panel. On each button is a little ideogram showing whether the button is for the curbside or driver side. For 2001, Chrysler made the body 20% stiffer and now uses new hydro bushings at the front end along with much increased shock tower stiffness that com bine to go a long way to reducing road noise. Adding to the sense of control is a 30% larger power steering gear. Valving of the steering rack was also an area Chrysler engi neers looked at. Minivans in par ticular, because there is so much weight over the front wheels, have a "dead on centre" feel when the car is going straight ahead - where no steering response is felt by the fingers. Not only is on-centre feel increased, a smaller and lighter steering fluid pump is used to improve performance in high temperatures. The centre instrument stack shows the new three-zone cli mate control system that uses infrared sensors to even out the temperature between the driver and front passenger and those seated behind. Despite the fact the liftgate window seemed very far away from where I was seated in the driver's seat, the big van could be backed into my normal-size garage without the front end trip ping the garage safety beam with the door closed. Normally I try to insert a few "real life" moments to illustrate pluses and negatives in test vehi cles, but my week with the ES was simply to work and back without the usual dramas along the way. I guess it underscores the fact minivans should not only carry lots of stuff and people, but be appliance-like in operation. One tiling for certain, the leather furnishings and the tri-zone cli mate control certainly did give a feeling of plushness to a vehicle designed for plebeian pursuits. It's also a reason why Chrysler continues to be the leader in terms of sales in the minivan segment, a leadership role it seems unlikely to lose. In short, it doesn't get much better than this in the minivan segment. 2001 PT CRUISER 5.8% Financing IN STOCK! 2002 JEEP LIBERTY Tbe design takes you back, tbe engineering njoves you forward. unparalleled combination of ruggedness & refinement. IN ST B i 3 ^^5 i*r 2001 DODGE CARAVAN 2001 NEON LE VE O N $ 2 0 0 0 Rebate o r IN STOCK! 0 % Financing up to 6 0 months a S fir LOCKWOOD O C H R Y S L E R COME IN AND MAKE "YOUR DEALS * NOW! 175 W y e c ro ft R oad, O akville (between Kerr & Dorval) w w w .lo c k w o o d c h ry s le r.c o m F IX /E S T A R & ® O akville's 2000 · 2001 Five Star Certified Dealership 845-6653