BARGAIN-RATE CAR INSURANCE W ITH BARGAIN-RATE S ER VICE IS NO BARGAIN Don't trust just anyone to insure your car. see me: Wayne McGill 2345 Wyecroft Rd. #21, Oakville 905-847-5671 An Oakville Beaver Automotive Feature · To advertise in this section call 905-845-3824 or Fax 905-337-5568 \V I .1 ) M ' S I X \Y . II I V 17 . X >2 · I 'i l u i ' D l BEST WHEELS OAKVILLE NISSAN Flee Bob McIntosh 6 1 6 York St. O a kville Direct: 9 0 5 ^ 2 7 -7 1 9 1 W e le a s e all m a k e s and m o d e ls . Breaking SUV rules - the Honda Pilot By Rob Beintema SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER "What do you know about the new Honda Pilot?" people would eagerly ask me. I've seldom seen so much interest in a new sport utility vehicle. But that's an advantage Honda has with a large and loyal customer base. Those customers aren't interested in moving up from sedans into just any SUV. They're patiently waiting for Honda to build them one. Well, that patience has been rewarded. The 2003 Honda Pilot may be late coming to the party but it has shown up fashionably dressed and bringing all the right gifts. Not long ago, Honda fielded only one choice in a burgeoning sport utility mar ket - the CR-V - a "sport-cute" that plays well to Honda's obvious strengths of compact size, reliability, well-rounded utility and performance at a reasonable price. Then, filling a gap in the Acura lineup, they recently introduced the MDX, a brilliant, luxury mid-size SUV that raised the bar in its segment with new class-leading qualities - a 240 hp V6 with surprisingly good fuel economy numbers, third row of seating, plenty of amenities and a smooth, cladding-free exterior that broke with hidebound sport ute styling rules. "Now, with the Pilot, the packaging may be a little more traditional but our goals are the same," said Arch Wilcox, National Sales Manager for Honda Canada. "The Pilot is more of a 'main stream' SUV with the traditional SUV strengths. But, at the same time, we want ed to beat SUV weaknesses - fuel econo my, maneuverability, ride, etc." The Pilot is mounted on MDX's Global Light Truck platform but it shares less than half of its body parts with its Acura sibling. Built to maximize interior space while maintaining compact, garageable exterior dimensions, the Pilot is about the same length or shorter, and slightly wider than competitors like Toyota Highlander, Chevy Trailblazer and Ford Explorer. The exterior is traditionally-styled with Honda-accented familiarity. The The 2003 Honda Pilot, which was unveiled at local dealer lots on June 3, is rolling off the assembly line right now, built by your friends and neighbours in Alliston, Ontario. sides are wrapped in the inevitable but subtly sized, body-colored cladding pan els that offer protection on occasional offroad forays or for the more realistic day-to-day perils of the parking lot. Plastic skid plates front and back empha size the "drive anywhere" attitude. There's a handy step on the rear bumper for roof rack access and the spare tire is tucked up under the skirts. Nice. Nothing radical enough to grab you by the booboo but the Pilot's exterior is cleanly styled, modem and inoffensive. Ah, but open the door, slide into the driver's seat and the Honda Pilot's person ality and innovative design really hits home. The cabin feels roomy. A high hip point, upright seating position and large expanses of glass all round provide excel lent visibility for driver and passengers. Best vantagepoint and view of the road I've seen in a long time. The dash and instrument layout is modem and ergonomically efficient with a novel big central button theme on the high-mounted audio and HVAC controls below. The metallic-look 4-spoke steering wheel is particularly handsome. And a unique console offers an ingenious cell phone pocket with inside power source, another 12V outlet on the back of the con sole along with HVAC vents and controls for rear passengers, and a variety of open and closed storage spaces. Other thoughtful touches include grab handle reading lights, backpack nettingstyle door and seat pockets and a total of 9, count 'em, 9 cupholders including, in the second row, an armrest/activity tray that even offers an indent to hold the kids' fast food ketchup or dipping sauce. Okay, I know, I know. That is getting a little too weird. The Pilot offers three rows of seating the two front buckets and two 60/40 benches that will fold flat enough to take a 4X8 sheet of plywood or provide a boasted eight passenger rating. And, sure, with eight headrests and shoulder belts available in all seating positions, you could cart a birthday party around in the Pilot but, realistically, a six-passenger mix of kids and adults would be about the limit for long haul comfort. The second row is designed to be as adult-friendly as the first row. And, yes, this six-foot plus reviewer did climb into the third row. Not a trek I'd recommend for grandma, but adults will fit back there if necessary. Best left to the kids though, who will feel included in the trip and well able to see the sights thanks to the raised "theatre style" seating. Under the hood, Honda continues with innovative technology offering a 3.5 L, 24-valve VTEC V6 that makes 240 horsepower - the same as the Acura MDX but on regular octane fuel instead of pre mium. Power is translated via a 5-speed automatic transmission and through the Pilot's VTM-4 (Variable Torque Management 4-Wheel Drive) system that steers up to half of the usual front-wheel drive power to the rear wheels on acceler ation or wheel slippage. The Pilot's wide track, fully independ ent suspension, 4-wheel ABS disc brakes and rack & pinion steering system com plete a performance package that pro vides a very sure, very civilized and very quiet ride. We spent a long day test-driving and torturing the Pilot in both on-road and off-road conditions and I found very little to complain about. In fact, the only real gripe I could come up with was the wonky gear shift lever that pulls all the way down to a knee prodding level when the shifter was placed in "Low". Not a big deal, not a shift selection most drivers will use any way and I would hope there'll be a fix of that minor problem soon. I was a little surprised at the Pilot's high content level but Honda Canada's previous experience has shown that cus tomers tend to opt for higher end SUV models. The base EX trim level is not very base at all. It offers everything from roof rack to heated mirrors, auto climate con trol, tilt and steering wheel-mounted cruise, side impact airbags, power group, remote entry, homelink garage door opener and an excellent 7-speaker AM/FM CD/Cassette audio system. It lists for $41,000. The 2003 Honda Pilot EX-L adds leather trim, leather heated seats and is priced at $43,000. TO D A Y 'S @ ZlLL LLl Ll/ l Ll LL f 2000 FORD FOCUS SE I STK#0-94( STK #0-94663 3 8 ,5 0 0 KM STK#8-71463 STK#9-52965 63.000 KM STK#1-85062 18,000 KM f 1998 MAZDA 626 LX /2 0 0 1 FORD MUSTANG CONV. 1999 GMC y s1 2 , 9 0 0 FHt.' 1 4 9 PMT. \* 1 2 ,9 0 0 fin . s1 4 9 PMT. f2 2 ,9 0 0 FIN. * 2 6 3 PMT. V 2 4 .9 0 0 FIN. * 2 8 5 PMT. f 1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER f 1999 OLDS ALER0GL f 1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM S f /2 0 0 0 F0F WINDSTAR r 1998 SUZUKI ESTEEM WAGON" STK#7-72382 99.000 KM S t# 0 -2 0 4 8 7 7 6,000 km V 2 0 ,9 0 0 f m .s2 43 pmt . y 1 1 ,9 0 0 fin . * 1 3 9 pmt. \M 4 ,9 0 0 FIN. S1 7 2 PMT. V 9 ,9 0 0 FIN. S1 1 7PMT. i-- CO M PACT CARS 2 0 0 0 PONTIAC SUNFIRE GT _ ,, nnn m a in 1998 SUZUKI SIDEKICK JX RECEIVE BACK TH E SELLING PRICE OF YOUR VEHICLE!! IF YOU PORCHASE A VEHICLE AT AUTOPARK SOPERSTORE, RETWEEN NOW AND SEPTEMHER 2R TH , 2 0 0 2 , YOOR NAME W I U RE ENTERED IN A RANDOM DRAW. IE YODR NAME IS CHOSEN YOO W I U RECEIVE RACK THE SELLING PRICE OE YOOR VEHICLE. LU XU R Y C A R S 1 9 9 9 BUICK PARK AVE. 1 9 9 9 BUICK PARK AVE ULTRA , n . nnn , nnr 2 0 0 0 GMC SIERRA SL 1998 IZUSU RODEO LS Stk#8-05224 99,000 k m ................... $ 9 , 9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 1 7 Pmt. Fin. $ 1 6 1 Pmt. 1998 VW GOLF Stk#8-00130 76,000 km $ 1 7 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 0 6 Pmt. . . . .,, ,, ,, Stk#0-56360 Stk#9-61180 Stk#9-46584 Stk#9-85970 Stk#9-46584 Stk#0-8360 Stk#9-75483 Stk#9-21772 Stk#9-82193 Stk#9-76205 Stk#9-75483 Stk#8-58410 Stk#8-16360 Stk#7-06594 71,000 km ..............$ 1 3 ,9 0 0 1 9 9 9 CHEV MAUBU Stk#8-23800 99,000 km ................. $ 1 1 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 3 9 Pmt. 1998 VW GOLF K2 M l,, Stk#9-32452 59,000 km ...................$ 2 4 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 8 5 Pmt. Stk#9-39657 Stk#9-06831 Stk#9-47573 Stk#9-37989 Stk#9-11464 Stk#9-23818 stk#7-06594 32,000 km.................$ 2 8 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 3 3 1 Pmt. 48,000 km................. $ 2 1 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 5 2 Pmt. nnn nnn P IC K U P S Stk#0-44523 Stk#9-03513 Stk#9-36647 Stk#8-62818 51,000km .................$ 2 4 ,9 0 0 Fin. $285P m t. 84,000 km .................$ 1 7 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 0 6 Pmt. 59.000 km .................$ 1 6 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 9 5 Pmt. 97,000 km ................. $ 2 2 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 6 5 Pmt. W O R K CARGO V A NS 1 999 FORD EC0N0LINE E250 ,, ., ,,,,,, .._ 65,000 km ..............$ 1 3 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 6 1 Pmt. 55,000 km ..............$ 1 2 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 4 9 Pmt. 1 9 9 9 OLDS ALEROGX 1 9 9 9 BUICK CENTURY LTD Stk#8-39678 72,000 k m ............... $ 1 3 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 6 1 Pmt. 1998 VOLVO S70 GLT 1 9 9 9 CADILLAC CATERA 1 9 9 9 C adillac D eville 1999 CADILLAC STS 1 999 0L0S AURORA 1 999 FORD F 1 5 0 X L 1 999 FORD F150 XL 1998 FORD F15 0 X L T 4 .6 L Stk#8-15727 ............... $ 1 5 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 8 4 Pmt. _ ..... .................................. ................................................. .................................. $ 1 6 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 9 5 Pmt. 1998 VOLVO V 70 R AWD 1 9 9 9 0LDSM 0BILE ALEROGX 2 0 0 0 PONTIAC SUNFIRE GT 1 999 FORD CONTOUR SE 1 9 9 9 PONTIAC SUNFIRE SE ..................................$ 1 2 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 4 9 Pmt. 71,900 km .................$ 1 3 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 6 1 Pmt. 60,000 km ................. $ 1 1 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 3 9 Pmt. 63,000 km .................$ 1 1 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 3 9 Pmt. . . . . . . Stk#8-22348 97,000 km ...................$ 2 7 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 3 1 9 Pmt. 1997 VOLVO 850 SE 55,000 km .................$ 2 7 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 3 1 9 Pmt. .................................. $ 2 6 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 3 0 9 Pmt. 92,000 km.................$ 1 9 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 2 8 Pmt. .................................. $ 1 7 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 0 6 Pmt. 91,000 km .................$ 3 9 ,9 0 0 Fin. Inquire Pmt. S P O R T U T IL IT Y 4 X 4 S Stk#7-99817 99,000 km ...................$ 1 6 , 9 0 0 Fin, $ 1 9 5 Pmt. II II II I I I I I 2001 CHRYSLER INTREPID SE 2001 BUICK CENTURY CUSTOM 19 9 9 CHRYSLER INTREPID . ,.1 .. 19 9 9 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE SE 1 997 JAGUAR XK8 CONV Stk#9-8669 Stk#8-54957 Stk#8-66117 110,000 km ............ $ 1 6 ,9 0 0 Fin. $195P m t. 129,000 km ............ $ 2 1 ,0 0 0 Fin. $ 2 5 2 Pmt. . . . . . . Stk#1-70930 27,000 km...................$ 1 7 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 0 6 Pmt. Stk#1 -22933 57,000 km ...................$ 1 8 ,9 0 0 Rn. $ 1 9 5 Pmt. Stk#9-68695 .................................. $ 1 2 ,0 0 0 Fin. $ 1 4 9 Pmt. 1998 FORD E 350 CUBE TRUCK 1 9 9 8 FORDEC0N0LINE 1 999 SATURN SC2 1 999 SATURN SL2 68,000 km ................. $ 1 2 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 4 9 Pmt. 65,455 km ................. $ 1 1 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 3 9 Pmt. ...................................$ 1 1 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 3 9 Pmt. . ,,,,,, . ....................$ 2 1 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 5 2 Pmt. PASSENGER VANS nnn Fin. $ 1 8 4 Pmt. Rn. $ 2 2 8 ,,,,,,,, Fin. $206Pm t Fin. $ 1 9 5 Pmt. Rn. $ 1 7 2 Fin. $ 1 8 4 Fin. $ 1 7 2 . . . ,,,,,, 1 999 GMC ENVOY 1 999 MERCURY SABLE LS Stk#9-52965 nnn ............................ 68,000 km .................. $22,900 Fin. 62,000 km .................. $28,900 Fin. . . . . . . $263 Pmt. $331 Pmt. , . , ,, 1 999 FORD WINDSTAR LX 1999 OLDS SILHOUETTE 2001 PONTIAC MONTANA 1999 FORD CONTOUR SE 1998 FORD ESCORT ZX2 1998 MAZDA PROTEGE Stk#9-27302 72,000 k m .................$ 1 4 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 7 2 Pmt. 1 9 9 9 NISSAN ALTIM AGXE 1 9 9 9 OLDS INTRIGUE GL 1 999 GMC YUKON Stk#9-58150 76,000 km................. $ 1 5 ,9 0 0 Stk#9-24975 65,000 km................. $ 1 9 ,9 0 0 Stk#1 -64355 Stk#0-46099 ...................................$ 1 7 ,9 0 0 ...................................$ 1 6 ,9 0 0 98,000 km................. $ 1 4 ,9 0 0 * . _ , . . . Stk#9-73364 70,000 k m ................... $ 9 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 1 7 Pmt. ......................................$9,900 Fin. $117 Pmt. ......................................$ 9 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 1 7 Pmt. IM P O R T S & E U R O P E A N Stk#9-11390 56,000 km ...................$ 1 3 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 1 6 1 Pmt. Stk#9-88926 52,000 km...................$ 1 7 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 0 6 Pmt. SPORTS CARS 2001 FORD MUSTANG CONV 1 999 GMC YUKON DENALI s tk # 9 -2 i6 3 2 63,000 k m ....................... 2 0 0 2 FORD EXPLORER SPORT Pmt. $36,900 Fin. Inquire Pmt. ,,,,,, Stk#2-15533 Stk#0-17839 .................................. $31,900 Fin. $365 Pmt. $195 Pmt. $228 Pmt. $243 Pmt. $217 Pmt. $243 Pmt. $184 Pmt. $206 Pmt. $228 Pmt. ,, ,, 2000 CHEV ASTRO 1999 CHEV VENTURE 1997 PONTIAC GRAND AM SE 2 0 0 0 GMC JIM M Y SLS 83,000 k m ............. $16,900 Rn. .................................. $19,900 Rn. 75,000 k m .................. $20,900 Fin. 72,000k m ................$18,900 Fin. ,,,,,, Stk#1 -85062 18,000 km ...................$ 2 4 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 8 5 Pmt. p 1999 FORD EXPLORER XLT Stk#9-14116 Stk#9-89553 Stk#9-15972 Pmt. Pmt. Pmt. 2 0 0 0 ACURA TL 3 .2 Stk#0-20102 87,000 k m ................ $26,900 Fin. $309 Pmt. , . 2001 FORD MUSTANG CONV 1 999 CHEV CAVALIER CONV Stk#9-21945 Stk#9-07962 Stk#9-00987 Stk#9-08701 1999 CHEV VENTURE 1999 CHEV VENTURE 1999 CHEV VENTURE EXT Stk#1-94658 20,000 km...................$ 2 4 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 8 5 Pmt. Stk#9-05050 57,000 km ...................$ 1 5 ,9 0 0 Fin $ 1 8 4 Pmt. 1999 D0D6E AVENGER ES 1 9 9 9 FORD EXPLORER XLT 1999 IZUSU RODEO 54,000 km ................. $ 1 5 ,9 0 0 . . . 2 0 0 0 JA G U A R S -TY P E 4.0L 2001 VOLVO S60 2.4L stk#o-45437 ..........................$46,900 Fin. Inquire Stk/1 -62719 1999 SAAB 9*3 75,000 km.................$ 1 4 ,9 0 0 32,000 k m ............ $34,900 Fin. $399 Pmt. .................................. $24,900 Fin. $285 Pmt. Stk#9-26341 Stk#9-48808 55,000 km .................. $ 1 9 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 2 8 Pmt. .................................. $ 1 9 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 2 8 Pmt. 1 999 NISSAN PATHFINDER CHILK 1 999 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA 1 999 FORD EXPLORER SPT Stk#9-06012 59,000km....................$ 1 8 ,9 0 0 1999 F0R 0 WINDSTAR 1 9 9 9 FORD WINDSTAR IX . . . Rn. $217P m t. Rn. $ 217p m t. Rn. $206P m t. Fin. $ 2 1 7 Stk#9-56002 Stk#9-60007 1 9 9 9 SAAB 9-5 1 9 9 9 FORD MUSTANG CONV 1 9 9 9 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX GT 79,000 k m .................. $20,900 Fin. Stk#9-92765 44,000km ....................$ 1 8 ,9 0 0 Stk#9-52144 63,000km ....................$ 1 7 ,9 0 0 1 999 FORD WINDSTAR LX . . . ,,,,,, 1 9 9 9 SAAB 9-3 CONVERTIBLE 96,000 k m ................ $28,900 Fin. $331 Pmt. .................................. $19,900 Fin. $228 Pmt. 23,000 km . . . .......... $29,900 Fin. $342 Pmt. ,,,,,,,, Stk#9-05997 73,000 k m .................. $15,900 Rn. Stk#9-51664 .................................. $17,900 Rn. . . . . . . Stk#9-94930 88,000 km...................$ 1 8 ,9 0 0 Fin. $ 2 1 7 Pmt. 1 9 9 4 PONTIAC FIREBIRD Stk#9-00552 1999 SAAB 9-5 Stk#9-73939 61,000 km.................$ 1 8 ,9 0 0 Pmt. stk#4-i9721 .................................. $ 1 3 ,9 0 0 Fin. Inquire pmt. Stk#9-72806 Stk#8-49506 72,000 k m ................ $19,900 Fin. 1998 FORD EXPLORER XLT 1 9 9 9 PONTIAC TRANSPORT Stk#9-12119 59,000 km ................... $ 1 8 ,9 0 0 Fin. $217p m t. 'No payments till 2003 on approved credit. All payments; re quoted, bi-weekly payments including taxes S interest and $0 Down. Licence extra. Call dealer lor details. "Anyone who purchases a retail vehicle from Autopark Superstore between now and September 28th, 2002 draw time, will be eligible to participate in a draw. The i of Autopark Superstore, 4315 North Service Rd., Burlington. Ontario, on Saturday, September 28th at 3:00 p.m. The winning individual will be required to answer a skill testing question. Odds in winning are approx. 1 in 400. Call dealer tor details. I , I > » · · · · mm m m m t * · f , < t , · i t · · · · · · · « · · · · · · · · · · · · · · < # · · · · « · · · · · · · m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m i 4315 North Service Road Burlington 905-331-8500 w w w . autoparksuperstore .com Email: info@ autoparksuperstore.com B E T W E E N A P P L E B Y A N B W A L K E R S L IN E O F F T H E Q E W IN B U R L I N G T O N TH E D R IV IN G F O R C E W H E R E S E L E C T IO N I S E V E R Y T H IN G