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D1 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, February 23,2000 A P An Oakville Beaver Advertising Feature To advertise in this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 ve --------------------------------- YOU WOULDN'T TRUST JUST ANYONE | TO DRIVE YOUR CAR, SO WHY TRUST JUST ANY COMPANY TO INSURE IT? Wayne McGill S lo t* F « « M u tu d A u I o o W * lm u « n c C o m p a n y C o n a ia n H m 4 O ttiu :n S « » b o r « o g h ,* O r t o n # 2345 NXStcroft R d #2 1 . Oakville | 847-5671 Volvo creates `wolf' in sheep's dothm P anache with dash is the only way to describe the 2000 Volvo V 70 R. It's the "R" that turns this stylish prem ium station wagon into a perform ance car to be reckoned with. T he R is a derivative o f the V 70 Cross C ountry (badged as X C) and it shares the same a ll-w h e e l-d riv e r , "S a L A system w ith vis cous lim ited slip centre d ifferen ,S *I(P:. I hS P ; tial coupled with a lo ck in g rear differential. T he X C is easily spotted by the way it sits up on a raised suspension along with special 15-inch w heels. The R, how ever looks like any other standard V 70 w agon although there are a few hints like 16-inch bright alloy wheels, twin exhausts and the "R" letter on the rear liftgate. Both cars are fitted with autom atic load level ling as standard. * Suspension too is m uch the same, being M acPherson struts at the front w ith asym m etrical ly-m ounted coil springs and a stabilizer bar. T he rear is m ulti link independent w ith stabilizer bar. T he R suspension is set for a firm er ride as befits a high per form ance tourer. T he real differences begin under the hood. W here the XC has the "low pressure" 2.4-litre inline five-cylinder engine pro ducing 190 hp and 199 lb/ft of *torque, the R has the "high pres s u r e " turbo w ith 261 hp and 258 lb/ft o f torque. Both engines are intercooled as w ell as turbo charged. W here the X C offers only a four-speed electronic transm is sion, the R uses the beefy fivespeed autom atic from the S80 sedan com plete with adaptive technology that m atches shifts to the ability of the driver and it also features a w inter m ode for m oving off on ice or slush. D isc brakes are found at all Road Worthy four w heels along with anti lock braking and Volvo's own TRA CS traction control. Even though it is a big station w agon, it is very sleek (without roof rails) with a drag coeffi cient o f 0.34 the same as the stunningly aero-efficient Audi TT. M y test car was in dark blue w ith gray leather interior with carbon fibre accents instead of optional wood. If the idea was to be purposeful looking, it suc ceeded. T he seats in this car fol low a long line o f the finest in the business. M arvelously form fitting, even the headrest feels like a huge catcher's mitt ready to cradle the cranium in a crash. In fact, this is more than a mere sensation. The seats are part o f V olvo's W H IPS (W hiplash Protections System ) that is com plem ented by front and side m ounted air bags along with five, three-point seat belts. W ith the rear seats upright, 'a Mm JIM ROBINSON mSm From a distance the 2000 Volvo R AWD W agon looks like the standard V70 station w agon, but it is a w oif in sheep's clothing. cargo space is listed at 37.2 cu. ft. and 67 cu. ft. with the rear seats folded. Total cargo volume is 97.6 sq. ft. while total interior volume on the R is 134.8 cu. ft. In addition to the usual week o f driving in Ontario, I used the R to get to the North American International A uto Show in Detroit. W ith last year's snow storm in mind, AW D seem ed a prudent idea. O f course the roads w ere clean and bare all the way, but the difference in road conditions on the 401 to W indsor really is awful. You an go from billiard ball smooth to cold-patch on cold-patch so rough it jars the steering w heel o ut o f y o u r hands. If officials are looking for reasons for all the crashes on this stretch, they m ight start there. Because o f the "four square" way Volvos sit on the pavement, road hazards like the above were traversed before they becam e a problem . Braking to avoid left- i | I Volvo V70 AWD R200 at a glance i BO D Y STYLE: Five-door station wagon Cross Country (XC) and R models I front engine/ all-wheel-drive ENGINE: 2.4-litre DOHC , inline five-cylinder (261 hp, 258 lb/ft). FU EL ECONOMY: 12.9L/100 km city, 8.817100 km highway PRICE: $56,595 lane craw lers w aking up from highw ay slum ber (or too many hours at the Casino) w as fabu lous. N ot only are the brakes great, but Volvos also offer tons o f glass to see out of. O f course, travelers do not live by fin e ro a d m an n ers alone. W ith tw o bottles o f w ater in the telescoping cup holder, I enjoyed Volvo's unique 3- and 6-C D p lay er system . N ot only do you get a standard 6-changer, the dash holds and addition al 3-changer. You get to carry your fav s (y es D inah W ashington is there) in the 6slot and use the 3-slot for w hat strikes y o u r fancy because you can change discs on the move. W ith p rem ium , eig h t-sp eak er so u n d sy stem an d D olby Surround Sound, listening to th e late C u rtis M ay field brought a tw inge o f nostalgia as a group o f us drove through D etroit on o u r w ay to a dinner in D earborn. A t a list price o f $56, 595 (X C is $48,995) the Volvo R W agon is pricey b u t it also one o f the best equipped, easily the safest and probably the fastest station w agon in the world. W hen the new V 70 com es to show room s later this year, cars like the X C and R w ill cease to be. E rgo, the tim e to get one o f these N ordic ro ad rockets is now. H e or she w ho hesitates is lost. So if y o u 're looking for a great w ay to get lost in a hurry, then the Volvo R W agon is for you. Auto Show * runs through Sunday The Canadian ·I n t e r n a t i o n a l A utoShow, con tinues through Sunday at the North and South buildings o f the M etro Toronto Convention Centre. The S how 's South building entrance is tw o blocks from the GO and the TTC via the clim ate p r o t e c t e d SkyW alk from Union Station. T here is free parking and bus shuttle every show evening from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. and all day during Show hours on Saturdays and Sundays at design a t e d Harbourfront parking lots on Q ueen's Q uay com plim ents o f the N issan Dealers. T he M etro T o r o n t o CARIBBEAN OR MEXICAN CRUISE CARIBBEAN OR MEXICAN CRUISE CARIBBEAN OR MEXICAN CRUISE w~ yy ' T t --------'"7';.- c ;- .j i h a t c h r 1 t j :. i . \ i \ ^ i £j \ T F s rJ fir© ---------- ;-- -- ------------------------ ------------------ Lease o r pur purchase a n e w o r u sed vehicle IcARIBBEAN Or I m EXICAN CRUISE FOR T A ir f a r e a n d p o r t taxes n o t in c lu d e d 2.01 16 valve, 132hp engine, auto, air, AM/FM/cassette, 4-wheel fully independent suspension, tilt, full console w/centre arm rest, 60/40 split, d u a l ext. mirrors w / driver's side m an u al remote, tin ted glass, child protection rear door locks, next generation d u a l airbags. 2000 CHRYSLER NEON 22D OR LEASE FOR... $0 down 2000 DODGE CARAV7VN * st 3.0L V6, 4-speed auto, trans., tilt, dual sliding doors, 7 passenger, power windows & locks, cruise^AM/FM/cassette, air conditioning, Easy Out roller seats, sunscreen glass. Financing up to 60 filths' $ 2 6 5 .6 9 /m th 48 mths. 25,200 kms. hft LEASE $0 down FOR... $2500 down $3500 down $ 3 7 8 . 3 0 + to* $ 3 0 4 . 4 2 + tax $ 2 7 4 . 8 7 + tax Convention Centre (M TCC) is wheel chair acces sible and a W heelchair shut tle is available between the North & South buildings o f the M T C C . A d u l t A dm ission is $12.00. $2.00 dis count coupons (off adult admis sion) are available in T he Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, and at Sunoco service stations, and all T o r o n t o A u t o m o b i l e INTREPID 22C 2 .7 1 V6, 4-speed auto, trans., dual, 2000 CHRYSLER 300M Leather, AM/FM cassette/CD, power sunroof, 17" chrome wheels, heated power seat, keyless remote. 2000 GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO 26E | H eated mirrors, fog lam ps, security alarm , a ll terrain tir e s, pow er windows, pow er locks, pow er mirrors, full I size spare. power windows & locks, tilt, cruise, AM/FM/cassette, air conditioning. LEASE $0 d ow n FOR... $2500 dow n $3500 dow n $412.90+ tax ! 1337.33+ tax $307.10+t<« LEASE $0 dow n ·FOR... $3000 dow n $4000 dow n >569.10+ tax >478.18+ tax >448.21+ tax LEASE $0 dow n FOR... $3000 dow n $4000 dow n S545.21+ta* S452.73+tax $421.90+ tax D e a l e r s ' Plus freight, taxes a n d licence. Caravan, Intrepid, 300M a n d Grand Cherokee Laredo are based on 36mth. leases, OA.C. with 20,400 km/yr. excess for the Caravan, Intrepid, 300M, a n d G rand Cherokee Laredo @ 1 2 ( per km., Neon @ .0 8 ( per km. __________________ Association m em bers and usable M onday thru Thursday. The last day o f the show is Sun. Feb. 27th w ith hours that day 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. T r^ m u ? \r\T \ 175 Wyecroft Road, Oakville LOCKWOOD 0 1 C H R Y S L E R m m www.lockwoodchrysler.com (BETWEEN KERR & DORVAL)