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Wednesday, July 5, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER D5 B e s t W h e e l s · O a k v i l l e Chrysler P/T Cruiser: P art nostalgia an d lots o f fun I f you think about it, the Chrysler P/T Cruiser is a lot like the U.S. film industry. Heck of a wild comparison, you must be thinking, but my point is that when it comes to fun and entertainment, the Americans have no equal. The Chrysler P/T Cruiser, on the face of it, seems like a marketing class project gone wrong. Take hum drum fittings, dig back 65 years for styling cues, and blend it all together into a product peo ple will hunger and thirst after. Imagine garter belts with Road Worthy Velcro! But this isn't a Monty Python skit. This is Chrysler - not DaimleiChrysler mind you - but all-American Chrysler that brought us the Prowler, Viper and the Ram pickup family, not to mention those mouth-watering concept cars. When the Pronto Cruizer concept car bowed at the Detroit Auto Show in 1995, Chrysler chair Bob Eaton said that if there were enough interest, the car would go into production. The autopress benignly quot ed Eaton, thinking it was the usual podiumpuff for the media at the biggest car show in the world.. Well we, at least I, couldn't have been more wrong and I admit it. Starting (again) with the American movies, putting on a great show is usually a skillful amalgamation of people, bits and pieces, and dreams where the end product is literally viewed as more than the sum of its parts. Well Chrysler knows that script pretty well. Look what they did with what began as the old American Motors Premier chas sis. With the application of a stunning body and great publicity, the rather humble underpinnings fade away in the desires stirred by the voluptuous flanks of the LHS, Intrepid and 300M. It's a lesson Chryco brass learned well and have now enhanced to produce the P/T Cruiser. Not only is there currently a TV special playing on Speedvision, you can order a complete, free "collector" maga JIM ROBINSON The 2001 Chrysler zine that I would call a thick brochure. Not since the first VW New Beetle I drove on our streets two years ago, have I seen the thumbs up and vocal expressions. Even though it looks something like a 1936 Chrysler Airflow, much as the New Beetle looks like at 1936 Peoples' Wagon, it is the combination of nostalgia and new materials that pulls the concept off. In fact, Chrysler has been besieged with requests for information since it announced more than a year ago the car would go into pro duction. Normally getting a Chrysler test car is pretty simple, thanks to the good work of Chrysler's Toronto-based PR man Tom McPherson. But even Tom had to pull every string he knew to get the plant to free up cars for automotive journalists when the plant is under the gun by dealers worldwide to get product into the showrooms. So it was with great relief I finally got to drive the P/T Cruiser for a period of a week on roads I know, as opposed to a handful of hours in a test situation with other journal ists panting to get into your seat as soon as you stop. This is, in fact, the first full test of the car in a Canadian newspaper. Mechanically, it is quite straightfor ward, which is good news when it comes to maintaining one of these babies. The P/T Cruiser attracts comment and stares wherever it goes. chassis is Chrysler's maid-of-all-service lamps. The package is standard on the Small Car Platform to which has been Limited Edition version, which comes added a huge transverse beam that increas equipped with handsome five-spoke es body stiffness. This front-engine, front- chrome-plated alloy wheels. drive car uses a 2.4-litre 16-valve, fourBut after that, the magic begins with cylinder engine with sequential fuel injec utility that must set some kind of new stan tion producing 150 hp and 162 Ib7ft of dard. At 4,288 mm (168.8 inches) long, it's torque. a half-foot shorter than the Ford Focus but The standard transmission is a five- the interior volume of 3421 litres (120.8 cu. speed manual with a way-cool billiard ball ft.) it's up there with full-size sedans. It can knob atop the shift lever. Optional is carry five people, but the multi-purpose Chrysler's four-speed electronic automatic. interior can do a host of other things. The According to Transport Canada, the manu passenger seat folds forward to create a flat al returns 11.717100 km (24 mpg) city, surface for coffee, lunch, or a cooler. With 8.317100 km (34 mpg) highway. With the the 35/65 rear seat folded fiat, you can stuff automatic, it's 11.917100 km (24 mpg) city in an eight-foot ladder and still close the swing-up liftgate. The liftgate opens up and 8.617100 km (33 mpg) highway. So in terms of drivetrain, it's all proven high enough so an average person can walk components off the shelf. And the same under to load. The rear seats can also be goes for the suspension that is MacStruts removed with one-hand just like a Dodge over gas shocks at the front and a simple minivan. With the seats removed, there is twist axle at the rear with a Watts linkage to 1,812 litres (64 cu. ft.) of cargo room. At quell body lean. Again, standard Chrysler the rear is a shelf that can be used as a secu small car practice is the use of disc brakes rity shield, as a cargo extension, as a retain at the front with drums at the rear. With the er with hooks for a grocery net, or flipped optional four-wheel discs, anti-lock brakes upside down so the bottom surface can be and low speed traction control are included. used to haul wet or muddy items. The P/T (which stands for Personal Up front, the diver gets a captain's chair Transport by the way) Cruiser is equipped complete with armrest. The gauges of with 15-inch wheels and tires. The Touring white-face with black numbers are generic Package gives you 16-inch wheels with fog Chrysler. So too are the automatic shifter and the air conditioning, controls. Not generic is the use of a chrome-like loop pull for the door handle that is very art deco. In the same vein are the outside door handles with thumb button right out of the Chrysler Airflow's past. And that leads us to the styling where Chrysler's past, its present and future all come together. I noted with interest that the Market Research Corporation of America was hired every year by the New York Auto Show to get the opinions of showgoers. For 1934, the Chrysler Airflow was judged both the best and worst looking car that year. Flash forward to 2000 and the back parking lot of The Mississauga News and it's no different for the P/T Cruiser as inspired by the Airflow. But it's the use of the one-piece teardrop rear lights and the exaggerated fenders on the P/T Cruiser that steals the show. Add in the slightly nosedown stance of the car and it's like a play ful, pug-nosed puppy ready to romp. And romp it does as opposed to rocket as the 2.4-litre engine has a hefty 1,421 kg (3,112 lbs.) to move around. Now don't get me wrong. Much of the weight is in the stoutness of the chassis and the safety fea tures like door sidebars and second-genera tion airbags which, with kids, I appreciate. This is not a Dodge Viper despite the hot rod looks. For those who like a turn of han dling and speed, the touring package or opting for the Limited is a smart move. Price, in making a decision to buy a car like this is crucial. When I drove up to a blacktie function in the P/T, a fellow I know with expensive tastes in cars thought my test vehicle was worth between $40,0000-550,000. When I told him $23,200 for the base car, $27,400 for the Limited I was driving, he couldn't believe it. So the P/T Cruiser in movie terms is shaping up as a blockbuster, or perhaps bet ter, a segment shaker. It's not an economy car and its not a minivan, although it's a lit tle bit of both. Neither is it a family sedan nor a sportscar, but again it is a little bit of both. So what is it? Chrysler says it's "too cool to categorize." I say it's wonderful that car companies, especially big ones, can still come up with a vehicle that's fun, is multi functional, and is spunky enough to plant a smile on everyone's face. A U T O G R A P H Understanding car audio systems Car stereos are similar to home stereos -- you buy individual components that best suit your budget and needs. And, like home systems, you can buy a receiver that contains the amplifier and tuner (radio) or a unit that has no power (preamp) and buy external amplifiers. Certainly unique to car audio are speakers that use the car to resonate bass. Home stereo speakers use enclosures (cabinets). Here are the major components of a car stereo and how they are put together. Ford Taurus adds horsepower (Continued from page D6) ^ Source signal -- raw music rou r source unit -- compact disc, cassette, or AM/FM tuner -- produces a music signal which must be amplified to have enough power to drive the speakers. ^Am plification -- How loud do you want it? ^A m plificatio n of the source units signal can be done within the source unit, or via external signal amplifiers. Generally, the more power, the louder -- and often, better sounding -- the music. ^ Speakers -- Music to your ears Functions Volume · bass/treble · fader · balance · function selector (CD/cassette/AM/FM) Functions Amplification of source signal to power the speakers. Power requirements Twelve-volt car battery, switched on by the ignition. ^ Left channel signal Right channel signal * ' Light reflects CD to stereo j Power requirements Twelve-volt car battery, switched on by the ignition or source unit, * i he signal, now amplified, is sent to front and rear speakers. Rear speakers are usually larger than the front speakers, often for no other reason than the fact there's little space in the doors and dash for front speakers. Since speakers by themselves cannot produce audible bass, the trunk and doors act the same as speaker cabinets of a home stereo to help resonate lower frequencies. Power handling of the speakers should be closely matched to the power of the amplifier(s). Front Front amplifier Tweeter (reproduces high frequencies) Woofer (reproduces low frequencies! speakers music signal between front and rear speakers. Cooling ribs Rear amplifier Electrical hookup (ignition) Ground ~ Ground COPYRIGHT WHEELBASE COMMUNICATIONS avoidance, with a straightforward dash pod and easier-to-identify audio system and heating and ventilation controls. While the stylists were busy reshaping the new Taurus inside and out, the engi neers got to work adding refinement to the car's suspension components and steering system, while at the same time stiffening the chassis. The result, claims Ford, is a better riding, better handling car that is more stable at expressway speeds. Finally, both base and optional engines receive greater go-power, and are mated to a smoother-shifting four-speed automatic transmission. The base 3.0-liter OHV V6 Vulcan powerplant now produces 155 horsepow er, up 10 from last year. Move up to the optional 3.0-liter DOHC Duratec engine and you'll be rewarded with 200 horse power, an increase of 15 compared to the previous unit. One of the neat technical marvels avail able on the 2000 Taurus are the power adjustable foot pedals, that can be adjusted according to the driver's leg length. This feature means shorter drivers won't have to sit perched close the steering wheel -- and unnecessarily close to the front airbag -- in order to reach the gas and brake con trols. The new Taurus is available in three versions, base LX sedan, more luxurious SE sedan and wagon, and topdog SE Comfort sedan and wagon. Sadly, the SHO sedan, the perfor mance bully of the Taurus family with its 235-horsepower 3.4-liter V8, has disappeared this year. The world needs more FWD V8s, and with' Ford's heavy involvement in NASCAR, as well as other forms of racing, the lack of a Taurus SHO model might only be a momentary lapse. For now, the reformulated Taurus, with its neat new appear ance and hiked-up horsepower is well equipped to do bat tle with those domestic and imported pre tenders to the fami ly sedan throne. FINAL DAYS! LAST CHANCE la k N v H Y P 3 m rFW nnn 175 Wyecroft Rd.,Oakville ft/1F_AAfV? (tetween Kerr & Dorval) O R O JD O O O www.lockwoodchrysler.com 1