B10 - The Oakville Beaver, W e d n e s d a y N o v e m b e r 14, 2001 are to fnpare! LI LI LLI L? BEST WHEELS OAKVILLE Nissan Altima packs more power N m whv Chrysler is I after awaEd. TEST DRIVE n n 5LS TODAY! Fully loaded luxury, power sunroof, 17' chrome wheels, 4 disc in dash C.D. player, memory & heated seats and much much more. $0 Downpayment $2500 Downpayment $3500 Downpayment $508.73zmth $456.95/mth $433.22/mth ^ .tli y a u i i a v t * E i m A V u u u Power windows, power door locks, tilt, cruise, C.D., 4 doors and more Durango SLT+ Fully loaded including heater, C.D., 7 passenger seating, rear air & heat keyless entry, full power options including both front seats, heated front seats. $ 0 Downpayment $ 2 5 0 0 Downpayment $ 3 5 0 0 Downpayment $353.1&mth $297.11 / m t h $274.69/rnth $ 0 Downpayment $ 2 5 0 0 Downpayment $ 3 5 0 0 Downpayment $549.06/m th $493.23/m th $470.89/m th Power windows, power door locks, tilt cruise, C.D. player, air, keyless entry, security system & more. The premium Chrysler small car with the features people want in an affordable sedan; room, power and comfort $0 Downpayment $2500 Downpayment $3500 Downpayment $515.74/mth $460.22/mtti $438.01/mtti P O W E R T R A IN W A R R A N T Y & R O A D S ID E A S S IS T A N C E 0% Purchase Financing for 60 months on 2002 Neons. 0 JLC. sn n s C H R Y S L E R Monthly payments based on 48 month lease term, 20,4000km/yr. Leases based on amount down, plus freight, protector plus, air tax, applicable taxes & license. OAC. Some vehicles may not be exactly as illustrated. N CHR m. The place to lease or buy since 1961 J E E P ROYAL W INDSO R DR., OAKVILLE 9 0 5 -8 4 5 -7 5 7 5 visit us at... www.glenleven.com issan has taken a major step forward in re-trenching its image as a maker of satisfying road-going cars with the 2002 Nissan Altima. Much larger, much more driveable, and way more power is the package that m o v e s Altima, espe cially with 3.5-litre V6 engine tantalizingly close to BMW 3Jim Robinson Series and Lexus IS300 in prowess. Were it doesn't come near the 3Series or Lexus is in the price. The 2.5-litre four-cylinder five-speed manual starts at $23,498 and the automatic is $1,000 more. The 3.5litre V6 with five-speed manual is $27,698 and the V6 with fourspeed autobox is $28,998 Yes, you read correctly, there is a 3.5-litre V6, and not something out of a Nissan truck either. This is one of the VQ family of Nissan V6s that continues to be rated as one of Ward's Automotive Top 10 Engines, and that's been the case for close to a decade. Now Altimas have always been known for nice handling and descent power, but management vigorously defended a four-cylinder scenario for Altima. But the real reason was they were keeping the VQ for the Maxima and vari ous Infiniti offerings so buyers of lesser Nissans had something to step up to. It came as a surprise, really, that (a) Altima would get a V6 in 2002 and (b) that it was a full-blown 240 hp, 246 ft/lb of torque 3.5 instead of the 3.0-litre VQ that would have been seen as a major move up in itself. "Our research shows that there's a large number of sedan buyers who are unsatisfied with the performance and style of cur rent offerings," said Nissan Canada's marketing director Ian Forsyth. "The new Altima is designed to fully exceed these 'unmet needs' described by this group." With a 3.5-litre engine and five-speed manual transmis sion the 2002 Nissan Altima is bigger and much more aggressive than the 2001 version. The research must have also shown that buyers in this segment want more room, because the 2002 Altima is now a mid-size car and more than 100 cu. ft. of passenger volume brings it close to a full-size sedan. Despite all the bulking up on size, that's not the case for weight, as the 2002 comes in at only 32 kg (70 lbs.) more than the 2001. A lot of this is due to extensive use of aluminum. In addition to the V6, Altima is also available with a 2.5-litre inline four-cylinder that puts out 180 hp and 181 ft/lb of torque. Transmission choices are a five-speed manual and four-speed electronic automatic, both of which are offered across the model lineup and both of which are beefed up to handle the greater torque loads. All four-cylinder cars come with 16-inch alloy wheels, the V6 models with 17-inch alloys. Nissan didn't scrimp on break ing either, as the car comes with four-wheel disc brakes and an optional four-wheel, four-channel ABS system. The ABS cars also incorporate Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) that optimizes braking depending on passenger and cargo load and Brake Assist which senses hard or panic stops and provides maximum braking power. The car also represents a styling break away from the past decade. While Nissans have always been distinctive, they stubbornly kept to the family line that was showing its age in the previous Altima and Sentra The 2002 Altima has a high belt line and substantial hips. Both cou ple with a coupe-like roof line to give the car what I thought was more Germanic than California, although that's supposed to be the influence. It is, however, a very handsome car and the two-dimension photos do hot adequately show how taut the skin, especially along the midriff, is. This is due in part to the Altima being the first North American-built Nissan to use a one-piece bodyside structure. As mentioned, the interior seems almost vast compared to the previous model. In fact the Altima is only smaller than the Maxima by less than a cubic foot in passenger volume. In addition, the concept of the interior has been re-thought and is now offered in different "environments" that give a choice in seat cloths or leather, interior trim or optional wood trim. 'Most of my driving was in the V6, five-speed and it was a won derful experience. Nissan equates the 2002 Altima to Camry V6 (194 hp) and Accord V6 (200 hp). I would have thought Lexus IS300 and perhaps Audi A4 2.7 would have been bet ter. With the performance or a sports sedan but the price of a com pact, Altima is going to change a lot of perceptions ISN'T IT TIM E T U YOU HAD 1 n 2002 Nissan Altima The Cure for the Common Car has arrived P t - P C Q D ·C O Larger and M ore Pow erful T 9 1 : D U R IN G N IS S A N 'S B E S T B U Y S A L E S E V E N T 2002 Nissan Sentra Voted Consumer's Digest "Best Buy" in 2002 & 2001 2002 Nissan Maxima 2002 Nissan Pathfinder T h e "Thoroughbred o f 4x4s" Lease Altima 2.5 5 W ITH AUTOM ATIC Lease Sentra X E WITH VALUE OPTION PACKAGE for only Lease Maxima G X E WITH AUTOMATIC down. for only Lease Pathfinder X E WITH AUTOMATIC down. for $ 0 only fo r$Oa flO / m o * fo r4 8 $0 A only months, only ^ O r choose£ V a O F in a n c in g ' tT down. *219 /m o* for 48 months, only *695 O r choo: J 2 F in a n c in g ' 8 % . $ 398»" "« *3,300 4.8° O r choose F in a n c in g ' 0 0 /moMor48 $ 0 O C A months, only O jO O U O r choose down. 2.8 F in a n c in g ' Includes Destination and Delivery. Indudes Destination and Delivery. No Security Deposit · 175-HP 2.5-litre DOHC engine · Air conditioning · AM/FM with CD audio system and 6 speakers · Power heated outside mirrors · 60/40 split rear seat w/lock · 8-way manual driver's seat · Tilt and telescope steering column · And much, much more... · 126-HP 1.8-litre DOHC engine · Air conditioning · AM/FM with CD audio system with 4 speakers · 14" steel wheels · Full wheel covers · 8-way manual driver's seat · 60/40 split folding seat · Centre console armrest · And much, much more... · 255-HP 3.5-litre DOHC 24-valve engine · 4-speed automatic with gated shifter · 16" alloy wheels · ABS · Dual power mirrors · HID Xenon headlights · 8-way power driver's seat · Automatic climate control A/C with microfilter · Power windows, locks, trunk/fuel release · Cruise · And much, much more... · 250-HP 3.5-litre DOHC V6 engine · 240-ftIb torque @ 3,200 RPM · "Shift on the fly" · Part-time 4WD system · Power steering · 16" alloy wheels · Tow hook · Tilt steering · Air conditioning · Anti-theft system · Cargo area tie-down hooks · AM/FM with CD audio system · Auto-off interior lights · Auto on/off headlights ` And much, much more... Our 2001 Clearance continues with financing as low as Drive worry free. 1.8 LTD . O /o -s - I 3 . on selected remaining 2001's. I OAKVILLE N ISSAN -----H o n ito n QEW T o ro n to ----- Speers Road a N D R IV E N . Ask about our Added Security Plan. 1450 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE (905) 827-1177 w w w .o a k v ille n issa n .c o m S m art people alw ays read the fine p rin t A n d they a lw a ys w e ar th e ir seat belts. O ffers available fo r a lim ite d tim e a n d m ay change w ith o u t notice. t1 .8 % p urcha se fin an cin g fo r 3 6 m onths available on se lecte d n e w 2 0 0 1 A ltim a a nd P ath find e r; 2 .8 % /2 .8 % /4 .8 % /6 .8 % p urcha se fin an cin g available on n e w 2 0 0 2 S entra /P a thfin de r/M a xim a !A ltim a . O th e r finance rates available on oth e r models. F inancing exam ples: $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 a t 1.8 % /2 .8 % /4 .8 % /6 .8 % p e r a nn um equals $ 5 7 1 .1 1 /$ 5 7 9 .8 6 /$ 5 9 7 .6 2 /$ 6 15.71 p e r m onth fo r 3 6 months. C O B is $ 5 5 9 .8 5 /$ 8 7 5 .0 7 /$ 1 ,5 1 4 .4 5 /$ 2 ,1 6 5 .7 3 fo r a n obliga tion to ta l o f $ 2 0 ,5 5 9 .8 5 /$ 2 0 ,8 7 5 .0 7 /$ 2 1 ,5 1 4 .4 5 /$ 2 2 ,165.73. If the vehicle is fin a n ce d a t 1.8 % a n d the cash p urcha se p rice is n o t taken, the effective interest rate is 1 0 .8 5 % /8 .6 8 % P athfinder/M axim a. Lim ited-tim e o ffers on 2 0 0 2 A ltim a S (T 4 R G 7 2 AEOO); 2 0 0 2 S entra X E 5 -sp ee d m a n ua l w ith Value O ptio n Package (C 4 L G 5 2 BKO O ); 2 0 0 2 M axim a G X E A u to m a tic (U 4 R G 7 2 AAO O ); 2 0 0 2 P ath find e r X E A u to m a tic (5 C L G 7 2 AEOO). *48 -m on th lease on S e n tra /P a thfin de r/M a xim a /A ltim a : 5 .2 % /5 .8 % /6 .8 % /6 .8 % ALR, d ow n paym ent o r e quivalent trade o f $ 6 9 5 /$ 3 ,3 5 0 /$ 3 ,3 0 0 /$ 2 ,4 3 5 . Leases b ase d on a m axim um o f 7 8 ,0 0 0 /9 6 ,0 0 0 /9 6 ,0 0 0 /9 6 ,0 0 0 km w ith excess charge d a t $ 0 .1 0 /km . M o n th ly p aym ent a n d co st o f b o rro w in g w ill vary d e p en d ing on a m o un t b o rro w e d a n d d ow n paym ent/trade. E xcept w here o th e rw ise n o te d a ll offers are O .A .C . a n d e xclude destination a n d delivery (M axim a $ 9 6 6 /P a th fin d e r $ 9 7 2 ), lice n ce, insurance, taxes a n d o th e r D e a le rsh ip charges extra. O ffe rs c a n n o t b e c o m b in e d w ith a n y o th e r offers. V ehicles n o t e xactly as sh ow n . D R IV E N a n d the N issa n lo g o are N issa n tradem arks.