34 — Friday, June 26, 1998 — North Shore News THE 1999 Pontiac Grand Am has been totally redesigned, its first major update since 1992. Changes to this compact front-wheel-drive car include new exterior ard interior styling, a roomier interior, a bigger trunk, a wider track, a new independent rear sus- pension, a new optional 3.4- lirre V6 engine (replacing the 3.1-litre engine), ine discon- tinuation of the manual transmission, and a 10% price inercase. The only thing car- tied over from the current model is the base four cylin- der engine and automatic transmission. As before, the Grand Ami is offered as a two-door coupe and a four-door sedan. This year, there's just one trim level, SE. The GT des- igaation has been dropped, but you can still dress up the SE to look like a GT simply by adding options. Though it has those familiar, aggressive Grand Am styling cues ~~ twin grilles, triangular wrapover headlamps, ribbed body cladding, and large taillights with horizontai lines —~ the new Grand Am has a more athletic look with better pro- portions. cyling highlights include north shore news AUTO fees REDESIGNED for 1998 (but already designated a 1999 model), the new Pontiac Grand Am offers a new optional 170 horsepower 3.4-litre V6 engine, a roomi- er five-passerger interior, a new independent rear suspension and a bigger trunk. Test drive the new Grand Am at Regency Pontiac, 1160 Marine Dr., North Vancouver. replaced with wraparound taillights. The new Grand Am is built on the same front- wheel-drive platform as the Chevrolet Malibu (which was introduced in 1997) and is considerably roomier than the previous Grand Am even though its overall length is slightly shorter, The new Grand Am is 52 mm (2 in.) wider and 41 mm (1.6 in.) taller, with a wheelbase thar is 83 mm (3.3 in.) longer. Its wider, caller body design makes the cabin feel much more spacious, Even rear passengers in the two- door coupe have plenty of legroom and acequate head- room although, like most coupes, the rear passengers sit underneach the rear win- dow glass. Unlike some 2+2 coupes, the Grand Am seats three rear passengers Entry to the rear from the passenger side is facilitated by a front seat that automati-- cally slides forwards when a release button is ited. However, the driver’s seat does not have this reature. One of the most promi- nent features of the new Grand Am Coupe is its sporty-looking interior which has two oversized instrument pods ahead of the driver and a sculpted dashtop with three large circular air vents. Other changes include an ignitien keyhole on the dash instead of on the steering column, centre dash stereo and heat- ing controls that are casies to reach, standard air condition- ing, ovo front cupholders and two rear cupholders, and | ————~ centre console with storage. My test car had the optional leather upholstery with a thick-rimmed, leather-bound steering wheel, leather-ces - ered gear-shitt lever, und leather-covered handbrake handle. The trunk is 10% bigzer than beiore, and at 14.6 cubic feet, ts bigger than average for a coupe. A 60/40 spht folding rear scat is available as an option to increase usable trunk space. This year, it can be opened only from inside the trunk to prevent thieves who break into the ear trom accessing the trunk. The standard powerplant remains a sporty 150 horse- power 2.4-litre nwin cam four-cylinder engine but the optional V6 engine is now a 170 horsepower 3.4-litre overhead valve V6, replacing the 155 horsepower 3.1-litre overhead valve V6. The new V6 engine offers improved acceleration, par- ticularly off the fine, and bet ter passing performance too. My only complaint is that there is sone torque-steer (steering pull caused by uneven power distribution | through the front wheels). under hard acceleration. It’s best to keep both hands on the steering wheel ~ when accelerating hard. OF some assistance here is the standard traction control which will prevent too much power getting to the font wheels in slippery conditions. On the highway, the engine settles invo a quiet hum at cruising speeds, doing just 1700 p.m. in top gear at 100 km-h. All 1999 Grand Ams now have a standard four-speed automatic transmission — the standard five-speed man- ual is no longer available, although rumor has it that it ” will return in 2000. { was impressed with the. 1999 Pontiac Grand Am coupe technical data Wheelbase: 2710 mm (106. 7 in.) Length: 4732 mm (186.3 in.) Width: 1788 mm (70.4 in.} a muscuiar V-shaped hood, | Height: 1400 mm (35.1 in.) | J an aggressive lower grille, prominent front fender we fares, a profile that is now more wedge-shaped, and a sharp cutoff at the rear. The rear taillights, which previ- ously wrapped over the rop of the trrunklid, have been wheel-drive Engine: 3.4-litre OHV V6 Horsepower: 170 @ 5200 r.p.m. Torque: 195 @ 4000 p.m. Transmission: four-speed automatic Curb weight: 1383 kg (3,056 Ib.) Base price (4 cyl.): $23,795 Base price (6 cyl. }: $25,230 Price as tested: $26, 590 Type: two-door, five-passenger compact coupe Layouz: transverse front engine/font- Trunk space: 413 litres (14.6 cu. tt.) Warranty: three ears/60,000 kr 000 kms - See Sporty page 35 Introducing the all new | SAAB 9-3 ond SAAB 9-5 taking performance with safety to new heights. The all new 1999 9. 3 starts at $33 ,200* The all new 1999 9-5 starts at $39,800* See them today at Morrey Saab. Available for immediate delivery. MORREY SATURN SAAB ISUZU 294-1331 4451 Lougheed Hwy et Willingdon, Burnaby : “Includes PD, add $800 transportation