subaru Outback sedan resty! IN 1995, Subaru was concerned that the sport-utility craze might be passing them by. Though Subaru special- ized in all-wheel-drive cars, they lacked a sport-utility vehicle —- the Forester was still on the drawing board ar that time. So Subaru created the Outback Wagon, an SUV- Hike version of the Legacy station wagon with a raised ride height, larger tires, fog lights, roof nek, Ovo-cone paint and special body cladding. Subaru called it, “the world’s first sport-utility wagon.” Actually, American Motors beat them to it in the carly 1980s with the Eagle 4X4 station wagon, and Toyota briefly sold a sporty version of its 4WD Coralla Wagon in the late eighties — but nei- ther of these cars were very popular —— just a little ahead of their time. The 1996 Subaru Legacy Outback Wagon, however, was a hit. It almost single- handedly doubled Subaru’s sales and inspired Subaru tc create an Outback version of the Impreza. Other automakers were also inspired by the Outback. Volvo introduced an AWD Cross Country version of the V70 wagon last year; Audi will soon introduce an “all- activity” version of the A6é Avant, and Mercury is rumoured to be readying a 4WD wagon version of the Sable. Untii now, the Legacy Outback was available only as a station wagon, but for 1999 it’s also offered as a sedan. The 1999 Outback Sedan has everything the Outback Wagon has except a roof rack and the bigger cargo area. As one witty scribe put it, “It’s an Outback without the back.” Signature Outback fea- tures found on the sedan include a raised ride height, dual halogen fog lights with NEW for the 1999 model year, the Outback Sedan includes standard all-wheel-drive, a raised ride height, fog lamps, two-tone paint, leather upholstery, and a four-speed automatic transmission. Test drive the new Outback in North Vancouver at Specialty Motor Cars. stone shields, hood scoop (non-functioning), two-tone paint, protective side mould- ings, splash guards, stone- chip coating, rear spoiler, pol- ished alloy wheels, and 205/70R-15 inch tires with raised white letters. Mechanically, the Outback Sedan is the same as the Outback Wagon and the Legacy 2.5 GT sedan and wagon. Ir has a 165 horse- power 2.5-litrre DOHC 16 valve four-cylinder engine with horizontally-opposed cylinders, a standard four- speed automatic transmission, fuily independent MacPherson strut suspension front and rear, four wheel dise brakes with ABS, speed- sensitive power steering, front and rear stabilizer bars, and of course, Subaru’s all-wheel- drive system. Subaru’s AWD system dif fers from those of the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. While those operate in front- wheel-drive until traction is needed at the rear, the Subaru system has a constant 50/50 front to rear torque split. The advantage of Subaru’s system is more instantaneous traction when the road turns slippery and less of a time lag while power is diverted trom front to rear, or vice versa. Qutback Sedans are well- equipped, basically equivalent to the top-of-the-line Ourback Wagon Limited. Base price: $34,295 Type: four-door, five-passenger mid-size sedan Layout: longitudinal front engine /all-wheel- drive Engine: 2.5-litre HO six-cylinder, DOHC, 24 valves Horsepower: 165 @ 5,600 rp.m. 1999 Saturns. The payments shown here are based on the MSRPs for our brand-spankin’ - $254 mo 36 mo. lease Interior features include leather upholstery, 80 watt AM/FM/CD /eassette /weat- herband stereo with six speakers, simulated wood- grain wim, air-conditioning, heated front seats, height- adjustable driver's seat and lumbar support, power win- dows with a one-touch down driver’s window, power door locks and remote kevless entry, power moonroof with sunshade, tilt steering wheel, and cruise control. Like the Outback Wagon, Technical data the Outback sedan combines the virtues of a car with attributes of an off-road vehi- cle. Even chough ie’s a bir higher than moot cars, han- dling and ride are car-like — there’s no ride choppiness or tipsy handling. It’s also rela- tively quist with fewer drive- train vibrations than a typical sport-ute, and it’s easy to drive and park in an urban environment. For foul weather or off road use, the Outback sedan has the benetit of all-wheel- Tires: 205/70R-15 Wheelbase: 2,630 mm (103.5 in.) Length: 4,635 mm (182.5 in.) Width: 1,715 mm (67.5 in.) Height: [£70 mm (57.9 in.) Trunk space: 357 litres (12.6 cu. ft.) Warranty: chree years/60,000 km; Powertrain — five years/100,000 km “get out of my way, bub” new 1999 Sacurn SC1. They include cransportation, retailer prep and even a full tank of gas so you won't have to walk co the station with one of those red containers, Bur some things are extra, like cases (sorry), license and insur- ance. These lease payments are based on a low kin le: ef 60,000 kin - which is pretty far - over 3 years. with a charge of 12¢ per km over char amount. This offer applies to customers with approved credit. «| MORREY SATURN SAAB ISUZ www. saturncatnid.conr ’ 4451 Lougheed Hwy at Willingdon, Burnaby *16,623 U 294-1831 drive traction and a high 185 mm (7.3 in.) ground clear- ance. It doesn’t have 2 Low range gear for serious off read driving, but most Outback owners wort be doing much near-vertical dri- ving. Its large displacement 2.3- +. litre four-cylinder engine has above-average torque which improves low-speed respon- siveness and reduces the time needed to pass on the high- way. The engine is quiet at highway speeds, and exhibits a distinctive growling sound during hard acceleration, a sound common to boxer-style engines. The standard four- speed automatic transmission performs very well, but a manual transmission is not offered. Priced at $34,295, the Outback Sedan includes everything I mentioned See Subaru page 37 inder, gentler way to say ZERO COWN price includes freight & pdi.