Friday, August 7, 1992 - North Shore News — 25 ifferent strokes for different car folks MY FRIEND Chiharu enjoys eating a Japanese delicacy called uni, a raw piece of sea urchin. I, on the other hand, have a problem with uni. Its yellow-brown color and soft texture remind me of something I would rather not see on a plate to be served. However, I have no problem eating chicken feet at Dim Sum, while he might lcse his appetite just staring at it. Both of these oriental dishes are considered to be among the best in their respective countrics. The fact that Chiheru and I have remarkably similar interests and hobbies doesn’t prevent us frorn having distinctly different tastes. Likewise, not all cars in the same class are meant for everyone. Every car has a dif- ferent character that is repre- sentative of the people who designed and engineered it. In some cases the car does not exbib- it any unique behavior, but in other cases the character distinc- tion is as obvious as the difference between uni and chicken feet. Let’s first take a look at two Japanese compact sedans, the Nissan Sentra and Toyota Cor- alia, which are aimed at families locking for a dependable, eco- nomical car that is also easy on the wallet. At a glance, they ap- pear to have identical specifica- tions: Japanese make, 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, five- passenger seating, front-wheel drive, identical 4,325 mm overall length, and a price tag of around $13,000. But once you take the two cars out on ihe road, you re- alize that these two cars represent a different approach to the defini- tior of a compact family car. ‘the Corolla is very comfortable and . whisper-quiet. Its designers and engineers deliberately chose a soft suspension setting to mimic a “big car’’ ride. The Corolla ab- sorbs bumps as if it was driving over pillows. It pampers the driver with softness and the handling reflects the same conservative at- itude. - The Sentsa, on the other hand, OVERDRIVE is significantly sportier in charac- ter than the Corolla, feeding back Public speaking ‘course offered at Cap College SPEAKING IN public doesn’t just mean making speeches to huge crowds, and it doesn’t have to be a frightening experience. ml | cusrow 47 That’s what students learn in LEASE PRICE 620 Capilano College’s popuiar i public-speaxing course, Com- munications 170. “*The course is designed for both the novice and the more ex- perienced speaker,’’ says instruc- tor Beverley Reid. ‘‘We use the college’s television studio as our classroom, so we can videotape all class presentations for immediate playback ard discussion.” The course covers overcoming nervousness and fear, adjusting to audience feedback and reaction, and preparing speeches for both forma! and informal occasions. Reid is the author of a suc- cessful textbook, The Essentials of Business Writing and Speaking, and has extensive experience in teaching public speaking and in- terviewing. CMNS 170 (Public Speaking) will run at Capilano College’s Lynnmour campus cn Monday evenings, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., from Sept. 14 to Dec. 14. The cost is $150.25. Seniors pay $44.50. Anyone interested in the course should call Reid at Capilano Col- lege, 986-1911, or communica- tions department coordinator Crawford Kilian at local 2585, early in August. 1892 MAZDA MP¥ V6, suto, 7 passenger, AM/FM cass. 1992 NISSAN PATHFINDER XE V6, 5 speed, A/C TEASE PRICE 49, 567 more road feel to the driver. Sup- portive seats, more aggressive ex- haust notes, and a crisp handling tell you that the car can be driven around corners at higher limits than the Corolla. In other words, if you enjoy driving a sportier car, you will en- - joy driving the Nissan Sentra over the Corolla. The Corolla will ap- peal to buyers who might have owned a larger car, and really ap- preciate the softer ride quality. Nissan and: Toyota have tuned their respective vehicles differently to cater to different tastes within the same market audience. Now, let’s look at the other end of the spectrum; expensive, im- practical semi-exotic sports cars. Both the Acura NSX and Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 are pric- ed out of reach of most con- sumers, at around $80,000 apiece. Both can reach 100 km/h in about five seconds, and neither are really designed to carry luggage at alli. Again, these two cars at first appear to bé aiming at the same buyers. Not so. Corvette buyers are typically males who loved the muscle cars HUGE SAVINGS ON ALL VEHICLE MAKES & MODELS 1992 DODGE CARAVAN V6, AIC, Siroof, PAV, airbag CUSTOM . LEASE PRICE Based on 48 month open ended leases with zero down OAC. Fralght & Pol included. Taxes extra. Vehicles may not be exactly as illustrated OPEN MON.-FRL 8am-7pm Sat. 10am-4pm CUSTOM LEASE | VEHICLE LEASING 1348 MARINE DR., N.V. Sun. 12 noon-4pm|. oas- 1142 f of the ’50s and ’60s. They grew up dreaming of owning a Corvetie one day. Their definition of a sports car emphasizes straight-line stability and massive torque that comes from a large displacement, good old V-8. NSX_ buyers reflect a younger generation of buyers who grew up on Hondas and Datsuns, and have a strong appreciation for high- revving, light-feel cars. They prefer a powertrain that is begging to be “revved around,’’ and one that hes a very athletic feel to it. This mears that a typical Cor- vette buyer wouldn't be impressed with the NSX, and vice versa. This contrast became very clear when I had an opportunity to talk to a number of Corvetie lovers who had a chance to drive the NSX last year at a special evalua- tion in Kentucky. The Corvette fans complained that the NSX felt wimpy and gutless at low rpm range. They much preferred the Vette’s ‘‘brute-force’* feel. At the same location, one of the NSX enthusiasts drove around the Corvette, and said that he would never consider buying it because it felt rough on the edges and lacked refinement. I wouldn’t even try to convince one that the other is right, because both are right. The two cars are meant to satisfy two different types of people, with two strikingly different tastes. I can think of numerous other examples where the cars are essen- tially in the same market segment, but exhibit a very different feel. This is why a test drive is so im- portant when making a decision on which car to buy. With a thorough test drive, you wili be able to determine which car fits your character. Just remember not to get too caught up with facts, facts, and. more facts. Once you’ve narrowed - your choices based on reliable facts, let your ‘‘taste buds’’ choose the real buy — after all, you wouldn’t want someone to convince you that uni is the best Japanese food before actually eating it, right? WHEN YOu DU CONSIDER THE CAR, COMMITMENT, AND THE PRICE, — SENTRA iS CLEARLY THE BEST VALUE! Based on $1,000 down. Ist & last paymencs over 48 months O.A.C. Toral paid $12,509.92 plus taxes. Freight & PDI included 24-Hour Toll-Free Helpline EXTENDED WARRANTY + CARPETED FLOOR MATS ABSOLUTELY FREE WITH EVERY SENTRA LEASED 4180 RRGINE OA ORTH NANCOUY, i99i f Nissan % Award tS 1989 ‘sane Mati ¢ {: ‘Award eae! i of Cre el Merit vA 4 tae BB5-9STL ost ot tvn-cat cote ‘Ni A a er eee”