‘ Photo sudmitted

THE ABOVE photo is the first available image o of BMW's much-anticipated new ‘open two-seater
“roadster -— the Z3. Powered by a 7.8-litre four cylinder erigine, the Z3 is the German automak-"
“ers latest i in along line of roadsters, and wiil begin production in South Carolina i in early: 1996. ;

: The t two- door ‘Neo Sport, starts.

al$16,350. _Apart from the standard |

“equipment mentioned ;above; the

r steering, power door :.:’

locks, power mirrors, variable inter-

mittent wipers, tachometer, AM/FM +
cassette, with? six speakers; “60/40:

it i folding 1 rear seats, and tilt steer-

Popular features, such as air-con-

‘ditioning, CD player, cruise control

and leather upholstery, are available

sameé-amount ‘of ‘interior room and
trunk space as the four-door model.

‘B.C ‘ cbsolite lowest

2 cab: forward design and volumes of”
window giass., However, ‘the fixed~’
rear side-windows are not quite-as :
, big. asthe four-door’s and the sill is
higher, ‘making sitting in: the ‘rear

seat a little more claustrophobic.
The . major, difference between

the two-door Sport and other Neons
performance. The Sport's. 150

horsepower ‘engine has .more. iow-
nd grunt, than the 132 horsepower

engine, :and“‘acceleration.: from’ a
standing start is quicker. However, |

didn’t -find ‘it “to: be’ ‘significantly “
“quicker, perhaps. because, the two-
‘door: car: weighs 32. “kilograms (60. ww

bs:) ma than the four-door car,
-In addition, fifth gear is: geared
ower resulting i ina steady, booming

engine’ sound: at™-cruising , speeds.-

The: 150 hp engine turns over 3,000

* 1p.m. at a cruising speed of 100 km-.,

h° (62: m.p.h.) compared to 2,400

“rpm..@ 100 km-h for the 132 hp
“engine. Though the 150 hp engine -
~has dual overhead camshafts. four
“valves per, cylinder and a 6.500

np.m. redline, it gets preity thrashy

‘over'$,000 r.p.m., and seems to like -
: lower engine. speeds.

Fortunately,

price, goo a we can't beat the

“engine.

this engine has. ots. of torque, so

that’s not a problem. i
“Fuel: consumption of the’ 150
horsepower engine is only: margin-

- ally highef. than the 132- horsepower :
City. consumption. is .8.7/
1/100 km. (32"m.p.g.), and highway. .

is 5.9. /100 km (48 m.p.g.). ‘
“The standard five-speed manual

transmission is a joy to shift, while
_ the -optional’ three-speed ‘automatic
offers adequate, though not exem--”

plary. performance. Many competi-

une oe Ce

wet me net

Friday, July 14, 1995 - North Shore News - 27

BEER FOR B.C. DAY!
Brew It Yourself for about _
$1.00 a pint

ll Wide Range of Styles and Tastes for |
_. Discriminating Beer Lovers. . a

Ambleside Brewing Co. Lid. ee .
1531 Clyde Avenue, ;aaae mm. . | fa

“West Vancouver |
“(behind Esso station at 15th & Marine)

Call 926-6636

to book a kettle, _
or drop in to look around

injection system. Readjuat the bake ia
“if necessary. All parts replaced will be’
“The Expert Choice”,

tors’ offer four-speed automatic a

. ansmissions: ;
v. + The Sport's suspension is s stiffer .
“than the. standard Neon, improving

. handling, but ‘not ‘tide comfort. The’ .
‘, standard disc brakes with ABS offer
“great stopping power and-an extra;
safety margin in Panic braking situ-

ations.

‘Though not quite as rélined ¢ s
some of its more. expensive com-
petitors. the Neon Coupe Sport is’a
{un-to-drive. five- ssenger com-
pact with good look’ to boot.’

{t's certainly a practical -alterii-
tive to a two- seater, or a 242 Sports