OVER the past 15 years, mini-vans and sport-utility vehicles have essentially replaced big station wagons, and for a while, it looked as though small station wagons would disappear too. But in the last few years, their numbers have been slow- ly increasing — perha ause of the decline in the availability of small hatchbacks. Though sinall wagons won't carry as many passengers as a mini-van or tow heavy trailers like an SUV, they do offer the fuel economy and maneuver- ability of a small car and the “Ability to carry two to four times as much cargo as a small edan. The 1998 Suzuki Esteern Wagon is the latest addition to the small wagon class, which now includes the Ford Escort wagon, Satam SW1/SW2 wagon, Hyundai Elantra wagon, and the all-wheel-drive Subaru Impreza wagon. The Esteem Wagon is based on the subcornpact Esteem sedan which was intro- duced in 1996, a car noted for its nimble handling, excellent fuel economy, and superb “park-ability” The Esteem Wagon is 150 mm (6.0 in.) longer (mostly at the rear) and 90 mm (3.5 in.) taller than the sedan, and has exacrly double the cargo area with the folding rear seats in the “up” position (24.9 cu. ft. vs. 12.9 cu. ft.}. With the split rear seatbacks folded down, there is 48.6 cu. ft. of cargo space. To access the cargo area, Esteem Wagons have a lift-up rear hatch that requires mini- mal effort and which is high enough to prevent unnecessary head thumping. The loading floor height is low and the car- peted floor is flat. There is also a hidden storage compartment under the floor. A pull-out “blind-type” cargo cover keeps trunk items hidden from out- side view. 3 addition, all Esteem Vagons have a standard roof Demo Feature; north shore news AU TO =i “cr ve wage | The new 1993 Suzuki Esteem Wagon offers a large cargo area, a fuel-efiicient 1.6 liter four cylinder engine, and standard features such as roof rack, power steering, and AM/FM/cassette radio. Base price Is $13,995. Test drive the new Esteem Wagon at North Vancouver Suzuki (1695 Maxine Dz). rack for hauling big objects like mattresses, sheets of ply- wood, kayaks, skis, or surf- boards. The Esteem will haul s maximum of 450 kilograms (992 Ib.) including passengers. In addition to its excellent cargo-carrying capability, the Esteem has two other worthy attributes: miserly fuel con- sumption and nimble han- dling. The GL’s standard 95 horsepower 1.6-litre single overhead cam four-cylinder engine delivers 8.1 1/100 km (35 m.p.g.) in the city and 6.0 1/100 km (47 m.p.g.) on the highway with the manual transrnission. Even with the automatic transmission, fuel economy is stil! reasonable: 8.4 1/100 km (33 m.p.g.) city, and 6.2 1/100 km (46 mpg) on the highway. These good fuel economy numbers are due in part to the Esteem Wagon's light curb weight of 1080 kg (2,381 Ib.). The other noteworthy fea- ture of this vehicle is izs han- dling and steering. Its relatively small size, short wheelbase, standard 14- inch tires, and fully indepen- dent suspension endow it with a “tossable” personality. City if 1997 Range Rover 4.0 SE wes 579,000 Now *67,900 Now accepting factory orders for 98 Range Rovers A Brian Jessel Company Land Rover of Langley Range Rover and Discovery “19447 #10 Highway 532-7185 driving — lane-changing, sharp turns, passing, and park- ing — can all be done with verve and ease in this small package. ; The Wagon retains the sedan’s independent rear MacPherson strut/coil spring suspension even though this layout does sacrifice some inte- rior cargo space. The short wheelbase has one drawback, a choppy highway ride at higher speeds. The Esteem Wagen’s 95 horsepower 2.6-litre four- cylinder engine provides more than adequate acceleration — remember, the Esteem weighs only 1,080 kilograms. Inside, the Esteem has an attractively-designed, sensibly- arranged interior with new push-button heater controls instead of sliding !evers for 1998, and new grey crim replacing black. Outward visibility is excel- lent, headroom is generous, and legroom is adequate. A couple of quibbles: the quality of the dash materials could be better and the radio buttons are too small. Esteem Wagons come in two trim levels: GL and GLX. GL models start at $13,995. | Suzuki Esteem GLX Wagon technical data Base price (GL): $13,995 Price as tested: $17,595 Type: four-door, five-pas- senger subcompact station wagon Layout: transverse front engine /front-wheel-drive Engine: 1.6-litre four-cylin- der, SOHC Horsepower: 95 @ 6,000 tp.m. Torque: 99 Ibs..* @ 3,000 npn. Transmission: four-speed automatic (std. five-speed manual) Tires: P185/60R-14 Cargo capacity: 680 litres (24.0 cu. ft.) to 1377 litres (48.6 cu. ft.) Fuel consumption: City — 8.4 1/100 km (33 m.p.g.); Hwy — 6.2 1/100 km (46 n.p.g.) Warranty: years/80,000 km three JAYLO MOTIVE SERVICE iTD. B.C.AA, - A.RA. - 1.0.8.0. Approved Quality Work = TALKING Trustworthy Service YELLOW PAGES / 4299-9000 985-7455 176 Pemberton, N. Van I7L4IS LS. LIFETIME WARRANTY on brake shoes & pads “Our 39th Year” FREE ESTIMATES & CONSULTATION ALSO COMPLETE MECHANICAL REPAIRS Guaranteed 1 year (5 blks south of Marine} For that you get a standard five-speed manual transmis- sion, power steering, Blaupunkt AM/FM cassette with four speskers, split fold- ing rear seathacks, variable intermittent wipers, rear wiper, washer and defroster, manual- ly-adjustable dual mirrors, roof rack, and body-colored bumpers. Standard safety features include dual airbags, three- point seatbelts at ali outboard positions and a rear center lap belt. Front adjustable head restraints are standard, but rear adjustable head restraints are not offered. Options include air-condi- tioning and a four-speed auto- matic transmission, but some °37, 880 * Excluding freight and where applicable metalic paint. features such as power win- dows and power door locks, are available only on the next trim level, the GLX. The $17,595 GLX adds standard power windows, power door locks, automatic transmission, air conditioning, alloy wheels, rear spoiler, upgraded cloth upholstery, power mirrors, tachometer, remote hatch release, passen- ger vanity mirror, and front seatback pockets. The basic warranty is three years or 80,000 kilometres (whichever comes first), but unlike other Japanese automo- bile manufacturers, Suzuki doesn’t offer a five year/100,000 km powertrain warranty. Including... ¢ Sunroof * Leather * Traction Control * Automatic Transmission * Sport Alloy Wheels * Fog Lamps * Spoiler (sedan only) * Leather Steering Wheel SPECIALTY VOLVO 1235 Marine Drive, North Vancouver 980-2464 www.specialty-volvo-subaru.com * Vehicle not caactiy as shows Drive Sately