36 - Friday, March 19, 1999 ~— North Shore News STE Al 2 eel Ap kD hie oT FORMERLY the Sidekick, the 199° Suzuki Grand Vitara has a standard V6 engine, part-time, shift-on-the-fly 4WD, four wheel anti-lock brakes, and a tive passenger interior. Prices start at $22,595. OVER the past three months, I have put about 6,000 kilometres on a 1999 Suzuki Grand Vitara, ard apart from an annoy- ing interior rattle, it’s been trouble-free and simply the quietest, most refined small SDV I’ve driven. The Grand Vitara is Suzuki’s first V6-powered sport-utility, and with the exception of the Jeep YJ, it is the only smail S able with a six-cylinder engine. ‘The V6-powered Grand Vitara and the four-cylinder Vitara replace the Sidekick, one of the first small sport- utes Gn the market back in 1988. Like the Sidekick, the Vitara is offered in two w~ bodystyles, nwo-door con- vertible and four-door hard- avail- Greg Wilsen test drive top, and comes with cither a 1.6-litre or 2.0-litre four- cylinder engine. Both the Vitara and its equivalent, the Chevrolet Tracker, are built in Ingersolt, Ontario at a joint GM/Suzuki CAMI plant. Grand Vitaras come only as a four-door hardtop with an all-new, Suzuki-designed 2.5-litre DOHC 24 valve V6 engine which is exclusive to Suzuki. The Grand Vitara is built in Iwata, Japan. Unlike the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, the Vitara and Grand Vitara have a truck-like ladder type frame, and a part-time, shift-on-the- fly four-wheel-drive system with a two speed transfer case that includes Low Range (Honda and Toyota have unitbody designs with full- time four-wheel-drive and no low range). The 1999 Grand Vitara also has new automati- cally locking and unlocking front hubs. Though the Grand Vitara has a truck-like frame and a short wheelbase, the ride is surprisingly comfortable, Base price: $22,995 At highway speed on normal! pavement, there is very little engine noise or bods vibration in the cabin, and the Grand Vitara han- dles potholes and poor pavement with amazing composure. Both the Vitara and Grand Vitara have a new five-link rear suspension which, when combined with its solid rear axle, provides improved wheel control and Technical data a better ride while maintain- ing truck-like durability. Its new body and chassis are much stiffer, in part due to a new suspension brace between the strut rowers under the hood. The Grand Vitara’s short wheelbase and small curning circle make it casy to manoeuvre in traffic and par- allel park, and its large win- dows conibute to good outward visibility. Despite a Curb weight: 1,450 kg (3,197 tb.) Typ = four-door, five-passenger small sport utility Layout: tongitudinal engine/RWD /4WD Engine: 2.5-litre V6, DOHC, 24 valve Horsepower: 155 @ 6,500 r.p.m. Torque: 160 @ 4,000 r.p.m. Transmission: five-speed manual (four-speed automatic), two-speed transfer case with Low Range front 7699 SAAB 9.3 Turbe Towing capacity: 680 kg (1,500 lb.) Tires: P235,/60R-16 Wheelbase: 2,480 mm (97.6 in.) Length: 4,186 mm (164.6 in.) Width: 1,778 mm (70.0 in.) HReight: 1,740 mm (68.5 in.) Fuel consumption: City — 12.3 1/100 km (23 m.p.g.); Hwy — 9.7 1/100 km (29 m.p.g.} Warranty: three years/80,000 kms “ween The Saab 9-3 offers you performance in the broadest sense of the term. For us at Saab, performance is more than simply having a powerful, free- revving engine up fron:. Every detail which can sharpen your control behind the wheel is related tc performance. We've designed the Saab 9-3 to provide a close, intuitive link berween driver, car and road — to enhance your perception of ail that is happening. You can drive more by instinct, leaving you free to concentrate even more on the traffic. ROM tall body structure, wind noise is acceptably low on the freeway. The Grand Vitara’s new 2.5-litre DOHC 24 valve V6 engine is a smooth, willing engine with 155 horsepower and 160 ft.-Ibs. of torque, enough to tow up to 680 kg (3,560 Ib.). However, with a full load on board, the engine strains going up hills, and the accel- erator pedal has an unusually heavy fecling to it. Fuel consumption is com- paratively thirsty for a small vehicle, averaging about 11.0 1/106 km (26 m.p.g.). A five-speed manual trans- mission is standard, but my test vehicle had the optional four-speed automatic trans- mission with a Hoor shifter, an on/off overdrive button, and Normal/Power modes for economical or sporty dri- ving. 1 found it easier te leave See Vitara page 42 ORL 36 mos with $6,110 Dn + taxes; total paid $20,474 MORREY SATURN SAAB ISUZU 9294-1831 * 4451 Lougheed Hwy at Willingdon, Burnaby www, morreyautogroup.com CEE ray SARC