34 ~ Friday, July 9, 1999 — North Shore News

. THE first Chrysler ;
LHS, introduced in.
: 1994, 3 was a sportier
“version of the 1993
. Mew Yorker, — a car

- which had just been
‘vedesigned using the
new full-size, front-
wheel-drive ‘IH’ plat-
form shared by the -
Intrepid, Concorde and

- Eagle Vi Vision.
Though the physical differ-

“ences between the New Yorker
and LHS were minimal — the
New. Yorker had a thiee-pas-

senger front bench seat and a.

* column ‘shifter, while the LHS
had front backer seats, a cen-
tre console and floor shifter —_
thée-LHS was more in tune

:, .with Chryster’s new image as a

* modern; forward- thinking car”
: company... :
os The New Yorker represent
ed the'old guard — +:
‘Corinthian’ + leather, opera
‘windows and vinyl tops—: ~

something Chrysler wanted to:

rid itself of.
: So not surprisingly, the
_- New: Yorker was discontinued
+. a- couple of years later and the
LHS became Chrysler’s new »

The LHS took a hiatus in
1998, but returned in 1999
with an all-new design based _
on the recently redesigned
Intrepid/Concorde platform.

The new LHS is now at
the trop of Chrysier’s tuxu
hierarchy, which includes

-sporty 300M, the well-
: equipped Concarde, and the

Town & Country minivan.
- Its new styling resembles .
ne Starger gl but the LHS
as a larger grille, different
bumper, projector beam head
lamps and twin fog lamps, |
larger tires and wheels, and is
slightly shorter in length.
Noteworthy styling features
include an extremely short,
sloping hood, unusual head-
lamp shape, large passenger
cabin, and a high, imposing
tail. .-
The LHS? defining styling

north shore news

dow, has disappeared frosn the
new LHS.

The LEIS is considerably
longer (157 mm/6.2 in.) and
heavier ( (55 kg/120 Ib.) than
tie previous LHS.

The extra length adds inte-
rive space and trunk space, and
improves the ride, bur makes
the LHS more difficult to park
— in part because the low
hood and high tail ere alrnost
invisible from the driver’s seat.

aA long 113 in. wheelbase
and cab-forward design pre-
vides a spacious five-passenger
cabin where LHS passengers
can really stretch out —
there’s plenty of plenty of
legroom, hip room and head-
room. And the 18.7-cubic-feer
trunk is almost big enough to
rent out.

The LHS" interior is well-
equipped with standard fea-
tures like leather upholstery,
cight-way power front seats
with memory and seat heaters,
automatic climate control, pre-
mium AM/FM/cassette/CD
stereo with 240-watt amplifier

_ and nine speakers; power win-

dows, power locks and remote
door locking, wood trim on
console, das! 1 and door, ,
chrorne door handles, leather- .
wrapped steering wheel and
lever.

# AUTO

Two items that I missed:
height-adjustable rear head
restraints and the availability of
sids airbags.

To add style to the interior,
the LHS features some unique
design touches such as old-
fashioned cream-coloured
gauges with numerals that
resemble those of a grandfa-
ther clock, and a chrome-bev-
clled dash-mounted timepiece
that looks like an expensive
watch.

Under the short, sculpted
hood lies a longitudinally posi-
toned 253-horsepower, 3.5-
litre, V6 engine with single
overhead camshafts on each
bank and four valves per cylin-
der.

This is a different engine
than the previous 3.5-litre, V6
and has 39 moze horsepower.

Though the LHS weighs
1,628 kilograms (3,589 ib.),
the 3.5-litre V6 has plenty of
power to launch the LHS off
the line and provide nceded-
acceleration during highway
passing manoevvers.

To counter wheelspin in .
slippery conditions, iow-speed
traction control is standard,
but can be turned off via a
button on the dash if the dri-
ver doesn’t want that annoying

_ power cutoff in dry condi-

A four-speed automatic
transmission is standard, and I
had ne problems with it dur-
ing my week-long test-drive.

You might expect a big,
front-wheel-drive car like this
to handle poorly, but the LHS
handles surprisingly well.

Well, pechaps not too sur-
prisingly since its sister cars,

the Intrepid, Concorde, and

300M also handle very well. .-

Unlike some domestic lux-
ury cars, the LHS’ ride is not
soft, or plush, but firm with-
out being harsh and with min-
ima} lean in the corners.

A fully independent sus-
pension and big 225/55R-17.
inch radial tires on alloy wheels

help with the handling chores. °

Four-wheel disc brakes
with ABS are standard on the

With the above mentioned
features, the LHS goes for
$40. 900. The only options are
a premium Infinity stereo sys-. -
tem, power sunroof, chromed .
alloy wheels, a smoker's pack-
age, and a full-size spare.tire
instead of a compact one.

Like ather Chrysler’s, the °
LHS comes with a standard - -
three-year/60,000 km warran- : |

This is not as good as m
other luxury cars which come

with a four-year/80; 000 km

warranty, or :
Now that the 2000

. Chrysler Neon comes with

standard five-year/100, 000:
km ‘powertrain warranty, I
expect Chrysler will soon’

‘upgrade warranties on all their

cars, including | the LHS.

Technieat Data

Base price: $40; 900. -
Price as tested: "$42,225

Typ: four-door; five-passenger; full-size, luxury sedan
Layout: longitudinal front engine, front-wheel drive
Engine: 3.5 litre, V6, SOHC, 24 valves .
Horsepower: 253 @ 6 400 r.p.m.

Torque: 255 @ 3,950 rp.m.

Curb weight: 1 628 kg (3,528 Ib. )-
Wheelbase: 2, 870 mm (113.0 in.)

luxury flagship. . feature, an upright rear win-
Q ee ‘ ‘ P ; Length: 5,276 mm (207.7 in.)
Width: 1,890 mm (74.4 in.) ©
Height: 1 422 mm (56.0 in.)
Trank capacity: 530 litres (18.7 cu. fe.) a
’ Fuel consumption: City: 13.0 1/ 100 km (22 m.p.g. hs
H Hwy: 8.11/100 km (35 mp.g.). :
| Warranty: three years/60,000 km

T 2. li Leaking red fluid?

siNcE1ess &

& Hesitation?
@ Difficulty driving in one or more gears?
@ Car wy sounds like it's running, but won’t move?

Cae
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