DIA AEA aH IYO

NEWS photo Cindy € Goodman

THAT’S ITALIAN — Fritz Duernberger and his rare 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia T2 wili be part of the
festivities this Sunday at Waterfront Park when the Sixth Annual Italian Car and Motorcycle
roars into North Vancouver. The event starts at 10 a.m., with vehicles on display until 4 p.m.

ly refined TL sedan

’ overdrive
AN UNSTABLE and unpre-

dictable economy have affect-

: ed virtually. every facet of our

a society this past year; espe-

cially. the sales of real estate,

high-end consumer goods,
and of course, expensive lux-
'. ury cars.

Let's be honest. who can afford

- or justify spending $100,000 on a
‘car these days? With more and more
' people focusing on the lower-end of.
| the luxury car spectrum, the
* $30,000 to $40,000 semi-luxury car

market has become one of the most
. competitive.

Honda’s luxury division. Acura,
is cranking up the heat in this seg-
ment by bringing out an addition to
KS already respected lineup of cars:

_the TL series. Available in two ver-
sions, the new TL sedans are signifi-
cant entries because they represent a
new change taking place at Acura.

_ Inorder to increase brand con-
sciousness, Acura is adopting a new

* strategy of naming its cars with
alphanumeric designations — much
like other European and Japanese
luxury brands. The two TL sedans,
the 2.5TL and 3.2TL, are the first
fruits of this change. The 2.5TL is

- available now, while the more pow-
erful 3.2. litre TL arrives later this
summer. Both TL models replace

. the Acura Vigor sedan, which suf-
: fered from poor sales. Acura will
‘drop the names Legend and Integra.
sand re-introduce them under the

* new alphanumeric badges as well.

The-lower-end 2.5TL sedan car-

“eties the same displacement 20-vaive
© 2.5-litre five- -cylinder engine as the —
Vigor, though many refinements
- have been made to improve the

engine's drivability around town.
Acura’s unique-in-the-market
five-cylinder engine pumps out 176
horsepower — enuugh to propel the
TL to 1G0 km-h (62 m.p.h.) in just
more than nine seconds, Acura may

‘have difficulty luring performance-

minded luxury buyers to the 2.5TL
when some competitors (notably the
recently debuted Infiniti 130) can
outperform and outaccelerate the
2.5TL. Nevertheless, the 2.5TL is a
comfortable, balanced automobile
that absorbs bumps and potholes
with ease, thanks to the doubl:-
wishbone suspension that keeps the
car poised from all four comers.
With a significantly stiffer structure,
electronically controlled hydraulic
engine mounts (which cancels
vibration from the engine) the TL
does an excellent job of shielding
the passenger from outside noise.

In the handling department, how-
ever, the 2.5TL once again trails
behind some aggressively tuned

‘ competitors — such as the BMW 3-

series. The newly redesigned speed-
sensitive variable-assist steering
feels surprisingly light for a sup-
posed sports-luxury sedan. Unlike
its predecessor. the 2.5TL uppears to
be aimed at conservative luxury car
buyers. Knowing that luxury-car

_ Auto, amiim cassette
“Ovef 30 to choose from

FROM

$9, 933°
$4 GBinin *

owners demand smooth, quiet shift-
ing transmission, Acura engineers
made a tremendous improvement to
its four-speed automatic transmis-
sion. The TL’s electronic auto shifts
through its gears in a calm, crisp
fashion —— a major change from the
Vigor and other older Honda prod-
ucts, Inside, the driver and the pas-
sengers are treated to an inviting
environment with easy-to-reach air-
conditioning and radio controls. The
dash is trimmed with an expensive
looking wood panel, which is actu-
ally niade from a printed plastic.

Acura’s new $34,000 luxury
sedan comes well-equipped with
standard dua! airbags, anti-lock
brakes, power windows/locks, auta-
matic temperature control, eight-
way driver's power seat, and eight-
speaker cassette and CD player, to
name sonic. The more powerful
3.2TL sedan will debut in the sum-
mer. It features a strong 200-hp V-6
engine borrowed from ‘Acura’s fi 1g
ship model, the Legend, as well as
more features and a more upscale
looking front design. The new
STL doesn’t stand out as a truc
benchmark car in its class. But if
you Jook at the 2.5TL as a bargain-
priced Acura Legend, it suddenly
seems like a great buy.

4 Dr. Ltd. Edition

Auto, sunroof,

1.8L EFl & more
FROM .

Friday, June 9, 1995 ~ North Shore News — 27

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& SAVE

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" eTast transmission
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. (road test).

“le Replace vansmissio
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, ‘*Replace transmission (0) ana

filter : * Adjust linkage as.
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=f Geochwrench
| Service ee... ,

- EXTENDED HOURS OF SERVICE:
‘Thurs. 7: ‘30am-8: 00pm, Fri. & Sat: 7:

‘Automatic:
am/fm cassette

*42,688
SQ oaimth, .

All ’95 Hyundais come with a 8 year, 24 hour Roadside Assistance & 5 Year ar Warranty, 0 Deductible

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