test
drive

ON THE heels of Nissan’s

new Maxima sedan intro- _
+ duced last year comes the |
“upscale Infiniti variant —
the 130. . “
: Essentially, the 130i is a fully

“equipped Maxima with different -

exterior and interior styling, a qui-

... eter cabin, a longer basic warranty,
and a few extra features. [30s start
at $38,000, slightly more than the

: Nissan equivalent, a fulty equipped

- Maxima GLE. There is also a
sportier model; the 130t, which
adds BBS wheels, a firmer suspen-’
sion, and a rear spoiler for a'sug-
gested retai] price of $40, 500."

"The 130 fills a gap in Infiniti’s
lineup between the compact.
$30,000 Infiniti G20 and the curva-
_ ceous $48,000 J30. Competitors for
the 130 include other so-called

“near-luxury.” sedans: the Lexus

ES300, Audi A4, Acura TL. .

- Mercedes-Benz C280, BMW 325i;,:
=and Volvo 850. /

When reviewed the redesigned

-:, Maxima last year, ['was impressed

with its overall quality and level of |”
. refinement. It has one of the sweet-.-

est, smoothest V6 engines! have ©
ever encountered, a roomy, com-

ortable, nicely finished interior, an“:

excelleit ride, and comparatively
“good gas mileage. The Maxima’s
sore point is a rubbery manual

94 OLDS CUTLAS Bie
2DR od HE Leather Spor Pkg.,

Loaded §

MSRP 072-8706

Was $25993 Now 820775

95 CAVALIER VL
4DR Coupe, Automatic, Air .
Conditioning, Tilt

MERE #02-7102

_ Was $16055., now & 44983

Telephone

987-5231 |

“_mission, and together, they offer

accelerate from 0 to 100 km-h (62

| TAKE ADVANTAGE

WHO TO CALL:
Auto Editor

Andrew McCredie
985-2131 (147).

:ASSRAEAV CA HARARE ANON E LATS EN AT ARRAN Nae

luxury
sedan offers

sweet engine

Greg |
: Wiisor

transmission shifter. However,
that's a moot point when compar-
ing the 130 because it doesn’ toffer
a manual transmission. ;

The best feature of the 130, like

. the Maxima, is its engine. The

redesigned 3.0-litre V6 engine is
one of the’smallest. dightest 3.0-
litre V6 engines in ue world,
Nissun claims it weighs 45 kilo-
grams (99 Ibs.) less and is 10 cm
(3.9 in.) narrower than a conven-
tional 3.0-litre V6 engine. It offers
dual overhead camshafts and four
valves per cylinder for better
engine oreathing and higher engine
revolutions, and micro-finished
wearing surfaces for reduced
engine friction.

The engine is mated ta a stan-
dard four-speed automatic trans-

—— cere ——— ™ Photo submitted
THE NEW Infiniti 136 iz based on last’ year’ % redesigned Maxima sedar:. The tive-passenger, front-
wheel-drive, V6-powered 130 comes fully equipped for a suggested retail Price of $38, 008. Inquire
about the ico at Regency infiniti, 1778 Burrard St., Vancouver. rae OES

tA complete listing
| of true luxury cars
priced under
- $40, 000.

{ OK, it's a short list. A list that's
F limited to the one car that gives
# you the comfort, handling and
# performance of cars’ costing
f thousands more: the 130. New
A from Infiniti.

seamless performance around town —
or on the highway. The 130 will

m.p.h.) in less than seven seconds
— avery fast time for a mid-sized
sedan. The 130 weighs 23 kilo-
grams (50.6 {bs.) more than a
Maxima, not enough to offset per-
formance or fuel economy signifi-
cantly. Gas mileage is relatively
frugal: 11.4 1/100 km (24 m.p.g.) i in
the city, and.7.8 1/100 km (36
m.p.g.} on the highway.

The 130 has an excellent ride:,
that absorbs large and small bumps
well,'and it handles well. However,
there's a little too much lean in
high speed bends for my tastes.
The 130°s compact. new semi-inde-
pendent tear multi-link beam sus- ;
pension improves highway ride and _ &
allows roore trunk space but it... 7 f
doesn’t offer the agility of a fully

From -

83 £08.

-.- independent rear suspension.

* Standard four wheel disc brakes
with ABS offers short stopping dis- :

" tances and a limited-slip front dif-

ferential helps to reduce wheel- “spin. &
in slippery conditions. Base models ~ §
have 205/65R-15 inch radials

See Highveyp Page, 23 :

95 MONTE GARLO Ls
Air Conditioning, Power Seats, ©:
Windows, Locks and Morel racen!

| 94 “LUMINA APY VAN
Air. Conditioning, Power Paros. :
Locks and More! i

94 LUMINA APY VAN
3.8 Litre V6, Touring 6 Suspension, 7
Passenger, Loaded

94 CAVALIER nS.
V6, 2DR Coupe, Air Conditioning,
Sunroof, Loaded

MSRP #07: £298, -

Was $29855 Now $22210

95 LUMINA. APY.VAN LS:
.7 Passenger, 3.8 V6, Power Sliding
Door, Factory Sunroof ER:

MSAP #20-7267

Was $23368. now $17998
95 AURORA.

Dark Green, Sunrdol, ea
Sets, Auto Bahn Pkg

MSAP #20-8755 -

_Was $25635 NOW $21 $88

95 BLAZER LT 4x4.
Every Option imaginable Plus
$1000 of Dealer Options EEISESN ©

MSAP #02. 6233

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95 CUTLASS SUPHEME
Bucket Seat, Air Conditioning,
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SAP #20-0964

‘ see $30870 NOW. £26440

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FOR THESE ~AND MANY OTHER GREAT, GREAT DEALS

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