ment -6n> the : Engle A NEW WHO TO CALL: Auto Editor Andrew McCradie $85-2131 (147) FELLER L ENLACE STG RR UE “The Autostick offers the fun of manual shifting and the practicality and ease of an -. automatic” manual transmission ‘is now . standard. ‘equip- Vision TSi sedan. The new .: transmission, .:.: called Autostick, is similar in: principle. to.. transmissions used: by. Porsche, Acura’ and. BMW. Basically, it’s a four- ‘speed automatic transtnission that canbe shifted manually if the. driver chooses to. Cody Zdebiak - ciutchless, Tes SEP IS PVN NPL GR TE NE THE 1996 Eagle Vision TS! offers a new automatic transmission that can be shifted manually without a clutch padal, at the driver's option. The Vision TSi offers a standard 214 horsepower 3.5-litra V6 engine, four-wheel disc brakes, and chromed aluminum 16-inch wheels. Test drive a new Eagle at Regency Chryat:7, 1177 Marine Dr., N. Van. Autostick is also available or: the Dodge Stratus ES and Chrysler Intrepid ES. Operating it is simpler than with a traditional manu- al transmission, To engage manual-mode, the driver pulls the floor-mounted shift lever to the hot- tom of the shift - gate. To shift up a gear, the lever is tapped to the right. To shift. down, the lever is tapped to the left. There's no clutch pedal to push and shifting move- ments are more like a tap than a throw. {f the driver forgets to . downshift as the vehicle comes to a stop, the transmis- ‘sion will shift down automat- “deally to prevent stalling the engine. if the driver neglects to shift up a gear, an engine ‘rev Miniter wili prevent the engine from over-revving and damaging itself. However, unlike Porsche's Tiptronic, this transmission won't shift up automatically at the red- line. The idea behind the Autostick transmission, and others like it, is to offer both the fun of manual shifting and the practicality and ease- of-use of an automatic. You get two transmissions in one. There's another benefit to the Autostick — if the car has two drivers with different preferences, one can choose the automatic and the other the manual shifter. In my week's test drive of the Vision TSi, | found the Autostick to be useful for enhancing driving fun and vehicle performance, panticu- larly on open, winding toads where there was room to explore the manual transmis- sion’s possibilities. However, around town, I found mysetf leaving the Autostick in automatic mode, partly because it was easier in city traffic, and - partly because this is a very compe- tent aulomatic tansmission anyway: responsive, smooth- shifting, with no annoying delays when downshifting. Another point about this transmission — shift -move- ments are from side-to-side rather than forwards and backwards. | found this hard to get used to, since like most people, [’ve been trained to pull and push. . In addition. the arm’s nat- ural movement is to swivel forwards and backwards from the shoulder joint. Side movements feel less nat- . ural to me, but perhaps this a mauer of personal taste. Aside from the new trans- mission, the five-passenger Eagie Vision sedan has few changes for 1996. The base ESi model has targer 16-inch tires and wheels, two new stereos, power sunroof, a new overhead console, and seme additional exterior. colors. Standard equipment on af horsepower TECHNICAL DATA Base price (ESI): $23,970 Base price (TSi}: $29,715 Price as tested: $32,555 Type: four-door, five-passen- ger sedan Layout: longitudinal front engine/front-wheel-drive Engine: 3.5-litre V6. SOHC (2), 24 valves Horsepower: 214 @ 5,850 1.p.m. Torque: 221 @ 3,100 rp.m. Curb weight: 1,601 kg (3,530 Ibs.) Wheelbase: (113.0 in.) Length: 5,120 mm (201.6 in.) Width: 1,890 mm (74.4 ia.) Trunk space: 470 litres (16.6 cu. ft.) Fuel consumption: City ~~ 2,870 mm 13,7 100 km (21 m.p.g.); Hwy — 82 1/100 km (34 M.p.gJ Warranty: three years. or 60,000 km which: lists for includes a 160 3.3-litre V6 engine, four-speed automatic transmission, dual airbags, air conditioning, disc brakes on all four wheels, AM/FM stereo cassette, power win- dows and door locks, tilt steering column, cruise con- trol and heated outside mir- rors. —_ The TSi, which lists for $29,715 adds a 214 horse- power overhead cam 3.5-litre V6 engine, the Autostick: transmission, ABS brakes, - traction control, premium: cassette player,. speed-sensi-_ the ESi, £23,970, ‘tive. power’ steering, eight- way power driver's seat, key- . less entry system and chromed aluminum wheels, The Autostick is a. great idea for people who want the «- versatility of a manual and an automatic transmission. in one car. So close to Cody for tap sates- person last year.- almost a ) draw! Just julned us after 2 years as. number one in a major North Shore import dealership - Welcomed: ~_ { North Shore resident who has many happy customers in ber 2 years in the business! {2 years a General Motors sales & lease professional ~ all on the North Shore, . serving yout f ra Our satesperson of the year - now two yeats in a row! "Golfer y Extraordinaire’ jMichael Redmile - Suzi § Keohane} im Voted "Mr. Nice Guy" by all his pecrs-customers, tou, judging by his many complimentary: client letters ‘ The Connection - people from: : Pendcton prosper Check Mike Hall the Okanagan Connection - the kid from Kamloops is doing wonderiully well in his i last 3 Nora Yan yourst From down-under— Australia - now a proud West Vancouver resident and we are happy te former "Wheels"; he was owncr of one of the North Shore's D fincst pre-owned lots!