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parunent.

Monte Carlo SS models
add upgraded cloth uphol-
stery, separate driver/passen-
ger temperature controls,
leather-covered steering wheel
and shifter, power driver's
seat, seat heaters, and
stereo/cruise control buttoas
on the steering wheel.

T wasn’t partial to the

monotone, black interior
colour of my test car. In my
opinion, some Woodgrain tim
or alternate coloured dash
material is needed to break up
the monotony.

A more serious complaint
is about access to the rear seat.
The front passenger seat does
not automatically slide for-
wards when the seatback is
folded, and a seatbelt strap
which extends from the B pil-

B includes freight & P.D.E., M.S.ALP. $24,890

Drive select 4X4. City:
Highway: 9.7L/100km (28 mifgal)

12.3L/100km (23 migal) i 5,

lease $

239...

for

More room, horsepower

jar to the front seat impedes
entry and exit.

In addition, the lon:
heavy front deors are difficult
to open in a crowded parking,
lor. For such a lorge coupe, t
found thar getting into the
rear seat way unusually diffi-
cult.

For a coupe, the Monte
Carlo has a large trunk, a verv
roomy 447 litres (15.8 cubic
feet. Split folding rear seat-

includes freight & P.D.E., MSRP. $16,390 3
Drive select 4X4. City: 7.61/100km (37 mi’gal,
Highway: 5.7L/10Gkm (49 migal}

North Van Suzuki

983-2088

backs provide a pass-through
from the trunk tor longer
items,
Performance better chan
expected

1 admis, I was biased
against big, foat-wheel-drive
coupes when [ first stepped
into my Monte Carlo SS test
car. “How can a big coupe be
sporty?” [thought to niyself.
Isn’t this just a glorified
Impala with a few fender
bulges and two very long,
doors?

Having previously driven
the impala sedan, 1 knew that
the Monte Carlo was likely to
have a confortable ride, a
quiet, powerful powertrain,
good brakes, and a roomy
interior —— which it does.

What I didn’t exrcct was
its relatively balanced han
dling, minimal nose-dive
when braking, and quick,
accurate steering.

1 found the Monte Carlo
SS to be surprisingly stable
during hard cornering, and
very neutral for a large, front-

wheei-drive coupe The
Monte Carlo can be thrown
into tight comers without
excessive lean or tire squeal,
and can be braked from high
speeds without anv discon-
certing nose dive and suspen-
ston wallowing.

Vhe Monte Cario’s compe-
tent handling is dite in part to
its fully independent suspen-
sion: fron MacPherson struis
with separate coil springs and
stabilizer bar, and rear
MacPherson struts wiih sepa
fate cod springs and stabilizer
bar. SS models have stiffer
shocks and stickier H-rated
Goodyear Eagle RS-A
1225 /60R- 18 inch radials
than standard LS models.

The 200-horsepower 3,8-
litre OHV V6 engine has lots
of torque. It's quick cif die
linc, and pulls away cleanly at
slow and mid-range speeds.
It’s really quiet and smooth at
highway speeds where it does
just 1,900 rp.m. ata constant
100 km/h. And unlike some
big engines, it uses regular
unleaded gasoline.

TALSING

ed j

and features ior the buck

{have been test-driving
various GM cars with varia-
tions of this engine for the
past decade, and have always
been impressed by how
smooth and powerful it is.

It’s worth noting too that
ne other coupe on the market
(under $30,000) offers such a
large displacement V6 engine.

All in for under $30,900

Hf you compare the Monte
Carlo to its smaller, less pow-
erful coupe competitors, you'll
find that it offers more room,
more features and more
horsepower for about the
samy price.

Standard equipment on
Monte Carlo LS models,
which start at $25,895,
includes a 180-horsepower
3.4-litre V6 engine with
starter “grind Protection” and
engine block heater, four-
speed autumatic transmission,
p25 /60R-16 inch tires, a
fully independent suspension
with MacPherson struts at
each corner, power steering,
disc brakes at ali four wheels
with ABS, tire inflation moni-
tor, and battery run-down
protection.

Standard inierior features
on LS models include air con-
ditioning, AM/FM/CD
stereo with six speakers and
speed-compensated volume,
power windows with “express
down” driver’s window,

See Monte page 29

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