183 Pemberton Ave.

985-7195 Mgr

TAXESRMOTIVE™ ae, wen"

SUMMER SPECIALS —
2 Lupe, On & Fren

Check battery, test antifreeze,
check tires ‘Lope brakes. visual inspection sine,

“wy Suven Ail above 1 Lupe written B.C.AA., inspection --
report, rotate tires, top up ail fluids
: tine, oli, filter.

Tule

tS Win samp check by one AC's op Ar Case

AIG operation. Test ti
Shenk rigatont loved heck com

peg bots, hoses, gases, radiator cond.,

iS Soe Aun-Conp. & COooLinc

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ad High tech, full 4 whee! computer
check out, with print out & road test

“Prices cover most cars & light trucks
eAll service by Govt. registered technicians
T.
Govt. licensed inspection Taba mes
station $2564 Iason Appointmants
476 Pemisarton, North Van. (5 biks South of Marine Brive) $85-7455

LEASE SPECIAL
$399 or $47,550
Value Priced

Based on a 1999 ML320 Classic, 5.5%
lease rates. 36 month, low mileage walk-
away with $8,500 down or trade. Taxes,
PDI, freight and license extra.

Optional buy back $30,432.00 0.A.C.

Mercedes-Benz Canada inc.

1375 Marine Dr. 984-9351

North Vancouver
www. vancouver.mercedes-benz.ca

LR NAIR St TE AO NES LN Se nD Oe

TALKING

NEWS pheto dle Iverson

ACCESS to the impala is “relatively easy,” according to columnist Greg Wilson, because of iarge doors and a

tall roofline. Once insids, expect function and attention to details rather than style.

From page 3%

" speed to reduce wheel spin

in slippery situations. LS
models also add standard
automatic climate control
with separate driver/passen-
ger temperature adjust-
ments, split folding rear seat-
backs, driver’s side- -airbag,
CD player, and anti-lock
brakes.

My test-vehicle was an LS
with the 3.8-litve engine.
This pushrod powerplant has
lots of low-end torque which
means quick acceleration
from a standing start, and
nearly-instant throttle
response at lower speeds.
Low-end torque is becoming
rare these days, and it’s nice
to get into a sedan that

responds when you want it
to. At highway cruising
speeds, the 3.8-licare engine
is exceedingly quiet and
smooth, due in part to its
low engine revolutions of
1,800 r.p.m. aca steady 100
km/h. The standard 4-speed
automatic transmission is
also very smooth and capa-
e.

At speed the Impala is
very quiet. There's little
engine noise or wind noise,
but there is some tire noise
and suspension noise over
rough surfaces.

With its fully independent
MacPherson strut suspension
and standard 16-inch tires,
the Impala offers surprisingly
good handling and stability,
though there’s some com-

romise for 2 softer, sedan-

ike ride. The Impala’s big
disc brakes provide excellent,
fade-frée stopping power,
and pedal feel is Fn and
consistent. One quibble: the
plastic spoiler under the
front bumper scrapes on
curbs and stcep driveways.

Getting in to the Impala

is relatively casy because of
its large doors and tall
roofline. The Impala’s interi-
or isn’t particularly stylish,
but the quality of the mate-
tials is quite good and the
design is very functional
with a lor of attention paid
to details. For example, the
inside door handles are
unusually large and easy to
grip, the stereo dials and
buttons are within casy reach

NOW IN STOCK

99’s Prices carried over

| 2000
“ SAND VITARA

 * 155 HP, 2.5 litre, V6 quad cam

i © Drive sslect 4x4
* Auto lighting system

& © Power windows, mirrors and door locks

© Tilt steering
¢ Side impact beams
=e c AMEN, for five

stereo cassette w/4 speskers

For September only!

* Rear cargo light

 Accesscry power cutlet

* 12 storage compartm:
* Rear door child-safety locks

ents

© Variabia intermittent wipers
© 4-wheel ABS « Tire cover
° 16” wheeis and tires

“  § link rear suspension

¢ Rear wiper washer

and easy to see and operate,
the ignition keyhole is on
the dashboard, and a large
hazard button on the dash-
board is easy to see when
needed. In addition, the
rotary dials and sliding levers
for the heater are also easy
‘to operate. One complaint:
the exposed screws under
the door handles and in the
door grips look unfinished.

A centre console includes
2 floor-mounted shift lever,
centre armrest with a deep
storage bin, two cupholders,
and a large open storage bin
under the dash.

Base models have a three-
person front bench with
folding centre armrest, and
LS models have two front
bucket seats with a centre
consoic. I found the driver’s
seat very comfortable and
the driving position very
good. Visibility is excellent,
helped by a third side win- ~~
dow which makes lane-
changing easier.

The rear bench seats
three passengers, but unlike
most rear seats, it doesn’t
“have a hump in the centre
cushion which can be
uncomfortable for the centre
passenger. A centre rear

iding armzest however
does protrude from the
backrest. When folded
down, it provides a handy
armrest with two cupholders
for outboard rear passengers.
60/46 split folding seat-
backs are standard on uplev-
el LS models but optional
on base Impalas.

All Impalas come with
dual front airbags, but a dri-
ver’s-side side-airbag is
optionai on base models and
standard on LS modcls.
Curiously, a passenger side-
airba is not available.

tandard on all Impala’s are
ae ve three-point safety belts
_and five head restraints (the
‘rear restraints are not height

See more page 33