north shore sews AUTO ie comicriab itara convertip ng From page 30 takes 10-15 minutes, and is 2 laborious task. This is not the type of top you want to put up in a sudden rainstorm. In addition, the fit is uneven in some areas, par- ticularly across the rvoftop. . stand- point, the convertible top doesn’t provide much pro- tection from thieves. It can be easily unclipped and unzipped from the out- side. From the driver’s seat of the Vitara, ourward visibility is excellent to the front and sides, but rear vision is obstructed by a high win- dow ledge, a rea ar-mounted spare tire, and a high- mounted third rewr brake light. The Vitara convertible is very easy to drive, very com- fortable, and is surprisingly resistant to side-winds con- sidering its height and short length. However the same attrib- utes that provide nimble handling and quick stecring mean less directional stabili- ty at highway speeds, and the driver needs to conc trate more on steering accu- racy. D : its admittedly ‘cute’ appearance, the Wwo- door Vitara is a very capable vehicle off-road, perhaps even more capable than the four-door Vitara. The pvo-deor Vitara’s short 2,200 mm/(86.6 in.) whecibsse, high 8.0-inch ground cleazance, short front and rear overhangs, beefy P215/65R-16-inch tires, and a part- time, four- wheel drive system wit low-range gear allows the Vitara to tackle steep inclines, negetiate narrow trails, ford streams, and plough through mud and snow with relative ease. In my opinion, the two- door Vitara and the Jeep T] are the best off-road buys on the market today. Competitors like the RAV4, CR-V and Forester don’t offer a low-range gear needed for serious off-road driving. For a base price of $17,795, the qwo-door Vitara JX convertible includes stan- bags, tilt steering wheel, tachometer, cloth seats and rear one-piece folding seat back, variable intermittent wipers, colour-coordinated bumpers, P205/75R-15-inch tires, a full-size spare tire and spare tire cover. Two-door JLX Vitaras, starting at $19,995, add 2 standard AM/FM /cassette stereo with four speakers, power door locks, power win- dow., power mirrors, 50/50 ° split folding rear seatback, overhead map lights, larger P215/65R-16-inch tires and standard, five-spoke alloy wheels. With an automatic trans- mission, the price jumps to $21,495. Other major options photo submitted THE Vitara has 6.3 cubic feet of cargo area behind the rear seats — about haif that of a typical small sedan — but If the rear seats are folded down, cargo space triples (leit} Gam Cee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee 2 The redesigned dashboard has a more contemporary look. icariOH Se H - Complete mechanical & electrical repairs by factory trained technician _ IMPEX AUTO 1166A Weat 14th Street Tal: 965-6237 (off Pemberton Ave., entrance at rear) ee, cous tamms COREE SRN ESA GCE GREEN OGG WKS) COLES Wm LTE Glee ahs FOR 36.YE GRIH'S: include ABS and air condi- tioning. The only real competitors for the two-door Vitara are the two-door Toyota RAV4 ($23,550 4WD hard-top), and the Jeep TJ) ($19,205 4WD sott-top) and perhaps the Chevrolet Tracker ($19,275 4WD soft-top) — the Vitara’s GM clone built ie, easy driv basic warranty of three years 000 km., but it lacks powertrain war- ranty offered by Toyota. More information is avail- able ar . comes with front-wheel-drive (two-door soft-top) or all- wheel-drive (two-door hard- top) and has car-like unit body construction, The Vitara has a good in the same joint GM/Suzuki plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The Tracker and T} have similar part-time, four-wheel- frame design. The RAV 4 however, Salish Auto aus MERCEDES BENZ SERV ICE Call tor more info & appobimments 1896 Pemberton Ave. North Vancouver 987-2433 183 Pemberton Ave. TALEIES 985-7195 [gen 2300 Lonsdale Ave. SATURDAY, JULY 24 Preview: 48pm SUNDAY, JULY 25 Boors open: 9am Auction: 10:30 am Admission $5 per person for weekend TICKETS AT THE DOCR Don't miss out on this opportunity to own the car of your Dreams To buy o7 self, call Autociassic at t 540-2836 or 1-888-883-8853 2 \8, Deal Power Sects, Auto Air Cond., Handling Package, Avi/FM CO Player, Leothes tnterios. 2510