NEAR-LUXURY sedans, such as the Lexus ES300, Cadillac Catera, Acura 3.2TL, Audi A4, Infiniti 136, and BMW 328i repre- sent the fastest growing segment of the luxury car class. Compact in size and priced in the $40,000 to $50,600 range, near-luxury sedans offer more features, performance, and prestige than similarly- sized, top-of-the-line family sedans such as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Maxima. The Lexus ES300, based on the front-wheel-drive Toyota Camry Platform, was last updated in 1992, and has been totally redesigned for 1997. Though it looks much like last year’s model, it has all new exterior styling, a new platform with a longer wheelbase, more interior room, more horsepower, em husk on safe id new! ex on , and newly- avalable features such as trace tion control and cockpit- adjustable shock absorbers. A nice surprise is a substan- tial reduction in the base rc drive price. At $42,960, the 1997 ES300 is $2600 cheaper than the 1996 model. The new E3300 is slightly longer, wider and higher than the 1996 model with a 50 mm (2.0 in.) increase in wheelbase. This adds 32 mm (1.2 in.j of legroom for rear seat passengers. Lexus say's the ES300 has more rear legroom than the BMW 528i and Mercedes-Benz E320, nwo cars which are considerably larger on the outside. In addi- tion, the ES300°s rear door openings are now longer tor casier entry and exit. A slecker profile gives the 1997 ES300 a iower coefti- cient of drag — from 0.32 to 0.29 — one of the slipperiest shapes on the market. Though it’s slightly larger in size, the new ES300 weighs 35 kg (77 Ibs.) less than the previous model and is 30% more rigid. The stronger, lighter body has been designed to reduce vibrations and noises as well as enhance crash safety and durability. Safety is an important sell- ing poinc for luxury car own- oo = TECHNICAL DATA LEXUS ES300 Base price: $42,960 ‘Type: four-door, five-passenger luxury sedan Layout: transverse front cngine/front-wheel- Engine: 3.6-litre V6, 2 DOHC, 24 valves Horsepo' Torque: 214 ft.-Ibs. @ 4,400 z.p.m. wer: 200 @ 5,200 r.p.m. ers — the popular German luxury cars like Mercedes- Benz and BMW are the safest cars in the marketplace. The new ES300 offers such new safety features as aco= = IE ARE A= IESIGHATED GOVERN! NSPECTION FACILITY REDESIGNED for 1997, the Lexus ES300 offers a new tracticn control system, an adiustable su more safety festures, and an increase in horsepower from 188 to 200. Test drive the new Loxus Friday, December 20, 1996 — North Shore News — 47 ~—s:. Regency Lexus, 1778 Burrard St., Vancouver (739-1212). side and floor structures that distribute crash forces around the passenger compartment, double front-dour side impact beans, shock absirbig mate- nals on tiv: aside roof pillars, doors and roof, and a col- lapsible stezring col- umn that protects the driver from sec- ondary as well ss pri- mary impacts. The new ES300 also has three-point safety belts for all five seat- ing positions, dual airbags, front knec- bolsters, and new rear-seat adjustable head restraints. Power comes from a refined version of the previous 3.0-litre V6 engine with rwin camshafts and four vaives per Please call foranappointment , I Government Certified licensed Technicians i ENT cylinder. A new exhaust sys- tein boosts horsepower from 188 10 206 and turque from 203 ft.-lbs. to 214 {t.-Ibs. at 4,400 r.p.m. Not only is this engine extremely smooth and quiet, it is one of the most powerful engines in its class. A four-speed automatic transmission is still standard equipment, bur it now has a new shift control system which adjusts upshifts and downshifts automatically depending on accelerator pedal use. ‘This replaces the driver-sclectable Power/Normal switch on last year’s modci. A revised independent MacPherson strut suspension features new driver-adjustable shock absorbers that vary ride from firm to soft. The system uses sensors to monitor wheel speed, vehicle speed, steczing input, engine revolutions and brake input to vary the amount of damping necded. Another new feature for 1997 is a traction control sys- tem which minimizes driving wheel spin in slippery condi- tions by automatically cutting back the thrortle and applying the front brakes. As before, the ES300 has sta:tdard 15- inch tires and alloy wheels with four wheel disc brakes and standard anti-lock brakes. The front seats have bigger side bolsters for better lateral support, quicker-warming seat sion, $300 at heaters, front head restraints swith more vertical height, and a driver’s seat with a new memory function. The keyless envy system now has two more functions, a trunk open- er and a ‘panic’ button which ~>—™, activates the alarm. Gne of the ES300’s best features in my opinion, is its incredible warranty. ‘The basic warranty is four years/80,000 kilometres while the power- train and major components are covered for six years/ 116,000 kilometres. If you want a reliable, easy- to-drive luxury car that’s not too big to handle in an urban environment, the ES300 is a car with few faults. Its Been Complete Redesigned ‘lo Perform Better But Enough About The Price. NEW E€8 300 PpPuRmraeuriy® conTri;inunes. | Complete automotive services available We have the Korth Shore covered 7 days a weok i Your aiternaiive fo high priced auto repair i THE ALLE - i THE With exceptional and innovative features like Adaptive Variable Suspension (4V3), Traction Control (TRAC, Lexus Driver Memory System, a standard, gathered leather interior package, dual airbags and a 6-disc CP player, the all-new 1997 Lexus ES 300 is faster, more stable, quieter, safer and more luxurious Less than ever, Remarkably, it's also much more + Tordable. Cail or see us way. The Rebries Meret Of Pirpction, CANA (Pacific Associate Stores Limited) his 1345 Marine Drive (near Lions Gate) $81-5000 FRO mM & HZ. BB O% — Opiorparkages atestat. “MSAD for 1977 Leas ESG5 HPZIGP BREWASO, Pros excludes lcense, asnoaree, applacabie tase, forght and PUM, Dewie> may wtf wus > Regency Lexus 1778 Burrard at 2nd 739-1212