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Show C-16 The Park Record SatSunMonTues. July 10-13, 2004 OSifiii nuts fl M DO M DlfigaflDISDJBD MILMJIVAMS; cr w ' - mm&mmm 2003 TA 2003 2003PUET V Cl4'871 134,971 p26,999 3211 yT3277 y3071 2003 PUE' -2003 PUD 2003 MALIBU yVTN LS SEDAN 1D,4ffXX J JT f4HDufVJ A 3.1LV6,4SpdAuto, AT ' TowjriUded. Sunroof, Pwr Win, Pwr y A s W"i Locks, Airbags, Loaded (AL6,851 MSRP: $21,565 y926,771 Xsf 27,603 8L0W0UT $13,996 3084 2003 IMPALA LS SEDAN Leather, Sunroof, Heated Seats, Loaded MSRP: $28,235 BLOWOUTS 19,99 1 yiUSPOCKFR, TAXSUCfKSl tlim HtXTGUAUTYFC f Al LOYAUTY CFmCCCOUmJLf 30,2004. mm ii itsK iji?ai!ii By MALCOLM GUNN WHEELBASE COMMUNICATIONS FREE SG15VIIGG ON ALL NEW UNITS SOLO. see DEAten for details! -iiilr. inlt in iiigi mm AX9 AZ1SX TO KJUIZ II hrysler took a gamble 20 years ago when it unveiled its unorthodox, but revolutionary, front-drive people machine called the "minivan". Of course, it worked out ... or we wouldn't be showing you the 2005 version today. Two decades of evolution have molded and shaped the minivan into a sleeker machine with more power, better ride and improved safety. But where do we go from here? Chrysler is now betting on new features that are hidden just below the surface . . . literally. In fact, there's little outward difference differ-ence between the 2004 and '05 models as you pace around each in the parking lot Only the front and rear fascias have received slight revision. That's probably just fine with the millions of current owners who continue to lap up Chrysler's offerings like ice cream on a hot day. Providing many flavors of minivan for nearly every budget has a lot to do with the fact that the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country have a combined market share of a whopping 38 per cent. Talk about brand loyalty. So, instead of creating new bodies bod-ies for 2005, DaimlerChrysler spent more than $400 million on a new platform for its regular-and extended-length minivans while completely revising revis-ing their interiors. The company's latest convenience conven-ience feature, and the one you'll be hearing plenty about in its advertising, is the Stow 'n Go seating system that's available on all extended-length Grand Caravan and Town & Country models. In about 30 seconds, both second- and third-row seats can be manually folded below deck, providing pro-viding a completely flat floor. And what's left is an empty space so immense that your neighbors will think you've opted for a two-seat WELCOME to International AutoCross, a puzzle dedicated to the automobile enthusiast1 AutoCross will test your knowledge of cars, brand names auto-related people from all over b " V ff r t f ? " j fir is " ' U 3 "I """"""" 24 "" 3T I I iiT 57"""" n" so if: j : uu tzz 33 34 3s ""w""""""' 4r4T,"""iT &"m"m"m"m' ClD flllD u I I : (tttt : -, mmJLmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmamm ACROSS 1. Alignment adjustment 3.a.k.aoversteer 5. Maker uses ion as symbol 8. Fl ptot Schumacher 1 1 . Arfierican Graffiti Chevy driver Ron 13. Downdraft carb maker 14. After the Cherokee 15. Engine slang 1 8. AvantJ designer 21. Brake type 22. Shaving removes this from door 24. Staffing or gear 25. Named for Enzo's son 27. Subaru raHy car COPYRIGHT WHEELBASE f W ; '. t I , ', ' " V - f, ! ', But here's the really neat trick. With the second-row bucket seats in their normal upright and locked position, the resulting empty spot in the floor yields two large covered cov-ered storage bins, perfect for keeping cameras, purses, laptop computers and other valuables away from prying eyes. Cargo netting is used to keep items from bashing each other to pieces. The second-row buckets recline and slide fore and aft, while the third-row bench reclines another new trick up to 39 degrees. It also splits, 6040, with each part individually able to fold into the floor. If you would rather, they can be flipped over to provide pro-vide a rear-facing seat. With the third row up and running, the resulting well in the floor can be used for cargo and then covered with an available package tray. Finally, the groceries will stay put. To make Stow 'n Go seating a reality, DaimlerChrysler had to redesign andor relocate the rear suspension, fuel tank, parking-brake parking-brake cables, exhaust system and rear climate-control lines. All-wheel All-wheel drive, an option on previous extended-length minivans, was sacrificed for the extra room needed need-ed under the floor. I ii T f 0 H AT I f .11 and the world. Good luck! 28. Achieva replacement 32. Pennsylvania race track 33. Automotive auction site 34. "Cuda model 35. Anti-theft device 36. Maserati model or race locale 37. Fender apperdage 39. Malcolm's fcly 4 f . Manual-transmission plate 44. Suburban, only smaller 45. 'f in cd measurement 46. MiDeniamaker 47. Shift danger zone 48. New Beetle dash item 49. Better than manifolds 51. Continuously transmission COMMUNICATIONS J1 fin 1 1 7 1 bp! BTft U 1U Carried over for '05 are the existing engines: base Caravan 150-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder, four-cylinder, base Town & Country 180-horsepower 3.3-liter V6; and 215-horsepower 3.8-liter V6, stan dard on the top-line extended-length extended-length Grand Caravan SXT and Town & Country Touring and Limited models. All are connected to four-speed automatic transmissions. transmis-sions. Other innovative features include: an alert that automatically flashes the signal lights to let others oth-ers know when the side doors are opening; a driver's side knee-blocker knee-blocker air bag; and available overhead storage bins that can be slid around on rails or completely removed. That kind of innovation has been the theme since the mini-van's mini-van's introduction in 1984. That's what brought it to market in the first place. A lot has changed since then and Chrysler is a much different dif-ferent company. Magically, however, how-ever, the Caravan and Town & Country remain on top. Innovation is one thing, but perhaps buyers are still loyal to die company that broke all the rules to give them a vehicle they had never seen and, obviously, still covet. '05 Chrysler minivans Seven-passnger, four-door minivans available in regular and extended length. 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder, 3.3-liter OHV . V6 and 3.8-liter OHV V6 engines, producing pro-ducing 150, 180 and 215 horsepower, respectively. Four-speed automatic transmission There's very little to get excited about on the outside or under the hood, but open the doors of the long-wheel base Town & Country or Grand Caravan and prepare to be impressed with the new Stow 'n Go seating system. There are also a variety of what DaimlerChrysler touts as 'minivan firsts', such as NASA-developed high-density foam cushions in the seats, reclining third-row split bench, sliding side door alert and removable overhead console bins. There are no changes to the three avail-. able powerplants, which DaimlerChrysler deems to be powerful enough to get the job done, at least for the time being. Safety: Front airbags; driver's side knee ai'rbag; side-curtain airbag: side-curtain airbags (opt); tire-pressure monitoring (opt). MPG (cityhwy): 1318(3.8) Base price (including destination): 819,700 (Caravan); $21,700 (Town & Country) t DOWN 1. Removable top 2. Nissan's search 3. FWD Swede 4GT350,GT500 6. Barorcage 7. Big rig 9. GT40 based on this 10. Honda gas miser 12.FiresweeporFlreflight 1 6. lacocca's first name, ones 1 7. Model T-based hot rod 19. Dodge contender 20. V16-powered, once 23. Srudebaker marque 24. Covers top when down 26. Czech-built auto 28. Suzuki sedan or wagon 29. Dodge pickup 30. Luxury-cartrim material 3 1 . Trunk accessory gives a lift 34. AMC pony car 35. 2001 Le Mans winner 37. Belt holds up spare fire 38. Part of cooling system 40. Popular wheel coating 42. Photo 43. Performance Focus 46. Movie or Toyota 48. Honda engine feature 50. Black or white ANSWERS 9 0 t (Hp 111 V II J If! -3, tr I |