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Show F2 TheSalt Lake Tribune AUTOMOTIVE Friday, February 14, 1997 Last chance: Saab 9000 will soon behistory Kia plans further expansion eastward in the coming year on papers yyou've been By Terry Ja Knight-Ridder N. MIAMI — If fter a Saab 9000 — and sale S statistics say youSaab By Brian S. Akre APAuto Writer that about 6,000 of lovers fulfilled your de. in 1996 — this is your last ar to snag a top-of-the-line Swede After 1997, said recently it will expand the 9000 will be eastward with dealerships in Maryland, Virginia, West Vir- withdrawn from the U.S. lineup to bereplaced by anall-new flag tian. The 9000will. however, con Kia also unveiled a third timue to be available in Europe model to its low-priced lineup at the Greater Los Angeles and elsewhere. The 9000 has been around there are some Auto Show’s press preview A two-door, convertible ver- e S. regulations coming on line after this year that made up. sionofits Sportage sport-utility dating the 9000for the U.S. mar vehicle will go into production said Elke Mar director of communications Snapping up one later this year as a '98 model said spokesman GenoEffler of Kia Motors America Ine. the last He said nopricehas beenset Saab 9000s would be goodidea for the ‘98 Sportage convert- because in this era of look-alike ible, but that it will belisted a luxury performancesedans. the few thousand dollars less than its competition in the expanding market of small SUVs 90D6 is a distinctively styled vehi clé that really scoots When it was introduced, the 9000 signaled a push by Saab to Competitors will include Toyo- expand its presence in the ta’s RAV4, the Jeep Wrangler. Suzuki Sidekick and Geo US market Although it carried on the Saab Tracker, he said. tradition of front-wheel-drive se strongly believeintheir value and on-demand performance atures leath Martin also disputes the conCSE and Aero ventional wisdomthat turbos go ower conveniences. bad after 60,000 miles. She says stereo speakers that some of thefirst turbocharg front air condition ers on the market wereinsuffi ciently cooled, so they were prone and four 1p holders Under the hood, the 9000 10 breakage But now turbos are It wasn't as funky as the smaller 1, whichhad aface that ed or hated ars, the 9000 has and refined, al which is more than in some small tains the upright small ille The Saab trademar that er el, Withits front air dam, chunky three-spo Water-coo d, decreasing the 3-liter tur. liter V6 Chances of he related failure g the same V6 It'S noteven anissue,” Martin newCadillac Catera. S4¥8 The turbo should last the life of the car The turbo four comes in three Driving a $41,000 Saab 9000 4 170-horsepower e turbo,” a 200- Aero is a un ride with the car communic ting av ide range of horsepo ersion for automatic smi ion ero models and a sensations. h heels and rear ven more distant from spoiler h what some peoplethink ofas tra ditional Saab styling Nonetheless, the 9000will nev er-be confused with a Lexus. In ti, BMWor Mercedes — and hat’s just the way Saab planned The turbo four — evenwiththe horsepower setup for Aeros transmission — moves equippedvithfive peed manual automatic the front-wheel-drive Aeroto 60 m.p-h. in about ven seconds, ac The turbo engines are another companied by 4 nice. ab hallmark. While turbo- mutedsy mphonyof valve properly and exines were common in haust noise Withthe five-speed cars in the early manual and 2 xtra horses, the as fuel injection has be 2.3-liter four ¢ ‘an get to 60 mph in e more sophi ticated and en ler six seconds Top speedis Wedon't ever want to be in the ‘Martin said 9000has alot mainstream d to its competi The interior has a 150 mph — quite an accomplish comfort tered in Rear passengers have enoughleg and head roomto makelong-range trips a joy Therear hatchanda fold-down do thin e the 9000 morethan ment for sucha 5 engine Handlingis superbfor a p a bit ‘differ ent edan The 16-inch Miche mani ize its turbos even lin performance radials wor concert with the Mac moving et of cargo capacity, Domestic Cars ey. toa 100 percent turbolineup 900—Domestic Cars Z in says. 900—Domestic Cars aie, : Paszer + wauss TOYOTA Phersonstrut front suspension to “We give the Aero remarkable road- 900—Domestic Cars * the front seats anda roll-back canvas cover over the back holdingability for sucha largese- dan seats. It will be based on a shorter version of the Sportage four-door and will beofferedin The only complaints are that the steering, whichis power rack- and-pinion, felt a bit numb while two-wheel- and four-wheeldrive versions. ngina straight lineat free- speeds, and the stereo controls are too small to adjust easily. Chris Cedergren, an industry Youhavetotake your eyes off the Transmission: Four-s Weight: 3 Safet side-i evenif you haveagreat deal of money and do everything right. Kia has focused on making its cars among the most affordable. With the average price of a newcar around $20,000, the that lists for under $10,000 The '97 Sephia's base sticker price is $9,700. Kia plans a redesign of the Sephia for 1998andwill export a larger sedan, the Credos, to the United States in 1999. The company also produces the Ford Aspire sold in the United States and Canada. Kia compact here, Cedergren said cent of Kia and Mazda owns 8 percent, Ford Motor Co. owns 10per- Automotive ‘section are for the promotional consideration of advertisers. Views expressed in "Automotive" do not necessarily reflect the editorial opinionsof The Salt Lake Tribune. For more information about this section call the aaat 237-2924, send e-mail to nacetc@nacorp.com or write tlo Newspaper Agency Corporation, “Automotive,” 135 S. Main St., Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Tresatone aon advertising, call N 237-2910. peed auto- 310 pounds Managing Editor Dual front air bags t beams, safety crum- Kent Cor ndon Competition: Lexus ( 528i finiti J301, BMW 528i C280 900—Domestic Cars 900—DomesticCars C rai C : “They've done prett, a new kid on the block gren said. “It's extremely tough for any newbrand to come into this crowded marketplace — "Automotive" is published each Friday by the Newspaper Agency Corporation and is provided as an advertising supplement fo The Salt Lake Tnbune. Articles in this Zero-to-60 m.p.h.: 7.2 seconds. Mi age: 20-27 m.p.g ple zones ban markets. for thoseselling under $20,000. The RAV4, abighit for Toyota, before they matic next few weeks, Effler said, Kia then will have 220 dealers in just over half of the major ur- nity in the increasingly crowd- ed sport-utility market will be The Saab 9000. Base list price: $41,495, ed: $41,495 Priceas Options on test car: None Engine iter turbo four Horsepower: 200 Las Vegas. Since then it has expanded into 22 states and will enter its 23rd, Virginia, in the probablywill takeoverselling Calif., said the biggest opportu- the next generation of the subconsultant in Thousand Oaks. road Want a fast, fun, luxurious car that is decidedly different from what your neighbor drives? Then grab Saab 9000 — particularly the / ero mode] — disappear sedan in Portland, Ore., and Sephia remains oneof the few It will be a “half-convertible,” with a fixed hardtop over Look-alikes can’t compareto theoriginal $ b 9000in style or performance. dans, the 9000 was aradical departurein the styling department stance and “That's an area Kia can exploit to its advantage,”’ Cedergren said. ‘The Sportage is a very good vehicle for the mon- entered the U.S. market ginia, Pennsylvania, New York in Kia 1994 with its compact Sephia and Washington, D.C. ship that will carry a new desig ket impractical,” tin; Saab's’ sells for around $20,000, well- equipped LOS ANGELES (AP) — South Korean automaker Kia Editor Amy J. Coleman 900—Domestic Cars 900—DomesticCars 900—Domestic Cars CHAE Grencane SOUTHTOWNE : oe 95 CADILLAC Macs |Owes YoOR nase han 10770 So. Maan Sheet 524-4646 Ra RAC BOOED is PULA AUTO SALES| Fae ors Fr oi 0 iseseats 900—Domestic Cars TECADLLAL DetiaSeaan eStos Patbas ssiWit decry03 say Hwee TOYOTA USED SUPER CENTER 2643700 HOLA Dole eos Sees SoinSan. ger yt fos SoogFg hetdorc th eve puto. Be are Seseeaeas led fiovon tea DR restn wed yey sy TOYOTA om "3 /Oppeaonce © erso ae ete tn THe SAME Ownes . “ranteFoUWORDONANEN GZ Fleet Auto SUE SALT LAKE COUNTY SPECIALS ’95 FORD BRONCO XLT SALE Start at *19,950 Zt Air, cruise. 7h SEALE SIS han acest 3743 COME EARLY FOR BEST SELECTION! *13,475" Air, cruiwe, tit i ——= 9 = c) o MANY TO —— CHOOSE FROM IN ASSORTED COLORS! 96 Dodge Intrepid ES 95 Ford Explorer XLT 3.5 V6 $17,750 V6 $21,555 95 Bronco XL 4X4 95 Ford Taurus GL 3.8 V6 $10,500 Vé $ 18,320 GC be foe tanaoT CarlasonCalllac The Only Place to Lease or Purchase Your Next Cadillac ‘97 CATERA 93 Chev s 4X4 va 15,100 95 Chev 3/4 4x4 94 Chev Suburban ve 090 ve 0,790 95 Ford F-150 91 Chev etn Ext Cab 4x4 0,200 ve $17,970 95 Chev Crew Cab ve $20,790 95 Chev Cargo Van $16,8) me , 4x4 Ext Cab Dodge 15-Pass 460 V8 $22,435 ve $16,470 PRICED RIGHT $30,635 96 Ford 3/4 H.D. 3700 So. State Many Like New Vehicles SALT LAKE COUNTY PLATAAUTO SALES SPORT UTILITY 95 Chev Suburban 96 Ford Taurus GL $24,975 $14,825 454 va 5 FORD a CROWN VICTORIA’S jow mileage! CARS 3.0 V6 Cassette, low mileage SIX TO CHOOSE FROM 1070 $0 Main Stee! 262-5827 =) SALT LAKE COUNTY A TRUE A AUTOBAHN (¢ AR CADETL LAC A Hiawen STREET MAIN 521-4444 Ot BL VTA |