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Show AUTOMOTIVE D-2 The Salt Lake Tribune Silhouette Premiere offers versatility, car-like ride By Ann M. Job fapThe Assocsned Pres Say what you will about the lessthan-flashy image of minivans. If you want to carry cargo and people ‘wath real ease in an everyday vehicla, a minivan is tough to beat. ge f z ite! iba ii iJcy £38ii t Especially if it’s Oldsmobile’s Silhouette Premiere Editign that comes with an onboard that plus a high-quality entercenter offering video on a color monitor that lls down from the ceiling. system also accommodates video games and lets rear-seatrid- 3 CDs. I had plenty of time — and rea— to try out every aspect of the Silhouette Premiere. First, it arrived as I needed to take visitors tothe airport. Luggage fitted easily into the 24,2-cubic-foot rear cargo area behind the third-row bench seat — ng hoisting heavy bags into a sport utility vehicle cargo hold that's igh off the ground. ior did we have to scramble upward to get in. Everyonejust sort of walked into this conservatively styled van andsettled in, enjoying a very relaxed,car-like ride. Note that the Premiere comes with two sliding side doors, but only the right-hand one is power-operated. The visitors sent on their way, I -took a 13-hour, nonstop drive from California to Arizona and found the Premiere to be an able, long-run traveler. The front-wheel-drive vehicle comes standard with automatic load-leveling and touring suspension. Tires and wheels are only 15inchers, and antilock brakes are standard. The large windshield and low cowl provided good visibility, while front and rear airconditioning helped keep all parts ofthe Silhouette comfortable in the unseasonably warm weather. The van's many nooks, cup holders and storage areas all were used at one time or another, it seemed. Side air bags are standard on the twofront seats. Silhouette models don’t offer power adjustable accelerator and brake pedals, unlike the Ford Windstar. But the Premiere’s power front seats allowed for sixway adjustments and I had no problem getting comfortable hind the wheel. Ofcourse, I had a co-driver so I could watch Steve McQueen in the movie Bullitt on the entertainment center, I made excellent time, thanks to the gallant 3.4-liter, pushrod V6 engine. It’s in all models ofthis minivan — the base Silhouette GL, mid-range GLS and Premiere. And it’s paired to a four-speed The 2000 Silhouette Premiere features two sliding side doors, which allow for easy entry and exit. automatic in each model, too. Maximum horsepower is 185 at 5,200 rpm and torque is 210 footpounds at 4,000 rpm. There’s a decent feeling of “‘scoot’’ when you’re accelerating in the city, and Silhouette models coast easily in less aggressive driving. There was a bit ofvibration in this sport-tuned ride, but harsh road bumps were well managed. Steering felt a bit numbattimes,butthis is a minivan, nota sports car, so it seemed well in ch: I noticed wind noise around the big outside mirrors — not unusual in minivans. Otherwise,the interior was relatively quiet. But there was enough wind buffeting to require alertness when passing semitrailers. One of the few options on the Silhouette Premiere is a trailer towing package, with which the van can tow up to 3,500 pounds, 2000 Oldsmobile Silhouette Premiere Edition By The Associated Press Mileage: 19 mpg (city), 26 mpg (highway). Top Speed: NA. Length: 201.4 inches. Wheelbase: 120 inches. Curb Wt.: 4,914 pounds. Built At: Doraville, Ga. Options: Gold package $150. Destination Charge: $630. Base Price: $31,790. As Tested: $32,570. Type: Front-engine, frontwheel drive, seven-passenger minivan. Engine: 3.4-liter, fuel-injected V6. equal to that of the Odyssey and Chrysler Grand Voyager. There’s only one wheelbase onall Silhouettes — the extended wheelbase of 120 inches, whichis | to 2 inches longerthan the Odyssey and Grand Voyager. Silhouettes offer nearly an inch morefront-seat headroom than the Grand Voyager, but have 1.3 ing the M-Class in the near future so I'd be better off waiting a year or two for a inchesless than the Odyssey. Second-row headroom is 0.7 inch less than in the competitors, but third-row headroom is equal to or better. Third-row legroom, however,is at least 1.4 inches less, and in all seats, the Silhouette has less shoulder room since it’s narrower than the two competitors. : I’ve seen an engine derived as a 3.8-liter and as a 3,793-cc. Why the disc: y? A The 3.8 yourefer Eee smobile Silhouette minivan with 125,000 miles on it. Been 100 percent reliable Nissan with its 3.8-liter V6. Disapcompetent blend of maneuverability and pleasant ride quality, and the big boost in power adds an element of dynamic reserve that was previously absent. It all adds up to higherlimits in just about everything a vehicle is called upon to do, particularly the critical realm of passing exposure time. The Pathfinder’s exterior was updated last year, lending a slightly more rugged look, so the only cosmetic changesto this 2001 model are a new center console and redesigned instrumentpanel, plus the availability of side air bags on the top two models (SE and LE), part of the $1,999 leathertrim patkage. Continued from Page D-1 handling exercises. But adding go-powerwill invariably produce one of two handling results. Either you walk away saying, ‘‘Pretty good,”” or ‘What acow. As noted, the low-powered Pathfinder gave a pretty good accountin hasty maneuvers. So what happens with extra power to overcome reluctance in slalom maneuvers or hurrying through comers or tackling a series of switchbacks? Better in every respect. The unibody chassis has always had the right stuff for a highly Nissan is also baking more standard equipmentinto all the models, part of the company’s plan to help make room for the more basic Xterra by taking the Pathfinder a bit more upscale. Inevitably,this is reflected in the pricing. In 1999, the base price for a two-wheel drive Pathfinder XE,the bottom ofthe lineup, was $24,639. Thelatest XEstarts at $28,169, whichis a pretty significant step up. The top-of-the-line LE, with four-wheel drive and automatic transmission, begins at $31,819,andthistestertallied in at a slightly breathtaking $33,897. Onthe other hand, you’ve probably noticed pointed the new Silhouette doesn’t have the 3.8. Any plans to bring it back? What about adding dual power sliding doors? And what aboutoffering a DVD player, rather than the VCR in the entertainment system? A: A 3.4-liter V6 has replaced the 3.8-liter V6, There are no plans to bring back the 3.8. Dual power sliding doors will be added to the 2001 this fall. As for a DVD system, stay tuned — it’s in the works. — that over-$30,000 is increasingly common territory for sport-utilities in this size class. And with the substantial array of comfortconvenience features that go with the LE,it stacks up as a reasonable value versus similarly equipped competition. My personal choice here would be the sportier SE version: fewerfrills, slightly better performance. With four-wheeldrive and a manualtransmission,it starts at $29,869. In anycase, adding a big serving of power to. a vehicle with goodcredentialsin all the other scoring categories makesthe Pathfinder a muchstrongerplayerin its class, and worth a hard look, '900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars| 900—Domestic Cars ‘BUICK Regal "Anniver 91 BUICKPark Averue. Loaded, low |'97 CAD Deville, muibery, lan |°92 CAD Sedan Devile, clean. 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Venere taalnae first or last may be to your pocketbook! “gear 90 DAYS TILL FIRST PAYMENT OAC. ‘ Sa a 19900 South * 5900 South |