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Show Automotive CLASSIFIEDS Page F-2 Alan Vonderhaar THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER The Toyota Suprais offered as a reasonablypriced alternative to exotic cars, whose purchasers never evendiscussprice. Once just a tricked-out variation on the Celica theme, the Supra has matured into a true highperformance sports car. Unfortunately, as content (and the yen) wentup, it started to severely strain any reasonable conception of affordable. I am afraid $50,000-plus remainsrather exotic for mostof us, and that is what the turbocharged version goes for these days. Even the normally aspirated version can easily be optioned to $40 grand. Knowingthat a car of this sort is its own best advertising, Toyota has cranked outa limited run of what it calls “de-contented” Supra SE Editions. They go for the somewhat moreaccessible sum of $31,100, just under the luxury tax threshold. By no means stripper in the usual sense, the SE lacks only such non-essentials as a T top and leatherinterior. Unfortunately, it Electric Cars: Ford and Chrysler announcedtheywilljointly marketa battery-recharging system that would makeelectric cars morefeasibleasrivals to gasoline-powered machinesbyeliminating the No. 1 drawback to battery-poweredvehicles today: limited driving range and the need for an extended battery-system rechargeafter only a short trip. Rather than be forced to wait eight hoursfor the batteries in your car to be rejuvenated once you havetraveled but 60 miles, Ford and Chryslersaid, with their new recharging system you will only have to wait six hours. In announcing the recharger, Chrysler also said an affordable, massproducedelectriccaris a goal that cannot be reached with current battery technology and thatthe vehicles arriving in 1998 probably will cost so much moneythat only public utility companies promotingthe use of their product will be able to afford them. Ford: At a demonstration in early December, Ford became e —a the first automakerto sayit will use a so-called combination side- impactair bag that protects both the head andtorso of drivers and front-seat passengers in future cars and trucks. Frontal protection from head-on crashesis a given. The governmentwill require driver and passengerair bagsin all 1998 modelcars andall 1999 minivans, pickups and sportutility vehicles. Ford's seat-mounted side air bag would meet new federal rules that will require more protection for people’s headsto avoid contact with roof supports, door pillars and other interior parts during crashes. Ford will introduce the newair bag acrossits full range of cars and light trucks in Europe and North America in about two years. The company did not estimate how much the additional protection would add to the cost of a car Russian Imports: After two years shut out from the Rus- Page F-25 Although labeled as an entry-level model, the Supra SE has many features including alloy wheels, premium tires and a 220-horsepower engine. Reportedly, it can reach 180 mph. cannot be had with a limited-slip rear differential, either, Absent true traction control, that is a highly desirable feature in a powerful rear-drive machine Powerful? Oh, yes. Same engine as the standardseries: 3-liter, double-overhead-cam inline six with cast iron block and aluminum head that makes 220 hpat 5,800 rpm and 210 foot-poundsof torque at 4,800. Harnessed to a 3,200-pound machine, that will get you to 60 in 7 seconds flat — pretty stirring performance. The turbo version can dothattrick in 2 seconds less and allegedly can hit 180 mph. ‘The Supra climbs to speed with effortless feel, but a great deal of sian automobile market by prohibitive import taxes, the United States’ two biggest automakers are making plansto set up local manufacturingfacilities. In the course of this month, both General Motors and the Ford Motor Co, announcedtheywerein talks on vehicle assembly plants in the former Soviet Union. In early December, General Motors formed a $250 million joint venture to build 50,000 Chevrolet Blazers a year at a plant in Tatarstan, 1,400 kilometers east of Moscow. A weeklater Ford announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding for the devel- opmentofa joint venture assembly plantin Minsk, the capital of the former Soviet Republic of Belarus. Toyota: Ford Motor Co. redesigned its top-selling Taurus this year to better compete with its chief rivals, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. But according to the January issue of Con: sumer Reports, the Japanese competitors still come out on top. The Camry, built in Georgetown, Ky., received the consumer magazine’s highestrating for family sedans. The Accord, built in Marysville, Ohio, was tagged a “fine family sedan.” The magazine tested the Camry LEwith a V-6 engine, the Accord EX with a V-6, the Taurus LX and the Buick Le Sabre Custom. The Camry and sonic enthusiasm. Teyota engi- neers have managed to give the six-holer the sound of a highly tuned V-8. At 65 mph, if youlet overdrive Accord both were recommended by Consumer Reports for their performance andreliability. fifth do its thing, the clamor subsides to the “‘moderate” level, allowing easy conversation or enjoyment of the stereo The Supra SE has dual air bags, anti-lock brakes, climate control powersteering, windows, locks ing in the direction of comfort and brakes, alloy wheels, premium tires, rear defogger, integrat- would still leave Supra in the front ranks of performers. The ed fog lamps, auto-off headlamps and a numberof SE-specific trim details, including gold emblems andsidestripes that I am told can be removedeasily if theyare bit tires, incidentally, are of different garish for your taste. There are but four instruments — tach, speedo, water temp and fuel level. A car this fine should have oil pressure and voltage readouts,if not a full-fledged trip computer. Theexisting readouts however, are highly legible, deeply inset to avoid reflections and canted for quick reads. mands imposedbya very fast machine. Ventilated discs — 11.6 inchesfront, 12 rear — give excellent pedal feel and seatbelt-locking deceleration from elevated velocities. The antilock mechanism takes the panic out of panic The Supra has50-profile, Z-rated tires, which means they can runall day at 149 mph and also means they have very thin, stiff sidewalls, making for an eventually fatiguing ride. little tweak- braking. The projector-style halogen headlamps put out an unusually far-reaching, though tightly controlled, cold beam oflight The test car had but one option — the NSX-style (or Charger widths front and rear; 225 fore, 245 aft, both on 16-inch rims Both headroomand legroom up front are ample. The seats are well-shaped, with a fair amount of built-in lumbar bolstering and goodlateral support. The Suprais R/T-style) spoiler. All this thing does is cut the drag coefficient from .31 to .33 at legal speeds but, by golly, it sure makesthe car stand out configured as a 2 plus 2, which normally means verylittle legroom in the back. In this case, it means none at all. The seat folds Supra, even in this value-priced configuration, is a plausible alternative to its main competitor, the downas a unit to allow grocery trips. Nissan 300ZX. The brakes are up to the de- Serving the Community piace 1922 rvice ne and S25 ofse pho $39. }9 For PUZZLES The Toyota Supra SE Is a Powerful Competitor SPARE PARTS ' hy¢ » SECTION F The Salt Lake Tribune FRIDAY, December 29, 1995 e i peak te [Q e 120 emimutes off (ea .' for only 19 enoninches120 NEES 96 4x4 EXTENDED} 96 CHEVROLET sess LUMINA 96 GEO PRIZM #965078 RE 26 ie 56,4K, Auto, V6, Rear Defog h| 96 OLDS CUTLASS SUPREME cat Auto, 230HP V8, Silverado, Power Windows, Power Locks, Power Mirrot Cass./CD Piayer, Crise, Tilt, More! | a a $16,495 0.259%, 1°23,395o-°289=f12495 0-159 = Starting at cash, lic fees & tax. *965052 96 CAVALIER 36 oe LEASE 1 28 CAP REDUC TION, 96 $10 EXTENDED CAB deb"? PICKUP 96 GEO TRACKERaxa 4,DOOR #969050 pete.” 15,399 \G, ABS, REAR —— “BODYSib HOLDING STAne: Air, Power Locks, ABS Brakes & More $14,495 M a5 GEMETRO ec riety. wh! Lk BLegdo Auto MallTerrely 106th Beee ear |
