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Show F2 TheSaltLake Tribune AUTOMOTIVEFriday,January 5, 1996 Buick Regal Gran Sport ii s Grand, Not Sporty Soon Cars Will Be Able to Contact Ambulance WhenAir Bag Inflates By Tony Swan KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWS SERVICE Thestreets are icy. You are in a strange city. inglytricky Quiet. ves. way. Whenthe air bag inflated it Plenty of triggered a paging system that contacted an ambulance and let it know where you are This is one of the multiple features of AutoLink, a safety communications system engineered by Prince Corp., the Holland, Mich.-based supplier of automotive headliners and otherinterior trim. and Mobile Telecommunications Technol- But sporty? We have got a semantic problem here. Let me tell you howI define sporty as the wordrelates to automobiles Without getting into the issue of appearance. which is frequently misleading, sportyis generally identifiable by the following traits. W Quick, decisive response in rapid directional changes, such as ogies Corp., nering is an excellent match-up Redesignedfrom top to bottom a little over a year ago, this 3.8- liter V-6 maynot have overhead camshafts andfour valvespercylinder, butit is one ofthe outstanding performers in the midsize class neverthele With 205 horsepower and 230 foot-pounds of torque. the 3800 hauls the Regal to 60 mph with very respectable haste. and its passing performanceis even more impressive It is also eminently civilized — quiet and butter-smooth with just a hint of a snarl when thethrottle is wide open. Its operation is enhanced by the seamless performance of the standard 4-speed automatic transmission No surprise there. General Mo tors has the best automatictransmissions in theindustry. What all this adds upto is power-train performance that com- pares favorably with the best in this class, such as the Toyota 900 Domestic Cars pe22.000" eamer $178008oh2219 105 % = General Motor’'s 3800 Series Il V-6 engine is available in the Regalfo for theffirst timeiinthe ‘96 keysporty with a fairly quiet interior, and you have the ingredients for a pretty comfy freeway cruiser, which I see as the Regal’s strongest suit This is augmentedby a relaxedfit interior treatment. The Gran Sport's gently contoured front buckets lack the snug lateral support you would areas of decisive direc- tion changes, limited body roll andlimited up-and-downsuspension movements. Going back to ihe sporty check- associate with a sport sedan, but they're nicely padded The Regal measures uppretty well on this score Standard equipment on all members of the Regal familyincludes air conditioning, separate climate controls for both front seat travelers, an AM/FM/cassette sound system, power win- dows power mirrors, powerlocks and cruise control, to name only anair of sophistication to the Re- telecommunications technology, you areright. AutoLinkwill be tested in a fewrental car and commercial trucking fleets next summer, says Prince spokeswoman Christine Arnold. But do not gal’s otherwise bland styling Our test car also included handsome gray leather upholstery ($550), chrome wheels ($650), a premium soundsystem with a CD player ($200), six-way power adjustability for both front seats That runs the tab up to $24,722 — not a badvalue fora carin this class, but not an exceptional one. either. From a quality point of view, ourGran Sportstandsa little closerto the headof theclass. It is not easyto get all that bodycladding to line up correctly. but the pieces The Gran Sport starts at $ and adds bucket front seats with a center console, a 6way power driver's seat, 16-inch alloy wheels and the Gran Tourterior cosmetic treatment — sonablystylish midsize sedan with lots of luxuryfeatures anda love- blackout grille. limited chrome trim andgray cladding on the low- ly power train, the Regal Gran Sport merits a look-see. It also includesanattractive ex- iat austria $9,995, DiLR#4609 576-6650 West Valley Used Cars —%<* Ee He Auto tape,super gos mileage, mus!)BUCK Cent, does 6G) gue 8583 $11,588. DU Yes 5708 outaet venue, leather, one ily. $9.995.| Bspikoide 68868,She 9810 ssh Shey 972-8441 0 Siprecbetepeieestaremeens i on olris. Wesoca Col WESTERN CADILLA\ Pr are KEN GiteODSHODNE 914 offer, 262-9039, fiers l y ecu _great$3650. 328-0098a 2st |IRV Caleb. 0 v6 oF |°9§ CADILLAC Seville SLC. ‘equipped, lke new. $31 aetased mon l m foen: pecbrevlodlig hee i _DLt484 = Sede Ea sepcores SSroatt teat speed av muslsel0088 Cases Paulos tote SIS, wwoea,| ™ Bu BCR SOMERS, Tuns good. WO"ro $26,995. 262-1675 ol 4161 Gus Paulos Chevrolet __ 989. Celgesreyios NEW 1996 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER 35 BUICKRivi S800/cb0 AfordwingsS36013t 995 = GACHEV. Corsica, 4dr, loaded, ne APRICE a ‘excellent cond ‘Sony stereo, Scalercond, lov Tow |00 Con 250508 ae SEAS:Beaa pHKWARNER honan Oo8s |< me ioe Gtowele 5 Tew cent MoSCanes 2.1, New po} $2280CONSTIS/2 "SLSRas way PONTIAC’ MAZDA22" cule oi oaged. 455 Hillcrest Bah| sa ed een ee2 a rook me di spd | Peeyea BiY7OTG ‘s$000ms S798sedi Towee worFendion Deak CHEV Lumina Sor, Euro (OWN, 1996 SpecialsAl Kincs 0 Sot cor ss"| ieSons GusPavlos esa NTO 4050 W. 3500$0. 909-8221 | /94 CHRY: mi e' 5 LEBARON CONVERTS. tase aWADESUBARU aa 220. $800 So 9688221 +9300 5 38547ale 4 CHECovi RS, Spony | 95vce tui aeto .COnoA oi % CaDUAC ‘Sevile TS rolet FACHEY Copica Ve otraaw | 93ANTRA 4 oe Auto PR ATEN SH BOW, = 909-8224 it crus iow mbes.a Gwint $9995 Brads Cons2506697 % a ae Teoded, lec oor, out YECHEVCorsica lI 4 doorV6, ou F= ny 8000, geo oFDwlochsard Sttgys 521-2410 i‘ eenstoe miles! Sve ffs $4137)OLI3S $7996 28801 611 aGa NewYor ic 3 269-5461, 2913591 10 @0. $14.995. QuolltyFord537.7000 aCHRYSLER LHS.white,posed Uke ner ae se 107050 Main Steet 521-taa aes 3998setaTIO eongarbe cviedz NEWloodea! YORKER $1195 SALON Bro2685 ei KEN cargeone SUNY CHR este! \sodea13975 HEV Lumina, 298-2683. DL1173. DL #4111, 268-3200 # CHEV Cavaliet, 4 doar, auto, under45000 mies. §11 098 #P7037 CHEV Soin, uns good $1200 328-0098 at 2304 500/060. B5 CAMARO 2500/0 08 St83270 | bie cosa a500 50 neces MLA AMANO re sareeBROS ss abana 95CY=Coricaa0, ao,| HPSRacwooa Re 75 a ¥% GusPaulos 13CHEVCav ote43007, aul oulo, air, aCHEV Cova4 G00, etc Low mies. $4 loaded. Low miles. $8.488 64-495S USED CARS S445 $0,st 500) BUCKfogeaU,o,p 8) vi BA ler tot fully BOUNTIFUL sax TegalaS fect injout vt ® 57oe Pyrry uted to $8.99 WESTERN: POMC S080Ht $0040| iy 6 90, BUICK Park Aver fO9Ged $8.95, Alpine Auto, 262-2040 9 SKYLARK 40, auto, oi spar 98 asae own, GusPaulos Chevrolet 4eV Berta V6 culo Tore | 9%:CHEVCava4 sale fonGi, low ———— S985 254061 DIR#TTAO. "| 4070.80 MainShoot _S2t-4dad 5 SLEDS, 3 ADULTS, 4 KIDS i7 you 7987/0 94 CHE Comoro 7-28. or Chi 1 OODsepar PA/DIN/PL ctuse, Wt aoys,$329| sun | 40 W_ 3800 So evrolet969-8224 * Sona.sonar scteen,eaceleBo Sn hack(Sivek4 dor Ve,6. Bw Bs S208 PES Seven CR OeSn) ABS Brakes AM FMCassette A/C- Solar Glass ae ? Cruise Tilt when choose from. $11,980. 713 ee ar, culo, etails) Vewinie loodedCustom4 $6298 5308082 Soa 9 STRUCK Century iene) WHelping locked out. You are running late to an appointment. You makea quick stop at the grocerystore. Scrambling back to the car you realize you locked 900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars SO.CADLAGSeconDeve, 48 V8 95_OLD8 Ciro, Ve Inaded 410) 94CHEVwagon. V8 cua, a,| 68 CHEY Bata GL la 7244 DLA? "95 CADILAC DEVILE CONCOURS |ta” 1 BUCKJoaded Regalegalwih GS.Tay, ong] Noms Owne equip. 8 588 itd mote11990 861 08 that person will send back a set of instructions on a small display screen mounted in the overheadconsole. KENCAEOLDSMOBIE furs goodi 8185 sei 43 itaas "hom Jenson Motrs 263-1999 —cok7 | 72BUCK SpaCoupe| ‘ensues ooapg. ry |MCAAER2cotaio, ray ‘ar 0 Jsing the two-waypager. 9%BUCKBak Avenue, Topof Pe is goodae‘Seeaageor baba: _S504811.0 93 CHEVCorsica V6, 4 door, aul, ine § oe=eloaded,min! waren festa ve Saag Oh SOSHENE loaded 8.895, le en SEINER CHEV.972-6411 nee Siesae a Widen bdd.oe GusPaulos Chevrolet 4050 W. 3600 $0 PeEee Joaded, grea! A ae sreesaO saaia $375. 463-2797 Someone at the 1-800 number will be tapped into a computerized If you are shopping for a rea- 900—Domestic Cars 900—DomesticCars 900—Domestic Cars 900—Domestic Cars 9,95 tlk RverosAlunttn sock 3. BUC: Cenky 4, aio, a| ®2BUCK Siva 4 door.cuo mary 82, BUCK SkatV4. ao, sree at eos tec pices! logged! hotel to the airport. with that crowd, the rest of the car does not nasty little cracks, lumps and holes in the pavement Combinesoft suspension tuning VARNER @ Providing directions Again, the keyis a designated 1-800 number. You need the most direct route from your While the 3800 Series II V-6 has enoughof what it takes to run ing suspension package has installed 900 systems in Avis rental cars and another 200 in 88's sold to individuals. Onceyouget over the novelty of seeing your route monitored on a map displayed on a small computer in the middle of your dashboard, it begins to dawn on youthat mostof your trips are to familiar destinations, Unless you are in unfamiliar surroundingswith a rentalcar, maybethis is electronic overkill. Autolink is unobtrusive easyto use and fun, Becauseso many digitized signals can be send through one wire, users will be able to upgrade their system as newfeatures are developed For those who are not aceustomed to overhead consoles. however,it can be distracting If you are extremely busy. already use a pager and regard the car as an extension of your office, AutoLink could be a valuable tool cars and trucks until the 1998 model year Still, Prince is banking that car buyers’ growing concern about security will only stimulate the appetite for other AutoLink features such as: @Tracking stolen cars. If your car or truck is stolen, a call to AutoLink’s 860 number will be relayed to police with the vehicle's exact location. Under the prestige heading. you get illuminated vanity mirrors, remote keyless entry and backlit steering wheel-mounted controls for the sound system. onour test carfit perfectly The samecanbesaid forall the bodyseams, as wellas all the interior panels. Buick clearly hasits quality program together, right across the board. is a decent collection for a this size ¢ with a base of including s standard $540destination or air bags, So far Oldsmobile expect it as an option on new ($305) and a $677 prestige package the moresignificant items. charge While the Regal’s sporty quo- numbing pace of change in ‘That car in price Bui nti ‘ If it all sounds a bit too futuristic, even with the mind- er part of the sides — that lends tient is low, its cushyride quality does a decent job of ironing out keaneorpheox 52980v0 rs 4598 080 coESNce SEAGIEVison V8 in the places that count for long-haul driving, and they also look good list, the Gran Sport's power rack and-pinon steering is a particularly weak point It is quick for a midsize sedan. requiring only 2.6 turns to crank the front wheels from extreme left to extreme right It takes a little more effort to turn the wheel at freeway speeds. but thereis no moresenseof what the front wheels are doing than there is when youare navigating through a parking lot You turn the wheela little bit andwait for the carto react. Then you find yourself makinga little adjustment I knowthere are plenty of GM engineers who can differentiate between steering feel and steering effort But I digress 900—Domestic Cars SUMMIT Rick ware model year. An option in the Regal Custom and standardin the Regal Limited and Gran Sport. Camry V-6. Beyond power-train excellence. however, the Regal’s dynamic qualities measure up as average Even with the slightly firmer Y56 Gran Touring suspension package, the Regal Gran Sportis an indifferent performer in those owner of Skytel, the two-way paging provider Motorola, a third partner in the venture, supplies the hard- slalom maneuvers. @ Limited bodyroll in hard cor- V-6 engine is available in the Regal for the first time in the ‘96 modelyear. An option inthe basic Regal Customandstandardin the Regal Limited and Gran Sport, it ing to makeit clever and easy to use,” said Mike Suman, Prince's vice president for adyanced sales and marketing. And affordable. Sumansaid the goalis to keepit at or below $500 if it can get enough or- « ders to mass-produce the devices. Whattechnology can do and what is practical and affordable are often very different, and severalother high-tech options have not been hugely popular. Take, for example, Rockwell Automotive’s Guidestar system, which provides a computerized map to direct you throughthe streets of an unfamiliar city or suburb. Oldsmobile began offering Guidestar as a $1,995 optionin its Olds 88 morethan a year ago. “It’s very practical,” said Oldsmobile spokesman Gus Buenz. “We're goingto offerit as an option on the ‘96 Bravada.” But customersare not clamoring for Guidestar the way they have for anti-lock brakes Youare goingto beall right. but you need a doctor and cannot reach your cellular phone. Not to worry. Help is on the punch Sport hits the mark onexactly one of these attributes. General Motor’s 3800 Series II signal unlocksthe car. } “We're not inventing anything newhere. We're justtry- oncomingtraffic. connection with this car that trips In myopinion, the Regal Gran tion number, a two-way paging ' Visibility is about 10 feet and your car slides out of control and into lamnottalking about the word Gran, although it probably sets off alarm bells on every spellcheck program in Flint. Mich It is the use of the word Sportin @ Limited up-and-down movement by the suspension Controlled (as distinct from stiff) ride quality @ Goodsteering feel @ Aboveaverage engine power eall to a 1-800 number, followedby a personalidentifica- KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWS SERVICE again, that words can be exceed- meup. Comfortable, yes Smooth. Well made the keys inside. With a quick ByGreg Gardner DETROIT — The 1996 Buick Regal Gran Sport proves, once INGE, ofa us| 2CHEV red nt Mies,LUN $898, BRO ATA 4 S748 Am seiia 91 Or CHEV coora culo, red, seeBeretaNoh nie BSDob ie2 OQU NOW $TannLS WHEY. CORSIA 4ok. Oo 1 GaYSER i ati >=. BREEZE IN STOCK how! *e sg - GREAT SELECTION OF ALL CHRYSLER & PLYMOUTH MODELS SSeke S501 atas.208g) : 5 eera0 Sth Ave lowmi, ‘ res ae S90 TBs wc 9 OR si29 PER MO OR 35 5TO CHOOSE ROM CHEV 734,600 mi. auto. got e0us RY sine HEV. 97284 28 Ha Shar aeemo Wighineexcellent oho, Ot BOUNTIFUL me =on $40485,etfe, C KEN Ganrr 5140 PER MO PRICE AFTER 300 REBATE+ TAXBUC. © finder Sa75085 Yi s LEASE NO STARTUP TIN RATE 430955 END VALUE eeemWA Lae SS 969-8221 = ‘NATE WADE SUBARU So Mos 385 |
