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B E S T W H E E L S An Oakville Beaver Automotive Feature · To advertise in this section call 905-845-3824 or Fax 905-337-5568 W i l l )N K S l >.\Y. .11 I V 2 ,'i. 2<X>;j · |» ; ik <- H I Chevy Silverado offers big looks and big performance The name " Chevrolet S S " has been synonymous with pure American muscle since the first SS was introduced in 1961. Impalas, Camaros, E l Caminos, you name it. If the "S S " was on the side. 400 or more horses and torques were lurking inside. The " S S " cars went away with the muscle car era but there is a new era of muscle dawn 1 ^ . ing. not just in Detroit, but also in Forget about two-wheel and fourwheel-drive. the SS comes with full time. all-wheel-drive system and locking rear differential. When you have this much power and traction, spreading it out over an A W D system makes a lot of sense. And just to make sure you aren't dusted off by some kid in one of those tomato-can exhaust Hondas. the final drive gear is a 4:10 to 1 . Painted in brilliant red. the tester sits of 20-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels with performance tires. You can see the big disc brakes (A B S standard) and the exhausts have big flared tips that add a nice burble. These SS-only items along with the monochrome grille heighten the effect that this is not a machine to tri t o fle with. Coventry. Big jjm Robinson The SS also comes with what you power, cou pled with big advances in road hold might call a " tweaked" suspension ing and suspension engineering have (for a pickup) being independent tor created vehicles that can not only out- sion bars at the front and two-mode drag most of the 1970s muscle cars, rear leaf springs at the rear. Inside, is like being in the latest but run rings around them while Cadillac with full-featured heated doing it. G M has a marvelous history of front buckets (featuring embroidered offering limited edition performance SS emblem) with six way power packages, usually without a lot of adjust, power lumbar with the driver fanfare. That's how the Z28 Camaro getting two-position memory. The started. Certain high performance rear bench seat is also leather. There is a premium Bose sound Chevs of which only a handful were system installed with six-disc CD built are the dreams of car collectors. The Silverado SS comes out at a changer. The auto dimming rearview time when the " S S " moniker is under mirror contains controls for OnStar. going a revival led by the Chevrolet G M 's live, voice-interactive commu SS concept car shown at this year's nications and emergency services , Detroit Auto Show. Slippery and sin system. With a delivered price of $54, 460 ister, the SS concept screams that per (including $1,025 shipping), this is a formance is back at Chevrolet. W hile it does have a working box truik with attitude. With the ability to haul 6.400 lbs. and it does have a heavy-duty trailering kit, the Silverado SS has nothing (2,903 kg), the SS w ill be more used to do with going to construction sites for blasting down highways are con or bringing in bales of hay. siderable speed. You sit way up in the This Chevy pickup is about step cab thanks to the 20-inch tires. With high centre of gravity and power (hat ping out and looking pretty. It starts with a 345 hp. 380 lb/ft/ of can burst through the drivetrain with torque high performance version of a tap of the gas pedal, means you the standard 6.0 litre Vortec V8. approach the Silverado SS with v\ m i V^'8' ^ R 0 1 1 I HIIRTIIl Racy looking indeed, Chevrolet is starting to bring back its SS performance cars that include the 2003 Silverado Extended Cab with 20-inch performance tires'and 345 hp high performance V8. respect. This is a performance vehicle you build up to because it stretches the limits of any pickup truck you've driven before. But you also have to remember that it does have limits. To cross the line is to flirt with disaster. There is a lot more grip from the tires than you would expect, and this is complimented by the all-wheeldrive doing its thing. You can start to push the SS into comers a bit harder, but those four disc brakes, as big as they are. have to stop a weight of about three tons. Ergo braking is something you don't leave to the last moment. I went from the plushness and near silence of a Buick Park Avenue Ultra into the SS. This was done coming back from a long weekend with my wife, two kids and our " stuff'. Making the switch involved tying down a few things in the bed and then we all jostled into the extended cab for the ride home. Interestingly, my wife clung to the front grab bar as if the SS were the Titanic going down for the last time. She said that after the Buick, the increased responsive ness of the SS made her reach for the bar when turning. It's not everyday you hear about trucks being considered more respon sive than cars, so I don't know if that says something about the SS or the Ultra. You w ill also want to treat the throttle with respect. At 17.8L per 100 km (16 mpg) city and 13.1L per 100 km (22 mpg highway (premium fuel recommended) you w ill be visit ing the gas station on a regular basis. There is an up side and that's the overdrive ratio of 0:7 to one. which, with cruise deployed, w ill help m iti gate damage at the pump. However. I doubt that fuel con sumption is a buying consideration to consumers who want something to pull a big boat or a big camper. What I hope is Chevrolet w ill keep this truck in very limited production. It is only for a very few. like the few who were smart enough to grab up all those El Camino SS trucks in the 1970s that combined brawn and beau ty so well. It's not cheap to buy or to operate, but if you want a big truck with big looks and big performance, the Silverado SS. made right here in Oshawa. is hard to beat. 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Roadside assistance program Mazda leadership warranty. 1291 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE 905.827.4242 www.oakvillemazda.com f 0 % Purchase Financing/48 months is available on new 2003 Mazda vehicles except MAZDASPEED Protege. Finance examples for $10,000 at OS Purchase Financing the monthly payment is $208.33 for 48 months, CO B K $0 for a total of $10,000 Other finance rotes available f f N o payments for 90 days applies to purchase finance offers on all new Mazda vehicles excluding 2004 RX-8. Ho interest charges will apply during the first 60 days of the finance controcl After this period interest starts fo accrue and the purchaser will repay principal and interest monthly over the term of the contract fOffers cannot be combined. Negotiated price may exceed cosh purchase price offer if advertised finance offer is selected and may result in a higher effective interest rate ' / " Offers available on new cash purchases of 2003 Mazda M PV OX. 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Lease payment includes freight and PD.E. Purchase price offers exdude freight and RD E. of S925 for cots Total lease obligation for the 2003 Mazda Protege SE (D4XMS3AC00) is $10,807 including down payment of S2,695 Total lease obligation for the 2003 Mazda ProtegeS (DSTS53ACOO) is $13,547 including down payment of $3,995 Total lease obligation for the 2003 MX-5 Miata (L28Q5JV800) is SI 8.697 including down payment of S3 995 and a security deposit of $350. 20,000 km per year mileage allowance applies; if exceeded, odditionol 8 < per km applies 25.0M km leases also available License, insurance, registration, taxes and other dealer chorges extra. Dealer may sell/lease for less Dealer order may be necessary Offers available from July 3, 2003 for a limited time only Lease and Finance 0A.C. for qualified customers only See your dealer for details Mazda Protege LX --Car and Driver Nov 2002 June 2002-Cor and Driver 1990-2002