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C8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, Septem ber 26, 2001 DOES YOUR CAR WAX GIVE YOU BETTER PROTECTION THAN YOUR CUT-RATE CAR INSURANCE? Don't trust just anyone to insure your car. see me: OAKVILLE NISSAN Bob McIntosh 616 York St. Oakville Wayne McGill 2345W yK roftR A #21, Oakville Direct: 905-82 7-7 191 W e lease all m akes and models. 847-5671 An Oakville Beaver Advertising Feature To advertise in this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 Nissan regains Check car belts now and avoid future troubles its image with 2002 Altima B y J IM R O B IN S O N Nissan has taken a major step forward in re-trenching its image as a maker of satisfying road-going cars with the 2002 Nissan Altima. Much larger, much more driveable, and way more power is the package that moves Altima, especially with 3.5-litre V6 engine tantalizingly close to the BMW 3-Series and Lexus IS300 in prowess. Were it doesn't come near the 3-Series or Lexus is in the price. The 2.5-litre four-cylinder five-speed manual starts at $23,498 and the automatic is $1,000 more. The 3.5-litre V6 with five-speed manual is $27,698 and the V£ with four-speed autobox is $28,998. Yes, you read correctly, there is a 3.5-litre V6, and not something out of a Nissan truck ________________ either. This is one of the VQ family of Nissan V6s that con tinues to be rated as one of W ard's A utom otive Top 10 Engines, and that's been the case for close to a decade. Now Altimas have always been known for nice handling and descent power, but manage ment vigorously defended a four-cylinder scenario for Alti ma. But the real reason was they were keeping the VQ for the M axim a and various Infiniti RoadW orthy offerings so buyers of lesser Nissans had something to step -----------------------up to. It came as a surprise, really, that (a) Altima would get a V6 in 2002 and (b) that it was a full-blown 240 hp, 246 ft/lb of torque 3.5 instead of the 3.0-litre VQ that would have been seen as a major move up in itself. "Our research shows that there's a large number of sedan buyers who are dissatisfied with the performance and style of current offerings," said Nissan Canada's marketing director Ian Forsyth. "The new Altima is designed to fully exceed these `unmet needs' described by this group." The research must have also shown that buyers in this segment want more room, because the 2002 Altima is now a mid-size car and more than 100 cu. ft. of passenger vol ume brings it close to a full-size sedan. Despite all the bulking up on size, that's not the case for weight, as the 2002 comes in at only 32 kg (70 lbs.) more than the 2001. A lot o f this is due to extensive use of aluminum. In addition to the V6, Altima is also available with a 2.5litre inline four-cylinder that puts out 180 hp and 181 ft/lb o f torque. Transmission choices are a five-speed manual and fourspeed electronic automatic, both of which are offered across the model lineup and both of which are beefed up to handle the greater torque loads. All four-cylinder cars come with 16-inch alloy wheels, the V6 models with 17-inch alloys. Nissan didn't scrimp on breaking either, as the car comes with four-wheel disc brakes and an optional fourwheel, four-channel ABS system. The ABS cars also incor porate Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), which optimizes braking, depending on passenger and cargo load, and Brake Assist which senses hard or panic stops and pro vides maximum braking power. The car also represents a styling break away from the past decade. While Nissans have always been distinctive, they stub bornly kept to the family line that was showing its age in the previous Altima and Sentra. The 2002 Altima has a high belt line and substantial hips. Both couple with a coupe-like roof line to give the car what I thought was more Germanic than California, although that's supposed to be the influence. It is, however, a very handsome car and the two-dimen sion photos do not adequately show how taut the skin, especially along the midriff, is. This is due in part to the Altima being the first North American-built Nissan to use a one-piece body-side structure. But I later found out the near seamless door fit on the car is due to assembling, which uses the Intelligent Body Assembly System (IBAS) that was pioneered for the Infiniti Q45 flagship model. It gives panel shut accuracy to within +/- 1.0 mm. A 65% stiffer body than the 2001 and gobs of sound deadening materials make for near silent running on cruise control and at legal speeds. As mentioned, the interior seems almost vast compared to the previous model. In fact the Altima is only smaller than the M axima by less than a cubic foot in passenger vol ume. In addition, the concept of the interior has been re thought and is now offered in different "environments" that give a choice in seat cloth or leather, interior trim or optional wood trim. Now the Maxima may have 260 hp compared to the 240 hp in the Altima and a six-speed manual box, but you'd think Altima, would cannibalize Maxima on showroom floors. Nissan brass is not concerned. They point to the Xterra and Pathfinder SUVs that share almost everything under the skin and say sales show they complement each other. Well, I don't know about that. But what I do know is how the Altima drives. I had a chance to sample both Altima versions recently in central California. While part of the driving incorporat ed fabled Laguna Seca Raceway, I stuck to the roads to get as much seat time as possible. Most of my driving was in the V6, fiverspeed and it was a wonderful experience. T he'old Altima was always a hoot because you could wind out the engine to the redline and keep up a reasonable rate of knots. When it comes to fan belts, the old adage: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," does n't hold true. Some things you should fix before they break, because if they break it can be very distressing. It's a simple thing, just a piece of rubber. But it runs the alternator, which provides electrical power and keeps the battery charged. Without that electrical power, your car will run only as long as the battery lasts -- maybe 10 minutes - 30 if you're luck. For many cars, other things run from belts, too. Power steering, water pump, air conditioning - with the exception of the water pump, these are things you can live without while you limp to a repair centre. Some cars have several belts, others a single, long belt that does everything. The belts today are mostly V-shaped. They have cogs on the underside to allow a better fit around the pulley and increased air circula tion. The air circulation keeps them cooler, so they will last longer. When you inspect your belts, look for cracks in the rubber, frayed edges, missing cogs - anything to suggest it's getting brit tle or worn. Replacing a belt when you're having an oil change is easy. Doing it by night at the side of the road is not. mok your MAZDA MPVDX 2001 CLEARANCE JIM ROBINSON wove 0 event cash purchase from lease from per m o n th /4 8 m o nth s © O akville mazoa purchase financing for up to 36 months on new 2001 mazdast .9 1 NO PAYMENTS, NO INTEREST FOR 60 DAYSr MAZDA B400& SE PLUS OR <3> NO SECURITY DEPOSIT ON LEASES.t t lease from per m o n th /4 8 m o nth s d o w n p aym ent $3 ,8 0 0 i · $5,000 down or trade equivalent on lease, freight and P.O.I. included. Convenience Package with · cruise control · power door locks · power windows £ mirrors · air conditioning · standard dual airbags · 3rd row tumble under seats · 2nd row slide by slide. cash purchase from · $3,800 down or trade equivalent on lease, freight and P.O.I. included. · 4 Litre V6 automatic · Power group · AM/FM CD player · Air conditioning · Alloy Wheels · Fog ights ·4 doors . . . plus much more Offer ends month 00, 2001 OR Oakville m a zo a 1 2 9 1 S P E E R S R O A D North side befween 3rd Line & 4lh Line Where Good Seruice Is (1 Fact. Hot Just R Promise! www.oakvillemazda.com 905-827-4242 I S N 'T IT T I M E Y O U H A D THE B E S T? DURING N I S S A N 'S B E S T BUY S AL E S E V E N T The New The New 2002 Nissan Sentra The E x ce p tio n a l S edan 2002 Nissan Pathfinder The "Thoroughbred o f 4 X 4 's " 126-HP 1.8-litre DOHC engine · Air conditioning 1 AM/FM with CD audio system with 4 speakers · 1 4 " steel wheels Full wheel covers · 8-way manual driver's seat · 6 0 /4 0 split folding seat 1 Centre console armrest · And much, much more... · 250HP 3.5 litre DOHC V6 engine · 240-fWb torque @ 3,200 RPM · " Shift on the fly" · Part-time 4WD system · Power steering · 16" alloy wheels · Tow hook · Tilt steering · Air conditioning · Anti-theft system · Cargo area tiedown hooks · AM/FM with CD audio system · Autooff interior lights · Auto on/off headlights · And much, much more.. Lease Sentra XE with VALUE OPTION PACKAGE f° r$ 0 1 only ? Or choose Lease Pathfinder XE W IT H AUTOM ATIC f o r $ Q Q Q /mo.' for 48 months, only O O O only $5,450 down. Q /m o.'for 48 $ C Q E d o w n . 2 . 8 % months, only Financing 099 Includes Destination and Delivery. No Security Deposit The New 2002 Nissan Maxima Larger and M o re P o w erfu l The New 2002 Nissan Altimas NOW IN STOCK! Our 2001 Lease Maxima GXE W IT H AUTOM ATIC for$ r$O Q Q /m o ' tor 48 months, only y 0 * 7 0 only $4,100 down. 1255-HP 3.5 litre DOHC 24-valve engine · 4-speed automatic with gated shifter 16" alloy wheels · ABS · Dual power mirrors · HID Xenon headlights &way power driver's seat · Automatic climate control A/C with microfilter Power windows, locks, trunk/fuel release · Cruise · And much, much more... Clearance continues. Hurry for fin a n c in g as low as on selected remaining 2 0 0 1 's 1.8% QEW fcror® ----* <© N OAIf WH 1 C NISSAN 1450 SPEERS ROAD. I .8 OAKVILLE l T 0 905-827-1177 -------- Hamilton Speers Road CO Smart people always read the fine print and they always wear t h * seat bete. f 1.8% purchase financing lor 36 months aaiabie on selected new 2001 models; 2.8% purchase financing awiatte on new 2002 Ser*a. Other finance rates awiiable on other models. Umied-timeolfets on 2002 Sentra XESspeed manual *th \6 k ie Option Package (C4UG52 BK00); 2002 Maxima GXE Automatic (U4RG72 AJ00); 2002 Pathfinder XE automatic (50G72 AEOO) *4&month lease on Sentra/MadnWPattifinder 52ty7.8 % /6 £% AIR, down payment or equMfent trade of $695/54,100/55,450. leases based on a maximum of 78,000/96,000/96.000 km with excess chargd at S01(y50.10.50.10/lan. Monthly payment and cost borrowing w i vary depencfing on amount bonwed and down paymenVtrade.AloflasaieQAC. and exclude destination and dehey (Sentra 5857/Maxima 5966/Pathfinder 5972). licence, insurance, taxes and other. Offas cannot ne combined with any other offas. 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