Motorweek; 1706

A. This time on Motor Week new boards we're ninety eight the last air cooled and the riddle of road rage. So it comes right with us. Now. TV's original automotive magazine your hopes for Motor Week. John Davis. And welcome again to motor week. We're glad to have you with us. Last week we started our annual series on what's new from America's big three automakers for 1998 as the country's largest automaker General Motors naturally started first. But in recent years Rhonda Rob Ford has been close on GM heels. So let's see if Ford

has any new market grabbers for 1998. Ford Motor Company has chiseled a reputation in recent years for producing both innovative cars and all conquering like Truck Month in and month out the industry's list of top sellers includes more CT products than any other manufacturer from Taurus to expedition. Ford vehicles routinely set benchmarks for their class and 1098 is no different. In the car category most of the effort this year went to luxury brand Lincoln following a successful summer launch of a full sized navigator sport utility vehicle both a new front wheel drive Continental and more contemporary rear wheel drive town car arrives for fall. The town car was and remains the sole surviving definition of the traditional American luxury car. But while the 98 model retains its huge interior plastic body on frame layout and hearty be a power virtually all of the pieces have been redesigned. Hockeytown bar styling is history

and its place is a younger blowing sculpture with even the normally rectangular Lincoln grill now rounded into a shield compared to last year the 98 Town Car lost 3.6 inches of useless overhang but will base edges up to one hundred seventeen point seven inches. So you could say the 98 Town Car has traded fat for muscle. As you would expect with an all new exterior size interior of the 98 Lincoln Town Car also has been completely updated. However much of the style and all of the luxury and room will be familiar to her a town car owner that also applies to the Town Cars refined 4.6 leader overhead cam V8 engine family output is up to 205 horsepower with single exhaust and 220 horsepower with dual exhaust both engine version feature a new failsafe cooling system and 100000 miles between tuna while the 1998 Lincoln Town Car is first and foremost a luxury car. No one ever said that cars had to be boring to drive. Although computer

controlled rear air springs continue a new watch linkage has been added for improved driving cornering and a firmer driver oriented touring sedan packets can be added to the popular stick. If you're seeing. Most of the town car chassis improvements will also be added to Ford's other full sized rear wheel drive car. Otherwise the police cruiser favorite board Crown Victoria and sister Mercury Grand Marquis had only minor front and rear restyling. Continental on the other hand stakes its claim anew as the domestic premium sedan for those that demand front wheel drive. At first the restyling for the 1998 model seems minor but in reality new proportions have transformed a handsome shape into a thing of moving beauty. Designers also simplified interior controls were retaining an already correct layout Lincoln also made standard a suspension system that handles both interstates and switchbacks with the. Mostly untouched just the two hundred sixty horse power in tech wind can be a torque is up a bit as is the thrill of passing everyone else on the road.

Ford already introduced its most exciting 98 car line offering last spring a restyled contour jewel of that design is the new Contour SBT with a 195 horsepower V-6 and world class sports sedan suspension. The sassy Ford Escort cx 2 also arrived early bringing new value and confidence to the economy market. All z x foods include a TRC dash and supportive seat along with a sport tuned suspension and contours 130 horsepower as the Tank Engine. C-x 2 is a lot of showing go but not a lot of dough or fall the most obvious car alterations are to the futuristic Taurus the front facia traded smiling when lower air intakes for a single simpler version of the one used on the SH go the new SE version adds a sporty or interior that keeps the venerable pushrod the sick. The three later during twin Camby 6 on the Taurus telex now has a lower three point nine eight to one final gearing for improved off line acceleration

demands include 10 horsepower more top into the Mustang G.T. coupe and convertible body style for Main and both can still be ordered with the full 305 horsepower SVT Cobra treatment towards other sporty coupe the Thunderbird and prob are history. At least for now. The 1998 model year is a quiet time for big Ford trucks. There are a few changes to the full sized F-150 pick up for the expedition SUV. Meanwhile the supersize F-350 will be an early 1999 model. However there is plenty happening down the ranks. The number one selling Ford Explorer Sport Utility Vehicle and sister Mercury Mountaineer gain a larger rear glass a new window arm rear wipers. It's mostly the front end that visually marks a more significant redesign for the compact Ford Ranger pickup to hold onto its number one ranking or just began with a lower hook line a more aggressive drill regular cab wheel base has been stretched three point six inches with most of that going for the cab itself. See

travel is up as is the maximum angle of the seat recline. Plus there's now usable behind the seat storage a child seat cut off switch with a passenger side airbag remain standard. The dimensions of stiles side and side cargo boxes are the same as last year as is their direct bolt to the frame mounting the boxes include stand side walls for two tier loading and box with stakeholders. But the most important changes to the 1998 board Ranger are under the lower trunk. They're there made possible by new short long arm front suspension borrowed from the explorer the SLA offers improved ride handling and tire wear over the previous twin I-beam swing arm setup. To Explorers more precise rack and pinion steering system is included to the Rangers or by board system also comes into the modern age a new folx vacuum hub block system does away with old style hub locks the retard backing or disengagement the new system is instantaneous and requires no scheduled maintenance.

My trio of engine power the 98 Ranger to begin with is a larger 2.5 leader in line for grading for 117 horsepower and one hundred forty nine pulling pound feet of torque. The latter up nearly 10 percent. 145 horsepower Vulcan 3 liter V-6 also gains almost a 10 percent boost in torque thanks to a pre or breathing intake manifold a top engine a 158 horsepower for leaders effect is just as capable as before. Ford will also manufacture an electric Ranger bleats their first production electric with the aero stars Dimaio support brands only minivan for 98 the front will drive when Star receives people moving improved but the fourth door is still a year away by 6 inch wider drivers door and tilting front seat does make. Access to the rear seat much easier with innovations and changes that span the entire 98 automotive spectrum. Ford Motor Company looks poised to continue to carve out a new market share and make sure their competitors never

sleep. Coming up controlling rage on the road. You know Pat Goss sees plenty of road rage in his line of work but it's usually because someone's car doesn't run right. So here he is with tips on how to keep your cool and your machine tip top shape. John as much as any other part of the car's steering systems have really evolved over the last few years. Early on we had research elating ball systems that were durable and they were reliable but they were pretty numb feeling. They gave way to rack and pinion steering which became the standard for most cars in the world that gave very precise steering response. But now there's something brand new. This is Meg Mystere and it uses electro magnets inside the system to control the amount of force it takes to steer the car. And it is speed variable and it works very very well. Expect to see a lot of this as time goes on. But with all of these advancements in steering there's still

one basic thing that has to be considered and that is alignment used to be called front end alignment but today it's just an alignment. So either a thrusting alignment or it's a four wheel alignment. But what is the technician going to adjust. Well primarily there are three angles that the technician has to be concerned with. First is camber which is the tilting of the wheel in or out at the top. Second is caster which means the angle of the spindle going through the center of the tire and the third is toe in or toe out. If the tires point toward one another out the front. That's tow in. If they point away from one another that's tow out. But how do you apply all of this into a day to day scenario where you need to look for a front end alignment shop that has modern equipment modern equipment is going to have four sensors one for each wheel on the car and the first thing that the

technician is going to do after hooking up these sensors is to take a reading on the rear wheels of the car. Now if the rear wheels are properly aligned the technician moves to the front of the car and aligns the front wheels. Now this is called a thrust angle or thrust line adjustment. Now that simply means that the rear wheels are not trying to steer the car. But suppose the opposite happens when they check the rear wheels they're not correct. That means that the thrust line or thrust angle is not correct. Then the technician aligns the rear wheels first then lines the front wheels to the rear wheels using them as a reference. And you have just had a four wheel alignment. Now these are facts that you need to know to avoid problems in getting your car properly aligned and if you have a question or a suggestion write to me. If I use your letter I'll send you a

motor week T-shirt. The address is Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 0 1 7. Our car of the week is one of only 230 of its kind in a proven Concorde winner. It's a superb 1940 Buick Ltd convertible sedan. It's co-owned by Brother steward C. Hall of Anchorage Alaska and Marshall Randall Hall of Saratoga California. It's appeared everywhere from books to greeting cards. Now if you have a truly special parts of it at least two good color photos to Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. A few months ago a reporter Lisa Barrow brought us a story of the growing phenomenon of road rage. Since then many of you have called and shared your own road rage experiences with us and you've also asked to see the segment again. So here in an updated performance is Lisa barrow with a timely topic that affects everyone who

gets behind the wheel. You see them every day. Speeders tailgaters stupid drivers restive drivers. Just drive. And are you one of them. Triple A Foundation for Traffic Safety recently sponsored a study on Aggressive Driving. They looked at over 10000 incidents between January of 1990 in August of 1996 and they found some interesting results. We were looking for relationships between aggressive driving and ingestion for example. There doesn't seem to be much of one. You find it in completely on congested areas of the country you find it you know rural areas and urban areas in small towns and large cities. It's happening all over the country according to this study. The typical aggressive driver is male between the ages of 18 and 26.

But we shouldn't be lulled into believing that it's just young men who are the problem. There are incidents of aggressive driver involving people up into their 70s. Men and women. Many experts are tribute aggressive driving behavior to stress. But Dr. John Larson director of the Institute for stress medicine believes that it's more than just stress. Larson categorizes drivers into five times the speed or. Speed or believes he or she must get to a certain destination as fast as possible and becomes angry when another driver slows or pays. The answer to the speeder who is trying to make good time is to change that so that he emphasizes making time good the competitor the competitor wants to gain status by engaging in competitive games that he makes up while driving. How do you think you are. Larson says the competitor becomes angry when he loses one of his self generated competitions. The answer is to relax and don't make driving a

game. The passive aggressor the passive aggressor is someone who is not necessarily intent on winning but he does not want to lose. And when I let you win that dream Larson says the passive aggressor needs to practice saying Be my guest. You want to come in a place come in. The narcissist the narcissist becomes annoyed with any driver behavior or highway activity that fails to measure up to his or her standards. On your way. The best response here is to realize there's probably a good reason for the other driver's behavior. And finally there's the vigilante. He firmly believes that he has the right to punish other drivers for their bad driving habits. Vigilante behavior does not work. Their behavior does not improve anybody's driving. According to Dr Larson one way to change aggressive driving behavior is for people to

become aware of these attitudes and beliefs. As someone listening to this program is going to be more responsible after hearing the program the more you understand. The more responsible you have to become. So for example when a tense moment occurs don't retaliate. It's much better to keep a cool head. Just say. Be my guest. Road rage is a complex issue and while self-awareness is not an immediate cure it is a necessary first step in making driving a safer more enjoyable experience. Checking up on motor week's largest long term road test vehicle isn't easy since it's hardly ever here. We've been enjoying this 29 foot Jayco Eagle series motor home for nearly six months and forty nine hundred seventy miles. The eagle series is designed as a value leader in the Jayco line with less expensive fittings and fewer standard features than the luxury motor homes we're used to seeing.

Nevertheless the Jayco has served us well as a perfect family vacation home and an awesome trackside headquarters with four bunks in the rear and a pool kitchen back in the lounge up front. Our pit crews have never had it so good and while it's no racecar it will certainly tow one. The Chevrolet chassis is powered by the latest board tech or piccy for big block pork is political along mountain grades or highway merging fuel economy so far stands at seven point eight miles per gallon. An impressive number considering how much towing this titan has done those summers winding down we still have a full schedule of fall trip plans. I will let you know how our Jayco eagle is fairing on another motor week long term road test update. Once again a carboy with all the latest Motor News. Despite sales hits like The Rand pick up Dodge dealers have long amended the Jeep divisions corporate stranglehold on the sport utility segment. Well all that's about to change with the arrival of the

Dodge Durango built on a modified Dodge Dakota pickup chassis. The Durango is targeted at serious mid-sized like the Chevy Blazer. Ford Explorer and Toyota Forerunner. With over 115 inches of wheel base and over 15 feet of length the Durango is noticeably larger than any of its competitors. And with its top five point nine leader V8 engine more powerful than all but the Jeep Grand Cherokee corporate siblings Dodge and Jeep will both benefit from its 245 horsepower and 335 pounds of tour in 1998. Other Durango engine choices will be a five point two liter V8 with 230 horsepower and a 175 wars 3.9 leader base B6 that will arrive later. Initially Durango can be ordered with part or full time four wheel drive a two wheel drive version will be added for the 99 model year. Another advantage of the Durango size is increased interior room. It matches and frequently exceeds the inside dimensions of almost all competitors. The front cabin is bright and spacious with a dash that will look

very familiar to owners of Dodge pick ups. While in back the three sections split second seat fold well away for more cargo space and easy access. But the Durango's most appealing feature is an optional third seat. It not only allows for a place seating but the it's completely a way to give the Durango a total available cargo space of 88 cubic feet. Another number of note is the seven point nine inches of ground clearance for the few people and they actually take one off road. The front doorway arm and the rear in the spring with a lot of axle suspension should prove topper than anything the average urban cowboy or cowgirl envisioned the if you were a Mopar fan who wants a new 4 by 4 right now be prepared to shell out twenty eight thousand twenty five dollars for the five point two liter V8 slightly less expensive these 6 which arrives in the middle of next year will cost about twenty seven thousand four hundred thirty five dollars and that's it for this week's Motor News. Hi I'm Craig and if you're like the motorway staff you also love old airplanes. This

week's Roadside America finds us outside of Detroit at Willow Run airport home to the Yankee air museum. Once the site of Ford Motor Company is B-24 bomber plant the facility is now home to roughly 25 historic aircraft with some in this exciting collection restored to their original flying condition. As a nonprofit organization the Yankee air museum does an outstanding job preserving an irreplaceable part of our national heritage. For 34 years the air cooled a rear engine Porsche 911 has stood as the quintessential German sports car. But it's more than just that. It's also been a rolling reminder of the glory days of a sports car breed a time when only the best and bravest drove the cars of Stuttgart. But times change and so must the nine eleven thousand nine hundred ninety eight will see the first truly new 9 11 since its debut in 63 and the first water cooled 911 ever so fortunate as

bidding the Eric old car goodbye with a very special version of the all conquering 911 Turbo. Talk about going out with a bang. Big thing it is a 424 horsepower Bang to be precise. That's the output of the last of the most powerful air cooled Porsche 911 ever sold in North America. The limited edition 911 Turbo S. To make this 9 11 is departure a memorable one. Porsche engineers tweak the standard three point six liter twin turbo flat 6s ignition. This stacked an extra twenty four horses on the top in to match the already mind boggling 400 pound feet of torque and fed it all through a slick six speed manual transmission which slammed the car to 60 in only three point nine seconds. The quarter mile was an equally astounding twelve point three seconds at 117 mph. One of the fastest cars that we've ever tested and the most thrilling. The power comes

on like a tsunami. Especially between five and 7000 RPM. It's of AC only the massive ripple in terms of all wheel drive system prevents a terminal tire killing wheel spin a forgiving brought in push is the order of the day. Transitioning to strong but not sudden oversteer as you wind on the ground while the all wheel drive is controlling the power the front brake Pierce instructed multi link rear suspension is pedalling the bumps even those of Pocono International Raceway is challenging North course where the combination of high speed banking and twisty ripple pavement produces lesser cars to quivering wrecks especially those not wearing ultra low profile Perelli piece 0 tires on 18 engine alloy wheels or having massive ABS equipped disc brakes they yank the ES down from 60 and only 103 feet. Those remarkably civilized manners reach out on to the street as well. Unlike almost all other peers supercars the Turbo S is positively docile in traffic. The ride is quite firm but without

the harshness of earlier incarnations. Once you get used to the on and off feel of the clutch you can putt peacefully around all day as long as you keep the revs below 5 grand. And while most boats would be deliriously happy with its speed alone there's more to the Turbo S than just Foreman. Thanks to some prominent additions to the standard car styling the 911 Turbo S is as striking to look at as it is to draw the front end where it's a deeper spoiler with additional air and less abreast of the signal lens blanks where extra air ducts on the rear fender and it wouldn't be a turbo without a big rear spoiler. In this case one that would look at home on the grid of an FIA race. The inside is also striking but not as handsome. The box to red leather and plastic are definitely an acquired taste. And the colored switches and speaker grills look like they were painted with a spray can. It works better on the leather clad sport seats. They're firm with good back and nice support but not only don't offer enough side support credit to Porsche however for avoiding the

folk carbon fiber so popular today and using the real stuff even if it's too much of a good thing will miss these vintage looking but very usable gauges and wished that we could miss the electronic immobiliser that must be deactivated every time you start the car. And now that the ventilation controls and those of the CD player with its removable faceplate are finally practical. Expect even better next year. Digital audio controls are optional for those not content with the stereo sound coming from the rear wheels. But the Porsche 911 Turbo S isn't about me or contentment it's about pure satisfaction overload and huge grins sensation that only a couple hundred people will get to experience. It's a very limited edition. Of course how many people can afford a car with a base price of one hundred fifty thousand dollars with options are Turbo S test car cost a staggering one hundred fifty four thousand nine hundred ninety one dollars. A price that's as memorable as its performance and as

lofty. So as air cold porches disappear into the pages of history. Well think back on all the fantastic first generation 9/11 models that we've driven over the years. And one of our fondest memories will undoubtedly be one of the most recent of the Porsche 911 Turbo S a car that didn't just close the door on a performance era but. With a bang heard around the sports car world. And I hope you'll join us next week for more motor We will show you all that's new from Chrysler for 1998 and drive the new aluminum intensive PE NOS roadster. Greg saying awful a 10 Oldsmobile to 1 100th birthday party and Pat Goss has tips on telling us we'll have all the latest Motor News. I'm John Davis. Well CNN to order a video cassette of this program call 1 800 4 2 2 0 0 6 4 or Cyn 1095 plus for ninety five shipping and handling to this address. This. Is PBS.