Motorweek; 1725

Oh. This time on motor we ship load of work you towards budget and concept cars for charity. So come drive with us. TV's original automotive magazine brought to you by super clean all wheel cleaner the cleaner that releases brake dust and grime from all types of wheels on contact no matter what age your car. Castrol super clean all wheel cleaner. Your host for Motor Week. John Davis. Oh and welcome again to motor week. We're glad to have you with us. While as you can see from where I'm standing the automotive landscape is literally awash in sport

utility vehicles and indeed the growth of sport utes over the last 15 years. But Roy get off road couriers day every day family transportation has been down doing so much so that everyone wants to get into the act. Why this year we even saw a Mercedes Benz enter the fray and long time full size SUV purveyor dodge as reentered the market with the mid-size Durango. Now both of these new designs are very impressive. Four will drive four door wagons and they just beg to be compared to the more established sports youth leaders. Wow that sounds like fun. We rounded up a familiar gang of mid-sized mid-price whereby for a family sport utility vehicles but most with a twist or two to keep the newcomers on their toes leaving the charges the sport sales leader. The Ford Explorer next the Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited now with a five point nine leader V8. Oldsmobile griddata

represents a made over GM trio that includes the Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Jimmy. The first of our new comers as the brawny Dodge Durango followed by this year's most talked about SUV the Alabama made Mercedes Benz M-L 320. Finally the SUV that the Mercedes is most often compared to the Land Rover Discovery. So when you put these six family Packers side by side how do they measure up. Well our Ford Explorer X Ltd is like Old Faithful. You know exactly what to expect. It's boxy upright styling is traditional SUV the interior is a little plain but very practical with the most use controls neatly located in a center panel. There's lots of comfortable people space brought him back a maximum of eighty one point six cubic feet of cargo space and a towing capacity of sixty seven hundred pounds makes it among the most versatile Explorer Users rugged truck body on frame construction ride is smooth with a little tip. A limited model adds air springs are x Ltd didn't have them but it did have the least ground clearance of the group

6.7 inches. Still this past reading for leader overhead cam B6 delivers 205 horsepower and 250 pound feet of torque we're capable off roading. The available full time on demand high low range controlled track four wheel drive system always put power to the wheels that needed it most of the 5 leader V8 and you're limited to an all wheel drive system without low rate B6 acceleration and the 5 speed automatic ships were both effortless zero to 60 in only 7.9 seconds economy is poor however at twelve point two miles per gallon Ford Explorers cover a wide range of prices with our x l t pegged at thirty one thousand eight hundred sixty dollars. From its distinctive seven Bar Grill to its quick and responsive steering the Jeep Grand Cherokee wears its pioneering heritage ever better with age or 98. Enter the bloodline with the addition of a pushrod 5.9 leader. The ratings are two hundred forty five horsepower and three hundred forty five pound feet of torque the most pulling power in its

class. Oddly Grand Cherokees towing limit of 60 £700 is one of the smaller five point two liter V8 But the purpose of the my point 9 is not for towing but for going 0 to 60 is a class best 7.4 seconds. Mileage is better than most to what fourteen point nine per you hot rod in style to the limited overstuffed leather seats and Woody accents set the tone. Back seat room is more frank than we'd like as his luggage space due to the inside mounted spare tire. Still there is room for seventy nine point three cubic feet of stuff. Unifies frame provides a very stiff platform offroad performance is excellent thanks to a high 8.3 inches. Ground clearance and all the time. Watch your track drive system highway ride this car smooth but the signature Jeep body sway can get a little tiring. Grand Cherokee prices also cover a wide range for my floor started about twenty eight thousand dollars while are limited by point nine had a sticker of thirty eight thousand nine hundred

dollars. GM took the edges off all its midsize sport utes this year and made them appear more attractive and contemporary while retaining a purposeful shape. Although one look at the interior of the Oldsmobile bravado and you know its purpose is more one of luxury than lugging the bravado is among the smallest in its class but overall interior room is surprisingly good. We love the fluid way the rear seat fold cargo space is seventy four point one cubic feet with towing capacity limited to 5000 pound robot and it can have only one engine gets a four point three leader B-6 here with 190 horsepower and 250 pound feet of torque. Acceleration is adequate zero to 60 takes nine point two seconds while noisy under hard throttle speaks well on mileage. Sixteen point eight for our test. While blazer and Jimmy have traditional part time four wheel drive robot has a fully automatic smart track all wheel drive system and lacks low range but with seven and a half inches of ground clearance steel is very capable highway ride is smooth although it does get pitchy

at times. The least expensive board or blazer board by board goes for about twenty five thousand seven hundred dollars at thirty one thousand three hundred seventy five dollars. I load it to the hilt bravado comes off looking like the classic bargain in our recent road test of the Dodge Durango. We praise this new domestic entry for the great styling and for being Detroit's first midsize SUV they can carry a family of eight. Durango is based on the Dakota pick up from the windshield back. Clever engineers had to raise the roof and lowered floor to maximize interior space. The 30 fold into a floor when you need all the 88 to be the Bardo room towing capacity is Room best at seventy two hundred pounds. Dakota engines are also used with up to five point nine leaders available RSL to great Durango packs the familiar five point two liter V8 with 230 work power and 300 pound feet of torque. Good for a zero to 60 dash of eight point seven seconds more by four gearing includes a choice of part time or full time transfer case which when combined with knobby tires

and a good seven point nine inches of ground clearance gives the body on frame Durango up fine off road. On road ride was better than expected but with more annoying creeks and squeaks than we'd like. Durango is also thirsty. Twelve point two miles per gallon the same as explore but like explorers prices seem pretty reasonable with our well equipped example having a final sticker of thirty one thousand one hundred dollars. Not everyone loves the shape of the Mercedes Benz M-L 320 but this flowing to bark form is clearly where modern will buy for wagons are evolving. Inside the M-L has most of the traits and safety you expect in a Mercedes-Benz. Think letting us to firmly organize dash and side impact airbags only plastic quality needs improving but no improvements are needed for interior room. Dimensions are generally the tri fold middle seat and on that versatility to the group's biggest eighty five point four cubic feet of cargo space. A two child third row seat is offered but towing capacity is limited to £5000.

You can't get a V-8 in the mail till fall. But the current 18 valve overhead cams three point two leaders V six is no slouch 250 north tower and 233 pound feet of torque delivers a zero to 60 time of nine point three seconds economy as our group's Bastien eighteen point eight mpg. We have great confidence in the on demand full time four by four system that uses electronic traction control to make sure the body on frame and they'll want it. Not as long as at least one wheel has traction. Ground clearance is a good eight point Orencia all of this plus the three pointed star for about $34000 to start for forty thousand one hundred fifteen dollars loaded to the gills. This whole brain Landrover Discovery LSC looks like it just emerged from the jungle with its rays skylights into powered sun roof. All aluminum body panels look dated and the same goes for the inside interior trim his British letter and would posh but despite its tall stature you feel surprisingly cramped. A maximum of sixty nine point eight giving feet of cargo space is the smallest of our

group rear jump seats push capacity to seven and easily fold out of the way trailer towing capacity of fifty five hundred pounds. And aluminum core leader pushrod V8 is included. It's 182 horsepower and 233 pound feet of torque. We're only enough for a 0 to 60 time of ten point nine seconds. The pokey is in our group mileage is no great shakes either at 13 on road. Land Rover was a lot of water but off road with an all the time four wheel drive system and eight point one inches of ground clearance. The discovery is nearly unstoppable. Land Rover the prices start high but stay competitive are loaded LSC goes into the bush for thirty nine thousand seven hundred fifty dollars. Or about the same tab as our newcomer winner for Sadie's Benz M-L 320 this first time family SUV hits the target market perfectly and does so with a very competitive price. All backed by the Mercedes-Benz reputation. No wonder the M-L 320 is a sell out.

Runners up the two SUV that are already family favorites the Ford Explorer and the Jeep Grand Cherokee they may be only but they still do a great job of bringing home the goodies. As for the other newcomer the Dodge Durango it just needs a little quality seasoning before it too will get our nod and we didn't cover but some of the choices if there's a mid-size family SUV in your future it will be hard to make a decision you'll regret. Coming up mixing silk and steel to heal. You know summer is always the best time to drive warm weather means dry roads sticky tires and open convertibles. However summer is also the time that you have to worry about getting your air conditioning system service. And with all the new environmental regulations that can be a sticky situation. Fortunately we have motor week top technician Pat Goss and he knows everything you need to know about fixing your A C without losing your cool. John no one in their right mind would drive around with a hand grenade in the front seat of their car

especially with the pin pulled but many people are doing something that is even more dangerous than them and it has to do with their air conditioning systems. See a few years ago the production of AR 12 the old Freon that everybody has known and used for many many years. It was banned you can't make it anymore in the United States. And most of the world for that matter. Well that meant that when it was banned the price started to go up and as the price went up that meant that there was a good opportunity for people who want to smuggle these products into the United States. So there was a big black market to develop. And the upshot of that is you know people that are not all that honest. Well they'll cheat any way they can and when these products come into the United States they frequently cut them half and half with propane. Highly explosive highly flammable very dangerous. But it gets worse than that because here's a product it's called H C 12 a. It's

marketed as if it was safe for use. In reality this product is not safe for use. It is highly explosive. Now to find out just how explosive the potential of this product is we did some testing and as you see the explosion is very dramatic. Think about being in that car when this stuff explodes. Not nice at all. How can you determine whether or not a product is safe to use will number one. If you can buy it across the counter without a license it is not a legal product and may well be explosive. The other thing that you can do is when you take your car in for repair make the repairs shop show you the use of their refrigerant. A dent a fire. Now this will tell exactly what the gas that they're going to put in the car is composed of and whether or not it is flammable and if the red light that

says HCI on it lights up. You've got a dangerous product in your car so make sure you do that before they do any repairs. Now another way that you could be taken is with this are 130 for a retrofit and charging kit. Now if you look at this it sounds like you're going to be able to recharge your air conditioning system yourself. You're not. You can't do it without a license you can't buy the product. What you're getting here is a hose and some fittings and a can of refrigerant oil not the refrigerant itself. Save your money. Let the repair shop do the entire job. And if you have a question or a comment write to me. If I use your letter I'll send you a motor week T-shirt. The address is Motor Week always Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. Statistics show that the majority of automobile purchases in the 90s are either made or influenced by women. With this in mind car companies have launched a wide variety of

marketing programs aimed specifically at female buyers. Now one of the most effective ways of making contact with this rapidly growing market segment has been through women's charities. A method that as Lisa Barrow is about to show us does a lot more than just sell cars. Each year it auto shows car manufacturers trying to outdo one another with brand new production cars and concepts. Well this year GM is teaming up with the fashion industry and it's all in the name of a good cause. General Motors and time fashion designers have transformed more production vehicles into one of the kind automotive works of art. The project is called the concept cure and it's designed to raise money for breast cancer research. There's a tremendous amount of similarity between creative people whether it's in the fashion industry or in the car industry when you get together you wind up with this very mixed

freeflow with great dignity. The throat wound up was a pretty interesting chorus that you're going to see I want to change a little later on. Now in its third year concert Cura designers and vehicles for 98 are Tommy Hilfiger and the GMC Jimmy. Michael Kors and the Cadillac DeVille contour. Nicholas Graham for Joe Boxer and the Chevrolet venture and Cynthia rollin and the Pontiac Grand Prix and you can add things like couldn't have little They all had something else they were dangerous. There were meetings are held was GM designers and members of the brand teams fashion designers learn about the automotive production process and the breadwinners they have to stick to. Their air barracks here. But come this again get square or unlock or not I don't suppose is going to stop. After a six month collaboration between top fashion designers and CMS finest park Raptors concept your vehicles are ready to debut here in Detroit at the

1998 North American International Auto Show. I wanted to modernize a four wheel drive vehicle and it's something I use in my everyday life. I love going off road. I love the fact that we can incorporate fun and young spirit into a vehicle as I do with my clothes. So the interior was to redesign the suspension the shocks the tires the wheels the wheel wells carbon fiber and so it's really for him fast to be a model and actress Lauren Hutton was on hand to help Michael Kors unveil his version of the Cadillac DeVille Concorde. We wanted to play around with the whole idea of architectural details the gearshift is based on Bayes Vampiro very famous architect CAA for the seats across formats. I take all ideas that are really

modern. Spare. And elegant look curious at the same time for all functions to supermodel Tyra Banks helps India rally showcase her Pontiac Grand Prix. The metallic green and blue plaid paint is rumored to be one of the toughest paint jobs in automotive history. And last but not least the Joe Boxer Chevy Venture. You know I love the van idea for our for our customer because we're really about a family brand kind of thing and I just thought well how far can we push the envelope in this and I think we did a lot. I mean it was just the opportunity to load it with electronics and I mean the Ventures got great features on its own size really plays with it. The fashion industry is is all about beautifying women and I think that you know for us to be able to give something back. To a disease that is really you know so incredibly rampant. I know so many women are affected by it. I'm just thrilled that we can do something. In fact car lovers across the nation can help fight breast cancer by entering the concept you're a

sweepstakes to win one of these unique vehicles. You'll not only be riding in style you'll be driving closer to like you. After a slow start and an embarrassing ad campaign sales of the German made Cadillac to tear off again good momentum it seems that a lot of buyers find as we do that the good terror is over will make the roots make it a bargain in features and performance of a luxury sports sedan field. Although we do wish the car was a few hundred pounds lighter so they all aluminum B6 didn't have to work so hard off the line. Mileage just fine is twenty one point six after eight months and sixteen thousand nine hundred miles. Recently on the coldest days we have found it hard to start but we're not sure if it's the car or the Gantt. A trip to the dealer is on tap to find out. We welcome the Subaru Forester to motor weeks long term lease over the next year and 30000 miles we'll see if this new compact sport utility vehicle Subarus

FIRST S.. QB is really up to snuff. Actually since the parser is heavily based on the Subaru Outback the only unfamiliar aspect of the parser is its boxy shape engine and traction systems are all held back in Legacy. Like most compact sports the Forester has a unit ties frame and no low range for the all wheel drive system. Still we expect the same all weather all road capability we found in the outback fuel economy at the start sure is at 20 miles per gallon and we think it will improve as the engine loosens up. Next week it's the Ford Expedition and Mitsubishi Montero Sport on motor weeks long term road test. Update. Now is time once again for Lisa Barrow. She brings us new cars cutting edge technology and all the latest Motor News. You read about it probably caught glimpses of it and maybe even gotten a little less Daljit when thinking about it that it is the new 1998 Volkswagen Beetle due to arrive in showrooms in March. But unlike the original the new Beetle has plenty of high

technology packed into its their early modern design like the chassis and suspension it shares with the latest golf and a rear hatch that list to reveal not the engine but a cargo hold made more generous by a folding rear seat. The engine also borrowed from the Gulf is now transversely mounted in the front of the car and comes in several water cooled flavors. A two liter gas in line for delivering 115 horsepower and one hundred twenty two pounds of tour and a four cylinder 1.9 lieder turbo direct injection diesel. It makes 900 horsepower and one hundred forty nine pounds be adored. Inside the larger interior of the new Beetle retains the original's no nonsense theme but adds a long list of standard features that early bug buyers never dreamed of. Like front and side impact airbags a heater that really works and even air conditioning and with a reasonable price tag it starts at fifteen thousand two hundred dollars. It's a safe bet that the nine thousand nine hundred eight Volkswagen Beetle will soon be dispelling negative waves with its groovy vibes in neighborhoods everywhere.

And that's it for this week's Motor News. First introduced in 1986 the Ford Taurus quickly earned a reputation as a cutting edge design. But when the second generation Taurus arrived last year many felt that Ford's attempt to duplicate the original car's head turning style had gone a bit too far and the once all powerful Taurus slipped from the top of the sales charts. So for 1998 Ford has given the Taurus a few tweaks to try and bring sales back up to speed. And one of them is the family buyer's favorite feature. And that feature is value and building on that value has put the Taurus back in the chair used to be the best selling car in the land and spawn the refitted 1998 Taurus se a sedan aimed at the younger buyer looking for an affordable yet more sporting family hauler one with a newly freshened s h o like no unfamiliar yet still unique three window profiles given a racier look with an available rear deck lid spoiler and 15 inch 12 spoke aluminum wheel.

The sporting motif has carried over into the cabin as well as a set of well cushioned and supported bucket seats sit on either side of the new board mounted shifter or to the optional comfort group in the driver seat is upgraded with six way power. The standard tilt steering wheel gets a letter wrapping and the air conditioner gets a new electronic temperature control but retains its excellent functionality and positioning along with a well marked AM FM stereo controls and the user friendly integrated control panel. Equally user friendly are the comfortable rear seat with their useful 60:40 folding design and a spacious fifteen point eight cubic feet of project space in the trunk as well as the trunk mounted 6 cd changer. This one of the standalone options now more readily available throughout the Taurus line. Another free standing up on the phone book. In the form of a great leader double red camp money for good techie fiction that delivers 200 horsepower and 200 pound beat a fork and his improved model

response thanks to a recalibrated book converter and final drive ratio also improved as the four speed electronic automatic transmission upgraded to Walker smoother shifts plus increased durability acceleration up. Wrong and continues to. Steadily throughout the broad torque steer is manageable with 0 to 60 ramps are managed in a most respectable seven seconds. For traction on a cold track. The independent MacPherson struck drilling on struck rear suspension kept the Taurus firmly planted and will enhance with just a tad of expected understeer while the available disk any lock breaks warmed up to the occasion nicely and brought us to a stop from 60 and 120 feet with no fade and only a hint of pedal feedback. For example on value is reflected in the base price on the 1998 Taurus SC is a fair one thousand four hundred forty five dollars. You don't have to add the leather seats and all the other options that pushed our car to twenty four

thousand eighty five dollars. But even at that level it's less than a comparable and smaller Camry or accord. Not to mention even a modestly equipped sport utility vehicle and if you need more room. A very useful Taurus wagon can be had for always $600 more high value efforts like the Taurus seldom go unrewarded by American consumers for very long. And just as new. Taurus took its time to hit its stride this latest midsize Ford may still turn into a raging bull. I hope you'll join us next week for more motorway. Well drive for its new Super Duty pickup trucks and Mercedes CEO OK who also visit the Tokyo Motor Show that God shows us a cool new toys for car fans. And we'll check in on our long term test plane. Plus we'll bring you all the latest Motor News. I'm John Davis. We'll see you then. Motor Week has been brought to you by Castro super clean all wheel cleaner. The

cleaner that releases brake dust and road grime from all types of wheels on contact no matter what age your car's. Castro super clean all wheel cleaner to order a video cassette of this program call 1 800 4 2 2 0 0 6 4 or Cyn 1095 plus 495 shipping and handling two motor week Post Office Box 5 5 7 4 2 Indianapolis Indiana 4 6 2 0 5. This. Is. B.S..