Motorweek; 1833

This time on motorways Jaguars this type returns Chevy's tracker opens up and tomorrow's mechanics go head to head. So come drive with us. TV's original automotive magazine brought to you by Michelin makers of a zero pressure Michelin designed to let you drive up to 50 miles at 55 mph without air pressure. Just what you expect from Michelin. And by pep boys no matter what you drive. Pep Boys has over 27000 items in stock virtually any part for any car with all the name brands you know plus service based af with a AC certified technicians that boy's parts tires accessories service. And to buy duplicate for your automotive paint needs for color matched scratch repair for high performance engine paint

and for specialty coatings. Since 1938 get the job done right. Duplicate. Your host for Motor Week John Davis. Well hello and welcome again to motor week we're glad to have you with this. Nostalgia is proving to be a powerful sales tool. Just look at the success of the retro cruiser Plymouth prowler. So it makes sense that a company like Jaguar so steeped in tradition would consult the past for inspiration. In this case Jaguar has chosen to revive one of its most famous sports sedan nameplates the S-type of course automobiles and people have changed quite a bit since the original s types 1960s heyday. So can this newest type do justice to its famous sporting name while still providing today's fickle luxury car crowd with the refinement they demand. Don't let it semi retro appearance fool you. The 2000 model year Jaguar S-type is the most sophisticated sedan to ever roll out of Jaguars legendary

Castle Bromwich assembly plant. But it's that styling that first catches your eye a look that strongly echoes the lines of the S-type and Mark two models of the 1960s especially in the unmistakably Jaguar grill that's topped with the company's famous leaper and a long sculpted bonnet with very vintage looking hood bulges flowing back from each headlight. The rear view is a little more contemporary but still projects an air of Jaguar ness with its drooping fenders chrome accents and sloping roof lines. Unfortunately the side view is where the styling falls down looking more like parent company boards mainstream family sedans than the top line luxury sports sedan. One dead ride on the same platform as the upcoming Lincoln LS with a long one hundred fourteen point five inch wheel base but a trim overall link of one hundred ninety one point three inches power for the S-type comes from a pair of potent twin cam all aluminum engines top of the bill is Jaguars proven for leader 32 Balbi eight with two hundred eighty one horsepower and two hundred eighty seven pound feet of torque. But

Jack or expects the top seller to be this 3 liter V-6 that generates 240 horsepower in two hundred twenty one pound feet of torque. This new 24 valve engine is a much modified version of Ford's familiar during the six and Jaguars first ever. Both engines use a new electronically controlled by speed automatic transmission that has been jointly developed by Ford and Jaguar. It may be new but still uses Jaguars g a gauge shifter that allows manual gear selection. This should propel the V-8 powered S-type to 60 and a claim 6.6 seconds owners of six powered cars will see 60 in a slightly longer 8 seconds flat. Our first drive in both types showed the reborn model to be very much a Jaguar. By that we mean a very balanced blend of sport and luxury. The V-6 engine feels both smoother and much stronger than its Ford Taurus relative. While the V-A displays impressive low down punch without losing the refined feel that

has already impressed us in its x J N x K application the combination of a mostly aluminum double wishbone suspension and almost perfectly even front to rear weight balance gives the S-type quite a sporty feel especially if buyers choose the optional eleven hundred dollar sports package which had upgraded Springs and computers. Controlled shock absorbers as well as larger 17 inch aluminum wheels plow is generally mild even in tight corners though with an extra 40 lbs and 41 horsepower and it's a nose that the ADA's type starts pushing earlier in the corner than its basic sibling. The car tracks very precisely and must be pushed very hard before the tail starts to slide in a gentle controlled manner. The only let down is the variably assisted power steering which is perfectly weighted but unfortunately delivers a little feel. It's a very capable car that still delivers a fine luxury ride though with a weight of around 30 700 pounds the type is no lightweight brakes or four wheel disk which standard antilock naturally they team up with the standard all speed traction

control. When you order the dynamic stability control system DSC uses yaw and steering sensors to. Tech when the car is not making a high speed corner the way the driver intended when needed brakes and throttle were used to invisibly keep the car in line. However like all stability systems the AC cannot change the laws of physics. The Jaguars have always been much more than performance cars and the S-type maintains that tradition with a stylish interior that features more wood in leather than Buckingham Palace as well as very modern safety features like chest and head side airbags. The dash is all smooth contemporary lines. There's hardly a right angle to be seen. The gauges are large and readable but quite sparse. But the dominating feature is the huge sitter upon it looks confusing at first but is really quite well laid out. The large clear stereo controls sit up high and close to the driver while the available six to CD changer is out of the way but still excessive all in the glove box to the right of the stereo so it's the optional navigation system which can include the new jaguar assist emergency message

system while spread out below are the standard dual zone climate controls. Which along with the stereo an optional telephone can be operated with Jaguar's new voice activated control system. The Comfort is not been forgotten amid all this technology. The power operated bucket seats may be the best in Jaguars history. While the leather and wood steering wheel offers a feeling of pure luxury the luxury theme continues in the types rear seat but unfortunately so does the Jaguar tradition of marginal head and leg room. The trunk offers no such disappointment with a usable thirteen point one cubic feet of space. To own this newest of the big cats be prepared to pay up a price of forty two thousand five hundred dollars for B6 powered S-type opt for the V8 and the bidding starts at forty eight thousand dollars. Quite reasonable by Jaguar standards though if you add on all available options the price can rise to fifty eight thousand five hundred dollars. So be careful which ones you choose. The S-type is a truly impressive

effort so impressive in fact that Automobile magazine said it is not only the best Jaguar ever built but one that could shoulder its weight to the very top of the J.D. Power initial quality study. The 2000 Jaguar S-type sedan offers buyers both vintage style and cutting edge technology. Pure driving excitement and pure unadulterated luxury. It's a genuine sports sedan and a genuine one. Three cars that should be enough to please any of today's Jaguar fans and probably quite a few of yesterday's as well. To get the most out of four wheel ABS brakes remember three little words stomp day and steer stomp the brake pedal in a panic stop stay on the brake pedal even if it vibrates or makes noise and steer where you want to go. Brakes work best when you stop stay and steer. Coming up tomorrow's mechanics keep their eyes on the.

Motor week's top tech pack has been fixing cars for a long time so there are a few car care problems that Pat hasn't seen. Let's see which ones he's solving this week. The miracle of the modern automobile John. You know it's amazing they're incredibly quiet. They're so smooth you can hardly tell they're running. The fuel economy is amazing the performance is stunning. And they wear just about for ever. If you take proper care of them. Well now what is proper care. There's one part that is frequently overlooked and that's the timing belt. Now not all cars have timing belts but a lot of them do. And a lot of them are what we call interference engines. Now what does all this mean. Well the first thing is you have to refer to your owner's manual to find out exactly when you should be changing your timing belt. And you should follow that. Now here's why. The timing belt is made of

rubber. It starts down around in the bottom of the engine where the crankshaft is. The crankshaft spins that belt and it turns the camshaft up in the top of the engine to operate the valves. Now if you don't change them when you suppose to use what might happen the timing belt could break and if you happen to have an interference engine you could be in serious trouble financially that is. Remember back here to the owner's manual. Because that is the absolute authority on when you should be changing your belt right now. What about this belt. If it breaks and if you happen to have an interference engine what's going to happen is the car will stall the engine ceases to run and it seems like it's instantaneous but it really isn't because the engine will coast to a stop and that means that the

Pistons here in the cylinders they continue to move up and down for a fraction of a second after the belt breaks. Now the problem comes from the fact that once the belt breaks the valves in the cylinder head they cease to move immediately. They don't coast to a stop. They stop right now in whatever position they're in. And if they happen to be open like this valve right here then it sticks down into the engine and the piston when it coast to a stop. It comes back up and it hits the valve and when it hits the valve it bends it like this one is it's bent. Notice that it's closer to the cylinder head then this one over here. Well when that happens even if you put a new timing belt on it the engine won't run or it won't run properly. So that means the engine has to be disassembled a lot of work a new head gasket new valves all of this stuff that can run hundreds or on some cars

thousands of dollars. So again back to the owner's manual the time or the mileage that it recommends whichever comes first and you'll avoid all of this grief. And if you have a question or if you have a comment write to me. If I select your letter I'm going to send you a motor week T-shirt. The address is Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. Our other week next serious Detroit muscle it's a 970 and a half Chevrolet Camaro Z 28 r s that belongs to Alex Williams of Anaheim California but rather than be content with the standard 350 cubic inch engine it likes stuff to hopped up 454 V8 under the hood for real power. If you have a monster like this to show off to MIT at least two good color photos to Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7.

As long as there have been automobiles there's been automotive competition. But to most of us the competition is between cars and drivers on a racetrack. But recently high road reporter Craig Singh Haas checked out a different kind of automotive competition one that won't have its winners drinking milk in the pit lane at Indy but could keep all of us competing in the daily stoplight Grand Prix for many years to come in. Usually if you're speaking of fierce competition between rival high schools you see this type of activity. Young men and women in a classic sports contest pitting your steel and school pride against one another. But recently. At the Greater Philadelphia International Auto Show another fiercely contested competition occurred. The sixth annual automotive technologies competition pitting teams from the local high school auto classes in a contest vying

for technical scholarships and the right to represent their region in the national competition held in New York. Now for the past four years I've had the honor of being the master of ceremonies for the two and a half hour competition. But the greater technology competition. Basically each school has a team of two technicians. They're assigned to a particular vehicle that's sponsored by a dealership and I'm out of the car as engineer. What do you do it based off of a real life experience. Technicians have approximately two and a half hours in order to find the ball. And correct the problems with the ball. Thanks to those on star power. After they diagnose appalling the shock service they need to get the parts from the parts counter and then of course we repaired the vehicle just as if they were in a dealership environment.

In addition competitors must demonstrate proficiency at various workstations as they are tested on such areas as brake systems ignition and vehicle alignment concepts. While the competitors are very busy diagnosing technical problems other students are out attending career seminars. It's a problem all around the country to get qualified technicians into the dealership and it's no longer you know get a wrench and change the oil and just get in there. Cars are technical pieces of machinery and you have to be a computer person you've got to be able to diagnose diagnose what's wrong with the vehicle and it's a highly technical skilled field there is a major demand for qualified technicians in this industry. And if you are one of the balls you're going to be paid according forty fifty sixty seventy thousand dollars and upwards pass that is not unheard of. It's that basic supply and demand. And if you're there you're going to be employed by a dealership without a doubt. Meanwhile as the clock ticks down contestants are still very busy trying to

diagnose those last few technical problems. When you. Told. Us. That. In. The 1999 automotive technology competition as we announced this year's champions. On the park's career and Technology Center Josh Felice and BRIAN WHITE It was evident that all who participated were winners. One of the opportunities says besides the scholarships and the opportunity to win a few personal things it's the big growth that they get from this experience I've never had a couple of students that came away from this that were better for the experience. It's really wonderful for them in

that regard to tourism the seasons and put them under fire and baptism by fire is always the best. You know so this is really a great opportunity for the students and a great opportunity for the auto industry as well. Even if you live in a tomb as long as you have a TV set you probably know all about the Honda Odyssey minivan. The focus of this week's motor week long term road test update. Besides lots of commercials. It's our motor requires choice his best minivan of 1999 and it deserves it. However no vehicle is perfect and the Odyssey has a few small forks you should know about if you're thinking about buying one. For instance the Odyssey has a trick third seat that disappears into the floor for oversized loads. It's such a great design you wonder why everyone doesn't do it. Well here's the reason. The price for the folding seat is a hard to get to spare tire. It's located under the floor behind the front seat. Also it holds a compact spare tire only a

full size flat won't fit. Here's another one. This is a problem for Odyssey and of course there is so little resistance on the automatic gearshift that you end up in drive three instead of drive. For most of the time drive three locks out the overdrive fourth gear and thus the best fuel economy. Again no problem just an annoyance. And there is little doubt that the Odyssey is among the most affordable extended minivans to drive. After five months in our fleet and just shy of seventy five hundred miles we're averaging twenty point eight miles per gallon. Not bad for any seven passenger carry on. Plus the Odyssey highway ride and handling seem to get better with each passing mile. Miles are also accumulating on our Chevrolet Suburban the subject of our attention on Motor Week snex long term road test update. Today's cars are some of the best ones ever built but that doesn't stop Lisa Delaney from looking ahead to even better ones. So here she is with all the latest Motor News.

The International Auto Show circus is folding up its tent for another season and this week we take a closer look at what wowed the crowds at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show. With our staff still giddy from driving the tea to kook out he's already teasing us with the roadster not due here until next fall. The roads are soft top mimics the cruise lines and those with manual optional electric power. Well the satin finish roll hooves make a strong visual and structural statement. With or without the optional baseball glove interior. The roadster looks like another home run for Audi. The river dance troupes sets the stage for the debut of another ball class before. The new Mercedes-Benz seal 500 NCL 600. Styling cues and running gear with the S class sedan the seal breaks new ground of its own in the handling department. It's the first Mercedes to feature active body control. A high performance suspension system that eliminates body roll. This Grand Touring flagship set sail for the U.S. early next year.

Opel made quite a splash too citing concepts of its own that speedster is a pure driver's car. The rear drive mid-engine two seater backs up its thrilling moves with serious performance and an agile suspension developed by Lotus. The open concept day is a bit more practical but no less fun loving. This combines an ultra versatile interior wrapped in a bold look at neat package. It's what Opal calls an active leisure vehicle. BMW at long last has taken the wraps and the rear doors off its new three series line. With three series coupe retains the basic shape of the sedan that gives a whole new sporting attitude. And finally debuting in its own hometown is a new specialty car maker modestly named status and class. Their contender ex-GI is billed as a broken peg and custom body work a serious four by four mechanicals. Not so serious is the vehicles in million paying jobs. And that's certainly a contender for this vehicle of the year. And with that we wrap up our coverage of the

1999 Geneva Motor Show. Every time we turn around the auto market is spawn some new niche the latest to gain buyers attention is the mini sport ute convertible and the latest addition to that niche is the 1999 Chevy Tracker convertible. But while a soft top tracker is nothing new for 99 GM smaller sports ute has been redone both end side and out. With so much that change we can easily endorse the redesigned 1999 Chevrolet tracker two door convertible. As of now serious contender in the mini drop top battle a new lower roof line and more rounded corners give the tracker a strong ranking in the styling category with an eighty six point six inch body on frame wheel base. The open tracker is equal to the class benchmark unit body Toyota ramp for convertible track is within two tenths of being the same although track are much wider than Rav

4 and 8 inches has slightly more ground clearance than the Toyota. A big improvement over the previous tracker as the spare tire mounted lower on the tailgate for better rearward visibility. There's also an improved choice of power plants under the hood in addition to the standard 1.6 leader Ford cylinder. There's now a two liter double overhead cam 16 Balfour cylinder available. It produces 127 horsepower and 134 pound feet of torque. This match is Toyota's rapport and ponies but the trackers cheerleader delivers more torque at significantly lower RPM. And running through the optional four speed automatic tranny pushed us to 60 in ten point six seconds and on through the quarter mile an 18 seconds at 76 mph. High tracker convertible also came without snow wheel abs with disc up front and drums in the rear we manage stops from 60 in the longest one hundred thirty eight feet. But stability and abs feedback are good. Another upgrade for ninety nine is the trackers new longer travel five link rear suspension holding the live axle in

place while the front continues with MacPherson struts and coil springs. This setup does a fine job of keeping the tracker firmly and comfortably planted both on road and off while the part time four wheel drive system now has automatic locking hub or shift on the fly capability at a two speed transfer case for when low down Broad is needed on the rack and pinion steering system replaces the recirculating ball unit that has better on center field but our drivers felt it was overly heavy and slow. There's plenty of new design work on the inside of the tracker as well. Controls are now more ergonomically friendly and the front seats have been reworked for added comfort. They face an optional tilt steering will and a freshen gauge cluster. The controls are dated but functional and the AM FM CD player sound quality really kicks. Too bad the wind noise from the soft top obliterates most of it at cruising speed. Rear passenger room is what you'd expect tite and not for the long haul and the seat needs to be bolted in the lockable storage compartment removed to achieve any

usable cargo space. As for the top with more zippers snaps and velcro than a catalog from Frederick's of Hollywood the majority of our staff had little patience with a labor intensive operation. Much less painful is the price the base price of the four wheel drive tractor cute or convertible. It's fourteen thousand seven hundred thirty five dollars with a two liter engine in an option package that includes air conditioning an upgraded stereo tester weighed in at nineteen thousand two hundred seventy dollars. The two will drive model is also available solid body on frame construction a rugged four wheel drive system and a proven track record already make the fun in sun filled 1999 Chevrolet tracker a serious challenger to the Rav 4 in the mini ute soft top niche its newly refined looks friendlier interior surefooted ride a more powerful engine might just even tip the scales in its favor. And I hope you'll join us next week for more motor week. Well test Toyota's first true pick up the tundra and Volkswagens a lively new Beetle

Turbo. I'm John Davis. We'll see you then. Learn more about Motor Week TV's original automotive magazine. Visit us at PBS online at the Internet address on your screen motor week has been brought to you by Michelin. Makers of the zero pressure Michelin designed to let you drive up to 50 miles at five miles per hour without air pressure. Just what you expect from Michelin. And by pep boys no matter what you drive Pep Boys Over 27000 items in stock virtually any part or any car with all the name brands you know plus service staff with a a c certified technicians at boys hearts tires accessories service and buy duplicate for your automobile paid me for color matched scratch repair for high performance engine paint and for specialty coatings since 1938 get the job done right. To put color. To order a video cassette of this program call 1 800 4

2 0 0 6 4. Or send 1095 for shipping and handling to this address. This. Evening.