Motorweek; 2201

We start a new season of motor week with accolades for the Accord of vaporous new Viper and riding low and slow second drive with us next. But. TV's original. Magazine broke by employees who are con people. It's on Motor Week time. It's got cars trucks and it's a great show. The best 30 minutes on television my favorite time of the week. I forgot the popcorn. Oh and by. That. What are you looking for. Your host for Motor Week. John Davis. Well hello and welcome to the 22nd season of motorways. We're glad to have you with us. For many families in the hunt for reliable

transportation the search often begins and ends with a Honda Accord. But besides being reliable this best selling nameplate delivers the features and finesse of cars costing thousands more. So what could the all new seventh generation accord sedan and Coupe possibly do for an encore. Well the answer is simple. More now. More of what you may ask well how about more room more comfort more technology more balanced ride and handling. And our favorites more power and economy. And that's just the broad strokes. When you hone in on the details that make up the all new 2003 Honda Accord sedan and Coupe you'll discover there's more to this car than we can possibly tell you in five minutes. And with that in mind we'll primarily focus on the high volume poor door. At first blush the new Accord sedan looks smaller than its predecessor but it's not using the posture of a proud cheetah as inspiration for Honda designers have hiked the Accord skin

around its new unit Ty's body and in the process dropped a flat sided look and favor of a more organic and yes younger approach. Think rippling muscles. The new short Jacqueline also makes the new Accord overall look shorter but in reality the car is a tenth of an inch longer and wheel base has been stretched an inch to one hundred seven point nine inches. The new accords torsional body stiffness has also been substantially increased and that was very noticeable during our low speed slalom test. Turn ins are quick understeer has been reduced considerably. A new record retains the proven double wishbone suspension under the front and rear foot suspension geometry has been revised to offer sportier control and a more refined ride. The rack and pinion steering has also been tweaked for the same reasons. Our Alex B6 model comes standard with 2 0 5 60 series rubber on 16 inch Rams and they complete the handling of Quezon with the overall result on a core that feels more solid stable and responsive than any previous

generation model. The new Accord is also the most powerful accord ever both four and six cylinder configuration. All trim levels are available with a new 2.4 leader Twin Cam 16 valve IB tech 4 cylinder that produces 160 horsepower and 160 one pound feet of torque. And now includes Hondas intelligent variable valve control system car elex B6 tester features the heavily revised 3 leader single cam. 24 valve VTech B6 the now spins out 240 horsepower up from two hundred and two hundred twelve pound feet of torque up from 195 at the track that more power is demonstrated in a refined rather than brute force manner. There's plenty of energy from the mid to the upper ranges of the power band watches to 60 and in 8 seconds flat with a quarter mile pass of sixteen point three seconds at eighty nine miles from. Paulo towards available this fall sports by speed transmission manual and automatic. Car elex B6 says Honda's new five speed automatic. It

makes a super smooth partner for the velvet B6 feeling more like a CVT tranny. The 5 speed manual is standard in four cylinder models. But early next year the Accord Coupe de 6 will be available with a six speed manual appropriated from Acura The 6S also comes standard with traction control. While some auto makers are making ABS brakes optional to save cost anti-lock is now standard on all accords plus four cylinder E X and all the Sixes and the evidence of this both front and rear. Despite rather longer stops from 60 of 138 feet on average. You forgot. It's solid and consistent breaking performance run after run slip inside the new Accord and you'll immediately notice that Honda designers work hard to bring buyers more in the way of interior styling comfort to. Special attention was given to the driving position and to optimize that the Accord Front seats have been completely redesigned and are now taller and wider. Additional lumbar support is especially noticeable. The steering wheel now telescopes as well as tilt gauges too have been improved with Ellie

the lighting from or even illumination. A big change is the real shape center stack which includes integrated control audio climate and the optional DVD navigation systems also use a single display. While much more sophisticated than passive cords controls may not be as easy to use. So the best voice recognition system we've tried comes of the NAF and operates all three systems and is compatible with a hands free cellular phone system. The new Accord also features more interior room up front and more storage options along with front and side impact airbags. The new Accord is available with side curtain airbags for the first time passenger volume grows to one hundred two point seven cubic feet. Putting the accord between the larger alter and the smaller Camry emphasize drunk a passerby at 14 cubic feet is however unchanged in the smallest of major competitors. As of this writing final pricing hasn't been set but we've been told that it will be near current. Despite more of just about everything that

me said four cylinder accord so their hands will range from about $16000 to $24000 and basic sedans from twenty three thousand to twenty six thousand dollars coops will be priced from 70000 to $24000. Honda sells over 400000 records each year. Many of those to repeat buyers. But the 2003 accords reach out beyond the faithful to younger buyers that might be more disposed to European alternatives like a Volkswagen stock and Volvo escorted the seventh generation accord is simply more midsize car for the money than from any other brand. And that leaves us with little doubt that the end result of this more 2003 Honda Accord will be to sell more accord. The best kind of car accident is the one you will avoid active handling and stability programs are often called DSP or electronic stability programs are designed to help you do just that. DSP works by monitoring a car speed

and direction as well as the drivers actions and it automatically applies the brake to one or more wheels to correct unstable cornering conditions. It's high tech hands off. Keep it on the road peace of mind and it's as easy as easy as speed. Coming up the lowdown on riding low. Now wouldn't be motorway without checking in with our master tech Pat Goss. So Pat what's new in Goss's garage. John taking proper care of a modern automobile can be complicated. It's easy to spend too much money. It's also easy to try to save too much money. Well how do you hit the balance. Well first you start out by keeping a log of everything that you do on your automobile every job that's done you mark it down so that you don't buy the same thing twice. You also keep a log on fuel economy because it tells you how your car is running if the fuel economy goes down means you

probably need some repairs. And speaking of fuel unlike the old days when more octane was better today that couldn't be farther off the mark. Use the lowest octane that's allowable for your automobile in the owner's manual. Buying anymore is not good for the car. Now speaking of the owner's manual in there you're going to find that there will be a charge for preventive maintenance that's recommended on your car. Never go beyond the limits in that owner's manual. But be careful here. You see many people do a lot of short trip driving. And when they do this short trip driving that means that they have to use the severe service schedule in the owner's manual not the extended one or coolant. That's another important aspect of taking care of a car these days and there's a lot more to coolant than just looking at the color of it and measuring its freeze protection with a hydrometer.

If you have anything other than the long life coolants it should be changed in the cooling system flushed every two years along with that. Replace the radiator cap every two years. OK no oils. Make sure you use only the proper oil for your car the viscosity and the quality and so on. Because thicker oil is not better. Oh by the way timing belts you know lots of people try to avoid the expense of a timing belt and many engines if the timing belt breaks it's goodbye engine or at least major internal engine repairs. Don't cheat on this one. Look at the owner's manual. If it doesn't give you a time or mileage recommendation do it at four years or 60000 miles. And if you have a question or comment write to me the address is Motor Week always Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7.

Hi I'm Kraig sing us and with me as Collector Car expert John appen. And on the auction block today is a 1957 Chevrolet Khania pickup truck. John what is it about these cameos that makes him so very popular. Well this is one of the most significant design changes in General Motors pick up history. What are some of the amenities this vehicle has. Craig what makes these trucks so collectable of course is the really neat styling on the General Motors took a regular flyer side truck put this fiberglass apathy on the outside to give it the smooth side look. They adopted the wrap around rear window the wraparound front windshield a two tone upholstery all those things that made the truck like a passenger car. John how much. Well if you find one that needs full restoration maybe going to pay to $10000 fine one fully restored and very original and a 56 57 with of the eight and you might pay as much as 25000 for one of these neat pickups.

So. If there's one thing that we've learned in all our travels it's that love of the automobile is not just an American phenomenon it's global. From Bangkok to Budapest love pasta L.A. It's not hard to find someone with a special perspective on cars. So it was no surprise when recently out on the high road Craig seeing us encountered a remarkable family of Master customize ors and found himself immersed in another unique culture of cars. Fantasy paint jobs hydraulic suspension and a style all their own low riders are a world apart from the cars I grew up with. My street rods were fast but low riders are customized to go low and slow. To tell you the truth I could never figure out what a low rider for all about they seem so different. That is until I met up with one of the most respected

low rider clubs in America. You can't really talk about low riders without hearing about one club in particular the Dukes known for their outstanding workmanship and their long standing family commitment to the tradition. The Dukes are legendary amongst low riders. They're kind of like the elders. On the scene in Los Angeles everybody knows them everybody respects them you know it's over 50 years old and it's got. School districts trying to come up and put you. In that gives you a nice finish to do with rifle were you it's more like it's an art you have to be a craftsman to fabricate and put things together and put them out in the shows are going to win first place.

The Dukes are my brothers. Each of them were killed in a particular aspect of contests and I think you know when the white paint when the flies I mean clear line especially like the ones in where the dudes are kind of like get ahead of me and when the writing that lives on. And then you have three generations of low riders in their family car this car what it means to me one is something a part of my culture. First of all my family has. The feel. Of you know you by name enough and yeah yeah who feel like their mother says there is nothing more important for the wellness than family unity. Plan read notes words this is your second time here. To me. They want. The family. Business going for their children for them they're all about passing you know the field I'm passing the love from the writing to the generation. Or something. Young kids are picking it up they start with the Bicycle Club fixing up bicycles and you just basically want to take all the car they want to have all the stripped.

Not only shows my kids called you work but you got the club members kids will come here and they're based on like anybody else from the bottom up. They say that what they do is important to the younger and younger kids on us and they want to inspire. We're proud of being the fifth. Hope the rest of the week I would automobile you got the idea with our group of friends. I started 40 years ago. He's been a good role model. He's got the father look to him just like a kind of a magnet they had to drive his content just to look at a car and just start talking. They see themselves and what they do as being intimately connected to the community and helping the community. They love you know I think the kid about low riding do this more for the younger population the young the kids the generations and then hopefully they get into college. That's been our whole objective all these years to get the young kids into this get a lot of the streets going in Detroit is in trouble.

This is the mark here. All good things must come to an end. Actos Pryor 13 months and nearly twenty eight thousand miles with this 2002 infinity Q Forty five premium luxury sedan. Those of you who follow our long term test. Know we. Pray. Forty five years of dance styling including the unique Gatling gun to headline its huge and innovative interior the silky smooth 4.5 leader 340 horsepower B.A. and surprisingly nimble handling drop bar with a 30. 880 down we're going. We've been left behind about the complicated controls including the voice recognition system that interact with a complex navigation audio in climate function. Now we should know that an owner that drives the Q Forty five daily will conquer the system faster than we did. Still when it came to covering lots of miles every closely knowing that the car under you could handle the unexpected twist with the bomb. The Q 45 one of us

over. And we were also please tell economy states open system during the test. Ending with nineteen point two miles per premium gallon. Has the mechanical problem that was limited to a warm front dish rotors that occurred just before the car left us. And AQ 45 did leave us with mostly very favorable impression and the knowledge that a big car doesn't have to be a highway dinosaur. More like a highway cheetah. As our 2002 Subaru our exports sedan happily were only about six months into our year long test with this little road warrior. The DVR X delivers about the most fun you can have with more doors and stay out of jail. But what makes it really rare is that the wor acts with a standard all wheel drive is an affordable performance car for all weather and all seasons. Although we have to admit that the recent stretch of 95 plus degree days. Did put a strain on both the two liter 227 North power. Sure about the war and the air conditioning system that remained on Max still with all this cool fun we're averaging

twenty two point eight miles per gallon at the nearly 10000 mile mark. That. He has someone put to the tour and with no mechanical problems to report we'll just keep on loving our time in this group. You are right. What's it like to live with alternative fuel vehicles. Oh we'll give you our insight on the next motor week long term road test update. Now it stopped by the office for an update from Jennifer and all the latest Motor News. We've all heard the horror stories. A single car accident takes place but goes undetected leaving injured victims trapped for hours sometimes days before help arrives. GM is taking steps to make sure that doesn't happen to you and one of their vehicles. At a recent news conference in Washington D.C. GM and highway safety officials announced the addition of a new advanced automatic crash notification system to vehicles equipped with OnStar.

It is true that people can live unnoticed for an extended period. Before they are discovered and care can be rendered. This is why automatic question of the patient is so important. Will notify responders the instant a crash occurred he will pinpoint the location so that the proper resources can be generated to cut response time and save lives. Currently OnStar is automatically notified within seconds when a subscriber's airbag is deployed. But using a variety of sensors to tediously place throughout the vehicle. GM has new a a c and system will automatically call for help in the event of a moderate to severe frontal rear or side impact crash regardless of airbag deployment. This new lifesaving system can provide emergency dispatchers with detailed information concerning the severity of the crash. The direction of force during the crash and then and potentially the number of occupants in the vehicle that need to be attended to during the emergency response phase.

GM will start rolling out a CN in 2003 on 400000 2004 year models including the Chevrolet Malibu and trailblazer the GMC Envoy the Oldsmobile and the Buick green here. While Lexus recently introduced a racy l tuned package for the IRS 300 our spy operatives under deep cover in Germany tell us the car in these photos is rumored to be the Lexus I asked for 30 hours by the same four point three leader V8 used in the GI s and LS 430 sedans. No word yet on what type of engine and suspension modifications will be formed but the Ayahs 430 should have no problem reaching the 155 mile per hour mandated speed limit placed on cars here in the US. Of course Lexus officials are mum on the existence of the I asked for 30 but should it go into production it will not only be available in US in Japan but in Europe as well. We'll keep you posted. And that's it for this week's Motor News. It was 1992 when dodge let her rip with the Big Ten viper.

This crude rude road rocket packed more punch than Thor's hammer and instantly became a Motown icon. But unlike many icons which burn brightly and quickly first of all the Viper has thrived in 2003 heralds in an all new chapter in its fast history. So prepare for a spine tingling thriller. Oh. Those three all started on the rolling back roads of northern California where we first rested our hands on the all new 2003 Dodge Viper SRT 10. But it's not. Easy relaxing in a big hairy chested muscle machine like the viper and any illusions one might have about quiet drives to the California wine country are quickly ground down by the warm mild hundred horses you heard right. Five hundred force power. That's the output of the 2003 vipers heavily revamped. Eight point three leader or five hundred five cubic inches for you traditionalist Beeton alloy engine and if that's not impressive enough

how about five hundred twenty five pound feet of torque. This is big for power all harnessed by a new steel space frame chassis that's substantially stiffer and extends the wheel base by 2.6 inches. The ninety eight point eight inches overall and wrapped in body work derived from the Viper GTA as our concept car gets more refined less power. Today's been the original Biber but still uniquely snake bitten aggressive. It features both classic hot rod Side Heights a feature missing on Viper since 1996 and very modern elements like a reshaped Under try to control the air flow and increase aerodynamic downforce. Wheels are huge 18 by 10 inches up front and even bigger 19 by 13 inches in the rear. Previous vipers had either the arty hands clumsy removable Targa style top or the sleek hard top of the g ts. The new Viper is offered as a roadster only with an easy folding manual Saw

Stop with the glass rear window defroster the new vipers interior still has the feel of an aircraft cockpit but it's now substantially larger with a lot more leg room. The canted dash is more finished than the original so dodge designers chose to revert back to the expose fastener look of the earliest vipers. The seats are plus leather covered buckets but with plenty of side support to hold you in place at high speed and speed is what the 2003 Dodge Viper SRT 10 is all about the public grows in the California Highway Patrol required us to exercise a certain amount of discretion during our first drawing. But even at a less than racetrack speeds the piper is still a thrill ride. Max the gas pedal and the massive torque punches you back in the seat count. Holding the 60 in a mere four seconds. It's as close to a jet fighter on afterburner as most of us will ever get. Albeit one with a most manageable six speed trim and gearbox. Thanks to a new

tire short throw shifter punch it hard out of a quarter and you can easily light up the rear tires. Make no mistake the piper is still a monster but one with more grip and slightly more benign handling. Thanks to a robot I used to boil over shock suspension to provide quicker turn and more progressive feel of the limits and a reduced tendency for the rear end to come around steering is also improved with more weight and better feedback. The find to are the firm bow disc brakes and less in terms of ABS system those refinements are just enough to make this fiber a better driver without losing any of its in-your-face character 2003 Viper is the same overdose up to stop drone that it always was and it still takes deep pockets to own one base price for the 2003 Dodge Viper is eighty thousand seven hundred ninety five dollars. But that truck full of cash buys a street full of driving excitement excitement that hasn't let up for.

Over a decade. And after our first drive in the all new 2003 Dodge Viper as RC 10 we proclaimed that this second chapter of the piper's son got his even more spine tingling than the. I hope you'll join us next week for more motorways. When will track to pass the reborn Nissan Z car plus test the son of Hummer the H2 Pat Goss wants to put your car under cover and Jennifer because novice investigates the little known field of accident forensics. And we'll see what we can fire up with three new sets of car keys. I'm John Davis. Well see that. To learn more about Motor Week television's original automotive magazine visit PBS online at PBS dot org or America Online keyword PBS to order a video cassette of this program. Call 1 800 2 2 3 3 6 7 8 extension sixteen eighty five. Motor Week has been brought to you by capital S because people.

Want to great cars show the best. And now it's over. Time flies when you're having fun. There's always next week. Yeah only one hundred sixty seven hours till next week's show. It'll be worth the wait. And by looking for a Monday. This is Phoebe. Yes.