Motorweek; 2204

A real SUV for all but a more muscular mini and inspecting that used fuel. So come drive with us next. Eh I. Believe TV's original automotive magazines brought to you by. Pep Boys who are conning people. That motor week my favorite one great show 30 quality minutes I show you can watch with your friends. You getting excited know there are cars involved. Of course I am. And by. That. What are you looking for. Your host for Motor Week. John Davis. Well hello and welcome again to motor week. We're glad to have you with us. Mention the name Valvano and the first things that come to mind are boxy tank like wagons and

safety. In fact Volvo I staked its reputation for the last 75 years on those two things all while expanding their model line up into other areas like coops in convertibles and adding all wheel drive technology. Well now Volvo has belatedly set its sights on the SUV segment with the introduction of the all new X C 90. But what has Volvo done to make their issues different. Apparently as long as Volvo keeps holding the safety better high. How different the new 2003 XP 90 is or isn't. Doesn't seem to be an issue with buyers because according to Volvo they already have orders for 3000 of the only 5000 x e nineties they expect to import here by year's end. And that's before the X C 90 has even hit the showroom floor. But Volvo engineers have never been content to rest on their safety record alone. And there are features to be found in the X C 90 that really

do make it different from other SUV. They can also be configured in a number of different ways to suit your personal needs. For instance the X C 90 with its unmistakable Volvo styling rides on a liberally modified chassis borrowed not from just any car but from their flagship s 80 luxury sedan the X-C 90s long 112 inch wheelbase and wide 64 inch track are both slightly larger than a BMW X5. A stylish 190 inch body is longer too. Which puts the X C 90 at the upper end of the mid size class. So interior room is generous with comfortable seating for a family of five or seven. Although Volvo admits that the available third row seats will only do in a pinch for adults they're perfect for kids and stow easily and cleverly into a flat cargo floor when not needed. Also perfect for kids is the booster seat in the middle of the 40 20 40 split second row like the parent companies Ford Expedition. It slides forward to give mom and dad easier access to the youngster

a removable center console helps that too when cargo is the top priority. Fold it all flat along with the front passenger seat for a maximum cargo capacity of ninety three point two cubic feet. When upright those in front are coddled by extra large and company buckets with available leather and equally powerful both sides appropriate for a premium class SUV the driver faces a tilt and telescoping leather wraps steering wheel mounted with Cruise and satellite audio controls while the sitter Stackhouse is clear modern controls for a good selection of audio systems. A naff system a rear entertainment system and dual zone climate controls. As expected the inside of the X C 90 is also one of the safest places to be on the planet outside of NORAD's command center. And that was emphasized in a big way in Volvo Safety Center in Sweden when they put an X E 90 through a 15 g roll. Oliver test for the motoring press. To resist such impacts. The roof structure uses Boron steel that's four to five

times stronger than normal steel. Rollover as well as side impact protection is provided by side curtain head air bags for all three rows of seats. Volvo standard roll stability control not only triggers the airbags in a rollover but helps avoid being upside down in the first place. RSA uses gyroscopic sensors to track the vehicles roll angle and roll speed. Our SC can activate the DST stability program before they exceed 90 reaches the point of no return. We got nowhere near that point during our low speed slalom test. Our all wheel drive tester with a Macpherson strut brought multi like rear suspension stayed firmly planted throughout the exercise. There is a little more noticeable body roll than that the 70 cross-country wagon due to its three and a half inch higher center of gravity but it never felt Tippy or uncomfortable and the speed sensitive rack and pinion power steering is nicely weighted and offers a fair amount of feedback. We mentioned earlier that the new X C 90 offers plenty of choices both brought in all wheel

drive are available like the s 60 the X C 90 uses the seamless held X electronic all wheel drive system with traction control. It can route up to 95 percent of the torque to either axle and under the hood there is a choice of engines. The base power train is an enlarged 2.5 lieder light pressure single turbo inline 5 cylinder with 208 horsepower and 236 pound feet of torque available at only fifteen hundred RPM. Our tester came with a more robust and also enlarged 2.9 leader by a turbo inline 6 with continuously variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust valves T6 ratings are two hundred sixty eight horsepower with two hundred eighty pound feet of torque at only 800 rpm. There are two transmissions available too but here the choice is not yours. The T6 has made it to a four speed automatic with gear tronics self shift while the 2.5 supports a FI speed. At the track our T6 showed plenty of spunk off the line for forty six hundred ten pound

SUV 0 to 60 came in eight point eight seconds with a quarter mile passing and sixteen point three seconds at eighty seven miles per hour. Power is adequate throughout the rev band making at speed passing a breeze. The four speed is well mated to the six cylinder engine and delivers crisp gear changes and the gear tronics manual mode is handy for when holding the gear is necessary. The X-C 90s braking system likewise features a handy assortment of electronic goodies to aid the large 12 inch bore will vidis in bringing you to a stop. With ABS electronic brake distribution and electronic brake assist we average stuff from 60 and one hundred twenty eight feet. The x C 90 goes on sale in November. They stickers of thirty three thousand nine hundred seventy five dollars for the front drive two point five t thirty five thousand seven hundred twenty five dollars for the all wheel drive two point five and forty thousand six hundred dollars for an all wheel drive T6.

That makes it one of the better buys in its premium class. By offering commonsense power and drive train choices a smart exteriors and a comfortable multifaceted interior all backed by a company with an over-the-top approach to safety. The hobo X C 90 is indeed a fresh new choice in the premium midsize SUV segment. And while much of what the X C 90 offers we have seen before we very much like this combination that is distinct decidedly different. And definitely Volvo. There are three phases to total automotive safety. Phase one is avoidance trying to help the driver from getting into trouble in the first place theys to his maintaining control of trouble occurs and phase three is protecting the occupants in a crash. Phase 1 in Phase 2 involve the use of the latest electronic driver aids like abs anti-lock brakes that help the driver maintain steering control at a panic stop and DSP electronic stability program that recognizes unstable handling situations and reacts automatically to help correct. Phase 3

involves the use of airbags and other advanced passive restraints as well as. GM forming automotive structure by using all of the technology available today we can drive safer America. Coming out inspected and certified in your driveway. Time now for a stop by Goss's garage. Let's see what motor weeks Car Care guru has for us this week. John back when this car was popular you didn't need a whole lot of information to repair it and what you did need was easy to come by. But that has changed dramatically over the years with the complexity of modern cars. And here to explain some of that to us is Jeff Legace Jeff is the general manager of all data. Jeff what are we seeing here. Well with the political ration of onboard computers on these vehicles information becomes even more vital. Similar to software updates you would get with your computer. Cars have updates as

well and you need real time access to information cars that were built in this day. Required very little information. Most of the content was contained in one book and a lot of the information was memorized by the technician. All right. How many pages are we looking at in today's world when all data first started back in the late 80s we dealt with about 200000 pages a year. Today that number is nearly 1 million annually. You're not going to get that in a book for sure. No you're not these books would be through through the roof. All right now. Should a driver be looking for a shop that has an information system like all data. Well we think part of our solution is to look at efficiencies for the for the shop. There's there's an estimate on a study that 60 billion dollars of maintenance on the streets today which means that the shops have to become more more efficient in order to meet the consumers demands. So we think it's important for consumers to seek out shops that have access to this information.

Now in reality without information today if you can repair the car at all you're not going to do it effectively inexpensively. Right. Right. You don't lose a lot of efficiency just by looking for information and not finding the right stuff having the car come back on several occasions because of the information was inaccurate. How does old data supply this information to the repair shop. We have two ways of doing that we have a this product which is on DVD and CD and we also have an on line product which is available on our all day dot com. What about the do it yourself or can they get this information also on all data dot com we have access to two ways One is we have free information that you can get which is basically a technical service bulletin title which you can also buy an annual subscription that gives you the full content of the technical service bulletin Plus the diagnostic and repair. And this is actually the same information that the repair shop would use right vailable for your single car if that's what you're looking for. Great. Thank you Jeff. If you have a question or comment write to me. The address is Motor Week Owings Mills

Maryland 2 1 1. 1 6 0. 0. 0. This week on the auction block a 1987 Ferrari 328 GTV Hi I'm Craig singer with Collector Car expert John appen. John a beautiful Ferrari. Craig for a fizzy and not those of the mid engine V-8 powered Ferrari's this is considered by many experts to be one of the nicest ever built by the time the Ferrari got to the 328 series they had had 10 years of continual development experience. And all the kinks. Were out of the lot of the car. 328 of course stands for three point two leaders eight cylinders. The beauty of this car is that with a simple fuel injection and an ignition the individual can still work on it without having a Cray supercomputer. Of course if you're over six feet tall you won't fit in the brawn that I hear the spider which is far more common has a removable hard top section. The Burnette hour will save you $6000 these go for somewhere between 35 and 40.

And this is one of my favorite cars. When it comes time to sell your old car truck should you trade it in which is easy but may only net you wholesale value or sell it yourself which is more time consuming but could bring in more money. And whether buyer or seller how can you be assured that a privately sold car is as good as a dealer's certified model. Well where there's a will there's a way. And in this case a very convenient solution leveling the playing field between car dealers and individual buyers and sellers is a difficult problem. One solution we found is a company called inspection solution based in Nashville Tennessee. Inspection solution conducts independent inspections on vehicles sold by individuals fleets and on the Internet. The goal of the company is very straightforward. Director of Sales and Marketing. Cynthia Meyer we want the consumers to tell her. A good feel when they purchase a car. We want them to trust the people that they're purchasing from. Our goal is to help the

consumer make a better judgment and a better decision when buying their vehicles. The company employs over 150 inspectors nationwide all trained to certify a car for resale but the big draw for inspection solution is that they come to the car. The whole process is mobile. The inspector carries all the tools they need with them and they begin with a cursory going over of the electrical system to the lights light in the flashers flash starting at the front door the inspector methodically goes around the entire vehicle. They look for tail tale signs of collision or repaint. Is there paint overspray. Are there wrench marks on the door hinges. And has the inside door panel been removed welds are inspected and the amount of body filler is determined. Does door trim and weatherstripping fit. Do Windows operate freely or do they bind the same goes for locks mirrors and door handles. This inspection is repeated at each door and on each body panel the inspector is also looking for signs of flood damage. They could make a great looking by

worthless if damage is detected the inspector determines how bad it was and how well it has been repaired. Everything is recorded. Rust and water leaks are good indicators of a vehicles condition. So the inspector looks for clues around the rocker panels and inside the wheel wells at the same time. Are there any signs that the frame has been cut welded or straightened each wheel entire gets a look see too. Are the hub caps or cast wheels damaged. Is there any abnormal tire wear. Is there damage that would make the vehicle difficult to align and unsafe to drive at the hood more inspections does it fit right when closed. If there are no engine or emissions stickers they were probably removed during repair. Did the bumper show any sign of impact. Do the headlights have stone chips or internal corrosion and the Winchell is checked for even the smallest crack. Even if the car looks great the inspector also determines if the car looks its age an odometer. If the car is too good to be true it probably is. The interior receives the same type of going over.

Are there water leaks or water stains on the carpets or the headliner. A lot of time is spent looking for worn materials. The seats door panels and pedals is the where excessive. That may mean poor car care or worst a tappers but ometer every switch feature and accessory is checked from the AC to cup holders. The inspector will also take note how quickly the ABS brake or airbag warning lights go off when the car is started. Have the airbag covers been replaced. That probably means that they deployed in a crash. As to mechanical condition all fluids are checked the battery is next. Are there signs of protiens on the terminals and cables. Does it crank strongly do the fan belts run smooth or squeal and shake while the inspection doesn't include an actual test drive that's left up to the buyer. It doesn't mean that major mechanical problems go unnoticed. We do check basic mechanical systems such as major oil leaks and engine noises and can stare him in the right direction if we feel there's a problem in that area.

Finally pictures are taken of everything including the odometer. Then every detail is reviewed with the consumer to make sure they understand the inspector's findings. But how do you know their inspectors know what they're talking about. We go through two weeks of training. We train not only our software systems because we do electronic reporting for the website but we also do hands on training with all the cars to actually go out to auction sites and look at one car after the other. So how long does it take and how much does it cost. Well each inspection takes about an hour and cost as little as $85. Money that should be easily recouped from a higher asking price plus coupling an inspection with a used car warranty can make any vehicle almost irresistible. And that is what inspection solution and similar firms are all about providing a solution that removes worry when you find the car of your dreams. After 15 months in over 34000 miles well beyond the scope of our normal

long term test we close out our time with this 2001 Ford Excursion XSLT for by for only a few weeks after word leaked out from Ford that the excursion will likely be permanently retired by 2004. Excursion was the focus of undeserved criticism by environmentalists for its fuel guzzling way. We say that since our a passenger model with its seven point three meter turbo diesel be 8 return the test average of fifteen point seven mpg. That's more than many midsize and far less capable SUV. No other vehicle can carry and to weigh as much as economically as an excursion diesel. Another charge we found lacking was poor Ford product quality. Nothing broke on our excursion it was 100 percent reliable. We can't say that often only now are we noticing a little wear in the brakes and we found near 100 degree days to tax the air conditioning but that's it. So no wonder we will miss this gentle giant. We think folks with big hauling needs will

too. But we can still haul quite a bit in this Dodge Ram quad cam. And haul fast in this Acura RSX type S. Up next on motor weeks long term road test update. Now let's check in with Jennifer because Navas for all the latest motor news when it comes to marketing an SUV or any vehicle closely related versatility is a major moniker for automakers and GM has a new jack of all trades SUV that's designed to take that theme to new heights of awareness. It's the new 2004 GMC Envoy ex-U.S. and GM officials are touting the envoy X U.V. as the sport you that can do it all. The envoy has really for segment defining characteristics that set it apart from other midsize SUV use. The first is a power sliding roof that opens with the touch of a button. The second is a dual function tailgate that either drops or swings not unlike station wagons of the 1960s. The third

is a mid gate with a power operated glass and the fourth is our quick drain system which is an all weather cargo area that actually allows you to hose it out and leave it open in inclement weather because it drains water from the cargo area. These four features open the envoy up to a seemingly endless array of possibilities. For instance by dropping the mid-game and opening the roof taller items like refrigerators or motorcycles are easily accommodated after lowering the Medicaid's glass dropping the mid-game requires nothing more than folding in flipping the rear seats and releasing the latch. The Lowered mid gate also allows the envoy ex-U.S. to swallow up four by eight sheets of building materials. GM officials say that the 2004 GMC Envoy should reach dealer showrooms in the third or fourth quarter of 2003. According to our industry sources. Another vehicle that could be vying for the public's attention

along with the envoy is this 2004 Ford cross-trainer crossover vehicle using a highly modified involve a V 70 platform a front drive cross trainers expect to be powered by a relator 200 horsepower V-6 with a 3.5 metre 250 horsepower V-6 and a four wheel drive model to follow later. The 2004 Ford cross-trainer is expected to go on sale sometime in 2003 with prices ranging in the $20000 range and that's it for this week's Motor News. Without a doubt this year's coolest new car is the Mini Cooper. This classic English design rejuvenated by BMW as the new called must have with everyone from hardcore enthusiastic parking lot posers and fact I bought this many for myself. But even a hip design can be enhanced especially if the improvements involve more power and that's just what the Mini Cooper ass delivers.

It's certainly one of the coolest looking cars ever. The cute styling of the 2002 Mini Cooper S like that of the standard mini cooper is a near perfect blend of old news. But despite styling cues that are specific to the X model like the hood scoop rear spoiler and available 17 inch wheels. The real fun of the cooper S lies under the boxy skin. More specifically under the bonnet. Air from the fully functional intake flows over an intercooler which is linked to a super charger. This combination boosts the output of the new Minis 1.6 leader single cam 4 cylinder the 163 horsepower and 155 pound feet of torque. That's forty eight horsepower and forty five pounds paid more than the standard Mini Cooper. To get that power smartly to the front wheels the eSports a sharp shifting six speed manual transmission no automatic is available or wanted but the engine upgrades the cooper S had to stiffen MacPherson struck front and multi link rear

suspension. And it all translates into a very real performance moves. The Mini Cooper S prints from 0 to 60 in 7 seconds flat over a second faster than the base Cooper. The quarter mile takes only fifteen point five seconds at 90 mph. That's almost a full second as well. Once again very cool. But the mass difference is even more evident on the road where the substantially stronger midrange gives this little mini The punch to stay with an easily passed fast paced traffic. Something we can't say about the standard car and whether on road or track the retune suspension delivers even tighter more finely honed handling front plough and body roll or even more minimal while the electro hydraulic power steering remains precise. Of course with a host of available electronic traction and stability AIDS not to mention a short ninety seven point one inch wheel base and a track with just over fifty seven inches. How could it be anything but sharp and stable.

Yet within those ultra compact right angled dimensions many designers found space for a large airy cabin an added aluminum tone trim unique to the ass. The seats in the standard mini are thin and not a high point of the car the Esses seats are the more supportive support design but still nothing to rave about. Otherwise it's the same super retro dash with its huge central Speedo and vintage aircrafts which Guard Rear headroom is as generous as leg room is tight. Children in luggage fit best as the split folding seat expands the tiny five point six cubic foot cargo area. But utility is not this minis cup of tea. The US is all about driving fun. This really is a sports car disguised as a shoe box. And it's a box full of fun but still affordable price based ticker for the cooper S is one thousand eight hundred fifty dollars or three grand more than the non s mini. Only Volkswagen new Beetle Turbo S and Mazda Miata come close to delivering the funky retro style and 21st

century performance of the Mini Cooper. Yes. And they cost several thousand dollars more. Yeah the 2002 Mini Cooper has has the height the pull for a low down price. Cool to look at cooler to drive. And until the competition pulls something pretty slick out of their hats it's the coolest little car in Taft. I hope you will join us next week for more motorways. When will test Infinity's new G 35 Sport Coupe and Lincoln's latest navigator. 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 is your coffee table. That's entertainment. That's better than the smell of new tires. I

agree Same time next week. You got it. And to buy. What are you looking for. This is PBS.