Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 1, 1981, Winnipeg, Manitoba 16 Winnipeg free press. Friday. May i 1981 Peugeot 505 sometimes you get silk purse from sow s ear cars alter personalities minor technical changes create different sort of Auto like the people who own them automobiles have a unique personal Ity. Unlike people though a car s character can be altered dramatically by relatively minor technical changes. Four cars i have driven recently fall into this category. In the Stric test terms these Are not new Auto mobiles. But in the attempt to improve them automakers have wrought personality changes Worth noting. The cars Are the 1981 Eagle with select drive the new Dat Sun 280zx Turbo the Peugeot 505 Turbo diesel and the Ford ln7 with tax suspension. The change to the Eagle is the most Subtle but very significant. This car was introduced in 1980 to Universal rave reviews lauding its sturdiness handling and uncanny ability to master Slippery Road conditions. The one Knock against the car was its fuel Economy. With its 4-wheel drive system operating full time it Auto world Len Coates used More fuel than was strictly necessary especially on dry paved roads where the 4-wheel-drive Bene fits were not needed. If Only there were a Button or Knob to switch it out of 4-wheel-drive when you did t need it. That is exactly what select drive does. A vacuum operated switch on the dash shifts the Eagle in and out of 4-wheel drive. Basically it is still the same car. But now that you can get better than 40 Kilometres a gallon 25 the Eagle seems like a friendlier More socially responsible Auto. The Dat Sun 280zx has been trans formed from a relatively staid Lux Ury touring car into a muscular Stormer by the simple addition of a Turbocharger beefier suspension and Chubby tires. Now it scoots from Zero to 100 in a bit Over eight seconds. That Means Corvette and trans am owners better keep an out out for the Turbo designation on Dat suns before issuing any potentially Embarrass ing challenges. The Turbo package adds to the list Price and if you Are playing in that league anyway it s Worth every Penny. Since testing Ford s new 2-seater coupes the Ford exp and Mercury ln7, a few weeks ago i be had a change to get better acquainted with the tax handling package on an exp. The tax package is a Slick bit of engineering that turns the into an agile sports Coupe capable of out handling most of the High priced european and japanese super coupes. To accomplish this Ford has gone the Normal route of installing Hea vier Spring stiffer Shock Valving a heavier Sway bar and some very Good Michelin tax tire s. It has worked beautifully with no dramatic loss of ride Comfort. Peugeot s addition of a Turbo Charger on its much despised 2.3 litre diesel has turned that sow s ear into something Akin to a silk purse. This is not to suggest that the Peugeot 505 Turbo diesel is a trophy win Ner at the drag strip. But the Turbo Charger brings the diesel engine into the realm of respectability. Before turbocharging it was touch and go whether a Peugeot diesel could Start on the Green and make it across an intersection before the Light turned red. But the Best part is its Economy. It does t seem to matter one Whit whether you drive the Peugeot at 140 or grind it through City traffic All Day in first and second gears it still gives at least 57 35 the Only off note is that the Turbo charged diesel bumps the Price of the 505 up to which Means you have to run a Lake of diesel no. 2 through it before you Start to see a Cost Benefit. Six Cylinder car costly Toronto up getting there May be half the fun but it is costing motorists More and More. The average Cost of operating a six Cylinder car in Canada has increased to a year up 14 per cent from in 1980, says the Canadian automobile association. The Cost this year based on kilo metres of driving annually is 41 cents a Kilometre compared with 35.7 cents a kilo metre last year the association said. The figures were prepared for the association by Runzheimer and co. Of Rochester wis., which provides a service for Automo bile Standard allowances used by More than 750 business firms and government agencies in Canada and the . With a combined Fleet of cars covering Drivers. The car Type used for the National average Cost figures was a Standard size 1981 Chevrolet Malibu with a six Cylinder 229 cubic Inch engine and Standard accessories radio automatic transmission Power steer ing and Power brakes. Calculations were based on variable costs such As Gas and Oil and fixed costs including insurance depreciation and financing charges. The figures show the combination of gasoline costs maintenance and tire costs Rose to 13.28 cents a Kilometre from less than 12 cents. Fixed costs Rose to cents a Dav from based on driving Kilometres at 13.2 cents a Kilometre plus cents a Day for fixed costs for 365 Days the average annual Cost is in the Toronto area the annual Cost of operating a Domestic compact car would be less Ihan for an eight Cylinder Stan Dard size car and the sub compact Cost would be lower. Undefeated Champ. -3k once again the Rabbit diesel has the Best fuel Economy in Canada Rabbit Diese do mpg Don t Settle for less. Auto Haus fort Garry Ltd. 660 Pembina Hwy. Pm. 284-7520 leasing also available inner to choose from to choose from to choose from do Meiy Back guarantee available wm0st units. . Warranty available. No Down payment required . Bank rate free Coffee donuts being served saturday immediate Deli very it i Over 616 i trucks to choose acres of new cars trucks largest on site car in Winnipeg Portage ave. I. 837-8371 ;