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Wednesday, May 16, 2001 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER D5 Tribute solves SUV problem By Jeff Melnychuk WHEELBASE COMMUNICATIONS Everyone you know has an SUV and now you've got your heart set on one, too. Or, at least you did, that is, until that pesky sticker price got in way. And then there's the insurance premiums. And what about the latest enemy: the ever-increasing price of gas. W ho ever said there's a price to be paid for looking cool w asn't joking -- at least when it comes to SUVs. However, M azda, it seems, is one m anufac turer that has figured this out and offers a very real solution. It's called the Tribute. So, Bunky, pick yourself up and brush yourself off, 'cause w e've got some good news for you. The Tribute gives you the chunky, macho, good looks you seek, the shallow sticker price your line of credit can handle, and sips fuel like a m id-sized car. In fact, the only other sport utes that can touch the Tribute's fuel figures are Toyota's RAV4, Suzuki's Vitara , C hevrolet's Tracker and, o f course, the Tributes domesticbased twin, the Ford Escape. How is this possible, you might ask? Sim ple. M azda keeps the base price (just shy of $22,000) and fuel consum ption in check by offering a 130-horsepow er four-cylinder engine under the hood, front-w heel drive and a five-speed manual transm ission as standard. And, with exterior dim ensions approaching those of a Jeep Grand Cherokee, you get the unmistakable aura o f sturdiness and affordabil ity. ' I told you it was simple. Adding 4x4 to the base model adds ju st $2,650. The Tribute becomes very enticing when you realize that you can get a 200-horsepower V6 and four-wheel drive for not a lot more loot. With these attributes, in fact, the Tribute comes in at about the same price as the more utilitari an Nissan X terra and the smaller, less powerful Honda CR-V. A bit o f a surprise is the avail ability o f the V6 with front-w heel drive, sure to be a hit with warm -city dwellers. The Tribute carries the D-shaped grille that adorns most o f M azda's products (and looks strangely sim ilar to most Acura products, too) with a large corporate logo affixed to a center crosspiece. Snake-eyes style com bination headlamps offer a distinctly upmarket look and rival those found in more expensive machinery. / O f course, the sides and bum pers are slathered with more plastic than you'll find at a resin chair convention, but at least it saves the sheet metal from dings and scratches that are com monplace in the urban jungle. The Tribute's cost (and weight, to a certain extent) is also kept low because o f the twospeed transfer case. Rather, there isn't one. Instead, you'll find a nifty torque-splitting dif ferential that maintains power to the front wheels, unless they begin to slip, at which point torque begins to flow to the back wheels. In really crummy conditions, just press the dash button that locks the differential in 4x4 mode and each of the wheels gets an equal am ount o f power. The Tribute is no pretender and can tow up to a 1,600 kilograms. The most num ber riders you'll fit into the Tribute are five, with two front buckets and a rear bench seat that folds to increase hauling space. Perhaps the thing that sticks out the most -- literally -- is the large, column-mounted gear selector stalk. Conspicuous is a polite under statement, but its location does allow you to get up and move to the back of the vehicle without tripping over a console-m ounted shifter. The Tribute is available in four trim levels -- DX, DX-V6, LX-V6 and ES-V6 -- with all models having air conditioning, power win dows and locks, 100-watt CD stereo and anti theft engine immobilizer. Unfortunately, none o f the V6 models is available with a manual transmission. But as far as value goes, the DX-V6 4x4 at around $26,500 has to be viewed as a relative bargain, while an ES-V6 4x4 equipped with leather seats at just over $32,000 is well within the budget of the typical sport ute shopper. M azda's Tribute might not be the most pow erful or luxurious sport utility that money can buy, but it just might be the most sensible way to look cool, be cool and save some cool cash at the same time. We Know How To SAVE You Money! CAA Members take advantage of group rates and save on insurance for Car, Home, Cottage, Boat and RV. Get a quote from us today and you'll be glad you did! CAA has saved money on il) A 1 1 1 d m A M t ^ I N 3 common insurance needs J q w ` ** ~ I a i w y Why not take advantage of the sailings? u >or m a n v a r e a r e s U e n ts ' IP % Gal for a no obligation quote 1-800-661-2886 IN G liN O V E X nsurance Brokers Inc. Visit Us At www.caascoinsurance.com The Liberty can © Oakvillemazoa m3SD3 be opted as far as 3 w2A $ j d ) i j & i a Jam the buyer likes (Continued from page D6) door handle - or pushing a button on the optional remote and the glass swings smoothly up, offering hands-free loading and making rear opening a one-step process. The rear seat back also sprouts six grocery bag hooks. A move up to a Limited Edition adds most of the mod ern amenities. The Limited includes the 3.7L V6, roof rails, upgraded audio system, alloy wheels, air condition ing, cruise and tilt steering and a convenience package. And you can opt the Liberty up as far as you like with extra features and doo-dads like leather seating, tinted glass, side air curtain, 6-disc CD, trailer-towing and offroad add-ons, even submersible halogen fog lamps. Yadda, yadda, the list goes on. "Listen," I told the Jeep guys at the launch, "we can talk about `new features' and `increased content' till the cows come home but what any future customers and those loyal Cherokee owners really want to know is, bottom line, will it cost more than a Cherokee?" "No," they told me. The 2002 4-wheel drive Jeep Liberty Sport will have an MSRP starting from $22,600. The Jeep Liberty Limited Edition will start from $28,400.That's pretty competitive compared to last year's Cherokee prices. For a lot more vehicle. And, speak ing of being competitive, while I test drove several versions of Lib erty, Jeep also showed enough confidence in their new prod uct to provide test vehicles in the same class from other man ufacturers - the Ford Escape, Nissan Xterra, and Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. I don't usually base my judge ments on vehi cles that are not provided by the manufacturers themselves but I will say this. The Jeep Lib erty compares favorably against any competitor in the market place. Very favorably. If you're in the market for a compact-to-midsize sport utility with off-road pedigree and *excellent on-road manners, you owe it to your self to test drive the new 2002 Jeep Liberty. PURCHASE FINANCING FOR UPTO 36 MONTHS1 OR cash purchase from Mazda Protege SE OR lease from *15,295 *199 per m o nth / 48 months $ 2 ,4 0 0 down or tra d e e q u iva le n t on lease, fre ig h t and P.D.E. included · O ptional 13 0 -h p , 2.0L DOHC engine available (LX and ES m odels) · flM/FM/CD s te re o system · Standard dual a ir bags M odel #D 4 X M S l-flfl 1.9 0 Purchase Financing' for up to 36 months and no security deposit on all mazda 2001 mpv models. Set in. B« moved. ROHDSIDE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Bsk abo ut th e M aido peace o f m ind prom ise now standard on every new Mazda. MRZDR LEADERSHIP WARRANTY 3 years or 8 0 ,0 0 0 km com prehensive w arran ty, 5 years or 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 km pow ertrain w arranty. f See d e a le r fo r d e t a ils . Oakville mazoa 1291 SPEERS R O A D North side between 3rd Line & 4lh Line 905 - 827-4242 lllhere Good Seruice Is I) Fact. Hot Just H Promise! · w w w .o ak v iltem azd a.co m O M K R S S S nD C ons -- 2001 CHRYSLER NEON LE Spacious design, cab forw ard architecture, advanced breaking system. Power brakes, bucket I sears with 2 -w a y adjustable hea d locking restraints, AM/FM stereo cassette, autom atic I transmission, air conditioning. TM L e a s e fo r £ / l $7C754/mth 60 months, 24,000 km/yr. $15)7 due on delivery 2001 CHRYSLER NEON vm m p a c k Keyless entry, power/auto locks, power trunk release, heated fold-away mirrors, 4 disc in-dash CD player, P185/60R15 B5W AS turning tires, 15" aluminum wheels, power front windows. $77?36/mth 60 months, 24,000 km/yr. Lease fo r JLm L $1554 due on delivery F u n Y a u j e G im h j p Spare tire cover, mjnk lid spoiler, performance steering, performance suspension, tachometer, 195/50 R16 Tires, 16" aluminum wheels, passenger assist handles, console lamp, glove box lamp, light group, rear view mirror with reading lamps, sun visors, illuminated vanity mirrors, power sun roof. 2001 CHRYSLER NEON Lease fo r Choose U u p to 6 0 m o n th s O .A .C . Plus raxes, license, admin, fee. O.A.C. o rIm UU $ *)Q Q 86/m th 6 0 months, 24,000 km/yr. $1573 due on delivery Oakville's 2000 · 2001 Five Star Certified Dealership LOCKW M OOD V,M C H R Y S L E R 175 W y e c r o f t R o a d , J O akville (between Kerr & Dorval) w w w .lo c k w o o d c h rys le r.c o m ^ « w 845-6653 rv - '