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economist sunthe tribune thursday may 21 1998 p11 rlth the navigator luxury is standard adventure is an option rob beintema metroand staff writer saratoga ny the test drive started just after dawn we piloted pur way through picturesque colo nial villages blurring past historic homes cloaked in morning gray eventually the sun broke through the haze of low cloud to light the towns and touch the slopes of the adirondack mountains perfect place to launch the 98 navigator for here in one of the birth places of america steeped in both history and revolution lincoln fords most traditionbound divi sion was breaking with its past to unveil a few revolutionary concepts of its own lincoln is faced with the inevitable shift of customer demo graphics the previous generation is being slowly replaced by reluctantlyagihg baby boomers a generation with very different automotive demands its a generation unwilling to accept the big plush luxury boats of the past customers who are look ing for both style individuality per formance and dependability the lincoln navigator is a full- size luxurious sport utility vehicle that just might fit the bill feel free to think of it as sort of a goldplated ford expedition since both suvs share the same ftruck underpinnings although the lincoln spindoctors will argue about its characteristics of elegance and how every body panel except for the roof is brand new or modified the navigator is an enhance ment of the ford expedition but it offers many features that you would find in a lincoln said chris smir- lies the general sales manager of craig rieleys markville lincoln mercury sales inc the front end unabashedly lin coln with its signature grille attached to the hood combines with unique moulding and rugged integral illu minated running boards to create an aggressive look that turns plenty of heads on the highway inside the navigator is equally impressive raising suv luxury to an entirely new plateau the wood and leather steering wheel reminiscent of jaguar is a work of art fronting an elegant and ergonomically- designed softfeel dashboard standard seating consists of four captains chairs separated by front and rear consoles or if you prefer you can select the secondrow 6040 bench as a nocharge option either way the second row still provides a surprising amount of legroom and easy access it has a third rear seat that can carry up to eight people comfort ably the navigator also offers two rear bucket seats with a console that seats up to seven comfortably said smirlies safety features include 4wheel abs disc brakes the passive anti- theft system that requires a specially coded key to start the engine remote illuminated entry side- impact door beams and child safety locks and in response to recent customer concerns the 98 naviga tor will be the first ford product to feature a new generation of depow ered air bags under the hood the standard powerplant is the beefy 54 liter v8 the 1998 navigator a 230 hp engine that outmuscles competitors like range rover and the lexus lx450 and does so at a substantially lower price coupled with the fourspeed automatic tranny and trail er package the navigator will haul up to 8000 pounds of trailer weight while carrying a maximum- payload of another 1800 pounds the navigator is available in 2wd with rear loadleveling suspension or in a multi- mode 4wd model with a very smooth air sus pension system on all four corners and although navigators 4x4 capabilities are as able as the expeditions the lincolns tire tread and suspension settings are optimized for quiet comfortable cruising and cruise it continued on page 18 ladly the annual village nissan enjoy the savings event ends may 31 1998 nissan altima gxe 24l 16valve 150hp engine 4speed automatic transmission with overdrive second generation dual air bags cfcfreeair conditioning cruise control power windows and locks 6040 splitfold rear seat and much more lease for 36 months down payment only 1 jd power and associates best lower midsize car in initial quality far two years in a i7fw down payment only 3200 1998 nissan pathfinder 7hi0 chilkoot trail edition lease for 36 months 33lv6 engine 4speed automatic transmission air conditioning power door locks windowsand mirrors amfmcd with cassette massive p265 mud and snow tires groundgripping limitedslip differential and much more ask us about nissans nononsense leasing life is a journey qpb enjoy the ride 4600 hwy 7 at kennedy rd by pass markham v nissan 905 4773337 smart ixojlc always read the fine print and iliey always wear their seal 1xils tumitetltlnicofivrs sjxtial nonoasense rmxith leases on 9h altima tjxh ptrc7h ae00 alr 8 259 a month patlifintler tttilktm trail udkfon sckctkahoo alr 62wi9 amonili with down payment atoa 1800 pathfinder 5201 or equivalent trade 1st payment altima si pathfinder 369 security deposit due at lease sjjiuik- lease iwsed on maximum of 60000 km kxcvss km dunked at 00km all offers itoukii nissan canada hruntv inc oac senira offer includes fa itt and pdi excludes licence insurance and taxes all oilier offers exclude freight pdi ucc tee insurance and taxes new management stop by say hello to hank snow eddie wong hours mon thurs 87 tues wed fri 86 sat 85 mtdas gar care the way it should be 4530 steelesavee markham 9059409973 midas tne way it should be and design are registered trademarks o midas canada inc maintenance most vehicles plus tax lube oil filter inspect cooling system topup all fluids windshield brakes transmission power steering rotate tires set pressure check lights hoses belts free windshield fluid for a year plus a free written brake inspection rhino performance exhaust package i i four wheel i alignment i i i installed from catalytic converter back lifetime warranty on muffler price includes up to 4 chrome tip present this coupon at time of purchase ths coupon has no cash value and cannot be used with other otfers see participating midas dealers for details offer expires aug 1st 1998 nro lube oil and f i iter i includes balancing and rotation 1 of all four wheels and complete i frontend inspection plus a free written brake inspection i present this coupon at time of purchase this i coupon has no cash value and cannot be used with other offers sec mttf participating midas dealers tor wumij detaisofferexpiresauglst1998 includes up to 5 litres of 10w30 pennzoil oil new oil filter and lubrication of chassis if required present this coupon at tone of purchase this coupon has no cash value and cannot be used with other offers see participating midas dealers for details offer expires aug 1st 1998 no