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economist sunthe tribune thursday june 11 199 p 13 ford has an impressive truck lineup this year jgkl flfcy llmmrl ips 3 bill huston of hus ton ford mercury in stouffviile rob beintema metroland staff whether you love em or hate em the one thing you cant do with ford trucks these days is ignore them sport utility vehicles pickups and minivans are competing with the family sedan not just for room on the road but for the hearts minds and bank balances of demanding drivers who want some thing different and distinctive if i had to pick out a single word that captures the continuing evolu- tipn of todays trucks t guess it would be more more room more power more luxuries not to mention more money but regardless of cost trucks are selling fast consumers seem quite willing to pay the price at both showroom and gas pump for a higher driving position in roomier versatile vehicles stamped with an image of individuality ford ranger despite its bestselling status for the past decade this compact pickup truck has urider gone a major overhaul ror 1998 no radical changes were made to the exterior just a lower hood- line new lights and a slightly more aggressive look the regular cab wheelbase has been stretched three and a half inches which translates to a three inch increase in cabin length for more room inside and an extra inch of travel for the new seats a minor seven millimetre increase in stroke ups the standard engine displacement to 25 liters all 98 fords cars arid trucks will offer secondgeneration depow ered airbags and like big brother f- series ranger addresses safety con cerns with the passenger airbag de activation switch that was first offered in 1996 ford explorer this sport utility vehicle is per haps the best example of north americanstyle space and comfort inside a compact vehicle although the original engine has been surpassed by most competi tors last years introduction of an optional 205 hp sohc v6 com bined with a fivespeed auto tranny and revised fourmode contrqltrac system added some spunk to the explorers civility moving up to a 50 liter v8 boosts oomph ror the trailertowing crowd improvements for 1998 includ ing a redesigned liftgate darker tint ed glass enhanced steering feel and the securilock coded key system that has gone a long way to reduc ing autotheft ford responded to the aground- breaking kenworthstyle dodge ram with a lot of hullabaloo and the debut of the aggressively redesigned f150 the new f250 followed close behind changes for 1998 are mostly minor trim- related alterations to these big trucks the 98 is basically a carryover from 97 said bill huston dealer principal of huston ford mercury in stouffviile the fseries legacy has also spawned two fullsize suv models the bronco- replacing expedition was launched last year to compete with gms tahoe and yukon designed for biggerisbetter boomers this fourdoor cruiser offers two v8 engine choices optional air suspension 8000 pound towing capability and seating for eight expedition sales more than doubled their initial goal so ford has big hopes for the fullsize suv market so while there are no changes to the expedition for the coming model year 1998 does mark the debut of a totally different kind of lincoln the new navigator but lets leave this highpriced stratos phere of luxosuvs for the downtoearth practicality of the minivan the mercury villager a fiveseater mini- van optional seating for seven remains relatively unchanged for 1 998 although many customers especially women prefer this smaller vans maneuverability its sales continued on page 16 come join us as we celebrate our 25 year in business with a huge celebration sales event our entire inventory of new and quality used vehicles will be clearly marked with our best lease and purchase prices take advantage of current gm factory incentives and special gmac lease and finance rates selection savings and professional service after all isnt that what you deserve sale ends june 30 1998 charge running boards offer 20858 purchase 208 lease 1998 gmc safari slx 43l v6 automatic air cassette deep tint glass deluxe grill 8 passenger abs brakes dual air bags stw99 sunfire gt coupe i9 grand am se sedan grand prix gtp 19 finv stk w380 stk w648 19818999 e e purchase sierra z81 mm 1v9 fin i e purchase buicic century custom mm fin lease purchase trans sport montana stk w200 i stk w756 stk w917 hw 11 lease purchase lease purchase lease purchase al sale prices are plus freight sunfire grand am 645 trans sport 865 siena 920 safari 870 grand prix century 810 lit aimin taxes extra 36 month smart lease with a down payment of 2500 sunfire s3500 on other vehicles freight be adra taxes extra annual km emit 20000 12c per excess km oac special finance rales based on 36 and 48 month terms limited time offer sierra24 month smart lease 19 lease rale 3500 down frt uc ada and appfcabable taxes oac sales hours mon thurs 900 900 fri 900 530 sat 900 600 service hours mon thurs 730 730 fri 730 530 sah 800 1 00 i 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