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4 wv x- t- xecbnbmist sutustpuffviluripunenursd april 132600 r i 4 frontpage a- 4im4-m- refinements weremadetd lessen noise vibration arid harshness v in fact the 2000 altima has 70 upgrades in total much work incidentally went into revising the fourwheel independent suspension therear for instance is coil springs over gas struts to which is added a stabilizer bar arid nissans own super toe t control that keepsfhe tire plantedeven under hard cornering and rear liftv 1 but what makes the difference is the auto industrys first factoryinstalled acceleration sensitive suspension struts it has been two years since i lastdrovean altima whichimpressed me at the time with its abilities this car however was orie that wanted to be flung about there are not less than four models of the frontengine frontdrive altima based primarily on trim it starts with the xe 1999820998 which nissan calls basic but hardly iswith that engine and suspension combo next up is thegxe- 22698 the third model is the se 2599829598 as tested here that is airhedatthe morespbrting driver at the top is the gle at 28598 that jncludes just about everything nissan can build into the carincluding leather seating front seat side airbags and homelink garage door system v the nissanpeople know instill havea soft spot withthe exception for the hole in my wallet for thepairof bmw 3201- sedans i once owned crisp handling and f the abilityto use all the power the engine has is the hallmark of a great sports sedan at least to me the se qualifies adding to the positive feeling of the engine and steering was the near ideal placing of the- controls visavis 1 the drivers seat no waving your right hand vout in space trying to firidtheshifter it was bright were i wantedit the multi- adjustable seat and placement of the rear mirrors were also ideal i had somuch fun iwith this car i often drove back and forth onsuper highways withthe radio off so i fcquld heavtne engine andtime myshiftsf tothe feercomingthroiigh thesteering swheel and shifter fh tyc v with thesesp6rt jurned and that ehginefiyespeedpackage cpfnes fourwheel discbrakestnejight-i- way sport seatfprjthe driver is augmented byjeatherwrapped steering whieelzcruise ohtrolandtilt wheelsthese alspcbmes with titanium faced gauges with black numbers tiatreverseat night air cdriditioningis standard alongwitlr vppwer on the locks mndows ariji mirrors a sixspeaker stereois partpf these packageiyou also getreiriote entry and homelink garage door system f folnvterms 6f safetyjtherelare dual jairbags anti-lock- brakes anti theft syvtemwithjrhmobil seatbeltpfeterisioriefstnree point centre seat belts atthe rear aridfabprsvyith anti lockout feature the only extra was 915 tfbrshippingfbr agrandtotal of 26913- fuel econqmywas also an agreeable story with a transport canada listed 102l 100 km 28 mpg city and 71l7 100 km 40 mpg highway operatihgnhiscan forla year wntcost an average driver 969- according to transport canada- ij- notice i yavent touched styling which while very muchirithet current nissan veinisimprovedf with a i new grille reminiscehtrbf the200maximathe 16- inch wheels make a big difference iallowingthe se at least to show it is a fourdoor sedan with a dashof attitude what 2001is bringing the altimarbecause improvements is actually the firstqf this l breed- of nissans coming in thev vmillennium v rnissanaltimase2000ataglance bodystylefdurdoor compact sedan fronterigiriefrontdrive four trim jevels iastested xegxese and gle vij rengine24rlitrejdohciinlinefour cylinder 155itfil56ftlbffr fuel attested ltf2llpo 440jnpgj i- vfcs sfrompage 13 braking is via vented discs at front drums af the rear standard tire is a bridgestone 13 14ihch michelirisare available with option packages j while the techo looks very 2 1st century from thig outside the interior lets you know if forsure rightiri the top centre of the dashboard is the instrument- cluster it contains the speedo tripodo jilel gauge and warning lightsforthingsiike coolant temperature having grown up on gauges viewed through the steering wheel the centre cluster is something you adapt to in seconds better because it is set higher you dont have to avert your eyes as low to check your speed while driving the centre console houses the controls forair conditioning audio system and digital clockthree round knobs make cheating coolingeasy to select and four round ventexit ports on the dash t flood the cabin with air movement taubmaticvrid fourdoorsedanft feel like youre in ah- fivespeed and c was immediately observation car it first its a bit unreal impressed bythe wiuingness of die car but after a few daysthe extra eye to get gdihgr credit the light weight sweep alforded is a blessing the wind cheating shape and the sheer downtown fighting forparkingspots cheekiness of theentire package but it incidentally thetight turning circle was fun to drive this car and short length meahsypu can zip the view- thanks tbtall windows into a spot in one pass s proper seating pdsitiohnd the higher the echo shows what can bedohe viewpbihrof the road v for clear whena carmaker makes a determined sailingwitkout a noticeable blind spot effort ito put everything it has into but what seals the deal on the echo establishing a new benchmark is price vr agreeing with me are canadas world the echo twodoor is 13835 forftrie of wheels magazine that gave echo an r r u editors choice award and the gang at manual 14835 for the automatic the fourdoor is 14175 for thejivespeed 15175 for the automatic there is a style package for the two door that raises the fivespeed to 15245 and the automatic to 16245 it includes 14inch mickelin tires and well covers fender flares colored bumpers rear spoiler intermittent wipers color door handles remote outside mirrors bodyside cladding and cd player that a bargainor what on the fourdoor the style package o- l- j raises the price of the five speed to there are storage bins on either side 1 585 and the automatic is 16585 fe centraiconsole beneath jhe is a dealerinstalu dash board for the driver andthere is i even a little hidden tray under the passenger seat there are not one but two glove boxesfor odds and sods plus a centre slot above the radio for your 407 transponder assuming you are one of the few who still havent handed it backjn now rates are being raised there is a large easylift trunk lid and 6040 split back seats that open up a reasonable trunk of 136 cu ft i drove both the twodoor with air conditioning is a dealerinstalled extraat 1230 i cannot forget to mention the quality of the paint that one would expect on atdpline lexus instead of- a pricepoint leading subcompact i spent a week with the automatic fourdoor with the- air conditioning and cd player price as tested 17070 and was mostly impressed that it hadlots of power to spare on superhighway stretches the amount of glass and the high roofline tsns motoring 2000 that named echo their car of the year like you im concerned about the environment and not happy with 90- cent plus per litre prices but the thought that alittle cube with a two- stroke canolapowered diesel is my next car is not the kind of future i want to live in v v with theecho toyota has reset the mark for subcompact carmakers who will have to focus their attention on the trend being set being efficient can be fiin and echo proves it vtoyota echo 2000 at a glance bodystyle twodoor and fpurjdo6r sedan front engine front drive engine 15litredohc inline four- cylinder 108 hp105 ftlb tuel economy 74l 100 km 38 mpg city 56l100 km 50 mpg highway price twodoor manual 13835 twodoor automatic 14835 four- door manual 14175 and fourdoor automatic 15175 as tested 17070 with a free map and road atlas get back on the right path with the wesuppbrt drive i i clean i for the air we breathe m ey inspection road atlas quantities f x9 h 1 u3 1 css cj- j t 10 at your gm dealership wwwgoodwrenchrjmcanadacom 1800gmorive sa -jsvv-r- ilmms5 1 k 4 uu m