THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, March 3,1999 IS YOUR GARAGE PROTECTING YOUR CAR BETTER THAN YOUR BARGAIN-RATE CAR INSURANCE? Don't trust just anyone John Bauman 627 Lyons Lane #308, Oakville 842-2225 Nissan eyes hybrid sedan as minivan successor N orth American families may be on the brink of abandoning minivans and demanding a new kind of vehicle Rear seats are also higher than those up front. This gives rear passengers a full view of the road. The rear seats also have dual armrests for maximum com fort. "In a traditional sedan, the front seat area is primary and the rear seats are secondary," says Hirshberg. "The idea behind the NCS is that it should be a social vehicle for adults, so the rear seating area is as comfortable as the front. NCS provides first-class seats for four adults, but also can be used to haul 'stuff on the weekend." The rear seats can be folded flat, clearing the way for large items of cargo. "It can haul loads from home- improvement stores or any other large cargo," says NCS chief interior design er Bruce Campbell. "Two adults can even sleep inside NCS." Under the cargo area is a hidden one that com bines sedan-like style with van-like cargo versatility. That's the belief of the leader of a California-based design team which recently unveiled a new kind of versa tile family vehicle dubbed Nissan "NCS" or New Concept Sedan. One of the world's leading car designers, Jerry Hirshberg, president, Nissan Design International Inc. says, "NCS is designed for people who want an exciting car but need a lot of space." "They're coming out of minivans and SUV's and are getting back to wanting a car again. But their lifestyles mandate that they want something that has more volume and more usable space than a sedan, yet still expresses 'car-ness.'" "The NCS is not a minivan, SUV, or station wagon," he continues. "It's a hybrid between a car and everything else. Our aim was to take the advantage of these other forms and incorporate them into something genuinely new. Bottom-line: With NCS, we have attempted to reinvent the car." NCS is distinguished by its uniquely sloped rear-end styling, which includes a large hatch with a low liftover height and a sunroof for the rear passengers. The NCS interior is comfortably sculpt ed, with a full array of convenience and comfort features such as air-condition ing and power windows and locks. Rear seat occupants will find limousine-like space with more legroom than in a large luxury sedan. N is s a n n e w c o n c e p t s e d a n barely three inches taller -- yet shorter -- than today's typical mid-size sedans." As the design of NCS progressed, about 30 current Nissan owners were asked to view the car and offer their thoughts. "We had to figure out where the cus tomer would place this vehicle," storage compartment accessible from a bi-fold panel in the floor. This space is large enough to accept two golf bags and provides an extra level of cargo security. "The idea behind the interior was to increase vehicle flexibility with a usable cargo area," says Campbell. "The most impressive part is how much extra space could be found in a car was a station wagon, a minivan or something else?" But people understood the concept behind the vehicle. "They saw it as a vehicle for four adults to be used for business or pleasure and they called it a car," said Hirshberg. "That means we hit the mark." One of the biggest compliments to the car was that potential buyers were amazed at how big an interior could be created in such a moderately-sized vehicle. MCS is built on a current Nissan chassis and features a 190-horsepower V6 engine, a 4-speed electronically controlled automatic overdrive trans mission, front-wheel drive, fully tuned sports suspension, and a 4-wheel Anti lock Braking System. Hirshberg admits he once sneaked NCS out for a drive near NDI's facility in La Jolla, California, and was delight ed by public reaction to his team's con cept car. "We took it for a quick ride and literally stopped traffic," he says. "Something about the forms immedi ately captured attention and there were a lot of smiles." Hirshberg says. "Would they think it Four Nissan m odels win Four Nissan vehicles have been named "The Best Overall Value of the Year" in a U.S. survey of cars, trucks and minivans in both the model and price category. This year's survey by IntelliChoice looked in detail at more than 800 1999-model vehicles, comparing them with their closest rivals in 29 price and model categories. IntelliChoice examines not only purchase price but also projected ownership and opierating costs over a pieriod of five years. Factors taken into account include likely depre ciation, insurance, maintenance, repair, fuel, license and financing costs. Nissan's Best Buy winners -- each within their price categories -- are: □ Nissan Frontier SE King-Cab pickup □ Nissan Frontier King-Cab pickup, 2-wheel-drive. □ Nissan Quest GXE 4-door minivan □ Nissan Quest SE 4-door minivan In addition to the above winners, six more Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are runners-up, rated among 1999's best buys in their categories. They are: □ Infiniti G20 and G20t spiort sedans □ Infiniti's QX4 luxury sport utility □ Nissan Altima SE sedan □ Nissan Maxima GLE luxury sedan □ Nissan Maxima SE executive sports sedan □ Nissan Quest GLE 4-door luxury minivan IntelliChoice has been conducting and publishing indus try-wide studies and surveys for 13 years. The company also publishes two annual books -- The Complete Car Cost Guide and The Complete Truck Cost Guide. 1999 Nissan . Maxima SE _ M 5 speed • 3 0 H ie DOHC 74 valve V6 engine v * J f Mutti-ad|ustable driver's seat with lumbar support ^ , 3 / • ' ' Air conditioning i ■Power windows, door locks 4 mirrors ' Cruise control * Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System • Sport-tuned ^ ^ / ^ F suspension * Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) • 16" alloy wheels • Performance tires • Fog lights ■ Body-colour grille and door handles • Black side-window moulding • 8-way power drivers seat ■ Automatic climate control • White-faced gauges • Leather-wrapped steering wheel • HomeLink* universal garage door opener ' Rear spoiler • Power sliding glass sunroof • Leather seating surfaces 14-way power passenger's seat • Bose CO audio system 'Front-seat side airbags OR PURCHASE FOR 1999 Nissan Maxima GLE 4-speed automate transmission H K * >E5 9 Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) Traction Control System (TCS) 15" altoy wheels * Power sliding olass sunroot • Leather seating surfaces Wood-tone interior trim • Leather-wrapped steering wheel • Power heated tront seats Automatic climate control •Remote keyless entry 6 antHhe# system • HomeLink- universal oarage door ope Bose CO audio system Front-seat side airbags OR PURCHASE FOR What defines a Maxima? Flagship luxury, with a distinct performance edge. And now you can choose from four models. There's the very well-equipped GXE. The new ES limited edition combines great looks, lots of extras and tremendous value. While the SE is a thrilling mix of high performance and ultra luxury. And for all-out, top-of-the-line indulgence, there's nothing like the GLE. £5 Options include: • Sport-tuned suspension • Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) • 16" alloy wheels • Performance tires • Fog lights • Body-colour grille & door handles • Black side-window moulding • Sport velour seat cloth • 8-way power driver's seat • Automatic climate control • White-faced gauges • Leather-wrapped steering wheel • HomeLink® universal garage door opener • Premium AM/FM/CD with cassette audio system THE NEW 1999 Nissan Altima g x e Consumer Digest " Best Buy" '99 Nissan Pathfinder Chilkoot - Trail Limited Edition 99 Nissan , Quest Rated #1 by CAA 1 " Over All Sports U tility" for ci 3.3LV6 1 Air conditioning Cruise control AM/FM/CD with cassette Electronic digital compass w/outside temp, indicator Massive P265 tires and much more T4RG79 AE00 Rated #1 in its class by JD Power & Associates • 2.4L DOHC 16-valve, 150hp engine • Air conditioning • 4-speed automatic trans. with overdrive • Cruise control • Power windows, antenna, mirrors • Illuminated entry system • AM/FM cassette with 4 speakers • Variable intermittent wipers • Woodtone console ® 60/40 split fold down rear seat and much more B : : | | M ||| Lease for E E E 9 or get $1200 off V6RG79 AAOO 3.3L S0HC V 6 ,170 hp engine oivSS VOU 272 P 4-wheel Anti-lock Braking System M ■ Dual Sliding rear doors l l t r e s 01 in te r ! 7-passenger seating with sliding 3rd-row seat space QUEST-TRAC® Flexible Seating System Front air conditioning • Power front windows AM/FM cassette stereo • Second Generation dual front airbags Only 4 available at this price Lease for E S S ! or 4 .8 % FINANCING A sk about Nissan's No-Nonsense Leasing. 1 rloctinatinn bnri rialniAni liM nrn inM .m ni,. I ; . u- Av n n n , a, . , - -Smart people always read the fine prim. And they always wear their seatbelts. Limited-time offer. 'All otters throogh Nissan Canada Finance Inc., and exclude destination and delivery, license. insurance and taxes. Lease prices are Altima J1900 down. Pathfinder $6300 down plus freigtit, applicable taxes and licence. Dealers free to set individual selling price. See Oakvile Nissan lor detals. tor 48 months o.a.c. on selected models UNLIMITED FINANCING Maxima 1999 Nissan ES tor 48 months o.a.c. on Fully equipped selected models with automatic for 48 months o.a.c on selected models 7 *LEASE O RATE transmission OAKVILLE NISSAN Celebrating 25 Years o f Excellent Service. •S A LE S •ACCESSO RIES •L E A S IN G • FACTORY PARTS •S E R V IC E • TIRES LTD 1450 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE 827-1177 MON.-THURS. 9-9, FRI & SAT. 9-6 i