European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 28, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday May 28,19b7 the stars and stripes Page 13 the an has sliding door above left for Euy entry to Middle a rear seats. Aerodynamic design begins at the frontal Section above right seats seven adults in Comfort Toyota s 4wd Van is Strong Swift with the demise of the truly big american car and station Wagon from . Roads vans have become Ever More popular. And Tor those with a family hat totals six or More ownership of a Roomy Van has become practically a necessity. Since the introduction of the Van or mini Van if you prefer it s been our pleasure to drive most of them both . And foreign made and the latest of Fering from Toyota is the subject of to Day s report. While the Toyota Van itself is not new the 4-Whcel-Dnve version is new for 1987, and we had the Opportunity to Check out that vehicle recently. The immediate impressions go like this the 4wd Van is extremely competitive on High Speed european roads i easy to drive has Nice balance and is highly Man Euver Able in traffic. It also shifts easily and quickly into the 4-wheel-drive Mode and it fits into a euro Pean size garage Wilh no problems. It s an interesting vehicle one Coul Call it a car because it drives like one and we enjoyed our time behind the wheel. It s Only about 15 inches longer than a Volkswagen Golf yet seats seven adults in Comfort. You can also remove tieback seals quickly if you need to carry a lot of cargo. We drove a .-specificalion metallic Blue Model from Toyota of Germany in Cologne the 4-wheel-drive version com ing in top level be equipment trim Only. The regular non-4-Whecl-drive Toyota Van is also available in be and retune versions. A 2.2-Liler, 4-Cylinder fuel injected engine of 101 horsepower is installed be Neath and Between the Driver front Pas Senger bucket scats this engine accessible by nipping up the Driver s seat. The 4-Whccl-drive test car had a 5 Speed manual Gearbox but a 4-Speed automatic is optional. As noted shifting into 4-Whccl-Drivc is a Quick and simple Job with 4-wheet-High for Rainy or Snow packed roads and 4-Whecl-Low for mud Sand and other difficult surfaces. It is no off Road vehicle but just in Case there Are floor under guards for the engine Transfer Case and fuel tank. We were Able to have a bit of fun with the 4-Whcci-Drivc on some Muddy Forest roads and the extra Power to the ground is quite effective. The 4-wheel-drive would also be beneficial in Winter weather and especially with a full Load of Pas sengers or cargo. Whether one wants the Van with or without -1-Whccl-drive ii strictly the buyer s Choice. In the Toyota Van one Sils up High in a Good driving position and the Field of View is wide indeed. The ride for the Driver and his front seat passenger is Good while our Back seat passengers also found the seating and ride quite Comfort Able. Up to five passengers can sit behind the front seats so a rear compartment Heater with separate controls is provided Standard on All models for rear seat passengers. Grab Bare Are also installed throughout and these Aid in entering and leaving the Van. A Large sliding door on the right Side of the vehicle provides easy entry to the Middle and rear scats. The passenger Steps Are lighted. On the Road the Van is a Strong per former speeds of 90 Miles an hour easy to reach and Solo s5 Mph a Good Cruis ing Speed on the autobahn. In fifth gear at 80 Rapti the engine is turning 3,500 rpm redline is 5,500while at of Mph it reads 3,800 rpm. The Toyota Van is Quick in All cases with Power to spare on autobahn exits and entrances. It s also Quick on twisting Back roads but at times some rear wheel hop and wheel spin develops drive is to the rear when you really floor it in Sec Ond gear. The Van has an 88-Inch wheelbase for comparison purposes the Dodge Cara Van Lias 112so there has to be some overhang at both front and rear making for some front end dive and rear end lift. This in turn can involve a bit of hard work on winding roads. And when approaching a curb while parking one seems to Glide Over it forever before the front wheels make Contact. But you quickly become accustomed 10 this. The Van s suspension has double wish Bone with torsion bar at front and four link with Coil Springs at rear and Gas filled shocks on All four Comers. Stabilizer bars Are used at both front and rear. Steering Wilh lilt wheel is by Power As Sist rack and Pinion with a turning Circle diameter of Only 32 feel on the 4-wheel in pc Van and 30 feet on the regular vans. The brakes Are Power assist Venti lated at front and Drums at rear. Bridges tone All season 205/75 in steel belted radials Are Standard on the 4 wheel drive Model. The Interior of the Van is Neaily done it s also Well lighted and the upholstery is easy to clean As we found out when grease from a bicycle Chain grazed a seat bikes can be earned with ease. In the mileage department our Miles per Galton figure came to 19.1, this involving a wide variety of speeds on All types of roads. The tanks holds 15.9 Gal Lons. Options Worth thinking about include dual air conditioning with its accompanying cooler ice maker and dual Sun roofs. Prices for the various models Range from 114,295 to j18.000, including Ger Man delivery with the 4-wheel-drive be discussed in this report priced at $ 16,995. The vans Are available through the various Toyota car world outlets in Germany. Randy bar net t Cadillac s new Allante a genuine International car  Detroit up White most Auto makers Are streamlining parts delivery systems and keeping suppliers nearby Cadillac is moving in the opposite direction to give its $54,700 Allante an inter nation Alaura. In fact. General motors is going to the ends of the Earth to buy parts for its most expensive production car Ever. It is a move that could expose the car maker to Supply hazards. Cadillac Hopes to give the car a refined european flavor to More effectively pit it against Ultra luxury offerings from Mercedes Benz and porsche. It made big news last year of the Allante s complicated Assembly process. Using specially equipped a italia and Lufthansa airlines jumbo jets finished Allante bodies Are shipped from Turin. Italy where they Are assembled by hand by the famed designer Pini Farina. They Are flown and trucked 3,300 Miles to Detroit where they Are mated with a pm drive line and suspension Onan exclusive Assembly line. American the Ultra luxury Cadillac Allante convertible Coupe made parts Are shipped to Italy to be used in assembling the bodies. What was not detailed at the time of the Allante air Ridge announcement was just How Many other countries would be involved in supplying parts for the limited edition luxury sports car. The engine transmission tires wheel Sand suspension Are .-made. In fact Many of Allante s underpinnings Are shared Wilh less expensive cars also built at pm s do Droit Hamtramck Plant. The allanic uses a modified Chassis from the Cadillac Eldorado which is about $20,000 cheaper. Many body pans and other components Hail from around the Globe. The aluminium Hood roof and rear deck lid come from Switzerland. The galvanized steel body panels come from Germany As do the anti lock brakes convertible top seats and some instruments. The Allante s Glass paint bumper Sand some Interior parts come from ital Ian suppliers. Norway contributes some bumper trim. Body holdings come from France. The Tail lights Are imported from a pm division in Spain. Finally Many of the Allante s extensive on Board electronics come from  says the myriad countries involved in the Allante production process reflect the division s philosophy of going for the Best Quality  plans to build Between 4,000 and 5,000 of the luxury roadsters this year raising production to about 7,000 units starting next year. Industry analyst Thomas o Grady of Philadelphia said the High degree of International sourcing should pose Little problem for a car of such limited vol ume. But they will have to stay in Tun with the International Market he said of a problem develops they will have to sick up their parts buying to avoid production interruptions