European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 11, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday May 11, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 13 car Corner turn Heads in Nissan s hot 240sx by Malcolm do Naipoo Magazine editor just looking at Nissan s hot new 240sx will make you want to drive it. And driving the 240sx will make you want to drive it some More. The 240sx is a replacement for the200sx in the Nissan lineup which is like putting Hank Aaron into the batting order to replace Boh Uecker. Under the Hood is a new four Cylinder engine port fuel injection normally aspirated. 12 valves. 2.4 liners that produces 140 horsepower. It moves the 240sx through the gears As heartily As the v-6 did in the of 20csx from dead Slop to 60 Mph in 8.6 seconds according to car and Driver Magazine and Down the Quarter mile in 16.4 seconds peaking at 83 Mph. Sadly. Nissan equips the 240sx with a top Speed governor that is intended to keep buyers insurance costs Down. It is designed to Cut off the Power at 112 Mph and it does abruptly. It s like hitting a Wall of marshmallow. The 240sx looks and feels like it could easily deliver 120 Mph perhaps More without the governor. Various Auto magazines have noted that simply snipping one engine parameter wire w ill disarm that Pesky device it s in the handling department thai the 240sx outshines its Pride Csor and most of its Competition. Like the 200sx, the 240sx stays with the car a Eccl drive that traditionalists love. Hut the 240sx is lighter tipping the Scales at 2.798 pounds. It has a wider track an More capable tires and an All new suspension system. The 240sx uses four arms to control each rear wheel with Coil Springs and anti Roll bars fore and aft. The design All but eliminates the rear end Squal and lift that normally occur during acceleration and braking and body loan on the curves is minimal. Nor is comf9rt sacrificed for control the 240sx provides an extremely smooth ride. Whipping through hairpin Corners mane vering in City traffic or cruising on briefs Nissan s sporty new 240sx has a Peppy 2.4-liter engine and an All new suspension system. The open Road the 240sx gives the Driver a feeling of total control. In a week Long test it proved itself exceptionally sure footed and stable. Every 240sx whether the Fastback be the Model tested or the Notchback be boasts linear rack and Pinion Power steering with turn on a disc performance. Steering lock to lock is just three turns of the wheel the car s turning radius is Only 30.8 feet. Four wheel Power disc brakes also Art Standard with an optional anti lock braking system available on these. Without the Abs. Panic slops Lake a hair under 150 feel at 60 Mph. The Standard transmission is a tight five Speed stick. A four Speed automatic is available for an extra $760. Nissan has put it air together in a head turning package. Inside and out. The 240sx looks Sharp especially dressed up with the front air dam and rear spoiler part of the Power and sport option package that the test car featured. The package also included cruise control Power door locks windows and mirrors leather wrapped steering wheel and shift Knob a rear Washer wiper Alloy wheels and wider tires. Standard features on the Fastback in clude tinted Glass retractable to Login headlights Remote releases for the Hood trunk and fuel lid and a four speaker am pm stereo radio. The dash layout is simple and convenient. All controls arc within easy reach. The White on Black analog gauges Are Clear and easy to read. The instrument pod is dominated by the Large tachometer and speedometer in the Center. Small temperature and fuel level gauges and various warning lights arc in the outer Corners and the whole package is visible at a glance framed perfectly by the three spoke Tilting steer ing wheel. Embedded in the wheel Are the cruise control buttons. The Driver and front Seal passenger ride in relative Comfort Wilh ample leg room. Though the reclining bucket seats feel a bit Flat seamless no slip cloth upholstery helps. There s scarcely any leg room for rear scat passengers Anil cargo space is not copious but this is after All. A sports Coupe. The 240sx is equipped with a motorized passive re Strain by slim which sends the shoulder belts up front trundling across the top of the door. You still have to buckle the Lap Bell so it s hard to say what the system s purpose is of her than to gel in the Way and make it difficult to Pul something on the passenger seat. Furthermore the shoulder Belt on the Driver s Side locked up during an abrupt bul nol All Oul Stop on Day two of the Lesl and did l Budge for the rest of the week in had to be fastened and released manually. Slim Ald fuel Economy ratings for the five Speed Standard arc 26 mpg on the Highway and 20 mpg in City driving. The 240sx has a 15.9-gallon tank. The Lesl car was provided by Aulo Exchange headquartered in Kronborg West Germany. With its options which also included air conditioning a Sunroof and an upgraded sound system it costs $16,982 Bremerhaven delivery. Remodels Start at $13.977. Details on the Nissan ?40sx Are available at Olf Posl Auto Exchange sales facilities in West Germany Belgium and me United kingdom. Fest a sales rising Detroit up Ford says its compact Festi a now completing its second year in the . Mar Ket is attacking new buyers to the company. Festival was introduced on the West coast in May 1987. Sales grew from 26,750 units in Calendar year 1987 to nearly 69.167 last year and Rose 9 per cell inthe first Quarter of 1989. Of Sliva is attracting a new Breed of buyer to our dealerships said spokesman Thomas Wagner. According to our owner research Only 13 percent seriously considered another Ford product before Pur chasing festival so the car is clearly highly incremental for us thai is in attracts buyers who otherwise would have gone elsewhere. $5.962 and with a Highway fuel econ omy rating of up to 43 mpg festival is Ford s least expensive and most fuel efficient Model. Wranglers raiders recalled Highland Park. Mich. Up Chrysler corp. Is recalling about 80.000 1987 and 1988 jeep wranglers and about 4,600 1989 Dodge raiders. The wranglers Are being recalled to replace wind shield wiper linkage parts and install a reinforcement to the Windshield Frame i prevent potential crack ing of windshields. Dodge raiders with 3.0-liter, six Cylinder engines will have a heal adaptor plate installed below the throttle body on the engine to prevent ice from form ing on the i Rotile body Blade in cold weather. Volvo hikes investment Detroit up Volvo North America pay $30 million in Cash for another 6 per cell incr Sci in the Hertz corp s Parent company upping its stake to 26 percent. Volvo will acquire its new equity in Park Ridge corp. From Ford motor co. Which a so sold the firm its initial 20 percent share. Volvo s investment in Hertz has been an unqualified Success said Jorn Ahlstrom. President of Volvo North America. Not Only has it been profile ble it has exposed thousands of Drivers to our cars for the first Ford is left with a 49 percent share in Park Ridge Hertz management has 20 percent and the West Ger Man Commer Bank a has 5 percent. A spokesman for Volvo North America said the firm has two agreements with Hertz one for North America and one for Europe. He would not disclose the number of Volvo used by Hertz. Experiment a Fords shown Washington up Ford motor co. Has introduced its Multi file Ford Taurus and a Battery powered Van two experimental vehicles designed to improve air Quality in America and reduce its dependency on imported Ford Taurus Sedan flexible fuel vehicle can operate on methanol ethanol gasoline or any combination of those spokesman said that in the uni cd states usage of methanol powered vehicles even at the 10 percent level could keep us from consuming about 270 million barrels of crude Oil a year and would reduce air pollution. The Bat cry pow Rcd Etc la Aerostat could make an important contribution toward improved air Quality particularly in congested Urban areas said the spokesman adding Hal commercial production of the Van is still years away. The prototype Etc ii Aerostat is result of a two part . Department of Energy Cost shared pro Gram that began in 1982. Key features of the Van Are a 65 Mph maximum Speed with a 100-mile driving Range and 0-50 Mph acceleration in less than 50 seconds. Battery recharge time is eight hours
