European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 17, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday. August 17.1989 the stars and stripes Page 13 aerodynamic treatment features a steeply raked Bond and Windshield. Nissan s new Utility vehicle both Side doors slide Back to give passenger easy Access. Axness a sleek people mover the axness. An All new vehicle for 1990 that Nissan Calls a multipurpose people mover is a sleek machine no matter How one defines it. The highly aerodynamic axness is not really a Van nor is it a station Wagon although it comes closest perhaps the Best term is Utility vehicle. We see the axness As an upscale modern alternative to the traditional Sedan Wagon or minivan Nissan says. Itis designed to compete among the mid size Wagon multipurpose vehicle and compact bus segments its nearest rival at least by appear Ance would be the Renault esp acc vehicle which has sold Well in Europe but is not available on the american Market so now that we know where the  stands in the marketplace let s take a look at this new machine. We had the front wheel drive Axx ass be on test recently from the Nissan division of Auto Exchange in Kronberg. West Germany there s also a 4-wheel drive version. It s an interesting vehicle to say the least. Among its lop features arc sliding doors on both sides the scope of vision for both Driver and passengers and the More than adequate Power of the axness engine the same unit found on the Nis san 240 Model. It s an in line 2.4-liter, 4 Cylinder unit that turns out 138 horse Power at 5,600 rpm. Torque is Strong at the Low end with a figure of 148 . At 4,400 rpm. The test vehicle was equipped with a four Speed automatic transmission the fourth gear an overdrive with the Over drive engagement Button located on the gear shift Knob. On Back roads and in Hilly conditions it s Best to hit the but ton and Lake it out of overdrive. When you do. An Amber Light glows on the dash to note of off 7 with the overdrive off the handling on Hills and curves improves immediately As one would expect and if you want to drop Down to second gear the Axx ass takes off quickly. This very agile vehicle is no Slouch on the Hills or on the autobahn either and the kick Down is Quick when passing. On the autobahn the axness cruises at 65 Mph in overdrive at a lowly 2,400 rpm and if desired one can cruise be tween 80 and 90 Mph with Case. In third gear and with the of off. The Tach reads 5,000 rpm then nosedive to 3,250 rpm when overdrive is engaged. Redline is 6,400 rpm. For a Utility vehicle the axness is quite Mancus Brablc in traffic and for parking too thanks to the Power assist steering rack and Pinion. But the steer ing had too much Power for our taste even at High speeds. The brakes Are also Power assist vented discs from Drums rear and they were quite Good in both wet and dry conditions. Tires Are p195/70 steel belted radials on 14-Inch the Axx ass is powered by a 2.4-Lllcr engine of 138 lip. Wheels the test vehicle shod with Japa Nese made All season Bridges tones. The spare is a space Saver tire. As you sit up High in the axness you have a commanding View of the Road and it is also an advantage when driving in heavy Rains which we encountered All too often. The ride is comfortable Independent suspension front and rear and the Axx ass be test vehicle seated five adult with Case and with plentiful headroom and i Groom. A third scat for s-plus-2 scaling is available As a seating pack age option. But with seven people on Board there would be no place for lug Gage during a trip so the optional lug Gage rack would be necessary in the five passenger version the room is quite adequate with a trunk car go area of 35.5 cubic feet. If one needs More room to haul things around that can be arranged but the passengers will have to go. For transporting Large items the rear Bench scats can be folded for Ward at the tug of a Center strap and the full Scarback can be flipped Down by eng aging one lever atop the left Side of the Mealback. The entire operation is simple and takes Only about 20 seconds after the two adjustable Sec through headrests on the rear scat backs Are removed and stored. On the test vehicle solid scat backs arc Standard but a 60/40 split Mealback is available As an option. We mentioned aerodynamics earlier and the axness profile serves As a Good example of its Slippery shape a drag coefficient of Only 0.36. This has been obtained with the help of a steeply raked Hood and Windshield and there s also a built in spoiler at the top of the rear door. All five doors merge smoothly into the body and flush Glass is also a major part of the design. There Are even Small front windows above the outside rear View mirrors see photos. The spacious Interior is trim and neat but the dash is almost too spacious projecting far past the  by necessity to meet the raked front wind shield. It takes a while to become accustomed to this design. Hut the instruments Are properly placed and easy to read and vision is Good All around except for the rather wide pillar on the passenger Side which tends to obstruct vision when parking. A few of the amenities on the test car featured grab bars All around a Large sliding storage bin under the Driver s seat adjustable armrests on both Driver and passenger scats map pockets at the Bottoms of Poth front doors fully reclining scats air conditioning Central lock ing and Side window . During our time with the axness it returned 25.1 Miles per gallon under All conditions. The tank holds 17.2 Gallons. As we said at the Start the axness is an interesting and extremely modern vehicle and it s Well Worth checking out if you need a Utility vehicle of modern de sign. The Axx ass be with automatic trans Mission and air conditioning discussed in this review costs $16.626, including Nissan s Home shipment plan. The base axness be Sells for $ 15,076. Details on the various axness models arc available at off Post Auto Exchange sales facilities in West Germany Bel Gium and the United kingdom. Randy Barnet Auto columnist Eagle Talon sports Coupe introduced Chrysler s new jeep Eagle Divi Sion has just introduced its Talon sports Coupe onto the american Market this car designed to give the Eagle nameplate can Appeal to a younger group of buyers. Chrysler says. The Talon is being offered in both front wheel drive and 4-Whccl drive. The 4-Whccl-Drivc design is exclusive within the Chrysler corporation Range. Eagle says the primary competitors for Talon in the front wheel drive sports Coupe Market include the Toyota celica Ford probe Honda prelude Nissan 240 so Plymouth laser and Mitsubishi eclipse. So the new Talon faces some Tough opposition on the . Sales mar Ket. The Price for the base Talon sports Coupe will be in the $ 15,000 Range. Talon is the third new car to be introduced by the jeep Eagle division since its formation less than two years ago. The others in the Eagle lineup Are the Premier the new Talon sports Coupe from Chrysler s jeep Eagle division. And Summit both 4-door sedans. Standard engine on the Talon is a 16 valve 2-liter dual overhead Cam unit of 135 horsepower. That engine in Turbo charged form is available As an option. The Turbo turns out 190 he. A five Speed manual transaxle is Standard and a 4 up cd automatic is optional. The top of Lac Linc. Talon Tsi All wheel drive Model draws 195 he from its Turbo engine and is capable of doing Zero to 60 Mph in 6,6 seconds.