European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday january 18, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 13car Cornera potential hit from Chevrolet tracker fun on and off Road i i i i a 1. It. I a m. I Vii i. .1u too 1 u la a i a a it. Thar in Ihrer a licit is to. Why Tjai line Iii so Stor lit Luw t a Liu. Ivr t is a 1 Jim Pii. It by $h.7.\v ifs a Piru a pm ran a Tuung t tint is a i i a. But we a be Al in to it ii i j 3% Wei. We checked out the to Rasker recently Courtesy org military car sales after spending some time with it. We could Only wish for More time a but preferably along a Beach in Mexico or in the Arizona mountains with the tracker s top removed. But As our lest Lime involved a darkest december Quot in Germany the top remained firmly in place. A highly versatile vehicle the Little Geo tracker cruised on the autobahn at Between 70 Mph and 75 Mph. At those speeds the Canvas top remained taut and relatively silent. On regular roads and in City traffic the pickup is Quick and the 5-Speed manual Gearbox easy to use. The tracker was highly Maneu Merable and held he Road nicely at All times. But like any other 4-Whccl-Dnvc a Hycle it is not designed to be tossed around curves at High speeds. Like the Peart v the separate Transfer ease slut lever Tor a whom drive f is also easy i i a the to r it. Tim -1 wheel Low Wii in tvo i six a a i it i countered. A when u Oija 4 a a. I. A. Hubs a i. A. Oflus i i 1 a it ,. J in the k in $0 a i i,1 a it s Ruji Mihu. Once she Iuchs a h. In. J a j shift into a Liuti High it a we j Lorna tic Locking hubs arc is no Lions. The tracker s minimum ground Clear ances 7.9 inches while weight Disiribu-1 Tion front rear is 34/66 percent. The front suspension has Macpherson it struts Coil Springs and at rear there s a j rigid Axle with lower trailing Arm. \ the setup works Well producing a the Geo tracker 4x4 convertible with front hubs locked is at set for a run along the Rhine. Fairly smooth ride Over Normal roads and not too bad on Cobblestone roads either. But once you go into off Road terrain hang on As there is no such thing As an easy ride there. Grab burs Are then necessary and the tracker has them strategically placed for nil three passengers. A major Iii Civ a while Ull Reading is the Hick of support for inc left Lum. When Sci Mikine Dony inc left loot Down so Kini support but Tai. I a Miil i r. I the floor 3�?T. I j. In Small a sup me la i 11 Jukl i. A r 11 u i in 1 he fat by a. In Amiul Jav. Mar in St. Bul up i d Lulu Iliili. Is Able is an option. Povur acini by Kev a Anutt and Drums at rear Are Ulm it Standard. The tracker is built on a of Only 86.6 inches but still offers solid room for the Driver front sent passenger and two passengers in Back. Although St a 2fccl Shorter than the Chevrolet Sio Blazer the s-10 has a wheelbase of 107 inches the tracker offers More head and hip room with front rear leg room of 42.1 and 31.7 inches respectively. Cargo capacity is 31 cubic feet with the rear scat folded hat. Folding the rear veal is a Quick and easy task. The Driver and passenger sea backs integrated headrests fold Down fully. Since the tracker has a he of , n would he comfortable to stretch out and Vul it j mar Milit in these bucket seats w hic m the a boo Mihlic t. In v -1 i be h a a a d a. A a. Inc v Quot a / Vinu i a it i. ii i a i Ilia Etc i a Sll on i 5 i. I 11it i i it huh in the 1 a. i to u i a fed View of i lie read and hot h entry , pm Are Aviv. Even for passenger the Fumi seats move Forward and the sea backs hip Down to Aid climbing Anlo the Back. And the scats Are comfortable. The instrument panel is Well designed with the gouges red indicators it yellow numbers Alf easy to read. On the dash there a a big storage panel above the Pas Senger grab Bur and a Small storage panel in the Center. Map pockets arc at the Bottoms of both doors there s a Center console and inc Glov Ebo is lockable necessary on a convertible. The heating vents Are properly located. And the heat conies on quickly after Marling on cold mornings. T key does in All including the Glove Bov a feature always appreciated. In the guv mileage department we recorded 25 mpg Toi All conditions a Ihn Ltd fur Vujcic of this top Bui a linger in i i. Ild aerie i i adv inc Irack. S i. I ii r f a 1 1tv so r. A in i k a. A uned a is i &Quot.i. Inv i i j a a. A 1 desm i m a lip t4j i. ,Lei to j Ano j you lid Al. ,-p.ire in a or div Tinatin and or it. win any w idd air Tui idl lion my Oil a Ann Craible vehicle like this one is a Good question. Fri i on Tro a Rrt lip. A Ospe Tii jus a r.1# n pm by tit a Lush Eil can a la 14 aare Quot a car Po-f\t3 amp a in Vincus 6m� in �o-i0p� a Randy Barnett a Irno end Unghi new Geo cars Range from $6,000 to $ 12,000 the Geo care from Chevrolet have been on the . Market for just Over a year Row. And Chevrolet recently stressed their identity with a a a gel to know Geo Quot Media Blitz. We discussed the Geo setup when these ears came on the Market in tale 198s, so it s time for another look. The pretts signifying Quot of the world Quot geographic for instance was chosen by Chevrolet to give an International flavor in the Geo ears and to distinguish them from the rest of the Chevrolet Range. All of the Geo cars As in the Case of the tracker reviewed Here today Are of japanese origin and design although the tracker by Suzuki a is produced in Canada and the prize Sedan by Toyota is the global Geo Emblem produced in California. The new storm sports Coupe by Isuzu and the metro Sedan and convertible by Suzuki arc both manufactured in Japan. These japanese firms All have a tie in with general motors or course and More than 4,000 Chevrolet dealers have signed up to sell the new Geo line one that has proved successful since us Lale 1988 Dybul. Prices arc Low a in the $6,000 to $12,000 bracket a and the lineup is especially attractive to the Young buyer to single women and to anyone in the Market for a second car. Chevrolet says a Geo is rot a separate franchise but a whole new approach 10 distinguishing pm s import vehicles from the rest of the Chevrolet line. The Geo models arc offered Only through Chevrolet dealers who will display inc Geo Emblem in separate display areas where in other words Chevrolet wants the Geo cars to stand on their own and they Are obviously doing so. The new storm sports Coupe by Isuzu like the tracker has received especially Good reviews by the american press. In fact one Auto writer says the storm is so Good that it will have no problems competing against such sports coupes As the Honda cry. Ford probe Nissan 240sx and the Plymouth laser and Mitsubishi eclipse. Chevrolet says a the products under the Geo nameplate have been created to broaden our customer Appeal and they Are aimed at meeting the vehicle needs of a variety of customer the Little Geo cars Are obviously filling the Bill with Chevrolet expecting about 300,000 sales this year. The tracker and metro May be purchased through pm military car sales but the prism and storm Are not yet available. Or a
