European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 13, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 12 the stars and stripes automotive saturday february 13,1993 the Price of gallon of gasoline in the 1990s incomparable to the Price of a decade ago a study by Wisconsin management consulting firm shows. From 1980 through1985, gasoline prices averaged More than $1.20 per gallon each year the stud from Kunth Cimer International said. The annual average for 1992 was $1.14. But motorists should not fixate on gasoline prices because it s Only a Small part of the total Cost of driving said Larry Snyder executive vice president of Runzhi Cimer s transportation division i Rochester wis. V according to the study depreciation and interest make up almost 56 percent of each automotive Dollar spent. Gasoline makes up 17 percent and insurance gobbles up 15 percent. Maintenance tires License fees another miscellaneous expenses round out the total. Except for when you re talking about computers or that House you retrying to unload the notion that something will have a lower Price in 1993than it did in years past is a novel one indeed. It is particularly Odd when applied to automobiles. But it is a Happy truth in the Case of the new sunbird Pontiac s sport subcompact. This year the Basic be Coupe an Sedan both Start at $9,382, a reduction from 1992 of $238 and $338, respectively. The Middle of the line be Coupe an Sedan also share a single base Price this time $10,380, which is the same As Las year s sticker on the Coupe and a $100 saving on the Sedan. One reason for this largess on the Parton general motors is that the sunbird is somewhat Long in the beak. The current incarnation started life 11 years ago As the j2000, and it is one of the two remaining a car relics the other being Chevrolet s Cavalier. Saturn corp. Officials have Long said that most of their customers once drove imports. They were right. The general motors corp. Subsidiary said that seven of 10 Saturn customers in 1992 traded in imports winning backs mall car business that pm lost to the japanese in the 1980s. We be moved the Needle All the Way from stupid to Lucky in the last two years said Don Hudler Saturn Vic president of sales and marketing. Saturn sold out the 196,000 cars it Builtin 1992 and still has a waiting list at Many dealerships. The excitement of Saturn whose five models Ranee in Price Between $9,000 and $14,000, has been mostly emotional so far. Its Low pressure no Haggle Sale style has done As much As its cars to attract customers. Parts of its system arc being emulate throughout the Auto Industry where one Price dealerships arc gaining popularity. Other pm divisions regularly see counsel with Saturn to discuss How it does business. Ford motor co. Said its prototype natural Gas powered passenger vehicles Are showing excellent results and could Lead to the first . Production Passen Ger cars designed to operate solely unnatural Gas. Ford is working with the Gas research Institute and Southern California Gas co. To develop the alternative fuel vehicle which is based on the Crown Victo Ria. The Institute and the natural Gas distributor have put up $7 million of the $50 million development Cost for the project. Fifty test vehicles already Are being examined in the United states and Canada. From wire reports full size Toyota pickup is steady As she goes by Pete Szilagyi Cox news service eavesdrop on automotive engineers at lunch and you re Likely to hear the expression nah a popular topic is a characteristic actually three considered As one that is strictly no grata among motorists spoiled by Silken cars. Noise vibration and harshness nah arc difficult to Engineer out of automobiles but they can Chase away potential buyers by the thousands. By their nature As work vehicles full size pickup trucks arc a particular Challenge to de signers muffling nah. Truck tires usually arc noisy and pickup Beds tend to res Onate and Roar at certain speeds. Also there apparently has been Little pressure to control nah from buyers who presumably assume that trucks must be rough around the edges. Now comes Toyota to say it Ain t so. The company recently introduced the first full size japanese pickup the too and it s evident that Toyota s nah police have been at work. Slightly smaller than a Ford and Chevy full size pickups the t100 is a Tad larger than Dodge s Dakota. It has a full size truck s bed however and the ability to Tow up to 5,000 pounds. Half ton Mode shave a 1,550-Pound Load capacity the one ton t100 Model hauls 2,550 pounds. The t100, available in Standard andsr5 trim Levels has a clean Broad Shoul dered look. As with some Toyota models the factory sticker Price is slightly higher consumer information Basic information on the 1993. Toyota t100 sr5 4x4 pickup with Standard transmission base Price $19,028 options on test truck including air conditioning Alloy wheels Chrome bumper floor Mats cruise control Power package stereo upgrade ,$2,738 freight $392 total. $22.158 approximate tax title License $1,500 country of final Assembly Japan Epa mileage 15 Miles per gallon City 18 mpg Highway source Toyota motor a nuns Usa s4s than on competing models. Because the too is made in Japan Toyota is looking for a Plant in the state Uncle Sam also charges a 25 percent duty. A half ton two wheel drive t100 sr5 with five Speed transmission Premium stereo Alloy wheels Power windows Chrome bumper and air conditioner is priced just below $19,000, with a base Price of $15,718. The sr5 half ton 4x4, five Speed that i test drove which had the stiff suspension typical of four wheel drive vehicles was priced at $22,158. T100 buyers Aren t confronted with As Many choices As the domestics Are no extended cab or Crew cab too models for example and just one engine is available Toyota s Journeyman three liter v-6 with 150 horsepower from its compact truck line. It has Ade quate Power for this larger vehicle but not much in Reserve. The sr5 Interior which uses som controls and the stereo systems from Toyota s sedans is conservative but sophisticated with just two unpleasant Ries. The temperature fuel level Oil pressure and charging gauges Are cheap looking and vague and the shoulder Belt retractors in the test truck had weak Springs. The too offers several attractive Fea Tures instant shifting into 4x4, a tight turning radius air conditioning that i free of the Ozone killing chemical Csc Standard rear anti lock brakes water Drain holes in the bed and a tailgate that s removable without tools. Like most 4x4 pickups traction on gravel or wet pavement was especially poor when the too was Unladen with a least 200 or 300 pounds in the bed trac Tion improved markedly and the ride be came less jittery. Steering is Sharp and the brakes Are effective. As for nah Toyota has worked it magic again. The too truly is smooth and quiet for a truck. Easy on your pocketbook the new today Pochil the smallest car built by Honda 656cc, three Cylinder engine Power steering air conditioner motor co., hit the Market wednesday after the first com radio and cassette player 5nd Manua transmission a pick resting in seven years. The Pochet comes with a $7,100, it s $400 cheaper than the of Model prize Corolla built to resist rust by Charm in Kosek United press International Chicago any automaker who tries to avoid rust gets Bonus Points in my Book. The 1993 Geo prize and Toyota Corolla assembled using the same body style Are designed to do just that. Solid sheets of Metal Are used in Mak ing the doors which gives the cars one fewer place to rust. Noise reduction in Side is another Benefit. The general motors Toyota venture has added two metals exc elite and Gal annealed steel to major body panels and the undercarriage of the of Nam to give rust less of a Chance. Gal annealed steel also is used on the Corolla. I d be even More impressed if the rus warranty were longer than six years or 100,000 Miles on the prize. However a extended warranty with to mileage limit is available on the Corolla covering Theca for up to eight years. The gaps around the doors Hood an trunk of the four door sedans have been reduced As another Way of cutting Down Interior noise. The prize and the Corolla May be made on the same production line but the prize has More Pizazz. Both models 1 drove had Good pickup with the five Speed manual transmissions concentrating torque at the Low end. That Means smoother quicker acceleration getting started even when the engine is cold. Three and four Speed automatic transmissions Are optional
