Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Feb. 8, 1996, edition 1 / Page 19
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3B ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/The Charlotte Post Thursday, February 8,1996 Blazer gets more refinements ‘96 Chevrolet Blazer WINFRED CROSS ▼ r e n e r a 1 •Motors is making it clear it wants to sell the best sport utility vehicles on the planet. It keeps getting a step closer to that goal by fine-tuning its offerings. Not that it had to make a lot of improvements to its already good Blazer. But GM has seen fit to give the Blazer even more power for ‘96. All of GM’s trucks benefit from stronger engines in ‘96. The Blazer gets a 4300 Vortec V6. It now blesses the Blazer with 190 horsepower with 250 pounds-feet of torque. The engine’s block was redesigned and made stiffer and stronger without the addition of weight or mass. A gear-driven counter rotating balance shaft is pre sent to cancel primary engine vibration generally found in 90-degree V6 engines. The accessory drive system uses a stiffer mount and has been redesigned to use a single serpentine belt to reduce noise. The oil pan is cast alu minum and is attached to the bell housing via three addi tional bolts. All of the additions and improvements can be felt as soon as you turn the ignition. The Blazer is commendably quiet at idle and not bad under acceleration. On the highway the Blazer exhibits wonderful road man ners. The ride is very car-like. Well, it’s as car-like as a truck can be. It feels stable on all sorts of road surfaces. Bad pavement doesn’t do much to affect ride. The Blazer’s handling is good as well. You won’t find yourself being beckoned to do hard cor nering or blasting down a straightaway, but if you had to, the suspension seems capa ble enough to handle such. That’s as long as you stay within the limitations of a four-wheel drive vehicle. Speaking of the 4x4 system. It works like a champ. Conditions were wet, slippery and cold during my test period, so four driven wheels came in handy. Selecting the system was also easy. My test vehicle was equipped with the push button system. There were times when the transmission didn’t seem to be in s}mc with the selected drive system. 'The same problem occurred on a 4x4 truck I drove with the push-button system. Nothing went wrong on either vehicle. But they both felt odd just the Complaints I have for the Blazer are few. I like the mus cular exterior design, but the interior leaves me cold. The ergonomics are great, but pre sentation is, well, bland. There are too many sharp angles and squares. It doesn’t flow. Also, interior room could be better. Three rear passengers will take up all the hip and leg room. But the Blazer gets points for ample storage space. It doesn’t look as-spacious as its chief competitor, the hot-selling Ford Explorer, but Chevy says it’s bigger. Maybe, but it does n’t feel so. And there’s only one air bag. That’s shameful for an all-new vehicle (last year). Still, there’s a lot to like about the Blazer. 'The exterior. power, road manners and over all design make it a must-look- at choice in the crowded SUV market. What price for such good ness, you ask? The base price for my test car was $23,252. That included a great deal of standard equipment, such as anti-lock brakes, insta-trac 4x4 transfer case, full size spare tire, deep tinted glass, AM/FM radio, air conditioning and variable ratio power steer ing. Options were plentiful. A $5,294 package included leather seats tilt steering wheel, cruise control, remote keyless entry, six-way power seats, luggage rack, power windows, door locks and mir rors, suspension upgrade and tachometer. A locking differen tial rear axle was $252. An upgrade to a compact disc player cost $124 while the not- so-pleasant-looking brown and black paint job was an extra $174. Minus a $600 equipment dis count and adding $490 for des tination, the as-tested price came to $28,894. If that sounds high, it’s obvious you haven’t been shopping for an SUV lately. That’s about the average out-the-door price. Goodness has its price. And it’s high. If You Have Any Questions About The Automobiles Tested In TEST DRIVE, Please Feel Free To Call Winfred Cross. He Wm Be Glad To Help You With The Information You Would Like To Obtain. (704)376-0496 The First Gasoline Powered Car Was Sold In The U.S. 100 Years Ago - February 1896. MfiWllia PRAriTRAVIil.A'mURS 2/16-19 Biloxi Casinos, Ms with New Orleans Maidi Gras $169 3/9 Outlets of l^gcon Forge, Tn incls breakfast $32 3/29-31 Weekend Party Cruise - Tampa, FI ...TrcMn $283 4/11-14 Disney Woild/Epcot or MGM - Orlando, FI $259/155- 4/12-14 NOAH & Amish Country Live on stage w/300 animak $199/166- 4/12-14 Outlets, Outlets, Lancaster, Pa - 2 nts & tour $159 4/27-28 Historic Savannah, Beaufort & Hilton Head Island $95 5/2-5 Biloxi Casinos, Ms with New Orleans Jazz Festival $179 5/3-5 Atlantic City Casinos - 2 nts boardwalk area $175 5/11 &nith Mountain Lake & Virginia Dare Cruise - Roanoke $55 5/18-19 Charleston, SC w/etty tour and Magnolia Plantations $89 6/10-14 San Francisco - Ind air4iotel,bty cruise, F. ^^larf area $715 6/13-16 Carnival Cruise ’Fantai^ lo Nassau inci poit/taxes $419/344- 6/14-16 Wittiamdiur]^ Va & Busch Gardens - 2 nts 1 admissHHi $159/127- 7/3-7 New Orleans - Essence Musk Festival available.TnMn $275 7/4-7 New Orleans - Essence Mu^ Festival avail w/Air hcMn •Doublc/Quad (Outside 704) - 1 800 41-PRATT (77288) $399 Got an entertainment idea? Call Winfred Cross at (704) 376‘0496 The 1950 Cadillac Deville Cost A Mere $3,654 PUT YOUR BUSINESS IN THE STREETS WITH Cljarlotte ^o^t\ THE EXCELSIOR 921 Beatties Ford Rd. • 334-5709 WEEKLY FEATURES: • Tue. "FISH NIGHT" All you can eat $5, DISCO following • Wed. R&R • Thur. "KARAOKE NIGHT' w/Swing Low Productions • Fri. & Sat. DISCO with C.C. • Sunday - LIVE MUSIC or DISCO ®l)e Cliarlottc Online E-mail us with your comments, story ideas, stories, or just whatever Soon you will be able to log on your com puter and communi cate directly with UTljc Cljarlotte ^oat. The Post will be online through Internet, CompuServe and America Online. We will be offering segments of The Post online as well. Stay tuned for more details. E-mail - charpost@clt.mindspring.com COCA-COLA EDUCATOR OF THE MONTH WILLIAM WHITE Headmaster & Head of Science Department BRISBANE ACADEMY *■’ Coca.Cola BottVi'9 A native of Charlotte, NC, William was educated in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public School System received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Johnson C. Smith University and his Teaching Certificate from UNC-Charlotte. For twelve years William was employed with the Charlotte- Mecklenburg Board of Education. At Northwest Middle, his goal was to assist emo tionally handicapped students and promote learning. He then spent nine years at Garinger providing students with an environment that enabled them to learn biology and earth & physical science. Children have always been first on Williams mind, and for that he receives the utmost ado ration and a divine level of respect. Now as Headmaster at Brisbane Academy, he furnishes the students with a safe and nurturing learning environment, and ensures that the school operates effectively and effi ciently to carry out its daily business. William supports the students and teachers, and for that he receives constant applause. His goal of the Science Department is to be at the forefront of technology and to equip the students with hands on opportunities to excel in scientific knowledge. William is married to Geraldine Brisbane-White, Brisbane’s founder, and they have 2 children, William III and Liah. Congratulations, Mr. White from the Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated of Charlotte.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Feb. 8, 1996, edition 1
19
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