http://www.thepost.mindspring.com
ncije Cljarlotte
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1997
16B AUTO SHOWCASE
First non - Japanese
Mazda president steps
down. See story on page
14B.
High Speed not factor in Michigan traffic fatalities, new stndy says
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PONTIAC, Mich. - Higher
speed limitB on Michigan free
ways have not led to a corre
sponding increase in traffic
deaths and fatahties, a state
consultant says.
Mercedes
A-Class
under fire
By Ian Mader
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Michigan motorists are dri
ving no faster now than they
were in December 1996, when
the speed limit on 1,592 miles of
state freeways was raised from
65 mph to 70 mph, Professor
William C. Taylor told The
Oakland Press,
"The average speed on the
freeways has not changed by
more than 1 mph” in the past 11
months, Taylor, former head of
Michigan State University’s
Department of Civil
Engineering, told the Pontiac
newspaper in a report published
Saturday. "There’s absolutely no
reason for the state to draw
back on these increased speed
limits.”
Taylor said his preliminary
studies for the Michigan
Department of Transportation
indicate 85 percent of freeway
drivers are averaging 75 or 76
mph, essentially the same speed
they averaged when the speed
Umit was 65.
FRANKFURT, Germany -
The tendency of the new
“’Baby-Benz” to tip during fast
swerves puts the venerated
Mercedes-Benz in an unfamil
iar position; defending its rep
utation for safety.
Pictures of the new A-Class
model tipping during tests
have been ubiquitous in the
German media since a
Scandinavian journalist
reported the car had over
turned dming the high-perfor
mance "moose test” - which
mimics a driver avoiding a
moose.
The luxury car firm initially
denied there was a problem
with the Mercedes A-Class,
which last month marked its
first foray into the compact
market. But subsequent inde
pendent testing confirmed the
problem.
The company offered last
week to refit the 2,600 models
already on the road in Europe
with an electronic stabilizing
system. Then, it halted all
deliveries for three months so
the chassis could be
redesigned.
On Wednesday, Mercedes
took out a full-page ad in
German newspapers pleading
for patience while it re-engi
neers the new model.
"Nobody regrets more than
we do that we have shown
weakness in safety,” wrote
Mercedes, which along with
Volvo is virtually synonymous
with safe automobiles.
- "The scratch-free image of
-Mercedes is gone,” Michael
Klein, an auto analyst with
Delbrueck and Co. in
; Frankfurt, said Wednesday.
‘"Every new class of Mercedes
that comes on the market is
going to be much more strenu
ously scrutinized.”
The automaker said
1 redesigning the chassis to
lower the car’s center of gravi
ty would take care of the tip
ping problem.
There were some 2,600 buy
ers, all in Europe, since the
four-seater became available
Oct. 18. Buyers can take the
bubble-shaped, snub-hooded
car back to dealers to install a
^ stopgap electronic stabilizing
'. system.
The company has acknowl
edged it wiU take a profit loss
of $172 million through the
delivery delay, the re-engi-
See A-CLASS on page 14B
No bull!
Taurus improvements puts it back in hunt for No.l
1998 Taurus
Winfred
B.
Everyone’s out to get you
when you are No.l.
I’m sure that’s what Ford
thinks. Barely two years after
it redesigned the Taurus - the
best-seUing sedan in the land -
it’s given up the sales crown to
an Asian competitor.
Tm sure FoMoCo isn’t happy,
but at least it’s famihar ground.
It happened in the early “ftOs
just before it freshened the
Taurus. The car then vaulted
back to No.l, albeit with help
from fleet sales.
Guess what Ford has done for
‘98? Yep, it’s freshened its
Taurus. But it is no longer con
centrating on fleet sales. This
year’s Thurus offers fewer trim
lines, but more value in content
and lower price.
There are three trim fines:
LX, SE and SHO. The LX is the
base model, SE, the top model,
and the SHO is, well, the truth.
The freshening consists of a
modified front end. A small
chrome bar with the blue Ford
oval in the center behind a
black background gives the
impression of a grill. The park
ing and turning lamps are flut
ed, looking more expensive.
The new rear tail fights are
monochromatic, giving the car
a more finished look. Frankly, I
think the Taurus is a very
attractive car, but it has met
with some resistance from buy
ers.
The interior didn’t need much
work, especially the ergonom
ics. Eveiything is within easy
reach. Controls are grouped in
logical arrangement inside a
unique pod.
There are new seating
arrangements. Six-passenger
seating is standard, but front
buckets with a low center con
sole are a no-cost option on the
SE. A full console with a floor-
mounted shift column is
optional with the Vulcan V6
engine. My SE had leather
bucket seats, which were veiy
comfortable. The rear bench is
comfortable for three, though
long-legged folk may wish for a
tad more leg room.
It’s a quiet place to sit. At 65
mph, very little wind or road
noise gets in. Conversations
can be held without screaming.
The SE comes standard with
the Vulcan V-6 which makes
145 horsepower with 170
pounds-feet of torque. The
horsepower isn’t great but the
ample torque gives the car
more kick than expected. It
never became noisy, even
rmder hard acceleration, but
the engine noise is a little less
than pleasant. It’s responsive
and gets the job done.
The four-speed automatic
transmission generally worked
well, but it had a few problems.
Kicking down to a lower gear
was sometimes a violent thing.
Applying the throttle too quick
ly, even gently, seemed to be the
problem. It was more annoying
than anything else. Moving up
to the Duratec V6 with AX4N
non-synchronus four-speed
automatic overdrive would
probably be the best bet. It’s
now a free-standing option.
There is nothing wrong with
the way the Taurus rides or
handles. The ride is comfort
able, if not somewhat
European feefing. The suspen
sion soaks up road imperfec
tions fairly well, quelling most
of the bad stuff before it reach
es the cabin. The handling can
best be described as surefooted.
I was surprised at how well the
car feels in curves and on
twisty roads. It’s not a sports
car, but it’s wonderfully stable.
Ford has done a good job with
pricing this year. Base price for
the SE is $19,445. With options
- leather seats ($895), comfort
group ($1,450), anti-lock
brakes ($600) and floor mats
($55) - and destination, the as-
tested price was $22,920.
That’s a pretty good value for
a really nice car.
That and the few, but signifi
cant improvements, will put
the Taurus back in the himt for
best-seUing sedan. Competition
is stiff, but the blue oval isn’t
down or out.
Complete accident statistics
for 1997 will not be available
until April, but Taylor said it
appears the number of deaths
and serious injuries in freeway
crashes has not increased.
Dealers
changing
tactics
By John Hughes
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
STERLING HEIGHTS,
Mich. - Martha Theis expected
high-pressure sales tactics
when she went car shopping.
But at Jerome-Duncan Ford,
a saleswoman greeted Theis
not with a pitch, but with
spreadsheets that they used to
determine what she could
afford.
The women met at a round
table in a neutral, glass-
enclosed space, not an office.
And there was no bargaining
on price, since Jerome-Duncan
has a no-haggle policy.
"Look at how nice and open
and refreshing it is - and
relaxing,” Theis said during a
break from the meeting. "It’s
actually very comfortable.”
Auto dealers have tried for
years to offer good cars at good
prices. But with competition
overheating, many dealerships
have renewed their focus on
one of the oldest commands in
retailing: Make the customer
happy.
Saturn dealers and super
stores are known for placing
such a premimn on customer
service. But now the more tra
ditional, family-owned auto
dealerships are beginning to
experiment.
For some that has meant
remodeling showrooms, beef
ing up service departments
and allowing customers to
check vehicle inventories at
computer kiosks.
And there’s more: These days
in car dealerships, you might
find a nail salon, a diner or
movies for children.
'Most of the car dealers in
the United States have real
ized customer satisfaction is
where it’s at,” said Ramsay
Gillman, president of the
National Automobile Dealers
Association. "That’s not a new
theory, it’s just become more
intensified.”
At Jerome-Duncan, a $6 mil
lion renovation resulted in a
brightly fit atrium with glass
walls, a play area where kids
can watch Disney movies and
27 computer terminals for cus
tomer use.
The dealership also includes
a car muserrm, an insurance
company and a cellular phone
store. In the planning stages
are a coffee shop, food court
and an outdoor park.
See DEALERS on page
Lawsuit charges Ford with selling defective Aerostars to public
By John Hughes
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - A $2
billion class-action lawsuit
against Ford Motor Co. accuses
the automaker of selling some
Aerostars with a defective part
and failing to promptly notify
the minivans’ owners of the
problem.
Attorney Geoffrey Fieger said
Friday that Ford waited more
than a year before telling the
National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration about
the problem. Ford and NHTSA
waited two months before issu
ing the recall or making the
problem public.
Ford on Thursday announced
a recall of 82,000 Aerostars for
the defect described in the law
suit, which was filed Oct. 29 in
Wayne County Circuit Court
by Robert Cox of Walled Lake.
Ford spokesman Chris
Vinyard said Ford will aggres
sively defenj against the law
suit. "It’s baseless,” he said.
Vinyard said Ford notified
NHTSA as soon as the compa
ny’s investigation determined
that a recall was warranted.
He said Ford issued the recall
as soon as parts to fix the prob
lem became available.
The recall affects certain
1992 to 1997 four-wheel-drive
Aerostars. Some of the vans
when operated at high speeds -
especially in hot weather—may
develop structural failure of the
transmission or transfer case.
That could result in fluid loss
and cause driveshaft separa
tion.
If that happens, the minivan
is unable to accelerate and
loses power to its wheels,
Vinyard said. He said it would
not affect braking or steering.
Owners will be notified of the
recall by mail before the end of
the year, and work will be com
pleted at dealerships at no
charge, Ford spokeswoman
Karen Shaughnessy said.
Vinyard said Ford has
received 150 reports of the
transmission problem, which it
has knovm about since July
1996. Two of the occmrences
allegedly resulted in loss of con
trol of the vehicle - including
the one reported by Cox,
Vinyard said. He said the only
injury claim from the problem
is Cox’s. But Fieger contends
many more unreported injuries
may have resulted from the
See RECALL on page 14B
1997 Ford Aerostar