P age A3
T he P ortland O bserver • F ebruary 22, 1995
Automotive
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Autotalk
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b y Z a n e B in d e r
B M W 54 O i
I t ’ s s o p h is tic a te d , e le g a n t, yet
projects an aura o f m ature conser­
vatism . I t ’s B M W ’s 54 0i, a po w e rfu l
sp o rts/lu xu ry sedan that ju s t m ay be
the best in the $50,000 class.
U p fro n t, the re’s lo ts o f room . The
tw in fro n t leather sport buckets are
m o d ifie d R ecaro-types, m eaning i f
y o u 're heavy, y o u ’ ll be cram ped.
T he in fin it e ly a d ju sta b le e le c tric
seats have large side bolsters and
extrem e ly firm padding. O n the rear
bench, accom m odations are better,
w ith m ore than adequate c o m fo rt fo r
three.
The 5 4 0 i’s dash and in te rio r ap­
pointm ents are p lain in the tra d itio n ­
al G erm an ic m anner. Its standard
equipm ent list is long, and there’ s a
m o re th a n a d e q u a te n u m b e r o f
analog w h ite on b la ck gauges. A
p o w e r t ilt and telescope stee ring
co lu m n com plem ents the standard
s p e e d - s e n s itiv e v a r ia b le - a s s is t
po w e r steering; item s such as cruise
co n tro l, dual a ir bags, po w e r locks
and w in d o w s, fo u r-w h e e l disc a n ti­
lo c k po w e r brakes, a ir co n d itio n in g ,
sunroof, and (su rp ris in g ly ) even a
cupholder rounds out a lo ng lis t o f
am enities and features.
A s the 540i is touted fo r p e rfo r­
mance, w h a t’ ll she do? The 4.0 lite r,
fo u r-v a lv e -p e r-c y lin d e r 282 H P V 8
p o w e rs th is 3 ,6 9 3 -p o u n d v e h ic le
fro m 0 -6 0 in 6.6 seconds. T h e re ’s
lots o f torque throughout the R P M
range, and none o f the “ peakiness"
s o m e tim e s associated w ith h ig h -
strung pe rfo rm an ce engines. Fuel
econom y was observed at 13 c ity and
20 h ig h w a y (E P A 14/23). F o r a
HQW19MAKE1WIR
iim M A TK
lAST&LASt
TIPS' FROM TRANSMISSION SPECIALISTS.-
• AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE,
ALLOW IDLE SPEED TO SLOW TO
NORMAL BEFORE SHIFTING.
• AVOID HOLDI NG ONE FOOT ON
THE BRAKE. THE OTHER ON THE
ACCELERATOR.
NEVER ROCK YOUR CAR MORE
THAN AFEW TIMES WHEN
STUCK IN SNOW. ROCKING
OVERHEATS THE
TRANSMISSION
• CHECK TRANSMISSION FLUID REGULARLY.
• IF FLUID HAS TURNED BROWN OR SMELLS BURNT,
CHANGE FLUID A N D FILTER.
• IF YOU N EED TO A D D FLUID, CHECK FOR
LEAKAGE.
NOTE: IF yO U A R E A "S E V E R E S E R V IC E "D R IV E R (T R A ILE R T 0 W IN 6
OR OTHER ABNO RM AL LOADS) CHECK yOUR OWNERS M ANU AL FOR
SPECIAL SERVICE REQUIREMENTS. CONSIDER INSTALLIN G AN
A U X IL IA R Y TR A N S M IS S IO N COOLER.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEND A SELF ADDRESSED,STAMPED ENVELOPE TO:
"D RIVE T R A IN * , CAR CARE COUNCIL
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O N E G R A N D E LAKE B L V D .
care
.council
PO R T C U N T O N ,O H
4 3 4 -5 2
veh icle w ith this m uch m o tiva tio n ,
these figures are excellent.
The 5 4 0 i’s horsepower is funneled
through a Getrag six-speed m anual
tra n s m is s io n w ith o v e rd riv e and
m e d iu m -w e ig h t clu tch . The co m ­
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bination was outstanding in every
way.
H a n d lin g more than live s up to
B M W ’s cla im o f, and reputation for,
excellence. Com ers are taken w ith
little lean, and body stiffness and
rig id ity are superb. The rear-drive
5 4 0 ’ s specially-tuned sport under­
p in n in g s, h e a vy-d u ty brakes, and
fou r-w he el independent suspension
cooperate to make its road manners
im peccable. Its 3 6-foot tu rn in g circle
is m uch better than average fo r the
class. T here’ s one fla w , though, that
B M W should im m e d ia te ly address.
T h e 5 4 0 i’ s m u d an d s n o w a ll-
weather radials have no place on this
vehicle!
Ride isn ’t sacrificed fo r handling.
The 540 provides exactly the rig h t
com bination o f sports-car firm ness
and stellar “ shock and ja r ” control.
Potholes are handled as com petently
as speed bumps!
The standard C F C -free a ir co n ­
d itio n e r had m ore than adequate
capacity, but coo l-d ow n tim es were
lo n g . The v e n tila tio n system in ­
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B o d y W o rk - P a in tin g
A n d F e n d e r R e p a ir
25 MAILS
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OF FSTABLISIIFI) BUSINESS
cludes a special filte r to cleanse the
air, a nicety.
10% o f f Senior Citizens
New Generation of Snow Tires Helps Protect Road and Driver
( N U ) - S now tire s have becom e
less p o p u la r in recent years as m o ­
torists sw itch to all-season tires. A n d
m any states have eith e r banned stud­
ded snow tires o r restricted th e ir use.
B u t th is tre n d is b e g in n in g to
change thanks to a new g e ne ration
o f studless sno w tire s w h ic h o ffe r
d ra m a tic p e rfo rm a n c e im p r o v e ­
m ents ove r all-season tires.
The B rid g e sto n e B liz z a k ice and
snow tire , fe a tu rin g a re v o lu tio n a ry
" m u ltic e H " ru b b e r c o m p o u n d , is a
p rim e exa m ple o f ju s t how fa r stud-
iess snow tire s have progressed.
In a re c e n t te st c o n d u c te d b y
B rid g e s to n e
e n g in e e rs at the
O ly m p ic Speed Ice S ka tin g R in k in
C a lga ry. A lb e rta , Canada, a car f i t ­
ted w ith B liz z a k ice and snow tires
(tra v e lin g 30 m p h ) stopped 35 feet
sh o rte r than an id e n tic a l ca r fitte d
w ith good all-season tires.
The secret to the B liz z a k 's tra c­
tio n is its p a te n te d m u ltic e ll c o m ­
po un d w h ic h c o n ta in s m illio n s o f
m ic ro s c o p ic dents o r pores. A s the
B liz z a k w ears, it co n s ta n tly exp os­
es new “ m ic ro d e n ts " that g rip ice by
re m o v in g the th in la y e r o f surface
w a te r that can cause a car to slide.
In a d d itio n to the u n iq ue m u lti­
ce ll com pound, an in te rlo c k in g tread
pattern a llo w s the B liz z a k to bite the
snow fo r o p tim a l s to p -a n d -g o tra c-
tion .
"A ll-se a so n tires are a good c o m ­
p ro m is e . b u t i f y o u d riv e in the
S no w b elt, w e re co m m e n d that you
use a snow tire lik e the B liz z a k d u r­
in g the w in te r and d riv e on standard
tires fo r the re m a in d e r o f the year,"
said M ik e C e rio , B rid g e sto n e c o n ­
sum er p ro d u c ts m a rk e tin g m an ag­
er. "L a s t ye a r's m a jo r snow and ice
storm s p ro b a b ly made be lie vers out
For Sports Coverage,
eall
(503) 288-0033
o f m any d rive rs across A m e ric a ."
Introd uced in Japan to respond to
en viro n m e n ta l concerns over m etal-
studded snow tires, B liz z a k has cap­
tured a m a jo rity o f Japan's snow tire
m arket. Sales also were b ris k in the
U n ite d States and Canada last w inter.
“ M o re and m ore state and lo ca l
governm ents in the U n ite d States are
p ro h ib itin g the use o f studded snow
tire s to p ro te ct against road dam age,
b u t c o n s u m e rs s t ill w a n t the g rip
p ro v id e d by a stud ded tire , C e rio
said. "T h e B liz z a k de live rs ice and
snow tra c tio n co m p a ra b le to that ot
studded tires.”
C e rio said it is im p o rta n t to in ­
s ta ll snow tire s on a ll fo u r w heels.
n o t ju s t on the d riv e a xle s. “ In ­
s ta llin g snow tires on o n ly the drive
a xle can a ffect steering and c o n tro l
w h e th e r a ve h icle is fro n t-w h e e l o r
rear-w heel d rive ," he said. "T h e trac­
tio n w ith the snow tire s is so m uch
be tte r on the one axle that the car is
esse ntia lly th ro w n o ff-b a la n ce ."
OWNER: TOM BYE
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6430 NE Martin Luther King Blvd.
Portland, OR 972 Í 2
Advertise In
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B r id g e s t o n e 's B liz z a k tir e
d e liv e r s s n o w a n d ic e tr a c t io n
c o m p a r a b le to s t u d d e d tir e s .
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Call 5(13-288-0033
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GEORGES AUTO
HAS MOVED
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ou. Aon t noms,
se s ,
ms. io day, % can t s a o s
ff
y o u a n y rnonzy Sam Thvmaseti
FROM:
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BLVD.
TO:
7636 N. NEWALL AVE.
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(503) 284-8775
^ In r tla n b
7?:
I B
(503) 283-8624
PREVIOUSLY CALLED
GEORGE AUTO CARE
Need Help! Ne Problem!!
CREDIT PROBLEM
IS NOW CALLED
PRESIDENTIAL AUTO
CHECK IT OUT.
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RANRRUPTCY
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Christian J. Camp
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735-1038
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Open 7 days a week 9-6 pm
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T ho m aso n
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A LL TRADE-INS
ACCEPTED
g :
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20155 S.E. MCLOUGHLIN BLVD.
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