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FIRST IMPRESSIONS
1999 MUSTANG COBRA
W hen Ford introduced the Mustang in the spring o f 1964. the
demand for it was so great that one customer waited in his car at
the dealership until his check cleared the bank. But racing legend
Carroll Shelby, creator o f the Ford-powered AC Cobra, turned the
sheep-in-wolf's-clothing Mustang Into a serious sports car with the
limited edition GT350 and GT500-series 'stangs, last seen in 197O.The
basic idea was resurrected
with the 1993 Mustang
Cobra, a Mustang GT
heavily modified by Ford's
Special Vehicle Team.
W e got an early look at
the latest version at
W illow Springs raceway.
The '99 Cobra continues
to be blessed with a spe­
cial aluminum 4.6-liter,
four-cam, 32-valve V8
engine that now puts out
320 horsepower and is
hand assembled by w ork­
ers who sign each engine.
The front end styling has
the pony emblem, but no surrounding "corral,” and the fog lamps are
round compared to square ones for standard Mustangs.The old-style
live rear axle has been replaced by a much needed independent rear
suspension (IRS), which insures better contact with the pavement,
particularly in hard cornering at high speeds. Expect the price to
range from $27,995 to $ 3 1,995.
— Rosville Embry
THE ALL-NEW 2000
NISSAN XTER R A
Nissan describes its stylishly muscular and rugged Xterra SUV as a
“toolbox for your life." o r a vehicle with plenty o f storage space.
Beware if you're looking for luxury items such as leather seats o r
automatic climate control; you’ll have to look to the upmarket
Pathfinder fo r that. This vehicle is strictly for "doers", and its option list
includes such items as
waterproof seats and a
first aid kit. The curvy
narrow-laned Monterey
mountain roads were
no challenge fo r the
s m o o th - h a n d lin g
Xterra.The bucket seats
kept me firmly in place
when cruising over
rough patches o f high­
way. Impressive features
include a tubular roo f
rack that can carry up to 125 pounds, a removable roof-top basket
for up to 30 pounds o f gear and a "bum p" on the tailgate exterior
which is actually interior storage and would be a great place for stor­
ing that first-aid kit. The mid-size SUV is equipped with 10 tie-down
hooks, a tool board for tire changing equipment and anti-lock brakes.
Xterra comes in both 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive versions, with a
choice o f four o r six-cylinder engines and seven exterior colors. The
2000 Xterra is priced beginning around $ 17.500.
— Stacey R. Green
BIG TRUCK O N THE
BIG ISLAND
"The Big Truck on the Big Island," was the biggest news for Toyota
since the debut o f the Lexus division, according to Don Esmond,
Toyota division group vice president and general manager
Hawaii’s Kona Island, known as The Big Island and home to the
largest and most active volcanoes in the world, was the setting for my
first impression o f the Big Truck, the all-new Toyota Tundra.
Toyota's first attempt to compete in the full-size truck segment, the
T100, couldn't match the power and size o f domestic built trucks such
as the Ford F-150 o r Dodge Ram. But it did give the Japan-based car-
maker six years to learn about the full-size pickup buyer according to
Esmond.
This time, the company has loaded its Tundra pickup with a pow­
erful newV8, and advanced technology and features found only in lux­
ury sedans.
O n and off-road handling and performance, acceleration (0-60
mph in 7.87 seconds), and braking were exceptional.
Built at an all new $ 1.2 billion factory in Indiana.Toyota will produce
100,000 trucks per year including the four d o or Access Cab. which
seats six. Tundra goes on sale in June at $22,250 for the high-volume
4x2 SR5 V8 Access Cab and $ 14,995 for the standard-cab V6 with
manual transmission.
— Randi Payton
VOLVO’S VERSATILE «99 S70
AWD A N D S80 SEDANS
The Swedish philosophy o f focusing on the well-being o f the com­
mon man is the same core safety value Volvo puts into their vehicles.
From the inside out. the new S70 A W D sedan and S80 sedan are the
safest Volvo
s e d a n s
y e t . Wh11 e
available in
the
V70
wagon
for
s e v e ra l
years,
the
S70
sedan
finally
gets
Volvo's excellent all-wheel drive (A W D ) system. Acting as a front-
wheel drive system first, up to 95% o f the engine's power is diverted
to the rear wheels when spinning is detected.
To advance the S80, Volvo added a Dynamic Stability and Traction
Control (DSTC) system, along with anti-lock brakes with Electronic
Brake Distribution, to optimize steering capability and braking perfor­
mance.
These systems function mainly on wet and slippery surfaces. W ith
that in mind, we traveled to the French tow n o f La Braie, Canada to
AFRICAN AMERICANS ON WHEELS
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