Œl’r Page B6 rt lattò (Íí)bserner December 6, 2006 the hot-rod body was first in tro ­ duced. You know it's a turbo be­ cause o f the telltale w hine as it spools up. though chambers in the P o r ii am i O b se rv e r A u f© R e v u Auto Review: 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser GT Turbo Convertible by K ai hi ken C arr In 2 0 0 1. the insightful designers at C hrysler captured A m erica’ s at­ tention w ith the release o f the PT Cruiser. The challenge o f a retrocar like the P T C ru ise risin maintaining the cool quotient after being on the market fo r five years. The PT C ruiser vaguely re­ sembles a panel truck o f the 1930s, overlaid w ith street-rod styling from the 1950s. B ulging fenders, fender- mounted headlights and taillights, and a tall- wide g rille helps give the PT C ruiser its unique look. Another d is tin c tiv e feature is its basic stance, w hich makes the wagon look like it ’ s leaning forward. T o tweak the ‘ W o w ’ effect o f the 2006 P I Cruiser, it gets a make over in ­ side and out w ith updated front and rear fascias. a new larger, low er g rille w ith a C hryslers w inged badge, new headlights and round fog lamps. We drove the G T con­ vertible, w hich is a tw o-door and sits three inches low er than the sedans. W ith the top up the con­ v e rtib le lo o k s lik e a c u s to m chopped-rod, com plim ented w ith a large-diameter chrome exhaust tip and 17-inch 15-spoke chrome-clad wheels. D rop the top and the “ gang- ster-mobi le" turns into a “ chick car” . The interior has a new instrument panel w ith larger gauges, new seat materials, a Chrysler signature ana­ log clock, a new center console w ith sliding armrest and MP3 play capability fo r all audio systems. The audio controls are mounted higher in the center stack and a SPECS: 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine, high output turbocharged at 2 3 0 hp.; 4 Speed AutoStick' automatic transmission: $31.500 MSRP. MPG is 19 City / 2 6 Highway * Premium Fuel Only passenger grab-handle is added for Chrysler firmed up the suspension easier entry and exit. The P I C ruiser is fun to drive, but i t ’ s not a sports car. In essence this is a tall practical economy car. New fo r 2006. tf e P r C ruiser G T adds fire under the hood w ith all the slick go-fast hardware that makes this particular model a jo y to drive. C hrysler tweaked the engine out­ put to 230 horsepower and 245-lbs, o f torque for the High-O utput Turbo engine in the P r Cruiser G T. A ccel­ eration w ith the two-turbocharged engines is quick. The turbo engine re a lly is a k ic k , even w ith the A utostick transmission, w hich lets to provide more control. A rum bly exhaust makes the G T sound more like w hat hot-rodders wanted when operate and the "sm art glass" w in ­ dows drop a b it-o r all the way, de­ pending on w hich detent yo u ’ ve activated. Engineers took away tw o intake m anifold act as sou«djjam j>-,f o f the hatchback doors, leaving ers. The G T can get to RUFAfpli in) tw o long doors instead. T h e y about 7 seconds, w hich Is decent. strengthened the rear seat struc­ The G T acts more like a muscle car ture and redesigned the novel than its body says it is. sports bar that extends, w in g -like , The most impressive part o f the above the rear seat area. T his looks PT convertible is the solid ride. I tight and offers rear seat passen­ looked fo r the characteristic ragtop gers less w ind buffeting. shutter as I traversed road bumps The 20061*1 T u rb o G T appeals and found precious little evidence Io people o f al I ages and life style s o f it. Ragtops are notoriously bad w ith its w h im sica l-g a n g ste r-m o ­ fo r w ind noise w hile cruising but bile retro design. Let the top dow n, C hrysler has handled this issue as k ic k in the tu rb o and take her fo r w ell. T he convertible top is easy to a spin! State Farm® H BOSS * HOGG Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office. Bloomington. Illinois 61710 Christmas Tree Lot - \ Portland. OR 97219 503 221 3050 Fax 503 227 8757 michael harper cuik@ statefarm com you shift m anually w ithout a clutch. In The Market For a Vehicle? 9 Billboards for R&B Diva Tired of being taken advantage of when purchasing an auto? Just don’t have the time? Hate the process? Then put me to work! Mary J. Blige dominates awards ( A P) - M ary J. B lige won big at this year’s Billboard M usic Awards as her chart-topping comeback a l­ bum "The Breakthrough" landed the R & B diva a leading nine hon­ ors. Am ong the awards the 35-year- old singer claimed Monday night were R & B /H ip -H o p artist o f the year, female R & B artist o f the year and R & B /H ip -H o p album o f the year. "The Breakthrough" shot to No. 1 after it debuted on the B illboard charts in December 2005 and has sold 2.6 m illio n copies since. B lige, in w hite go-go boots and a sparkly mini-dress, rocked the fu 11 house by belting out a medley o f her "Enough C ryin g " and "Take Me As I A m ” during the two-hour show aired live from the M G M Grand in Las Vegas. B lige said she's already reached the pinnacle o f hercareerby endur­ ing personal struggles that once led her to sing hopefully about having "no more drama" in her life. "I've realized i f I don't (love) m yself, nobody w ill. Nobody is going to love me more than I do," B lige told reporters after the show. C h ris B ro w n , a 17-year-old lothario who calls his music "H ip - Hop w ith a swagger," won new artist o f the year, male o f artist o f the year and artist o f the year awards. "I'm 17. That’s crazy, it's m ind- boggling," said Brow n. "M y mom, she still keeps me humble. She tells me to take out the trash, ya know, clean my room ." Newcomers Rihanna and idol- tu r n e d -c o u n tr y sta r C a rrie Underwood also walked away w ith high honors. Baseball Honors Civil Rights Movement (A P ) - M a jo r league baseball w ill pay tribute to the c iv il rights movement w ith an exhibition game between the W orld Series cham­ pion St. Louis Cardinals and the C leveland Indians in M em phis, A lso planned fo r the tribute is a five-m inute documentary by Spike Lee on c iv il rights pioneers and baseball's role in the movement. 20 years experience in the automobile industry XMAS TREES Formerly o f Beaverton Chrysler, for the last 8 years Doug Firs 5-7 ft. for $20 Just give rue a call or email me, so I can get you into *•*» some wheels! or Nobles 6-7 ft. for $30 U 5 IC r Mary J. Blige poses with her awards Monday at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. (AP photo) The 18-year-old from Barbados edged out B lige and Beyonce fo r the top songstress honor. 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