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Porf land Observer Auto R e v ie w
December 13. 2006
News and reviews on new motor vehicles
2007 Nissan Versa 1.8 S HB
K a ih i . h n C akk
Drive Big. Park Little.
Forget big SUVs. Never mind about
hybrids. The next hot market for cars is
shaping up to be com pacts. New entry-
level cars are hatching alm ost as quickly
as gas prices are rising at the pump. Not so
long ago buying cheap and small meant
you got cheap and small. lim es have
changed, today itdoesn't necessarily mean
either. M any autom akers are launching
new m odels high on design and long on
fuel econom y. N issan's new Versa might
be the biggest bargain o f them all in more
ways than one. The Versa, m eaning versa­
tile space, is the first joint platform devel­
opm ent between Nissan and Euro partner
Renault. It’s already on the road in Japan
and other parts o f the world, badged as the
Tilda. The Versa is built on N issan's ad­
vanced "B ” platform, an international de­
by
sign, which represents its entry into the
subcom pact market. Nissan is hoping
w ith the Versa launch in the U .S. market to
reach the "Echo Boom ers” offspring of
the Baby Boomers, although Nissan is
sure buyers w ill com e from all age groups.
T he V ersa design and engineering
teams found a way to put a big interior in
a small car. The design o f the Versa places
a priority on interior room iness, with a
high quality interior and com fortable,
stress-free environm ent. Even a six-footer
shouldn't feel cram ped in the im pressive
Versa. We found the Versa to provide
am ple leg and headroom forall passengers
sitting in the backseat. V ersa's versatility
really shines when it com es to carrying the
goods. T h ere’s a generous 17.8 cubic feet
o f cargo space with the rear seats in place.
Fold them down and y o u 'v e got 50 cubic
feet, w hich is alm ost as much space as
& b i t u a r f
In Loving Memory
Sunset - Dec. 9 ,2 0 0 6
Funeral services for Anna English will be held on
W ednesday, Dec 13, 2(X)6 at 11 a.m. at C athedral o f
Praise, 1821 S.E. 39th Ave. Internm ent will follow at 2
p.rn. at W illam ette National Cem etery.
Anna C hristine Dobson was bom Feb 25. 1936 in
C incinnati, Ohio. She married M arvin English Jr. on
Dec. 1 8 ,1954 and retired from the Crow n Zellerbach/
James River paper mill in Camas, W ash, after 23 years
o f service as a machinist.
Anna was a beautiful woman inside and out. She
worked hard for her family. She gave o f herself self­
lessly, loving her children, grandchildren and great-
Anna English
granchildren.
She enjoyed spending warm and sunny days sitting on her front porch, caring
for her flow ers and welcom ing family and friends as they stopped to visit. From the
same hom e o f 38 years, she was well liked and loved by neighbors. She always had
a sm ile for all who passed her way.
She was the rock and strength o f her family and will be missed as the main woman
o f their lives.
Preceding her in death was her m other and father, Lillian Dobson and Alfred
Banks; and a brother, Charles Dobson.
She is survived by her husband: three daughters, Victoria Patterson, Kimberly
English and Tracy Velasquez; a son: Marvin English III; four grandsons, seven
granddaughters, a greatgrandson, eight greatgranddaughters: two sisters, Virginia
Harrell and Janice Stewart; a cousin, Sidney Jones Jr.: her son in-laws G erald F.
Patterson and Ricky Velasquez; and a host of brothers in-law, sisters in-law, nieces,
nephew s and friends.
A rrangem ents by Cox & Cox Funeral Chapel.
A NEW PLACE
TO PLAY.
It's been nwr& tliW Y?^ years since Oregonians have
gotten a new fu'fh~$£rvl£t? state park, but that's about
to change. In the suwrper of 2007, 1,755 acres of
hilly forestland betweenHW Y 2 6 jin d Vernonia vMl
become "S tu b " Stewart Memorial State Parbs The
purchase of this new parkland was made possible
w ith Oregon L o tte ry p ro fits . They also helped to
b uild the park, which w ill offer 80 campsites; trails
for hiking; horseback riding and mountain biking;.a
cabin village; a horse camp; a hike-in camp for
backpackers; a sheltered picnic ground and a hill top
observation tower for sightseeing and stargazing.
State parks are some of Oregonian's favorite places,
which is why they voted to use money generated,
by Lottery games to take care of the ones we have
and add new ones. And Buying new parkland is ju st
one of ttie ways Oregon wins when Oregonians play; |
Lottery pro fits also go to economic development,
education and w atershed enhancem ent across’X *
JgJ
tdoesgoodthings.org
OREGON
LOTTERY
It does good things
y o u ’ll find in a big SUV. This proves the
concept o f "D rive big. Park little."
Park the luxury SUV in the garage during
the week and save big bucks with the Versa,
asolid fuel-efficient “micro-big-on-luxury”
ride. The real joy though com es when its gas
tank costs half as much to fill as it would for
a big SUV, and you get just as much dis­
tance for less money. No wonder the Versa
is considered a luxury vehicle in Japan.
Having more zip than most, with 120-hp
under the hood, this little jew el is a real
player on the market. The V ersa's handling
is tight and responsive, and the brakes
prov ideexcellent stopping power. The Versa
is nimble and well-balanced, fun todrive and
d oesn't make you feel like you're in a sub­
com pact. Nissan provides solid standard
safety features such as tire pressure moni­
toring, dual-stage front airbags; front side-
impact airbags, side curtain airbags and
front seat active head restraints.
Versa started life as a more upscale
product than its com petition. I am happy
and thankful that Nissan brought it here
"as is" instead o f stripping it of personal­
ity and features to ju stify cost.
N issan claim s the V ersa is a “ no
co m p ro m ises" vehicle. T he new V ersa
allo w s sm all car d riv ers to have it all in
one attractiv e, affo rd ab le p ackage w ith ­
o ut sa c rific in g ro o m in e ss, c o m fo rt,
sty le, fuel e fficien c y o r high q u ality .
V ersa provides great value w ithout co m ­
prom ise.
Better Community was Activist’s Dream
Sunrise -- Feb. 2 5 ,1 9 3 6
the state.
Englne: 122-HP 1.8 Liter. 4-Cylinder
ULEV rating (ultra low emissions)
Transmission: 4-Speed Automatic
MPG: 28/city 35/highway
MSRP: $ 15,000.00
continued
from Metro
about the Buffalo Soldiers, the all black
regim ent o f the U.S. A rm y from territorial
days. His great great granduncle H enry O.
Flipper was the first black graduate o f the
U.S. M ilitary A cadem y in 1877, and the
first African Am erican officer in the regu­
lar Army.
He was president o f the National Buf­
falo Society Historic Society. As part o f
the local Lew is and Clark Bicentennial
Com m em oration, he oversaw the creation
o f a pin honoring York, Captain W illiam
C lark’s black "m anservant" who accom ­
panied the Lewis and Clark expedition to
the Pacific Ocean and back as part o f the
C orps o f Discovery.
M argaret W right w orked with Flipper
in the H um boldt N eighborhood A ssocia­
tion. She said he raised the neighborhood's
profile in the Portland O ffice o f N eighbor­
hood Involvement.
State Sen. AvelGordly remembered him
as an "activist, com m unity builder and
intellectual,” calling him a “leader in his
own right in every m eaning o f that w ord."
Up until his death, Flipper w orked as
director o f auxiliary services at Clark C o l­
lege in Vancouver.
Barbara Kerr, the d irecto ro fco m m u n i­
As part o f the local Lewis and Clark Bicentennial
Commemoration, [Carl Flipper] oversaw the
creation o f a pin honoring York, Captain William
Clark's black "manservant" who accompanied the
Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific Ocean
and back as part o f the Corps o f Discovery.
cations and marketing forthe school, called
him "a w onderful man w ho will be deeply
m issed.”
A native o f New O rleans, Flipper spent
m ost o f his early years in St. Louis. He
received his Bachelor o f Arts D egree in
Econom ics from Sangam on State U niver­
sity in Springfield. III. He earned an MBA
in M arketing and Finance from the U niver­
sity o f Illinois.
He w orked for the Illinois Fair Em ploy­
ment Practices Com m ission before teach­
ing econom ics at L ew is-Clark State C o l­
lege in Clarkston, Idaho. A fter m oving to
Portland in 19 9 1, he was regional manager
for the N orthw est Capital Network and
president and CE O o f the Oregon MIT
Enterprise forum.
F lip p e r's background also includes
work in the media. W hile w orking at the
U niversity o f 11 linois, he launched a public
television station for the university. He
hosted a w eekly radio show in Peoria. III.
and started a radio station in Springfield.
S u rv iv o rs in clu d e his w ife, A n n ette
A l b r i g h t - F l i p p e r ; so n J o s e p h o f
C lark sto n , W ash.; d au g h ters, M onica
o f N ew O rleans and N a ta lie o f L ew iston;
step so n s, N athanial A lb rig h t o f D enver
and C h risto p h er A lb rig h t o f P o rtlan d ;
s te p d a u g h te r s , D e a n n a an d J e s s ic a
A lb rig h t o f P ortland an d R uby A lbright
o f V an co u v er; m o th er M aurine F lip p er
o f M ill V alley, C a lif.; sister C assan d ra
F lip p er o f G reen b rae, C alif.; and three
g ran d ch ild ren .
Remembrances may be made to the Carl
Flipper C hildren's Education Fund in care
o f A nnette A lbright-Flipper at Bank o f
A m erica, dow ntow n V ancouver branch.