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We tested the basic hatchback model, though it had some fancy pinâ€"striping and side body mouldings put on as extras. Once inside, you don’t get the feeling you’re either sitting or riding in a car classed as a subcompact. The 310 comes in a hatchback sedan and a GX coupe model and replaces Datsun‘s first crack at front-drive cars, the F10. It has been completely re designed but incorporates a proven peppy 1400 c.c. transverse-mounted (sideways) engine that delivers surprising acceleration for its size and the car's overall weight of 1,975 pounds. By STEVE PEARLSTEIN The Nissan Motor Company has produced a new front-wheel-drive car for 1979 â€" the Datsun 310 â€" and if handling and interior appointments are any in- dication, the car should sell well. Luxury Datsun for Steve By FRED SIMPSON I had a 30-minute affair with a “Rabbit” the other day and all I can say is: Her performance was great. Of course, I’m fantasizing about the new 1979 VW Rabbit Deluxe which was loaned to me by W & P Motors Limited of Richmond Hill for a demo-run. Needless to say, I’m no expert on the technical aspect of any cars, transport trucks, buses, or 10 Don Little FORD Fred and his "Rabbit" 10414 YONGE STREET, RICHMOND Him/8849261 ACCORD SALES, SERVICE, PARTS & LEASING Small Car Centre Ltd. 11623 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill, Ontario 8849274 773-4542 Even before you're rolling, the car‘s interior and dashboard alignment gives an immediate impression of luxury. The reclining front bucket seats with built- in head restraints come standard in a veloursâ€"like fabric. The floors and hatchback have cut pile car- peting which also lines the doors about halfway up. I have never seen the following features come standard in a vehicle this size: having pushout rear quarter windows, a dual lever system is provided at the back end of the centre console, whereby either front or rear passengers can easily open one or both rear windows with the shift of a knob; the locking gas cap can be flipped open from the driver’s position and The instrument is neatly clustered but before mentioning the standard features, there are some interesting but helpful gadgets included, with passenger and driver convenience in mind. 'That’s 'why they picked me to testâ€"run this magnificent little beast and that’s why what follows is strictly non-technical. speed bicyc_Ies So nonâ€"technical that I asked the salesman where you inserted the key, how you used a manual gear- shift, and how much collision insurance they had on it. He looked a little nervous as I drove away, narrowly missing a Greyhound bus. When I arrivéd, I was m‘ét by Des Ellard, the general manager, and he introduced me to “My Car”. But you can buy a Mustang with a standard 2.3 litre overhead cam Four and four-speed manual floor mounted transmission or a 2.8 litre V-6 . . . or something. I leave all those technical details to my husband. What pleased me about “My Car” was, well, everything; Everything is right there at your fingertips. 0n the dash right in clear view is a tachometer, trip odometer, gauges for fuel, temperature, oil pressure, the alternator and more. And all this is standard equipment By MILLIE STEWART As I walked across Yonge Street to the Don Little Ford showroom, believe me, my knees were knocking. I was ’going to drive a brand new car, and I was scared to death. This wasn’t my car, and what would I do if sqmethingwgnt wrong. 7 It was beautiful . . . a 1979 Mustang Ghia in my favorite color, metallic blue. It was love at first sight, ang pes yvoqld be luclfy if herever saw the ear again. To begin, let me tell 'you, I know absolutely nothing about what makes the car go. My Mustang Ghia had a 5.0 litre (302 CID) V-8, which is what gave it such good pick up. I guess. There was more room than I expected to find in a mid-size car. I could get my family plus all the gear tha‘t_goes withall of us in that car easily. It had a hatchback . . . great for doing'the family shopping. and the rear seat folded down to give an abundance‘of storage room for extrarpargo. The car became a part of me, and I was really excited with all the gadgets on the dash. When my husband got in the car to take it for a spin, I found myself telling him what everything was for. Over and above those amenities there are warning lights to indicate, when to rotate your tires, change your oil. change the oil filter, if a door is unlatched or if a brake light is burned out. Great stuff for a woman. Like any kid with a new toy I had to try out the intermittent windshield wiper switch to activate the blade every 30 seconds, located conveniently on the steering column opposite the combination turn signal. high-low beam stalk. I found I am so brainwashed into using only the regular four gears I forgot all about finding fifth. They are great little cars, easy to manoeuvre. lots of pick-up, great visibility. comfortable and just the right size for a small family living in town. _ _ After driving an automatic, any gear shift is rather intimidating, but to be faced with a five-speed manual transmission made me more than a little apprehensive. But, no problem. It was easy. Even I could change gears smoothly and quietly without passengers requiring a neck brace. The fifth gear is rather interesting. Its function apparently is to reduce the engine rpm's at highway cruising speeds to give better fuel efficiency and less interior noise. Last week I had the oppbrtunify to test drive a Honda Accord and was delighted by the way it handled. At a glance it shows the customary how fast you are going â€" in kilometers and miles per hour, how fast your engine is going, a tachometer is a standard feature, fuel and engine temperature gauge, clock, heat and vent. By SHAARON HAY Now I know why there are so many Hondas buzzing around town. All the gadgets and maintenance lights on the dash are an added bonus, they tell you everything you ever/wanted to know but were afraid to ask. It was interesting to tiy, for the first timé, a car which means you don’t have to pay The snow-drifts haven't got a chance with from- wheel drive and, in my opinion,‘ you won’t even need to invest in snow tires. The summer tires will do the job. Bu} don’t let me convince you. Drop into V & P Motors Limited of Richmond Hill and be convinced yourself. It‘s ialso a quick_ starter, as it name implies, sprinting frprn Zero to 80 km-h in only 8.5 seconds. Having said all that I have to add it Has my special affection because its front wheel drive (with the engine mounted in the front) is the only way to fly in Canadian winter. That, alone, convinces me about the “Rabbit” being a_n excellent buy. And that’s just the gas-fueléd Rabbit. The diéééil fuel - injected Rabbit is rated as having the highest mi_l¢_eage_ rate for imported cars. the rear hatch can be opened with a release from the same spotron the floor near the driver's door. Standard on the dash assembly are a tachometer, quartz clock, gauges showing water temperature, fuel, generator and braking deficiencies, bi-level ventilation system, rear window defroster and two- speed windshield wipers with a 4-8-12-second in- termittent setting. There are also defoggers for the side windows. Front brakes are power-assisted and standard tires are steel-belted radials. There is an enormous amount of front leg room thanks to space opened up by the transverse moun- ting of the engine. The car is easily able to ac- commodate people over 6 feet because the seats recline and can be moved either forward or back ward. To give rear passengers maximum comfort, front seats have to be moved almost as far forward as they can go. ~ In this energy-conscious (not to mention money- conscious) era the “Rabbit” certainly meets the test as far as fuel economy is concerned. As its publicity release states: “You won’t be stopping at your service station too often because the Rabbit’s advance 1.5 litre overhead cam engine with fuel injection just sips gas (regular, too, not expensive unleaded) at a Transport Canada rating of 8.0 litres per 100 kilometre, 6.3 L-100 km on the highway (73 km-g) and 10.4L-100 km urban (44 km-g)." The above doesn‘t mean much to me technicallyâ€" wise but it simply boils down to the fact that the Rabbit has one of best mileage rates in the world. Besides handling well even at high speeds, the car absorbs moderate shocks within its independent front suspension coils. We noticed very little sway while travelling at 80 miles per hour but interior noise was more prevalent at that speed than at the 30 to 50 mile per hour range. Shifting was easy with the 4-speed transmission and getting into reverse presented no problem. We found the rack-and-pinion steering responsive but agreed cornering was easier at slightly higher than normal speeds. This could have been the case because of the radial tires. I’m a recent small-car convert for a number of reasons and the VW “Rabbxt” covers all my reasons and more. It’s a combination of bigâ€"car luxuriousness but with small-car performance and that’s what really grabs I’m only joking. I happen to be the proud owner of a 1978 small-car and, as much as I like it, it’s not quite in the same race as the 1979 “Rabbit.” Braking is acceptable, but was more easily facilitated by pumping the brakes, especially when decelerating from a higher gear. _ Our conclusion is there is little doubt the Datsun 310, with its longer wheelbase, good looks, standard features and spirited front-drive power plant, will compete well with other foreign and domesticâ€" designed cars with a similar engine concept in the subcompact and even the compact class of autos. Shaaron loves the Honda What 1 mm enjoyed wés the fee} of the car. I could actually feel the road and the car almost drove itself, wh_ieh is a good feeling. Everything about the car was luxurious. The in- terior was soft leather and vinyl and the carpeting on the floor when the back seat was folded down on the cargo area matched to a ‘T’. Turning was more direct. but aside from that, conditions were such, the only difference to me was the extra space on the front floor because the driveshaft and transmission hump are eliminated. The surprisingly large trunk space is easily ac- cessible for lifting parcels in and out of, and the convenient remote control lever beside the driver, which opens the hatchback, means a person could frequent those rare supermarkets that load groceries for you. This little baby had a cruise control option, which I know absolutely nothing about. I wouldn’t dare try it, buLhubpy did, and he_ says it’s great. The Accord I had the pleasure t6 drive was a hat- chback which I consider really handy. “My Car“ handled like a dream. The radial tires gave me great traction, and since it was raining when I tgok my cat: out, I appreciated that. The optional rear window wiper was a nice touch as were. tile int_eryalA windshield wipers on the front. with front wheel drive extra. That’s nice The rear seat, which quite naturally doesn’t appear Classy car for Millie W 3 B‘MBIQES [BUBBDUELUD [UUILIE @NJ IN THE Bl NOT IN YOUR TANK v,*WHY PAY THE PRICE OF UNLEADED 0R PREMIUM Over 60,000 Km, an average 79 Datsun will save you over $500. in lower gas blIIS, in comparison to the average 79 of all other makes combined, based on Transport Canada fuel economy estimates and51°°lgallon of gasoline. *SAVE 1008 "f $5 TherefoE‘:Q it’s the only car in its class. The pnly car in its class to gNe you: \ fuel injecfion, \ four wheel independent suspension,and \ front wheel 1W II u l IIIUIUHOLIMITED SALES - 553m:- [£45m 889-7701 10440 YONGE ST.. RICHMOND HILL 884~6661 10427 YONGE ST. RICHMOND HILL 884â€"3300 THERE'S MORE FUTURE AT RICHMOND HILL drive. When I got my Mustang on the back roads, it handled like a dream. The bumps weren’t even evident and the ride was great. My pretty blue Mustang With all its extras came to a price tag of $9,800. The stahdard model without all the trimmings would cost about $4,800 to start. The car has clean lines and the side trim is distinctive. The black rub strips and dual accent stripe inserts make the car look sporty, and that’s what it is. After I had driven “My Car" for about an hour, I reluctantly took it back to Mr. Ellard. He surprised me when he saicl l‘cguld keep it fawhAile longer. to have too much leg room, folds down making an area even larger to transport kids, dogs and groceries, a regular event in our household. The helpful salesman at Small Car Centre came up with all sorts of specifications such as the Honda Accord has a four cylinder overhead camshaft four stroke transversley mounted, 1600 cc front wheel drive engine and independent MacPherson strut, coil spring and anti-roll bar suspension. I’m really glad. Most important to me was the ease of handling the auto and the fact the driver can see all four corners of the vehicle. I think the Accord is a “fun ar‘; to drive. *5” i’; a He didn't have to tell me twi-ce. I todk ‘with THE LIBERAL. Wednesday, May 2. 1979 â€" C-‘l REGULAR IS FINE Don't settle for less. over 60,000 KM