Friday, December 4, 2015
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B01
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Question of the Week
Venice, Italy – Can you believe that smoothly – greatly aided by a responAudi would invite the world’s media to sive seven-speed transmission. Played attend the launch of its 2017 A4 in a with the paddle shifters for fun while town where signs limit speed to seven luging down the steep mountain side km/h on most of its main streets? but didn’t feel the need to experiment Launch for the non-amphibious craft with them for most of the drive. The is probably an appropriate descriptor cornering on the twisties was ‘A1’ in for the event, given the streets of this the A4, thanks to substantial technical world heritage site are all under water improvements to the suspension. It’s Technology and the main means to get from A darned quiet too. enables the A4 to to B is by motor launch. If romance We are not going to see the A4 on is on your mind, of course, you can Canadian roads until late spring. There cruise up to 65 hail a gondolier. Then you stare into are seven power plants available globkm/h autonomously, ally but we will get just the 2.0-litre your beloved’s eyes as your blue-hoop as long as you place gas engine at launch. The gas version shirted man propels you slowly under steeply arched bridges along the Grand your hands on the generates 252 horsepower and a Canal, past awe inspiring examples of diesel – which we should get eventualwheel every few architecture from another time. ly – puts out 190. No, it’s not the same The classy and cultured number greatly seconds. engine that has caused so much grief among Audi owners so it’s perhaps no Keith Morgan for Audi’s VW parent. surprise that the German manufacturer No fuel economy numbers yet but, would take us to a place so rich in art and exquisite for what it’s worth at this stage, Audi is promising form. Ensconced at the Isole delle Rose island resort substantial improvements over the current combined we learned of the new model’s attributes in a quiet city/highway of 8.9 L/100kms for the gas engine. Our and relaxed atmosphere away from the typical city A4s will all have Quattro four-wheel drive and the noise. seven-speed dual clutch S-Tronic transmission. FrontThen we headed for the dry land of the Veneto wheel drive vehicles and a manual transmission region, north of the city, to put the machine through option will debut later. its paces through urban traffic, freeways, rural wine The A4’s appearance is only subtly different from the country routes and high into the mountains, ascendlast version but after much work in the wind tunnel, ing and descending along serpentine roads. its reshaping had yielded substantial aerodynamic Its driving attributes can be summed up thusly: plenimprovements. ty of perk in the turbo charged 2.0-litre, four-cylinder Inside the cabin expect some classy touches: fine engine, providing more than adequate propulsion to grain ash wood inlays lifts and chrome trims raise scale the heights and pass the freeway laggards – the A4 in the elegance stakes.
Office party season is starting — do you have a safe ride home plan for party goers? Share how it works.
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2015 TOYOTA CAMRY •BOLD NEW DESIGN •BLUETOOTH •BACK UP CAMERA •STAR SAFETY SYSTEM •LOW KMS
LOADED WITH OPTIONS!
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QUESTION OF THE WEEK!
Safety Tip: Operation Red Nose provides rides to drivers and their passengers who are impaired or too tired to drive home during the holiday season. Call 1-877-604NOSE or visit OperationRedNose. com to see if they operate in your community.
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CLEAROUT SALE! $ 20,479 ONLY
1-888-854-2634 Dealer #30377 www.peacearchtoyota.com 3174 KING GEORGE BLV, SURREY
7320248
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The optional revamped MultiMedia Interface (MMI) system enables the driver to keep eyes on the road ahead by reducing the interactions needed to deliver what functions the driver wants to operate. Shortcut buttons for some common functions server the same safety purpose. The centre console houses a wireless smartphone charger and you can display your phone apps in a larger format on the tablet-like display. Rear passengers can entertain themselves via a removable tablet – also an option. It has crash proof glass! I mentioned how quiet the cabin is but you can fix that if you opt for the Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system. A blast of ZZ Top wiped the skeptical smirk from my visage, born of the ‘3D audio” reference. I looked round twice to see if we had some bearded weirdos in the ample back seats. Techno and safety nuts will be impressed with the list of passive and active safety equipment available either as standard or optional extras. These include adaptive cruise control, traffic jam and active lane assists, and self-parking that responds to road markings, radar and satellite navigation data to keep the car on the straight and narrow. That technology enables the A4 to cruise up to 65 km/h autonomously, as long as you place your hands on the wheel every few seconds combing your hair or picking your nose. If you don’t you get a loud reminder! One wit suggested carrying mini clamps to replace your hands and enable you to snooze. The current model base price is $38,500, don’t expect the prices for the three iterations of the 2017 model to vary too much in the bottom line.
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Floating the new Audi A4 in a city without blacktop