Upscale utility - Black Enterprise 1993 Auto Guide - Buyers Guide

Black Enterprise, Nov, 1992 by Damian Geddrey

Time was, when a truck was a truck, a van was a van and if you wanted comfortable transportation, you chose a conventional sedan or station wagon. If customers needed extra utility, their choices were limited to mammoth rolling warehouses with all the style and comfort of a side-by-side refrigerator. And, if the ability to cover terrain more challenging than the mall parking lot was needed, customers were forced into jumbo four-wheel drive trucks suitable for launching small-scale military attacks - hardly the kind of vehicle you want to live with day-to-day. The bottom line: For utility you bought a truck and for civility you bought a car.

But times have changed. Vans and off-roaders now come in a variety of shapes and sizes that are suitable for nearly anyone with a driver's license. Most popular are the minivans and upscale compact sport-utility vehicles - a cross-breed of family sedan, wagon and bus with volumes of interior space, surprising comfort and the ability to carry loads that would have a traditional vehicle bursting at the seams. Last year alone, close to 2 million consumers-put minivans and sports utility vehicles in their garages. They can be outfitted like a luxury car or trimmed like a sport sedan.

Though sport-utility vehicles are designed specifically for off-road use, most minivans offer all-wheel drive. Larry Hoenig, Chrysler Corp.'s product planning chief for minivan operations, attributes the minivan's popularity to its remarkable versatility: "This is a vehicle that is designed to do everything a good sedan does plus a great deal more. It has to be equally capable of taking couples out to dinner, picking up shrubs at the nursery and delivering the soccer team to practice - in any weather and over any road condition."

Take Chrysler's Town & Country, a spin off of the wildly popular Plymouth Voyager/Dodge Caravan twins, for example. This extended wheelbase minivan comes standard with a driver's side air bag, anti-lock brakes, leather-trimmed upholstery and nearly every power accessory known to man. There isn't a traditional sedan made that will carry seven adults in this much comfort. Jeep's recently introduced Grand Cherokee is not only remarkably capable off-road, but with three different four-wheel drive systems, driver's side air bag, antilock brakes and every comfort and convenience feature found in a luxury car, it's hard to refer to it as a utility vehicle.

GM's Oldsmobile Silhouette can be upholstered in leather, outfitted with a CD sound system and equipped with a touring suspension, alloy wheels, performance tires and automatic load leveling, while its Bravada combines a full-time all-wheel drive system, generous ground clearance, substantial tires and suspension and plush interior, yielding passenger-car comfort and tenacious traction.

Ford's Aerostar minivan blends the higher towing capacity of rear-wheel drive with comfort and convenience options too numerous to list. In top Eddie Bauer trim, the Aerostar becomes nothing short of an extra-large Lincoln Continental. Toward the off-road end of Ford's lineup is the Explorer, which has a carlike ride, first-class fit-and-finish and the kind of comfort and quality that four-wheel drive vehicles never had before. Obviously these vehicles are right for the times.

JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

Jeep invented the sport-utility vehicle, taming a military concept for fun

and frolic. Now they've gone even further, adding luxury and practicality while maintaining all the off-road toughness.

Larger than the original Cherokee, and sporting such car-like features as driver air bag and anti-lock brakes, the Grand Cherokee is a no-compromise alternative to a full-size sedan. There are three four-wheel-drive systems, a powerful 190-horsepower, six-cylinder engine and a newly available V-8 (by far the most potent in its class). Starting out at $19,700 (with a lower-priced, two-wheel-drive version coming next spring) and topping out around $28,444, the Grand Cherokee is king of the hill. Top model is the Grand Wagoneer with full-time four-wheel drive, 220-horsepower V-8, leather and more for just under $30,000. Bargain hunters can find the original Cherokee with its new lower price starting at $12,137.

TOYOTA LAND CRUISER

This year, the Land Cruiser goes from weak to willing. A power infusion arrives via larger displacement and extra technology.

With a 4.5-liter, dual-overhead-cam, multi-valve, inline six-cylinder engine, the Land Cruiser gains 57 horsepower for a total of 212, and 55 foot-pounds of torque for a solid 275. Further improvements to this Toyota minivan include a new four-speed automatic with electronic control that smooths out shifts. Another option is four-wheel disc anti-lock brakes. Front- and rear-locking differentials will help keep this heavyweight vehicle moving through mud and sand. The new model is identified by slight fender flares, enclosing larger 16-inch tires.

With a price of $31,178, the Land Cruiser offers luxurious going in the middle of the boondocks. There's full-time four-wheel drive and available eight-passenger seating for those who want Range Rover class and Toyota reliability.