The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 57

Automotive I'S'iinday, April 26, 1992 The Philadelphia Inquirer Gl Infiniti heads for the hills to show off its new J30 By ALMAS t.5.i; On the road jfr.jn HOT SPRINGS, VA. In Xanadu did Kublai Khan I A stately pleasure dome decree. And in this Appalachian hamlet did some 19th-century entrepreneur a regal resort begin. It is called the Homestead, and it is not your standard stately pleasure dome. It makes this contiguous village look small, and the wattage generated by its gentility makes it luminous enough to attract affluent moths from 500 miles around.

The Homestead pilgrimage from Philadelphia is 350 miles, most of it over mind- and rump-numbing interstate. But as you close in on this ancient playground, the roads turn to two-lane blacktop and begin to slither among the Appalachian ranges. These wonderfully reptilian rural roads, sparsely populated with cars and gendarmes, are great venues for driving freaks. They are natural road courses whose sudden corners and switchbacks invite you to torture tires to the limits of their adhesion. And so, the Homestead is not such a strange place to introduce a new car, particularly if it is a luxury sedan like the Infiniti J30, which can be obtained in high-performance form.

The J30, a 1993 model that is just beginning to trickle into the dealerships, replaces the M30, which will go away in the fall. The stale M30, which began life in Japan in 1985 as the Nissan Leopard, was a stopgap for Infiniti. The luxury line needed a car that fell midway, in price and size, between its compact, $20,000 G20 and its large, $42,000 045. And so, the boxy, boring Leopard was pressed into service until Infiniti could come up with something sexy in the middle. little defensive on this point: "The name Jaguar has popped up among you fellows, largely because of the sloping trunk, but (the J30 designers didn't copy any other car." Well, let's not put too fine a point on this styling business.

Auto design is, after all, an essentially cannibalistic and felonious exercise in which everyone steals from everyone else, and sometimes accidentally does something new. The fact is, head VS. designer Gerry Hirshberg and his crew have come up with a compelling, well-balanced design. And Harris is right when he says the J30 "evokes movement when you see it, makes you want to walk around it because it's so fluid." The J30 also pleasantly conjures up the automotive past. This is particularly true of the soft, sloping deck, which, for me, seems a nostalgic mixture of Jaguar XJ-6 and 1946 Ford business coupe.

I like the way this rear treatment flies in the face of aerodynamic convention, and thus combats what Hirshberg calls "the tyranny of the wedge." (That rounded back end is disguised somewhat on the higher-performing J30t by a decklid spoiler, which Infiniti thinks its clientele will want.) The balance sought in the J30's styling is repeated in the design of its drivetrain and suspension. Here, explains Harris, the engineers were seeking a balance between comfort and performance. This tightrope act is evident in the engine and transmission. The engineers wanted good power, so they gave the J30 a healthy, 210-horsepow-er version of the 3-liter V-6 employed Infiniti's 1993 J30t combines a 210-horsepower, 3-liter V-6 engine with a firm suspension. Something sexy in the middle turns out to be a midsize, $33,000, rear-drive sedan that is all new except for the drivetrain, which is borrowed from Nissan's 300ZX sports car.

Peter Harris, the Japanese car company's English high priest of North American marketing, is standing on a Homestead veranda with the ink-smudged rabble, peering out at a black J30 that is posed provocatively on the lawn. He is beaming, and with reason: This is an interesting, good-looking car that has to do better in the marketplace than the kennej fugitive it replaces. The J30, Harris tells us, was styled at Nissan's U.S. design studio in California. "We could have designed a car that looked like the others in the line," Harris explains.

"Mercedes-Benz and the L-word Lexusl do that, and there's nothing wrong with it. But we decided on a fresh, breakaway design." Breakaway in this case means merely a departure from the other Infiniti designs. This car's styling is original only in the sense that it assembles elements from some great designs notably the Jaguar XJ-6 sedan in a fresh way. Harris gets a in the 30OZX sports car. On the other hand, they were willing to sacrifice some of that engine oomph to get smoother shifts from the car's four-speed automatic transmission.

So they recalibrated the V-6's variable valve timing so that the engine would actually slow a bit during the shifts, thus making them less discernible. "That knocks a half-second off the car's O-to-60 times, but we wanted the balance," says Harris. Another example of the quest for balance is found in the suspension design of the J30t (the is for touring package). The springs on this car are 10 percent firmer than those on the regular J30, to keep the car flatter and more composed in fast turns. But then, to make sure they weren't too harsh, the designers used smaller mum of road noise? The J30t's handsome, flowing interior adds to the driving pleasure, I think.

The leather seats are comfortable and do a good job of holding you in place in ambitious turns. The analog instrumentation is handsome and accessible. The only jarring note is that staggered shifter for the automatic. Don't you think that's an unabashed theft from a Mercedes-Benz, right down to the wood-trimmed console around it? Great stereo, too. As soon as we get out of this turn, I'm going to tune it to WKDW, "Virginia's best country." Maybe they'll play that one again where the guy sings, "All my exes live in Texas therefore I reside in Tennessee." stabilizer bars in the suspension.

Higher spring rates aren't the only performance goodies on the J30t, incidentally. The car also has a rendition of Nissan's four-wheel steering system and V-rated performance tires, instead of the base car's all-season radials. With that additional $1,700 worth of recreational gear, the J30t turns out to be great fun on these winding macadam roads around the Homestead. And, just to prove that point, I'll take you along on one last back-road ride before we head home. As you can see, the car isn't blind-ingly fast.

But it is spirited enough to introduce some adrenaline into your blood chemistry. Wouldn't you also agree that it corners smartly and goes about its business with a mini I eoo 1 I 800 mm AUTOMQ 824 Autos Trucks Wanted 826 Office Storage Traitors 830 Trucks 840 Low Cost CarsTrucks $3000 and Under 850-856 RVSuppliesSrv. 870-880 Auto Srv. Directory 805 Autos For Sale 610 Antique Classic Cars 812 Cycles, Mini Bikes Scooters 814 Limousines 816 Vans, Buses Sta. Wagons 818 Snowmobiles 820 Miscellaneous 622 Auto Truck Leasing fi iiMliiatiitiniriiiilaaiiai Autos for Sale Autos for Sale MS Autos for Sale Autos for Sale Wi Autos for Sale Autos for Sale MS Autos for Sale 806 Autos for Sale 805 Aulos fcr Sale Autos for Sale ACURA ALFA ROMtO BMW'l712SBIaclBiee BMW '12 633 Charcoal tent ACURA ACURA LEGENO 'M-4dr, ante.

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cond Musi sal. 16800 060. Lease for Less SsMing Spjree Less Time Less Money Tiv4 3 Wa3? 1992 Liberty bedan 1992 Liberty Coupe 1991 SATURN SL 1 .9 Liter, 4 Cyl. Engine, Automatic PS, PB, Air PW, PL, Tilt, Cruise, 12,537 Miles. VINST3495.

1991 OLDS CIERA Sedan, F.I. V-6 Engine, Automatic Transmission, Front Wheel Drive, PSeering, PB, Power Door Locks, TWheel, Cruise Control, Rear Air FM Cassette, Velour Interior, and Much Much More, 1 4,747 VIN OL0673. 1 0995 months Lease for PER MONTH 10,495 Both of these Cadillacs include Anti-Lock Brakes, Power Antenna, Climate Control, Cruise, Rear Auto. Power Locks, Level Control, Floor Mats, Front Wheel Drive, Illuminated Entry, Auto. DayNight Mirror, Illuminated Visor Vanity Mirrors, AMFM Stereo Cassette, Power Seats, Rock Pinion Steering, Leather Seating, Leather Trim Steering, Wheel, Tilt Wheel, Driver Side Air Bag, Power Trunk Release, Twilight Sentinal, Gold Trim, Full Cabriolet Roof, Liberty Sedan, MSRP $33,501, VIN N4301017.

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sette, 53,309 VIN CC9000. 4' '264 Ml VIN NS8834- 7 "6 Mi y'lN 516356 $6295 6995 Only $3995 1987 CADILLAC FLEETWOOD 1991 PONTIAC SUNBIRD 1991 CHEVY LUMINA EURO 1991 MITSUBISHI 300 GT SL D'ELEGANCE SEDAN CONVETIBLE Coup 1 6 6ns 5 -sp Mon CUOHnUK OLUHH wvnii.MUbfc AMFM Ster.o PS FWD, PS, PB, PW, PDL, Tilt, Cruise, VS. PW, PS, PL, Air New Cor Warranty, Air pU, 1. FM asffig $8995 1 10,095 1 13,495 I M9f995 1931 CHEVY CORSICA LT 1 1991 SUNBIRD CONVT. LE I 1988C0UPE DeVILLE I 1989 SEDAN DeVILLE V6 Entir.

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Vmh7o3M2 Fitemisl, 34.507 Miles, VIN 2509. $9890 $13y990 U3y990 $15,900 1991 PONTIAC TRANSPORT SE 1990 CADILLAC SEDAN 1990 CADILLAC SEVILLE 1991 SEVILLE ROADSTER V6 Eiig, Auto. Trans, PS, PB, Air 1 V8. Auto, Air. PW.

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