The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 33

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2003 wr "r-i THE OTTAWA CITIZEN SECTION DTfcTT 7TTV R1Y11N VJ Canyon Colorado First look a GM's new midsize pickups, 1 2 Another big bike year Power is up. Sales are, too, C8 I 7v'" nm "11 nv ROD MACIVOR, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN Tom Roberts, right, is congratulated by Vancouver officials for his quick but economical crossing of a continent. Granddaughter Catherine and daughter Barbara Edwards are nrv i lie ama tin adventure Aus In 1933, Ottawa's Tom Roberts drove across Canada in record time, fusing his passion for automobiles and speed. Les McLaughlin revisits the epic journey. Station on Rideau Street.

By 1924, he had established Ottawa Interurban Transport with a fleet of classy Godfred-son buses that transported eager passengers from the capital to Kingston and Pembroke, with stops in virtually every Ottawa Valley community. In 1925, a return trip to Kingston cost $4 while those debarking on the outskirts of Ottawa in Bells Corners would pay 50 cents. He was also an avid promoter of the automobile, and in 1925 he set a motoring speed record for the run between Ottawa and Toronto, making the journey in just over five hours. His daughter, Barbara Edwards, who lives in Ottawa, recalls that her father was such an auto devotee that he would often just jump into his car and hit the road, perhaps not even telling the family where he was going. "I often wondered how mother put up with it, but he was a fine father and wonderful char Since boyhood, Tom Roberts had been smitten with a need to accomplish things first and fast.

Only 18 years old in 1910, he ipassed his driver's test in an gii when automobiles were jfiafe, licences rarer, and teenage drivers virtually unheard of. By then, just a year after J.A. McCurdy made the first successful flight in Canada, he was also hooked on airplanes a passion that would seem him become a pilot, a founding member of the Ottawa and Toronto flying clubs and eventually the manager of the Ottawa Airport. But his most singular accomplishment would be in a car, setting time and fuel-economy marks in crossing Canada. Even today, a solo race across the continent in a tiny car would be newsworthy.

But back in 1933, it was a stunt only a man who truly loved everything about automobiles could pull off. The son of a lumber contrac lite. Jlfj 'V, careful custodians of his memory. acter," she says. Mrs.

Edwards said her father sometimes brought the family on his excursions, and he taught her to drive in an age when young women seldom thought about such an activity. As owner of a bus line and service stations, Mr. Roberts was torn between the need for fuel efficiency on the one hand, increased gasoline sales on the other and, of course, speed. By the early '30s, with North America deep in the Depression, cost-efficiency seemed the logical way to go and Tom devised a publicity project to prove that long distance automobile travel, if not easy, was affordable. In the summer of 1933, he delivered a detailed proposal to the manager of auto sales at Ogilvy's famous department store in Montreal, the firm that held the Eastern Canadian franchise for sales of the Austin Seven.

See ROBERTS on page C2 Malibu include air conditioning, CD stereo, power windows, locks and mirrors, power height adjuster for the driver's seat and tilttelescoping steering column good value in a base sedan. A 6040 split folding rear passenger seat is also standard. LS models add standard an-tilock brakes and traction control, cruise control, power adjustable pedals, manual lumbar adjustment for the driver's seat, remote keyless entry, wood trim and six-speaker sound. See MALIBU on page C3 Ogilvy's department store, which sold the Austin Seven and sponsored the run, presented its driver with an engraved plate. tor, Tom Roberts was born in Trois-Rivieres, in 1891 and moved to Ottawa in 1904 with his family.

He attended Ottawa College before getting his first job at 15 in the federal government's printing department. Young Tom enjoyed cycling, especially up the Gatineau Hills. But a friend had an automobile, and soon the youngsters were driving roads barely passable in horse-drawn carriages. During the Roaring Twenties the pace of life soared as Henry Ford's mass-produced motorcars rolled off assembly lines in Detroit, Sam McLaughlin's dreams became General Motors of Canada and British automobiles were slowly but surely cracking the lucrative North American marketplace. Car ownership was no longer a luxury for the wealthy.

By 1922, 30-year-old Tom Roberts was a busy businessman in Ottawa. He had just opened his first Owl Service ROAD But the savings don't stop there. With its 3.5-litre V-6, the Malibu will return savings every time you gas up. With a Transport Canada fuel economy rating of 10.4 litres per 100 kilometres (27 miles per gallon) in the city and 6.8 L100 km (42 m.p.g.) on the highway, the Malibu leads all other V-6 cars in its class in fuel efficiency. And that's with regular gas.

In fact, according to the government's ratings, the V-6 Malibu uses less fuel than four-cylinder versions of the Mitsubishi Galant, Nissan Altima, Malibu offers top value, but not all will love styling Chevrolet's redesigned midsize sedan has more power and room and tremendous fuel economy. All that's missing, says Grant Yoxon, is emotional pull. GRANT YOXON, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN New Malibu opens at $22,255 (four-cylinder) and $24,790 (V-6). Our LT test model with sunroof and leather seats listed for $30,300. TEST Mazda6, Chrysler Sebring, Hundai Sonata, Kia Magentis and Suzuki Verona.

Unfortunately, buying decisions are not always rational. For many, if not most, buyers, a car pulls at the emotional side of one's brain as well as the practical side. I'd like to say the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu is not only an incredible value, it's one sweet-looking ride. But I can't. The Malibu's styling does nothing for me.

It looks, as one person told me, like a potato on wheels. You may disagree (and Although the 2004 is shorter (by about 50 millimetres) than the 2003 model, its interior is about 18 per cent bigger. The bright and airy cabin offers large windows for good visibility. A relatively flat hood and trunk lid allow the driver to see all four corners of the car. Headroom and legroom are good, front and back, and there's space for five.

As is typical with midsize cars, though, three adults will feel a bit cramped in the back. Standard comfort and convenience features on the base I'm sure GM hopes you will), but the appeal of a vehicle's styling is a matter of personal taste. Personally, I find the look to be big-time boring. Too bad, because in almost every respect, the new Malibu is a big improvement over the previous generation car. Based on GM's new global Epsilon platform that it shares with the Saab 9-3, the 2004 Malibu has a lot to offer in terms of interior room and comfort, a more powerful and refined V-6 engine, better handling and a quieter, more comfortable ride.

If value for money were the sole measure of a vehicle's worth, the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu would be unbeatable. With an entry price of just $22,255 fr tne tase Malibu with a 2.2-litre four cylinder engine, it's the least expensive midsize sedan available. Even with V-6 engine, the Malibu's $24,790 sticker price is less than the Mazda6, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Chrysler Sebring, Kia Magentis, Suzuki Verona and Ford Taurus and competes with the Hyundai Sonata and Saturn L300. ($1.