Monte Carlo...Continued

The front seat is comfortable and has plenty of head room, a common disappointment on this class of car. The drawback of the Monte Carlo shows up in the rear seat, since it is rather narrow for three people, partially as a concession to NASCAR aerodynamics. The interior is a welcome change to Chevy's often dull and clumsy styling. They are now finally offering a single key for ignition, trunk and doors.

The standard engine is the excellent Buick-developed 3.1-liter overhead valve V6 that puts out 160 horsepower, but now the option is the 3.8-liter delivering 200 horsepower and gobs of torque. This replaces the 4- cam 3.4-liter V6 that had 15 more ponies, but was lacking in torque at lower speeds and more expensive and noisy than appropriate.

Chevrolet makes as good a transmission as anyone today, better than many cars that cost much more. It is well tuned to the V6 engine and encourages you to select the gears manually during spirited drives in the hills and winding roads. This year it is even better with an electronic clutch for smoother shifts.

Most '98 changes involve suspension features. Not so much to keep over-confident journalists from hitting the wall at Indy, but to make the hundreds of thousands of more intelligent buyers safe and comfortable.

The cars now come standard with dual airbags, air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, and an anti-theft system. Dual zone temperature controls were added last year to make both driver and passenger more comfortable. A great safety feature is daytime running lights that provide low current to the headlights only whenever the engine is running. This makes you much more visible, and has proven to be a great deterrent in preventing accidents.

The Euro package previously available on the Lumina is history, but most of the features are available in the Z34 Monte Carlo or on the option list. The firmer suspensions can be complemented by 16-inch aluminum wheels.

It is no secret that the needs of the NASCAR teams shaped the exterior of the Monte Carlo and may have even resulted in some compromises for rear seat passengers, but engineers have adapted racing benefits. Your Monte Carlo has chrome-silicon valve springs, which can take credit for lots of the efficient horsepower the cars put out.

Look for the Monte Carlo to lead many of the laps at the Brickyard 400 the first weekend of August. Chevrolet insured that it will be leading the first laps, since it is the pace car. It's up to Terry, Dale and Jeff to put it in front at the finish.