The Morning Call and Mcall.com's view

One thing American auto manufacturers do better than any of their foreign competitors is make dual-purpose vehicles. For years the American manufacturers have been offering special models of certain vehicles to driving enthusiasts. You know the kind of vehicle: Hopped up engine, beefed up suspension and a bunch of trim items to set it apart from the herd.

With all the interest in European sport sedans (a vehicle so named because it originated in Europe but is now manufactured by all other industrial nations) it is not surprising American automakers want a chunk of this lucrative market. It also isn’t surprising that Americans are the largest builders of European sport sedan-type vehicles.

Today’s test car – the Pontiac 6000 STE – is an excellent example of the genre. Here is a car that not only looks, acts and feels like a European sport sedan but is priced like one. That is, one price includes all the equipment. In fact, only two options are offered for the car.

The 6000 STE (supplied by Knopf Automotive, 3401 Lehigh St., Allentown) is based on the popular front-wheel drive 6000. As such, it has a wheelbase of 104.9 inches, length of 188.8 inches, width of 72 inches, height of 53.8 inches and curb weight of 2,990 pounds. With an EPA volume index of 113 cubic feet (97 cubic feet interior/16 cubic feet trunk) it is rated as an intermediate. If you consider it on an international scale, however, it would be considered a large car.

The 6000 STE is a five-passenger car. Providing the five passengers aren’t linemen for the Eagles, everyone should be able to fit inside with some degree of comfort. A rather unusual feature is the manually controlled six-way adjustable driver’s seat which is strictly European and may not appeal to everyone. You have to crank and shift and slide levers to adjust this seat to your liking. Once adjusted it is quite comfortable but it takes some adjusting. If two drivers ofextreme measurements are sharing this car there’s probably going to be some trouble along the way. I heard that the seat will be changed to a conventional six-way power seat for the next model year because of customer complaints. Apparently it is O.K. to make a European sport sedan in this country, but don’t get too European.

One thing guaranteed to cause comment from passengers is the STE’s electronic instrument panel. Electronic instrument panels have been around for a couple of years now but this one just seems to go on and on. There’s a digital speedometer, analog electronic tachometer and electronic digital gauges with bar-chart readouts. And, in case you happen to make a wrong turn at the shore and end up in Europe, you can switch the speed readout from miles to kilometers.

There is more to the electronics. Pontiac claims the STE has the most advanced electronic control system in the division’s history. Probably no doubt about that. In addition to t he instrument panel, electronics include a micro-processor for measuring engine efficiency, programmable Driver’s Information Center which monitors vehicle systems, electronic ride control and an electronically tuned search and replay cassette stereo radio with digital clock, five-band graphic equalizer and four coaxial speakers.

Of all these features, the electronic ride control is the most unusual. As with other systems, it automatically maintains a ride quality and vehicle attitude throughout the full range of loading conditions. This is accomplished by an on-board air compressor that adds pressure to the shocks when needed. What is not unusual, however, is the compressor can also be used for other purposes such as adding air to a tire or blowing up a beach float.

With all of its standard power equipment and three-speed automatic transmission (the one and only transmission available) the 6000 STE is an easy car to drive. The ride is a little firmer andth response somewhat quicker than a stock 6000 because of the sports-type suspension which is basically the same as the regular 6000 – MacPherson struts up front, trailing arm and beam in the rear – but everything is fine tuned and stabilizer bars are used fore and aft. Also, Goodyear Eagle GT

195/70R14 steel-belted radials are mounted on specially designed cast aluminum wheels. Another interesting feature is four-wheel disc brakes. What all of this means is the STE is an above-average handling car that should please most driving enthusiasts.

Powering the STE is the 2.8 liter (173 cubic inches) High Output V-6. This small V-6 has been powering General Motors cars since the introduction of the X-cars back in 1979 and has a good reputation. The High Output (HO) version is rated at 130 horsepower at 5,400 rpm and 125 foot pounds of torque at 5,400 rpm. This isn’t bad power for a car weighting around 3,000 pounds, so performance is quite decent. The test car averaged 16 miles per gallon for city driving and 26 mpg over Lehigh Valley highways. The engine has a compression ratio of 8.9:1 and seems to work just fine on unleaded regular gasoline. EPA estimates for the STE are 34 highway/22 city. The car has a good-sized 16.4 gallon gasoline tank which means it can go a distance between fill ups.

Like other European sport sedan-type cars, the STE has a relatively clean look with lots of blackout trim. Its unique exterior feature is the six separate headlamps – quad halogen headlamps with inboard-mounted fog lamps. But, no matter what else, the grille is traditional Pontiac.

Base price for the STE is $14,428; a healthy base for any intermediate. But, as mentioned before, the base price gives you a fully equipped vehicle. In addition to any items mentioned, standard equipment includes air conditioning, power brakes, power steering, power door locks, rear window defogger, power sport mirrors, vanity visor mirror, console, 97 amp alternator, tinted glass, power windows, tilt steering wheel, leather-wrapped steering wheel, power antenna and a bunch of trim and convenience items.

The test car had only one option – a removable sunroof priced at $300. (The only other option available for the STE is suede leather interior.) With a destination charge of $414, the test car’s total price came to $15,142. This isn’t exactly cheap but then European sport sedan-types usually aren’t.