From the July 1991 subject of Automobile and Driver.
The late Andy Warhol predicted that everybody sooner or later could be well-known for fifteen minutes, however time is working out and you continue to have not made the duvet of Folks and even been a finalist on “America’s Most Stultifying Dwelling Movies.”
Say, would you pay 44 cents a minute to announce to the world who and what you might be? The cellphone firm expenses half that, however sadly your message would solely attain one listener at a time—not very cost-effective.
You could possibly strive the tv internetworks, like Mr. Iacocca does, however for 60 seconds of air time they need the equivalent of what Roger Clemens will get for pitching a complete, exhausting 9 innings of baseball towards such formidables because the Seattle Mariners: $200,000 or so.
Perhaps you ought to think about an car, one which mirrors your type and picture, to not point out your haircut, your cool élan. So our assembled gamers value about $35,000 every. So what? In case you drive one 15,000 miles a 12 months for the following 4 years, averaging 45 miles an hour, it will value you a measly 44 cents per minute to broadcast your tastes and means to everybody on the highway, on the automotive wash, and in entrance of probably the most overpriced restaurant on the town.
In fact, this self-mirroring enterprise, like trendy dressing, could be dangerous—the message obtained is just not all the time precisely the one the sender intended. Is the proprietor of that sensible little Kyongsang Pudhopper EX a superb shopper, or simply an expedient skinflint? Does that grand Wellington-Ross HMS 6.5 carry an individual of refined tastes, or of unchecked vainness?
Contemplate the seven sedans we have collected right here. They’re all comparatively uncommon head-turners. Fleet of foot (they zip to 60 mph in lower than ten seconds), all are capable of greater than 120 mph, which in fact could be unsuitable, however who desires to broadcast the message, “Hey, I will not be quick, however I certain am low!”
The names of our fast-lane foreigners pretty lilt off the tongue: Acura Legend LS, Alfa Romeo 164L, Audi 90 Quattro, BMW 525i, Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.6, Saab 9000CD Turbo, and Volvo 940 Turbo. Already it sounds such as you’ve mastered a international language.
We examined the automobiles within the type mostly chosen by their consumers. Meaning automated transmissions, which Individuals overwhelmingly want to guide gearboxes, even in automobiles like these. Amongst our contestants, solely the Audi was fitted with a five-speed as a result of, in truth, all 90 Quattros are. (An automated is just not out there on any all-wheel-drive Audi besides the flagship V-8.)
We gathered our discipline in sunny Southern California and spent a piece week on the highway—testing, measuring, pondering . . . and looking for routes not closed by snow or mudslides. The Monsoons of March ended the drought (for a month anyway), however they did not dampen our enthusiasm to learn the way these expressive cars stack up. Even automobiles meant to make a press release must work as automobiles, and for the cash these cost, they need to work properly certainly.
After some onerous driving and more durable judging, we had our solutions. And rankings that replicate our opinions. We found that each one these automobiles are particular, and that each one are acceptable. However some are extra acceptably particular than others.
seventh Place: Volvo 940 Turbo
From the logbook, a diary of driver impressions: “Does not really feel very spirited.” “It isn’t a chore to drive, nevertheless it provides no actual pleasure.”
Few automobiles have the cult enchantment that Volvos do. A loyal clientele has replyed for many years to this Swedish picture of security, reliability, sturdiness, and sensibility. But even the latest Volvo felt dated and overmatched in toe-to-toe comparison with our half-dozen options.
The 940 collection is the corporate’s new household of sedans and wagons, and the Turbo is its lustiest instance. However our 940 did not win many hearts, regardless that it had the bottom sticker worth of the group, $29,813.
HIGHS: Nice seating consolation and visibility, high quality appointments.
LOWS: Thrashy engine, highway manners of a a lot heavier automotive, dated really feel.
VERDICT: Loyalists will not must test-drive the rest.
Oh, there was a lot to love about this Swede, beginning with nice brakes and sheetmetal contours which might be softer and rounder than its 740 mum or dad’s. And the large, long-cushioned seats drew raves: supportive, cozy, upright, and mounted excessive within the automotive. (One driver tagged this “the king of Sweden driving position.”) The inside design retains the rectangles and straight traces of the 740, however all the things is properly executed in high quality supplies, making a businesslike cockpit.
The home windows are tall, like searching of a management tower. The brand new Volvo is a comfortable, safe place to sit down, for hours on finish.
However driving the 940 Turbo for those self same hours is not a very rewarding expertise. Although steering response is great and the suspension retains the tires in good contact with the highway, the physique strikes round fairly a bit, creating a sense of ponderousness. From the driver’s seat, you’d by no means guess the 940 tied for second-lightest curb weight.
Additionally disappointing was the racket from the Volvo’s four-cylinder engine. The 162-hp turbocharged 2.3 turned in acceleration instances that put it in mid-pack, nevertheless it additionally raised a decidedly agricultural din. It completed final in each the top-speed and fuel-economy derbies.
So the Volvo pigeonholes itself within the cultist people-hauler slot: it really works okay in its approach, however that is not a approach that stands as much as hard-nosed comparability procuring, in our view. Lengthy could the Volvo devoted disagree with us.
From the logbook: “It appears tall, outdated, sedate, stodgy.” And: “Stiff and jiggly on uneven blacktop; the wheels keep planted, however the driver is stirred in fairly the unsuitable approach.”
1991 Volvo 940 Turbo
162-hp turbocharged inline-4, 4-speed automated, 3180 lb
Base/as-tested worth: $29,675/$29,813
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 8.4 sec
1/4 mile: 16.6 sec @ 82 mph
100 mph: 30.6 sec
Braking, 70–0 mph: 165 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.76 g
C/D noticed gas economic system: 18 mpg
fifth Place (tie): Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.6
From the logbook: “A lazy-feeling automotive. It is reluctant to rise up and go, and when it lastly does, it nonetheless does not ship a lot.” “High quality is great.”
The little 190 Mercedes could have been in over its head right here. We’d have requested a 300 to hold the Benz banner towards a 5-series BMW and the large Saab, however the window sticker does not lie: search for a Mercedes round $35,000 and that is what you discover. In truth, the 190E, at $37,392, was the costliest automotive on this group. Additionally the lightest, probably the most cramped, and the least highly effective. Does that imply it is merely overpriced? You may make a case.
Nonetheless, the 190E 2.6 is fantastically put together and feels stable as concrete. From the high-gloss wooden trim to the agency seats and barely scattered minor swapes, it gives a real Mercedes-Benz expertise.
HIGHS: High-quality development and supplies, nice bad-road journey.
LOWS: Lazy engine, outmoded transmission, excessive worth.
VERDICT: An actual Benz, however not a fantastic Benz.
Would that it labored higher within the barachieve. We’ve got no grievance with the journey, and the automotive’s dealing with poise appears to enhance because the highway floor deteriocharges. However in most different measures of dynamic means, the six-cylinder 190 simply kind of lies there. Although smooth-running, the 158-hp engine generates solely modest thrust. Exceptionally lengthy throttle-pedal journey does not assist. Nor does an automated transmission that lacks the graceful shifting, prepared kickdown, and basic refinement of right this moment’s typical GM Hydra-matic. An over-exuberant traction-control system cuts engine energy in middling-hard cornering: it made tight mountain roads much less enjoyable and our skidpad take a look at inconceivable to conduct correctly.
We anticipated the 190 to path the sphere in rear-seat spaciousness however had been surprised to seek out even the driving force’s toes and knees competing with pads and trim panels for a spot to be. Particularly annoying was the under-dash cowl that snagged the toe of the precise shoe as the driving force pivoted between throttle and brake.
Any individual referred to as this the Cadillac Cimarron of Mercedes’s line. That is perhaps too harsh, however the 190 does threat coming off as an imitation of a status automotive. Or a minimum of as a really outdated status automotive (the physique dates from ’84, the engine from ’87). It is an actual Mercedes, although, no query. It simply occurs to be priced like greater and higher automobiles.
From the logbook: “Too bodily in all of the unsuitable methods.” “Beautiful journey, however appears to lumber alongside.” “This automotive feels nearly unchanged from the outdated 2.3.”
1991 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.6
158-hp inline-6, 4-speed automated, 3100 lb
Base/as-tested worth: $34,070/$37,392
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 9.4 sec
1/4 mile: 17.4 sec @ 82 mph
100 mph: 31.0 sec
Braking, 70–0 mph: 177 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.69 g
C/D noticed gas economic system: 21 mpg
fifth Place (tie): Alfa Romeo 164L
From the logbook: “I discover myself considering its failings are okay as a result of that is, in any case, an Alfa.”
Although profoundly completely different in heritage, execution, and character from the Mercedes 190 (and greater than $3200 cheaper), the Alfa 164 toted up and boiled right down to a dead-heat end with the infant Benz in our general judgment. It additionally, regardless of some endearing traits, could not rise above the competitors arrayed towards it.
In our first take a look at of a 164 (a top-of-the-line S mannequin in June 1990), we discovered the normal Alfa quirkiness pretty properly under management and the automotive’s efficiency good. For this take a look at, pricing and the shortage of an automatic-transmission choice on the S compelled us into an L-model, and alongside the way in which the hearth went out. The three-liter V-6 loses 17 hp between S and L trim, and that mixed with the softer energy supply of an autobox dragged 0-to-60 instances from 6.9 seconds to 9.8—an entire persona of distinction.
HIGHS: Distinctive styling therapy, lusty engine sounds.
LOWS: The engine solely sounds lusty, and steering weight feels odd.
VERDICT: Good, however nowhere close to the quicker, sportier S-model.
Everybody preferred the unconventional styling of the 164’s physique. The combination of a growly engine and high-feedagain suspension provides the automotive a gritty, mechanical really feel that holds promise for the fan of the driving artwork. Flip up the intensity on the highway, nonetheless, and that promise fades. The steering’s self-centering forces are curiously robust and artificial-feeling, giving little clue to how onerous the entrance tires are working. And our slalom take a look at turned up a darty instability within the rear suspension.
The boldly designed inside of the Alfa, particularly all of the slatted panels and sq. buttons of the dashboard, look authentic. And it really works properly sufficient, after an appropriate orientation interval. The driving place is arms-out however not arms-stretched-out, and the seats are decently snug.
So the 164 is an undeniably attention-grabbing automotive, one that’s uncommon however not so bizarre as to make it unlivable—as some Alfas have been. We needed very a lot to love our 164 L. However in too many small methods, it allow us to down—one thing that did not happen with different automobiles that its $34,142 worth compelled it to compete towards.
From the logbook: “Its sparkling-good appears to be like should not aided and abetted by glowing-good efficiency.”
1991 Alfa Romeo 164L
183-hp V-6, 4-speed automated, 3440 lb
Base/as-tested worth: $29,015/$34,142
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 9.8 sec
1/4 mile: 17.5 sec @ 83 mph
100 mph: 27.1 sec
Braking, 70–0 mph: 176 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.76 g
C/D noticed gas economic system: 20 mpg
4th Place: BMW 525i
From the logbook: “Good driver! Lacks energy.” “The whole lot works so very properly and with nice confidence. Maybe one of the best balanced automotive within the take a look at.”
This was our first time behind BMW’s new multivalve “small” six, and the results inform all: the 525i completed in fourth place, nevertheless it practically tied with the third-place Audi and slotted in respectably near the winner.
This newly powered price-leader 5-series provides an fanatic driver a lot to like, together with stability and poise on twisty roads, very good seats and driving environment, most likely one of the best styling of this group, and faultless construct high quality. Some testers famous the numb spot within the steering round dead-ahead, however in each different approach, the 525i actively approaches driving as a sport, a pastime, and a passion. Your thighs, seat, torso, and shoulders are positively situated by the deep buckets, your thumbs discover completely shaped rests on the wheel’s higher spokes, your eyes and proper hand have the dash-center devices and controls canted towards them.
HIGHS: Fantastically made, fantastically formed, lovely to drive.
LOWS: Engine wants revs—and a guide gearbox—to actually work.
VERDICT: A real driver’s automotive: stable, balanced, and built-in.
Below approach, the BMW feels prepared and spirited, with velvety management response, prepared maneuverability, and good nooking grip. Nevertheless it is not notably quick. This 189-hp 24-valve 2.5 represents a welcome enchancment over the 168-hp twelve-valver (C/D, July 1989), nevertheless it wants revs to make energy. And meaning the driving force has to maintain it spinning. Greater than some other autoshifter right here, the BMW cried out for a guide field. And in a single respect—high velocity—what functionality the engine does have is hobbled. The 525i is electronically restricted to 128 mph, ostensibly due to tire scores but in addition most likely for advertising and marketing causes: it mustn’t crowd the efficiency of the dearer 535i.
Fabric upholstery that appeared a little bit downmarket was the one seen suggestion that we had been in an “economic system” BMW. That idea is relative. At $36,683, our 525i surpassed all as-tested costs right here save the 190E’s. But no enthusiast will query the BMW’s worth.
From the logbook: “Very candy. No rocket however not dangerous, and the chassis provides fantastic give and take.” “Very stable, very safe, delightfully responsive.”
1991 BMW 525i
189-hp inline-6, 4-speed automated, 3600 lb
Base/as-tested worth: $35,555/$36,683
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 9.6 sec
1/4 mile: 17.5 sec @ 83 mph
100 mph: 26.3 sec
Braking, 70–0 mph: 178 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.77 g
C/D noticed gas economic system: 21 mpg
third Place: Audi 90 Quattro
From the logbook: “A wonderful machine. Gentle, supple, responsive, forgiving, and comfy.”
The Audi was a little bit of a ringer as a result of its five-speed guide gearbox, however we did not need to go away the all-wheel-driver out of the take a look at, particularly as a result of we had been impressed with the distinction its 20-valve engine made after we first sampled it. Because it seems, the Audi would have taken the crown as sportiest sedan of this bunch it doesn’t matter what transmission it carried.
HIGHS: Taut, direct really feel; unmatched grip and foul-weather traction.
LOWS: A small, noisy cabin, comparatively talking.
VERDICT: The one clear sports activities sedan right here, and a jewel wherever.
It is a startlingly agency automotive, nearly onerous. From the seats to the steering-wheel rim to the journey high quality, little in the way in which of padding isolates the driving force from the automotive or the highway. Usually, that is nice. It provides the 90 a really optimistic really feel. On tough pavement, although, the highway rumble can assault your ears, and the five-cylinder engine can do the identical on the elevated speeds it must ship punch. However general we loved the Audi’s taut, direct method and its agency really feel.
The 90 did come up quick—and small—when referred to as upon to do sedan-type passenger responsibility. Its inside measures tighter than all however the Mercedes 190’s—and it felt perhaps snugger than that—and its trunk capability was the smallest of all. None of which bothered the individual lucky sufficient to be on the wheel. The Audi drew reward from all quarters, even earlier than the climate turned rotten.
When the rain and snow fell, whoever had the 90 Quattro grew downright belligerent about stopping for a driver change. The CB radios crackled with challenges: “That is it, I am locking the doorways, I am right here for the period,” and “You possibly can have my Audi once you pry my chilly, useless fingers from its wheel.”
Anybody needing extra convincing that the $32,735 Audi 90 Quattro deserves the tag “sports activities sedan” can simply take a look at two classes of testing the place it racked up the large numbers: skidpad grip and interior noise. That will not represent the definition of a sporting automotive, nevertheless it’s a good information.
From the logbook: “A particularly silky automotive on {smooth} pavement. The journey is tight and managed, the directional stability glorious.” “I am in love. How a lot a month?”
1991 Audi 90 Quattro
164-hp inline-5, 5-speed guide, 3180 lb
Base/as-tested worth: $28,935/$32,735
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 8.2 sec
1/4 mile: 16.3 sec @ 84 mph
100 mph: 25.4 sec
Braking, 70–0 mph: 182 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.81 g
C/D noticed gas economic system: 21 mpg
2nd Place: Saab 9000CD Turbo
From the logbook: “Perhaps one of the best throughout.” “This engine is a delight.” “Seems like a four-liter V-8.”
Saab’s luxurious 9000CD, with the brand new balance-shaft 2.3-liter turbo 4, set the tempo for sheer velocity and got here inside simply two factors of taking all of the chips. Primarily based on earlier expertise with a hatchback, five-speed 9000 Turbo, we had anticipated the notchback automated to be huge, cozy, and swift. However we had not anticipated its broad margin of victory within the velocity contests. The 200-hp engine (with 222 pound-feet of torque at a low 2000 rpm) belted the automotive to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds and hurled it down our take a look at straight at 141 mph. No different automotive right here approached these feats. And the Saab 4 ran with an eerie, silky smoothness that rivaled the Acura’s V-6 and embarrassed the Alfa’s. This can be a exceptional engine.
HIGHS: Distinctive mixture of dimension, stability, and blistering velocity.
LOWS: A niggle right here and there, however nothing significantly noteworthy.
VERDICT: Practically inconceivable to beat as an fanatic’s sedan.
The automotive it propels so energetically additionally leaves valuable little to complain about. From the point of view of an fanatic or a accountable head-of-household (realizing these could be one and the identical person), the $34,853 CD Turbo is pleasant and efficient. Tall, upright seats give good help, the controls work with precision (some testers would have preferred an adjustable steering wheel), and the cavernous cabin retains everybody comfortable. The CD’s new walnut instrument panel provides a component of class. On nearly any form of highway, the large Saab exhibits nice composure. It beneathsteers when pushed, and the within entrance wheel can simply spin exiting sluggish corners. However the automotive tracks completely down straights and dances into and thru turns with poise sudden in such a big automotive. Large humps and dips create no extra physique flop or suspension slop, only a properly damped, hydraulic sensation. And any time temper and situations dictate, a push on the precise pedal can serve up a headlong rush into the distant scenery. It is onerous to think about the driving force who wouldn’t be impressed with this automotive.
From the logbook: “Fast acceleration to 130 with no engine thrash. Superb for a four-cylinder engine. GM wants a few of this for the Quad 4.”
1991 Saab 9000CD Turbo
200-hp turbocharged inline-4, 4-speed automated, 3220 lb
Base/as-tested worth: $34,853/$34,853
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.8 sec
1/4 mile: 15.2 sec @ 93 mph
100 mph: 17.9 sec
Braking, 70–0 mph: 179 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.75 g
C/D noticed gas economic system: 21 mpg
1st Place: Acura Legend LS
From the logbook: “Seems like the large automotive that it’s. It responds fairly properly, however I am all the time conscious that it is a big, heavy piece.” “Nice engine. All of the torquiness of regular aspiration, however the energy and smoothness of a turbo.”
Curiously, our testers had a wider divergence of opinion on the victorious Acura than on the second-place Saab. However regardless of the combination of bravos and but-then-agains within the logbook, when the factors had been totaled, the Legend eked out the win.
HIGHS: Engine energy and refinement, construct high quality, management efforts.
LOWS: Its excellence is typically too delicate to register.
VERDICT: The winner, pure and easy. What else is there?
A lot of the controversy in regards to the newest huge Acura hovers across the high quality of sportiness. One contingent inside our merry cadre identified how hefty the automotive felt, and so they thought of its cornering poise a bit too waffly. Admitting it did nothing unsuitable, in addition they felt it did not appear completely glued to the highway within the twisties. Each steering and brakes lacked crisp suggestions.
The automotive’s supporters, in the meantime, seized upon the Legend’s mild, delicate management efforts and its fast, predictable responses. That, they claimed, made for a sportier driving expertise than, say, the BMW’s heavier helm. Everybody praised the three.2-liter V-6, the largest powerplant right here and tied with the Saab for highest energy score at 200 hp. The Acura six is a gem: versatile at low speeds, lusty at excessive speeds, satin-smooth in any respect speeds.
So is the remainder of the automotive, however usually it shines in a delicate, understated approach. Mightbe too understated. Its styling, for instance, is unremarkable, but clear and tasteful. If the automotive does not scamper by bends like a jack rabbit, neither does it ever shock you or put a wheel unsuitable. It is a superb open-road cruiser, with unmatched refinement. And for high quality of match and end, the Legend scores among the many greatest within the automotive world.
The Acura Legend accomplishes its duties easily and subtly, reasonably than with overt spirit and verve. Succesful as it’s, it will probably fail to make an impression. Which will account for the boundless respect however certified affection our drivers felt toward it.
From the logbook (the comparability cleaned up considerably): “The Acura is the Meryl Streep of cars. She acts flawlessly, however I would not care to become involved.”
1991 Acura Legend LS
200-hp V-6, 4-speed automated, 3500 lb
Base/as-tested worth: $34,861/$34,861
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 7.8 sec
1/4 mile: 16.3 sec @ 83 mph
100 mph: 23.7 sec
Braking, 70–0 mph: 191 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.76 g
C/D noticed gas economic system: 19 mpg
Because the Total Ranking scores illustrate, we had 4 automobiles right here that made sense to us. The BMW, the Audi, the Saab, and the Acura spoke to us with a mixture of competence and magnificence. We’d not look askance at somebody selecting to pay the worth for any of them.
The 525i flattered us with its presumption that we had been critical drivers. The Quattro entertained us with its racy demeanor. The 9000 freed us from compromising between utility and velocity.
However in the long run, the Legend would simply brook no problem. Swift and silky, it fortunately took up any driving chore we threw at it. If the automotive left us little to remark on within the course of, properly, that will simply be a measure of how unflappable it’s. And who may deny, considering forward to issues of upkeep and reliability, that the Acura probably represented the lowest-risk buy right here?
In the case of expressing private type, plus saying a factor or two about good household transport, the Acura Legend simply has all the great traces.
