(first posted 1/7/2014) While Eagle is surely one of the most American brand names, it was ironically applied to a motley collection of badge engineered and imported vehicles. Our featured car, the Premier, was derived from a French sedan, styled by an Italian and, to top it off, built by Canadians in Bramalea, Ontario. The Eagle brand was aimed squarely at consumers who’d normally not consider buying an American sedan but would have instead sought out a Volvo or an Audi.
At the time of its initial development, Renault had a stake in and later wholly owned AMC. By the late Seventies, AMC’s car lineup was rather dated and sold mostly on the novelty of four wheel drive. With a view to offering a full line up of vehicles, AMC sought to develop a modern, front wheel drive, flagship. Project X58 was thus born, and Renault already had a suitable donor car in the recently developed 25 that could be modified to suit the directive. That car’s chassis was stretched, and Renault Medallion (Americanized Renault 21) suspension components were donated to create a unique floor pan. A pair of companion models consisting of a two door sedan as well as a station wagon were also planned but never made it to production.
Perhaps in an attempt to mask the car’s French origins, AMC chose not to go with the stock Renault styling but instead considered a number of internal proposals as well as one from ItalDesign. Famed designer Giorgetto Giugiaro lead the ItalDesign team and their bid was ultimately selected. In viewing the car’s profile, especially around the wheel wells, the C-pillar and long rear doors, it seems likely that the Renault’s hard points were retained. As a side note, while the Premier looked Volvo-boxy, its drag coefficient of 0.31 was actually lower than that of the more aerodynamic looking 1986 Ford Taurus.
While the exterior had crisp, if boxy, European styling, the interior was an all American design, courtesy of AMC’s internal teams. It was a solid effort, definitely in keeping with times and the seats in particular received praise for their superior comfort. There were some rumbles about the quality of materials when new, but our junkyard examples seem to have held up amazingly well. This higher trim ES model sports optional leather with a center console, but lower trim versions could be equipped for six passengers.
Rocker switches for the ventilation system mounted on pods that flanked the steering column were probably the only big ergonomic misstep.
The interior space and trunk size were among the highest in class and probably the Premier’s best feature.
Providing motivation for the 3000 or so lbs of Premier is the infamous “Douvrin” 90° V6 engine. Produced by PRV, which was an alliance between Peugeot, Renault and Volvo, it is perhaps most known for its installation in the DeLorean. Or perhaps for its role in making the Volvo 260 a less reliable version of the tank-like 240. On paper the V6 engines slightly bettered the Mitsubishi V6 engines already in use at Chrysler with 150 hp @ 5,000 rpm and 171lb-ft @ 3,600 rpm. The car’s Renault roots are evident in the longitudinal placement of the engine and in theory, this allowed for rear or all wheel drive variants to be produced with relative ease. A ZF four speed automatic with overdrive was clear step up from the three speeds used elsewhere at Chrysler and gave the Premier reasonable performance with 0-60mph coming in 10 seconds flat. Unfortunately, neither the engine nor the gearbox had a stellar service record. An AMC 2.5L four cylinder engine teamed with a Renault four speed automatic was specified for the base cars. It developed 111 hp and 142 lb-ft of torque and offered 4 mpg fuel mileage advantage over the more commonly fitted V6.
Suspension on the Premier was all independent with the front receiving MacPherson struts and the rear, a four trailing arm system with transverse torsion bars. To control body roll stabilizer bars were standard front and rear. Steering was a powered rack and pinion system. Initially, brakes were discs up front and drums in the rear but was later changed to a four wheel disc configuration. The rear disc brakes were later re-used on the Viper.
The new car was initially dubbed the Renault Premier and 172 were even sold as such before Chrysler purchased AMC from Renault and rebranded their cars. The crown jewel of the transaction was the Jeep brand but a rather nice bonus was the new and modern Bramalea factory built for the newly-developed Premier, which also came with the deal, along with the well-established AMC dealer network. Chrysler found itself in a quandary over how to market the other car designs acquired in the takeover and their solution to establish an entirely new brand, Eagle. Intended to be an import fighting brand along the lines of Ford’s equally star-crossed Merkur, history proved Eagle to more of an odd mixture of badge engineered and orphaned cars that could be sold alongside the more profitable Jeeps at Jeep-Eagle dealers.
First year sales showed some promise with 50k units moved but this rapidly dropped off soon after. It could have been a lack of marketing, brand confusion or the stench of failure from previous French cars, but while the Premier had good driving dynamics and a spacious interior, it never really found its place in the market. For 1989, the sportier looking ES Limited with a monochromatic color scheme and well integrated body kit was introduced. Unfortunately it offered no performance advantage or manual gearbox option, although the suspension was mildly tuned for better handling.
Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Monaco
Chrysler had a contractual obligation to take a specified number of Renault V6 engines and for 1990, dropped the four cylinder and introduced a badge engineered Dodge Monaco variant in hopes of shifting a few more units. Differing only in a few optional paint colors and a different grill, the Monaco sold just as poorly. In an attempt to address quality complaints, Chrysler made a host of improvements for 1991, including the substitution of Chrysler parts for Renault ones, and tweaked transmissions to smooth out shifting as well as improve cooling. If you must have a Premier/Monaco, a later 1991 or 1992 example is the one to have. The later examples tend to be very well equipped, which is a nice bonus.
While the Premier itself can be considered a failure in the marketplace, it certainly wasn’t an engineering dead end. Plans to develop a new line of large cars based on yet another up-sized, K-based platform were mercifully abandoned for a design based on the decidedly more advanced Premier. These became the LH series cars, which featured the same longitudinal engine placement and front suspension design. Tellingly, Premiers even served as development mules during the LH’s design phase.
By the time these cars were put into production in the Premier’s old factory, various new Chryslers were being created using a development process brought to the company by AMC engineers. In a rather favorable twist of fate, the people behind the Premier were unsuccessful in saving AMC, but achieved something even bigger in transforming an indifferent Detroit company.
Like several others here, I always thought the proportions and styling of these were a bit off. The huge front overhang, the faint Coke-bottle shaped fenders that were woefully out of fashion by the late ’80s, the front end that seemed to be cribbed from a communist bloc car. Inside wasn’t much better, with the blocky dash, oddly shaped door panels, and overabundance of tiny black square buttons. The interior was roomy, comfortable, and airy, but again the ambiance was off-putting. Add in the PRV engine, and there just wasn’t much to like here. The car also just oozed a “soon to be orphaned” stench – prospective buyers knew parts and service would never be as readily available as they would for a Dynasty (though probably much better than for a Medallion).
Y’mean like this stillborn Hongqi CA750F, a Chinese-made Dodge 600ES with local front end, um, styling?
Why did this car fail? The car was fragile and weird, the dealers didn’t know what to do with it, and Chrysler didn’t want to sell it.
Renault provided AMC with some good ideas, like the Alliance/Encore, the Cherokee, the Grand Cherokee, and this car, executed to varying degrees of indifference.
What Renault didn’t provide was the Iacocca style leadership to really right the ship. A french executive got assassinated in 1986 and Renault really lost interest in AMC thereafter. Iacocca gets varying degrees of credit to the engineering successes of Chrysler in the early and mid 80’s but some things he did that made a huge difference at Chrysler were to cut a lot of fat and deadweight from management, get the employees on board, improve quality, kill all the cars that weren’t going to move, and get the dealers on board.
AMC dealers were a pretty ragtag bunch and had been used to the Hornet and its ilk, which had the same technology as dirt when they appeared in 1970. The dealers contributed to the failure of the Alliance/Encore which was fairly fragile and didn’t have the quality emphasis Iacocca instituted at Chrysler. Jeeps basically sold themselves because there wasn’t much like a Jeep and if you wanted one, you bought one no matter how indifferent the dealer. People who bought Alliances/Encores went out of their way to recommend against the Alliance/Encore and against any car with a French heritage. Unfortunately, this car had to go up against the Taurus/GM10 sedans/Accord/Camry and GM A bodies and even though this car was in many ways roomier, more comfortable, faster, quieter, better handling, and overall nicer, it fell down in terms of reliability and dealer service from a brand which no one had heard of.
Shortly after Chrysler bought AMC, the Alliance/Encore were recalled due to a heater core malfunction which could spew boiling coolant all over the passenger’s legs. Even in the late 80s the vast majority of Alliances/Encores were in junkyards, and Chrysler employees had to track Every. Last. One. Down and place a new heater core in the box in the seat of the deceased car.
Iacocca must have looked at this car and figured that it wasn’t worth standing behind, or anywhere near. The Dynasty/Spirit that were Chrysler family sedans weren’t super competitive, but 90% of the buyers, if they remember those cars at all, probably remember them fondly. Iacocca probably decided it wasn’t worth pushing this thing to stain the new Eagle division’s reputation and then avoided pushing it.
I looked at a used one in the late 90’s for my brother, and it was an amazing car. Enormous inside, but also very comfortable with good height seats and cushions, very well finished, rode very well, handled crisply, and was sleek and luxurious. It was making a few odd noises and we pointed it out to the used car lot and his Eastern Bloc attitude was, you want car, you buy, you no want car, you no buy.
We didn’t buy. I don’t know that that was such a bad thing, as many of them went on for a while longer after that and the Marquis my brother ended up with was possibly worse.
I don’t doubt it. ’85-’90 VW Golfs and Jettas were recalled for the same reason; see here.
This part I doubt; that’s not how recalls usually work. Got a reliable cite? It’s not that I’m interested in besting you in a debate, it’s that I’m curious if this really happened.
As I understand it, recalls aren’t required to repair vehicles no longer on the road. But it may have been a legal liability situation rather than a government recall requirement. If someone pulled a heater core from a junked Alliance and then got burned, Chrysler might be liable for damages, so possibly the lawyers figured they would cover themselves this way.
My weirdest AMC Alliance sighting was one in Melbourne, Australia (it was never officially sold there) in the late 80s, with Virginia plates. Apparently US embassy people could bring their personal cars over without having to comply with Aus registration/safety/emissions/design rules, so it must have been one of those.
This car failed mostly because of Renault. I owned one. Renault opted for a zillion cheaply made dash light bulbs for the HVAC controls. Renault designed an A/C system which couldn’t last much over 2 years without needing to be completely replaced. They also used sheet metal like they did for the Alliance/Encore. On a quiet summer Sunday, you could sit beside it right after washing the thing and listen to it rust.
The second reason this car failed was because it was badged Eagle.
The rest of the Eagle line (sans the Talon) was mud fence hit by a train ugly. This car was designed to compete head to head with low end Mercedes.
I had a three car accident in my Premier in 2010. I hit a Honda and a Toyota, they both had to be towed away. I drove away. I asked the Trooper how I could have done so much damage to the other cars, especially the Toyota which was like a crescent moon. He said, those cars are like paper, your car is built like a tank. The metal on my Eagle Premier seems heftier than on my Volvo.
I read about the recall and the combing through junkyards in a C/D editorial many years ago and it stuck in my mind because . . . I didn’t know recalls worked that way either.
This is not necessarily a reliable cite but at least one other person seems to believe this.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/12/renault-alliance-still-on-the-scrapheap-of-history/
Iacocca managed to make the Mustang a major success whereas Chrysler never came close with the Barracuda. He propelled Lincoln ahead of Cadillac by sticking a Rolls Royce Grille on an LTD. He made the Pinto, and the Maverick, and the Granada, huge successes. The man could sell ice to Eskimos and (I believe) he saw a stinker in this car in terms of reliability and reputation and decided not to push it, but adopt it into the LH.
I agree with you, that’s nothing near a reliable cite. It’s a couple of randos repeating a fairytale. At least one of them had the grace to start with “Legend has it”. A fairytale remains make-believe no matter how often it’s told or how many people believe it.
A C/D editorial might be sturdier ground except it’s not; I stopped counting technical errors in those a few years before I stopped reading that, decades ago. This just really is not how recalls work.
As to Iacocca: Yes, he was a salesman nonpareil, but he also stole pitchlines, he surely didn’t hit a homer every time he came to bat (ahem: Chrysler’s TC by Maserati…), and he evidently thought padded vinyl “landau” half-roofs, phony wire wheelcovers, waterfall grills, and other such tacky brougham-brigade dreck would always remain surefire salesmakers.
I always thought that the Premier resembled the Audi 5000. Before the days of Wikipedia when I was in grade school, I actually thought that the 5000 was another model of the Premier/Monaco, but even when I was in grade school, these were rare, including the Audi (which later, I learned had no relation to the AMC sedans).
It’s interesting how Chrysler used these as a starting point for the LH: they used the bodies of unsold Premiers and Monacos for powertrain testing of the 3.3/3.5 and the 42LE, since the drivetrain in these were transverse FWD as well.
I think the only other vehicle with transverse FWD besides the LHs and it’s AMC/Renault predecessors was the Acura Vigor. Its an interesting drivetrain but there doesn’t seem to be enough engineering advantages for a manufacturer to do it. My HS girlfriend (now wife) had a Vigor for a very short time before getting a 3-year-old E46 320i. I remember doing a double take when I saw the engine bay. It was weird that Honda went through the trouble of not only engineering and manufacturing a transmission for just one car model, but a inline-5 engine for it as well.
They must have taken a loss on those cars because even though I’m fairly clueless when it comes to Honda powertrains, I’m fairly sure that the combo was only used in the Vigor (correct me if I’m wrong).
I haven’t seen a Vigor in forever either–I’m thinking parts are very hard to find compared to its Civic, Accord or Integra contemporaries, so if something goes wrong, it gets junked. I’m sure it’s the same story with the Premier/Monaco, seeing how these are extinct: not enough volume to keep the survivors alive using parts from the dead ones down the line. The LH saw a much larger volume so parts were easier to find though most of the first generation and a lot of the second generation has all but disappeared as of recently.
Mmmm…the LH cars’ engines are longitudinally mounted, not transversely. It looks to me like that’s probably what you meant, though.
I drove across the country in about 1990 and noticed a surprising number of these in roadside rest areas given the sales numbers. A couple years later they all disappeared. As is often the case in the US no doubt reliability issues probably did them in. When Chrysler went to all driver’s airbags in 1991 they didn’t bother with the Premier.
Their TV commercials were also terrible.
Thanks for creating this page. I actually owned a 1990 Eagle Premier Ltd. Quite honestly the only car I’ve ever loved. I’ve owned 300M’s. Back when they were good, before the design team ghettoed them out. I’ve got an 06 Avalon now. Great car, but, the Eagle Premier just had style.
I am selling my 1991 Black ES Ltd. I need the garage space and have gotten a third car–and want to keep my 1998 Volvo. I have not driven it for several years and just keep it charged up and run it once in a while.
It has right front fender damage from an accident and the right turn signal lens, and the bumper attachment, and bit of resurfacing–at 2010, damage repair estimate was under $1,000. I have the replacement headlamp assembly. It has some minor issues, like AC needing charge, heater blower motor only one speed–need resister replacement, right power mirror not work completely–motor is fine but mirror gear is loose, horn not work, but have new horn pad–not installed. Tires need to be replaced due to age of tires, even though have good tread, and spare never used. Etc.
Someone has been after me for the car for the past few years, but he jerked me around the last time I was going to sell it, so I do not want to sell to him. I am looking for a buyer who loves the Premier and want to preserve it for posterity.
I’ve had it since new and gave it TLC. I posted it on eBay in 2016, when I was going to move and did not think I would have garage space anymore. I decided to keep it since I ended up with garage space (I also have car cover).
I hate to let it go, I’ve had it for so long, it is part of me, but I am not driving it or doing anything with it. And now I got another car. It has about 108,000 miles on it. Attach one picture. Seems only one pic is allowed. If you are interested, please let me know.
Those 4-speed ZF automatics had a couple of non-fatal failure modes that would lead one to believe the trans was dying but could actually be fixed pretty easily.
Automatic shifting can become erratic and unreliable due to failed governor seals. About $50 worth of parts and an afternoon’s work with the transmission in situ. Another condition that can develop is sliding (“flaring”) between 3rd and 4th gears which would lead one to believe the transmission was worn out and slipping. This was usually caused by a weak or broken accumulator spring in the valve body. Both are pretty simple repairs, or at least were when the parts were more readily available.
These faults are pretty well-known in the Saab community since the ZF 4HP18 was used in the 9000 however most random owners and mechanics would just say “the transmission is shot.” Back when those cars were more common you could pick up a 9000 reak cheap with a “bad transmission” then fix it up for a few bucks and a little wrenching. (I’ve seen those transmissions go over 300,000 miles in the 9000 if taken care of.)
Hmmm… Thanks for those tips. I still have my 1990 Monaco LX — can’t seem to give it away, and I’d hate to just scrap it. It’s under cover, but hasn’t moved in a while. I should probably get out there and put fresh gas in it and run it for a while.
My car was my daily driver from ~ 2004 when I bought it with 30k on the clock, up until 2020 or so when the trans went out. The fluid was black. I have not tried to rebuild it, not really interested in a project like that.
However, I might take a shot at your non-fatal failure sketches.
Unfortunately if the fluid is that bad, as in any conventional automatic transmission it may be too late and changing fluid may do more harm than good but depending on the situation maybe nothing to lose. That especially goes if the fluid is gritty since that’s worn friction material you’re feeling. However if the problems you are experiencing fall into the categories mentioned it may be worth a shot. (If the governor seals are shot then automatic shifting goes to pot but the trans can still be shifted manually. Happened to me on a trip years ago.)
The key to keeping those transmissions happy is frequent fluid changes and not pushing them too hard. (In the Saab 9000 the turbocharged engine was tuned for reduced torque with the automatic to protect the transmission, and automatic “Aero” models did not receive the more powerful engine that was installed with the manual transmission.)
I don’t think anyone in the U.S. knows how to rebuild those transmissions or do anything with them. They were only ever seen here in a small number of low-volume cars, the most popular of which was probably the Saab 9000. The go-to company for support and parts for the 4HP18 in the U.S. used to be Eriksson Industries (erikssonindustries.com) but I’ve read that they’re no longer supporting those old things. Might be worth a call though. You may also find some technical help for that transmission in Saab forums.
People who never change transmission fluid really are a crime against humanity!
Warm it up letting the engine idle until operating temp. Put it in neutral and rev the engine a little (don’t floor it!) just take it up to around 2500 RPM for a bit.
Drain all of the fluid. Pour some fresh fluid through it with the pan off. If it has internal filters like most modern transmissions, replace them. Re-seal pan, refill, drive it less than 5 miles. Drop the pan, fluid, change filters again, apply his quirk fixes, after putting the pan on put only half the fluid in, then add a bottle of this.
https://www.lucasoil.com/product/transmission-fix/
Continue putting transmission fluid in but hold back however much was in that bottle.
USE THE WHOLE BOTTLE!
If you can’t find that this will help, but not as good as that.
https://slick50store.com/products/recharged-high-mileage-automatic-transmission-treatment
I’ve had a lot of old Jeeps. Most had previous owners that were imbeciles who wanted to “just put gas in it and go.” My 1990 Grand Wagoneer tranny both slipped and leaked. I did put an engine in that ride, but slick 50 brought the tranny back to life. My current Jeeps all have Lucas in them. Lucas is way better for smoothing them out. I don’t know about it stopping leaks because these never have.
My mother bought an Eagle Premier ES when she replaced her Volvo. It was comfortable and quiet with a decent [6 speaker] sound system and the Renault keyless entry. I always liked the quirky features. For instance, the turn signal was the monostable type that would chime while active rather than make a clicking sound. Quirky, but kinda charming also. It was mostly reliable until the dealer killed the computer while servicing it in 1996. Getting replacement parts at that time was terrible… so bad that it was waiting for months. That experience pushed them away from American cars forever and into the new E-Class that had come out.
Many years ago as a teenager in far away Israel, I remember seeing an article in Road & Track about these when they first came out; I thought the car looked fresh and that it may help AMC/Chrysler to climb out of the doldrums. Much later, when living in the UK, I bought a Renault 25 from a car auction and was surprised by how good it drove: it felt like a smaller car than it was, took sharp corners with ease and was quiet and comfortable. But I also had the complexity of that V6 in mind and the fact the only reason it ended at the auction was that the ECU (which was located low in the engine bay) blew up after the previous owner drove through a pond… I had it for a couple of months and was very glad to sell it making a tidy profit. Now, that was in the UK with a good dealer network and parts availability. I dread to think how a Premier would have fared somewhere in you Mid-West. No wonder they failed.
This is why I come to Curbside to see cars from my childhood that were at least a presence.
The Plymouth thing would have had made sense or better yet make the Dynasty a Plymouth and this more updated car as a Dodge.
Looking back now the Chrysler division should have moved upmarket to compete w the Japanese entries and Caddy and Lincoln. They really ended up being just against Buick, Olds and Mercury. Dodge should have returned to mid-price with Plymouth the base car and maybe a limited Eagle lineup against Pontiac and sportier imports.
The biggest Chrysler fail of the 1990s was not building a full-size SUV off the excellent 1994 Ram. Would have printed money and maybe they could have avoided Daimler, Cerebrus and bankruptcy. And at that time you could have had a Dodge and Jeep version without too much overlap.
My 1990 is the one car I miss the most. Wish I had pictures of it. Even wrote a blog post about it many years ago.
https://interestingauthors.com/blog/uncategorized/eagel-premier-ltd-the-car-i-miss-most/
If they took the Renault parts out of them and re-introduced the Eagle Premier ES Limited I would buy it tomorrow.
I am French and live in France.
If there’s one thing you can’t fault French-designed cars for, it’s the lack of roominess: every French car is designed to maximize space on board and in the luggage compartment.
In France, car manufacturers design everything with low cost considerations: the engines are tiny and optimized so as not to consume too much oil and therefore do not require large engine compartments.
Furthermore, RENAULT has always excelled in seat comfort.
Finally, each French car has always been a model of handling.
>Furthermore, RENAULT has always excelled in seat comfort.
My Eagle Premier ES Limited was roomy, great ride, handling, and gas mileage.
The problem is Renault has, and always will build junk.
The Renault designed HVAC system held freon about as well as tissue paper.
The through-the-firewall electrical connection was pure French design. Open the door, turn the key, nothing. Pop the hood and disconnect that connector. Look at it, see no corrosion what-so-ever. Disconnect and reconnect it 5 times. Vehicle will start and run fine. If you tried to get away with only 3 time, you would be calling a tow truck.
Many of my college friends had a brand new Renault Alliance. That was the cheapest Car & Driver “car of the year” parents could get their college bound offspring. On a perfectly still Sunday afternoon, If you hand washed it then sat in a lawn chair beside it you could actually hear it rusting.
What the American market wants are vehicles built good enough that only minor maintenance will keep them on the road for 300+K and 30 years.
Are those same American buyers prepared to pay Toyota or Honda new car prices, to obtain that longevity?
What did they expect, when the Alliance was among the lowest-priced subcompacts at the time? With proper preventative maintenance, many of these lower-priced cars could reach 200,000 miles. Without the owner abuse.
There was no amount of maintenance that would stop the Alliance from rusting away in just a few short years.
I bought my 1980 AMC Concord station wagon with 8K miles on it for just under $8,000. Sold it with 130K and no rust on it to family friends that had 3 brothers needing a “first vehicle” Not too long after they put a used tranny in it then they drove it a lot. At 250K miles still with no rust they sold it to a kid with a lawn mowing business. After about another 5 years I lost track of it.
Ironically I bought my 1990 Eagle Premier ES Limited to replace that car.
Today I own:
2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland > 196,000 miles
2006 Jeep Commander > 130,000 miles
2006 Toyota Avalon XLS > 130,000 miles
No rust and I live in Illinois.
No matter how many times you ran your Alliance through the car wash, in a few short years it rotted out. They were notorious for “roof rot.” The only American cars to suffer “roof rot” did so because the buyer ordered either a Landau or full canvas top. Thankfully, but the end of the 1980s that fad was over.
Most of the Americans I know of with “college age” children buy them a Camry if they are buying new. Some buy Subaru.
Used, all bets are off, it’s what you can find.
2 big Chrysler mistakes in this era (which lead to later issues)
-Not moving Chrysler upmarket to truly compete with Caddy, Lincoln, Lexus etc. Then differentiate Dodge and Plymouth by moving Dodge into mid price. Eagle could have been a niche Pontiac fighter.
-Bigger though was not having a 94 Ram based SUV for Dodge/Jeep which would have printed money.
Rear discs were carried over to the Viper well that explains one thing, A Viper was imported to OZ and went showroom class racing and despite incredible acceleration was a duysmal failure, it had crap brakes, To get it to stop the whole system required upgrading which put it out of standard production class an in amongst real race cars where the handling let it down.