(first posted 5/19/2016) More than most U.S. buff books, Road & Track magazine displayed a particularly strong penchant for European cars. Therefore, it was no surprise that the magazine would assemble a comparison test of European sport sedans for the August 1991 issue. The problem was, two of the brands tested would actually exit the American market just as the article appeared, and the others would suffer mightily at the hands of the Japanese. But never mind, just don your tweed jacket and cap and revel in the wonders of Olde Europe.
The range of cars selected represented a surprisingly broad cross-section of European offerings, with a whopping $16,525 ($28,892 adjusted!) price gap between the least expensive Passat and the most expensive Audi 90 Quattro. Overall, though, the cars roughly fell into the emerging “near luxury” category—nice, but not as expensive as the full-on luxury products while pricier (though not necessarily better) than volume offerings.
The all-new 1992 E36 3 Series from BMW would have been a very appropriate addition to this test, but it had only just been revealed and was not yet available for sale in the U.S. I have no doubt that it would have been the editors’ favorite had it been included.
With sleek exterior styling courtesy of Pininfarina and a lusty 3.0 V6, the Alfa Romeo 164 had the trappings of an alluring Italian, at least until you opened the door. Inside, the over-styled, plastic-filled interior offered subpar ergonomics and an odd driving position. Quality was typically Italian as well, and not in a good way, with poor paint, rattles and electrical glitches. Priced at $29,810 ($52,120 adjusted), the 164L was no bargain, especially from a brand with a spotty reputation. For shoppers who weren’t dedicated Alfisti, there were other compelling and more affordable FWD sport sedan choices, like the stylish Nissan Maxima, positioned as a 4-door sports car and also sporting a zesty 3.0 V6. Getting into the highly-praised Maxima SE with leather and ABS would have cost $8,410 ($14,704 adjusted) less than the temperamental Italian temptress. Ultimately, in 1991 only 3,478 U.S. buyers would be seduced by any Alfa, including the Spider Veloce and the 164.
Were it not for parent company Volkswagen’s German pride and deep pockets, it is highly doubtful the Audi brand would have even survived in the U.S. market. The brand’s reputation was in tatters thanks to the unintended acceleration smear. Sales were in a free-fall—for 1991, only 12,262 Audis were sold in the U.S. Another huge issue was the fact that product offerings like the 90 Quattro were uncompetitive for the price. Though well crafted with an attractive interior and the benefits of the AWD Quattro system—all typical Audi hallmarks, the 90 had some major deficits like a tight cabin and an embarrassingly small trunk. The as-tested price was quite high: $32,190 ($56,281 adjusted)—basically the same money in 1991 would have bought the all-new Acura Legend LS, a more powerful and comfortable car from a brand with significantly more credibility at the time. No surprise then that a mere 655 Audi 90 Quattros found American homes in 1991.
Behold mighty Mercedes just as they faced a massive assault from Japan. The entry-level 4-cylinder Benz offered the classic benefits of engineering excellence and high quality construction, but for quite the price. The $31,355 ($54,821 adjusted) as-tested price was the second highest among the test cars, and this was for a base 190 with MB Tex vinyl upholstery and just a few options like metallic paint and power seats. Add normal luxury category fare like a 6-cylinder engine, velour seats and automatic to the baby Benz and the price ballooned to $37,490, which was just $510 ($892 adjusted) shy of the flagship V8-powered Lexus LS400!
Poor Peugeot. Road & Track gallantly tested their top offering, the 405 Mi 16, and offered Peugeot plenty of pointers on how they could make the quirky French car more appealing to American buyers. But alas, it was too late: in August 1991 Peugeot announced it was leaving the U.S. market, after an abysmal 2,233 sales in 1991. There simply weren’t enough Eurocentric Road & Track readers forking over $22,060 ($38,570 adjusted) for a failing French car when there were so many other compelling choices available. Tant pis, c’est la guerre!
Market and economic pressures forced some European brands to collaborate on product development in the 1980s, and one result was the Saab 9000. Based heavily on the Fiat Chroma and Lancia Thema, and thus also sharing its platform with the Alfa 164, the 9000 was probably cursed from birth among the Saab faithful for not being a genuine Saab. However, little did these Saab loyalists fathom how bad things would soon get under GM’s stewardship. Real Saab or not, the 9000 was a competent, understated car, though at $26,995 ($47,198 adjusted) it arguably should have been far better than that.
The Sterling 827SL was also the result of collaboration between automakers, though the provider of the platform and powertrain was something of a Trojan Horse in this Euro sedan crowd: that’s right, Honda of Japan offered up the underpinnings from the first generation Legend as the baseline for Rover’s new luxury sedan offering, sold under the newly-minted Sterling brand name stateside starting in 1987. Rover did the styling inside and out—led by the talented Roy Axe, who had previously been with Chrysler and was noted for delivering crisp, clean lines. Sadly, however, the ghosts of British cars past wound up haunting the Sterling, and the good looks couldn’t overcome subpar quality on an unknown brand from the U.K. For $28,560 ($49,934 adjusted) as tested, buyers expected a great car with a sterling (pun intended) brand reputation. The 827 feel fall far short of that, and sales through the 145 U.S. Sterling dealers quickly declined to an anemic pace. Thus, in August 1991, Sterling announced it was leaving the American market. No worry for Road & Track readers however, as there were piles of unsold English orphans being offered with huge discounts—reportedly $6,000 ($10,490 adjusted) per car, just to unload the remaining inventory.
Including the Passat in this comparison test was something of a stretch. After all, the Passat was just a compact sedan from a volume German brand, in no way trying to be a near luxury contender. Which is good, because it wasn’t: the engine was overpowered by the Passat’s weight, the shifter was clunky, and the whole car had a utilitarian, family hauler vibe. R&T tried to call out the Passat’s “sporty” handling attributes, but that was hard to swallow given how poorly the powertrain performed. Needless to say, buyers weren’t impressed, as only 16,139 Passats were sold in the U.S. for 1991. For anyone not fixated on “superior German engineering,” a tempting family car alternative was the Honda Accord LX. Praised for its impeccable build quality, slick 5-speed shifter, economical and responsive engine, roomy and attractive interior—all for $15,275 ($26,707 adjusted), the Accord undercut the VW by $390 ($682 adjusted) in spite of the Honda offering far more in the way of standard features like power windows and locks. No surprise that Honda happily retailed 393,477 Accords that same year.
The big Volvos were always the epitome of square: boxy looks, old-school RWD/live-rear-axle platform and a staid, trusted brand name. Only hardcore Volvophiles would have noticed the 1991 refresh that transformed the square 760 Series into the new, still-square 940 Series. Oddly, that year the flagship 940 only came with a turbo four, which offered up decent performance but was hardly smooth and luxurious as befitting a big box. Nonetheless, the Volvo 940 was good enough to find itself in 9,346 homes. But there was another sedate cruiser vying for those conservative dollars, from a nameplate equally well known for quality and durability. That car was the Toyota Cressida, the boring flagship sedan of the Toyota brand. With innocuous styling, smooth DOHC I6 performance and comfy interior, the Cressida could also boast about its ranking as the most trouble-free car in America, according to J.D. Power. Plus, the fully loaded Cressida sold for $25,723 ($44,974 adjusted), some $3,710 ($6,487 adjusted) less than the 940. Toyota’s ultimate sleeper also bested the Volvo in sales by a smidge, as 9,415 Cressidas were sold in 1991.
For the Road & Track editors, it all came down to character. Sure, other cars were more accomplished or offered better value, but they were so ordinary. Had this been 1981 instead of 1991, that logic might have been more compelling. But the reality of the Japanese onslaught of the late 1980s and early 1990s was that the U.S. market was teeming with desirable, highly competent and aggressively-priced offerings to appeal to buyers of near-luxury or high-end family cars. The impact on Europe’s car makers was severe: as noted, both Peugeot and Sterling left the U.S. market in August 1991. Alfa was gone in 1994—and only now is haltingly back into the American market. Saab never regained its strength and ultimately crashed and burned with the GM bankruptcy. Volvo simply treaded water through the decade before being sold to Ford and then to Geely in China.
The Germans fared somewhat better during the rest of the 1990s and early 2000s. Mercedes-Benz was firmly in the Lexus crosshairs, and the company responded by modifying its “cost is no object” engineering approach. While prices on Mercedes models became more attainable and sales surged, great damage was done to the brand’s reputation for quality and engineering excellence.
BMW lucked out, as the two Japanese luxury challengers offering more driver-oriented cars wound up changing direction. Acura had started strong with “Precision Crafted Performance,” but by the mid-1990s had inexplicably morphed into “Sleep Inducing Blandness” and ditched their legendary names. Infiniti also backed away from its “Japanese BMW” approach, and by mid-decade was offering glitzy Maxima clones as the core of its line-up. Hardly a threat to the Ultimate Driving Machine! BMW also did very well with the E36 3 Series, added V8 power to the 5 and 7 Series, introduced impressive new generations of its mainstay cars and altered its pricing and equipment strategy to more effectively compete with all rivals.
Miraculously, Audi held on in the U.S. market through the early 1990s (thanks VW!) in spite of utterly dismal sales. The product pipeline was good, however, with the very competitive A4 arriving for the mid-decade and sleekly restyled A6 and the aluminum-bodied A8 soon after. Thus started Audi’s steady march back to desirability in the U.S. market.
VW also continued to invest in product through the 1990s and stuck firmly to their German roots. Improvements were made to the Golf, Jetta and Passat that made them much more marketable in the U.S. America was also the focus of the New Beetle, which was VW’s clever play on mining its heritage to create a highly unique offering. The cloyingly-cute retro Bug sold 83,434 units in its first year in America, almost equaling the total sales volume achieved by the entire VW brand in 1991.
So yes, in the end the Road & Track article was right. Character does matter. Just make sure it’s a good one!
Additional Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1993 Alfa Romeo 164 – Alfa’s American Farewell Present
Vintage Road Test: Audi 90 Quattro
Curbside Classic: Mercedes 190E (W201) – Das Beste Oder…Baby!
Curbside Classic: 1988 Peugeot 405 S – Rare Then, Rarer Now
Vintage Roadtest: C&D Tests The 1986 Saab 9000 Turbo
Curbside Classic: 1987 Sterling 825 SL – Turkey In The Grass
Curbside Classic: 1990 VW Passat Wagon (B3) – Practicality Über Alles
Curbside Classics: 1991 – 1998 Volvo 940/960 – Playing It Safe
One potential reason for R&T’s disregard for Peugeot’s imminent North American demise is that Peugeot was a frequent advertiser in their magazine. In the year preceding this article, Peugeot placed ads in 11 out of 12 issues – in fact, Peugeot continued to place ads in Road & Track through October, 1991, even after the company’s announced departure.
Sterling was a significant R&T advertiser when the brand was launched, and then right through 1989, but somewhat infrequently after that. Still, Sterling placed 25 pages of ads in R&T during the brand’s short tenure in the US.
Like many others, I’m always a little bit suspicious of buff books and their review of advertisers’ products; these two examples are good illustrations as to why. (And in case you’re curious, I’ve indexed the ads and articles from my own R&T collection, which is how I was able to come up with these pretty obscure statistics so quickly… indexing is a neat thing to do, but VERY time-consuming.)
That said, I like the 405. Although, if I had been in the market for a new sport sedan in 1991, I probably wouldn’t have had the temerity to actually buy one, given the brand’s quality-control issues of the day. My father once owned a Peugeot 404, and I thought it would be a nice family tradition to buy a Peugeot sedan as well, but (probably fortunately for me), thinking about it was as far as that idea went.
Thats interesting info, were Honda and Toyota big advertisers as well?
Seems like these days its Mazda and Hyundai paying for favorable press, since most seem to ignore Mazdas rather awkward roof designs on their CUV models.
I always assume Cadillac is paying enormous sums for the fawning press they now receive.
At GN:
I wouldnt doubt it, its getting old hearing about how Caddys channel some 1989 BMW 5 series thing.
At Eric:
I’m pleased that R&T had the guts to admit Sterlings shortcomings.
Honda and Toyota both advertised consistently, but relative to their sales volume and number of models, they were not huge R&T advertisers during that period. In the 12-month period before this article was written, Toyota ran 8 ads (10 pages total) and Honda ran 9 ads (18 pages total).
By comparison, Peugeot ran 11 ads for the 405 — all for a car that sold 2,200 units per year, about as many cars as Honda sold in a few days.
Interestingly, Sterling ads came to a crashing stop in R&T after a 1989 road test of the 827 in which R&T was slightly critical, pointing out that (gasp!) Sterling had quality-control problems that should have been dealt with earlier on. There were only a handful of Sterling ads in the magazine thereafter.
I remember the Alfa won this test but couldn’t remember who came in 2nd. Pretty impressive to see it was the seven model year old Mercedes 190E. Late for work but took time to check the ratings and saw high marks for the 190E in body structure, ride, brakes, quietness, seat comfort and fit / finish. They really hold up well and make great used cars. Their time will come in the next 5-10 years when guys who are 35 now will remember them from their youth and want one as a hobby car. Started happening with cars like the 240Z a couple of years ago for that generation of folks.
I had my brief Europhile phase in around 1984-86. This article shows how quickly the world was moving then, as most of these were unavailable when I was car shopping in 84-85.
The only one of these I ever had seat time in was the Passat. My sister had been looking for a Jetta diesel. She was shown a Passat diesel (with a stick) that had been languishing on the lot and the dealer sold it to her for the same price as a Jetta. Another dealer who had one in a color she liked better accused her of lying about the price that the first dealer was offering, and he would not match it. She was told at the time that dealers got stuck with a Passat in some ratio to the hot selling Jettas that they ordered.
I agree with the testers, there was nothing upscale about the Passat then. It seemed like a big, basic European car that certainly didn’t feel at all like the GTI I had driven a few years earlier.
I always loved the lack of a grille on this generation Passat, although (of course) sales for the car didn’t start to take off until a regular grille had been appended. A salesman at the computer firm I worked for had one of these in station wagon variant. Bright red, and the front end was a mass of stone chips from the time he spent on the road.
Failure though it may be, I always liked the Stirling. Would still love to find one.
The Alfa and the Saab are my favorites, though. Would still happily own one of each, if one could be found not in completely beaten-to-death shape.
I found myself thinking “I should have picked up one of those deeply-discounted Sterlings”. Then I remembered that I was 11 in 1991.
I was in college, and there were some serious discussions about these super cheap Sterlings. Nobody I knew pulled the trigger, which was a good thing since probably I haven’t seen one since about 1994. Poof they were gone.
The other one was the mysteriously affordable RX-7 with about 80000 miles.
Something seems very wrong with the Peugeot’s performance numbers. 2,715 pounds and 150 horsepower should be able to do better than 10.9 seconds to 60 and an 18 second quarter mile. Strange.
I was parked next to a pearl-white Audi 90 at the dentist’s office this morning…the years had not been kind to the one I saw, but I still like the overall shape.
If I had to choose one of those cars, today, and have to live with it as a daily driver, I think I’d have to choose the Volvo, based on my impression that Volvos run a long time but are cheaper to work on than MB.
I’d argue that this is yet another example of the clear and nearly measurable inverse relationship between coolness/interesting and practicality.
By far the most interesting cars on this list, then and now for a host of reasons, are the Peugeot, Alfa, and Sterling which of course are the top three challengers to functional ownership.
Likewise, all of these cars were more interesting/cooler than any Toyota or Honda from the era, even though the latter made for better transportation.
Thus, buyers who needed a car that actually worked and didn’t care about cars could buy an Accord or Camry, those who actually cared about style/driving/interest yet still needed to get to work on most days could go for the VW/BMW/Merc, and those who were really passionate about cars, real car guys who were willing to suffer for their car, could go for the Pug or Alfa. Needless to say, the number of these buyers was limited at best.
I would hardly dismiss an Accord, Maxima or Integra sedan from this era, with a stick, from being an enthusiast’s choice. Or even something a class down like a Geo Prizm GSi (fun fact – Toyota themselves never sold a 4A-GE powered four door in the US but you could buy one from a Chevy dealer for a few years).
That was the reason why the Europeans had such a tough row to hoe – the Bubble Era Japanese cars were right up there in driving enjoyment. And if they were looked after the way an older European car would’ve trained its’ owners to, they lasted just about forever.
“if they were looked after the way an older European car would’ve trained its’ owners to, they lasted just about forever.”
Other than no Japanese car of that time could touch a Saab/Volvos as far as corrosion resistance.
Well, yes, I was mentally including frequent washings as part of the maintenance. Granted, nobody else matched the British automatic oil-undercoating system.
I completely disagree, although this is of course subjective.
I’ve driven these cars, and I’ve never driven a more dull sport sedan than a Maxima – the textbook definition of soulless driving experience. Quick yes, dull, oh my goodness yes.
I’ll grant you some of the small Asian cars were fun, but the Euro stuff was just so much more meaningful, albeit at a cost of reliability.
Today it’s different and I don’t think there is much or any difference between domestic-Asian-European cars in their classes.
Have to agree with Eric703 on the Peugeot’s bias. It ties the Passat’s 10.9 0-60 and is a tick slower 18.0 vs. Passat’s 17.8 in the 1/4 mile. 20.7 MPG vs VW’s 31.9 MPG. 700 ft. slalom 61.0 MPH vs. VW’s 61.9 MPH. (actually VW was fastest of all in the slalom.) Yet the Passat was $6395 less expensive. Peugeot did stop 14 ft. shorter at 60 and 23 ft. shorter from 80 MPH. Interesting HP is 16 more than VW but weight is 270 less, yet Passat is a bit quicker.
Have to agree at this point in time the Europeans really were falling behind in value and performance compared to Japanese upscale offerings.
When you drive a peugeot at speed on a twisty road you easily see why its ranked higher than things like Hondas, while a Honda rides and drives nice on a freeway it doesnt like being hurled into a tight bend at speed.
In what parallel universe is Peugeot ranked higher than Honda? Here, Honda kicked them right out of the market.
Sales figures do not mean more rewarding driving experience.
Today Bluetooth and ‘connectivity’ are big selling points and are no doubt popular, but that doesn’t mean they make for an interesting car.
I’d take a slow selling but cool and rare car over your high selling transit pod any day, unless of course I need it for transit.
There’s nothing cool or rare about a Peugeot. They’re disposable diapers in France, the largest market left where people are obligated to buy them. They thrive there because they’re protected and buyers are jingoistic. Honda conquered the US market by overcoming prejudices and protectionism with excellence. VW has been dominating the European market in recent years. Think about how bad the competition has to be for that to happen.
Well, PSA is good enough to design and build Toyota vans in Europe. Search for 2016 Toyota ProAce.
They’re actually doing very well these days throughout Europe and China. PSA sold almost 3,000,000 vehicles last year. Surely not all of them in France; 2015 net profit € 1.2 billion.
Honda was once quite popular here. But like all other Japanese brands they lost market share in a big way in the past 10 to 15 years.
They lost it because of emphasis on diesel by lawmakers. How’s that working out?
How’s that ? All Japanese automakers have always offered diesel engines in the main segments (that’s B, C and D) in the past decades. And especially Honda builds excellent and state of the art 1.6 and 2.2 liter diesels. They’re called i-DTEC engines. Read about them, very impressive.
My folks had a Passat GL from that era… was a nice car, but honestly the more I see of the 1990’s car design, the more I admire my 94 Nissan 300ZX… styling was truly a revolutionary break from the prevailing design mix.
It will likely be Tesla that takes us to our next vehicle leap. Current cars (as they were in the 90’s) are dancing around established designs and cherry picking advancements, but like the efforts and results of the 300ZX design of its day, I suspect Tesla will be the spark for the next overall vehicle shift up.
It’s going to be a really interesting time for cars over the next 6-8 years. I am curious if we will see another wave of smaller car companies fall by the wayside.
I was a passenger in a Model S today and even now I have the same opinion I did when it came out- it feels like somebody went into a time machine and brought us a car from 10 years in the future. Like Brock Yates said 30 years ago, it’s amazing what happens when successful organizations ossify. I feel like today’s Japanese are in the late 60s-early 70s domestic spiral. Like, they still can make a decent car but their glory days are behind them. Outsider companies like Tesla are a huge breath of fresh air.
I disagree in regards to Tesla; as amazing as their core focus is, the quality just isn’t there. Take a peek at Car and Driver’s long term 20,000 mile update of the Model S and how it’s inability to handle cold weather conditions makes you feel. Or this recent capture of a new Model X. Unacceptable build quality for a $15,000 Hyundai, much less a premium upstart. No other way to slice it…
Most people who purchase new cars now have garages. Cold isn’t really an issue.
In addition, the Model S was a first gen car which almost always leads to issues to follow regardless of the company.
Tesla will dominate once they get their Model 3 and you will see companies like Mitsubishi, Mazda and Fiat and Mini fade.
It will quickly reach a tipping point and other automakers will have to join this auto-paradigm shift or suffer greatly.
I live in Canada and the cold doesn’t affect my vehicle use… I don’t even use block heaters anymore.
Gas has returned to over $1.07/L and oil’s still under $50. It will only get more expensive from here…
Wow, that’s disconcerting. The couple of Ss I’ve been in certainly felt like a premium automobile. Maybe they’re spreading themselves too thin with the X and 3.
Such a shame Peugeot pulled out before the 1992 refresh of the 405, it has a vastly superior interior the the first models. It also doesn’t fall apart quite as easily! A redesigned boot lid helps with access to the enormous space too.
Yes, Peugeot. Here’s their new full-digital i-Cockpit, the first model that will get it is the upcoming new Peugeot 3008.
Saab: exterior : “handsome with interesting details”…. still looking for the interesting details. Did they mean the first gen Tempo details ?
Passat dash “sporty and functional”… still looking for the sporty part.
There’s a reason why I don’t subscribe to the rags any longer. Reading the old ones now it’s easy to see why.
Perhaps I wasn’t as cynical back then, but after Autoweek exposed Motor Trend for selling it’s COTY Award to the nominee’s manufacturer dependent on the ad bucks and perks they promised, I got wise. Around the same time as this article ran, too.
Interesting comparison, and I like the way in which the cars are ranked mainly by character.
The Audi was more than twice the price of the VW! I thought they shared a platform…hard to believe the price gap would be so great if they did. Was this not the case in this generation?
Platform was not shared. Audi’s engine is placed longitudinally, VW’s is transverse.
Yes, for that one generation VW migrated the new Passat to a stretched and otherwise embiggened Golf/Jetta platform while the Audi stayed with the longitudinal/FWD setup that was the final development of what DKW had started long before.
@ GN: Re the Passat, you write, “…given how poorly the powertrain performed”. Yet it equalled or slightly exceeded the acceleration of the Peugeot, clearly bettered the Mercedes, while “…returning an average of 31.9 mpg on our trip, by far the most fuel-efficient of the lot”. Agree with 67Conti and Eric703 that Peugeot’s numbers seem off, given its lowest curb weight of group, and 150 bhp.
Used to own a 300+k km 1991 Passat wagon (slightly heavier than sedan) whose 16V engine pulled strongly, and got better mileage than a well-maintained BMW 318iS.
I agree that GN is being a wee bit hard on the Passat. R/T says: in the twisty bits, the Passat takes a back seat to no one else…grip is good…the steering is fats and a great connected to the road feel.
And its performance was not at all bad. On a price/performance basis, the Passat came in with a very close second place finish.
Yes, the editors praised the Passat for its abilities given its price point (others were much more expensive which gave the VW a huge advantage on the “price dependent” ranking)… but subjectively I still maintain that the car had issues. R&T writes: “acceleration is good but fails to inspire” and “clutch engagement that is a bit grabby and makes for the occasional lurching start” with the 5-speed manual having a “heavy, clunky feel.” In the subjective comparative rankings, the VW’s engine performance ranked last, gearbox 2nd to last, steering tied for 4th, handling ranked 5th. My point with the Honda contrast was that, at the time, the well-priced Accord typically got accolades for its smooth, responsive engine and slick 5-speed, something that the “enthusiast” VW should have been able to better deliver.
Yes, Passat was subjectively ranked 5th in handling, yet it posted best slalom speed at 61.9 mph… 🙂
I get that US “buff books” going easy on European cars is “a thing”. I get that media outlets going easy on their advertisers is a “thing”. I’m sure this R&T article deserves some criticism. Has anyone considered that the “buff book” writers might also like certain cars because they are “car enthusiasts”?
I’m sorry, but a Nissan Maxima is probably a fine car if you’re running an illegal taxi service, but was anyone cross-shopping them with an Alfa 164?
Most people weren’t shopping Alfa in 1991 at all. Likely the people who did buy them were dedicated Alfisti wanting something very unique that would serve as good fodder for cocktail party conversations.
The Maxima received glowing accolades from the buff books at the time, especially in SE trim, so it was definitely seen as a very viable option for a car enthusiast. Granted, the Maxima’s reputation and appeal have declined dramatically over time, but the car was still considered desirable in 1991.
This made me realize that when I was a kid Maximas were desirable cars, but in my adult years now they’re seen as a super nice car for a person with terrible credit. Aspirational only to someone in their mid-20s. Actually I’d say for me and most of my 35-45 colleagues* Japanese cars are pretty much off the chart. It’s all domestics or Europeans.
*people I know, not people of that age in general
I’m at the upper limit of the age bracket you mentioned. For my social and professional circles, buying a domestic car causes others to look for lobotomy scars. Domestic trucks are tolerated. It’s accepted that people who’ve just started earning money are often going to go through a German car phase, but Japanese cars are the best automotive indication that someone is a well adjusted human being.
That has got to be the most sickening thing I’ve ever read on these pages.
There’s a reason he’s no longer around.
Actually, that was fairly mild compared to some of his really brilliant insights.
Assuming that’s more likely San Diego than South Dakota, it could be a fairly accurate representation of his car-snobbish circles.
Call me a skeptic on the Volvo 940 review, I’ve driven several 7-9 series from that time and they were all pretty atrocious handling-wise, even with the wagons more favorable weight distribution.
Most Volvo fans will tell you that they get tail-happy in slick weather, while under-steering like a pig in any other.
The others I dont ave much experience with, though I keep seeing red Saab 9000s on my local craigslist, same two cars but many different stories of varying honesty.
That review is pretty funny – I’ve owned 2 940s, turboed and NA and they have pretty absurdly bad handling. You really can’t expect much from a solid axle car that’s really based on a 20+ year old design – it’s designed to be simple and reliable. It is a LOT of fun on gravel or snow though, very predictable.
Volvo 940 owner here, and I can most definitely vouch for that. With a good set of tires they’ll hold a line well through a corner, but they’re not at all nimble during abrupt maneuvers. But it’s no worse than my Fox Thunderbird was.
And don’t get me started about wheel-spin on slick roads once the boost kicks in.
I always felt like my 240s were a little more nimble, more narrow than the 740 was and tighter steering.
The Alfa 164 was a brilliant car- there is no front wheel car in history that handles as well as one. And if you had half a brain, they were mechanically indestructible- which I hardly think applies to anyone who has ever bought a Maxima.
Alfa Romeo is the definition of the automobile. Japanese cars are just simple imitations of automobiles.
Its not surprising, that japanese cars, walmart & olive garden all rose to prominence in America.
The Alfa 164 was a brilliant car- there is no front wheel car in history that handles as well as one
Seriously uninformed opinion. Tell that to it’s .78 lateral G skidpad rating. I rather like the 164 myself, but I’m certainly not going to go out on a limb and make a statement like that. There are a lot of vastly superior FWD cars in this regard. Off the top of my head, a DC2 Type R would have you eat your words.
Having owned a 1995 Alfa 164 Quadrifoglio (not the model tested), I beg to differ.
The ’91-’93 12-valve V-6 was very good, if somewhat underpowered at the time. The ’94-’95 24-valve engines were problematic; they had a design flaw that resulted in <30,000 mile tiling belt life, and they had a nasty habit of chewing off teeth from the belt (and jumped timing as a result). This caused catastrophic engine failure because it was an interference engine, and that required an engine rebuild, which cost me $6,500 in 2001 money. The belt had around 15,000 miles on it when it failed.
I have never been more happy to see car out of my driveway. While I loved how it drove, the maintenance killed me. Electronic struts at $1,600 per, steering rack, numerous coils, and various electronic issues meant I couldn't depend on it.
My wife's 1990 Alfa Spider is like a Toyota in comparison.
No, the Alfa 164 was not that great. Alfas have some good cars, but their reliability is very often extremely bad.
The Cressida had an inline 6, not a V6.
Fixed, thanks!
I was actively car shopping in early 1992 and drove the Audi, the Saab, the VW, and the Volvo. I was also an R&T subscriber at the time and my impressions of the cars were pretty much in line with theirs. I ended up with the Saab 9000s, which I was very happy with until it started to self-destruct at around 100K miles. The brilliant packaging gave it small footprint and vast, usable interior volume. It had terrific seats and cruised effortlessly at motorway speeds, so consecutive 600 mile/1000 Km days did not leave the occupants exhausted. Yet, it was fun to drive in town or on back roads.
The Saab was the most versatile car I have owned and there has never been anything quite like it since (at least, in the U.S. market). The Japanese and U.S. car makers didn’t offer anything comparable at the time. On the other hand, most of the cars I have owned have been out of the mainstream to varying degrees, so I’m aware my tastes don’t reflect the market at large.
Reading about how Mercedes-Benz used to extend their fundamental engineering philosophy and quality to their least expensive models makes me sad when i think about the rebadged Nissans they now sell at the bottom of their range and the grotesque gin palaces that make up the meat of it. It seems like only VW and Audi exist today in a form that’s related to what they were twenty five years ago.
What VW and Audi were 25 years ago wasn’t that hot.
In 1995, a classmate of mine bought a very sharp, one-year-old Passat in deep metallic green with a light tan leather interior from the local VW dealer. That car was handsome and drove well. It was traded for a brand-new Honda Accord within a year because of never-ending problems, and the VW dealer’s refusal – or inability – to fix them.
I wasn’t suggesting VW or Audi was all that great 25 years ago, just that they haven’t changed as much as BMW, Mercedes, Volvo or Alfa Romeo. VW changed a great deal during the ’70s. Since then, they’ve been pretty stagnant.
True dat, RF. The SAAB 9000 felt like what a VW Golf wants to be when it grows up. Still, I’ve never had a more commodious car, or a faster car, or a most comfortable car, or (TDI excepted) a more fuel-efficient car. The fact that it was all four of those at once makes it a real gem, a pinnacle of a Sports and Utility vehicle before they even had a name.
I know about self-destruction, too. Past 100,000 miles, I was replacing the heater core every two years, and in the off years, the clutch master cylinder. Then, while I was driving home from the shop after an exhaust system replacement, a tiny plastic speedometer drive gear in the bowels of the transmission broke. The shop asked me if I wanted to replace the clutch while they were in there removing and dismantling the transmission to fix it. I said “Enough” and sold the car cheap, as is. But I’d gladly buy a new one, with warranty, tomorrow.
Make me another “me too” ex-9000 owner who’d have another in a heartbeat. Cracking cars.
GN “Saab 9000. Based heavily on the Fiat Chroma and Lancia Thema”
No.
The SAAB wasnae based on the FIAT and Lancia, they were developed together: “type four” cars were a collaborative project from the get-go. You might enjoy Ate Up With Motor’s piece on them:
http://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/alfa-romeo-164-type-four-cars/
Whatever Road & Track was offering its readers in 1991, very few of them were taking it seriously. It’s a good thing, as buying a car that didn’t work and depreciated faster than you could pay it off was a disaster for many a Europhile. Thirty years later, once can look at how these automakers’ offerings have changed.
The Alfa-Romeo’s best feature was its engine. Worst was quality. Today’s Alfas’ engines have all the musicality and creaminess of a diesel, and their worst feature is still their quality.
Audis no longer have characterful engines or sporting pretenses, but they’re otherwise quite similar to what couldn’t be given away in 1991.
The small Mercedes-Benz of 1991 was a miniature version of a big Mercedes-Benz, which meant it was an uncompromising car that covered the basics as well as possible while ignoring the superficial. Today’s small Mercedes is whatever they can get away with under a layer of glitz and marketing.
The 1991 Peugeot was a car that probably looked pretty good on paper in 1985, before Acura ate its lunch and the 1987 BMW 325i set a cap on what could be charged for a fake sport sedan. I don’t have an informed opinion on today’s Peugeots, as they are missing in action here.
The Saab 9000 was living on borrowed time. When Saabs had few competitors in terms of semi-premium FWD cars, people didn’t notice things like clunks from the rear suspension and bizarre ergonomics. By 1991, some seriously capable car companies were making Saabs look pretty amateurish. They had been doing some great things with engine management, but that meant they had to neglect other areas of car development because of their lack of resources. Then GM bailed them out, but at a cost. Now, they’re dead.
The Sterling had the second-best engine in the group, and certainly the best when you factor in dependability and longevity. The rest of it was like a kit-car built using Honda components. I suppose its closest relative today is the Mini Cooper line of small CUVs. It’s a shame they don’t have access to Honda drivetrains any longer.
The Volkswagen Passat was a pretty honest sort of family car with a sporting attitude to seating, steering, and ride. A look at the VW USA website suggests that the Arteon is the new version of the Passat. It looks like an Accord or Sonata competitor in this day of ephemeral luxury, and it starts at over $40K, climbing to over $50K with trim packages and option. Maybe that’s what a rental car costs now.
The Volvo was a Volvo back then. After cloning old Fords and Willys, they hit on the idea of making cars that looked like cereal boxes in the late ’60s and then stuck with it. In the late ’50s, Volvos were considered fairly sporting by foreign car types, and they were playing on that with their turbos. Today, Volvo badges are hung on Geelys for markets where people might not knowingly buy Chinese cars, or at least where they don’t want their peers to know that they’re buying Chinese cars.
The Sterling proved the important bits in making a Honda a good car weren’t the pieces that came from Honda as much as they were the ones that came from Nippondenso.
Honda is also very good at engineering a car that can be taken apart and put back together correctly without the services of a front-of-the-grid Formula 1 team. The Stirling was much more like a homebuilt that was willed together once with the hope that nobody would ever have to reverse engineer it to fix something. The Acura Legend and Stirling 825 didn’t just bookend the JD Power rankings because of their respective electrical suppliers.
We’ve experienced the automotive equivalent of a loss of biodiversity.
I drove a number of these cars… back in the day… but the one I really liked was the Alfa. I was in the UK on business and needed to do some customer visits. Our UK sales director lent me his red 164 for a couple of days. To say it made an impression at the time would be an understatement; heck, in the States my daily driver was a Volvo 245! It was sweet everywhere: on the motorways, th eA-roads and the B-roads.
One funny thing: stopping for petrol we crawled all over the car trying to find the release for the fuel door. The elderly lady waiting to fill us up had no idea, either. Finally found a button down by the base of the steering column. Who’da thunk it?
Some thoughts from Europe – the Peugeot and the Passat are being asked to play outside their league; the Sterling/Rover gets a better write up than its final scorecard would suggest; the SAAB and Alfa trade on their characters; the Mercedes on being solid and expensive; the Audi just expensive; the Volvo just a Volvo.
My pick – perhaps the Alfa or the SAAB.
I spent the 90’s raising small kids, so all of these were out of my price range until around the end of the decade, but the one used car purchase that I never once regretted was that of a Saab 9000. Mine was a bit newer than this example, with the “updated” front and rear styling, but otherwise the same car. There was literally nothing that car didn’t do well. For my purposes and use case it was “The Perfect Car” for the time I owned it. My unfortunate experiences with a couple 2 and 3 year old VWs during this same period swore me off them for life despite their fun driving dynamics.
Tragic how Mercedes “quality” today rivals that of Sterling then. My E Class wagon, picked up with 8km on the clock two days ago has so many faults that it is being returned forthwith – paint finish that makes Earl Scheib look good with obvious panel pressing faults, brakes pulling to one side, rough shifting and a reversing camera mounted 90 out so that the picture is on its side (see image). It doesn’t handle nicely either and the HMI is horrible.
The Skoda Karoq (VW’s cheapest marque) that I rented a couple of weeks ago was better in all respects, despite costing less than half the 80,000 Euro of the Benz. People here in Stuttgart I have spoken to have similar stories of woe regarding new products from Sindelfingen.
I’m shocked, as the CL 500 coupe (2002 W215 generation) I had was lovely and fondly remembered. There is an original Gullwing where we are working and it is the epitome of quality – all the switches and stalks work with wonderful precision and a colleague has a 190E 2.6 and W124 500E which are built beautifully.
Audi, which were on their uppers at the time of this test have exemplary build and drive quality where BMW seems to have slipped a bit. No wonder they are selling so well.
The Alfa Stelvios I have seen seem to be pretty good, as have the latest Volvos. Even Peugeots which were a bit fragile in the early 90s seem pretty well made now.
I loved every line of that 164L inside and out and especially the look of the engine, but the only way I would’ve afforded one was used, and just imagining the repair headaches gave me the sweats.
How I’d wished when Toyota “borrowed” the taillight design for the Camry they’d have done a 2-door.