I put 177,000 miles on my 88 Colt Turbo and loved it all the way. Super reliable, tight handling, and quick. I could easily show my taillights to those pesky Hondas and Acuras. LOL. The guy that bought it from me was so happy to find it. It was a pretty rare car. I only saw 1 silver like mine the whole 12-13 years I owned it.
Motorweek has always been so informative since the very beginning and always had their shit together if you will. Watching all of these throwback posts have been such a treat! It amazes me that over 30 years of this wonderful program they have rarely given any confusing or incompetent information to us viewers! Take a bow Motorweek staff! We thank you for all of your work!
+MotorWeek Do you have any retro reviews of the Volvo 240,740, or 940? I would love to see them! And thanks so much for the awesome retro content, what a throwback.
No loud music. No jump cuts. No presenter screaming at you. Content that doesn’t insult your intelligence. What a joy to watch. A road test and a travelogue! I wish I was one of the testers. The only one of these cars I’ve spent any time with is the Acura. I briefly owner a red 89’ LS much like the test car. It was a joy to drive and felt quicker than it was because you could just flog it all the time...Rev’ed and shifted so sweetly that car had the lightest clutch pedal I’ve ever experienced. Definitely a car I’d like to have back. Man, the cheap little Escort GT’s used to be everywhere! Haven’t seen one in decades...or a Colt either.
Thank You MotorWeek for making these archived reviews available on TH-cam!! These are gold to true car enthusiasts everywhere. Staying true to your roots! Keep 'em coming.
The ZC in the Integra was such a great engine, I wish we had gotten it in the Civic/CRX like the Japanese market did. I swapped a JDM black top into a Civic and it gave me 38 mpg and ~130 hp. It was a quick little bugger.
MotorWeek is the O.G. of car review shows! I have been watching this show since I was a teenager in the '80s and have watched non-stop until now. So happy to see JD still at the helm and that the show, while maturing in its technology as time goes on, still gives us no-nonsense yet affable and friendly content. Here's to ANOTHER 40 years!
I owned a red '87 Acura Integra like the one in the video. I loved that car. Unfortunately, someone rear ended me and slammed me into the car in front of me causing a total loss. I ended up replacing the Integra with an '88 Honda Prelude Si 4WS which I really loved.
34 years later and the GTI is still going strong, Corolla Hatchback has recently made its return and Acura just announced the return of the Integra for 2022!
I had an Integra with a 5 speed. On the freeway, it was a buzz bomb. At speeds of about 70, the engine in fifth gear was revving at about 4000 RPM. After about two hours of that, and the amount of fuel it consumed at that RPM, I just wanted to get the hell out of the thing. Combined with almost no sound insulation, the vehicle on the freeway was torture device. Fun around town and it just looked fantastic. I still love the look of it today.
I had the complete opposite experience in mine, a 1989 LS 2 Door 5spd. Loved it for long drives and it would get great mpg. At 80 mph it would get 34 mpg, did several tests to confirm it. I could get near 40 mpg if I pedaled it a bit. Sound was not an issue at all and it was very smooth and the faster you went the better it sounded.
The 80+ year old head autobody instructor at my trades school had a museum-condition silver Dodge Colt like the one in this video, as one of his daily’s back in 2012. No idea why he would, but it was the first and last one I ever saw in nice condition.
I’ve got a 2017 GTI. They’ve only improved it in the last 3 decades. Love this car and it ranks as one of the top 10 vehicles according to car and driver.
I think it would have done much better if theyd gotten the 2 liter instead, though. 120 horses and 122 torques would have probably pushed it up quite a bit for them.
I miss ol' Rusty, my Integra identical to the one you tested. Purchased new in 1987, I owned it 17 years and put on 240,000km (150k miles) before the rust finally did it in. Certainly not quick by today's standards, but it was a great combination of utility, economy and performance. Thanks for posting the old reviews, Motorweek - it unleashes some great memories!
Yeah rust was a problem on al japanees cars of those day. the engine would always outlive the body. Luckily you don't get that anymore on anything japanees of the last 10 years. Very high rust resistance,, they actually beat the germans to that game. Honda/Acura should make a new Integra. It looked like a sportscoupe, but it had the rear seat and trunk of a hatchback. I can't imagine there is nobody wanting for such a car today. And their new 1.5 turbo-vtec seems like the ideal engine for such car, why don't they do it?
I owned a 1988 Escort GT. The 1st gear did not help with moving it forward!! Once you shifted into second gear the engine would produce quite a bit of torque! 2 to 3 was a fun upshift, 3 to 4 was good. Passing was done in 4th gear around town. My Escort GT could cruise at 90 mph on Interstate 10 all day long. I changed the factory Firestones for Toyo high performance tires. The car was much quieter inside with the Toyo's. Good car, I should have never traded it in!!
My all time favorite car I ever owned over my 40+ years of driving was the 1986 GTI bought second hand. AC always on the fritz, but what a fun, practical, toss able car this was.
Wait, is that Craig Singhaus! That goes back. Perhaps not surprisingly, the winning GTI still is around today, full trophy case still building year after year. Back in ‘87 I had the GTI and as my career moved along I moved up the line to ultimately owning an exotic car. But one day I had a moment of clarity and realized that the GTI really was all I ever needed (plus a pickup for towing) and I bought one, then another, then... What is wild is that today’s GTI has 350 HP courtesy of an inexpensive couple of mods. It gets over 40 mpg on the highway routinely also. My how times change!
Should have included a Dodge Omni GLH (non-turbo) in the test. I bought one new back in 1986. You could only get them with a 5 speed manual. 1986 was the last year the Omni GLH's were made.
Back in the day, tried 4 of them. The Acura had the best curve handling ability but always shifting at high rpms to max out engine. The Ford was adequate with poor clutch/shifting. The FX was a fun car but the body was not attractive, and the GTI was a beast.... Recaro seats, but didn't have the 8v torque but it was fun. Drove a Mirage/Colt but not a turbo... the 88 323GX was a fun turbo car.... great memories
@@showoe3126 I'm guessing they didn't include the GLH because 1986 was its final year. With that being the case, it's possible Dodge didn't have one in their press fleet.
Motorweek, while legendary, was just a show on PBS and I think they got review cars at the end of their cycle, then they had been beat up on by all the magazines. I think that's why they tended to get different results depending on when they tested the car. But that's actually a good thing since they weren't getting a lot of factory prepped cars - so they probably got more realistic results.
Had 3 GTs, an 86 (hit by a bus at college), 88 (sold) and 95 GT (rear ended on the 10 freeway). Those Mazda engined, 90s GTs were really underappreciated.
Did you guys back then leave out the 1986 Dodge Omni GLHS because its a 4door Hatch? Same size car as the rest and would have wiped the floor with these cars. 175hp/175tq 1/4mile in the mid 14s. With a $10.995 sticker price and a bolt on Super 60 Mopar Performance package (300+HP) from the dealer this was the ULTIMATE HOT HATCH in the 80s.
Torque was actually at 210, stock...The more basic 2.2 turbo 1 had 146hp and 170lbft of torque. That was still more than enough to make for a high 14 sec car with a 5 speed.
I had and 87 version of both the Integra and the GTI, ten years old at the time. I did not like the torsion spring suspension in the Integra but i did like the interior overall. The GTI motor was just as silky smooth as the Acura but with more power and better fuel economy.
That Colt looks great! I´m from México and the only GT was the VW Caribe, a Mexican version of the MK1 Golf GTI but it´s 1.8 SOHC engine didn´t reach 100hp and even so it became an icon here. Too bad we didn´t get any of the vehicles all you guys had in the US. They would have been a hit
I remember my ex's sister had an '86 Escort GT just wasting away in the driveway, It overheated when you sat still. I remember taking it down the road and not shifting until close to 7000rpm once...Yellowline was 5500...The redline was 6000. I'm surprised half the valves didn't shoot through the hood.
My first car was a Dodge Colt (non-turbo). It was a tin can that didn't even make it home the day I bought it (used) without having to replace the clutch. It was mine and that is what I cared about as an 18 year-old fresh out of high school.
Had a Toyota Fx 16 after college in early 90’s. Great car, peppy , put together like a tank and was very comfortable to drive. In fact it was the first small car I had ever driven that actually felt like a large sedan in terms of driving dynamics..
A great video. I remember all these cars with fond memories. One thing I didn't get - Acura Integra goes 0-60 in 9.8 seconds and was the second slowest of the group while Toyota FX-16 goes the same 0-60 in the exact same 9.8 seconds and "finished in the middle of the group." Did I miss something?
I owned a 1987 GTI 16v in Blue Mica paint. Beautiful color and the tear drop wheels had a starburst glow at night with streetlights. Great car to drive and always looked great when clean. I would spend hours detailing it.
My first car was a 87 golf, It had a 20v Audi engine, pulled up behind a Porsche 944 and we both had the same exhaust tip/ muffler. Odometer was broken at 315k miles. I drove it like a race car and sold it to a friend. Bought the car for 300$ in 2001.
I'm curious about the character change of the FX16! Mr John said that "the tossable nature and good cornering power were gone"! Was he referring to the Top Gun-inspired review, in which a red FX16 was used and got praised for its "overall Nimble Feel"?? If yes, then this video was made in 1987, with '86 models, am I right?? So, some suspension or tire changes may've had happened until this comparison!
That's the one. Somewhere along the way MW forgot the original car they tested was a GT-S model with stiffer suspension and performance-compound tires on alloy wheels.
I put 140,000 miles on my 86' Escort GT in 4 years! There must have been a problem with the press car they had. I blew away Rx7's and Camero owners asked how I modified it, which I had not. Great car!
Yeah it's called car and the driver, think the car has a lot to do with what driver is in it, my 88 Ford Escort GT was just waking up when I was driving it hard, good oil good gas , pushing her hard no problems I would just hear people say wow this thing is fast .😋
This was a memory lane episode for me. I was stationed in the Air Force in the 80's and spent my entire time in England. I drove an '84 Escort XR3i and an '86 XR3i. They were absolutely great to drive due to their Euro specs in performance and handling. When I came back to the states, I actually wanted a GTI but it was a bit pricey for me so I settled on an '87 Escort GT. No comparison. The GT was much more softly sprung and not nearly as competent on the road as its Euro-spec'd XR3i. I'm sure it was tuned that way for American drivers but for me, it was a real disappointment. In later years, however, I was able to drive a couple of GTI's including a 20th anniversary edition that was the best car I've ever driven at the time.
Ford touted these as "world cars" but despite looking similar the NA Escorts didn't share any parts with the Euro models aside from a tiny rubber seal.
These vintage car test are addictive, cars from my childhood. Some are familiar form Europe (sometimes with a other name or badge) and some I have never seen before..
I was in high school and drooling over these and other similar cars not tested. Strange how these were the performance versions and yet they're no faster or are slower than today's heavier compact sedans base engine models. These hatches are about the same size as today's cars like Yaris, Sonic, Fit, Mirage, Fiesta, Rio, & Accent. In fact, the above modern cars are larger and weigh more than the cars tested. Would have loved to see a Buick Skyhawk or Pontiac Sunbird turbo included in the test.
I put 177,000 miles on my 88 Colt Turbo and loved it all the way. Super reliable, tight handling, and quick. I could easily show my taillights to those pesky Hondas and Acuras. LOL. The guy that bought it from me was so happy to find it. It was a pretty rare car. I only saw 1 silver like mine the whole 12-13 years I owned it.
That Silver, red trim combo was great
I just bought a 1988 dodge colt
I learned to drive manual in my brother’s 1987 Colt Turbo. An incredible car !
Dear God I love these throwback shows...
Thank humans. They rebroadcast these shows. And which god anyway? There are thousands. Do we thank all of them? Weird chimps.
Still daily driving my 1987 Integra with 280,000km on it. Still an excellent fun & extremely reliable car. This video is right on the money.
Motorweek has always been so informative since the very beginning and always had their shit together if you will. Watching all of these throwback posts have been such a treat! It amazes me that over 30 years of this wonderful program they have rarely given any confusing or incompetent information to us viewers! Take a bow Motorweek staff! We thank you for all of your work!
Thank you very much!
***** You are welcome! Btw, can you post any MW throwbacks of the 86,87 Toronado or Riviera short downsized body? Im kinda up for a good laugh! LOL
Dev Rose we can make that happen
Thinking of the motto of another car-themed TV show - "ambitious but rubbish". You guys are the opposite of that.
+MotorWeek Do you have any retro reviews of the Volvo 240,740, or 940? I would love to see them! And thanks so much for the awesome retro content, what a throwback.
No loud music. No jump cuts. No presenter screaming at you. Content that doesn’t insult your intelligence. What a joy to watch. A road test and a travelogue! I wish I was one of the testers. The only one of these cars I’ve spent any time with is the Acura. I briefly owner a red 89’ LS much like the test car. It was a joy to drive and felt quicker than it was because you could just flog it all the time...Rev’ed and shifted so sweetly that car had the lightest clutch pedal I’ve ever experienced. Definitely a car I’d like to have back. Man, the cheap little Escort GT’s used to be everywhere! Haven’t seen one in decades...or a Colt either.
Best part of the Motor Week reviews is watching the reviewer "thrash" around in the car trying the range of adjustments.
Thank You MotorWeek for making these archived reviews available on TH-cam!! These are gold to true car enthusiasts everywhere. Staying true to your roots! Keep 'em coming.
The ZC in the Integra was such a great engine, I wish we had gotten it in the Civic/CRX like the Japanese market did.
I swapped a JDM black top into a Civic and it gave me 38 mpg and ~130 hp. It was a quick little bugger.
I had the Toyota FX-16. It was a fun car. Can’t believe it had less than 110 horsepower!
the one we got had 124hp
I love GTI Golfs and FX16. The gti was my 1st choice. The only 4 cylinder with torque.
Colt/Mirage turbo very appealing due to their rarity, manual steering and turbocharging. It's definitely the most '80s-tastic here.
I sold them new. Reliable as can be. Kind of fun too.
I love these throw backs! I had an ‘88 Dodge Colt Premier Turbo. It was my 1st brand new car and I loved it.
MotorWeek is the O.G. of car review shows! I have been watching this show since I was a teenager in the '80s and have watched non-stop until now. So happy to see JD still at the helm and that the show, while maturing in its technology as time goes on, still gives us no-nonsense yet affable and friendly content. Here's to ANOTHER 40 years!
I owned a red '87 Acura Integra like the one in the video. I loved that car. Unfortunately, someone rear ended me and slammed me into the car in front of me causing a total loss. I ended up replacing the Integra with an '88 Honda Prelude Si 4WS which I really loved.
34 years later and the GTI is still going strong, Corolla Hatchback has recently made its return and Acura just announced the return of the Integra for 2022!
annnd none of them are good cars like the mk2 gti used to be, japaneese automakers are a shame
I had an Integra with a 5 speed. On the freeway, it was a buzz bomb. At speeds of about 70, the engine in fifth gear was revving at about 4000 RPM. After about two hours of that, and the amount of fuel it consumed at that RPM, I just wanted to get the hell out of the thing. Combined with almost no sound insulation, the vehicle on the freeway was torture device. Fun around town and it just looked fantastic. I still love the look of it today.
I had the complete opposite experience in mine, a 1989 LS 2 Door 5spd. Loved it for long drives and it would get great mpg. At 80 mph it would get 34 mpg, did several tests to confirm it. I could get near 40 mpg if I pedaled it a bit. Sound was not an issue at all and it was very smooth and the faster you went the better it sounded.
Hang on, let me try to break this seat and tear the steering wheel off. Interior test completed. I love these retro reviews!
They looked like ADHD kids who hadn’t had their Ritalin in a while.
The 80+ year old head autobody instructor at my trades school had a museum-condition silver Dodge Colt like the one in this video, as one of his daily’s back in 2012. No idea why he would, but it was the first and last one I ever saw in nice condition.
1980's cars have ALWAYS been my favorite!!! God, I miss them!!!
I’ve got a 2017 GTI. They’ve only improved it in the last 3 decades. Love this car and it ranks as one of the top 10 vehicles according to car and driver.
The Integra is the best one to me.
I think it would have done much better if theyd gotten the 2 liter instead, though. 120 horses and 122 torques would have probably pushed it up quite a bit for them.
@@AiOinc1 The '86 Integra didn't offer a 2 liter engine option.
@@a32tl oddly enough the accord of the same vintage did get the more powerful 2 liter and still felt very sporty
Drove an '89 Integra for several years. Loved that engine and the handling. No problems at all.
Super overrated geez. Got its - handed to it by the GTI.
4 years later the Sentra SER was the performance bargain of the decade.
I have been waiting for over 25 years since I taped over this to see it again!!!!! Thank you so very much!!!!!
I miss ol' Rusty, my Integra identical to the one you tested. Purchased new in 1987, I owned it 17 years and put on 240,000km (150k miles) before the rust finally did it in. Certainly not quick by today's standards, but it was a great combination of utility, economy and performance. Thanks for posting the old reviews, Motorweek - it unleashes some great memories!
Yeah rust was a problem on al japanees cars of those day. the engine would always outlive the body. Luckily you don't get that anymore on anything japanees of the last 10 years. Very high rust resistance,, they actually beat the germans to that game.
Honda/Acura should make a new Integra. It looked like a sportscoupe, but it had the rear seat and trunk of a hatchback. I can't imagine there is nobody wanting for such a car today.
And their new 1.5 turbo-vtec seems like the ideal engine for such car, why don't they do it?
@@FrightfulAccountant Sounds like Acura listened to you!
I loved my 89 Escort GT. I beat on that thing for 5 years from 89-94 and it never skipped a beat.
Legend has it the Toyota Corolla FX 16 is still on the road today.
The legend is true because I still drive mine every day.
I wonder what caused it to handle so poorly this time around…
1:47 HighOutput Ford engine; "output is low" lol
The Escort GT looked great slammed, my 8 valve golf smoked all of these with an exhaust and tune.
Great episode. I owned an '86 Colt hatchback and all of its might with a measly 68 horsepower, lol.
I had a 90 Colt with 82hp! I always dreamt of a Turbo colt, even the previous gen car
My first car-VW GTI. Great car and love the retro reviews!
I owned a 1988 Escort GT. The 1st gear did not help with moving it forward!! Once you shifted into second gear the engine would produce quite a bit of torque! 2 to 3 was a fun upshift, 3 to 4 was good. Passing was done in 4th gear around town. My Escort GT could cruise at 90 mph on Interstate 10 all day long. I changed the factory Firestones for Toyo high performance tires. The car was much quieter inside with the Toyo's. Good car, I should have never traded it in!!
My all time favorite car I ever owned over my 40+ years of driving was the 1986 GTI bought second hand. AC always on the fritz, but what a fun, practical, toss able car this was.
+Bob Marley
Agreed. GTI's always seemed to be the most well rounded yet spirited and fun to drive cars.
What does toss able mean?
Gti would be my choice out of all these. Without a doubt.
so really this is just a battle between the Integra and GTI.
Wait, is that Craig Singhaus! That goes back. Perhaps not surprisingly, the winning GTI still is around today, full trophy case still building year after year. Back in ‘87 I had the GTI and as my career moved along I moved up the line to ultimately owning an exotic car. But one day I had a moment of clarity and realized that the GTI really was all I ever needed (plus a pickup for towing) and I bought one, then another, then... What is wild is that today’s GTI has 350 HP courtesy of an inexpensive couple of mods. It gets over 40 mpg on the highway routinely also. My how times change!
Its funny how they adjust the seats in these cars
The best one is missing: the Dodge Omni GLH!
Ahhh, wonderful nostalgia! From a glorious time before a Golf GTi weighed over 3,000 lbs, and was full of touchscreens and piano black plastic.
Is this guy having a seizure ? 1:51
He must be really impatient with electric seats !
I believe he is squirming so cuz he's prairie dogging it!
aw man this video is so cool, i love hot hatches, favorite one is the fx-16
Should have included a Dodge Omni GLH (non-turbo) in the test. I bought one new back in 1986. You could only get them with a 5 speed manual. 1986 was the last year the Omni GLH's were made.
The good ol' days The Ford Escort was the car for me. Slow yes but very comfortable. I miss my LN7
My late friend owned the rare 87 Exp Gt
Back in the day, tried 4 of them. The Acura had the best curve handling ability but always shifting at high rpms to max out engine. The Ford was adequate with poor clutch/shifting. The FX was a fun car but the body was not attractive, and the GTI was a beast.... Recaro seats, but didn't have the 8v torque but it was fun. Drove a Mirage/Colt but not a turbo... the 88 323GX was a fun turbo car.... great memories
This is why I like this channel. Even back, then they got the order right without even the benefit of hindsight.
Surprised they didn't include the "Shelby" "charger" in this review. Anyone remember that hot hatch?
or the Omni GLH, which is basically the same car
@@showoe3126 I'm guessing they didn't include the GLH because 1986 was its final year. With that being the case, it's possible Dodge didn't have one in their press fleet.
@@allenbutcher2114 that makes sense
@@allenbutcher2114GLH press fleet car was broke. LoL
Man how I miss my Escort GT. Would love to snatch another one up.
Same here.Loved my 89'
@@emeyer6963 you got the 120 hp engine.
What I would give for cars like these to still be around.
1985 Shelby Charger Turbo
0-60 7.8 seconds to 6p
15.9 in the quarter
They ran mid 13s at our local dragstrip.
Hot hatches today are packing ~300bhp and a heavy sticker price.
i like older models , the square look
+no map most people do.
Motorweek, while legendary, was just a show on PBS and I think they got review cars at the end of their cycle, then they had been beat up on by all the magazines. I think that's why they tended to get different results depending on when they tested the car. But that's actually a good thing since they weren't getting a lot of factory prepped cars - so they probably got more realistic results.
I miss my Ford Escort GT
Yes me too!!!! I had an 88 GT also a 1980 Ford Fiesta , Lord ,Jesus two of the best cars I've ever owned .
Had 3 GTs, an 86 (hit by a bus at college), 88 (sold) and 95 GT (rear ended on the 10 freeway). Those Mazda engined, 90s GTs were really underappreciated.
Did you guys back then leave out the 1986 Dodge Omni GLHS because its a 4door Hatch? Same size car as the rest and would have wiped the floor with these cars. 175hp/175tq 1/4mile in the mid 14s. With a $10.995 sticker price and a bolt on Super 60 Mopar Performance package (300+HP) from the dealer this was the ULTIMATE HOT HATCH in the 80s.
Torque was actually at 210, stock...The more basic 2.2 turbo 1 had 146hp and 170lbft of torque. That was still more than enough to make for a high 14 sec car with a 5 speed.
I never said the Omni was a good car, I just said that the GLH and GLHS
were very quick for their time.
Chris Barr
300hp? How?
I think it would have done well compared to these
Also the Chevy Sprint Turbo
I had and 87 version of both the Integra and the GTI, ten years old at the time. I did not like the torsion spring suspension in the Integra but i did like the interior overall. The GTI motor was just as silky smooth as the Acura but with more power and better fuel economy.
As the former owner of a new '86 GTI, I liked this. I embarrassed many a muscle car in it's day.
Thanks Motorweek for putting these Retro Reviews up!
You did not embarrass any muscle car doing 0-60 in 9 seconds. LOL!
the FX16/Twin Cam was the first small hatch with a 16v engine and the european version has 121 bhp and weighs only 900kg
I enjoy the Retro Reviews and Comparos. Motorweek has been best in class and carries this forward today.
1:50-2:00 LMAO!
Lol at the way that guy is moving in the seat!
***** LMAO!
Butt bounce, latest craze in 1986, but only in Maryland. 😮
Drugs
I can't get enough of these retro reviews
Retor Motorweek you never cease to amaze me. Another Great retro review.
That Colt looks great! I´m from México and the only GT was the VW Caribe, a Mexican version of the MK1 Golf GTI but it´s 1.8 SOHC engine didn´t reach 100hp and even so it became an icon here. Too bad we didn´t get any of the vehicles all you guys had in the US. They would have been a hit
Had two of those Escort GTs, they were both awesome.
This brings back memories…A friend of mine had a Colt and it was a blast to drive.
I love the FX 16 !
I love the Golf GTI.
Integra is the most valuable car here today if you can even find one not rusting and not completely riced out.
I remember my ex's sister had an '86 Escort GT just wasting away in the driveway, It overheated when you sat still. I remember taking it down the road and not shifting until close to 7000rpm once...Yellowline was 5500...The redline was 6000. I'm surprised half the valves didn't shoot through the hood.
Might be my favorite motorweek review of all time wow
My first car was a Dodge Colt (non-turbo). It was a tin can that didn't even make it home the day I bought it (used) without having to replace the clutch. It was mine and that is what I cared about as an 18 year-old fresh out of high school.
Had a Toyota Fx 16 after college in early 90’s. Great car, peppy , put together like a tank and was very comfortable to drive. In fact it was the first small car I had ever driven that actually felt like a large sedan in terms of driving dynamics..
I like the comedic touches with this video LOL
4:09 "...some inside rear wheel lift" OMG, not sure I would have noticed that, but wow.
Wow motorweek doing an open road touge test shoot-out with arguments in front of the diner lets go
cocaine jitters @ 1:51 Lol
A great video. I remember all these cars with fond memories. One thing I didn't get - Acura Integra goes 0-60 in 9.8 seconds and was the second slowest of the group while Toyota FX-16 goes the same 0-60 in the exact same 9.8 seconds and "finished in the middle of the group." Did I miss something?
Yeah I thought that was confusing too. I'm guessing they were also referencing the 1/4 mile time as well where the FX-16 was slightly faster.
I owned a 1987 GTI 16v in Blue Mica paint. Beautiful color and the tear drop wheels had a starburst glow at night with streetlights. Great car to drive and always looked great when clean. I would spend hours detailing it.
i wasnt driving yet in the 80s but do remember being in these cars, looking back bring memories..thank god for MW
The GTI looks very good and Toyota should make the FX16 back again
They are, but a different name: “GR16” (1.6T) 😁
gr corolla
I miss the late 80’s/early 90’s so much... 🥺
I just realized I've driven all but the Colt. Well I did take my driver test in a 4 door colt.
My dad once had an '88 GTI, & that thing was no joke!!!!! The only downside was expensive maintenance.
Back when cars were light and simple, fun to drive and life was more fun! Looks like a great little back road trip at the end of the video.
My first car was a 87 golf, It had a 20v Audi engine, pulled up behind a Porsche 944 and we both had the same exhaust tip/ muffler. Odometer was broken at 315k miles. I drove it like a race car and sold it to a friend. Bought the car for 300$ in 2001.
Man, rear wheel lift was the the GTI handling repertoire.
Nice I love the throwback series!
I'm curious about the character change of the FX16! Mr John said that "the tossable nature and good cornering power were gone"! Was he referring to the Top Gun-inspired review, in which a red FX16 was used and got praised for its "overall Nimble Feel"?? If yes, then this video was made in 1987, with '86 models, am I right?? So, some suspension or tire changes may've had happened until this comparison!
That's the one. Somewhere along the way MW forgot the original car they tested was a GT-S model with stiffer suspension and performance-compound tires on alloy wheels.
Do you think you guys could dig out a tape of the 1988 Chevy Nova Twin Cam?
Awesome! My HS buddy had an Escort GT identical to this one. Red and all...
GTI FTW!
I want all these cars but the dodge! I'd also love to see these tests with modern rubber.
That is the only one I want.
These throwback videos are outstanding!! More MOPAR!!!!
Do you guys should do comparisons like this again! Take cars on cool road trips and stuff.
I put 140,000 miles on my 86' Escort GT in 4 years! There must have been a problem with the press car they had. I blew away Rx7's and Camero owners asked how I modified it, which I had not. Great car!
Yeah it's called car and the driver, think the car has a lot to do with what driver is in it, my 88 Ford Escort GT was just waking up when I was driving it hard, good oil good gas , pushing her hard no problems I would just hear people say wow this thing is fast .😋
This was a memory lane episode for me. I was stationed in the Air Force in the 80's and spent my entire time in England. I drove an '84 Escort XR3i and an '86 XR3i. They were absolutely great to drive due to their Euro specs in performance and handling. When I came back to the states, I actually wanted a GTI but it was a bit pricey for me so I settled on an '87 Escort GT. No comparison. The GT was much more softly sprung and not nearly as competent on the road as its Euro-spec'd XR3i. I'm sure it was tuned that way for American drivers but for me, it was a real disappointment. In later years, however, I was able to drive a couple of GTI's including a 20th anniversary edition that was the best car I've ever driven at the time.
Ford touted these as "world cars" but despite looking similar the NA Escorts didn't share any parts with the Euro models aside from a tiny rubber seal.
These vintage car test are addictive, cars from my childhood. Some are familiar form Europe (sometimes with a other name or badge) and some I have never seen before..
the 90s was basically the decade for integras and civics. they were everywhere. and i loved my black teggy.
I was in high school and drooling over these and other similar cars not tested. Strange how these were the performance versions and yet they're no faster or are slower than today's heavier compact sedans base engine models. These hatches are about the same size as today's cars like Yaris, Sonic, Fit, Mirage, Fiesta, Rio, & Accent. In fact, the above modern cars are larger and weigh more than the cars tested. Would have loved to see a Buick Skyhawk or Pontiac Sunbird turbo included in the test.
W0uld of liked to see the GLHS thrown into the mix.
Owned that first gen Red Integra- dependable and fun to drive for the time. Body did not like road salt though!
you guys are great i love the group comparison test