Retro Review: 1982 Econobox Comparison

motorWeek is made possible by tire rack [Music] which one of these sport or sub compacts can be called the best will help you decide next on motor week [Music] motorWeek televisions automotive magazine with your host john davis hello and welcome to motor week I'm glad you're with us this will be a first for motor week our first compare a car road test our four subjects right behind me a quartet of modern front drive 4-door sub compacts those with wheelbase is under 96 inches we're going to see which one or one's might do you best service in commuting and everyday family duties our four contestants first from West Germany by way of Pennsylvania the venerable Volkswagen Rabbit next to Datsun by any other new name the Nissan Sentra third from the Fifth Republic the Renault lekar and lastly this Mitsubishi may dodge Colt now before we start a pencil and paper will come in handy to help you make your own judgments we use six testers and they each had two hundred points to award divided among five categories 30 points for appearance which includes styling and interior exterior body panel fit and also paint finish 50 points for practicality how much each car will hold comfortably and how much each one cost 40 points for performance that's handling and acceleration 30 points for braking and another biggie 50 points for mileage perhaps the most important concern of any small car each tester was free to award the points in any way he or she wanted and the winning car is the one that gets the most number of points out of the 1200 available so here we go with our first star seeker the dodge Colt it's appropriate that the Mitsubishi made Colt comes first in our comparison since it seems to have won some sort of unofficial prize in Detroit literally dozens of Colts have been bought by domestic manufacturers they've been tearing them to pieces trying to find out how such a tiny car outside can be so roomy inside one detroit engineer confessed to us that the colt is the optimum box on four wheels it may end up being closely copied in any domestically a future subcompact one of the things that makes the Colt so unusual for anaconda box is that it's actually quite handsomely styled the shovelnose front end is right up there with the latest in design rubber and chrome bumpers are well integrated with the fenders fit and finish which is usually superior in Japanese cars was typically excellent paint was evenly applied and contained no runs drips or errors all body seams were tight fitting with even gaps not only did our Colt have the larger optional 1.6 liter 4-cylinder but it was also the only one of our test cars straddled with an automatic transmission still at six second passing time from 40 to 55 though a bit slow was comparable to all its competition good low power traits are comin - sub compacts and the Colt is no exception a time of 10 seconds flat and 50 miles per hour rates a good grade in our 500 foot stoplight drag course even over the standing quarter mile the colt tried to live up to its name it came in with a fair report of nineteen point five seconds and 69 miles per hour if it had had either of the two available manual gearboxes it could have easily won all the marbles for straight-line acceleration and once off the straight and narrow you can begin to see why Colts of the current favorite for East Coast parking lot handling competitions the car tracks right where you think it should control is precise despite rather slow rack and pinion steering any temptation for the light rear end to swing wide is quickly telegraphed to the driver's senses about the only major complaints have to do with an excessive amount of torque steer it helped pull the car into left turns but hampered right ones and skinny 13 inch tires tried to roll under the body when pushed ride is typically bouncy but harsh only over poor road surfaces in our high-speed emergency lane changing course however trying to sling this little beast around too hard does quickly exhibit the limits of the car's suspension for economy cars practicality often begins with price with a base of $4,995 and our test car entering at $7,500 the Colt placed about midway against its competition also about average was its turning circle at 34 feet Chrysler spends a lot of money telling us how Colt can carry 5 and good comfort well we found it more practical for 4 normal-sized adults although entry and exit is typically hampered by the small doors our standard 4 piece luggage set enough for about a week's vacation would only fit with the rear seat folded flat a temporary spare tire and good scissors jack is located under the cargo floor drivers will find a pleasant environment but it's not quite as comfortable as we'd like seats are thinly padded but with good back support the standard - is simple but lacking most desired gauges the 1983 Colts will have a restyled - that includes protruding Subaru like control knobs for lights and wipers and even more idiot lights brakes were also a mixed bag stops from 30 were of acceptable length at 39 feet but a mushy pedal failed to inspire confidence from 55 miles per hour results were better with distances reduced to a short average of only 119 feet and actually showing but pedal pressure was very high no pull our rear end swing around was noticed but there was quite a bit of brake lock and gobs of fade I guess you can't have everything the single overhead cam engine in our 2000 140-pound Colt pumps out a respectable 72 horsepower second-highest of the four entrants even with an automatic that translates into a mileage estimate from the EPA of 29 City 35 Highway the motorWeek 100 mile test loop simulates typical urban driving with a good mixture of two and four lane streets and highways so even we were impressed with its average of 33 considering its slush box nature of getting power to those four tiny wheels to sum it up it's easy to see why the Mitsubishi Colt is a highly studied car it does have enough compromises to make it less than perfect but as you'll soon see none of our contestants is anyway but as Detroit has already found out it's a remarkable mixture of small size and acceptable comfort suitable for both Tokyo traffic jams and wide open American interstates now from Japan we go halfway across the world to the biggest car maker in France Renault our contestant is reputed to be the world's most popular front-wheel drive car the lekar it's certainly the winner of any contest on character and as you'll see maybe eccentricity as well the Renault lekar known as the r5 in France first one on sale in the u.s. in 1976 four years after its European introduction unlike many imports the lekar boasts a wide well established dealer network by being sold through the American Motors Corporation now largely controlled by Renault the Ford horror hatchback was not brought over until 1982 and has opened up a wider market to this the smallest and lightest of our four contestants and although it also contains the most diminutive four-cylinder engine of the lot it is not without performance in fact lekar racing is becoming a big low buck sport from coast to coast as proof from 40 to 55 miles per hour we found a third gear passing time of 5.9 seconds to be acceptable and as fast as any of the test rivals but beyond that it's 1.4 liters and 51 horsepower quickly run out of pep over our 500 foot acceleration run designed to measure performance in an everyday light the lekar dropped the last place with a time of 11.5 seconds and only 49 miles per hour the problem is mostly in the transaxle small engines need all the help they can get and that usually means five forward gears the lekars rubbery shifting manual has only four despite my constant attempts to shift higher the engine is willing but the drivetrain is weak thus a quarter mile time of 21.5 seconds and 66 miles per hour also gets the booby prize on the other hand our lekar surprised us in its ability to handle like most French cars its suspension is super soft with an unusually high ground clearance that normally translates and does here too into doodles of body roll yet our lekar was the fastest through our low-speed slalom course thanks in part to a stiff quick and precise manual rack and pinion steering and a good if tiny set of 13 edge Michelin tires but I wouldn't get too carried away in any lekar race off since in our high-speed emergency lane change you do sense that just a tad too much speed and jerk could prompt the need for top mounted rollerskates in other types of emergencies like when you wish to stop on a Frank the lekar does exceptionally well from 30 miles per hour stops average to brief 31 feet there was some occasional front wheel lock but never pull nor fade from 55 the power front disc rear drums were even more impressive very short panic stops averaging 117 feet made the Renault our brake test champion drivers commented on how secure it felt despite some increase in pedal pressure while making note of the near total absence of rear end swing around again some credit must go to the tires although their wheels were a source of concern no one could get used to the fact that each wheel is held on only by three small lug nuts I'd feel better with four but then there isn't much about the rest of the lekars appearance that isn't unique styling is bug-eyed but cute looking taller but more squished than it should paint quality and body panel fit were very good and really left us with only one complaint every time we filled up our lekar back pressure in the fuel tank would cause gas to belch out even after the cap was replaced not only will that eventually Mar the finish but it could start a fire as well that narrow styling just right for small Parisian backstreets translates into a cramped but very upright cockpit although you sit high in the lekar even tall drivers had plenty of headroom the sculptured black and tan - did like a glove box although there is a lower package tray and large door pockets the great-sounding am/fm radio however sits upright on the floor board and is difficult to tune without looking away from the road as for other controls fingertip switches allow one's hands to stay on the steering wheel as your eyes monitor the speedometer fuel gauge and an incredible array of symbol Dwarfs - adult back Cedars however will fare less well as both head and leg room are just acceptable an entrance through the small doors over high sills is tricky a problem with most four-door sub compacts also lacking is the size of the trunk as with the cult our standard set of luggage would not fit the full-size spare tire takes up a lot of room but the rear seat does fold forward and flat and transforms the car into a mini station wagon for to a more practical use of the limited space the Renault sternum circle at 33 feet was also average for the group the base model the car is the cheapest car sold in America at 4,795 dollars our deluxe 4-door with most options including air conditioning totaled out to six thousand nine hundred seventy seven only $69 ahead of the more Spartan Dotson Nissan Sentra but by the time renault finished installing all those options and complying with federal emission controls there was little space left for the engine it is very cramped even for routine service plus the lack of a 5-speed gearbox puts the car at a mileage disadvantage the EPA rates this model at thirty-two City 40 Highway and theory second only to the Sentra however in practice the best we could manage was 29 the least thrifty of the group well no one builds cars quite like the French now before we get to our third test just a reminder since you've already got your paper and pencil handy why not use them to tell us how you like our compare a car road test want to see more let us know maybe along with the suggestion of the type of car to do next our address motorWeek Owings Mills Maryland two one one one seven that's motorWeek Owings Mills Maryland two one one one seven now that pencil still sharp then let's take a look at our third bride-to-be also from Japan this is the long-awaited replacement for the Datsun 210 a car that held the gas sippin crown for more years than we can remember the new kid in town the Nissan Sentra the Nissan Sentra was introduced in the late spring of 1982 making it the newest design among our four contestants it is also the biggest being six inches longer than the colt a foot longer than the rabbit and two feet more than the lekar yet it weighs in at an even ton only 80 pounds heavier than the Renault product the Sentra is also the only one of our 4-door subcompact not to have a rear hatch preferring instead of traditional trunk but contrary to first impressions that is hardly a disadvantage the trunk is huge long and flat it was the only car besides the rabbit to take all four bags without folding a rear seat the front cabin is also very roomy more than large enough for to overweight inhabitants with seats comfortable enough for hundreds of miles without backache all the extra length of the Sentra means the biggest rear doors and easiest entry of the group Plus with the front seats all the way to the rear there is plenty of knee room since the Sentra is also the widest of our test cars there is space on the fixed rear bench for three honest sized adults inside this is a big car but space utilization does not end there the wide if plain-looking - also includes a full glove box and two cubby holes just right for a set of keys or a pack of smokes and if that isn't enough there are two convenient door pockets Nissan however has not been so generous with instrumentation although it does at least include a temperature gauge but your affection for the Sentra will not end inside it's great in tight spaces too with a turning diameter of only 32 feet only one foot larger than the best of its rivals and price with a base price of 4949 for the cheapest version at a six thousand nine hundred eighteen dollar list for our corridor test car this Nissan product gave us the most usable car for the buck more than any of the other four but it may not be the best car of the four if you like lots of styling in your cars the Sentra may not be your cup of rice wine we found our 4-door a rather boring shape with the huge black federal safety bumpers protruding awkwardly from the rest of the design although exterior paint and trim were up to normal Japanese standards we did find a couple of uncharacteristic flaws on the interior like this one the inside door molding that refused to remain attached could Nissan quality-control be slipping could it also be that the Sentra has totally forsaken handling in the search of ride through our low-speed slalom course the Sentra was the slowest of our group we couldn't blame it on the power rack and pinion steering which while numb was plenty quick the real culprits were the front McPherson struts a combination of two soft springs and very slow responding shocks meant abnormal body lean and turns the car would roll until the outside springs were fully compressed then trying to roll more it would force the tires to hop outward around the turn at least the rear end stayed put that is until the high-speed emergency lane change where the stern then quickly got out of hand it took several attempts at entering our course at the customary 55 miles per hour before we could keep the car from broadsiding down the road even under control you can still see a mocktail twitch we finally blame the high mileage white-walled Yokohama radials for most of that trouble nissan suggests only 26 pounds of air for normal use a low recommendation for such a tire the heat of the day had them up to 35 since these tires are not known for great traction anyway it made a bad situation worse but you exclaim this is not a performance car and you're right and at highway speeds the Sentra is a delight it would seem to be a great small car for people who don't like small cars the ride is soft if a bit wallowing but only over broken pavement did we feel any harshness since the Sentra is designed is a high mileage car we also did not anticipate great acceleration and thus were not disappointed but a passing time of 6.7 seconds from 40 to 55 is slow and was the slowest of the four on the other hand the excellent 5-speed manual transaxle did allow some face to be saved over our 500 foot and quarter mile contest a time of 10.9 seconds and 50 miles per hour for the former and 20 seconds and 69 miles per hour for the latter while again slow gave it third place among the competition braking results were also so-so from 30 distances average to good 35 feet there was no locking nor fade with moderate pedal pressure however from 55 things again changed the rear brakes would tend to lock first causing some wheel hop this combined with a light back end and those hard hot tires produce consistent tail swing around distances still averaged in okay 133 feet but we honestly think that a change in tires on the Sentra could cure a lot of its problems but one thing you're not going to want to change is mileage this so-called efore efficiency engine is the heart of the matter it's overhead-cam hemispherical combustion chamber design produced an EPA rating of 35 City and 50 highway for our 4-door motor weeks urban Luke produced a class winning 40 for a terrific performance indeed it is but we have one more to go before we see who our winner is so our last but not least contestant is a car that's been synonymous with efficiency and practicality for the last eight years the Volkswagen Rabbit the Volkswagen Rabbit carries a number of distinctions in our comparison test first it's next to the oldest design in the group having first crossed the pond in 1975 second it was the first car to really popularize the now-famous to box design that's a box in the front for the front drive engine and a box in the back for you and me and everything else for the third is perhaps the most important it's the only one of our group actually assembled in america.this Pennsylvania made rabbit is a lot more domesticated than its German forbearers and that makes it something of a strange hair styling is still almost all European with only us safety bumpers and marker lights detracting from the theme this efficiency of design makes our rabbit the second shortest car of the group Volkswagen has also gone a long way in proving that American workers need to take a backseat to no one in the areas of fit and finish most body panels met smartly with all trim flowing and straight level lines paint quality was also good there was no orange peel on any of the vertical surfaces that's a rippled look coming from too little paint a hard fall to overcome for any mass production car and common to most regardless of the price I did notice one slip in the otherwise glossy finish there were several runs in the rust proofing on the very bottom of the rocker panel at least they were in a mostly invisible place but performance is where most of the compromises come to fore if you want a smooth riding economy car the 2194 pound VW Rabbit will beat all comers it really does feel like a much bigger car but you pay for that supple ride with a lot of body lean and turns and too much front-end plowing and tire scrub the car seems light to the point of concern the feeling is that if you let it go too far you won't recover on the other hand that you has made Goodyear Arriva all-weather tires were a big improvement over most standard import rubber and helped add feel to the otherwise numb power rack and pinion steering acceleration was mostly a bottom end story right where you need it in everyday driving a reasonable time of 5.9 seconds in our 40 to 55 mile-per-hour passing test was followed by a better than average sprint of nine point seven seconds at 53 miles per hour over the 500 foot on-ramp course only over the quarter mile did the pace slow to an only average 19 seconds and 70 miles per hour but that's not due to the otherwise strong engine as much as it is to the smart shifting 5-speed manual it has an overdrive fourth and a super economy fifth gear however the VW Rabbit was easily the most spirited of the group although four doors do make all sub compacts more attractive for family use the sheer lack of length always means smallish portals getting in and out of the rabbit takes a bit of doing for the back Cedars the rear seat does have long cushions buts it's too high for adequate Headroom that rear seat does fold completely forward so pouring luggage through the fifth door hatch can be like tossing water into a bottomless pit a full-size spare is also located under the cargo floor the driver's cabin is much more roomy with plenty of headroom for two all-star forwards the seats are German hard but could stand more lateral support the - it's a refreshing sight simple handsome and looks expensive since it's completely covered and padded crash resistant vinyl the lower knee bar bolster also should protect any million-dollar joints and minor fender benders instrumentation has been simplified from earlier Rapids it lacked most gauges and a tachometer though it did include the economy minded up shift indicator in addition the minut 31 foot turning circle for our rabbit is one of the smallest we've recorded it's surprising just how many small cars make much bigger turns but be warned the VW's price could turn more than few heads to base price is five thousand nine hundred ninety dollars an hour mid-range l model has an as-tested list of 8195 that makes it the priciest of our four econo boxes in general breaks got high marks good pedal pressure little fader lock and mostly straight stops from 30 miles per hour halts took an average of only thirty feet an excellent showing from 55 although more dramatic the results were just as impressive six panic stops averaged to brief 130 feet what we call short only the vagueness of the brake pedal gave any cause for complaint it seemed like it wasn't really attached to anything up to now I've talked a lot about the Ravitz economy but how does it really measure up it is the most powerful of our four test cars it's one point seven liter fuel injected for produces a hearty 74 horsepower but mileage is still rated high by the EPA at 27 city 40 highway an actual practice over our 100 mile urban loop motor week produced an unsurprising 33a fitting into our story that seems to prove you can have German preciseness and a us ride all in the same car Thank You Craig Thank You Archer oh well that's it the results are in so let's take a look first appearance with 30 points per tester for a total of 180 the winner by a wide margin with 68 points the Mitsubishi may dodge Colt we like the styling of the Colt and it was the only one of the group without any goofs and fit and finish next a most important small car category practicality with a possible 300 points taking top honors the newest car of the group the Nissan Sentra it held more cargo than any of the others yet could carry its full complement of five adults and reasonable comfort for performance and a possible 240 points again it was not a close race the winner again the dodge Colt with another 86 points even with an automatic transmission its acceleration was near tops and no car had more you're handling in emergency situations category 4 breaking a lopsided victory for the Renault lekar with 84 out of a possible 240 points the cars 117 foot panic braking distance from 55 was not only the shortest but felt the most secure finally mileage with a possible 300 points taking almost 2/3 of them the Nissan Sentra the Sentra not only had the best test mileage at 44 but was 11 miles per gallon better than its closest rival and the winner with 366 out of a possible 1,200 votes the Nissan Sentra a close second the dodge Colt and grouped at third and fourth the Volkswagen Rabbit and the renault lekar but we have to add that none of the cars really drove away with the contest so if you could buy a car with the looks quality and performance of the dodge Colt the roominess and fuel economy of the Nissan Sentra the brakes of the renault lekar and have it made by American workers like the Volkswagen Rabbit then you'd really have the best subcompact money can buy I'll see you next week on Motorz week [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: MotorWeek

Views: 460,523

Keywords: Dodge Colt, VW Rabbit, Nissan Sentra, Renault LeCar, MotorWeek, Retro, Econobox, Small Cars, Compact Cars, Subcompact Cars

Id: HS8XoLH9ovQ

Length: 29min 20sec (1760 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 30 2016

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