PERFORMANCE CAR 1989 JULY - AUDI V8 vs 420SEL vs 735i

 

Within this issue, you will discover the following topics:

 

1.   COVER: Audi's revitalised flagship, the VB, is put up against the might of a BMW 735i and the stately Mercedes-Benz 420SEL, in a luxury car shoot out in Germany

2.   IMPRESSIONS: From Japan, Hannu Karkkainen reports on the Mazda 323 Liftback and the Nissan Micra Super Turbo, which makes use of both supercharger and turbo. In Germany, Audi's 200 quattro 20V holds some surprises, while, closer to home, we see if subtle suspension changes have helped the Astra GTE 16V chassis

3.   MUSCLING IN: Audi's new VB represents a bold step up into the luxury car market for the Ingolstadt firm. But is it really good enough to challenge the established market leaders from companies like BMW and Mercedes-Benz? The answer emerged when Kevin Blick pitted the Audi VB against BMW 735i and Mercedes-Benz 420SEL

4.   PLAYING SAFE: Hydractive suspension in Citroen's· XM is only one step away from fully active suspension. John Simister has driven the top-of-the-range V6 version and measures its chances, suspension and all, against its less sophisticated rivals

5.   BUILDING. . . ON THE PAST: If XM is Citroen's present, their radical Activa concept car represents the future. Jerry Sioniger was the first outsider ever to drive it We look back, too, on classic Citroen design, in cars like the OS, SM and CX

6.   DELTA ALPHA: The capable four-wheel-drive Lancia Delta Integrale has gained a new 16-valve engine and even more power. Jesse Crosse says the result is exciting

7.   ROAD TEST: MITSUBISHI GALANT 4WD/4WS: The first production car to have an all-wheel drive and steer system, the Galant 4WD/4WS, is not short of other innovative features. But Jesse Crosse wonders if all that high tech is enough

8.   LONG TERM TEST: John Henderson breaks in our new Honda Legend Coupe, Peugeot Mi16 breaks in a new driver, and Toyota Corolla GT-i 16 gets broken into

9.   FIZZING! Contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, nobody has driven the BMW 8-Series yet. But, on a recent visit to FIZ, BMW's new R&D centre, Jesse Crosse drove the next best thing, a 6-Series with 8-Series running gear. He reports on this and other exciting projects, such as hydrogen power, that lie in BMW's pipeline

10.   PRIDE AND PREJUDICE; If you had ?20,000 to spend on a company car, would you know what to buy? Jeremy Clarkson asked eight, everyday yuppies to choose from eight executive cars, and BMW came out on top. But after driving all the cars, the yuppies were asked to think again; and a surprising winner emerged

11.   THE HUNTING PARTY: How many garden gnomes can you get into a VW Passat? Considerably more than in a yellow Ferrari Dino, but both were there on the Performance Car/Sony Champagne Treasure Hunt. Brian Laban gives a Dino'seye-view of some less conventional ways of getting to Mercier's caves in Epernay

12.   HOVER CRAFT: Anyone doing over the limit near London risks detection by a police helicopter unit. John Henderson took to the air, to find out how it's done

13.   PERFORMANCE AUDIO: With falling prices and rising standards, the in-car entertainment market is becoming ever more competitve. Our audio update helps you choose the right equipment for your needs, and points towards the best buys

14.   NEWSLINE: See the first official pictures of GM's new coupe. Also, Alfa make headlines with the 164 estate and 33; and a new 160mph British supercar is revealed

15.   DRIVING MONTH: Is our preoccupation with technology overshadowing the real reasons for buying a car? Kevin Blick thinks it might be, and offers an explanation

16.   INSIDE INDUSTRY Recent happenings in the motoring industry, together with the more wide reaching implications, come under the scrutiny of James Richards

17.   LETTERS: A chance to air your views on motoring matters of the day. This month;

18.   green issues, BMWs, MR2s, and something about a blackbird and an Astra 16V

19.   CHATTELS: Stealing car stereo systems is considerably easier than installing them, according to Jeremy Clarkson. How he knows that is anybody's guess. . .

 

 

Plus other related topics.

 

Please Note: This is a large size magazine.