Cars '81: Playboy's Pick of the Pack

It started almost imperceptibly in September, gained strength in October and, buoyed by the national election results, moved confidently into the winter. Its growth should level off a bit with the worst of the weather, but as the landscape greens and flowers with spring, it will gather momentum again and burst into summer a full-blown phenomenon. The Great Comeback for America's automobile industry is under way. Many potential new-car buyers have been putting off that all-important purchase, uncertain about gas prices and availability, worried about the country's economy and foreign entanglements, shocked by the high cost of both finance money and the new cars themselves. Some have been waiting for new, better and more fuel-efficient autos or for renewed supplies of already-popular smaller ones. Many have been stuck with older, gas-guzzling big cars, unable to sell or trade them at decent prices. And some have been either out of work or afraid they might be. But things are looking up now, and people have more confidence. Tired of maintaining aging clunkers and hungry for the higher-fuel-economy promise of the new cars, America is in a buying mood once again. Only, what to buy? For most people, purchasing a new automobile represents a larger and more important investment than ever before. Barraged by seductive advertising claims, many are confused. Should they buy foreign or domestic? How small is big enough? What about diesels and turbochargers and other new exotica? How much does "fuel efficiency" cost, and what must be sacrificed to get it? You want this next new car to last and satisfy you for a long, long time. Obviously, it should be reliable, durable and as trouble-free as a complex, sophisticated piece of machinery can be. Equally important, it should not be one you'll grow tired of before you're halfway through the payment book. Big or small, practical or flamboyant, economical or luxurious, it should complement your personality as well as suit your needs and comfortably accommodate your body. It should make you feel good, soothe the pain and enhance the enjoyment of driving, and stand proud in your driveway for years to come. Responding to the import challenge, Detroit is harvesting a crop of exciting new entries that are its best-built and most fuel-efficient in history. We count 12 all-new domestic models that either came to market this fall or are about to in April and May; half of them are small economy cars, the others a pair of small sports models, two intermediate sedans, one luxury coupe and one four-wheel-drive. All are crucially important to their makers. Not to be upstaged, the import forces from Europe and Japan come to bat with no fewer than ten (at last count) important new entries with a similar mix of types. To help with that all-important decision, here is what's new and exciting for 1981, along with our personal picks of the pack. American Cars: Detroit's counterattack gains force and credibility with the recent introduction of two remarkably efficient new series of cars. Ford's Erika (Escort and Lynx), a true World Car that will be built in similar form in Europe and eventually in Australia, South America and other parts of the world where the company has manufacturing facilities, goes head to head against the smaller imports. Chrysler's K-car (Reliant and Aries) competes in the newly defined mid-size category against G.M.'s popular X-cars, Ford's Fairmont and Zephyr and a whole raft of foreign models. Both are powered through their front wheels by all-new, transversely mounted four-cylinder engines, and both set new standards of interior efficiency for their modest exterior sizes. Although the Escort/Lynx (three-door hatchbacks and five-door wagons) are about the same over-all size as the subcompact Pinto and Bobcat they replace, their interior spaciousness earns a place on the Environmental Protection Agency's list of "compact" cars for fuel-economy ratings. The Reliant/Aries (in two-door, four-door and wagon forms), though considerably smaller and lighter than the compact Volare and Aspen they replace, are EPA-rated as mid-size. And both sit comfortably at the very top of those lists, the Escort/Lynx earning an impressive 30-miles-per-gallon EPA city rating and the larger K-car coming in at an eye-opening 25 mpg.

But it takes more than superior fuel economy and space efficiency to compete with the better imports these days, and both Ford and Chrysler have come a long way in closing the gap in over-all quality and in fun-to-drive character as well. Both are smooth-riding yet nimble-handling in the import tradition, with MacPherson-strut front suspensions and precise rack-and-pinion steering. And the Escort/Lynx even boasts independent rear suspension to ease bumps and hug twists and turns. Most important, everyone involved with these new-generation American cars, from executive suite to drawing board to assembly line, is united in an unprecedented effort to make them the best new products their companies have ever built.

Another important commonality is that both are platforms on which whole generations of future models will be based. Ford will unveil a pair of sharp-looking two-seat sports coupes called Ford EXP and Mercury LN-7 on the front-wheel-drive Erika mechanicals in April. Next year, a five-door hatchback version will expand the Escort/Lynx line, and another year or so will bring Erika-based replacements for the conventional (rear-drive) Fairmont and Zephyr. Chrysler has luxury K-cars planned for 1982 that will wear the top-line Chrysler name plate, a couple of sporty jobs are in the works and eventually all of the company's current large and intermediate cars will be superseded by new front-wheel-drive entries on stretched K-car platforms.

Although both offer only four-speed manual and three-speed automatic transmissions for now, five-speed gearboxes like those popular in import cars are being developed for later introductions. And both 1.6-liter Ford and 2.2-liter Chrysler engines are excellent candidates for turbocharging when more power is needed for future models.

Lincoln's shorter and lighter luxury Continental Mark VI continues for '81 with its fuel-injected V8, four-speed overdrive automatic transmission and the industry's most advanced electronic instrument cluster and trip information center. The smaller "personal luxury" Thunderbird and Cougar XR-7 coupes are joined in the Ford and Mercury midsize line-ups by new Granada and Cougar sedans on the Fairmont/Zephyr platform. The sporty Mustang and Capri get optional T-tops and five-speed transmissions, plus standard reclining seats, and continue to offer a choice of four-cylinder, six-cylinder, V8 or turbo-charged four-cylinder engines.

Chrysler's second new entry for '81 is the limited-production Imperial coupe, complete with fuel-injected V8, electronic instrumentation and trip computer, superplush leather interior, bold, elegant styling and almost everything else in the book--including its own special warranty program. Redesigned a year ago, the stylish but less expensive Chrysler Cordoba and Dodge Mirada personal coupes are carried over, along with their sportiest permutations, LS and CMX. The original small front-wheel-drive American cars, Chrysler's Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon, are freshened in appearance and now offer the K-car's 2.2-liter engine as an option. Coupe versions of these little fuel savers, Dodge's 024 and Plymouth's TC3, are still the most aerodynamic cars built in America and are available in extra-sporty DeTomaso and Turismo versions, respectively.

General Motors is readying its long-rumored front-wheel-drive J-cars for spring introduction to replace the Chevrolet Monza and Pontiac Sunbird sub-compacts. A bit smaller than the X-cars, they will be powered by a new 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine mounted transversely for maximum space efficiency and will come in two-door, four-door, station-wagon and sexy three-door-hatchback variations. Soon after the Chevrolet and Pontiac J-cars (Cavalier and J-2000) are introduced, Cadillac dealers (no kidding!) will get a superluxury version tentatively code-named the Cimarron, and both Oldsmobile and Buick will field their own new Js by next fall.

Meanwhile, G.M. has restyled its mid-size personal coupes (Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Cutlass Supreme and Regal), not only for freshened appearance but also to vastly improve their aerodynamics. Along with reduced rolling resistance, power-train changes and a bit less weight, that gives them noticeably better fuel economy for 1981. For the first time, all G.M. gasoline engines will have sophisticated electronic controls, while the fuel-efficient V8 diesel becomes available in additional models; and Cadillac offers the world's first variable-displacement engine with a system that shuts down two or four of the fuel-injected V8's cylinders when power requirements are low.

Other picks from the G.M. pack include any of the excellent front-wheel-drive luxury cars (Toronado, Riviera, Eldorado and Seville) and, especially, the Buick Riviera T-type, with its very European-feeling sport suspension; the aging but still exciting Chevrolet Corvette and Camaro Z-28; and Pontiac's macho-look Firebird Trans Am, with its unique turbocharged V8 engine. Any X-car is also a good choice, but we particularly like the sporty two-doors--Buick's Skylark sports coupe, Oldsmobile's Sport Omega (with soft-plastic fenders resistant to light damage and corrosion), Pontiac's Phoenix SJ and Chevrolet's Citation X-11. The latter, incidentally, becomes a real pocket rocket this year with its exclusive 135-hp V6 engine and a special-handling suspension that sticks it to the road like a slot car.

Volkswagen of America has minor styling changes inside and out for its popular American-built Rabbits, plus larger 1.7-liter gas and 1.6-liter diesel engines and a wide-ratio four-speed manual transmission with an extra-tall top gear for highway fuel economy. A new sporty S model has full instrumentation, standard five-speed transmission and racer-look front spoiler, wheel flares and stripes.

American Motors expands its innovative four-wheel-drive line-up for '81 with a pair of new subcompact Spirit-based Eagles called SX/4 and Kammback and switches to a more fuel-efficient four-cylinder, four-speed manual-transmission combination as Eagle standard equipment. Not intended for serious off-road bashing, these neat little four-wheel-drives will get you almost anywhere, any time, on anything resembling a road with the ease and comfort of an ordinary car. Fantastic! And every A.M.C. car carries a five-year "No-Rust-Thru" warranty.

There are a lot of low-volume specialty makers around, but none as experienced and well known as Excalibur Automobile Corporation of Milwaukee. Latest and most refined of the 17-year-old firm's classic Mercedes-look creatiors is the Excalibur Series IV. Available in four-passenger Phaeton and in limited-edition two-passenger roadster form, it is patterned after the beautiful 1937 Mercedes-Benz but features modern-day ride, convenience and comfort and the reliability of a 5-liter Chevrolet V8 engine. A classier, more visually stunning form of four-wheeled transportation is difficult to imagine.

Japanese Cars

Still the undisputed import leader, Toyota checks in with redesigned mid-size luxury Cressida models and a semi-astounding, new low-priced fuel-economy leader called Starlet. The former, in four-door sedan and wagon form, features a fuel-injected six-cylinder engine, four-speed overdrive automatic transmission and a clever electrically operated shoulder harness that presages the automatic restraint systems required by law (continued on page 272)Cars '81: Playboy's Pick(continued from page 178) in all new cars by 1984. The latter, a pleasant but ordinary-looking rear-drive three-door hatchback available with five-speed manual transmission only, blows away every gas-powered car in America with 39-mpg city and 54-mpg highway EPA ratings--yet offers surprising roominess, handling and performance at a reasonable price (S4700). Also new is a hairy and superb-handling sports performance package for the six-cylinder Celica Supra sports coupe.

Runner-up Datsun. coincidentally or not, also fields handsomely restyled and refined derivations of its top-line 810 sedan and wagon. Motivated by a smaller version of the 280-ZX fuel-injected six-cylinder engine, these come in a basic European-look form with five-speed transmission and as superlux Maximas with automatic transmission and almost everything else imaginable--even the industry's first electronic voice synthesizer to tell you (in sultry female tones) to "Please turn off your lights" if you're exiting the car and leaving them on. There's also more horsepower for the Z-car and some new features for the lovely 200-SX sports coupe and hatchback introduced last year, including some really fine electronic stereo radios.

Honda's latest coup is a sharp four-door-notchback-sedan version of the fun-driving, economical and ever-popular Civic. Looking like a scaled-down Accord four-door, powered by the Civic's frugal 1.5-liter engine and sitting on the Prelude sports coupe's nimble suspension, it promises to be another big winner for the fast-growing number-three importer. Honda's existing models, however, continue with little change.

Mazda has jumped solidly onto the front-wheel-drive econocar band wagon with an all-new series of GLC subcompacts offering state-of-the-art ride and handling, along with interior roominess and comfort rivaling the best in this class. Both the 626 sedan and coupe and the marvelous RX-7 rotary Wankelengined sports car get cleanly updated design front, rear and inside, and there's a new top-line RX-7 model called GSL.

You may not notice at first glance, but the already excellent Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Sapporo sports coupes (built by Mitsubishi of Japan) have revised and roomier interiors, as well as functional improvements, under their mildly restyled bodies. The cute and snappy Dodge Colt and Plymouth Champ front-wheel-drive subcompacts are carried over with their unique twin-stick (four-speed manual mated to a secondary gearbox with economy and power ratios) transmissions and other endearing features.

Once known for its unlovely but solid front-wheel-drive econoboxes and unusual flat-four horizontal engine, Subaru came out of the closet last year with substantial styling, comfort and feature improvements and a new hatchback model available with or without four-wheel-drive. Subaru pioneered the four-wheel-drive automobile in this country with its four-wheel-drive station wagon in 1975, following with the minitruck-like Brat utility vehicle in 1978 and the four-wheel-drive hatchback in 1980. Remaining at the top of Subaru's front-wheel-drive line-up with little change for 1981 is the well-appointed GLF hardtop.

Finally, you may recall Isuzu as the maker of Buick's Japanese Opel subcompacts a few years back, or know it now as the supplier of Chevrolet's LUV minitruck. But now Isuzu (still G.M.'s Japanese affiliate) has decided to move into the fertile U.S. market on its own this March with a series of very economical rear-drive I-Mark two-door and four-door sedans powered by your choice of gasoline or diesel four-cylinder engines that displace 1.8 liters. The little diesel will cost some S800 more than the gas burner but will return truly astounding EPA-rated economy--41 mpg city and 63 mpg highway!

German Cars

Despite stiff price tags, German-built imports remain high on many American buyers' want lists because of their well-deserved reputation for quality and performance--so VW of America continues to import a dizzying array of VW, Audi and Porsche products to help satisfy this demand. All peppy, nimble handling and fun to drive, the VW Scirocco sports coupe, Rabbit convertible and Jetta sedan are based on Rabbit mechanicals but are custom-tailored to specific needs. Audi's 4000 inherited the larger 5000's five-cylinder engine and automatic transmission last year, a higher-performance five-cylinder, five-speed version (called 5+5) was added for '81 and a sporty hatchback coupe is promised soon. Audi's flagship 5000 remains top of the line and the recently added Turbo 5000 rivals any luxury sedan in existence for performance, luxury and comfort. In the world-renowned Porsche sports-car stable, the four-cylinder Turbo 924 gets more power for '81, while the top-line V8 928 gets a new optional visual and suspension package to augment its already-stunning performance and cornering power.

Mercedes has introduced its all-new S-Class top-of-the-range sedans in turbo-diesel 300SD and long-wheelbase gas V8 380SEL versions. Although they retain the traditional Mercedes look, you can tell the new from the old by their leaner, cleaner, more wedge-shaped profiles and revised head-lamp/park-lamp design. Fuel economy is up for both versions, but the solid, sure-footed Mercedes virtues remain. The smaller-series sedan and wagon and its 280CE and 300 CD coupe derivatives are carried over intact, as are the 380 SL convertible and 380 SLC sports coupe.

BMW has long nurtured a reputation for building expensive cars for expert drivers, and it's true that there's nothing quite like the supple, glued-to-the-road feel of a BMW, any BMW, on a nasty, twisting mountain highway. Our favorites are the beautiful 633CSi coupe and the larger 733i luxury sedan, both with a new five-speed manual transmission (or optional automatic) for '81.

Swedish Cars

Volvo, the leading Swedish car maker, has a new six-cylinder diesel engine available for its sedan and wagons and a two-door turbocharged model called the GLT that replaces its current GT model. We also like the limited-production luxury V6, chopped-top Bertone coupe model that's available with automatic transmission and cruise control for effortless freeway motoring.

Saab, gaining fast in reputation since introducing its excellent 900 model--especially the wonderful turbocharged version--redesigns its two-liter four-cylinder engine for lighter weight and revises its model line-up for '81. A luxury-look four-door notchback sedan replaces the five-door hatchback, the older 99 sedan is discontinued in this country and a mid-range S model replaces the former GLE and EMS between the base 900 and the 900 Turbo.

French Cars

The biggest news from France this year is Renault's very nice 18i sedan and wagon, which, along with the spunky Le Car, will be available in most American Motors showrooms through the two companies' mutual marketing agreements. Featuring ride, handling and interior appointments as fetching as its exterior appearance, the 18i will likely be the second most fuel-efficient European import in the U. S. this year--just behind its stablemate, Le Car, which enters the new year little changed.

Peugeot has carved a reputation here for its unexciting but well-built 504 sedan and wagon and its strong and very fuel-efficient diesel engine, but last year's introduction of the thoroughly modern and handsome 505 sedan has really stirred up attention. Although lacking head-snapping power with either the gas or the new (for '81) turbo-diesel, the 505 delivers BMW-like comfort, ride and handling feel and (along with Renault's 18i) helps put to rest forever the tradition of funny-looking French cars.

Italian Cars

Alfa Romeo, the smallest U.S. importer but long a purveyor of exciting sports and GT machinery, plans a new V6 version of its striking GT coupe for early '81 introduction. Called GTV6, it will have better aerodynamics and improved interior appointments compared with the previous four-cylinder GT, not to mention exceptional performance and handling.

Fiat added electronic fuel injection late last year to its classic Spider 2000 and wedge-shaped X1/9 sports cars, transforming them overnight into the truly exciting machines their looks have always promised and adding improved fuel economy in the bargain. The Lancia Zagato "convertible" also gets the injection treatment for '81, while Fiat's "Italian Rabbit," the economical Strada subcompact, receives as-yet-unspecified improvements. All Fiats, incidentally, feature a three-year rust warranty.

Surely among the world's most erotically beautiful and exciting automobiles, Ferrari's mid-engine V8 308 GTB and its targa-topped GTS derivative garner swiveling heads, bulging eyes and low whistles of awe whenever they appear. Best of the Italian exoticar genre, they still have their eccentricities (try getting in or out of one without bumping some part of your anatomy) but nothing that can't be lived with. It's a small price to pay for the privilege of piloting such magnificent machinery.

British Cars

Ferraris may command envious attention, but few cars on earth generate as much instant respect as a Rolls-Royce. Drive up in one to any club in the country and no one is likely to question your membership. Costing more than ordinary people's homes, Rolls-Royces offer a singular combination of modern electronic convenience and the very British luxury tradition of wall-to-wall polished wood and leather, all wrapped in a package of stately grace that no one mistakes for anything else. Redesigned Silver Shadow and Silver Wraith sedans scheduled for spring introduction will feature a slightly modernized appearance, a new fuel-injected engine and improved rear suspension system and will be renamed Silver Spirit and Silver Spur but we still favor the rare and obscenely expensive Corniche convertible for the ultimate in elegance.

Also imported by Rolls-Royce are the exotic Lotus sports cars and our favorite, the low, wide and handsome Esprit. Standing thigh-high and looking like the Jolly Green Giant's doorstop, this sly devil is quicker than any nonturbo-charged four-cylinder has a right to be and corners like the superb Lotus Grand Prix road-racing car that carried Mario Andretti to a world championship two years ago. You may remember it as James Bond's famous amphibian car a few years ago.

British Leyland, now known as Jaguar Rover Triumph on this side of the Atlantic, has been bringing lively little English sports cars to our shores since shortly after the Big War. Lately, those little roadsters have been showing their age, their bones beginning to creak and their once-lusty spirits dampened from the weight of our myriad safety, emissions and fuel-economy regulations. But JRT has recently pulled a few new tricks from its bag by chopping the top from its most modern sportster, the Triumph TR-7, stuffing a lightweight aluminum V8 into a TR-8 version of it, and then reviving the respected Rover name with a splendidly sleek hatchback sedan powered by that same torquey V8. In five-speed form, especially, the new Rover 3500 is a credible BMW rival, and the quick but comfortable TR-8 recalls a glimmer of the excitement that once was Cobra. JRT's luxury Jaguars also received a redesign last year and are better than ever--except, of course, for the flagship XJS coupe, which was dynamite already.

Finally, from Great Britain comes the all-new De Lorean sports car. Originally planned to be on the market by now, this mixed-breed beauty was rescheduled for a spring U.S. introduction, according to our latest information. Featuring a sleek, wedge-shaped profile designed by Giugiaro of Italy, a sophisticated chassis by Lotus of England, a 2.8-liter aluminum V6 engine of French and Swedish descent (jointly developed and shared by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo) mounted in the rear and a unique stainless-steel body, coupled with the production know-how of former G.M. executive John De Lorean, it should be competitive in the exotic-sports-car market at the mid-$20,000 price range. Produced in a brand-new factory in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the De Lorean will be sold and serviced by a network of some 350 dealers throughout the country.

There you have the best and the brightest automotive creations for the new year. The quest for fuel and space efficiency has led to industry-wide trends toward more aerodynamic bodies, more front-wheel-drive for larger interiors in smaller cars, more diesel engines and more precise electronic control over engine operations. Several industry firsts have hit the street in '81 models, including Cadillac's variable-displacement engine, Oldsmobile's "friendly" Sport Omega fenders, Toyota's Cressida automatic safety harness and Datsun's 810 voice synthesizer. Don't expect such rapid advancement to come cheaply, but make your move now, because we both know that these machines will never sell for less.

"Despite stiff price tags, German-built cars remain high on many American buyers' want lists."