The 1980s is a truly unique time for the auto industry. As companies move out of the Malaise Era, there are plenty of new technologies or features being tested in places you might not expect. Take MotorWeek’s comparison test of cars equipped with four wheel drive Since 1987, there have been everything from compact sedans to rear-engine minivans.
Aside from the Civic, every other brand in this test has since disappeared, although Subaru has a modern equivalent. It’s interesting to see how many compact cars had all-wheel drive options back then, something that’s almost unheard of today. outside Subaru and some other exceptional models..
Honda showed up for testing with the third-generation Civic Wagon, which looks like a small MPV. The Civic Wagon’s ability to carry people and stuff is excellent, something MotorWeek noted. It can easily carry five adults and a good amount of luggage. It has a 72-horsepower 1.5-liter inline-four mated to a six-speed manual transmission, the only option on the Wagon, and torque is sent through a ferocious all-wheel-drive system. There’s a bit of ground clearance, but the Civic Wagon doesn’t have a limited-slip differential, meaning this isn’t something you’ll be using to conquer even the lightest trails.
Volkswagen loaned MotorWeek a Vanagon with the Syncro four-wheel drive system, which also gave the Vanagon slightly larger tires and an inch more ride height. The Syncro could transfer power between the front and rear axles, a big deal at the time, using a wet viscous coupling that could measure wheel slip. The Vanagon even had the option of a locking rear differential, making it a bit more of a true off-roader than the other cars in the test.
The Mercury Topaz is the exception on this test, and perhaps the most unique, as the option is rare on the Topaz and its Ford Tempo sibling. Only available from 1987 to 1991, ticking the four-wheel-drive box on the Topaz and Tempo gets you a high-output four-cylinder engine and a four-wheel-drive system that includes a two-piece driveshaft. When you press a vacuum switch on the dash, a slipper clutch engages the transmission with the driveshaft, sending power to a rear-mounted limited-slip differential, activating the four-wheel-drive system. Ford says this was difficult to engineer, and while the system can operate at any speed, Ford warns that it is intended for “dirt roads or pavement in bad weather only.” MotorWeek found that, when using the system on a wet crawl, it provided excellent traction.
The other two cars on test, the Subaru and Audi, come from brands that are no strangers to all-wheel drive. Subaru GL-10 It uses a full-time four-wheel drive system with a locking center differential, which Subaru says improves handling. Combined with the 1.8-liter turbocharged engine, the GL-10 was the second quickest car on the test, with a 0-60 mph time of 10.3 seconds, although that’s not saying much. Audi 5000CS Quattro is the quickest. Its turbocharged 2.2-liter inline-5 and Quattro all-wheel drive produce a 0-to-60 mph time of 9.5 seconds. Quattro is also the most sophisticated all-wheel drive system on test. A dash-mounted switch allows the driver to lock the center and rear differentials, which helps increase traction in slippery conditions like wet roads or more severe terrain like mud or snow.
Sadly, all of these cars have been lost to history. Things like price and buyer preferences mean that unless you pay a lot of money, unique four-wheel-drive cars like this are virtually non-existent. Thank goodness for MotorWeek’s Classic Car Review to remind us how good it used to be.
