Fastback sedans battle!
Rover 827 Vitesse Fastback
Or…
Citroën XM 3.0 V6 24V
- Rover 827
- Citroën XM
0 voters
2 Likes
It is 1996 and you’re looking for a new sporty executive sedan. Would you pick…
Nissan Skyline GTS R33 (2.5L NA DOHC I6, FR layout, 190 bhp)
Honda Inspire/Acura 3.2TL (3.2L NA SOHC V6, FF layout, 200/230 bhp)
BMW 328i E36 (2.8L NA DOHC I6, FR layout, 190 bhp)
Mercedes-Benz C280 W202 (2.8L NA SOHC V6, FR layout, 195 bhp)
Audi A5 2.8 quattro B5 (2.8L NA SOHC V6, AWD, 175 bhp)
Peugeot 406 (2.9L NA DOHC V6, FF layout, 190 bhp)
Rover 620ti (2.0L turbo DOHC I4, FF layout, 200 bhp)
Volvo 850 2.5T (2.5L turbo DOHC I5, FF layout, 193 bhp)
Saab 900 Turbo (2.0L turbo DOHC I4, 168 bhp)
Pontiac Bonneville SSEi (3.8L supercharged OHV V6, FF layout, 240 bhp)
Lincoln Continental (4.6L NA SOHC V8, FF layout, 268 bhp)
Eagle Vision TSi/Chrysler LHS (3.5L SOHC V6, FF layout, 217 bhp)
- Nissan Skyline Not a GTR (Skyline GTS25)
- Honda Accord, But With Leather (Honda Inspire/Acura 3.2TL)
- The Ultimate Driving Like a Jerk Machine (BMW 328i)
- Wont’cha Buy Me a Murr-say-deez Beeeinz (Mercedes C280)
- VW Passat, But With More Leather (Audi A4)
- I Couldn’t Afford a Citroen XM (Peugeot 406)
- Does Anybody Even Remember These? (Rover 620ti)
- The Last Square Volvo (Volvo 850)
- The First Fake Saab (Saab 900 Turbo)
- Pontiac Torque Steer Special (Pontiac Bonneville)
- Ford Taurus, But With Leather and a Big V8 (Lincoln Continental)
- Chrysler Concorde, But Exactly the Same (Eagle Vision)
0 voters
1 Like
1996 C280s were equipped with the DOHC M104 Straight six. Also in 1996 the V6 406 was not yet available.
Also I’d pick the Alfa 164 Q4 (3.0L NA DOHC V6, AWD, 232hp, 6-speed manual)
8 Likes
Skyline. In red, and with the GT-R headlamps, it looks gorgeous! And is RWD, and you can swap that RB25DE, to a RB25DET or DET NEO (please, change the plastic stock turbo).
1 Like
Definitely the Chrysler LHS, not the Talon, because the LHS looks better. That or that glorious Mercedes.
Engine swaps are cheating, if you do that you could put an S30 in the BMW, a supercharged 390bhp Cobra motor in the Lincoln, or the 4.3 AMG V8 in the C-class.
1 Like
Cheated Honda, because I’d like to live, thank you.
XM, because glorious French failure is more glorious than the British failure - it has that 80s spaceship styling and hydropneumatic fun.
Lolvo, because the Swedish steel tank with a turbo five-pot, 193 hp and that flawless box style is cooler than the Swedish steel plane with a turbo four-pot, 168 hp and the second least appealing design Saab has ever made IMO. If it was a Viggen though… Also I see that both “executive” and “sporty” are treated pretty loosely here.
1 Like
“Executive sedan” = more expensive than a typical Camcord, less expensive than an E-Class. I think pretty much all these cars fit.
“Sporty” = quicker and more fun than a typical Camcord, I think these all qualify too. Even the Lincoln had a V8. I probably should have replaced it with the Taurus SHO (also a V8, but a smaller and weaker one) but I wanted to avoid low-volume specialty models.
But remember that that Rover it was a Honda Legend. With the same engine, I think.
No it was not. The Rover 800 was the Honda Legend. That is the 600, the model beneath it.
2 Likes
Which would mean nothing to me, even if it was. But it’s an Accord with a different engine. Third place among these cars would go to the A4 (I have a bit of a sentiment for that generation). After that whatever European, as I don’t particularly like or dislike any of these cars.
Ahhh ok
Allow me to explain my last few choices:
E38 - It was the last 7er built before the onset of tech overload which affected the subsequent E65, and better looking as well.
993 - in addition to being the last air-cooled 911, it also introduced the multilink rear end that we now take for granted, resulting in a less wayward car than its predecessors.
Bisimoto Odyssey - It’s real; the Calvinator most definitely isn’t.
XM - The Rover 800 series was so half-baked at launch that hardly anyone could take it seriously, even after a comprehensive facelift. The XM pulled off the oddball look and feel much better than the 800 ever could.
E36 - If I absolutely wanted an R33, I would have preferred to go whole hog and get a GT-R V-spec. The Saab 900 didn’t feel enough like a Saab, and although there is something cool about a straight-five-powered, Swedish-built box on wheels, I would have gone for the estate if I actually wanted a Volvo. The Rover couldn’t shake off the reputation of its badly built predecessors, and as good as the 406 V6 was, I like the coupe version even more. None of the three American cars floats my boat, since their dynamics lagged behind those of most comparable imports; moreover, the TL didn’t seem like enough of an upgrade compared to an Accord by comparison. The E36 gets my vote by a whisker - it came from a time when their Ultimate Driving Machine tagline was more appropriate than any time before or since. For the record, Alfa’s equivalent to the E36 in 1996 was actually the 155, not the 164.
1 Like
Which is the best retro Honda coupe (with pop-up headlights) from the late-80s?
Honda Accord Coupe?
Honda Prelude?
- Honda Accord Coupe (Fourth Gen)
- Honda Prelude (Third Gen)
0 voters
2 Likes
They look that same.
Well yes but this selection was hardly apples to apples. The commonalities between the selected cars all come down to the upmarket positioning with a performance inclination (Which makes the inclusion of the Lincoln quite odd, and yet there is no Seville STS to be seen). The Alfa 164 is actually closer in size to the E36 than the Nissan is which is nearly as large as the E39 5-Series.
1 Like
I think he’s onto something boys!
4 Likes
Hmmm. about the GT-R, the GT-R was a hell of a lot more expensive than the GTS25. Even the GTS25t (250 bhp), which would be a fine rival to even the M3, is in a class above these cars (even the American cars with big numbers, because they’re big and heavy and don’t handle that well).
Does anybody even remember these? (Rover 620ti)
Why yes, yes they do
1 Like
But outside the UK? I don’t think so 