European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 2, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                April 2, 1987 the Star Sand stripes Pago 13 car Corner 87 go fat boasts Power for acceleration cruising unleashed Power. Thai s the first impression shifting through the gears of the 1987 Golf it. Powerful acceleration through Al five gears and Virse Power available even when cruising at 100 Mph on the autobahn were characteristic of the car. The lest car was equipped with a 1.8 Flitcr fuel injected engine and a five Speed transmission. It reached a to Speed of 112 Mph but it had very Low mileage and the engine was still tight. High Speed travel on the autobahn was very comfortable with speeds of 90 to 100 Mph easy work for the Golf. There was very Little reaction to some very High winds and the Golf Felt under full control at at limes. The braking Power with discs in front and Drums Sinback was excellent Volkswagen lists the top Speed As 117 Mph with acceleration from 0 to 60 Mph at 9.0 seconds. Gas mileage rate Dat . Highway speeds is listed at 26 Miles per gallon for City driving 31mpg Highway. The fuel tank has a capacity of 14.5 Gallons. The Golf it has a very useful shift indicator for fuel Economy but the sporty Driver will learn that he Arrow located Between the tachometer and speedometer does t allow much room for fun driving and High rpm. The it has a two year unlimited mileage limited warranty on the vehicle excluding tires and a six year limited warranty against corrosion perforation. Handling is a Strong Point on theft. With All the Power available from he engine driving through the curves is just Plain fun. The Taurus mountains offered an Opportunity to put the lest car through its paces. Contoured bucket scats gave full sup port during the twisting and turning and the stiff suspension gave a feeling of command. The steering is rack and Pinion and very Quick offering Good Road  suspension has Independent Mae Pherson struts with Coil Springs and telescopic Shock absorbers in front with a 15-mm Stabilizer bar. In the rear arc an Independent torsion beam Axle with a 20-mm Stabilizer bar Coil Springs and telescopic shocks. Team this suspension with the super gripping 185/60 or 14 Pirelli p600tires, mounted on 6 jux 14-Inch Alloy wheels and the curves come easy. The Only problem encountered Dur ing the driving test was a difficult when shifting into or out of fourth gear. The shifting action was smooth but fourth was sometimes hard to find. The Golf it is very Roomy inside with plenty of leg room for passengers both front and Back. The rear Bench is comfortable and folds Down for extra loading area when needed. The weekly grocery shopping did t offer the rear Luggage area a Challenge with eight Large sacks filling behind the Back scat. Accessibility was no problem with the rear deck lining up As the Back door i opened. The instrument panel is very visible. Both Side mirrors Are controlled from the inside and tinted Glass is Standard. Intermittent rear wiper action is a use Ful touch. The base Price of the Golf it is listed As $9,675, the test car was equipped with a Sun roof radio prep speakers and Antenna installed and heavy duty Cooling. Its list Price was $10,390. The four door Jet a combines ample room wild fun behind the wheel Mace Namer Ca Jetta is for fhe driving enthusiast German Quality built in the United tales. That sums up the Volkswagen jct a a sign on the lest car s window pro claimed that it was built in America bunion labor. The four door Sedan had a 1.8-Liicr, fuel injected engine and a three Speed automatic transmission. On super Quick autobahn or wind ing country roads the jct a was right at Home. The handling is the son that every driving enthusiast looks for. The Delta proved capable of staying up with autobahn traffic with a comfortable cruising Speed of 160 kilo me ters an hour. Top was about 175 Kph. The test car had the catalytic con Vener removed and used leaded super Gas. The Gas mileage Given on the sticker was 23 Miles per gallon for City driving 27 mpg Highway. Those figures arc with he catalytic converter installed and  Speed limits. The suspension of the jct a is truly european. It is stiff enough to give the Driver full control but does t beat the Passyn Gorc. The jct a will seat four adults comfortably in a Pinch there s room for third passenger on the rear seat. Passenger leg room in he rear is More than sufficient and everyone can Lake along All the Luggage they need be cause the trunk of the jct a is big. The engineers did their Homework Here and built a space which is not Only Long an wide but deep. The enjoyment came on roads that twist and turn. The jct a excels when incomes to pure handling. The Rock and Pinion steering is stiff enough to allow True Road feel ing and the Power fro the fuck in Mcclea engine pulled the car out of any reasonable driving situation. It Ulso provided plenty of passing  anyone who does a lol of City driving and parking Power steering would pc a Good Choice. The enjoyment of driving the curves quickly disappear when twisting the front a Eccl drive Julta into a tight parking spot. Through a variety of conditions curvy Odenwald roads Loose Sandy roads an unexpected Laic Winter Snow the Jena went exactly where it was steered. It did t slide it did t breakout it did t lean it just went. The Interior of the Jetta deserve comment. The seats both front and Back Are comfortable with Good Sid support on the front seals. The front seats recline completely for that Short siesta along the Way. Height adjustable front seat belts arc a Nice feature. Both Side mirrors arc adjustable from the inside. The instrumentation including a tachometer is easily Reada ble. The wheels on the test car were Sharp seven spoke Alloy with Continental Contact 175/70 or 13 Wircs. The test car came with such extras As Auto Matic transmission metallic paint and stereo radio prep and had a sticker Price of 510,985. The base Price was listed As $9,510. The vow Golf it draws plenty at get tip and of from its 1.8-Liler engine. Stories and photos by Jerry Kidder Price of average . Car pegged at $13,800 in 1995 Ann Arbor Mich. A the average Price of a Domestic made car will Rise to $13,800 by 1995 from 19b5 111,600, and average import prices will remain about $900 higher according to a University of Michigan forecast. Cars will tend to be smaller but earn More luxury options average owners will keep Sun for five years up from four and imports will have a larger share of the subcompact and compact Market Seg ments researchers Al the University s of fice for the study of automotive transportation predicted. Complicated electronics and improvements in Quality and durability will produce a decline in do it yourself car repair according to the report. The Repon authored by engineering professor David Cole was based an a Survey of More than 250 Auto Industry executives and consultants. It is the fourth such Repon since 1979. In the years leading up to 1995, Auto Industry Competition win intensify an buyers will become More demanding especially when it comes to their vehicles reliability the report predicted. It said that will ensure that vehicles continue to improve in Quality. The report also predicted Ilia total new car sales will incr Caw from 11 Mil lion in 1985 to 11.4 million in 1990 and11.s million in is. Foreign Rar sales will Rise from 2.8 million or 25 percent of inc total in 1985 to 3.1 million or 27 percent in 1990 and 3.4 million or 29 percent in 1995, the report said