European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 12, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday november 2, 1907 the stars and stripes Page 13 coming 11 Yon or going away the new Audi 90 Quattro sport Sedan presents Sharp appearance. Strong performance plus four wheel drive new Audi 90 Quattro sleek Safe the new Audi 90 shows once again that functional design can be combined with Good looks without having to make restricting  that opinion from the people at Audi can Only be termed an understatement be cause the new Audi 90 Quattro s looks Are better than Good. In fact the Quattro is one of the most attractive sports sedans on the Road Loday ill design pleasing from every Angle. The Glass and flush with the body gives the Cara sculptured look. We had the Audi 90 Quattro four door sports Sedan on test recently from he ing Olstadt based Audi firm and we were so impressed by the car s appearance that we emphasize that plus first. There Are also some minus Points one being Price which Well arrive at later the new Audi 80 and 90 series was introduced onto the . Market Only last week but these cars Are already a familiar sight in Germany and in other european countries where sales Are extremely High. The Audi 80 was introduced in Germany a year ago and the 90 arrived last Spring. In Europe the Audi 90 is offered in three versions Alt three powered by five Cylinder fuel injected engines these in clude the front wheel drive Audi 90 2 Liler 115 he and 90 2.3e 136 hand the four wheel drive Quattro also with a 2.3-liter engine of 136 he. The Quattro is the car Well talk about today As on the full Range of Audi cars the Quairo s body Shell is fully galvanized Cor corrosion Protection and it is highly aerodynamic with a drag coefficient fac Tor of Only 0.32. Inside the driving position is extremely Good but the car s sports Interior reef Small and somewhat confining initially. But once one becomes accustomed to the car he feels at Home in it with plenty of room for both himself and i front seat passenger. There s also room in Back for three adults but it s More comfortable for two and there is ample head and leg room. The trunk although on the Small Side it holds a full size spare lire and two Large suitcases is extremely easy to Load because of a Low Bottom lip and wide opening lid. All doors by the Way May be opened into stages half and full with the doors remaining in either posh Ion no matter How much wind is blowing. The Audi 90 Quattro is fully equipped with such appointments As the anti lock braking system Abs dual position Sun roof Central Locking system Power adjust rear View mirrors and More but the instrumentation is a bit spartan wit Only a speedometer trip odometer tachometer clock temperature gauge and Gas gauge. The turn signal and wind shield wiper stalks can be difficult to reach and both should project a bit far ther past the steering wheel rim. Despite a Small Glove Box Interior storage space is adequate with split Sior age bins located at the Bottoms of Bot front doors and a map storage bin under the instrument panel. But it s on the Road where the Audi 90quatlro shines the engine providing plenty of torque and top end Speed and the newly developed five Speed Gearbox making Lor Quick and smooth changes. The engine with a redline of 6.400, takes the Quattro from Zero to 100 Kph 62mph in 9 seconds Flat and we attained a top Speed of 127 Mph. One can cruise with ease in the 100 to 120-Mph Range if traffic conditions allow. The Quatro is extremely comfortable and quiet at High speeds. It never necessary to raise your conversational voice even Ai 120 Mph. Now Lei s look at the four wheel drive system Standard on the 90 Quattro but costing nearly 10,000 Marks about $6,000 More than the regular Audi 90 2.3 liter Model 46,200 Mark is. 36,500 $27,500 is. J2i.725. The four wheel drive system uses a new Torson differential in the Center of the drivetrain. With the Torsen from torque sensing differential torque split is automatic and the setup May be used with the Abs system. During Normal operation the torque split is 50/50 Between front and rear in pc. Depending on available traction however it can deliver up to 3.5 times More drive Force to the pair of wheels with the Best traction. The rear differential meanwhile can still be locked manually for extra grip in extreme conditions and when the vehicle s Speed rises above 15 Miles an hour thereat differential automatically unlocks restoring the Abs. Every Model in the Audi lineup is offered with four wheel drive As Well As with conventional front wheel drive saudi has Long been an exponent or Chr four wheel drive system. Is the extra Cost Worth it the answer to that is a definite yes if you can afford it and if you want this built in safety Factor a safety Factor that gives the car More stability and better balance in All High Speed situations. You have belter balance because the Power to the Road is being put Down in equal amounts by All four tires. And the Audi 90 Quattro is a beautifully balanced car. During our time with it we encountered both rain and Snow High in the Austria mountains and while the weather certainly did not demand four wheel drive it was still reassuring to have it while driving Over Slippery surfaces. On a dry surface meanwhile you re never aware of the four wheel drive except when cornering and you can go through a Comer at High speeds without applying a lot of opposite lock or hanging the Tail out and screeching the tires. So White the fun Factor is reduced no wheel spin at stoplight Takeoff in wet weather for instance you can go through any Comer in total safely. You would really have to be pushing it to lose the Quattro in a Corner or in a curve. The ride in the new Audi 90 Quattro is smooth and comfortable with the sus pension perhaps a bit on the soft Side but at least it s not Bone jarring tires on the test car were 195/60 or Good year Eagle radials on 14-Inch Alloy wheels. The anti lock Brake system has discs All around while the rack and Pinion steering has Power assist. Summing up the Audi 90 Quattro is a specially car in a sense and while there Are other luxury compact sports sedans in its Price Range that offer stronger out right performance perhaps Only Loeb my 32s in can Compie against it where both performance and four wheel drive benefits an contented. Regarding fuel consumption our aver age under All Road conditions and speeds came to 23.4 Miles per gallon quite acceptable for a car with this much performance the fuel Lank holds 70 liners or 18.4 Gallons. The Quattro Burard Premium Grade unleaded gasoline and there were no prob lems finding this Grade of fuel anywhere in Germany Austria or Switzerland even on sundays on Back roads. Every Audi car on the european Market except diesels and the top of the line Quattro 200-hp Model now bum Lead free fuel. In the United Stales the Audi 90 cart will Start at about $24.000 with the 90 Quattro priced in the s 28.000 Range. Sopwith the weak Dollar prevailing Loday the new Audi cars Are no longer bargains. But the same can be said of any  car. Randy Barnett automakers taking special aim at women buyers by Janet Braunstein Detroit a these Days every one has advice for Auto dealers on How to sell to female buyers who Bough More than 40 percent of the 11.5 million cars sold during 1986. The reason is that Many dealerships were slow in realizing that As women entered the workforce and moved up they began buying cars on their  either ignored women or tried a hard sell that sent the potential customers fleeing in droves. Women complained that if they brought men with them to a showroom salespeople would address the men and ignore the women even when the women were the ones signing the Check for the Purchase. Now automakers such As Chrysler corp. And pm s Chevrolet division have begun aiming advertisements specifically at women and Are making certain to in clude professional looking women in most campaigns. And they have found that women also Are buying Light trucks sport Utility vehicles minivans and pickups As Well As High performance cars in larger numbers than Ever. So dealers and salespeople need to learn How to make women comfortable in the showroom and to Leam How to approach the concerns of female buyers says Jayne Hamilton author of How to sell cars and trucks to  some of her advice for dealer who want to sell to women keep a clean comfortable showroom that makes Good use of Interior design. Be prepared to answer questions because women ask a lot of them. Don t pressure a woman for an immediate decision when she is shopping around among various dealers or taking time making a selection. Understand that women lend to be aware of their budgets and to stick to them. Remember that women lend to be More interested in service contracts the reputation of a dealer s service depart ment and conveniences that go wit dealer service such As leaner vehicles or a shuttle that lakes customers to work or a bus Slop Afler they drop off a car for service