European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 31, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday May 31, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 13 i a  Rong Turbo engine moderate Price Dodge spirit Good car All around _. _ Yit k m try Kowt a it Arf 1by Malcolm Donahoo Magazine editor the Dodge spirit introduced just a year ago already has established a reputation As an up and coming con tender in the competitive midsize mar  reasons for that Success were obvious after i spent a week behind the wheel of a 1990 spirit is logging nearly 500 Miles on quiet Rural roads crowded City streets and wide open highways. The spirit proved that it has what it takes to go toe to toe with the likes of the Ford escort Chevrolet Corsica and Honda Accord. The front wheel drive four door Sedan is stylish comfortable and responsive and it boasts a wide array of Standard amenities. Still it retains a moderate sticker Price. The manufacturer s suggested Price on our test car totalled $14,360, including dealer preparation fees and a $440 Desti nation charge. The test car was equipped with optional air conditioning Power windows and door locks and Remote con trolled heated mirrors. Under the Hood was the Standard 2.5 liter Turbo engine which Cranks out 150 horsepower at 4,800 rpm. The same Power Plant is available As optional equipment on the base and is models. An optional 3-liter v-6 will give even More Pep to any of the three models the four Cylinder Turbo with Multi Point electronic fuel injection is linked to a five Speed manual Gearbox three and four Speed automatic transmissions Are optional on the 2.5 and 3-liter engines respectively. The result is Swift acceleration and a top end that pegs the speedometer Needle at 120 Mph. The handling package is impressive. Dodge gave the is four wheel Power disc brakes for 1990 front discs and rear Drums were Standard last year. Power rack and Pinion steering also is Standard and the suspension system features front struts Gas charged shocks Coil Springs and Stabilizer bars. The spirit rides on Road gripping p205/60 r15 All season tires mounted on sporty cast aluminium wheels. The net result is a vehicle that you can drive with Assurance and one that in vites you to drive it faster and faster. The a w Al will i he four door Dodge spirit Turbo a Sharp contender in the midsize Market suspension soaks up big bumps and dips. The spirit seems to straighten the curves and keeps a firm stance even on rain Slick highways and rough surfaces. The Turbo engine and transmission provide plenty of Low and mid Range thrust and braking is smooth with Good Modula Tion. It s also a handsome vehicle. With its simple sleek lines monochromatic Black paint Job and styling touches like built in fog lights body coloured Grille and extended ground effects Rocker panels and front and rear Bodywork the test car was frequently mistaken for a High priced european Sedan. The spirit also underwent a slight cockpit redesign for 1990, because it and All other  Chrysler motors passenger cars has been equipped with an air bag for the Driver. The air bag is built into the adjustable leather wrap Ped steering wheel and the cruise control buttons have been installed there too. I found the location less convenient than stalk mounted controls. By and Large though the Interior is Well equipped and Well designed. The four analog gauges tachometer and speedometer Are Large legible and positioned for easy reference. Standard Fea Tures include a stereo am pm radio and cassette deck tinted Glass lighted visors electric rear defroster and Remote Hood and fuel cover releases. My favorite Gadget was the trip com Puter which provides readouts in either . Or metric units. One function of course is a trip clock and odometer. But it also computes the vehicle s fuel econ omy for the distance covered provides moment by moment fuel Economy Fig ures and calculates the distance to empty using the amount of fuel remaining and latest fuel Economy Reading to Tell the Driver How Many More Miles or Kilometres he can travel before the Gas tank runs dry. Flat out at 120 Mph on the open High Way the Reading was 10 Miles per gallon. Cruising at 65 in fifth gear the figure hovered at 33 to 35 mpg. The Epa fuel Economy ratings for the spirit is Are 24 Mph in City driving and 32 mpg on the Highway. In both categories the test car did slightly better than advertised. The spirit has a 16-gallon fuel tank giving it a Highway cruising Range of roughly 480 Miles. For Driver and passengers driving is exceptionally quiet Dodge enhanced the spirit s sound insulation As Well As its corrosion Protection for 1990 and the car is Roomy enough for five adults. Head room is 38.4 inches up front 37.9 inches in the rear leg room is 41.9 Inch sup front 38.3 inches in Back. The comfortable reclining front bucket scats the Driver s seat has adjustable Lumbar support and the split fold Down rear scat arc attractively upholstered in cloth. Shoulder Lap belts for the rear out Board passengers also arc Standar equipment. The fold Down rear scat extends the 14.4-cubic-foot cargo capacity of the wide deep trunk. The trunk has a Flat carpeted floor and a Low lift Over Sill for easy loading. The spare tire is in a compartment beneath the truck floor and the Access handle protrudes inconveniently into the cargo area. Still there is room for a family sic assortment of bag Gage grocery sacks or whatever. A final safety related note the 1990 spirits arc equipped with Energy absorb ing bumpers that arc designed to deflect and return to their original positions when the car strikes a Barrier at speeds up to 5 Mph. That s two times the mini mum Protection level mandated by fed eral standards. For full details on Iho new Dodge spirit curs prospective buyers May Contact Chrysler Dodge sales representatives at the cafes new car sales Points on Iho various military bases in Europe Volkswagen launches comeback Campaign in . M by Marshall Schuon new York not you May have seen the word  ski i Swage save in Means pleasure to e driving experience and this word the major rocket in an advertising Blitz hat is the Start of Volkswagen s push for la comeback in the United states. Irue the company has never really Wen away. But it is no secret that the name once synonymous with import has fallen on hard times. Ars ago vow was Selling Al a to r cars in this country. And in i foreign automaker to open a e, shores. Today the West Moreland p a., facility is closed and Volkswagen sales have dropped by about pc Lent. That Cre Jare a number of reasons for a pfc dry of a11 of them can be Laid at1116 feet of the japanese. Or a. Vei Ong time Volkswagen had its own Way. The Beetle was. To the Rabbit was a worthy Suc and i came a  of uninspired anti or More expensive dashers Eis s"18. A a scirocco. And the Deal con Irik. J become fat and arrogant a routed to the problem. Same the West German com Pany and its subsidiaries Audi and seat remain the fourth largest producer in the world behind general motors Ford and Toyota. And its executives Are raring to renew the Effort Here As Well As in Eastern Europe which most manufacturers now regard As newly Fertile ground. Peter Fischer Volkswagen of Ameri Ca s executive director of marketing had a lot to say about both pursuits when he was in new York recently presenting his company s lineup of 1990 cars. The cars were arrayed on the Terrace at tavern on the Green in Central Park Mak ing a palette of sparkling reds yellows and Blue Green teals. The highpoint were the new and fast Corrado sports coup6 and the Roomy passant Sedan and Fischer said vow is going Back to its roots by keeping prices  some cases he said stickers actually have been reduced. The Jetta for example now has a $9,995 base Price $ 1,100 lower than the 1989 Model. Regarding Eastern Europe Fischer said the Rush toward democracy and free Market economies has captured corporate attention in a big Way because developments have greatly increased the potential for growth. And he noted that vow is particularly Well placed. Since the end of world War ii he said Volkswagen Headquarters in Wolfsburg West Germany has been just five Miles from the Iron curtain. Now suddenly our world Headquarters has been relocated to the Center of  in All of Eastern Europe Fischer said years of communist Rule have produced an average of Only one new car Sale each year for every 10 in the United states. Here that has added up to nearly 500 cars for every 1,000 people. In Eastern Europe on the other hand the ratio has ranged from a Low of 43 cars per thou Sand people in Romania to a High of 216 cars per thousand in East Germany. Excluding Russia Fischer said there Are 113 million people in Eastern euro Pean countries nearly half As Many As in the european Community. And if the demand in the soviet Union increased to just 100 units per 1,000 population it would mean another12 million sales a year. Clearly the potential is significant he added and we Haven t even talked about the need for replacing the current averaged  Only a few months ago Fischer said people who wanted to buy a trabant a Small car that has become a Gray Symbol of lacklustre East Germany had to wait 16 years to take delivery. Now he said virtually no one in East Germany wants a trabant because they would rather buy a used car from the West. So in a matter of weeks the waiting period in East Germany has gone from 16 years to  Western Europe and Asia have Over taken America As the centers of Auto motive production Fischer said and the european Community will become the world s largest Market when Trade barriers Are dropped at the end of 1992, a planned. After 1992," he said the 12 Mem Ber nations of the european Community will be the largest free trading bloc in the industrialized world. We expect to Sec Good growth in Asia and in Eastern Europe too which raises a provocative question if the vow group has so much going for it in Europe Why should it care what happens to Volkswagen and audion the United states the answer he said is simple. No matter what happens elsewhere Ameri cans love cars. The United states re Mains the world s richest and most competitive Market. It is an important place for