European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 7, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday june 7, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13crircorner aerodynamic styling of the Mazda mx-6 it Turbo results in a drag co efficient of 0.32. Spoiler sits atop trunk lid left and Hood is Low profile right. Ass sports Coupe with plenty of Roommx-6 it Turbo sleek and Quick the Mazda mx-6 sports Coupe is m attractively styled automobile that omes in three versions on the military arct. The top of the line Model the .x-6 it Turbo is the subject of to ayes report and we found it to be a sleek and aggressive sports machine with lower to spare. The mx-6 it Turbo is equipped with l2-Vave, 2.2-liter, inter cooled Turbo engine that delivers 145 horsepower at ,300 rpm. The fuel injected single Rhead Cam engine propels the car to 30 Miles per hour and it would do nor except for an electronic Cut off. Along with plenty of punch and no Turbo j to speak of the mx-6 its torque rat Nugis a big 190 . At 3,500 rpm so per Ermance is impressive All around. One of the features on the test car pro idea by Mazda military sales Auto sex hang Ewas the a High tech electronically ont roiled suspension with modes for a soft Ormai and and if you want to have riving fun on the Back roads hit the sports Button and leave it there. The system a which Mazda Calls aug Matic adjusting suspension Aas a easy to use and by pressing the desired Utton on the three Button panel the River can set the shocks at three differ it ranges for mild ride soft Normal Ide Normal and sports firm. The ports Mode setting improves driving lability at High speeds. Its a neat system Quot around and the car provides a com triable ride regardless of Mode. On the Road the front wheel drive 1x-6 it Turbo handles Well and the engine is highly responsive. Going through the gears a with some annoying torque steer at a a Takeoff a the 4x-6 it Turbo hits 30 mph in first car 60 mph in second 90 in third 112 n fourth and 130 mph in overdrive fifth fore the cutoff comes in. These figures Ere recorded at the 6,000 rpm redline. He Gearbox by the Way provides Quick a amps inter cooled Turbo motor turns out 145 horsepower. Throws and its easy to use. Off the line the car zips from Zero to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds but hold on to the wheel in first and second gears to catch that torque steer because there a a lot of it when you re really hitting the Gas pedal. In fact the front end can Zig Zag when the engine comes onto full Turbo boost so be prepared to Cope. The mx-6 it Turbo is equipped with Power assist disc brakes All around the front discs Are ventilated and Power assist rack and Pinion steer if the steering direct and quite Quick. The suspension is Independent All around and consists of Macpherson struts at front and twin trapezoidal links at the rear All with Stabilizer bars at front and rear. The 15-Inch Alloy wheels on the test car were shod with Bridges tone Potenza p195/60vr.s. The body with a few minor changes on the 1990 Model retains its drag co efficient of Only 0.32, and the Glass is set flush to Aid the aerodynamics. A spoiler a a Wing sits atop the trunk lid and the new bumpers Are fully integrated into the body. Fit and finish plus the Lustrous Bright red paint Job on the test car rated at the top. The Mazda mx-6 the Ford probe is its counterpart has a lot of room at both front and rear regardless of Model and two adults would have no problem making a Long journey in the Back seats. The car actually seats five people but four is the limit for Complete Comfort. Both doors have combination safety exterior Light units red and White located beneath the Arm rests while the front bucket seats Are fully reclining. The Drivers seat has adjustable Lumbar and thigh supports As Well As lateral support and the scat is also adjustable for height. Three grab bars Are located at the proper Points. The Large speedometer and Rev counter arc easy to read through the three spoke steering wheel surprisingly enough there is no Turbo boost gauge while the wiper and headlight levers Are located right at your fingertips. The ventilation system is highly effective and easy to use and there Are even oscillating Center vent lovers to Aid in air distribution. The test car was equipped with cruise control tilt steering column Power Sunroof with Shade Power rear View mirrors Centra Locking am pm casette stereo with a graphic equalizer system Power Antenna two excellent map Reading lights for the front seat occupants and a lot More but that gives the general idea of equipment level. There s also a storage Box on the console that doubles As a tray and there Are storage bins at the Bottoms of the doors and on the setbacks. Although basically a performance sports Coupe the Mazda mx-6 it Turbo can be used for hauling or carrying a lot of cargo when necessary As the rear setbacks flip Forward 60/40 basis to connect up with the huge trunk. The car has a remarkable amount of room for one in its size category the trunk with 15.4 cubic feet capacity and a total of 38 cubic feet of cargo space when used with the rear setbacks Down. Our fuel mileage figure came to 19.3 Miles per gallon this including some High Speed autobahn runs while the spa rates it at 21 City 28 Highway. The mx-6 it Turbo described in this report Sells for si8.975 Brenner Haven delivery and is available at Mazda military sales Auto Exchange outlets. The Headquarters address is Westerback Strasse 23, 6242 Kronberg West Germany. Along with the it there Are two other mx-6 versions being featured by Mazda military sales a the do Coupe and the la Coupe a both with non Turbo 2.2-liter engines turning out 110 horsepower. Prices on the do and la Range from $14,525 to $18,210. All prices include Home Randy Barnett Auto columnist opel to produce Vectera Model in East Germany the opel firm which announced Early this year that it would begin manufacturing Wadett models in Hungary by 1992, has now added East Germany to its car production and marketing plans. A subsidiary of general motors the opel company announced recently that it will begin Assembly of the hot Selling Vectera in Eisenach before the year is out. Eisenach where the Wartburg car has been manufactured for decades is located in the state of Thuringia and not far from the Border with West Germany. The Vectera production agreement Between opel and its East German partner opel Awe a mph was revealed by opel a chairman Louis r. Hughes Dur no a press meeting in Eisenach. A with our latest product the Vectera we will be producing a Modem and especially economical automobile in the Der a the opel chief said. Eisenach will become the fifth production Center for the Vectera the others being Russel sheim in West Germany Antwerp Belgium Luton England and Izmir Turkey. The Vectera to be produced in Eisenach will be the 4-door go Model with the 75 horsepower 1.6-liter fuel injected engine with the catalytic converter system. Opel said it plans to produce about 10,000 Vectera cars annually in Eisenach. The Vectera Assembly Plant is the second step Between opel and its East German partner the first step taking place last March in Leipzig when opel and Awe agreed to form a business partnership for car production. There arc now some 200 opel dealerships being set up in East Germany with personnel being instructed and groomed at the opel training c enter. Training has already begun for those who will work on the Vectera Assembly lines in East Germany. The Vectera was introduced onto the International Market in August of 1988, and since that time it has become a Best seller. During 1989, in its first Complete year of production More than 364,000 were sold. As of april 1990, the Vectera with its British counterpart Cavalier has reached a sales total of 600,000 units. In West Germany the Vectera was the top Selling car in its class during the first Quarter of this year. A
