European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 12, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday july 12, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13 car car Corner spoiler atop trunk lid aids in aerodynamics. Sas aggressive styling touches Alloy wheels. Sas new Multi valve engine is smooth performer Bow 318is an the new Bow 318is Model is a compact performance sports Sedan that Bow terms a the legitimate successor to the old 2002 series models. For purposes of definition this Means that the 31 Sis is a car that a not Only fun to drive but is be that can be driven hard and fast. In Short its an enthusiasts car with aggressive body styling that matches its performance characteristics. With the introduction of the new 16-valve, 4-Cylinder engine of the 31 Sis Bow launched the use of Multi valve engine technology for the first time on a volume production basis. Once the 31 Sis models were on the mar act Bow followed with Multi valve technology on the 5 series 6-Cylindcr sedans. The 5-series with Multi valve engines came onto the european Market in May. The 318is 2-door sports Sedan made its debut last september at the Frankfurt Auto show and arrived on the German Market shortly thereafter. Last month it became available in . Specifications and is being sold both in America and on . Military markets. Its a neat Little car All around strictly oriented toward the Driver who enjoys using a 5-Speed Gearbox pushing the revs to the limit and taking curves at the Best of his abilities. The Bow 31 Sis goes fast and it hangs on a a rear wheel drive Bow trademark. The a a heart of this special Bow is the new 1,8-liter, twin Cam 16-valve engine. The engine is based on the 4-Cylinder Power unit launched in 1987. The new Multi valve engine controlled by the digital motor electronics me engine management system develops 134 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and it takes the 31 Sis to 60 Mph in 9.3 seconds. Our top Speed was 125 Mph. The engine is pow Erful enough and it is extremely smooth for a 4-Cylinder unit. The torque rating is 127 la. It. At 4,600 rpm. The 1.8-liter, 16-valve, twin Cam engine of 134 he. Bow As with most Multi valve engines you need to keep the revs up for the Best performance Between 3,500 and 6,0001, and that a no problem with this highly flexible unit. Redline is 6,250, but the engine will hit 6,500 without the slightest Effort. Cruising is in the 90 to 115 Mph Range. The 31 Sis uses 4,600 revs at 100 Mph in fifth gear while the 60 Mph figure is 2,700 rpm. At 70 Mph its 3,100, and at 125 tops its 6000. The ride was firm but comfortable As one might expect for this Type of car the european version has a stiffer suspension setup than the .-specification Model almost needless to say. The suspension is Independent All around Macpherson struts at front and Semi trailing arms at rear with Coil Springs Gas pressure Shock absorbers and anti Roll bars at front and rear. The Power assist braking system which includes anti lock Abs As Standard has vented discs at front and solid discs at the rear. Goodyear Eagle 195/65 radials mounted on specially designed 14-Inch Alloy wheels put the Power quickly to the Road. The test car from Bow of Munich featured first rate fit and finish and the Orange red color matched its  spoilers Are used front and Back on the aggressive body design while a Black Satin Chrome trim adds to the Overall a a customized effect. The Interior is Well done and also purposeful with special seat upholstery developed for the m3 sports Model. The sports seats arc comfortable and can be adjusted to fit All sizes and shapes. An Quot a techniques steering wheel is used and even the gearshift lever Knob is topped off with the my colors. The 31 Sis seats four people five in a Pinch and while the Denver front passenger area is Roomy enough Over 6-Footcrs May have problem the rear scat passengers Lack both leg and headroom. They also ack Roll Down rear windows but As air conditioning is Standard that a not supposed to matter. The Driver seating position is excellent. The instrument panel gauges Are sparse but easy to read and there Are map storage pockets at the Bottoms of both doors. There a a Large lockable Glov Cox and a e s car computer readout that gives outside temperature the time Date Etc. Power windows and Power rear View mirrors arc also Standard plus a Power Antenna for the Ste co radio cassette system. The lighted trunk is quite Large offering room for a vast amount of Luggage. Summing up the 31 Sis sports Sedan will Appeal to anyone who enjoys driving enthusiastically. Its Quick it handles extremely Well and it gets 27 Miles to the gallon. While the 3-scrics Bow cars have been around for a Long time now they still retain their popularity and offer Good value for the Money. But new 3-scries models Are due late this year or very Early in 1991, and a bit later in the United slates. They embody the 5 and 7-Serics look from the few photos we be seen and they arc described As longer wider and More powerful. But Back to the new Bow 31 Sis. It Sells for $21,500 on the . Market so it comes in at a very special Price on the military Market a Only $17,850 another Bow 31 Sis this one a 4-door version will be available in september on the military Market at a Price of 16,4 50. Some of the Standard equipment items on the test Model included the Abs braking system Driver Side airbag air conditioning Alloy wheels front and rear spoilers Power assist steering and Power windows 4-speaker stereo system and tinted Glass. The Only options offered Are metallic paint $375limited slip differential $400manual Sunroof $650and 8-Speakcr special i i system $250. There Are no automatic transmission options on the 3l8is, for full details on the new Bow 31 Bis those interested May Contact the various Bow dealers throughout Europe or write Bow customer service Leuchten herring 20, d-8000 Munchen 80. A Randy Barnett Auto  Detroit apr the Acura luxury car division of Japan a Honda motor co. Ltd. Has topped the . Power and associates list of cars most satisfying to their owners for the fourth year in a Row the marketing company reports. The organization says in a news release that Acu rats Overall customer satisfaction Index Rose about 3 percent to 122 Points this year from last year. The Survey checks consumer attitudes about numerous aspects of their vehicles and the dealerships they used. Power surveyed about 100,000 people who have owned 1989-Model cars for the last 12 to 14  marketing group refuses to release rankings of vehicles lower than what proves to be the Industry average in any particular Survey. But automakers with cars ranked High in the Survey immediately tout the results in their advertising. The groups customer satisfaction Index is one of three principal surveys conducted by the Power organization. Earlier Power released its initial Quality Survey which looks into the number of problems reported by Consumers during the first three months of ownership. Toyota motor  lexus division topped the initial Quality Survey list and since then two Page newspaper advertisements have been appearing in Power Survey around the nation. General motors  Buick division was the highest ranked . Automaker and less than 24 hours after the Quality Survey was released television ads bragging about Buickus ranking were on the air. In addition to the customer satisfaction Index and the initial Quality Survey Power also produces its vehicle dependability Index covering reported problems during the first four or five years of ownership. In the customer satisfaction Index Acura was followed by Mercedes Benz also second last year Toyota fourth last Vear Cadillac fifth in 1989 and Honda which was third