rth Shore News - 27 Photos submitted Equipped with a new 2.8-litre V6 engine, standard four-wheel dise brakes with ABS, and a well-appointed interior, the compact Audi 90 sports sedan offers European luxury and performance at a reasonabie price. Audi 90s are available with front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. Audi 90 New super smooth V6 engine complements sp AUDI’S COMPACT sports sedan, the Audi 90, receives a much-needed boost in power and sophistication for 1993. its mew 2.8-litre, 172- horsepower V6 replaces the venerable, 130 hp 2.3-litre five- cylinder engine that’ was standard in last year’s Audi 90 and 80. (The 80 model has been discon- tinued.) The super-smooth and quiet engine gives the 90 the kind of response and effortless cruising power that one would expect in a European sports sedan. The new engine complements the 90's ex- isting attributes, exceitent han- dling, a comfortable ride, superb braking, and top-quality fit and ‘ finish, both inside and out. As in the previous 90, the new engine is mounted longitudinally (north-south) in the chassis, as opposed to transversely (east- west), The “north-south” orien- tation is reputed to transmit fewer engine vibrations to the passenger cabin, and improve weight THE AUD! 90’s new V6 design allows for optimum placement on distribution and handling. In ad- dition, as the shortest and lightest engine in its class, the new V6 design allows for optimuin place- ment on the chassis, contributing to vehicle balance. There’s another big reason to like the new 90. The suggested base price ($28,645) is actually less than the price of last year’s Audi 80 (an economy version of the 90). Pricing the V6-powered Audi 90 under $30,000 puts it in the same league as cars like the VW Passat V6, Nissan Maxima, Acura Vigor, Toyota Camry, Ford Taurus and other popular five- passenger sedans. I’ve always admired the 90's sporty styling, partly because it is different to every other car in its class. No one else has dared to copy the 90°s unconventional high window sills, short rear deck and extensive window glass. Some people compare it to a bathtub, but I like its unmistakably Euro- pean flair. For 1993, the 90 has been given a new hood and fron- tal design reminiscent of the larger Audi 100 and V8 models. the chassis, contributing to vehicte batance. Greg Wilson TEST DRIVE In typical Audi fashion, the 90’s interior looks expensive, even without the lovely woodgrain trim available on uplevel models. The quality of materials is top-notch and the layout is very attractive. The front sport seats offer ex- cellent comfort and support and are height-adjustable. Rear pas- sengers have plenty of headroom and legroom, and the 60/40 split rear seat folds forward to increase cargo area. There’s also a separate pass-through with a ski-bag. On the minus side, the front console is very wide, restricting legroom, and some gauges are awkwardly positioned at the bot- tom of the console. My biggest complaint was with the non-ad- justable steering wheel. The top Portion of the large speedometer and tachometer was obscured by the steering wheel, no matter how low I adjusted the seat. Oh, and a driver’s airbag is optional, not standard equipment. Getting in and out of the 90 is easy because all four doors open almost 90 degrees. However, I discovered that opening the door or rolling down the driver’s win- dow after a rainstorm resulted in a sheet of walter cascading onto the armrest. This is a common problem on many cars since mod- ern aircraft-type doors eliminated driprails. The 90 quatiro is available with Audi’s full-time four-wheel-drive system, which uses a_ central viscous Torsen differential. This system offers superior traction, handling and directional stability on snow, ice or other slippery sur- faces. Under normal conditions, engine power is apportioned even- ly to all four wheels, but in slip- pery conditions, up to 75% of the power can be reapportioned to ei- ther the front or rear axle. In ex- tremely slippery conditions, the rear axle can be locked from the cockpit {by pushing a button), improving traction still further. The rear differential lock disengages automatically at speeds over 25 km/h. Disc brakes on all four wheels with an anti-lock braking sysiem are standard equipment on the Audi 90. These work extremely well with very little pedal effort. The 90 is one of the few cars to offer a switch to turn the ABS system off. This is for drivers who believe that driving techniques such as threshold braking can be used as a Substitute for ABS. A four-speed automatic transmission is standard on all 90 models with the exception of the Audi 90 S Sport quattro model which has a five-speed manual unit. The five-speed is very smooth, but the clutch action is a little heavy. Not having tried the automatic, 1 can’t comment on its performance. The manufacturer’s suggested orts sedan’s existing features 44 The super smooth and quiet 2.8 litre V6 engine gives the 90 the kind of response and effortless cruising power that one would expect in a European sports sedan. 99 retail price for Audi 90 models are: 90 S $28,450; 90 S quattro $31,900; 90 § quattro Sport $31,900; 90 CS quattro $36,650. All Audis come with a bumper- to-bumper four-year/100,000 kilometre warranty. If you’d like a cheap holiday in Europe, Audis can be picked up at the factory in West Germany at a considerably reduced retail price. The difference could be us- ed to pay for part of the trip. {aquire about the 1993 Audi 90 at Guildford Motors, 13820-104th Ave., Surrey. Price as tested $33,440 Base price $31,900 Type four-door, five-passenger sedan Layout longitudinal engine/all!-wheel drive Engine 2.8 L V6, 2 SOHC, electronic multi-port fuel injec- tion Horsepower !72 @ 5,500 rpm Torque 184 lbs-ft @ 3,000 rpm Transmission five-speed man- ual (four-speed automatic) Centre Torsen differential Curb weight 1,495 kg/3,296 Ibs Wheelbase 2,612 mm/102.8 in. Length 4,605 mm/18i.3 in. Width 1,695 mm/66.7 in. Height 1,385 mm/54.5 in. Tires 205/60 VR-15 perfor- mance radials Fuel economy N/A Warranty four vrs/100,000 kms front