Techzle has been in existence for 30 years, which is why we look back every week on this week’s edition in 1990. Techzle 40 will be in the shops from today, but what exactly was in number 40 thirty years ago?
News
Not much really shocking news on the first pages of Techzle 40 from 1990, but two cheerful red little ones immediately catch the eye. To start with the third generation of Daihatsu Cuore. We had never seen them before. The most striking change was the arrival of more round shapes. The technical basis remained largely the same, but the car grew 5 centimeters in length and width! With the Volkswagen Polo above it, we also saw rounder shapes than before, although that was a facelift. The spelling of facelift (‘face-lift’) is just as striking nowadays as the renewed Polo back then. With the facelifted Polo, Volkswagen clearly entered a new decade with its smallest, because a solid eraser went over the corners in the design. The news pages also paid attention to Animal Day, with an orangutan raising his middle finger next to a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. Humor in the 1990s.
Tests
That a lot has changed in 30 years, we see that clearly reflected in this edition. There are several cars in it that have passed away from us over time. To start with the Fiat Uno. Together with the Ford Fiesta, he got the then brand new first Renault Clio around his ears. The Clio immediately convinced and beat the Ford and Fiat. The Fiesta let it lie on handling and price, the Fiat on space and noise.
A little further on in Techzle 40 from 1990, a much further forgotten car is discussed: the Volkswagen Golf Country. A four-wheel drive raised Golf with which Volkswagen was looking for a gap in the market at the time and not quite found it. A kind of crossover avant la lettre. He competed against the more traditional Suzuki Vitara in a comparative test. Although the Golf made an impression, in the end it did not last very long.
Finally, there was a double test between two large sedans that have not been among us for a long time: the Ford Scorpio and the Chrysler Saratoga. The Chrysler what? At the time, Chrysler competed in the higher segment with the Saratoga, just like Ford with the Scorpio. For Ford it was not a resounding success, but again not a complete failure. The fact that we can hardly remember the Saratoga, shows how it turned out for Chrysler. He was probably a bit too American and unusual for the Netherlands, because the first impression in 1990 still promised a lot. A ‘pleasant surprise’, we thought at the time.
Reports
Actually, there is one report in Techzle 40 from 1990 that deserves full attention. The one about the realization of our new endurance tester at that time: the Volvo 440. It naturally left the production line in Born, Limburg, so we traveled to the factory at the time to see how ‘our’ 440 had been created. From a thick roll of steel to a fully deliverable Volvo: we were able to experience the entire process up close. “However, our sense of national pride will not stop us from putting the Volvo to the test,” we looked ahead to the endurance test period. We would drive it at least 50,000 km, and then completely screen the car. In the end it turned out that it was not wrong: our endurance tester was on the road until 2007.
Advertisement
The then brand new fifth generation Ford Escort had to be lured en masse to the Ford showroom again. According to Ford, it had to be fine, since it was ‘an absolute pleasure to the eye both outside and inside’. The improved interior space and ‘rock-solid’ road holding also had to convince. The latter was indeed good with the Escort. Nevertheless, it was not such a success as the previous generation, although the last Escort was also absolutely not only on the Dutch market.