Techzle celebrates its 30th anniversary, which is why we look back every week on this week’s edition in 1990. As of today, Techzle 37 is in the shops with a double test between the Volvo XC40 and Mazda CX-30 and a meeting of the new Volkswagen ID4, but what exactly was in Techzle 37 thirty years ago?
News
Great news from the Spanish corner, because the Seat Toledo shows itself for the first time. Although it was not Seats intention, the generous Spaniard will receive a lot of attention in the 37th Techzle ever made. The damage is not too bad for Seat, because the Toledo who was caught is still equipped with camouflage material. With today’s wrapping techniques in mind, the 90s duck tape cutting and pasting work secretly looks a bit awkward. With the Toledo, Seat opens a whole new chapter full of brand new models. Not much later, it is also the turn of the Ibiza and Cordoba for the same renewal. The five-door ‘limousine’ finally appeared on the road in 1991. Seat eventually builds four (very) different generations. This chapter was closed to the Spaniards in 2018.
At Peugeot there is less big but still nice news: the brand is celebrating its 100th anniversary with Jubilee versions. The advantage can thus rise to 1,300 guilders with a 205 and 2,085 guilders with a 405!
Tests
In the double test of this number, a 75 hp Citroën AX GT can compete against a 60 hp Mazda 121 Cabrio Top. Perhaps a crazy choice at first sight, but the goal is to find out which is more fun: more power or an open roof. At the conclusion it becomes clear that the choice would really differ per driver. The 121 Cabrio Top is not intended for drivers who want to play as a driver. It works better with people who want to enjoy the surroundings while driving: preferably with a roof open. The AX offers more driving pleasure (and storage space!).
In the section of the Techzle about used cars, a “solid piece of dynamite” is discussed: the Honda CRX. Sportiness, speed and reliability make this three-door Honda an attractive choice. An appropriate car in the ‘Poster Story’: the Ford Thunderbird for the silver screen.
Where MPVs are nowadays threatened with extinction, the space cars are just starting their march in the 90s. Take Toyota with the rather futuristic Previa. Time for a first driving impression.
Reports
In this Techzle, a real special focuses on good visibility while driving. The eyes are used in 80 percent of all traffic actions. The special is highlighted, which means that it is sometimes lacking in our view in traffic. Take the eyes themselves, but also the windscreen that is not treated properly.
In 1990 it is time for a new Volkswagen Transporter. With the concept of that bus, with the engine in the front, the old concept comes to an end after forty years. The Dutchman Ben Pon was at the cradle of the old setup, a nice piece of Dutch history. Time for a look back and a look ahead with a test of the new Transporter.
Advertisement
At the beginning of the page, something remarkable happens: with three pages, half of the page is filled with loose horses. An ad on the fifth page explains what those horses are doing there: these are the 131 horses that live under the hood of the Ford Fiesta Turbo! These are packaged in the 1.6 turbo engine that “turns the smallest Ford into a whopper”.
