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JR VectraJun 1997

JR Vectra

The Holden Vectra was the third (and final) generation of mid-sized front-wheel drive General Motors “J-cars” that dated back to the 1982 JB Camira.This fact may be lost on some people because Holden chose the 1989 Toyota Camry-cloned JK Apollo over the second generation 1988-1995 Opel Vectra – although a variation did arrive here as the 1991-1998 YE Calibra.When the Holden Vectra did finally debut in mid-’97 it enjoyed the sort of critical and commercial success unknown by its Apollo predecessors, despite being widely debased in Europe.The secret of the Holden version’s success was in the tuning as well as the timing.Its engineers wrought a number of improvements to the handling and ride that transformed the car (and which were then incorporated in the Euro Vectra), just as Holden’s star was on a VT Commodore-fuelled ascension. Plus buyers responded to the Vectra’s handsome styling.Initially a four-door sedan and five-door hatchback were imported from Belgium, powered by a locally made 100kW/185Nm 2.0-litre twin-cam 16-valve Family II four-cylinder engine, while the hatch also offered a 125kW/230Nm 2.5-litre V6.The more expensive CD version added a passenger airbag, cruise control, fog light, traction control, trip computer and power windows to the GL’s standard driver’s airbag, central locking, power steering, power mirrors and traction control system.

GS VoyagerFeb 1997

GS Voyager

Daimler Benz purchased Chrysler in 1998, resulting in a name change to DaimlerChrysler.Chrysler is credited with inventing the big people-mover market in the US with its Voyager.Along with the unseen-locally Renault Espace, the Voyager was passenger – not commercial – vehicle based, so its creators had a free hand in optimising the car for people carrying consumption.The Voyager’s dual side-sliding doors, a walk-through cabin and three rows of seating for up to eight occupants became segment hallmarks.Australia had to wait until the third iteration – the GS – from late ’95.Sourced from DaimlerChrysler’s Austrian production facility, two versions were introduced here in early ’97 – the short wheelbase (2878mm) Voyager SE and long wheelbase (3030mm) Grand Voyager.The latter came in SE, LE and (from October ’98 to early 2000) luxury LE LTD guises. All were powered by a 116kW/275Nm 3.3-litre OHV V6 mated only to a four-speed column shift automatic gearbox.Along with the price, equipment levels were high: dual front airbags, anti-lock brakes, air-conditioning, cruise control, keyless entry, power steering, electric windows, heated windscreen and power mirrors were SE features.The LE and LE LTD included alloy wheels, fog lights, leather upholstery, power front seats, roof racks and a trip computer.The well-specified Grand Voyager LX became the GS model’s flagship from September 2000.Although prices were always high, the Voyager did well against the now ageing Toyota Tarago and smaller Honda Odyssey and Mitsubishi Nimbus, while slight trim changes kept the model fresh.But the arrival of the cut-price 1999 Kia Carnival and new Tarago in late 2000 hurt sales, especially as the then falling Australian dollar put prices beyond many people’s reach.The almost all-new RG Voyager replaced it in May 2001.

SportageDec 1996

Sportage

THAT Kia managed to make the original Sportage 4WD wagon from the sow’s ear that was the front-wheel drive Pride light car (a re-badged and South Korean-made 1986-1990 Mazda 121!) was quite an achievement.It also showed foresight, because the Sportage debuted in its home country around two years before the original Toyota RAV4 – the vehicle generally considered to be the pioneer in car-based light SUV's.But while the Toyota drove like a car, the Sportage – with its beefed up, separate-chassis construction and low-range transmission – was ponderous and pedestrian from behind the wheel. The dynamics could only be described as vague and unappealing.It was also sluggish. Power came courtesy of a Mazda-derived 94kW/175Nm 2.0-litre twin-cam 16-valve four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic gearbox. And it had a lot of weight to pull around.The Sportage’s cabin seemed modern and pleasant to look at until an extended time revealed the uncomfortable seats, low-fi plastics and general quality, a tight driving position and a woeful lack of room for rear passengers and their cargo.Equipment levels were OK – with central locking, power steering, powered windows and mirrors, roof racks and a limited-slip differential (LSD), but anti-lock brakes were optional and – until 2000’s update – there was no standard airbag availability.Three limited editions – the FX (’97), SE and GSE (both ’99) – added more kit and improved trim levels, as well as that missing driver’s side airbag, but only from ’99.The Sportage’s timing was bad – two far-more road-focussed rivals from Honda (CR-V) and Subaru (Forester) joined the impressive RAV4, placing the plodding Kia as a non-starter in the urban 4WD stakes as far as dynamics and efficiency were concerned. Only keen pricing kept it in contention.But the Sportage nevertheless carved a niche for itself in the burgeoning SUV market, as rural buyers in particular looked past the pretty styling and unfamiliar Kia brand to the impressive off-road ability and the Sportage’s general robustness.From April 2000 an extended Sportage was introduced, with an ungainly 305mm tail extension to solely increase luggage capacity from a paltry 1570 litres to 2220 litres.The spare wheel moved underneath the floor from out back, equipment levels rose to include power windows and a CD player.

CJ-7 WranglerOct 1996

CJ-7 Wrangler

CHRYSLER launched the Jeep CJ-7 Wrangler, the granddaddy of off-road vehicles the world over, locally in October 1996.Although similar in silhouette to its pioneering 1940s-design predecessors, the Wrangler benefited from big revisions aimed at making it more car-like against new-age pseudo 4WDs like the Toyota RAV4.To improve ride, handling and comfort, Jeep junked the old model's horse-and-cart era leaf-spring suspension for the Grand Cherokee's Quadra all-coil set-up, improving the structurally stronger Wrangler on as well as off-road.Still, it uses a traditional ladder frame chassis, the preferred off-road method of construction but one not favoured by road safety experts.The Wrangler’s performance was provided by a 4.0-litre, six-cylinder engine pumping out a useful 130kW at 4600rpm and 290Nm of torque at an unstressed 2800rpm. All that lazy torque meant the three-speed only automatic transmission sufficed. A long-legged, five-speed manual was also available.From early 2000, a new heavy-duty five-speed manual transmission with a synchro reverse gear replaced the standard five-speed. This was coupled to Jeep's Command-Trac transfer case, which provided part-time four-wheel drive with high and low ranges.Two models are available, the base Sport and better-equipped Renegade. The latter, a hardtop only variant, was discontinued in October 2003.In mid-2001 there was the limited edition Sport 60th Anniversary soft top, followed in early 2004 by an Extreme Sport edition.From January ’05 a four-speed automatic and six-speed manual gearboxes replaced the ageing old units, while torque rose from 290Nm to 305Nm.

Polo Mk3Oct 1996

Polo Mk3

VW took a punt marketing a $20,000-plus Holden Barina-sized baby in Australia.The Mk3 Polo – already two years old in Europe and a platform sharer with the Seat Ibiza and Cordoba of the same era – featured an unheard of combination of standard features for the light-car segment, including dual front airbags, power steering, CD player, central locking, seat-height adjuster, powered heated mirrors, rear headrests and front electric windows.The sassy five-door hatchback styling, solid build quality and an aspiring German badge also appealed.But keen drivers were less enthused by the low 55kW power output of the 1.6-litre engine (the Toyota Starlet 1.3’s was 55kW), hard ride and roly-poly cornering, while rear legroom was tight for adults.The responsive four-speed automatic Polo from March ’97 suited the Polo’s mini-Mercedes persona more than the five-speed manual.New trim and instrumentation arrived unheralded in mid-’97 while a massive sunroof marked the Polo “Open Air” model from July ’98. Alloy wheels were also included from October ’99.The limited edition Polo Trek from September ’98 included a roof-mounted mountain bicycle.

90 Series LandCruiser Prado 95RJul 1996

90 Series LandCruiser Prado 95R

Traditional 4WD leader Toyota was caught unawares by the unexpected success of medium-sized 4WDs like the Mitsubishi Pajero and Jeep Cherokee.So in came the full-ladder frame chassis Prado, featuring a full-time 4WD differential with two-speed transfer case.Replacing the crude Hi-Lux ute-derived 4Runner, it impressed buyers with its good looks, comfort, space and relatively civilised on-road manners – courtesy of its car-like coil spring suspension and reinforced body shell.Two engines were offered at launch – a 112kW/240Nm 2.7-litre four-cylinder (3RZ-FE) and a 132kW/303Nm 3.4-litre V6 (5VZ-FE) – with the choice of a four-speed auto or five-speed manual gearbox.The four models were: 2.7 RV and V6 RV6, GXL and VX Grande.All V6s featured a 159-litre fuel tank and eight seats (to the 2.7’s 90 litres and five seats). Power steering was standard, while dual airbags and anti-lock brakes were optional.Value-added special editions included the World Cup of May ’98, the Getaway of October ’98 and May 99’s Snowy.

EP91R StarletApr 1996

EP91R Starlet

Toyota’s first real light car to be sold locally since the 1960s 700 crashed the burgeoning segment a decade late after stalwarts like the Holden Barina and Daihatsu Charade helped define it, and 23 years after the nameplate’s Japanese debut.The Starlet suffered from indifferent styling and high prices, but when the latter was rectified after Toyota entered the infamous cutthroat price war with the Hyundai Excel and Ford Festiva, sales soared.Against its cheap South Korean rivals, the Starlet offered lively performance from a 55kW 1.3-litre 4E-FE fuel-injected twin-cam 16-valve four-cylinder engine, high levels of refinement, frugal fuel economy, dogged durability and a relatively strong body.The base three-door hatchback Life enjoyed the lion’s share of the sales, but there were other models too available at launch: the sporty three-door hatch Group X and well-specified Style five-door hatchback.All offered a three-speed auto as well as the standard five-speed manual gearbox. Dual front airbags, anti-lock brakes and power steering were desirable options.In July ’97 the range grew with the arrival of a five-door hatch Life model while the Style gained central locking and a tachometer.

Ford TaurusMar 1996

Ford Taurus

In the USA, the original 1986 Taurus, with its European styling and advanced specification, saved the ultra conservative US arm of the Ford Motor Company and helped change American car buyer’s tastes.To know this may help understand why the misguided 1996 Taurus Mk2, which allegedly cost billions of dollars to develop, was so radically designed.It was meant to maintain its predecessor’s reputation for boldness while sustaining its hard-fought market-leadership against Japanese models such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. But many American buyers could not come to terms with the Taurus’ wilfully egg-like looks, and sales stumbled.At least over there, people knew what a Taurus was and where it belonged.From the outset of its Australian launch in early ’96, the orphan Ford’s prestige-segment pricing, relatively tight packaging and front-wheel drive layout also alienated it from traditional Ford buyers (who sooner chose the cheaper, better-balanced Fairmont or Fairlane instead), while its lack of badge credos did it no favours against more established prestige rivals.Still, it was well-equipped (dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, climate control air-con, cruise control, CD player), reasonably powerful, thanks to a 149kW 3.0-litre quad-cam V6 engine, pleasantly refined to drive and quite comfortable.And did I mention its distinctively offbeat styling?

Calibra YE95Aug 1995

Calibra YE95

The 1995 YE95 Calibra range added a 125kW/227Nm 2.5-litre V6 engine, available with a four-speed auto or five-speed manual gearbox.Other changes included dual front airbags, sports seats, revised instrumentation, improved audio system, new colours, redesigned alloy wheels (again) and a trip computer.The two 2.0-litre engines disappeared, replaced with a 100kW/185Nm 2.0-litre twin-cam 16-valve unit linked to a five-speed manual only gearbox.But bad timing once again scuppered the Calibra’s chances of success the YE95 was released just as the compact 4WD boom – led by the Toyota RAV4 – was beginning at the expense of sports coupe sales.The three-tiered YE95 models were discontinued without replacement in mid-’98. Ironically, by the end of that very year Australia finally went crazy for a two-door Holden – the Commodore Coupe Concept that stole the 1998 Sydney motor show.That eventually became the super successful 2001 Holden Monaro.Timing, it seems, was never on the Calibra’s side.

Mk1 OdysseyJun 1995

Mk1 Odyssey

Responding to the then burgeoning multi-purpose vehicle (MPV – or “people- movers”) segment defined by the Toyota Tarago and Chrysler Voyager, Honda rolled out its homely Odyssey in the middle of 1995.Based on the Accord of the time, the front engine, front-wheel drive, double wishbone suspended Odyssey drove like the fine handling car it was based on.Its quality packaging included an easy access walk-through cabin, two removable centre bucket seats, a rearmost bench that cleverly folded or reversed into the floor, panoramic views all-round and a car-like driving position.All Odysseys feature dual front airbags, anti-lock brakes, air-conditioning, alloy wheels, power steering, power windows and power mirrors, while cruise control and an immobiliser were fitted from early ’96.At the same time a seven-seater option was added to the range.Performance from the four-speed column shift auto-only 104kW 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine was only adequate, in contrast to the refined handling, roadholding and ride attributes.Sales have been strong, owners loyal and resale residuals firm.Think of it as a fat five-door Accord hatch and you’re right on the ball.

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