A C E R T A l N STYLELife might be tough for a lot of Eur- all the renowned Volvo virtues of opes major car manufacturers right safety, solidity and durability built-in. now, but in Sweden, business Its a thoroughly up-to-date machine seems to be booming. in every single respect - a clean Volvo in particular appear com- sheet of paper design - and one that fortably detached from the harsh owes nothing whatsoever to the realities of todays car market. While Volvos of the past. the big guns are locked in a bitter For a start, its front-wheel drive - and costly struggle for dominance in the first that Volvo have put into pro- the volume sector, Volvo are in the duction. Its body, light but very tough fortunate position of being able to go and constructed partly from resilient their own way, trading profitably composite materials backed up by both home and abroad in the pro- high strength steel, is robot-built, low cess. They have found, as have Mer- slung and aerodynamic. Not as slip- cedes and others, that theres a pery as some rivals mind, but at strong and growing worldwide 0.34Cd its well up to class stan- demand for quality, well-made cars, dards. Significantly, Volvo havent let ones with the right upmarket image the quest for a fashionably low drag and aura. Especially so in North co-efficient compromise the every- America where anything European day practicality of the car. The front is in and that automotive equivalent screen wipers are a good example: of a designer label - a prestigious the wipers are partly recessed tailgate logo - is regarded as very (instead of tucked completely below high status indeed. the bonnet line as on other stream- And its America where the vast lined cars) which admittedly doesnt majority of Volvos new sports do much for body airflow but at least coupe, the 480 ES, will be headed. makes it easier to free frozen wipers There are plans for some 20,000 to in icy and snowy conditions. A small be sold there in 1987 while the UK but logical point. arm of Volvos operations will have The presence of those dominant to make do with far less - around impact resistant bumpers, which 2000 units by current estimates. Volvo say will withstand a 5mph col- That means the 480 ES is bound to lision without deformation, probably be in short supply when it does adds about 6-8ins to the Volvos eventually arrive here in the spring. overall length. At 167.6ins, its signifi- In mainland Europe though, its been cantly shorter than near Capri and on sale for some while, having first Audi rivals (VWs Scirocco however appeared at the 1986 Geneva Show. is actually shorter than the 480) In some cases, the presence of a although width and height are high profile, sports coupe can have broadly similar, as is wheelbase. the planned effect of brightening up Inside, where the Volvo seats the an otherwise lack lustre model front occupants comfortably, not to range, the idea being that some of say luxuriously, theres also room the glamour attached to it would rub behind for two adults to travel in off on some of the duller versions. reasonable comfort. This was one of Not that Volvo conceived the 480 ES the main criteria laid down by the Its one of the most radical with that purpose in mind. Quite the design team at Volvo BV in Holland, opposite. Their strong-selling family whose original outline proposals for Volvos yet. The sporting 480 of saloons and estates is popular the car six years ago were accepted enough as it is. ahead of those of three other ES, front-wheel drive and No, the newcomer - Volvos spi ri- sources: Volvo Sweden, Bertone tual successor to the famous Simon and the little-known Italian styling Dutch-built, centres on Templar P1800 coupe of the sixties - house of Coggiola. The 480, the sleekness and style - as has appeared for an entirely differ- directive said, had to be able to seat ent reason. To appeal to the modern up to four adults in comfort - and so does Hondas refined breed of coupe driver, the person it does, inside a well equipped, interested in style and sportiness sporty cabin. The Dutch connection Aerodeckwhich lines up rather than out-and-out practicality. continues by the way, for the 480 is Someone a little younger than the built at Volvos plant in Born, near against the new Volvo in this typical current Volvo buyer, the Eindhoven, albeit in left-hand drive exclusive twin test. Theyre driver who might perhaps own a form only at present. Scirocco or Fuego. Until now, Initially, the 480 is available in just natural rivals but one just Volvos catalogue had nothing that one form. Under its long, sloping came anywhere close to that ideal. bonnet lies the rather tame 1721cc has the advantage Naturally the 480 ES comes with 'Cleon four cylinder engine, a unit 57 TWIN TEST: H 0 N D A A E R O D E C K Wedge-shaped Honda has smooth, uncluttered profile. Deep windows give excellent visibility. Highly refined 2.0-litre engine has 12 valve head and gives effortless performance but fuel thirstcan be heavy with fastdriving. Optional four- speedauto box is very responsive. Honda's interior features wide, comfortable seats in the front but short rear bench and poorly shaped tailgate compartment. Finish throughoutis to Honda's usual high standard 1. Clock 2. Heated rearscreen 3. Rheostat 4. Revcounter 5. Speedometer 6 Fuel 7. Temperature 8. Rear fogs 9 Horn 10. Driving lights 11. Indicators, wipers 12. Fan 13. Heater temp Volvo co-build with Renault (who At the front, suspension is conven- Steering sees the refinement of tive US market where Honda are use it in the R11 and R21) and which tional enough with MacPherson variable power assistance as stan- especially strong - even more so also appears in Volvos 300 series. struts, lower wishbones and roll bar. dard. At parking speeds, the Volvos than the Swedes-theres no limit to For the 480 though, its gained multi- However Volvo engineers have rack and pinion system receives full the number of cars they can sell. point fuel injection and Bosch spent quite some time ensuring that servo assistance- but this gradually There the 480 versus Aerodeck engine management electronics. the car doesnt suffer from any anti- decreases as driving speed builds showroom battle is likely to be pretty Power has risen to 109bhp at social front-drive habits such as up, to the point where theres practi- keen once the swoopy, front-drive 5800rpm (up from the 81bhp of the wheel scrabbling under power and cally no assistance at, say, motor- Volvo fully comes on stream. carburettor version) with torque of poor traction, so have modified the way speeds. Gearing is nigh on per- When last year Honda unveiled 103lb ft peaking at 4000rpm. suspension bushing accordingly. fect atjust 3.1 turns lock to lock. their new, third generation Accords, This high compression low fric- Also present are near equal-length To find a suitable rival for the 480 the surprise was how un-Japanese tion engine sits transversely driveshafts, which help keep the car ES, we straightaway looked across they were. Bigger, more prestigious- between the front driving wheels, stable under hard acceleration. to Honda whose stylish three-door looking and far more European in mounted in unit with a five-speed Rear suspension, consisting of a Aerodeck is very much a car in the style both inside and out, they transaxle on a detachable subframe. dead beam axle, coil-sprung and same mould. Its the sporting hatch- showed the way Honda wanted to Later, sometime in 1987, Volvo pro- located by a Panhard rod and Watts back member of Hondas latest go: upmarket, towards BMW and the raise an automatic option for the 480 linkages seems more designed for Accord range and like the Volvo is profitable executive sector. Indeed along with a more powerful 1.7 turbo predictable, sporting handling rather highly specified, expensively engin- right from the outset, the Accord was version offering 125bhp - and also than optimum ride comfort. Although eered and fairly exclusive (in this designed with European roads and anti lock brakes. As tested, the 480 non-independent, it is an effective, case, because of Hondas limited driving styles specifically in mind. ran with four wheel disc braking. well-proven design, nevertheless. annual sales quota). But in the lucra- No expense was spared. New 58 What car? January 1987 HONDA AERODECK EXi, VOLVO 480 ES V 0 L V 0 4 8 0 E S Low slung, sleek and sporting-can the 480 ES really be a Volvo? In fact, its the first of a new generation of Dutch-built Volvos and is transverse-engined and front-drive. Torquey 1.7 litre injected engine powers the 480but a more powerful turbo is on the way. Fine road behaviour coupled with comfortable, well-appointed interior are hallmarks of the smartly presented 480 but rear accommodation is on the tight side . Tailgate space is small too. The Volvos price has yet to be fixed 1. Rear fogs 2 Heated rear screen 3. Rev counter 4. Speedometer 5. Trip computer 6 Trip control 7. 011 pressure 8. Heater temperature 9 Volts 10. Fan 11. Clock 12. Hazard warning 13. Wipers 14. Driving lights 15 Lights, dip, indicators 16 Lights bodyshells, engines, drivetrains and EXi, is the version we test here. Volvo has these too, remember) to price, the Volvo could well appear interiors were all brought in.