We investigate Tr the bargain priced products of less developed motor industries. Are they ; pes a sensible option for the budget buyer? = The ever increasing technical sophistication of even the smallest cars sa welcome progression, butt has aso resulted in cars which are becoming more and more expensive, even after normal inflation has been taken into account. There is precious litle to be had for less than £3000, and the average family hatchback is neerer £5000, But ather than beinglimited to buying any ofthe tiny Fiat or Suzuki cars which vie for the attention of cash-restrcted motorist, four seats, a proper boot or a hatchback and a 1500cc engine can be had for well under £3000 if potential customers tum to the primitive motor industiies of eastern European and less developed countries. ‘The manufacturers of these cars make no secret of the generally low lovels of refinement on their vehicies; in most cases the designs are obsol Wester European cars bul under licence but to Cut costs more basic engines are installed and trim 's simple. Fiat, for example do an excellent trade with their forgotten models, and Colt allow Hyundai to build their engines and use them in the Pony. ‘What has tradtionally been the strongest attrac- | tion of these cars is that their new price fairly | closely corresponds with a two or three year old | Escort; a pristine A-registration motor car is the ‘same price as the one which might have been Used for every one of its 20,000 or 30,000 n New car ownership breeds its own pride. Tt is however wort pointing out some 0 ‘ecomomics involved in buying one of these ‘and one of the most important is depreciation, it oF not, cars from eastern European cout suffer from pretty heavy depreciation in the ‘couple of years, and that can instantly wipe ou ‘gains in the low intial purchase pice. Also, d ‘expect the outstanding fuel economy of the ‘modern western European cars ~ engines be of old designs andiess ineficient| door accommodation — long recognised as the main | Sales appeal of East European cars such as the FSO. = but the trimming is terribly outéaled. Unfortunately £2599 | our FSO test period coincided with a hot spell which | | | Tier rudely mae with Sy PASC ESTE th other branches of Eastern Bloc industry, car scion in Poland began in camest just after the nd World War in an effort to build up modern tryin a.county ravaged by years of conic. ion the site of the pro-war State Engineering s, aller signing doals with Fiat nthe 603 for wide | modemisaion, over 100,000 Fial-based cars being made annually in the early 70s. Sinco the cars have been on sale in Britain under the Polski-Fiat, but pressure from the italian firm | fedin a change of abel rem June 198! | O cars, as they are now called in Briain as wel | Poland, are imported to the UK by Automotive eutors Lid, formed in 1975 and who are part of f=222 Cars Group who market Japanese Maz- = fe UK. As well as the 1300/1500 range the +250 soll the Polonez hatchback, hough the = is the bigger seller. FSO have in fact been = ‘uitful Sales of late; sles inthe rst half of =a wore up almost 60 par cent. D5 connecton with Fiat gave them the design 29 the 125, a long deletes medium-sized s00° saloon, and it is this car that the present | 9500 ange's based on, However, instead of the === motors which powered the Fiat cars, these = were ropiaced by pushrod units of 129 and = croducingé4 and 75 bt respectively. =rally, FSO made a few detail changes to the cing fiting twin headlamps, and the original = fimming was replaced with a Polish version, == asic andulitaian than that ofthe Fiat. st suspension on the FSO is by unequal length ens, coll springs and telescopic shack absor: @ system stil current on many of today's sin European cars. but the leaf springs at the shich support the live rear axle are very ols nd. Steeringis ofthe worm and olle:type, and s,cellecting the sporting nature of the original 5 are discs fontand back 300 form the FSO is underpowered, consider at it weighs fractionally over one ton. Unfortu- long gone is tho sporting exhaust note ofthe o be replaced by a gruff note of an overworked ricultural scunding engine. The car is slow and ponsive, and full tote is required for most of diving other than townwork. ck of performance isn't racessarily en outright mination. But what will aways be Gresome are ry heavy controls; heavy and imprecise low d steering, tough pedals and a vague, notchy nange on the four-speed transmission. I's just ard work, pertcularly in town de, the FSO Is roomy, offering genuine four- + | cars. comes nevtner from whatisnormally termes as, made the lack plasic seats urbearably hot and sticky to sit on. Simiaty, the facia belongs to en era long past, with a strip speedometer dominated by an immensely big steering whee, Construction looks rugged with everything bolted {ogether strongly, but on the smaller detail pois the | finishis very crude. The FSO is now outciassed by nowor rivals inthis marketplace so its appeal must rely solely on the amount of car a customer gots forthe money: abi’ ‘car or a Fat 126-stye rice tag, and so pricing vital Costing 2 pound short of £2600 it stil has that gvantage But compared to its East European rivals it isinno danger of bingealled a bargain, ENGINE |2ocony 64 bhp ear aire SUSPENSION: Front wiehsonss alas springe ‘STEERING Wormand roter WEIGHT 20 ome LENGTHST67 ing OER MODELS: saloon Teste Including the Hyundai Pony in his review immediately | sot us @ problom in that it swept away all the ‘oograshse terms which could be applied to these Western Europe or Eastern Europe, but from South ‘Korea, hitherto unassociated with thecar industry. However, the big westoin influence on the five-door Pony is the styling pen o!Giugiaro who was ompleyed to update the car, whichin fact came io Britain through West Bromnich-based ternational Motors @ couple ‘ofyears.ago. ‘There aie in fact 2 large number of Ponies available, 1236 (54 bhp) and 1439 (67 ohp) and a ‘choice of three, four and five doors. Our car was the {op 1400GLS hatchback which costs £4479 ands by alarge margin the most expensive cain this group. ‘The Hyurdal's mechanical configuration is a trai tional one, and many mechanical tems are dered from Mitsubishi (Colt) components and built under licence. A single overhead camshaft engine drivesthe rear whea's through a four-speed gearbox. Susper sion at the font is strut type and at the rear ig alive ‘axle on leaf springs; steering is by recrculating bal. Inside, the similarity to Japanese cars of pertaps ten years ago is even mare striking end itis this eroa thatthe Pory is clearly 5 superior tothe others hate. The facia roulcing is made of hard plastic and fits perfectly in all the corners, and the instruments are the clear and easy to read types often sean on Japanese cas. An added bonus is exealient venila- tion, another traditional srength of Japanase designs. ohio Se cea ell oem areregateneety Fag ian Sea ag to spite Soha ne cle ae ace Sy coe tee ne era eta Ta Stn ay ae weak Secon eee esmrceue Si hs Ta Tantra ela Seeger snewiomacr tae mec ors a caus Sd ais an ncn ces ne ateea ent Bio ce cccniagle gant Gat emt Yor Senate en sino Besta eio w be eae silting son onan tae ed Seed en en ioe Poy aris seasons 8 sale Ceetoen sacs cores te cs ate eT ee seen RUSSIA Just where would the East European car industry be without Fiat to pass on to them their old designs? ‘There would pertaps be more of a variety of shape, as tho Lada is the third ca inthis review to use the familar boxy Fiat shape — this ime 124 based The Lada is Fussia's contibution to the bargain basement selection of cars available in Britain, and is buit at the Togliat plant, said to be Europe's (East and West) largest car plant, and more than 708,000 cars are manufactured there annually forsale Both in Fussia and in75 other countries, using last year Lada replaced the old 1900 with the Fiva mode}, but this didnot go on sale in Britain uni May, ‘Though new in name, the Riva is simply the old 1300 with quite a lew modifications. The bodywork is shghty altered front and rear, and the overnead cam lengine now has 2 toothed bolt rather than a timingSAA VALUE FOR MONEY MOTOR chain. Seats are new, asis the facia ‘Suspension is straightforward enough using frent wishones and a live rear axle on leaf springs. Rack and pinion steering has not found its way on to the Riva: the worm and roler systemhas been improved. To drive, the Lada has much in common with the FSO — heavy controls and unrefined engine which needs every inch of accelerator travel almost all the ime. The Russian car fares slightly better though: its gearchange is better and the engine is that lite bit more responsive. Handing and ride are better described as old | fashioned rather than poor, as the live axle provides | stip levels typical of this crude type of rear suspen- sion. First impressions of the Lada are of a general | vagueness rather than poor roadholding. A switch to ighter rack and pinion steering would however make ine Lada amuch easier car ohhandie, Seating reaches acceptable standards with lots of }oom inside — especially in the rear. Porhaps the only fticism is the awkward driving position. The fabric seat trim and plastic door facings are quite bright and Jo away with any basis car feeling. ‘The Riva's revised facia does help mate it feel a more modern car — two main dials are surrounded by rocker switches in a neat panel, and the steerin wheel alsois new andmuch more stylish. ‘What does not imptess on the Lada is the quality of ts finish. The interior plastic mouldings do not ft wel and in some places, where held in place by screws, pend round the screwin an unsightly way. Peeling away the stick-on boot badges reveals. screw holes whare a metal nameplates missing. But an impressive feature ofthe Rivais ts level ot | standard equipment. Rear seat belts are a safety exifa' found on few cars as standard, and neadiamp | vipers arenormally only on morecosty cars. ‘Amongst the East European cars, the Lada falls about midway. Most ofthe out-and-out crudities found afew years ago have been refined out and there are a whole series of sensible modifcations which have updated the car and increased its appeal. But it still | Joes not match the standards set by the Yugo. At £2895 t's ood value, and that's silts big asset. ENGINE 1254cc one, GS bip,rear-orve SUSPENSION: Frent witibones:rearleat springs STEERING: Wiormandrolen WEIGHT. 95cm | ENGTH:163 ins OTHER MODELS: 2caloons,2estates | )DA SUPER ESTELLE 120LE CZECHOSLOVAKIA £2748 century inthe obscure field of Deyele reparing, but it teas in the ‘60s that the lrontangined Octavia and Sen the current, curious rear-engined cars appeared i= Bian. The present import company, Skoda Cars | (Great Britain) Lid was set upin 1966 and inherited a small and fragmented dealer network Interestingly, the familar leoking extras with whish ‘Skodasare equipped — sunroofs, Goodyear tyres and Philips radioicasseites —are all exported to Gzechos- lovakia from Britan to be fied at the factory rather than beng added on at the Kings Lynn impor centr. Out ofa total prediction of around 180,000 per yes, 3,000 Skodas reach Wester Europe. “fom Skoda's five car rango we picked the Super Estelle 120LE, costing £2748 and powered by a rear-mounted 1174ec pushred engine and gearbox, and water cooled via a front-mounted radiator, Power Output for the 120LE is 52 bhp, though the same engine in tho 1201S and Rapid Coupe gives $8 bhp. ‘Skodas gota rough ride in the press inthe "70s due to their poor hanging: the swing axles at the rear ‘could lead to sudden oversioer at faily moderate speeds, and in answer to this the suspension has ‘been partially redesigned. Swing axles aro sill used, though several years ago the wheel size was changed fom 14 inch to 1Sinch, and thespring heicht was revised together wih dferentrates. ‘Another improvement was the fiting of rack and pinion steering in 1982 to replace the worn and nut. ‘This change alcne has been enough to tansfom the Skoda. We las. tested one in 1980 and found the steering iudicrousy heavy despite there being no woight atthe frontof the car, But now the steering is ver light indeed ~ a shade foo light if anything. Also /resentis a sel-cetring action, absentin old cas. ‘The swing axles sill cause eventual oversteer but now it is far more predictable and the Goodyear Grand Prix S tyres have reasonably good levels of {fip. The ride t00 is much betir onthe latest oars: itis stil rather bouncy but the car does nol hop around nearly so much ané fee's far more secure. “The pushrod engine is a clean revving unit far mere responsive than the Lada or FSO though it has to be revved hard to keep moving along withthe trafic Inside, the Skoca is finished neally but has a very austere fee! to it wth soat trm which is described as cloth but in our opinion tends more towards plastic. In shape te front seats are comfortable enough but not especialy nice to ston, feeing hot ane sticky. Heat from the rear engine bay penetrates the eabin causing ‘an.unpleasant almosphere. Noise love's too, are also very hich at high speeds. ‘Despite having & roar engine which ean nover really allow a good use of space, the Skoda has a folding ‘ear seat which gies a large at surface, though this Is best suited to loading up with smaller objects as. there isno access or big loads. With the rear seatsin place there is good legroom. ualty of build seems good on the Skoda. ‘Although many details are siyed ina very dated way. allthe tim fits wolland looks sturdy enough. {As itstands in 1983, the Skoda is a relatively wel developed car tram what Is basically © poor dasign principio rear engine and swing axle. Atthe price is fairly good valve, naving a high equipment level, but like olhor Eastom Bloc cars, wateh fer substantial depreciation whentne time comes for eeling. ENGINE: 17éecohy sip rearaive SUSPENSION Frontwenbonectfaarswing axes STEERING: Fuckandonen WEIGHT: 17 cats LENGTH T64ine OTHER MODELS: Selonns, 1 ooupe YUGOSLAVIA £3199 Stretly epeaking, Yugoslavia Is not a fully fledged member of the Eastorn Bloc bu that has not stopped thom turing to Fat to find a base for theie Zastava ‘gars. Unie Lada and FSO, however, Zastava use a Fiat design (the 128) only as abasis, andhave grated ‘on ahaichback reer end of thelr own mating. Zavodi Crvena Zastava, in common with Skoda, hhas a long history in a varity of engineering feds, dating back to the last century, and have been producing Fiais under licence since 1854 ‘utputot all vehicies ast year was over 260,008. Caled Yugo inthis county, the 1116 ane three and five-door hatchbacks use the trans ‘overhead camsnaft engines and running oes" = Fiat 128, producing 55 and 65 bhp respective havefour-speedtransmission. ‘Clearly a maor seling point on the Yue = added on tailgate, as. the car offers hatem Versatity in a price bracket where there a others of the same configuration avaiable. The yet attractive lines ofthe onginal Fiat body hates Father thrown out of propotion, but itis @ Worms sacri for extraluggage space ‘Sealing is good in the Yugo, with big seas comfortabie cushioning, and the e-grating ote body has not resulted in cramped rear accom tion. The trim is very much more cheer ta ‘Skoda or FSO, having more ofan lan a. | "The Vugo manages tobe the best civerscas group, losing none ofthe Fiat's sporing charas tics on its (raves eastwards to its new fax ‘Yugoslavia. Thal means that it feels very mack ‘generation rontwheel-deive car with a sight = {Qearchange and a certain amount of sioemms Under hard comering. But i's nevertheless = which can give ts driver sore saistaction. Les frontive carsot this era, steering effortishean The 1.1-ire 311GL version which we Se an adequately refined performance though = Tite in reserve, and it would be worth ring i tothemore expensive 1.-tre cas i possi Like most of nese cars the Yugo Scores mee equipment loves, with the top-range models == | radiotcassettes, spoilers, and attractive alloy wt ~ all itings whch help teieve the essentii look the car and add to showroom appeai Ventiation, coming from Fiat, is nothing = and will usualy have to be supplemented by as window. Noise levels are righ, particularly t= speeds. | Its not the best built car of this greasy Zastava tol us hat the cars we have seen == early models. They do nothave the good Ssh Skoca with aitof tim panels having untcy Sr ‘As an overal package the Yugo seis Sam | ards tor pertormance and refinement Sas other East European cars ook preitylona i= es Prices, apart ftom the top-range versions: = and oF the time being this cars our East a choice. That doesn't mean, however, at = ‘uldategin comparison wih Westorn Eurooeae ‘and we would certain iketo seo bette feeRIVA 1500 GLS, SKODA ESTELLE TSE YUGO 513 ta couple of years ago they were pelow £2500, and it wasn't so long pre that that the £2000 barrier stil >d_as the. all-important. bench- ik. Yet the fact that this watershed ue has crept up by degrees to its sent £3000 or so is largely imma- al, for in the sleepy world of the y basic car there's litle that inges bar the prices. Comecon imports are increasing _ _their domination of the sub £4000 _ Class. Are they now a sensible — alternative to buying a used car? 's a curious twilightzone, cutoff | certain that these racicbotiom run- n bilion-collar battles fought out the mult-national majors, The ss of the participants have the llarity of 20 years on sale, out Jong equipment liss rather than ed or technical finesse; i's above ne age of the design, rather than price on the screen, that dis- yishes such truly basic models ncars thalare meray cheap, riorities are very diferent, too for @ isa Secor of the market where erscanatlastachieve their ambi of buying a new car for the get of a used model. In this way abouts are seen as more attractive than secondhand mainstream models, they are loaded to the hilt Union (Lada), Poland (FSO Polski) or ‘Yugoslavia (Zastava Yugo). Of these three the Lada is strongest in the UK ‘marketplace, saling upwards of 15,000 ‘with extras and equipmentthat would | per year, Yugo have registered ter- weapons are low, low prices | normally be found only on cars twice | fic expansion since their UK debut theprice. Nori itany accident that the same models have continued to dominate the sector for so. long: emanatng mainly from Eastern European Countries, the cars benefit from keen exchange rates and undoubied export Incentives, enabling the UK prices to be pegged temptinaly low. ‘The most familiar of these makes is Skoda, who have been selling the owner can revel inthe prestige of | substantially unchanged —_rear- latest regstration plate and relax engined Estelle model for some 20 1e Security of a decent quarantse, | years. Yet in many ways Skoda isthe er than worry abouthiscarshis- | exception, for the rue has now - oF ts likelihood of breaking | become the marketing ofa Fiat cast- m. And to make even more | off, whether it be built in the Soviet four years ago, while trade for FSO — formerly known as Polski-Fiat ~ notkeptup thesame momentum. Here we test a representative model from each range, concentrat- ing on the sightly pricier versions which face European competition from cars such as the Fiat Panda, | Citroen 2c, Mini and Tatbot Samba, rom Skoda comes the Estelle Two 120 LSE, the Czechoslovakian concem's top model apart from the 4900cc coupe. Priced at £3489, the Estelle is the only non-iat derived car on test. is rear-engned, water- cooled mechanics date back to the WW Beetle design era Power from he tree is 54 bhp, trar mission four-speed, suspension wistoones aes 2 © now become te front and swi ‘ar, and steering h ack and pinion, TheLace isthe result of Fiat's 5 ing fctory. rechinery and the 196 124 design lock stook and barrel the Russians some 10 years ac ‘Though rommally restyled as t Riva three years back, the Lada Still plainly an ex-Fiat: here we dr the top 1500 GLS version, developi 75bhp and powering therear whe through a four-speed gearbox. Si pensions farrliar Fiat fare, with fc ‘wishbones and a live rear axle st ‘pended on coll springs. Steering is the now unfsshionable worm a roller. Price ofthe GLS is £3809. FSO build avariety ofFiat desig for Polish consumption, but of the col the 125 is exported io Britain, the 1300 and 1500. Top FSO he however, is the relatively attract Polonez, a fivedoor hatchback sty with, so it is believed, mor than Title help from certain weil kno1 designers. Under the skin, howev the 1500cc, 82 bhp engine, live le sprung rear ale, wishbone fronts pension and worm and roller ste ing are all the same as on the bo ex-125 models, though a five-spe gearbox is a potable mechanical i ‘provement exclusive to the Polon: Price of the top LE version has n Crossed the £4000 barrier £4149. Newest on the scene are Zasta ‘Yugo, who supply smaller cars int shape of saloon and haichback F 428 derivatives, plus their own 45.a ‘55 hatchbacks. On test isthe 813, all Yugos relatively moder in cept with its transversely mount tengne (in this case of 1901ce and ‘bhp] driving the front wheels. Pric at £3299, the 513 isa fiveloor hat back with four-speed transmissic ‘MacPherson strut front suspensic transverse leaf rear springing, a rackand pinion steering. All the cars are relatively big their prices, but the obsolescence the designs is clearly shown by th high weights (over a ton for bc Lada and FSO) poor official fuel sumptions — none can exceedpg at §6 mph ~ and slab-lke aero- | ness and refinement comes ffom the namics. Only Lada and Yugo are | Yugo, benefiting as it does from a ave enough to quote dragfactor— | relatively modem technical make-up, in each case. | an overhead camshaft engine and — = | less of a battleship body than its PERFORMANCE | rivals. Noise there is aplenty, of oo | course, but it's the honest buzziness he | Of spory Fiat power unit hard at toes ‘work, and itimparts a feeling of fun Intiothe car. ——-_-® Power is concentrated towards the Ww marks ail round, for despite the | upper endof the rev band, necessit- W prices there's a marked lack of | ating fll use of the very poor gear- inement in the mechanical make- | chenge: on ourcar there was.a Yalse’ ofall four cars. Adtitionally, high | third positon, where the lever felt in ght and poor aerodynamics | gear but plainly wasn't, responding sure thatthe engines haveo work | with a jump back into neutral i not ODA rd indeed to produce the reason- | pushed some six inches further for- | je results that our specication | ward. Reverse too was hard to find, arts show. Best compromise between livell: | ‘The Lada scores equal blobs not | forrefinement butforitssolid unstop- | is used in anger. Yet despite its nom- | around town, for instance, itis ¢ Pabiliy. The engine is gutsy and | inal torsepower advantage, the Powerful and in conjuncion wit the | doesnot fee as powerful asthe L low gearing gives good acceleration | and fs pusirod engine is even. response at low speeds. On the | refined — especially when dr motorway the Lada’s cruising pace, | hard. Few owners will be sad though painfully noisy, isnotknecked | enough to push the engine bey ack by hills or headwinds as badly | 5000fpm, sichis its harstness, 2 is rivals, the big Russian plough | though the rev counters yellow ingonwithbattleship momentum. | begits at 5100 and the red da in trafic, however, the Lada's | zoneis atanunimaginable 7000: Powertrainand throttle action can be | _ However, the Polonez has very jerky, despite the good four- | vital saving grace — its fve-s¢ speed box Maximum speed is the | transmission. With both fourth best ofthe group at almost 95 moh, | top set high, cruising is both rel though at this speed many will ind | and qulet—as well as ecoromica thecar's noise levels unbearable. Located immediately behind “The Polonez’s engine slars with | back seat, the Skoda's ergine pi whai sounds lke a burst of machine | enoecan never be ignored. Fora un fire, @ prelude to the even | of such modest power it is harsher nosesinstore when the unit | prisinaly rorty and willing toBASICS TEST: FSO POLONEZ, LADA RIVA 1500 GLS, SKODA ESTELLE 120LSE, YUGO 513 in its element. Flexibility is easonable, though when high 0 have to be used there is a / quality to the sound which zcome irritating after a period. e open road the Skoda has of a sirugge and is certainly owest performer of the four. jering the Tong linkage, the slovakian’s four-speed goar- orks well the fve speeds pro- forthe forticoming 1300 | should make cruising ile estil engines demanded choke for time after a cold star the was especially prone to stall- trae and took a long time to upthoroughly ANDLING AND RIDE _ vast differentials in road behav- nave opened up now that Yugo at last brought modern chassis. to the sub-basic car cass. Yet tthe bottom is the Skoda, long {Qus for its tad handling and stil lly cUred ofits ills despite many jcant and worthwhile improve- so its suspension, steering and ng systems, e central problem on the Skoda ins the combination of is swing- rear suspension and the rear- “weight bias resulting from its sounted engine. Under normal ions the Estelle drives easily teers positvely and lightly, the frontend bobbing being discon- 9g rather than hazardous. In itwill handie well, oo, though a in tendency for the steering to ver centre’ can be detected. at higher speeds that the wor- begin, for the steering then mes sweryy in its action and if is any degree of cornering load antend with, the steering can ‘sufficiently sharply to frighten, least warn the driver. joring this tendency rather erin the safe confines of our pri- test track showed rather alarm- behaviour. Enter a moderate at moderate speed and, keep- ‘constant lock on the steering, lit 3 throttle: the cars line tightens ply ofits own accord and, taken igher speed the Skoda's front s' for the centre of the corner, '@ spin is a possible conso- ce. This is all the more worrying 6 tendency is provoked by step- ff the throttle, the very thing s the most natural reaction in an rgency. though the Estelle may be sant enouch to handle at low ds and in favourable conditions, fact remains that in extreme mstances it does handle ditfer- YUGO 543 | enty to most other cars, it can catch out the unwary and it does have a Vicious side 10 its behaviour which ‘may surprise those who derive too much confidence from its precise ‘and light steering, ‘Best hardler is the Yugo. which whizzes around bends with all the which can even qualfy as fun to crive—a rare quality among im- ported bargain models. Front whee! rive and excellent steering are central to the Yugo's handling prow- ‘ess, and drawbacks are limited to a slightly choppy ride and straightiine stability that iS not quite up to the ‘most modem standards, ‘Noticeable is some tightening upot | tne steering when the throttle is floored at low speeds, but there's no hint of the depressing stodginess of rival impor's and the Yugo can corti- racy aplomb of its Fiat parent and | Hoan and oaioatyae ‘Ssponsaniorain ones Eat ca on oy ras sre ine stay aking Tacs wieorining oof Fotecenacnanano | goed Sit aniyby went Bergandbratng sec appar even atmegerste 2ps80 ahen row released PR Fro cree Yoga parcns wi) speodandacaracy os Fat Spares rons lang ore aro high sain good and a! coneroare ont | dently be declared vitally vice-ree. Relatively vicetree, 100, is the Lada —provided that sheer weight of cffort is not courted a vice. Basic handling characteristics are accept- able, with no sudden transition into skid’ sor any untoward reactions under panic conditions. The steer- ing’s positivenessis masked some extent by the gargantuan efforts required to corner or manouvre the ‘ar, and at motorway speeds there's ‘not much inherentstabiltyn the face of side winds. Yet its a car that can generate confidence, despite its in- iialy unappealing stodginess. Ride is a few points harder than the Yugo's, hough there's lite of the sickening softness of the FSO’. Were it nor for the Skoda's excep tionally low rating, the FSO would it- sselfhave qualifieda poor last lace in | ur handling league. The pimiive | ‘Soe pty wit citer ear leat spring rear suspension com- bines the wallowiness of a soft system with the sensitivity to bumps of harder setups; worst of all, how= ‘ever, is the hopelessly vague worm ‘and roller steering wich contrives to seem hardly connected to the front wheels atall its like stepping back two decades, for to maintain a straight course demands constant corree- tions at the wheel with its large ‘amount of lost motion making mat- ters worse—and the narrow track ‘and top-heavy feel mean the car is influenced by bumps, cambers and ridges as wellas the usual sidewinds and slipstreams. Braking efficiency on the Skoda is limited by the lack of engine weight ‘over the front wheels, which tend to lock up early to lite elfect the others have more powerful braking ‘systems, though all have the oc- ccasional pull to one side and use of the Lada's pedal causes the car's nese to dive sharply. ACCOMMODATION Potonez eoce YUGO: eee 5x00 Comfortably the buikiest externall the FSO Successfully translates ‘extra inches into extra accommoda- ‘ion. Space both front and rear is the best in the group —certanly as far as legroom is concerned=and the headroom measurements are a least as good as the rest of the lergely mediocre foursome. Where the Polonez ‘alls down, however, isin the quality of its seat ing: the driver slumps uncomfortably ina broad and soggy seat that slopes to the right, fling that it has col lapsed. Cornering support is poor ‘and backache a certainty on a run. ‘Steering column adjustment is 0 ‘some compensation, though, and the general layout of the controls is Batter than on the three rival models. ‘The rear seat offers greater widt than the other models and support ‘well in the middle of the back at the ‘expense of shoulder cushioning there's again a soggy fee! tha ‘detracts fromcomfort ‘Recent Polonez models have gone ‘over to a folding rear seat to justi their haichback layout the parce helt is made of metal and weighs ¢ ton, and the seats themselves fol relatively awkwardly with bot ‘eatches having to be pressed at th same time. The resultant load floor i uite long but is still limited in it practicality by the high sill, the hig internal floor and the very narcov ‘gap between the wheel arches. “The Yugo offers the best accom modation in relation to its size ~ benefit ofits transverse engine, fron ‘ive layout Front seats are firmer-day Fiat designs ard support well; rearward travel is gener: enough to accommodate near footers and there's headroom to ch. The driving position demands ched armsor bent knees to cater the close pedals, themselves naly offset; even 0, its a toler- / comfortable arrangement and which suits the car's lively per- ality. 1 the Yugo's rear seat space is ater than one might imagine: the ; real limitation is that of head m, fr the front passengers do not ude significantly on legroom and sealing position is high enough to id claustrophobia. The seat is ped for two, so a third passenger be less comfortable. he hatchback has a high sill and a somely sti button to open it: the ble-fold seat collapsing action is e convenient once one nas found tiny catches crammed between seat back and the car side. The hes themselves, however, ear far too fimsy to withstand the /on the seat backrest in even a or accident. ne Skoda's upright seating pos- and softish seats al frst appear fortable, despite their continual zaking: longer runs draw con- tS of lacking thigh support and che show ary serbiancedt ‘haa itrsms re eat interior spas bute oes Ftp porto hace a BEATUKP insufficient bracing against cornering forces, Headroom is not as good as in the rival mode's, though rearward seat travel will satisty most require- ‘ments. In tho rear there's reasonable ‘aocess but only marginal headroom. However, a benofit of the high: ‘mounted front seats is extra legroom inthe back Some addtional luggage space gan be found by flipping forward the ‘Skoda's two rear seat backs: the main accommodation or baggage is in the awkwardly high, but nevertho- less shallow front boot, with its Unusual side-hinged ‘tonnet. Considering its external bulk, the Lada does not give its passengers a ‘very good deal: front seals are of the ‘olc-ashioned tombstone type, com- plete with massive builtin head re- straints, and rearward travel is severely restricted. The seats them- selves are very hard and uncomfort- able, supporting too srongly around | the “shoulders and not strongly ‘enough at the crucial base of ne | spine. Matiors are worse for those in the rear, however, for the tall front seats exacerbate the claustrophobia Of the already tight compartment. Rear seat belts are standard—a wise feature on any car, but all the more. praiseworthy on a budget model The boot is made narrower by the | side-mounted spare wheel, but thick plastc panelling ensures that it will stand up to hard use. LIVING WITHTHE CARS Yugo. KODA’ ADA e POLONEZ. e ‘The low scores all round reflect the Outdated ergonomics and generally old-ashioned, heavy controls of these essentially obsolete designs: best overall isthe Yugo, thanks to is simpicity, lightness and generally modern mechanics, while atthe foot Of the table comes the Polonez which, despite having easily he most attractive interior design, falls down hheavily when it comes to ease of operation, Insiruments on the Yugo are the bare essentials of speedometer and (uncalibrated) fuel and temperature gauges; switches are clear and the eating system, though primitive, is ‘easily comprehended. On the nega- tive side must be counted the high noise levels — though the sounds are ‘a good deal more pleasant than on the rival cars ~and the terrible gear- ‘change quality Quality of materia -oftena weak area of Eastern imports — is notice- ‘aga refars ania bony Fat [Biprosie but paerge soa Spoor Engnes ugh ane Festi ear acutbats and | ably Better on the Yugo. The on really unpleasant iments the mas ive pad stuck across the left har side of the fascia — presumably order to provide adequate impa absorplion in an accident Quality nas improvedin the Skod: too, though the fiddly dashboard la out remains and the heater contro are still just as hard to understan and operate. Plenty of instrument land myriad pinpoint warning ligh are provided, and as_ standar there's a very basic Philips mon radiolcassetie. Also standard is sunroof, complete with radio aeri element, but reception on our ca was invariably poor. Limitations of the Skoda in even day use are confined tothe awkwar boot and the engine's fondness fc stalling = even when one has foun the Porsche-styio choke leve between the front seats, Lada have successfully improve on the basic Fiat 124 interior for the Riva: the instrument panel is now much more massive afar, taking in rev counter among otter feature Headlamp levelling is a useful i ur ‘expected fitment, and the Sharp Fh radio cassette gives very goo | volume through not-so-goo | speakers. The Lada's toolkit is tru | massive ~ comprehensive enough tBASICS TEST: FSO POLONEZ, LADA RIVA 1500 jp downa tank in the Arctic. Also part of the Lada’s very com- shensive specification are wipers the very powerful lighis ~ easily best ofthe group. The Polonez interior clearly shows » hand of a designer with some i, for the insrument panel is actively blended in, the switches » shapod to fit their surrounds and 5 whole effect — were it not for the ndly steering wheel ~ would be ssy and modem. The problem mes not with the dashboard but i the way the car works: every nol is weighty, the general feel of car is sloppy and old-tashioned COSTS ODA DA ae = nit be deceived by the cut-price kers in the windscreens of our t foursome: only the Yugo has a ; chance of returning in-service ming costs to compete with, say, a 10 Ford Escort or a 1600 Maestro. And compared with rival European xiels in the same sector — Mini V, Panda and others ~ all our stern imports will be prohibitively pensiveto run and maintain, ey 7) ese cio” falar andes bapeoe so Sietncoanit rar tas sent ror Scans Not only do the cars’ outmoded ‘engineering concepts make them much heavier on fuel than more modern counterparts —our Lada was | hard pushed to beter 25 mpg ~ most, ff them have servicing twice as fre- | quent as most European rivals dealer networks are much thinner spread and insurance costs ~ apart from the Yugo —are high inralationto the cars’ value. But the worst sting in the tail comes at the very end of the ownership, for on tading inhis or her Polonez, Lada or Skoda the owner will be shocked by how much the car hhas depreciated invalue. Best economic proposition of the four is undoubtedly the Yugo: it ‘managed fo exceed 24 mpg on one ‘oceasion, is insurance rating is a ‘mere’ group two and its. resale vvalues hold up rather better than its rivals. For those who may complain that the 913 lacks a lengihy equip- ment list, there's always the gadget- laden GL version at just under £300) ‘Additionally, servicing is at 12,000 mile intervals and there's a three- year corrosion protection warranty The Skoda at least has fuel econ- ‘omy in its favour. Thanks to light con- struction and. presumably reason- able aerodynamics it averages over 82 mpg and has the potential for around 40; as a better-known brand than both Lada and FSO itwill not de preciate quite as fast, and there's an attractive two-year warranty, though norusteover. High weight and blunt _aero- ‘dynamics hit the Lada ang FSO hard: hheaviest on fuel is the four-speed Lada witha 239-255 mpg range, he Polonez’ fith gear helping it to a slightly better 23,1-27.9 mpg spread, The Polish car will, however, be ‘more costly to insure’ at group four — the Lada is rated three - and the ‘guarantees for 12monthscompared with the Russian’s 24. The Polonez will lose value fasier ~ expect a near halving ofits worth within two years. ‘Showroom value is a key element inthe appeal of these cars, and here the Lada and Polonez must be judged joint winners. Both are big cars for their price, the Polonez is relatively stylish and well kitted out while the Lada is laden with equip ‘ment, much of it sensible (rear Seat belts, headlamp wipers, radio ‘cassette) fo compensate for its lack of hatchback The Skoda looks good too, with its alloy wheels, spoilers and sunroof; ‘considering its £650 price advantage ‘over the Polonez itadds upto a better ‘deal if space is not the top priority. In Addition, ithas a ful stereo radio cas. Seite whare the Polonez has none. "| Yap0 598 afta nas adataton of onthe F ‘Sttec nga paronrs wei eee cou eet Soarsono @i naascAn | VERDICT vueo e toa sxooa POLONEZ | Tobe of tue assistance to he commited ‘car buyer, Mis rust resdlve two separate issues “he ist and perhaps most cial ~ question is whether ma Sango to buy a ‘bargain basem import tal onlyonce hat has answered in the afirmaive sh ne take the newt sep of dec wich model isthe best bet. ‘And on the fst point cur fel nave already boon mado lea one. orourable excepto, regaré ‘bargain’ modele. such these as aflse economy ‘Cheap to buy they certainly butadd up the bls for be, servic insurance ‘ane. = worst of epreesation, and the overall co ownership i terms of ponve per ‘ver aay two yoars willbe equal perhaps even higher than the 2a ont expenses en a mich Dig faster, more comlortable and ss ‘mainstream European medel But there aro plony of pote buyers who cannot allo’ the © | outlay forthe European medel—efears igh that extra cash will be re- ped handsomely at trace-n time nd are not willing to consider a nnd hand ear. Such customers do to know whichis the best buy ndon that second issue there can doubtwhatsoever: it comes op. he Yugois the only one of he four ave any remotely contemporary it W’sthe only one not fo sutfer serious dyname problems, and he only one that’s in any sense able todrive. has an honest cheapness to it price is low and equipment mal but, just like nt before it, the Yugo’s ed-on equipment shows that ey has been spent on engincer- aiher than extras, 1@ Lada's chief merit is that its S are very much worse. Again, FSO POLONEZ 15LE rod Retogaycion it's tough, honest design that does Nol pretend to be sporty, sophist- cated or flashy. Itiswell and sensibly ‘equipped, solidly bult and generally quite well frished. But all he extras in the book cannot hide the hopeless obsolescence of the heavy Russian. The Skoda has economy ‘equipment on its side and could make quite a good town car hanks io is light controls and flexible engine. But the serious question mark stil hanging over its handling means that we cannot recommend it even for Urban use — one doesn't have to be Niki Lauda to be presentes with an ‘emergency, and an emergency is justwhere the Skoda comes unsti The unfortunate Polonez does net ‘even have price on its side. All it can offer is space and a decent dash board: there's not even speed, ‘comfort, economyormuchequipmeni Sane SrOinarasetvee (sec) ‘Gindersicapacty co) Get Cy S878 Mer sarees Parscoss (ng hous) alpen ct ves |e rostheacroem (> Steing wetsat() SKODA ESTELLE 120LSE, YUGO 513 REY. Vai gor: Sard camEhah GP, TTBS als Soa TS son WR wera roler: Brakon: Os, daca Or. runs S serve mataren. Semper inaopondent C.colepngs Nc Macbherson snes Ts tareversa lease arsverseiine Wt warbones i cote | bets | tance Po im 1 78 fe = a1 rackand