What do I want to drive for Christmas? An Audi 90 CD of course. The 1984 version, but I’ll take and 85 or 86 model, I don’t mind.
It has to be in Audi’s stone grey metallic. To me this was the correct colour as my dad had the predecessor 80 CD in that very shade.
So, what is it about this car that appeals to me? Well, the proportions are right. It’s a three box design, but the four doors fit the envelope very well. It’s got a certain amount of style about it; the lines are clean if a little boxy. It was penned by Italdesgn after all. It’s smoother than the 80CD with its flatter front. The slightly angled headlights of the 90 give it that more rounded look. The one piece front and rear bumpers too add this.
In terms of specification it was quite nice. Velour trim, electric windows, front fog lights and err, that’s about it. The nice 14″ Ronal alloy wheels were an option, so it came with steel wheels with trims. You didn’t even get a radio, but that doesn’t matter. What it did have was Audi’s 5 cylinder engine. A 1994cc capacity motor with 113 bhp and 112 lb/ft was positioned longitudinally upfront to provide the soundtrack.
They could be had with manual or automatic transmission, but I’ll take the 5 speed. There’s nothing wrong with the three speed auto though. Any of the 5 cylinder Audi’s fitted with this still go well once off the mark.
Getting away from the line even better was the 90 quattro. With a larger 2226cc engine and 136 bhp. The all-wheel drive system greatly benefitting traction but adding weight. The two wheel drive version here comes in at 1080kg. This meant even the power to weight ratio allowed the 90 CD to keep up with sportier traffic.
