THE WINDSHIELD
WIPERS quit in a downpour on a Northern Virginia highway. They stopped in
mid-stroke. No amount of jiggling the control would get them going
again.
Cursing and fuming, I eased the 1987 Volkswagen Fox to the
roadside. My anger was sharp, and I thought it would be everlasting. At least, I
thought it would last until I finished this column. But that was several days
ago.
In the interim, I fell in love with the Fox. Such an aptly named
little car. Quick. Nimble. Cute, despite its rather boxy lines.
There's
something else: This front-wheel-drive car talks. I that comes from some
Chrysler products, none of that "Your door is ajar" jazz. The Fox has an aura,
karma, or something. It's like Shirley MacLaine is in the engine giving driving
instructions:
"Cluuutch, shiiift, cluuutch, hummmmm." A mantra in
four-speed. And the Fox responds. The wipers still don't work. No matter.
Driving the Fox in dry weather gave me peace and joy. Those wipers are
forgiven.
Other complaints: Flimsy plastic fingertip switches mounted on
an equally flimsy plastic control panel. The wiper and turn-signal levers are of
similar quality.
And this: No right side-view mirror. Some automakers
still treat a right-side mirror as optional equipment. That's goofy. That mirror
helps to avoid lane-change accidents. It should be standard on all cars, along
with air bags, anti-lock brakes, rear-window defoggers and a couple of other
safety items now sold as "options."
Praise: The Brazilian-made Fox is an
absolute joy to drive. That's "joy" versus "fun." Fun is transient. It leaves no
lasting impression. Joy is something you get when this little rascal scampers
through city traffic and darts along the highway. Exemplary econocar competence
on the road. Also, although the switches and control panel evoke memories of
dime-store toys, the rest of the Fox's interior is truly decent. Particularly
the seats. No backaches here, and no fatigue after a few hours behind the
wheel.
Engine, ride and handling: Power comes from Volkswagen's trusty
1.8-liter, four-cylinder, fuel-injected engine, basically the same used in VW's
Golf and Jetta. In the 2,150-pound, two-door test car, the engine produced 81 hp
at 5,500 rpm. Quite good for law-abiding drivers. Ride and handling are among
the best, if not the best, of any subcompact economy car I've driven. Kudos to
the people who did the suspension on this one.
Head-turning quotient:
Attracts smiles without wolf whistles.
Sound system: Bravo! Volkswagen
finally has realized that people want good car stereos. Four-speaker AM/FM
stereo radio and cassette. Excellent small-car sound.
Mileage: About 28
to the gallon (12.4-gallon tank, 350-mile range), combined city-highway, running
driver only and with climate control system off most of the time. The test car
was equipped with a standard four-speed manual transmission. Hey, VW, how about
adding an overdrive gear to increase fuel efficiency?
Price: $7,165 as
tested, including $650 for air conditioner, $505 for the sound system and its
accompanying fixed-mast antenna, and a $320 destination charge. Base price on
the two-door test model is $5,690. The dealer invoice price is $5,156. The base
price of the four-door Fox is $6,490, with a dealer's invoice price of $5,779.
Tip: Because the dealer margins are relatively small, and because the Fox
represents terrific value, don't expect too many price breaks.
