Volkswagen introduced its mini Fox sedan in January, 1987, the
Fox wagon in April of that year.
We test-drove the 1988 wagon and found
that in function, the vehicle is hard to beat. Great interior room. When you
fold the back seats down, the cargo-carrying capacity rivals cars twice the
size.
Where the wagon falls short is in performance. The 1.8-liter
4-cylinder is teamed with a 4-speed manual transmission only. No 5-speed. No
automatic. It begs for a fifth gear. You spend most of your time in third
because once you reach fourth it feels as if the parachute deployed.
The
Fox wagon boasts 25 miles per gallon city and 30 m.p.g. highway. If you`re
looking for a high mileage hauler, it serves the purpose. But when out in real
world traffic, the underpowered engine leaves lots to be desired.
Fox is
offered in two-door sedan at $6,590, four-door GL at $7,640 and wagon at $7,770.
A new midyear GL sport four-door sedan starts at $8,115. The sport has a 5-speed
transmission, as will the `89 model, but none of the others.
The
speedometer on the Fox wagon reads up to 120 m.p.h., which must be a reference
point for what two, combined, can reach.
One other drawback is the
steering system. You supply the power. For such a small vehicle-92.8-inch
wheelbase/163.4-inch overall length-it`s cumbersome. Of course, if you add a
bigger engine, 5-speed manual transmission and power steering, you no longer
would have a low-cost mini-car.
