@@richardmcgowan6383 Then move out of the fast lane, pretty much. But in all seriousness, all I see is "BMW" sign in my rear mirror and have an eye contact with the driver... What the fuck with that.
When I look at the Audi 80, I think they drew so much of the exterior styling from the Nsu Ro80 of so many years earlier. The fact that the shape still looks so good all these years later shows how forward thinking the design was.
I’m in America. My first car was a 1988 Audi 80, which I purchased in 1990 with only 20k miles on it. While I loved how fun the car was to drive, it wasn’t the most reliable. Even as a 22 yo, I still had it serviced regularly at the local Audi dealer, so it wasn’t neglected. When i was ready to trade it in, the car proceeded to overheat as I pulled in to the dealership lot.
My Dad had one of these growing up. His was silver. He loved it because it was smart, understated, a bit different and a cut above the usual Cavalier or Sierra. But without showing off. The nostalgia.
My parents had all the generations of the Audi 80: B1 1.5 GL, B2 1.8 GT, B3 2.3E 20V quattro, B4 2.6E quattro. My first car was a B4 2.3E quattro, and still driving Audi after more than 20 years. Only like the old stuff until '03/'04. Got a ur quattro 20V and an A3 1.8T Ambition. These B3 and B4 generations are built to last. Very high quality car. This is the 90 hp model, the 115 hp has a different airbox and inlet manifold and of course different injection system. Enjoyed this video, thanks Matt!
Yes, I remember my parents looking at these and a Saab 900. Unfortunately rear seat space on both wasn't great. But these Audis are what I call proper Audis. Pioneering, stylish, pure quality with a hewn from stone feel.
My family used to own GSF car parts and in the early to late 90’s they had a fleet of rep saloons and avants of these all in red. Still remember them clearly
A mate has the convertible, on a W-plate, same colour. Bought it brand new, one of the last to be imported. One of the last proper Audis, if you ask me. Many thanks for taking us all back, Matt, as ever.
I love Audis of the pre Yob era they were so beautiful and relaxing to drive. I remember when my friends dad got one of theses as a company car in the late 80s and we who had just passed our tests driving Fords and Vauxhalls marvelled at it. I think it must’ve been quite a high spec model because it had the headphone jacks on the parcel shelf. Great cars,
Just started watching...I know I'll love this! A car I have always wanted to drive. Love your channel! If you ever want to review a BMW e31...welcome to Bulgaria Sofia... would love to welcome you!
i've just bought a 1993 Audi 80 with the 2.8 v6 petrol engine (code AAH) - it is Audi's first v6 petrol engine. It even has a cool rear spoiler, that actually does look well. It may have some electrical/wiring issues, and possibly the head gasket needs doing. But I don't care. I love the thing, and am going to do it up myself. Body in excellent condition all in all. That galvanised shell really did the trick. It was stored inside for the past 5 years. I really like it. Manual Sunroof. Oh yeah. (Ireland) Edit: (the car was imported from England in 2005) (if it is of interest to anyone)
With our 'liquid sunshine' you may have to operate it occasionally just to prevent it from seizing. Hope you got it imported before the full force of Brexit and 23% VAT was charged on the Invoice bottom line, including the shipping cost.
Sweet, we had one the 2.8e FWD had the factor spoiler BRM audi style alloys , it used to eat top suspension mounts the engine was just so heavy, easy job to do
I have a 94 Audi 80 B4 in the same colour, its in this months Practical Classics mag. Mine is the 90BHP engine and I don't find it lacking power compared to the E. Its rattle free interior and comfort are excellent. This was a car built for people whom appreciate build quality and reliability more than 0 to 60. This one of mine is a keeper. My advice would be buy one while you can, condition is more important than spec, and enjoy one of the most underrated cars around.
I had a 90 Quattro 20V back in 2001, what a sound it made & I loved the quattro script written into the heated rear window element. Was a nice thing to see in the rear view mirror on a cold morning.
I owned a 1990 B4 model 80 quattro with the 5 cylinder engine. What a joy to drive and own. It had a manual locking rear differential and it was unstoppable in the winter weather. Tornado red with grey cloth upholstery. Honestly wish I still had it to tinker around.
Other manufacturers tried fully galvanised bodies but had trouble getting the paint to stick, Audi managed to crack it with the right formula for the primer. They were the bain of independent body repair shops. If only BL had sold Rover to VW/Audi.
A lot of similarities with my own 100 there, especially everything about how comfortable and easy to drive they are! This generation of Audis were really beautifully engineered. Despite being 30+ years old now, they really don't feel it when you're behind the wheel.
Thanks! Back in 94/95 my dad had the entry level 80 with the feeble 1.6L petrol engine, producing 52Kw/71 HP. 0 to 100 KPH in a glacial 15.4 sec. Still, this is a truly iconic classy car - seeing it in youtube reviews like this brings back good memories of my dad.
When Audi built Em proper and they weren't generally driven by Numptys, l owned a 98 A4 TDi 110 bhp it still had many elements of that 80 in it, they seem to have lost it nowadays
My Father in Law had an amazing 1991 Citroën BX. Amazing steering, amazing brakes and sublime ride comfort. He moved up to an Audi 80 in 1994 which amazingly was more comfortable and better riding than the BX. He could have had a BMW 3 Series but the Audi looked more exclusive, had loads more rear head and legroom and a much larger boot. So good was the Audi 80 that he swapped it for a 1996 Audi A4. Subsequently he bought a 2002 Audi A4 that he still runs to this day. Vorsprung Durch Technik.
Can't say I've ever been a huge fan of German cars generally but that's a lovely car. The thought of wafting down the road in that is rather appealing!
Really would like to find an Audi 80 B4 Coupe. Nearly snagged a 2.6 V6 One is a lovely green colour but the fella sold it before I could even leave a deposit. Ended up with a Volvo C70 T5 Anyways though so not the worst thing to have happen...But absolutely still love the Audi 80 Styling. 👍
Those indicators stalks are still in my 2002 Fabia! The germanic quality indicator tick, and the sound of them clicking off as they cancel is ingrained in my memory! 🤣 The 80 is almost Volvo like. I prefer the B4 A4 just because of nostalgia, and the time I was brought up. I remember the B4 had the first of those fold away keys. That was very premium for the time and pleased my greatly!
Had my B4 80 2.0E Sport SE for about ten years now. Absolutely love it. Put a lot of money into it as you'd expect, (especially the front end and cooling system), but it's worth it. Registered in 95, one of the last sold and pretty rare in the Uk now. Not, unfortunately, worth a great deal though.
The predecessor to this model was the B3 Audi 80/90, 1986-91. It was not boxy. Same wraparound dashboard, switchgear, dials etc., similar Mayes-designed body (which was also galvanised), smaller boot but more elegant imo. Audi dropped the 90 badge and inline 5 engines when the B4 80 was introduced, favouring a new V6. I have a 1990 B3 Audi 90 20v - the fwd version. 170hp 2309cc DOHC, naturally aspirated and still quick (fwd weighs 1200kg, quattro version 1320kg). Very rare cars now. Engine shared tough internals with the turbo variants but was under much less stress and they effortlessly eat up the miles. Can be driven sedately but twin cam multi-valve engine comes alive 4.5-7k and the noise is distinctive, characterful and glorious. My bonnet has a thick, soundproofing material. Surprised the example in this video didn't. Procon-Ten was a cheaper alternative to airbags, which were not trusted to be reliable by Audi at the time. After 30 years, I'd still trust a mechanical cable and pulley system. Great cars! Had mine since 2001 and still use it daily. 213,500 miles and counting... Thanks for the great video and for giving this car and Audi era the credit it deserves.
Audi back then made solid dependable and exquisitely engineered cars I remember my neighbour having the previous generation and then this one Audi seem to have changed and their cars appeal to a totally different market then back then the prices were not much more than for a Volkswagen and seemed to attract a different buyer to now That is a excellent example and a real time warp! Ps good old Audi engineering with longitudinal engine and offset radiator dates back to the auto union days
I had a 92 sport version of this car. With 140hp it was pretty quick in its day. Remember the top speed being spec'd at 140mph also. Different head on the engine and if I remember rightly they used this engine in their touring car team. Lovely solid car, great memories ❤
That would have been the 4 cylinder 2.0 16V quattro Competition which indeed was a homologation model for Super Tourenwagen Cup with only 2500 units made. A very rare find today!
Procon Ten! I’d forgotten all about that Matt - but it all came flooding back as soon as you mentioned it 😉 For me, this era was peak-Audi in terms of design and seeing that wonderful dashboard makes me lament more and more the featureless (and for me, less safe to use) screen festooned interiors of today 😏
@@RichieRouge206 even more so now that the government announce stricter restrictions on using moble phones for scrolling through playlists etc Its getting to the stage where there cant be much difference between phone scrolling and touchscreen scrolling? 🤔
Back when Audi was an aspirational car, driven by respectable people and enthusiasts. All the chavs and plebs have them now (on pcp finance). Cars of choice of the criminal fraternity these days.
The first galvanised production car was the Matra Murena in 1980 but that applied to the structure only (body was made out of GRP), however, the *previous* Audi 80 (B3 or Typ 89) was one of the first cars with a galvanised steel body.
@@farken7467 I've been looking for proof which car was first. Audi 80 was one of the first but definitely not the first car to be fully galvanised. Matra did in 1980 but only for the chassis, not the body panels. Edit: found proof, press release by Porsche, the 911 was the first car to be fully galvanised in 1975.
@@volvo480 Porsche to my knowledge did the entire body in a hot dip galvanising process followed by a waxing. You are convincing me Porsche was first with the full body dip. Then, due to Audis very close links to Porsche they took it on and I remember a 15 year body warranty when they were new.
This was the immediate successor of my Audi 80, early 90's: Audi in fact made the transition to the Audi A4 moniker with this particular model. They listed it as an "80", in order not to frighten the customer base, but it was further away from my 80 than the successor model A4. My "80" (only 2-3 months earlier in production) was the last of the "terminal understeerers" mentioned here. Audi took that (correct) critique very much to heart, and if you had hustled this "80" through the corners, understeer would no longer have been so strikingly "conspicuous". I have also had Audi TT's in my garage: the biggest difference between the TT-Golf based transverse technology and the A4 is noise. The longitudinal installation of the engine in the A4 (which this car basically is) makes for a significantly quieter ride. I know this from experience. The transverse engine in the TT is by comparison really noisy, a function I fear merely of physics, because the engine in the TT is mounted broadside towards the driver, so it shouts more loudly. Hence the "north-south" construction of the 80. Having owned a version of this 80, I would say that mankind never came closer to a Rolls Royce for the masses than this Audi generation.
I love those classic wheel trims, I love them more than alloy wheels. I had one of these, It got it wet inside and I had to remove the carpets and interior trim and those steel cables are a work of art.
I think we got the Audi 80/90 around 1987-1988. I did drive an Audi 4000S around 1986-1987, a five speed manual, and I really liked it. This is a vehicle I wouldn't mind driving a manual. Audi/VW automatics were not good at this time; either it shifted sluggishly, or, in sport mode, revved much too high. US vehicles were better equipped, but you did pay for heated seats, which I could not live with! Excellent review! And thank you for showing us the NEC show!
That's absolutely exactly the same car (engine, colour, all the interior, everything) as I used to have, except it's RHD instead of LHD. I absolutely loved it, it was my first and absolutely best car, I never drove anything at least half as good since. Sadly I had to sell it before moving out of my home country. Nevertheless, old love never dies, I'll get one again 😍😍😍
What an absolute gem! Stunning example of a good car cared for really well and looked after with good ownership. Watching you waft around in this even made me feel relaxed 😂😂
Worked in an vag dealer in late 80s. Heavy car and carb versions were a bit wheezy but still nice to travel in. We are used to a bit more go these days. They were so reliable.
The one car I regret not buying, all because it had the fuel tank behind the seats reducing the boot size. I remember saying to the dealer that it was as good as a BMW 3 series but not many people were as aware of them. I bought a Vauxhall Carlton instead, that was rather large.
My dad had two of these around 1994-96. I still remeber how solid and indestructable they felt, as if you could drive them through a brick wall and the wall would come off the worse.
I’m trying to recall what we got in the states without googling... 80 Fwd got the 4 cyl, the 80 quattro, 90 fwd and quattro got the 5 cyl. The one to get eventually was the 20v quattro from the Coupe. I wanted one terribly!
Beautiful example. My uncle had an 80 and then a 100 They were so elegant and comfortable. Brings back great memories. Great detail and fantastic review as always
What a beauty, friends dad had one as a company car in the very early 90s on an H plate, it seemed like a spaceship and a very well made one at that. Thinking about that it has probably since been a few washing machines and tumble dryers - lifetime ago.
We had the 80 2.8e yes small e, it was V6 2.8 FWD quite rare even back then on the K plate , shattering fast a real handful FWD, used to eat top suspension mounts
I bought a 1993 B4 Avant for £1150 in 2004, and it was an excellent car, even with 120k miles on the clock. Ran it for 3 years, and it took me to Scotland and back from north Kent several times. It was one of those cars where it seemed like the world turned under the wheels. So funny watching Matt's interior review... a friend described the dash as an 'impressive edifice'. Should have held onto it for longer than I did.
Great video, brought back happy memories. I bought a 92 80 16V in 99, it was between that a classic 900 or an e30, swapped in my wife's 94 R8 214 Nightfire. Absolutely superb it had as standard a wonderful 3 spoke Momo Steering Wheel and Pioneer CD head unit. It has the same dustbin lid wheel trims so I upgraded to the Factory 10 spoke alloys, it shared the engine with the Golf GTi and was brisk, revved well and pulled like a train. Quicker than the 2,8 V6 auto version I drove.
Good cars. I've always been an Audi fan owning 3 B4 saloons, a 2.6 B4 avant and I've owned 2 B4 coupes, 16V and 2.6. All were very well built and reliable from that time. I think I remember someone from the motoring press saying they were over engineered. I owned a B2 Audi 80 sport before the B4s and the last Audi I owned was a 2004 Audi A4 1.8t s line. I've currently got a car I've always wanted being a rally fan, a subaru impreza RB5, had that for 10 years but now I'm looking for a good B4 cabriolet or coupe.
Back in the 80s and 90s prestige cars were much less common here on the north but I seem to recall that BMW and Mercedes were for more popular than Audi. I remember the 80 very well and thinking how understated and modern they looked. They were very much the thinking man's choice, much like the Saab and Volvo. They were innovative cars that appealed to those who valued engineering prowess. Times really have changed.
I have an audi 80 with a 1.9 tdi engine. I also has 90 hp but has very good torque and it was quicker than the 1.6 and 1.8s petrol model and it is insanely fuel efficient and reliable . I also have a 1.6 Turbo Diesel model with 80 hp which is even more fuel efficient , now it sits in my garden because of a leaking fuel high pressure pump. I really like those cars , they have something in them that suprises me . They are very comfortable
My wife had one of these with the TDI engine. It was a good car but I didn't find it as comfortable as my Passat TDI. The problem was lack of thigh support; it gave me a leg ache that the Passat didn't. The Passat had a roomier interior as well, probably due to the transverse engine.
Some years ago I came acrros a well preserved example of an 80 1.9tdi Avant. I loved the dashboard of the car and build quality, it looked brand new. Before I bought it I came across a Passat B4 Variant, with same engine and I preferred it. Both cars share some elements, Passat interior is much more basic.... But it has a far better use of space. There were just 2 things I didn't like about the 80 and both came from the fact the car had a longitudinal engine: I felt like I was seating to close to the door, with no elbow room, and I felt like my feet were a bit offset to the left. Of course In the same era Passat you seat a bit closer to the passenger but due to the transverse engine and I believe because of the doors being a bit narrow, you do have better elbow/shoulder Room. I still keep the Passat to this day as a second car and one of the things I like most is the smooth ride as you said. Also, the gearbox which is pretty much the same, is a bit hard but very nice to use, with a short through.
I bought a 1989 (G??? FKR) 80 Sport, with the split rim Speedline alloys and well bolstered sport seats, for £600, as it was overheating. I simply took off the rad cap and ran the car until hot, expelling the air in the system. Never overheated again. My wife learnt to drive in it, and I thrashed it around for a few months before selling it for £1000. Was really good condition and did not show the 200,000 miles it had done. Great cars, when Audi were very good quality and not the "cheap PCP, over complicated cars" they seem to make now. Has an S3 and A4 at work, felt very flimsy in comparison to the 80
I like most of the Audi's from the 1960s up to the 1990s a lot and the B4-80 certainly also. Understated cars, but quite handsome too. Save for a few exceptions, the later models not as much though: Audi were at their best when they were positioned halfway between the volumebrands and BMW/Merc, I feel.
I owned one of these cars in 1995 . J951PSD. Silver, with Fondmetal 5 spoke alloy wheels. Bought it for 7 grand and put 26 thousand miles on it. Sold it for 5,200. Mine was a 20e.
These were great cars. The Procon ten system was interesting and effective. The main drawback was it would write the car off if deployed. Still better to do that than injure the occupants. I owned a B3 90 20V - great car. The facelift dropped the 90 name (used for 5-cylinder models, with different lights front and rear) Passats from the late 1990s shared the later Audi A6 platform.
Backbin 1990, my dad bought a black Audi 90, it had the 2.2 5 cylinder engine and was quattro. There was also a button to turn the ABS off, as it's not effective when used in snow/soft surfaces. Also had air con which was quite a novelty back then !
i own black one 80 b4 it was 1.6 td i swapped the engine with 1.9 tdi... now i have tank with good reliable engine on this time with fuel and economic crisis for me it's win win... good reliable car also is so smooth to drive i love my audi
Nice Audi! Audi 80 badge inside where quattro should be ;) That might have been reserved for Audi 90. I thought the ABS -button in the dash would have been worth mentioning. It wasn't very common to have an off-switch for the ABS but this generation of Audis often did.
in the late 90s my cross dressing mate who i shared a house with rolled his he had just had it tweaked and had new tyres and coil overs,the night he picked it up he rolled it in chazey nr reading,firemen had to cut him out of it as he was screaming don't damage my car,but it was well to late by then,it was such a nice car until it ended up on the roof!
Back in 92 my Dad was considering one of these but ended up going for a Granada Scorpio. I think it was the right choice at the time but the Audi has probably aged better.
The best era for Audi. As you say, solid and elegant. The 100 was a fabulous thing. Shame that Audi went the way of other makers and started building cars to a cost rather than to a quality.
I had a lovely low mileage 1.6 SE version of one of these until a mad Saab driver decided to push me off the motorway. Such an overengineered car - lovely old beast. Mine had a spoiler and alloy wheels from new! :)
A proper Audi that was properly engineered and not an image trinket like the current idiot carriages. Understated was the key unlike the hideous front ends and slashy design that seems to appeal these days. Whatever happened to Procon Ten? Amazing system. Great review of a really cool car!
I had an auto version 2.0E same year but in 'doom blue'. Solidly built as only Audi from the 80's and 90's seemed to be. I liked the ABS override button. Useful in snow. Ended up trading it in for a '86 Audi Coupé GT 2.2
I still drive a B4 today and just absolutely love the car combined with the 5-cylinder 2.3! Still decent power for today and the sound is just music. Had the 90 HP version before for a while and that was quite underwhelming in power. Too little for that car.
The “E” model designation mentioned in the film doesn’t refer to “economy” but to “einspritzung” which is the German word for fuel-injected. The 80 2.0E (I owned a 1990 one) had the same 115PS engine as the 8 valve MK3 Golf GTI (in UK spec) and did 0-60 in around 10.5 seconds so I’m not sure why he feels the car is so slow as that was pretty rapid for a family saloon of the late 80s. Other commenters here have said that the engine in the video looks like the detuned 90PS variant, which would explain the sluggish performance, but that was never fitted to UK spec 2.0E versions as far as I’m aware.
I enjoyed this review. I do like the older Audis. A former colleague had a 2004 2.4 estate and he gave me a lift in it once. Everything from the closing of the doors to how it glided down the road felt so refined. The 2.4 petrol engine coupled to the auto box was so quiet and smooth. I would like an A4. My dream car was an A5 coupe (S5) but they don't make them any more. The A5 reminds me of the 1979 Quattro.
I always preferred the pre face-lift model if I'm honest. Never quite thought the new grille treatment sat so well with how the front bumper swooped under so sharply. Also, with the plain plastic wheel trims it always seemed like the wheels were just fractionally too big and that the car was sat just that bit too high. We're talking tiny measurements here but enough to put me off the design slightly.
I had a 1985 Audi coupe back in the day. Rock solid until reverse gear gave up which made for some interesting parking planning!!! Loved the car though.
I agree, these were cars for quietly confident, classy people unlike today’s Audis
What is it these days with Audi drivers and tailgaiting? Where I live, everyone who drives an Audi seems to drive as though they're busting for a pee.
Whats today's equivalent???
@@lewisbrown51 I would have to say Volvo
@@lewisbrown51 anything volvo I guess? Orbmaybe this new polestar 2 is the thinking mans tesla? Like the 80 was to the flashy 3 series.
@@richardmcgowan6383 Then move out of the fast lane, pretty much.
But in all seriousness, all I see is "BMW" sign in my rear mirror and have an eye contact with the driver... What the fuck with that.
When I look at the Audi 80, I think they drew so much of the exterior styling from the Nsu Ro80 of so many years earlier. The fact that the shape still looks so good all these years later shows how forward thinking the design was.
I’m in America. My first car was a 1988 Audi 80, which I purchased in 1990 with only 20k miles on it. While I loved how fun the car was to drive, it wasn’t the most reliable. Even as a 22 yo, I still had it serviced regularly at the local Audi dealer, so it wasn’t neglected. When i was ready to trade it in, the car proceeded to overheat as I pulled in to the dealership lot.
My Dad had one of these growing up. His was silver. He loved it because it was smart, understated, a bit different and a cut above the usual Cavalier or Sierra. But without showing off. The nostalgia.
My parents had all the generations of the Audi 80: B1 1.5 GL, B2 1.8 GT, B3 2.3E 20V quattro, B4 2.6E quattro. My first car was a B4 2.3E quattro, and still driving Audi after more than 20 years. Only like the old stuff until '03/'04. Got a ur quattro 20V and an A3 1.8T Ambition. These B3 and B4 generations are built to last. Very high quality car. This is the 90 hp model, the 115 hp has a different airbox and inlet manifold and of course different injection system. Enjoyed this video, thanks Matt!
Yes, I remember my parents looking at these and a Saab 900. Unfortunately rear seat space on both wasn't great. But these Audis are what I call proper Audis. Pioneering, stylish, pure quality with a hewn from stone feel.
My family used to own GSF car parts and in the early to late 90’s they had a fleet of rep saloons and avants of these all in red. Still remember them clearly
A mate has the convertible, on a W-plate, same colour. Bought it brand new, one of the last to be imported. One of the last proper Audis, if you ask me. Many thanks for taking us all back, Matt, as ever.
I love Audis of the pre Yob era they were so beautiful and relaxing to drive. I remember when my friends dad got one of theses as a company car in the late 80s and we who had just passed our tests driving Fords and Vauxhalls marvelled at it. I think it must’ve been quite a high spec model because it had the headphone jacks on the parcel shelf. Great cars,
The late 80's early 90's for me were the Pinnacle for german cars...
I think early 2000’s german cars were still pretty good, in my opinion
Just started watching...I know I'll love this! A car I have always wanted to drive. Love your channel! If you ever want to review a BMW e31...welcome to Bulgaria Sofia... would love to welcome you!
i've just bought a 1993 Audi 80 with the 2.8 v6 petrol engine (code AAH) - it is Audi's first v6 petrol engine. It even has a cool rear spoiler, that actually does look well. It may have some electrical/wiring issues, and possibly the head gasket needs doing. But I don't care. I love the thing, and am going to do it up myself. Body in excellent condition all in all. That galvanised shell really did the trick. It was stored inside for the past 5 years. I really like it. Manual Sunroof. Oh yeah. (Ireland)
Edit: (the car was imported from England in 2005) (if it is of interest to anyone)
With our 'liquid sunshine' you may have to operate it occasionally just to prevent it from seizing. Hope you got it imported before the full force of Brexit and 23% VAT was charged on the Invoice bottom line, including the shipping cost.
Sweet, we had one the 2.8e FWD had the factor spoiler BRM audi style alloys , it used to eat top suspension mounts the engine was just so heavy, easy job to do
Audis of this age are pretty much indestructible! It did come from the age where the spec was miserly though for the (relatively) high cost
I have a 94 Audi 80 B4 in the same colour, its in this months Practical Classics mag. Mine is the 90BHP engine and I don't find it lacking power compared to the E. Its rattle free interior and comfort are excellent.
This was a car built for people whom appreciate build quality and reliability more than 0 to 60. This one of mine is a keeper. My advice would be buy one while you can, condition is more important than spec, and enjoy one of the most underrated cars around.
I had a 90 Quattro 20V back in 2001, what a sound it made & I loved the quattro script written into the heated rear window element. Was a nice thing to see in the rear view mirror on a cold morning.
I owned a 1990 B4 model 80 quattro with the 5 cylinder engine. What a joy to drive and own. It had a manual locking rear differential and it was unstoppable in the winter weather. Tornado red with grey cloth upholstery. Honestly wish I still had it to tinker around.
Other manufacturers tried fully galvanised bodies but had trouble getting the paint to stick, Audi managed to crack it with the right formula for the primer. They were the bain of independent body repair shops. If only BL had sold Rover to VW/Audi.
A lot of similarities with my own 100 there, especially everything about how comfortable and easy to drive they are! This generation of Audis were really beautifully engineered. Despite being 30+ years old now, they really don't feel it when you're behind the wheel.
Thanks! Back in 94/95 my dad had the entry level 80 with the feeble 1.6L petrol engine, producing 52Kw/71 HP. 0 to 100 KPH in a glacial 15.4 sec. Still, this is a truly iconic classy car - seeing it in youtube reviews like this brings back good memories of my dad.
Those 80-90 era Audis were wonderful cars! Very understated, and the better for it. Top review.
When Audi built Em proper and they weren't generally driven by Numptys, l owned a 98 A4 TDi 110 bhp it still had many elements of that 80 in it, they seem to have lost it nowadays
Back in the days when a Audi still had character.
My Father in Law had an amazing 1991 Citroën BX. Amazing steering, amazing brakes and sublime ride comfort.
He moved up to an Audi 80 in 1994 which amazingly was more comfortable and better riding than the BX. He could have had a BMW 3 Series but the Audi looked more exclusive, had loads more rear head and legroom and a much larger boot.
So good was the Audi 80 that he swapped it for a 1996 Audi A4. Subsequently he bought a 2002 Audi A4 that he still runs to this day.
Vorsprung Durch Technik.
Can't say I've ever been a huge fan of German cars generally but that's a lovely car. The thought of wafting down the road in that is rather appealing!
Really would like to find an Audi 80 B4 Coupe. Nearly snagged a 2.6 V6 One is a lovely green colour but the fella sold it before I could even leave a deposit. Ended up with a Volvo C70 T5 Anyways though so not the worst thing to have happen...But absolutely still love the Audi 80 Styling. 👍
Those indicators stalks are still in my 2002 Fabia! The germanic quality indicator tick, and the sound of them clicking off as they cancel is ingrained in my memory! 🤣 The 80 is almost Volvo like. I prefer the B4 A4 just because of nostalgia, and the time I was brought up. I remember the B4 had the first of those fold away keys. That was very premium for the time and pleased my greatly!
In the video was a b4 and called audi 80, the next generation, b5 was then called A4
Had my B4 80 2.0E Sport SE for about ten years now. Absolutely love it. Put a lot of money into it as you'd expect, (especially the front end and cooling system), but it's worth it. Registered in 95, one of the last sold and pretty rare in the Uk now. Not, unfortunately, worth a great deal though.
The predecessor to this model was the B3 Audi 80/90, 1986-91. It was not boxy. Same wraparound dashboard, switchgear, dials etc., similar Mayes-designed body (which was also galvanised), smaller boot but more elegant imo. Audi dropped the 90 badge and inline 5 engines when the B4 80 was introduced, favouring a new V6. I have a 1990 B3 Audi 90 20v - the fwd version. 170hp 2309cc DOHC, naturally aspirated and still quick (fwd weighs 1200kg, quattro version 1320kg). Very rare cars now. Engine shared tough internals with the turbo variants but was under much less stress and they effortlessly eat up the miles. Can be driven sedately but twin cam multi-valve engine comes alive 4.5-7k and the noise is distinctive, characterful and glorious. My bonnet has a thick, soundproofing material. Surprised the example in this video didn't. Procon-Ten was a cheaper alternative to airbags, which were not trusted to be reliable by Audi at the time. After 30 years, I'd still trust a mechanical cable and pulley system. Great cars! Had mine since 2001 and still use it daily. 213,500 miles and counting... Thanks for the great video and for giving this car and Audi era the credit it deserves.
I had a 90 2.3E for 7 years. Loved that engine, you could drive it like you stole it but also go lazy as you did. Very nice cars.
Audi back then made solid dependable and exquisitely engineered cars I remember my neighbour having the previous generation and then this one
Audi seem to have changed and their cars appeal to a totally different market then back then the prices were not much more than for a Volkswagen and seemed to attract a different buyer to now
That is a excellent example and a real time warp!
Ps good old Audi engineering with longitudinal engine and offset radiator dates back to the auto union days
Truly a youngtimer you can actually use all year round in salt and dirt as it is so resistant to rust :D
I had a 92 sport version of this car. With 140hp it was pretty quick in its day. Remember the top speed being spec'd at 140mph also.
Different head on the engine and if I remember rightly they used this engine in their touring car team.
Lovely solid car, great memories ❤
That would have been the 4 cylinder 2.0 16V quattro Competition which indeed was a homologation model for Super Tourenwagen Cup with only 2500 units made. A very rare find today!
@@dominicpascal5512 that rings a bell although only fwd
Procon Ten! I’d forgotten all about that Matt - but it all came flooding back as soon as you mentioned it 😉 For me, this era was peak-Audi in terms of design and seeing that wonderful dashboard makes me lament more and more the featureless (and for me, less safe to use) screen festooned interiors of today 😏
Im with you on screen controls, you have to look down to find the button or see if youre in the right menu, definitely a backwards step
@@furiousdriving Don't know why the regulation banning a TV screen that can be seen by the driver is not implemented.
These touch screens and touch buttons are absolutely pathetic, and super confusing. Safety has definitely gone downhill.
@@RichieRouge206 even more so now that the government announce stricter restrictions on using moble phones for scrolling through playlists etc Its getting to the stage where there cant be much difference between phone scrolling and touchscreen scrolling? 🤔
Had 16v Sport in black on a 94 / M reg, never put a foot wrong in over 220k miles, one of the best cars I ever owned
Back when Audi was an aspirational car, driven by respectable people and enthusiasts. All the chavs and plebs have them now (on pcp finance). Cars of choice of the criminal fraternity these days.
Haha 100 per cent agree, especially the a1 and a3. Love the 80 and earlier a4 as well.
The first galvanised production car was the Matra Murena in 1980 but that applied to the structure only (body was made out of GRP), however, the *previous* Audi 80 (B3 or Typ 89) was one of the first cars with a galvanised steel body.
I could be wrong but I think Porsche were galvanizing from the early 80s. Porsche taught Audi how to do it.
@@farken7467 I've been looking for proof which car was first. Audi 80 was one of the first but definitely not the first car to be fully galvanised. Matra did in 1980 but only for the chassis, not the body panels.
Edit: found proof, press release by Porsche, the 911 was the first car to be fully galvanised in 1975.
@@volvo480 Porsche to my knowledge did the entire body in a hot dip galvanising process followed by a waxing. You are convincing me Porsche was first with the full body dip. Then, due to Audis very close links to Porsche they took it on and I remember a 15 year body warranty when they were new.
Porsche 911 bodies were fully galv dipped by the mid 70s.
I own a 92 Audi 80 2.8E V6 Quattro with a manual, only 65000km. I got it from my grandfather who bought it new back in the day and it's gorgeous...
A 1.9 TDi would be a great version of this car to have, before diesels became a liability with limp modes and particulate filters.
I had one and loved it. But it was slow, you drove it flat out everywhere!
This was the immediate successor of my Audi 80, early 90's: Audi in fact made the transition to the Audi A4 moniker with this particular model. They listed it as an "80", in order not to frighten the customer base, but it was further away from my 80 than the successor model A4. My "80" (only 2-3 months earlier in production) was the last of the "terminal understeerers" mentioned here. Audi took that (correct) critique very much to heart, and if you had hustled this "80" through the corners, understeer would no longer have been so strikingly "conspicuous". I have also had Audi TT's in my garage: the biggest difference between the TT-Golf based transverse technology and the A4 is noise. The longitudinal installation of the engine in the A4 (which this car basically is) makes for a significantly quieter ride. I know this from experience. The transverse engine in the TT is by comparison really noisy, a function I fear merely of physics, because the engine in the TT is mounted broadside towards the driver, so it shouts more loudly. Hence the "north-south" construction of the 80. Having owned a version of this 80, I would say that mankind never came closer to a Rolls Royce for the masses than this Audi generation.
I love those classic wheel trims, I love them more than alloy wheels. I had one of these, It got it wet inside and I had to remove the carpets and interior trim and those steel cables are a work of art.
I think we got the Audi 80/90 around 1987-1988.
I did drive an Audi 4000S around 1986-1987, a five speed manual, and I really liked it. This is a vehicle I wouldn't mind driving a manual.
Audi/VW automatics were not good at this time; either it shifted sluggishly, or, in sport mode, revved much too high.
US vehicles were better equipped, but you did pay for heated seats, which I could not live with!
Excellent review! And thank you for showing us the NEC show!
That's absolutely exactly the same car (engine, colour, all the interior, everything) as I used to have, except it's RHD instead of LHD. I absolutely loved it, it was my first and absolutely best car, I never drove anything at least half as good since. Sadly I had to sell it before moving out of my home country. Nevertheless, old love never dies, I'll get one again 😍😍😍
You've done it now. I'm now looking for an 80 or 90 as my project car. Always loved them.
What an absolute gem! Stunning example of a good car cared for really well and looked after with good ownership. Watching you waft around in this even made me feel relaxed 😂😂
Worked in an vag dealer in late 80s. Heavy car and carb versions were a bit wheezy but still nice to travel in. We are used to a bit more go these days. They were so reliable.
I drove a coupe of the B4 for over ten years. It was a loyal, dependable driving companion for sure. And a beauty!
My boss had one in 93. Remember driving it from central London to Oxford as a 23 year old. Very nice.
The one car I regret not buying, all because it had the fuel tank behind the seats reducing the boot size. I remember saying to the dealer that it was as good as a BMW 3 series but not many people were as aware of them. I bought a Vauxhall Carlton instead, that was rather large.
My dad had two of these around 1994-96. I still remeber how solid and indestructable they felt, as if you could drive them through a brick wall and the wall would come off the worse.
Thanks for this upload man, it'll help to cross-reference what I have in my one.
I’m trying to recall what we got in the states without googling... 80 Fwd got the 4 cyl, the 80 quattro, 90 fwd and quattro got the 5 cyl. The one to get eventually was the 20v quattro from the Coupe. I wanted one terribly!
These are very nice and very classy, unlike todays “show off” range.
Beautiful example. My uncle had an 80 and then a 100 They were so elegant and comfortable. Brings back great memories. Great detail and fantastic review as always
What a beauty, friends dad had one as a company car in the very early 90s on an H plate, it seemed like a spaceship and a very well made one at that. Thinking about that it has probably since been a few washing machines and tumble dryers - lifetime ago.
These were lovely cars. German cars all have that solid well built appearance which means a lot of them survive today.
"Flashing lights of many things": Citroen owners nod sagely..
Really appreciate the build quality of that Audi, proper engineering.
We had the 80 2.8e yes small e, it was V6 2.8 FWD quite rare even back then on the K plate , shattering fast a real handful FWD, used to eat top suspension mounts
I bought a 1993 B4 Avant for £1150 in 2004, and it was an excellent car, even with 120k miles on the clock. Ran it for 3 years, and it took me to Scotland and back from north Kent several times. It was one of those cars where it seemed like the world turned under the wheels. So funny watching Matt's interior review... a friend described the dash as an 'impressive edifice'. Should have held onto it for longer than I did.
Great video, brought back happy memories. I bought a 92 80 16V in 99, it was between that a classic 900 or an e30, swapped in my wife's 94 R8 214 Nightfire. Absolutely superb it had as standard a wonderful 3 spoke Momo Steering Wheel and Pioneer CD head unit. It has the same dustbin lid wheel trims so I upgraded to the Factory 10 spoke alloys, it shared the engine with the Golf GTi and was brisk, revved well and pulled like a train. Quicker than the 2,8 V6 auto version I drove.
I’ve got a cricket green B4 Coupe. Still haven’t found a modern car with as much storage space in the door cards. Way ahead of their time.
Good cars. I've always been an Audi fan owning 3 B4 saloons, a 2.6 B4 avant and I've owned 2 B4 coupes, 16V and 2.6. All were very well built and reliable from that time. I think I remember someone from the motoring press saying they were over engineered. I owned a B2 Audi 80 sport before the B4s and the last Audi I owned was a 2004 Audi A4 1.8t s line. I've currently got a car I've always wanted being a rally fan, a subaru impreza RB5, had that for 10 years but now I'm looking for a good B4 cabriolet or coupe.
Back in the 80s and 90s prestige cars were much less common here on the north but I seem to recall that BMW and Mercedes were for more popular than Audi. I remember the 80 very well and thinking how understated and modern they looked. They were very much the thinking man's choice, much like the Saab and Volvo. They were innovative cars that appealed to those who valued engineering prowess.
Times really have changed.
I have an audi 80 with a 1.9 tdi engine. I also has 90 hp but has very good torque and it was quicker than the 1.6 and 1.8s petrol model and it is insanely fuel efficient and reliable . I also have a 1.6 Turbo Diesel model with 80 hp which is even more fuel efficient , now it sits in my garden because of a leaking fuel high pressure pump. I really like those cars , they have something in them that suprises me . They are very comfortable
My wife had one of these with the TDI engine. It was a good car but I didn't find it as comfortable as my Passat TDI. The problem was lack of thigh support; it gave me a leg ache that the Passat didn't. The Passat had a roomier interior as well, probably due to the transverse engine.
Some years ago I came acrros a well preserved example of an 80 1.9tdi Avant. I loved the dashboard of the car and build quality, it looked brand new.
Before I bought it I came across a Passat B4 Variant, with same engine and I preferred it. Both cars share some elements, Passat interior is much more basic.... But it has a far better use of space.
There were just 2 things I didn't like about the 80 and both came from the fact the car had a longitudinal engine: I felt like I was seating to close to the door, with no elbow room, and I felt like my feet were a bit offset to the left.
Of course In the same era Passat you seat a bit closer to the passenger but due to the transverse engine and I believe because of the doors being a bit narrow, you do have better elbow/shoulder Room.
I still keep the Passat to this day as a second car and one of the things I like most is the smooth ride as you said.
Also, the gearbox which is pretty much the same, is a bit hard but very nice to use, with a short through.
I bought a 1989 (G??? FKR) 80 Sport, with the split rim Speedline alloys and well bolstered sport seats, for £600, as it was overheating. I simply took off the rad cap and ran the car until hot, expelling the air in the system. Never overheated again. My wife learnt to drive in it, and I thrashed it around for a few months before selling it for £1000. Was really good condition and did not show the 200,000 miles it had done. Great cars, when Audi were very good quality and not the "cheap PCP, over complicated cars" they seem to make now. Has an S3 and A4 at work, felt very flimsy in comparison to the 80
I like most of the Audi's from the 1960s up to the 1990s a lot and the B4-80 certainly also. Understated cars, but quite handsome too. Save for a few exceptions, the later models not as much though: Audi were at their best when they were positioned halfway between the volumebrands and BMW/Merc, I feel.
I owned one of these cars in 1995 . J951PSD. Silver, with Fondmetal 5 spoke alloy wheels. Bought it for 7 grand and put 26 thousand miles on it. Sold it for 5,200. Mine was a 20e.
I remember being very impressed with these when I drove one when they were new.
These were great cars. The Procon ten system was interesting and effective. The main drawback was it would write the car off if deployed. Still better to do that than injure the occupants. I owned a B3 90 20V - great car. The facelift dropped the 90 name (used for 5-cylinder models, with different lights front and rear)
Passats from the late 1990s shared the later Audi A6 platform.
Backbin 1990, my dad bought a black Audi 90, it had the 2.2 5 cylinder engine and was quattro.
There was also a button to turn the ABS off, as it's not effective when used in snow/soft surfaces. Also had air con which was quite a novelty back then !
i own black one 80 b4 it was 1.6 td i swapped the engine with 1.9 tdi... now i have tank with good reliable engine on this time with fuel and economic crisis for me it's win win... good reliable car also is so smooth to drive i love my audi
Nice Audi! Audi 80 badge inside where quattro should be ;) That might have been reserved for Audi 90. I thought the ABS -button in the dash would have been worth mentioning. It wasn't very common to have an off-switch for the ABS but this generation of Audis often did.
in the late 90s my cross dressing mate who i shared a house with rolled his he had just had it tweaked and had new tyres and coil overs,the night he picked it up he rolled it in chazey nr reading,firemen had to cut him out of it as he was screaming don't damage my car,but it was well to late by then,it was such a nice car until it ended up on the roof!
Beautiful Audi's of that era, solidly built and classy.
Still got my saloon diesel 1.9tdi. My Audrey.. forever be by my side!!
Back in 92 my Dad was considering one of these but ended up going for a Granada Scorpio. I think it was the right choice at the time but the Audi has probably aged better.
The best era for Audi. As you say, solid and elegant. The 100 was a fabulous thing. Shame that Audi went the way of other makers and started building cars to a cost rather than to a quality.
I took my drive license on audi 80 b3 1.8e of my daddy. Fantastic car, for quality, reliability and line
I had a lovely low mileage 1.6 SE version of one of these until a mad Saab driver decided to push me off the motorway. Such an overengineered car - lovely old beast. Mine had a spoiler and alloy wheels from new! :)
These days, Audi certainly attracts a different ....ahem ... class of customer
A proper Audi that was properly engineered and not an image trinket like the current idiot carriages. Understated was the key unlike the hideous front ends and slashy design that seems to appeal these days. Whatever happened to Procon Ten? Amazing system. Great review of a really cool car!
I had an auto version 2.0E same year but in 'doom blue'. Solidly built as only Audi from the 80's and 90's seemed to be. I liked the ABS override button. Useful in snow.
Ended up trading it in for a '86 Audi Coupé GT 2.2
Fantastic video! Very beautiful car. I wish you can review the same era Audi 100 as well which is the absolute big brother of 80.
I still drive a B4 today and just absolutely love the car combined with the 5-cylinder 2.3! Still decent power for today and the sound is just music.
Had the 90 HP version before for a while and that was quite underwhelming in power. Too little for that car.
The “E” model designation mentioned in the film doesn’t refer to “economy” but to “einspritzung” which is the German word for fuel-injected. The 80 2.0E (I owned a 1990 one) had the same 115PS engine as the 8 valve MK3 Golf GTI (in UK spec) and did 0-60 in around 10.5 seconds so I’m not sure why he feels the car is so slow as that was pretty rapid for a family saloon of the late 80s. Other commenters here have said that the engine in the video looks like the detuned 90PS variant, which would explain the sluggish performance, but that was never fitted to UK spec 2.0E versions as far as I’m aware.
Still looks very fresh 30 years on
I was driven in one last week, it had the high spec velour trim. They are still a good daily car.
Lovely piece of design. Like the colour too.
Note how inside the front door cards match up with the dashboard. Some 1980s and 90s Hondas did this too.
The color is AMAZING!
loved my green 94 1z 1.9tdi audi 80 one of the best cars weve had!
I enjoyed this review. I do like the older Audis. A former colleague had a 2004 2.4 estate and he gave me a lift in it once. Everything from the closing of the doors to how it glided down the road felt so refined. The 2.4 petrol engine coupled to the auto box was so quiet and smooth. I would like an A4. My dream car was an A5 coupe (S5) but they don't make them any more. The A5 reminds me of the 1979 Quattro.
I really liked the rear styling of these when I was a kid.
My late uncle had the Audi 90 in Red on a F Reg loved his Audi's a lovely Audi 80 Matty love the colour of this one👍👍👍
I have one and i love it and will keep it
Its my first car
The prices for them are going up too
Had a lovely 1993 green one of these, terrific car.
Had one of these years back and would love this one.i know how great they are to drive
I always preferred the pre face-lift model if I'm honest. Never quite thought the new grille treatment sat so well with how the front bumper swooped under so sharply. Also, with the plain plastic wheel trims it always seemed like the wheels were just fractionally too big and that the car was sat just that bit too high. We're talking tiny measurements here but enough to put me off the design slightly.
Such a shame these cars are now so popular with people desperate to speed, tailgate jump lights etc. It puts me off the brand big time.
They are trimmed up Volkswagens not proper Audis like that - they were bought by a totally different buyer who respected and enjoyed them more
I had a 1985 Audi coupe back in the day. Rock solid until reverse gear gave up which made for some interesting parking planning!!! Loved the car though.
I had a new one of these in 1994. It was a lovely car.
Yes the Audi 80 about the first car not to rust also a slippery CD drag factor much prefer these to the later A 4 series