Commute, Toy or Destroy – VW Corrado Vs. Honda CRX Vs. Ford Mustang
We are back with this week’s instalment of AutoGuide’s newest, interactive weekly feature ‘Commute, Toy or Destroy’.
Once again, we present to you, our faithful readers, a choice of three vehicles. We are asking you to decide which one you would make your daily driver, which one would become a weekend Autocross machine and which one should be blown up by a 500 shot of nitrous.
Remember, the commuter car you must live with every day. The toy would be only available to you for occasional use on weekends or car meets and the final car would be the one you’d leave the keys in the ignition in a shady neighborhood.
This week we select icons of affordable performance from the late 1980s that represent three different continents. First, from North America is the Ford Mustang 5.0. Yeah, the storied Foxbody ‘Stang. Next, from Asia is an incredibly fun-to-drive light weight hatchback, the Honda CRX. Finally, representing Europe is the highly engaging Volkswagen Corrado. So what are your choices going to be?
1987-1993 Ford Mustang
The ‘foxbody’ Mustang (which refers to its ‘fox’ platform) was in production for a long time. In 1987 it was refreshed and modernized, but that didn’t matter too much. The 5.0 L V8 (4.9 L to be technical) was all the Mustang faithful cared about as it made this budget sports car not only a good performer, but also a great vehicle to modify into an absolute terror.
1988-1991 Honda CR-X
In 1987, the CRX received modern sheet metal, a better suspension and a significant bump in power; especially in Si models. Although power still barely exceeded the 100 hp mark, the fact the CRX weighed in at only 2,000 lbs. meant it was still fairly quick. This light weight also meant the CRX was incredibly nimble in the corners and fuel efficient. Later in life, this car became the darling of the import tuner community.
1988-1995 Volkswagen Corrado
When the Corrado first came out, many claimed it to be one of the best handling front-wheel drive cars ever made. Twenty-five years later and many are still in love with this three-door veedub. If handling prowess wasn’t enough, two letter and number combinations still set Corrado fans hearts a flutter; G60, which refers to the 158 hp 1.8 L supercharged four-cylinder and VR6, which was the name of the 178-192 hp narrow angle V6 engine.
A 20+ year industry veteran, Mike rejoins the AutoGuide team as the Managing Editor. He started his career at a young age working at dealerships, car rentals, and used car advertisers. He then found his true passion, automotive writing. After contributing to multiple websites for several years, he spent the next six years working at the head office of an automotive OEM, before returning back to the field he loves. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA). He's the recipient of a feature writing of the year award and multiple video of the year awards.
More by Mike Schlee
Comments
Join the conversation
You can build the fox body as a beast on the track yet still drive it every day, as I have
Is this a joke? I would daily drive and race the Mustang. The other cars are complete jokes. I wouldn't be caught dead in either one. Mustang and especially the Fox Body for life!