I recently drove the 1985 Dodge Plymouth Colt Turbo Premier Sedan, and it’s quite impressive. The car looks sleek and handsome, like a slicked-up version of Mitsubishi’s sedan. With a wheelbase about an inch and a half longer at 93.7 inches, it has an expensive look, quite out of character with previous Colts.
The sedan’s base price is about $6,500, and the premier turbo costs around $8,400, so fancy dress is almost required.
Inside, the bargain-basement Colt style is gone, replaced with high-tech features. The instrument pod sweeps out to meet the driver, and the dash and firewall are moved three inches forward for more room.
While controls are convenient, the light and wiper knobs are a bit horsey, and the huge horn buttons on the steering wheel are hard to hit when needed. However, the large controls on the cassette equalizer stereo unit borrowed from the Conquest are great. The deeply hooded instruments are well grouped, with turbo boost included.
The seats are the real showpiece, offering multiple adjustments and excellent support for fast, exciting maneuvers.
All Colts are wider by two inches, and rear foot room is now adequate. Despite the hatchless design, the split rear seat and high wide trunk with a large underfloor storage compartment make up for it.
Under the hood is a 1.6-liter Mitsubishi fuel-injected turbo motor with 102 horsepower and 122 pounds of torque. The turbo motor pulls about 180 pounds more weight than the previous three-door Colt turbo hatchback. It goes from 0 to 60 in 10.3 seconds and does a quarter-mile in 18.8 seconds at 77 miles per hour.
While no longer in the rocketship class, it’s still fast enough for its 2,360-pound weight. The new 5-speed manual transmission replaces the old twin stick, with a 3-gear automatic as an option.
This Colt’s speed may be down, but its overall balance is way up, which is just fine with me. Last year’s car had too much motor for its rudimentary suspension and skinny tires.
The new McPherson strut front suspension and independent rear, with gas dampers and thick stabilizer bars, provide much better roll control. The tires are now fat with asymmetrical tread on 14-inch rims, eliminating rear bump steer. Now, you can take a sharp curve in a Colt turbo with your eyes open.
The brakes have also been upgraded. High-speed stops were straight and secure, with distances averaging 115 feet from 55 miles per hour.
The front ventilated discs are thicker, with drums at the rear, and there’s no fade or tendency to lock up prematurely. Chrysler claims the Colts are the quietest cars in their class. While I can’t say for sure, the noise level was only 68 decibels at 55 mph, impressive for such a small car.
Mileage is decent too, with 25 miles per gallon over my 100-mile test loop, and EPA estimates of 20 mpg city and 30 mpg highway.
Overall, the 1985 Dodge Plymouth Colt Turbo Premier Sedan is a stylish, comfortable, and practical car. It has addressed many issues from previous models and offers a balanced performance, making it a real showstopper.
