19861980s

Boxy sedans. Carburetors. Leaded petrol.

897
Variants this year
96 hp
Average power
7.9 L
Avg consumption
13.2s
Avg 0–100 km/h
Sedan
Top body · 39%
01 — Body mix

What shape dominated.

Distribution of 897 1986 variants by body type.

sedan39%
hatchback39%
wagon16%
Sedan
39.1%
Hatchback
38.9%
Wagon
15.6%
Coupe
3.6%
Cabriolet
1.6%
Suv
0.9%
Mpv
0.3%
02 — Fuel mix

What moved them.

Petrol still dominates in absolute volume in 1986, but the share is sliding to electric and hybrid year over year.

petrol84%
diesel16%
Petrol
84.3%
Diesel
15.7%
03 — Top picks

The standouts of 1986.

Quickest, most powerful, most efficient — from variants documented with a 1986 model year.

In context · 1980s

Boxy sedans. Carburetors. Leaded petrol.

Before catalytic converters were mandatory. Before electronic fuel injection became universal. The 1980s belonged to the wedge, the three-box sedan, the steel bumper. The Audi 100 broke aero records at 0.30 Cd in 1982; almost nobody else cared yet. The hot hatch arrived (Golf GTI, Peugeot 205 GTI, Renault 5 Turbo), and so did the European turbo diesel.

Audi 100 C3BMW 3 Series E30Volkswagen Golf Mk2Peugeot 205
See all 1980s years →