The Morning Call and Mcall.com's view

The Audi Coupe GT is not exactly a secret and is far from the best known product to come out of Germany. It is the type of car that when you mention it to someone, you have to explain it. And it is one of those cars you can drive for miles and miles and hours and hours without seeing another one.

This struck me as somewhat strange since it is a car that has a lot to offer at a fairly reasonable price for a German specialty car (it is by no means cheap but not that expensive for this day and age). Perhaps it is one of those cars that is on the verge of discovery. Then, again, it may be sinking closer to oblivion.

Whatever, the Coupe GT is certainly a car that could very well please both the driving enthusiast and the person who couldn’t care less about the fine points – just the prestige.

The one problem of defining the Coupe GT is determining its best point. It really doesn’t have one. For example it hasn’t the raw power of a Trans Am or Mustang GT, nor the finesse and handling of a Porsche 911, nor even the knock- out type of styling of an Impulse or 300ZX. But what it does have is blended together in a smooth and impressive package. It has more power than what is expected out of its relatively small engine, handling is right on top for a front-wheel drive car and even though its styling is not going to turn heads it is pleasant and easy-to-take.

This sounds somewhat confusing and contradictory because we are talking about a slightly different type of car; one which really doesn’t fit into a strict category but rather one whose definition is spread over several.

To begin with basics, the Coupe GT (test car supplied by Knopf Automotive, 3401 Lehigh St., Allentown) has a wheelbase of 99.8 inches, overall length of 177.3 inches, width of 66.3 inches, height of 53.1 inches and curb weight of 2,510 pounds. Although classified as a subcompact by the EPA, the Coupe GT has to be one of the roomiest of subcompacts. It’s interior can easily accommodate four 6-footers at the same time – back seat room is obviously very good.

The Coupe GT is based on the Audi 4000S two-door sedan (no longer sold in this country). It is essentially a sporty coupe with the interior of a two- door sedan. The fastback styling does look like a hatchback but it is a true coupe with an enclosed trunk that measures 11.2 cubic feet. The trunk deck opening is ,rather on the small side and opening the trunk can be a problem. There is no outside lock for it and the trunk deck must be popped from a lever on the driver’s side doorjamb. Not bad, not good, but certainly different.

Powering the Coupe GT is Audi’s unique inline five-cylinder engine. How unique, you may well ask. Well, it’s the only one around so that should give you some idea. Inline engines with an odd number of cylinders aren’t suppose to work but Audi has had this engine since the late 1970s so apparently it does. What I have always liked about this engine is that it has its own sound – sort of a refined growl. Probably the reason for this is all the counterbalancing needed to make it run smoothly.

The single-overhead-cam, fuel-injected engine measures 2.2-liter/136- cubic-inches and is rated at 110 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 122 foot- pounds torque at 2,500 rpm. This isn’t a tremendous amount of power but peak torque does come in at a surprisingly low rpm for a small displacement engine. This alone certainly must help out its brisk acceleration – 0-60 mph in about 10 seconds. Also contributing to the Coupe GT’s overall performance is a smooth-shifting five-speed manual transmission that has an excellent spread of gears. (The five-speed is standard; a three-speed automatic is optional.) Audi claims a top speed of 115 mph for this car and I’ll take its word for it.

If driven reasonably, the Coupe GT’s engine and five-speed will provide quite decent fuel mileage. The testc r averaged 17 mpg for city driving and 26 mpg over the highway.

What is perhaps even more impressive than engine performance is the car’s handling. It is an absolute delight to drive. The car seems so well balanced that at first one may not really appreciate just how well it does handle. But if you are taking curves and glancing at the speedometer, you can soon realize that it can really move and groove. There is some torque steer on hard acceleration, which of course is not that unusual with front-wheel drive cars, just grip the wheel a little firmer and everything is OK.

The four-wheel independent suspension features MacPherson struts with negative roll radius, coil springs and stabilizer bar up front and torsion crank axle, panhard rod and integral stabilizer and coil spring struts in the rear. Steering is by a power-assisted rack-and-pinion system that turns lock- to-lock in 3.4 turns. The brakes are also power-assisted and feature discs up front and drums in the rear. In a day of large tires on performance cars, the Coupe GT’s 185/60 HR 14-inch steel-belted radials look somewhat skimpy but they seem to do the job.

Base price on the Coupe GT is $17,580 and standard equipment includes air conditioning, power windows, cruise control, intermittent wipers, power outside mirrors and an overall nice level of trim. Full price on the test car, including a destination charge of $335, came to $19,430. Options included: sun roof, $535; rear window washer/wiper, $250; power door locks, $215; AM-FM stereo/cassette, $420, and power antenna, $95.

The Coupe GT, like other Audis, is backed by a three-year or 50,000 miles limited vehicle warranty. In addition, it also has a six-year limited warranty against corrosion perforation with no mileage restriction.

New for 1987 is a Roadside Assistance Program which provides financial protection against roadside emergencies for the first three years of ownership. (For example, if a customer’s 1987 Audi is disabled by collision or mechanical breakdown of any component covered by the new vehicle limited warranty while the drive is more than 200 miles from home, participants will be reimbursed for travel or lodging expenses up to $500.)