1985 in Motoring - United Kingdom

United Kingdom

ARG had a fairly quiet year in 1985, with the only significant changes being the addition of an MG variant to the Montego range. On the rally scene, however, eyebrows were raised at the arrival of a spectacular new mid-engined supercar - the MG Metro 6R4, with four-wheel drive and a V6 engine. The MG version of the Maestro was upgraded from a 1.6 to a 2.0, with the twin Weber carburettors making way for electronic fuel injection.

Ford achieved success with the latest incarnation of its big Granada. The new car, which went on sale in May, was a radical hatchback-only design which brought back memories of the Sierra's launch nearly three years ago. Ford has refused to rule out the possibility of saloon and estate versions at a later date, but the current hatchback is proving popular thanks to its high equipment levels, comfortable interior, solid build and (for a car of the size and level of specification) a competitive asking price. On the continent the "Scorpio" name covers the whole range, while Britain and Ireland only see the new nameplate as an extra on range-topping 2.8 and 2.9 V6 models, which are known as "Granada Scorpio".

A year after its launch, the Vauxhall Astra hatchback and estate ranges have been joined by a saloon. Rather than adopt the same name as used by the hatchback, Vauxhall has been the latest of several manufacturers to follow a new trend of creating a new name for the saloon version. The saloon version of the Astra is known as the "Belmont", while the continental version shares the Kadett name with the rest of the range.