We’re jumping on the band wagon of celebrating all things Gen X (thanks to the Netflix series Stranger Things) and more specifically, the 1990s. So, were cars really better back then, or do we remember the past through rose-coloured glasses?
A warning for those looking for a factual article explaining why cars are safer, more efficient, and better for polar bears and penguins: this isn’t that story. Instead, we’re going to tell you that cars from 30 years ago are superior in pretty much every way.
It’s ok if you disagree. You’re allowed to be wrong. But before we prove our theory, you need some background. Back in 1992, this writer got his full licence at the ripe old age of 17 (and had been driving for nine years behind the wheel of a manual 1.0-litre Mini Clubman).
Learning in that was a lesson in sensory and vehicle control, as well as insight into what freedom actually felt like. Yes, I had a push bike, and like most 80s kids, I was out of the house until, well, whenever I was hungry, or it got dark.
But this driving caper was proper freedom with something that resembled speed. I couldn’t wait to get my licence; it wasn’t just a rite of passage or a badge of honour, it was a ticket to being part of the generation that could jump in the car with a few mates and head out.
This was freedom before speed cameras, a time when other motorists would warn you if there were cops up the road, when you could put fuel in your car without having to remortgage the house. But this wasn’t the best part, no, that was the cars.
On paper, they were nothing special, low power, not much equipment, and certainly only limited safety features (if you were lucky). This was the FAFO Gen X era in a nutshell. These cars taught you respect and mechanical sympathy.
You could hear when something sounded slightly off. You actually drove that one and a bit tonne of metal, rather than having an engineer tell you what you could or couldn’t do. It’s not just us old folks that think 90’s cars are the best either.
This next bit gives me hope for younger generations. Go to a car meet and you will see younger people driving cars first registered before they were born, cars birthed in the Gen X era. There seems to be a surge of enthusiasts craving that analogue experience.
They’re certainly looking for that connection to their machine, that desire to create and modify something unique and stand out from the blandness of modern machinery, even though your mum’s new Corolla is probably quicker.
Mum’s car is more economical, and is definitely safer and reliable, but the love for Gen X vehicles is heartwarming. It’s not just a select few that think this way either. You only have to look at the classifieds to see how much metal from the end of the last century is selling for.
But let’s talk about our favourites (some of these might surprise you). To kick things off, it’s hard to go past the Honda CRX SiR. Technically a late-80s car, it was popular in the early 90s, particularly before it morphed into an entirely different offering.
It gave the middle finger to established European manufacturers. It was the car maker’s way of saying “we love what you’ve done with the Peugeot 206 GTi, and hot hatches like it, but you’ve made them too bloated.
Here’s something with a padded luggage shelf as a back seat, and a completely raw and stripped interior instead”. In terms of driving experience, it has to be one of the rawest pocket rockets of the era.
Often overlooked in favour of the more established EG and EK Civics, it showed its true colours when you pointed it down a twisting back road. It wasn’t overly fast, with a moderate 117kW on tap, but its screaming B16 VTEC engine was a tonne of fun.
It had the ability to embarrass cars with more horses, that cost more dollars. A fellow JDM and Gen X offering joins it at the top of our list. That car is the Toyota Celica GT4 ST185. Pop-up headlights immediately made this a cool car, but that 2.0-litre turbo is an absolute peach.
The car dominated the World Rally Championship until Subaru’s Impreza arrived too. Draped in white paint, with Castrol stripes, it was a sweaty teenager’s automotive dream, and in full Safari Rally trim, it was a whole new level of automotive porn.
From one rally icon to another, it’s hard to go past the infamous Ford Escort RS Cosworth. A car which really shouldn’t have been called an Escort, it was more Sierra RS500 than anything else.
Adored by car thieves in the UK, it was supremely fast, handled better than nearly everything else on the road at the time, and had a rear spoiler. The next car on our list is one police and government tried to ban.
The Lotus Carlton, which shares some DNA with Australia’s own Holden Commodore, was a genuine 280kW four-door sedan that could sprint to 100km/h in a shade over five seconds. It was comfortable, and ranked as one of the world’s fastest family cars for nigh on a decade.
If this is a hall of fame, and it kind of is, then the last spot belongs to a Gen X supercar icon. The Honda NSX, its design influenced by Ayrton Senna no less, was never the fastest, prettiest or most glamorous vehicle of its kind, but as a package, it stands alone.
The boss here at Exhaust Notes Australia argues for an earlier time – the 70s – an era marked by the Holden HG Monaro GTS, Ford’s “GTHO” Falcon, and the 1977 Valiant Charger CL XL – complete with a 318 V8, no less. We think he’s wrong.
To be fair though, he did choose a 90s icon, in the R34 Skyline GT-R, to carry the flag for this era of Gen X glory, and he’s probably right. It, like the other cars listed here, represents the best of a generation, a time without compare.
Do you agree? Or have we got it completely wrong? Tell us in the comments below, and while you’re there, let us know what you’d choose as your ultimate Gen X automotive icon, and why.
