The mid-sizers

1986 the Type81/85 was replaced by the Type89 or B3. Often fans say that B3 is the wrong name, as the VW Passat (Quantum) is also called B3. But that's wrong. Volkswagen is Volkswagen and Audi is Audi. However, everyone calls the car Type89.

The Audi 80 and its sporty derivate the Audi 90 were good and reliable cars. However, they had some disadvantages which -depending on the driver- would be very severe or would not matter. The most important criticism is the trunk. As the fue tank is placed behind the rear seats (Why, oh why?) the trunk is small and short but pretty deep. Depending on what you have to transport, you will have different opinions about that.

Here an Audi 90. Different front and rear fascias, headlights and grille distinguish the Audi 90 from an Audi 80. The interiour of the Audi 90 is better equipped. The engine choices for the 90 only include fiuvecylinders, with the strongest machine being the 20V normal aspirated engine with 170hp.

The Type 89 was with a cD value of 0.29 the second highly streamlined Audi after the Audi 100 Type44 and therefore boosted Audi's credibility in this sector as one Audi official said. If you look closer at the car's lines, it does not seem that revolutionary: The headlights are angled rather steep and for today's standards the gaps are also pretty coarse. But back then, it was absolute state-of-the-art, also thanks to the underbody that was for the first time streamlined by introducing a plastic cover under the engine department.

This New Zealand Audi 90 has the German license plate mounting section but especially noteworthy is here the typical New Zealand tow bar with the heavy-duty bike carrier.

The differences between the German and US-American are not huge. Different equipment, license plate mounting area and the painted bumpers with fog lights which were -to my knowledge- not available in Germany.

The amount of tuning parts for the Type89 is immense and makes fans of the large Audis cry.

As well as the Limo was switched from "B2" to "B3", the Coupe was renewed in 1988. The rounder body was kind of a culture shock for the fans of the angular Audis. Only the Urquattro -now available with the 20V turbo- would still me as edgy, pointy and angular as it should. When in May 1991 the last Urquattro was produced, an era ended. It was the Audi with the longest production run, a record that the Audi Cabrio will equalize or even improve.
Even though the S2, which had to fill the empty space of the UrQ, could nearly everything better than its predecessor, it never gained its reputation. Reason for this is perhaps that the UrQ was the first and most revolutionary in its class. Its long production run further gave reason for the legend: When all other cars were streamlined, the UrQ would still proudly hold its housewall-aerodynamics into the wind. The first Coupés still had the Type89 hoods, which were soon replaced by B4 hoods as can be seen on the left.