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VW Jetta GLI, Peugeot 505 are MotorWeek's 1986 Euro sport sedan alternatives

Tue, Dec 23 2014 Video reviews have become a mainstay of automotive journalism, but long before every publication turned on its video cameras and started uploading to YouTube, there was one program that was blazing the trail.

That, of course, was MotorWeek, the television car program produced by Maryland Public Television and hosted by the inimitable John Davis. The program first aired back in 1981, and after more than three decades in the business, it's got a considerable archive of old episodes to unearth.

In this latest gem recovered from the MotorWeek back catalog, the program pitted two European sports sedans against each other: a Volkswagen Jetta GLI and a Peugeot 505 Turbo. That's right: back in the 1980s, Peugeot was still competing in the US marketplace. The forced-induction 505 may not have been enough to keep the French automaker in American showrooms, but it was enough to stand up against the VW.

Which one won MotorWeek's favor? You'll just have to watch the six-minute clip to find out.
  • News Source: MotorWeek via YouTube

By Noah Joseph


See also: 2015 VW Golf R ready for your pre-order on January 8, A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video], Autoweek dubs GMC Canyon, VW GTI its 2015 'Best of the Best'.