Eagle redesigns Talon as road-hugging hatchback sportsmobile
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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Narrow cat-eye headlamp slits and a sharply sloping windshield first draw the double take, then you spot that racy low profile and big rubber radials, all of which suggest that this new bird from Eagle could cheat the corners and raise goose bumps on your shifting arm.
Talon can do this, and perform other tricks too.
Packing turbo-charged horsepower and aggressive suspension settings, Talon TSi will snap your neck to the seat and scoot down straight stretches. Outfitted with all-wheel traction, Talon TSi AWD also cuts curves so crisply you'll think claws come with those 16-inch Goodyears.
Sporty good looks -- so smooth there's not a straight line to be seen among all the swoops and bows and swept-back shapes -- will turn every head on the block as the new design rouses lustful automotive appetites from the ranks of that generational group tagged with an X.
Talon's slick, sporty, downright serious in upper trim, and, like the original 1990 version, quite affordable.
That factor of affordability has always been Talon's enticing ticket to the under-30 set. For less than $15,000, you could get a set of sporty wheels as sexy as anything on pavement, and when outfitted with optional turbo-charged horsepower, as fast as a whirlwind.
So what if there were few concessions to safety, less for comfort, and an infuriating automatic shoulder belt that ran up and down its mouse-driven track every time you twisted the ignition key on or off?
Fortunately, Talon for 1995 tackles those previous problems and eliminates them while still managing to keep the value pumped up with reasonable bottom-line figures.
Consider base Talon ESi.
For $14,500, this entry-level Eagle comes with dual airbags, 140 horses under the hood and nice interior perks.
That base Talon, riding on a new platform that's half again stiffer than before for a more stable ride, also stocks variable-speed power rack and pinion steering, 4-wheel disc brakes, and an interior equipped with front reclining bucket seats, tilting steering column, a tachometer in the instrument cluster, plus remote releases for fuel and deck doors, intermittent windshield wipers, twin remote mirrors and a 4-speaker stereo AM-FM radio.
Talon ESi's engine, a 4-in-line displacing 2.0 liters with twin cams on top, four valves in every cylinder and an electronic sequential multi-point fuel injection system, consists of a cast iron block with aluminum alloy heads.
This Chrysler-built engine, an enhanced version of the plant found in Dodge-Plymouth Neon, ties to a manual 5-speed shifter or an optional automatic 4-speed with electronic controls and overdrive lockout.
When rigged with the manual stick, the base Talon engine provides snappy stoplight action and fat torque figures through lower gears. It's quiet for a 4-cylinder plant and brings the benefit of burning regular gasoline, with fuel economy numbers bumping as high as 32 mpg.
But, you say, you want more juice in your peddle.
Chip in another $3,000, and you'll get a lot more bang for the bucks -- up to 210 horses, in fact.
Talon TSi increases the action by adding a dual-cam 16-valve 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine with counter-rotating balance shafts and turbo-charger in place. Built by Mitsubishi, this engine also has a sequential multi-point fuel injection system and combines with its own manual 5-speed shifter or an optional automatic 4-speed, both of which carry more sporty gear ratios than those of the ESi.
The Mitsubishi turbo plant appears in the front-wheel-drive Talon TSi and all-wheel-drive TSi AWD editions.
This engine's so strong that even a veteran like this speedy driver tucks tail before Talon runs to top speed.
On a deserted Florida back stretch, I tried to push Talon to its threshold, then decided differently after climbing to triple-digit quickness. Such a small car and such relatively low curb weight with all that aerodynamic styling makes this thing try to fly, literally.
I liked it best at lesser speeds as I dared TSi AWD to tackle sharp curve sets, and it responded with enthusiasm.
The TSi AWD employs a viscous coupling in the center differential to split torque to front and rear wheels in equal measure. The rear differential remains open in the standard rendition, but you can order a viscous limited slip setup optionally, which I recommend for ultimate traction.
Talon's top model also adds hunky gear to beef-up its performance package: Big 16-inch aluminum wheels with V-rated Goodyear RSA tires, larger disc brakes and a link-type stabilizer bar in the rear suspension system.
Still, my favorite of Talon's new trio may be the center model, TSi with front-wheel flavor.
It weighs 253 pounds less than the top Talon with all-wheel-drive hardware, then translates this weight advantage to quicker performance stats. And new TSi with the Mitsubishi turbo aboard delivers far less torque steer for a front-wheel-drive platform with hulking turbo aboard than did its predecessor.
In case you may wonder why an Eagle product contains engines from Chrysler and Mitsubishi, understand that Talon and its cousin, Mitsubishi Eclipse, come from an Illinois plant operated in a joint venture between Chrysler and Mitsubishi, with both companies supplying parts and sharing the resultant products.
Compared against its first-generation ancestor, new Talon in all trim levels breaks barriers to stock extensive safety systems, such as the dual airbags that eliminate those pesky automatic shoulder belts.
Other safety components include self-adjusting 3-point safety belts with front vertically adjustable shoulder anchors, an energy-absorbing steering column, clutch-starter interlock, side-impact door beams and Talon's strong wide-track chassis that's more rigid to improve stability.
Talon's new independent suspension system adds multi-link components front and rear. Also, the wider track -- with wheels moved to the outside of the rectangular plan -- works with the new suspension to create amazing control.
Inside, Talon's cockpit fits like a glove: You're sequestered in the action spot, with optimum ergonomic placement for all of those buttons, dials and levers.
Anti-lock brakes, leather seats, a power sunroof and up-graded sound systems appear as special options.
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| 1995 EAGLE TALON VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact sport hatchback |
| Model Options: |
Compact sport hatchback |
| Wheelbase: |
98.8 inches |
| Overall Length: |
172.2 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.0-L I-4 16v
DOHC 2.0-L I-4 16v Turbo
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front, AWD |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/opt. ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
22/32 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 14,500 to $ 24,500 |
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